Heyneke Meyer has named his Springbok side to face Scotland in Nelspruit this weekend, with the bulk of the starting team retained from last week’s clash against the Italians.
Ruan Pienaar starts at scrumhalf for the injured Jano Vermaak in an expected change, while the decision to release Francois louw from the squad this week also opens the door for Marcell Coetzee to take over the open-side flank berth. The rest of the starting team is unchanged, thus quashing speculation that Pat Lambie was due a start at flyhalf.
There’s a welcome return for Bismarck du Plessis, who takes over from Chiliboy Ralepelle as reserve hooker, while Coetzee’s spot on teh bench goes to potential debutant Siya Kolisi. Willem Alberts was again not considered this week.
The final change to the squad sees uncapped Piet van Zyl occupy the back-up scrumhalf berth, with Vermaak out of the match 23.
Springboks:
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jean de Villiers (capt), 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
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Disappointed about Lambie… I hope he gets a good amount of time from the bench.
On the other hand, I can’t wait to see Bissie back!
didn’t HM promise pat a start against the scots I’m glad the front row is unchanged can’t wait to see bissie in action
So I guess Morne will be the flyhalf come RC time
@sharks4eve2013 (Comment 2) : that’s a rumour, not a fact.
Sideshow Bob didn’t even make it onto the bench. Bravo Meyer, bravo! Also super happy for Kolisi. Hope he gets some game time.
@robdylan (Comment 4) : thanx rob but still would have loved to see lambie to start but no ja
@sharks4eve2013 (Comment 6) : Is it not better having our top fly-half playing?
@sharks4eve2013 (Comment 6) : I’m going to make a prediction. Lambie + Venter = Undisputed Bok First Choice Flyhalf Forever
@Uli (Comment 7) :the thing is morne is leaving and HM said he’s not going to play over seas players so come rc is he going against his word and the other thing is i want to see lambie in a team that gets front foot ball just to see how he does if he doesn’t then play stein by al means
@robdylan (Comment 8) : i like that idea best flyhalf in the world
Was hoping to see Pat get a nice run at 10, but can’t really argue. Still not entirely sure what Spies and Basson are doing there
@robdylan (Comment 8) : + 1 gazillion
@sharks4eve2013 (Comment 9) : Im not sure, but I understand MSteyn wont be available for the RC. Is that true Rob?
@robdylan (Comment 8) : Preach Brother! Preach!
according to ewn, he wont be playing in the championship. Why not get Lambie ready for the AB’s now?
@West Indies Cricket Board (Comment 13) :I also heard something like that but i feel if you want to play for SA stay in SA that’s way frans came back
@West Indies Cricket Board (Comment 13) :I also heard something like that but i feel if you want to play for SA stay in SA that’s way frans came back and that’s way kockett want’s to came back
@Bokhoring (Comment 3) : If I am not mistaken, Morne will not be available during the RC. Apparantly none of the France based players will be available.
@robdylan (Comment 8) : Hells bells! Did not think of that before!
@King Shark (Comment 18) : What is the reason for that out of interest? Does it conflict with the French season? Just wandering why Ruan and Louw are allowed to play but not other overseas based players.
Can someone tell the coaches that Coenie is not a tighthead please!!!
Hope Lambie and Bissie get proper gametime this time. I’d also like to see more of Serfontein.
@West Indies Cricket Board (Comment 13) : that’s what I thought…. but not 100s
@SteelShark (Comment 21) : He’s as bad at th as Barney was when he made the switch, yet they persist with Coenie. 🙄
Maar nou ja, as jy dom is moet jy sukkel. 😈
Boks-Kruger-Steyn-Spies = 😎
[email protected]+Bismarck= 😎
Lets get a vote here:
All those who think HM has not treated Lambie and Morne equally say I??
Coz seriously this is bullshit. the man played poorly all season last year and was given 7 starts in the Boks…Lambie has been avg in a poor team and has yet to play poorly for the Boks…this is a joke I dont care who disagrees. YOU ARE WRONG…(rant over) rest of the team looks good except Marcell
Everyones worried about Pat not getting a start but spare a thought for poor Chilliboy who gets bumped off the bench for Bissie who has played one or two club games the whole year.
Im so glad coetzee is back in the starting line-up,geting his first start this year im sure we gona see the marcel we all know!
@kaapsebra (Comment 28) : hey – welcome to the site.
