Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has resisted the temptation to wield the axe ahead of Saturday’s Tri-Nations return Test against the All Blacks, making just two changes to the starting XV that went down 12-32 in Auckland.?
Rugby365 reports:
Both of the changes to the Bok side are enforced; with the injured Jannie du Plessis (calf muscle) and the suspended Bakkies Botha being replaced by CJ van der Linde and Danie Rossouw, respectively.
World Cup winners Van der Linde (tighthead prop) and Rossouw (lock) will both add significant beef up front – despite being without Du Plessis and the disgraced Botha, who arrived back home in South Africa on Monday after being suspended for nine weeks for head-butting Jimmy Cowan at Eden Park at the weekend.
In the other change to the Bok 22 – from the unit which suffered the four-tries-to-nil defeat in Auckland – Sharks No.8 Ryan Kankowski replaces Rossouw, a selection which actually gives the Bok bench some more options; the SA brainstrust having effectively gone with two locks amongst the replacements in the first Test.
De Villiers said he was confident his team could come back from last week.
“The way you lose is not as important as how you stand up from such a defeat,” said the Bok mentor.
“The guys know they didn’t perform well, they remain proud and they realise that they have hard work ahead of them this week,” he added. “The All Blacks were very good at the weekend and they did not allow us space to play the way we wanted.”
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Jean de Villiers, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Oliver, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Butch James, 22 Gio Aplon.
Date: Saturday, July 17
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT; 09.35 SA time)
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Assessor: Bob Francis
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I don’t get this.
How can CJ all of a sudden leapfrog BJ Botha who should surely have been next in line? 👿
@wpw (Comment 1) : There you go trying to apply logic again 😆
@wpw (Comment 1) : and Kanko ahead of Potgieter?
Was really hoping JdV would be shifted, damnit.
@wpw (Comment 1) : It’s apparently cos he’s “hungry” (according to PDV)… maybe the coach is going to hide some biscuits in the AB’s shorts before the game?
@molly (Comment 3) : Yip, I still believe JDV on the wing was one of our weakest links last weekend
@CS (Comment 4) : Mmmmm…? Might The Mechanic not get to the biscuits first? 🙄 😉
@diablo (Comment 6) : I actually think CJ is faster than Januarie.
Seems we are going down the same path again.. Not holding my breath for this game.. Olivier in the midfield is not good..
@diablo (Comment 6) : @molly (Comment 7) :
and on another note, why so many northern hemisphere refs?
@molly (Comment 7) : Seriously though… Januarie isn’t getting any slimmer in my opinion!! An athlete at this level surely can’t be anywhere near his peak performance looking like that! Don’t they have minimum “Performance standards” that these guys have to achieve… or is the Mechanic exempt?
@molly (Comment 10) : Agreed… what do they know about the “new” game in the Southern Hemispehere?
@molly (Comment 7) :
Ja, but RJ might have more cunning in securing a tasty morsel or two? On the other hand, Molly suggested hiding the biscuits in the AB’s shorts…???? 😯
@CS (Comment 11) : He’s not really losing weight is he. But he’s fine, he played pretty decently on the weekend and was getting some really good ball out in the beginning, we should have had an easy try when Steyn floated that forward pass to JdV (killing the overlap at the same time).
I would maybe pick Pienaar ahead of him, but otherwise I don’t think there is anyone else worth calling up, not yet (although I’d be tempted to play Hougaard).
@diablo (Comment 13) : Do you think that penalty we got for Richie leaving the scrum early was planned? Cause I thought it was excellent. RJ being cunning.
JdV on the wing is a bad idea. He was hopelessly out of position and tactically naïve last week.
@CS (Comment 11) : @molly (Comment 7) :
Can I ask you two experts’ opinion on his performance on Saturday?? 🙄 😈
@molly (Comment 14) :
Just read your comment now!! Sorrrriiiieee 🙄 😳
@wpw (Comment 17) : hahaha… come on, he is a little slow. And CJ is fast for a prop. I cleared up my thoughts in comment 14. He was just fine with the amount of rubbish ball he got. Thought him and big Vic were the best of the day, sadly. Oh and Guthro works so bloomin hard around the park.
