SARU have named 8 additional players who will join the Springbok training squad in Stellenbosh this week, following the end of their respective Currie Cup campaigns.
Sharks tighthead prop Lourens Adriaanse, wing Lwazi Mvovo and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach will all make the trip, along with the Bulls quartet of Handré Pollard, Rudy Paige, Marcel van der Merwe and Bongi Mbonambi. With Reinach battling injury and both Ruan Pienaar and Fourie du Preez also on the casualty list, Griffons scrumhalf Boela Abrahams has also been added.
Uncontracted players from Western Province and the Lions were not considered for the camp due to Currie Cup Final commitments.
The final squad of 36 for the outgoing tour will be announced next Monday (27 October).
Players invited to training camp: Boela Abrahams (scrumhalf), Lourens Adriaanse (prop), Willem Alberts (loose forward), Marcell Coetzee (loose forward), Damian de Allende (centre/wing), Lood de Jager (lock), Jean de Villiers (centre), Bismarck du Plessis (hooker), Jannie du Plessis (prop), JJ Engelbrecht (centre/wing), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Lizo Gqoboka (prop), Cornal Hendricks (wing), Francois Hougaard (scrumhalf), Siya Kolisi (loose forward), Patrick Lambie (flyhalf/fullback), Willie le Roux (fullback/wing), Victor Matfield (lock), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Teboho “Oupa” Mohoje (loose forward), Tendai Mtawarira (prop), Lwazi Mvovo (wing), Trevor Nyakane (prop), Coenie Oosthuizen (prop), Rudy Paige (scrumhalf), Handré Pollard (flyhalf), Cobus Reinach (scrumhalf), Jan Serfontein (centre), Adriaan Strauss (hooker), Flip van der Merwe (lock), Marcel van der Merwe (prop) and Duane Vermeulen (No 8).
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JJ Engelbrecth…useless.
it will be interesting to see after the CC final who gets invited from the Lions and wp.
Jeez, how far down the pecking order is Sarel Pretorius if a First Division player gets in the squad…
Sorry to say but Adriaanse does not deserve to be there. Has not played to his potential since going to the Sharks.
@Greg (Comment 2) :
Well done to your team, you definitely deserve to be in the final!
Who do you think will make the EOYT from the Lions?
I watched that Boela Abrahams during the Griffons/Valke game and although quality of opposition wasnt great he did look very good. Quick to the rucks and has a very good pass. Would be interesting to see how he goes amongst better players and I feel thats why the call up. It was also shown on the weekend that Pollard needs to be at 10 not 12. And that Marcel VAn Der Merwe is a very good scummager
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 3) : I think Sarel’s lack of defense has meant he doesnt get a look in.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 5) : Who do I think WILL make it, or who do I think SHOULD make it? 😆
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 5) : PS, thanks, yeah we did deserve it, played some good rugby this season.
@SheldonK (Comment 7) : This is a coach who prizes defence so highly that his first choice was Morne Steyn for years and years?
Sarel Pretorious is getting the same treatment as Brussow.
@The hound (Comment 10) : He values kicking more than defense…you know that, hence Steyn. Ive said for years Sarel should get a chance but not one Bok coach has thought so, so perhaps we missing something.
@Greg (Comment 8) :
Your honest opinion about who should be in the Bok setup..
@SheldonK (Comment 11) : Maybe we don’t watch enough Griffons games?
@The hound (Comment 13) : To be honest the final was the only decent amount of time i have watched them so not sure if he had a once off good game or not. He has a good flat pass and is quick to the rucks etc. To be honest i think he is probably better than Rudy Paige. Wonder if Piet Van Zyl is kicking himself about his decision to go to the Bulls now.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 12) : I would be tempted to say the whole forward pack, purely for the way they have scrummed this season, not only in CC, but SR as well.
However, The players who I really believe deserve a look in would be: Warren Whitely, Derick Minnie, Jaco Kriel, Franco Mostert, Marnitz Boshoff and Lionel Mapoe. A few fringe players who could also be included would be Julian Redelinghuys and Ruan Dreyer.
I think, however the only two who will get a call are Warren and Marnitz.
Would love to be wrong though.
@Greg (Comment 15) :
I would have to say that Marnitz would only get in if Heyneke decided to drop Morne Steyn from the squad completely.
