Publications
Partners
Heyneke Meyer has selected 36 players for his first training camp in Cape Town next week.
The squad excludes Kings players as they are still overseas and only expected back in the country on Monday. Meyer has however indicated that players from the Eastern Cape Franchise will be considered for his next training camp.
I have full confidence in his selection, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.
The most notable absence in the group is that of Andries Bekker, the towering lock has been a stand out performer for the Stormers this season and I feel he offers a lot more than Pieter Steph Du Toit and Franco van der Merwe. Du Toit is a player for the future but van der Merwe’s selection does confuse me a bit.
Arno Botha from the Bulls is another “questionable selection.” The flanker could not even crack the starting line-up of the Pretoria union for most of the season. Here a player like Heinrich Brussouw should have been considered. He was in scintillating form against the Stormers this past weekend and his ability to disrupt his opponents at the breakdown has played a big part in the Cheetahs success this season.
I don’t have too many issues with the backline except for the inclusion of Elton Jantjies. I’m a big fan of the no 10 and believes he is the best flyhalf in the country. But his form this season has been poor and I don’t believe he will be an asset to the Springbok team.
There could be a lot of reasons for his poor form this season, the passing of his dad earlier this year, settling in a new team, a new province, etc…
But I believe the Stormers coaching staff has not utilised him properly and thus his game has suffered.
John Mitchell designed his game plan around Jantjies and that made him match winner we all came to know. The Lions was a young team and did not have many big name players, Jantjies was the cornerstone of the Joburg Union and the main reason why they won the Currie Cup in 2011.
But Coetzee and co has not done the same at the Stormers. Jantjies had to fit in with their game plan and could not dictate play like he use to at the Lions. The stormers have super stars like Bryan Habana, Gio Aplon, Duanne Vermeulen and Eben Etzebeth in the team and they all offer a lot in terms of experience and skill.
I feel HM should have gone with Burton Francis as he has done more in two starts for the Cheetahs than Jantjies has done in his 6 starts for the Stormers. Francis was with the cape side and at the end of last season he was told by the coaching staff he was not good enough and should go and play his rugby elsewhere. So it was sweet revenge when he kicked the winning penalty against his old team on Saturday.
I cannot see Jantjies starting at no 10 for the Boks come the June Internationals. Pat Lambie, Morne Steyn will do battle for the pivot position.
The squad excludes Kings players as they are still overseas and only expected back in the country on Monday. Meyer has however indicated that players from the Eastern Cape Franchise will be considered for his next training camp.
I have full confidence in his selection, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.
The most notable absence in the group is that of Andries Bekker, the towering lock has been a stand out performer for the Stormers this season and I feel he offers a lot more than Pieter Steph Du Toit and Franco van der Merwe. Du Toit is a player for the future but van der Merwe’s selection does confuse me a bit.
Arno Botha from the Bulls is another “questionable selection.” The flanker could not even crack the starting line-up of the Pretoria union for most of the season. Here a player like Heinrich Brussouw should have been considered. He was in scintillating form against the Stormers this past weekend and his ability to disrupt his opponents at the breakdown has played a big part in the Cheetahs success this season.
I don’t have too many issues with the backline except for the inclusion of Elton Jantjies. I’m a big fan of the no 10 and believes he is the best flyhalf in the country. But his form this season has been poor and I don’t believe he will be an asset to the Springbok team.
There could be a lot of reasons for his poor form this season, the passing of his dad earlier this year, settling in a new team, a new province, etc…
But I believe the Stormers coaching staff has not utilised him properly and thus his game has suffered.
John Mitchell designed his game plan around Jantjies and that made him match winner we all came to know. The Lions was a young team and did not have many big name players, Jantjies was the cornerstone of the Joburg Union and the main reason why they won the Currie Cup in 2011.
But Coetzee and co has not done the same at the Stormers. Jantjies had to fit in with their game plan and could not dictate play like he use to at the Lions. The stormers have super stars like Bryan Habana, Gio Aplon, Duanne Vermeulen and Eben Etzebeth in the team and they all offer a lot in terms of experience and skill.
I feel HM should have gone with Burton Francis as he has done more in two starts for the Cheetahs than Jantjies has done in his 6 starts for the Stormers. Francis was with the cape side and at the end of last season he was told by the coaching staff he was not good enough and should go and play his rugby elsewhere. So it was sweet revenge when he kicked the winning penalty against his old team on Saturday.
I cannot see Jantjies starting at no 10 for the Boks come the June Internationals. Pat Lambie, Morne Steyn will do battle for the pivot position.