@wpw (Comment 18) : I know this isn’t the right thread, but didn’t you think Hoffman embarrassed Duvenhage with the small amount of time he had on the field on Sat? Only try we got was with him on.
@wpw (Comment 17) : His performance was ok (but a long way from what FdP can produce)… and imagine how much better it would be if he lost another 10kg. Aren’t we supposed to be striving to be the “best we can be” at this level of the game?
@CS (Comment 11) : He,s our version of Weepu!!
@CS (Comment 21) : He could lose some weight, but he’s also getting next to no game time at his province which doesn’t help. Only playing 70 minutes 3/4 times a year is not great. Watch, he’ll be up to semi decent fitness after the Trinations and then bench warm during CC, S14 and next years Tri (cause FdP will be back) and lose his form and fitness all over again.
@molly (Comment 23) : Watch Francios Hougaard take over from FDP and leave RJ out in the cold altogether!
@ruggabugga (Comment 24) : Januarie’s not a youngster anymore and Hougaard is def the future, would love to see him get more gametime at scrummie for the bulls. Hopefully with Adams gone he will.
@molly (Comment 23) : If he lost the extra kg’s he might play more than 3 or 4 times a year? Surely the incentive to beome a great player should be enough to do some fitness work on one’s own and to thereby silence some of the critics. 😉
@molly (Comment 20) :
Yeah I saw the impact he made. 😎
I really do rate Hoffman and I hope the WP brainstrust are over their idea of transforming him into a flyhalf.
@ruggabugga (Comment 24) :
Ricky will be going to the RWC in NZ, of that there is no doubt!!
@molly (Comment 25) : FH is a really special energetic player just a pity he doesnt wear black n white!
@ wpw, Me 2 😈
@ruggabugga (Comment 24) :
@molly (Comment 25) :
Agree, agree & agree – very exciting youngster!
@diablo (Comment 31) :
Pity about his urrgly haircut!! 🙄
@diablo (Comment 31) : Does anyone actually now how good Hougaard is at 9? I mean when was the last time anyone saw him play there?
@wpw (Comment 32) : He should join the Highlanders
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 33) :
On last year’s EOYT.
He was diabolical. 🙄
@wpw (Comment 32) : And his attitude, although if WP hadn’t let him go I probably would love it.
@wpw (Comment 35) : Well now see, thats what Im worried about. He got an identity crisis. I mean come on, if you put the little boy in a pink dress with a ponytail and painted fingernails, sooner later hes going to think hes a girl right? (Or that hes living in Cape Town). Either way, its not that easy to then suddenly get him to score chicks in a nightclub now is it? Do you get my point?
@wpw (Comment 32) : I could’nt care less about the do as long as he plays the way he does – he’s young and entitled to have fun 😉 – most of us have looked back at old photographs & wondered to ourselves how on earth we could have had our hair this way or that, or worn a certain outfit?
😆
@molly (Comment 36) :
His attitude changed when he joined the Cows!! 😈
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 37) :
Dude, you lost me at ‘pink dress and ponytail’ 😆
@wpw (Comment 40) : You’re from Cape Town aren’t you? I shouldn’t expect you to understand 😈 In most parts of the world, little boys don’t wear pink dresses and most scrum halves don’t play wing…
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 41) :
Hey! Shut up wena!! 😕 🙄
@wpw (Comment 42) : Have I hit a nerve? 🙂
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 43) :
No, not at all… 😉
I don’t mind when you behave like an Earl cos I’m used to it by now!! 😈
@wpw (Comment 44) : Now that was uncalled for!! Apologise! Or Ill have to call you a Jorrie. 😆
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 45) :
Ok, I’m sorry for calling you a self important, ugly, talentless woman beater!!
Really I am!! 😀
@wpw (Comment 46) : Exactly, Ive never beaten a woman in my life… Apology accepted. But enough about Ricky Januarie, bring on Ruan.
i wonder what the new game plan will be 😈
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