I think Whiteley has a good chance of getting in. Redelinghuys might be another to surprise with an inclusion..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 16) : Jaco Kriel must be the most exciting player in S.A at the moment,lets be honest he made our Shark’s boys look like amateurs.
How can a coach who makes room for washed up players like Jean Smith and Schalk Burger justify ignoring this talent.This guy could be the next one running out for Ireland or France.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 16) : Would agree with you re Marnitz if we are talking about a match day squad, or even a touring party, but a larger group training camp should surely include him.
@SheldonK (Comment 7) : I see your Sarel and raise you JJ Engelbrecht as counter
@Greg (Comment 18) :
Agreed – A training camp should see him included. I was talking specifically about the tour party..
@vanmartin (Comment 19) : JJ Engelbrecht is a bit of a conundrum as i feel he has all the attributes to be a very good Bok, well apart from the mental edge i feel. I also think he would be far better at wing than centre. If the Bulls played him on the wing more with Serfontein and Small Smith at centre i think it would benefit him. However, having said that as a wing at the Bulls all he would do is chase up and unders which is sad as the Bulls could play 9. Hougaard 10. Pollard, 11. Basson. 12. Serfontein 13. Small Smith, 14. Engelbrecht, 15. Kriel
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 16) :
Man , would love to see Kriel get a go in that touring squad !!!
so in mid year, they decided they couldn’t look at Cooper because of a lack of game time. Rather went with Visagie, which everyone knew was a joke.
Now Cooper has played (and played well) pretty much throughout Currie Cup and they instead go with Mbonambi… notwithstanding his own lack of game time.
Interesting.
@robdylan (Comment 23) :
The continued inconsistencies of Mr Meyer..
How the hell did Adriaanse make the squad, he is not even average
Stephan Lewies ?
@robdylan (Comment 23) : I wouldn’t even pick Visagie to ply Vodacom cup nevermind Spribgboks, but Bongi have played well this season. He was rotated with Visagie, but was the stand out of the two.
Cooper might just as well have gotten the nod, but I personally think Robbie Coetzee will get the 3rd hooker pick.
Has JJ even featured for the Bulls in the Currie Cup this year?
@Blue Centurion (Comment 27) : I do actually rate Bongi very highly. Just saying I think Cooper should have got the nod in midyear ahead of Visagie.
@Bokhoring (Comment 28) : Yeah he actually looked like he had some zip back in his last two CC games……..he seemed to have lost his mojo after being pathetically discarded by Meyer
@Blue Centurion (Comment 27) :
A Lions player ? shocked !!!!
@robdylan (Comment 29) : Agree with you there. Of course this is – as with all year end tours – perfect time to rest the brothers du Plessis as next year is world cup year and the last thing you want is a fatigued player. So pick Cooper/Bongi with Coetzee and Strauss and have a fresh Bismark and Jannie next year.
@Zibbie (Comment 31) : Hey, you guys have played some great games this year. Especially the forwards. I would be surprized if some of them don’t get selected.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 3) : Abrahams probably has a pending move to the Bulls.
At some point we have to ask ourselves, Is it really worth contracting all these Bok players?
Do we really want to go into every currie cup with a varsity cup team?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 3) : @SheldonK (Comment 11) : @The hound (Comment 13) : look I’m no expert on playing 9 but the youngster of the Grifons is talented and maybe it’s a good thing to get some new blood in at 9 as most of the current Bok 9’s are nearing the end of their careers. With regards to Sarel he would still be fifth choice at 9 and then I would personally prefer a younger player to get a shot as Sarel’s a bit to old to get called up now and he’s also a bit inconsistent at times. Also guys don’t forget this is also only a training group with possible players from the Lions and WP excluded so I would not read to much into this group
@Original Pierre (Comment 35) : it’s a fine balance of contracting Boks and other talented players as you need the senior Bok players to help win tournaments like Super rugby.
@JD (Comment 36) : Personally i think HM likes the look of Boela Abrahams and perhaps wants to raise his profile in the hope that some Super rugby franchise picks him and then he can see him in the company of better players. Not many of the WP/Lions scrumhalves inspire me much to be honest…i dont think Nick Groom or Ross Cronje have what it takes to play international rugby.
@SheldonK (Comment 38) : jeez, based on Saturday’s game, that would mean Conrad Hoffmann isn’t even fit to play Craven Week rugby
@robdylan (Comment 39) : Culling Song will probably disagree with you. 🙄