Yeah, I also think Marcell is going to carve out there…
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 27) : difference is Chili signed the Toulouse contract…. Bismarck didn’t.
@pienaar111 (Comment 26) : I’m with you there think morne gives HM up the ars or something that’s probably way morne is his favorite 😈
@robdylan (Comment 30) : And that explains why Steyn is still there and why Chili is even in the squad.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 32) : no, it doesn’t, but it does kind of justify Bissie being seen as a more strategic choice.
@pienaar111 (Comment 26) : @sharks4eve2013 (Comment 31) : I think Meyer just thought back to the last Bulls / Sharks game and how Steyn neatly put over the winning penalty while Pat did his best to give the ball back to the Bulls with seconds remaining. 😈
Thanx rob,marcell should bring a big bonus to defence times,that going to be needed against scotland.im also quite keen te see how the 2 young gun loose fawards with arno on the other flank going to do,lets hope they can start building on something great for the future,well seing that both of them are under the age of 22.
@robdylan (Comment 33) : Hmmm maybe, but then that would indicate that Pat isnt seen in the same light, maybe he is just filling a gap until Pollard or that perpetually injured Vrystater are ready.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 34) :
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 36) : I really hope not not for lambie’s sake and i don’t rate the goose so highly
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 34) : Im fine with dropping a player on poor form (that game being the worst I have seen from Lambie) ALL I ASK IS FOR CONSISTENCY…Morne cost the Boks game after game last year did he not??
@pienaar111 (Comment 39) : Ja, but Morné is Afrikaans, so coach can communicate far easier with him than with Lambie 😈
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 36) : this is, unfortunately, a real possibility.
Pat needs a reboot…. Super Rugby 2013 hasn’t been a great success for him.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 24) :
The actual term is called ‘turbo reverse’
I’m sure you must have heard it before. 😉
@wpw (Comment 42) : Oh no 😯
I nearly threw up in my mouth just now 😈
@wpw (Comment 42) :
Turbo reversed right into the top job, lekker ne.
@robdylan (Comment 41) : Agree, but Pat will be back, soon I hope.
I am not so sure that Morne is not available for the RC. It falls inside the official test window where country beats club – otherwise most of the Argies would not be able to play.
HM choosing Steyn as first choice for the current tests leads me to believe that he will play in the RC as well. What would be the point of selecting him otherwise.
@Bokhoring (Comment 46) : I don’t think it’s that he isn’t available, it’s just Meyer prefers to pick local players (he says). That doesn’t explain why he still picks Louw and Pienaar, but it makes sense. The deal with the Argies is that they probably have unique contracts, otherwise Argentina wouldn’t be able to form even a second tier worthy team. All their players are in France pretty much, so the French have probably been made to make exceptions for them. And besides, Morne will technically be available, just not ideal. Players who haven’t even been available are Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, and Gurthro Steenkamp.
@David12246 (Comment 47) : I still don’t see the point of the current selection of Steyn starting at 10 unless he plans to play him in the RC. HM seems to have settled on his first choice players bar injuries.
It is not like Lambie is injured, needs a rest (he did not play more games than Steyn) or just returned from injury.
I am pretty sure Steyn will be the starting 10 for the RC.
@Bokhoring (Comment 48) : Since when did anything make sense in SA Rugby? 🙄
No Willem?
Is he still injured?
@robdylan (Comment 8) : 🙄 you okes never learn! wasn’t that very idea bandied about freely pre-season.
then it went something like this….. With Carlos guiding Lambie, he will be better than ever…NOT!! In fact he has been overtaken, by none other than the “metronome”
@KingCheetah (Comment 51) : So how’s your flyhalf doing this year….oh yeah, I forgot, he’s not 😈
@KingCheetah (Comment 51) : Unfortunately Carlos was only used as a consultant to teach tactical kicking and nothing else
@Bokhoring (Comment 53) : That’s interesting. Pat’s worse part of his game is his tacktical kicking, especially during the last couple of seasons and the Bulls game.
He always struggles to relieve the pressure out of our 25 and to find good clearance even missing to find touch with critical penalties. That’s where Mourne is more reliable.
I also believe that McCloud gives him more time to decide his game and has been lacking the past 2 seasons. His distribution has improved as well as his short tactical kicks when McCloud played inside him, but he needs to work hard at his line kicks to topple Morne.
We shall meet the Bulls soon where he can prove a point, so resting him could work in our favour.