Who is still good enough?

I have gone through the list of "senior" players Heyneke Meyer has not yet written off, players who has been selected by him over the past 3 years, players that played in the previous world cup who he might still and in many cases still do think are the best in their position.

With his tendency to select experience this is a possible scenario for the Springboks in 2015 RWC, Although I do understand that a mix of experience and youth is necessary, these were the guys that failed against Australia in the QF in 2011.



1. Beast
2. Bismarck
3. Jannie
4. Etzebeth – NEW
5. Vicki
6. Schalk BUrger
7. Willem ALberts
8. Duane Vermeulen – NEW
9. Fourie du Preez
10. Morne Steyn - Seems to have moved on from him.
11. Bryan Habana
12. Jean de Villiers
13. Jaque Fourie - NOW RETIRED
14. JP Pietersen.
15. Willie le Roux. -NEW

Now Bakkies Botha and Jacques Fourie has retired, I wonder how many others will follow to reduce the temptation of Meyer?

I can see a few more going:

Du Preez must be getting on a bit now, he's had a resurgence but i'm not sure if he can keep up for another season, the games a lot quicker then he's used to.
Habana is playing in a physical league and will have a lot of rugby to get through before the RWC, the T14 will want their pound of flesh and he won't be rested much.
Pieterson looks to be losing his pace and without that i'm not sure if there's a place for him.

Still think Beast is probably the biggest underachiever in Int rugby though, so much hype about him and he looks, well, a beast. But he just seems to get through games doing the minimum required. Always seems on the cusp of something amazing but it never happens.

Jannie and your replacement hooker must both be on thin ice, both seem to be penalty magnets with dodgy tempremants.

Except for Etzebeth and Willie, the others will be close retiring after the WC. Duane will also be 29 next year. Seems like we will have to build again and I thought we were building for the past 3 years too.

Fern, we haven't been building that much mate.

In 2012 Meyer has capped 17 new forwards, but we are back to really only having Coetzee, Eben and Vermeulen as newbies.

The backline has not been developed in his first two years bar Willie le Roux that was just so much better than Kirchner Meyer had to bow to public demand, this year Meyer was forced to use new scrumhalves due to injuries to his first choice Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar, and Morne has become so kak that he had no choice.

Cornal Hendricks only got a shot because JP wasn't available

Fourie could have become an all time great. Was the lure of the yen that big compared to the salaries we see in SA? They aren't that bad and given that chaps are playing both SR and Japanese seasons I think he could have done it. Just wasn't to be I guess.

Its a real shame that SA got perhaps 1-2 years out of the Jaque Fourie & Frans Steyn partnership when it should have dominated from 2008-2015.

Instead we got Adi Jacobs and Jean De Villiers.

I don't really think Frans was better than Jean from 2008 till say 2011. And recently I wouldn't have picked Frans in the squad at all. The only thing that Frans had going for him was his long range shots at goal.

FerN wrote:I don't really think Frans was better than Jean from 2008 till say 2011.  And recently I wouldn't have picked Frans in the squad at all. The only thing that Frans had going for him was his long range shots at goal.

I agree , Frans was a beast in that period lately he was just an overweight crash specialist . At least JDV sometimes can break the line with some form of pace .

As for the quicker nature of the game , FDP plays in a much faster less physical Japanese league he's certainly up to the pace . Our RC challenge was lost the minute FDP was ruled out .