Publications
Partners
Gavin Rich
Johannesburg - It is quite astounding how quickly the mood appears to have shifted in a Springbok team which swept all before it in the southern hemisphere season but which is now talking of Tuesday night’s match against Saracens as a chance to "rescue" their tour.
A record of played two, lost two is certainly not one to be pleased with, and although everyone knows the manner in which the Bok XV played against Leicester Tigers was a long way short of being a true representation of South Africa’s reserve depth, it is a fact that the English champions can claim they downed the world champions.
The team for tonight’s game looks a lot more like the real deal. Injuries have seen to that, with two thirds of the Free State Cheetahs Currie Cup front-row, acknowledged as the best in the country, having been flown out after the Tigers defeat to join the team. The other member of the front-row for the Wembley game is CJ van der Linde, the World Cup-winning tighthead.
Van der Linde’s call-up to the squad even though he is playing his rugby in Ireland can be seen as an indication of just how much of a wake-up call the first match was for coach Peter de Villiers, who has been far more reluctant than his predecessor to use overseas based players.
Indeed, Van der Linde’s inclusion for this game can almost be interpreted as a measure of how important it is for the Boks to win, for it seems to suggest the emphasis of these midweek games has changed. Van der Linde has played in a World Cup final, he has played many Test matches, it is not as if he is one who should need a game against a team like Saracens to judge his ability. Everyone knows what he is capable of.
With Wembley expected to be brimful of South African expats baying the Boks on, they should be able to make a much better fist of it than they did at Welford Road. The touring party is where many previous Bok touring parties have been on these end of year tours -- they need desperately to get back on track, and they need to do it now.
The statements coming out of the Bok camp over the past few days have betrayed the enormous pressure they must be under. In quick succession a meal has been made in the wake of the defeat in Toulouse over the admittedly bizarre rendition of the national anthem and referee Wayne Barnes’s handling of the set-scrums.
To top that, the Bok coach has reportedly reacted with anger to Brendan Venter’s presence at a Bok “Test” team training session on Monday. The former Bok centre, now coaching Saracens, was apparently asked to leave, and De Villiers afterwards described his presence as “unethical”.
But if it was the Test team training then it is hard to see why De Villiers would be so put out, as that side is not playing tonight. As a South African, and a good friend and former colleague of assistant coach Gary Gold, it would be understandable that Venter, as he always has been, would be interested to see how the Bok first choice side is shaping and what they are working on.
He says his office was only 100 metres away from where he was watching, and anyway, Venter should have a good knowledge of what the Bok Test team are doing as this year they have played the type of rugby he called on them to play last year through his newspaper columns in Cape Town.
You could argue that the Boks are playing a style that is closer to Venter’s preferred style than that of some members of the Bok management, and with Derick Hougaard lining up at flyhalf for Saracens, it is hardly a secret that the English club team will be out to employ a South African approach against South Africa.
Saracens look stronger than the under-strength Tigers team that won in Leicester 11 days ago, with nine players in their ranks who have played rugby in South Africa. That includes an all-Springbok halfback pairing of Neil de Kock and Hougaard, and a World Cup-winning Springbok in skipper Wikus van Heerden.
Venter has done wonders at Saracens, lifting them to the top of the league standings at this early stage of the English season, and would no doubt love to put one over his countrymen. However, this game is a big test for the Boks, they are seeing it as such, and this time they do have a decent front-row, possibly the best they have fielded on tour so far.
Those ingredients should produce the morale-boosting win the Boks so desperately need. If they don’t, then the Boks are in even more trouble than we thought.
Teams:
Saracens:
15 Michael Horak, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Neil de Kock, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Justin Melck, 6 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 5 Hugh Vyvyan, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Richard Skuse, 2 Ethienne Reynecke, 1 Rhys Gill
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 George Kruis, 19 Andy Saull, 20 Kevin Barrett, 21 Alex Goode, 22 Rodd Penney
South Africa:
15 Earl Rose, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 6 Jean Deysel, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Riaan Viljoen
Johannesburg - It is quite astounding how quickly the mood appears to have shifted in a Springbok team which swept all before it in the southern hemisphere season but which is now talking of Tuesday night’s match against Saracens as a chance to "rescue" their tour.
A record of played two, lost two is certainly not one to be pleased with, and although everyone knows the manner in which the Bok XV played against Leicester Tigers was a long way short of being a true representation of South Africa’s reserve depth, it is a fact that the English champions can claim they downed the world champions.
The team for tonight’s game looks a lot more like the real deal. Injuries have seen to that, with two thirds of the Free State Cheetahs Currie Cup front-row, acknowledged as the best in the country, having been flown out after the Tigers defeat to join the team. The other member of the front-row for the Wembley game is CJ van der Linde, the World Cup-winning tighthead.
Van der Linde’s call-up to the squad even though he is playing his rugby in Ireland can be seen as an indication of just how much of a wake-up call the first match was for coach Peter de Villiers, who has been far more reluctant than his predecessor to use overseas based players.
Indeed, Van der Linde’s inclusion for this game can almost be interpreted as a measure of how important it is for the Boks to win, for it seems to suggest the emphasis of these midweek games has changed. Van der Linde has played in a World Cup final, he has played many Test matches, it is not as if he is one who should need a game against a team like Saracens to judge his ability. Everyone knows what he is capable of.
With Wembley expected to be brimful of South African expats baying the Boks on, they should be able to make a much better fist of it than they did at Welford Road. The touring party is where many previous Bok touring parties have been on these end of year tours -- they need desperately to get back on track, and they need to do it now.
The statements coming out of the Bok camp over the past few days have betrayed the enormous pressure they must be under. In quick succession a meal has been made in the wake of the defeat in Toulouse over the admittedly bizarre rendition of the national anthem and referee Wayne Barnes’s handling of the set-scrums.
To top that, the Bok coach has reportedly reacted with anger to Brendan Venter’s presence at a Bok “Test” team training session on Monday. The former Bok centre, now coaching Saracens, was apparently asked to leave, and De Villiers afterwards described his presence as “unethical”.
But if it was the Test team training then it is hard to see why De Villiers would be so put out, as that side is not playing tonight. As a South African, and a good friend and former colleague of assistant coach Gary Gold, it would be understandable that Venter, as he always has been, would be interested to see how the Bok first choice side is shaping and what they are working on.
He says his office was only 100 metres away from where he was watching, and anyway, Venter should have a good knowledge of what the Bok Test team are doing as this year they have played the type of rugby he called on them to play last year through his newspaper columns in Cape Town.
You could argue that the Boks are playing a style that is closer to Venter’s preferred style than that of some members of the Bok management, and with Derick Hougaard lining up at flyhalf for Saracens, it is hardly a secret that the English club team will be out to employ a South African approach against South Africa.
Saracens look stronger than the under-strength Tigers team that won in Leicester 11 days ago, with nine players in their ranks who have played rugby in South Africa. That includes an all-Springbok halfback pairing of Neil de Kock and Hougaard, and a World Cup-winning Springbok in skipper Wikus van Heerden.
Venter has done wonders at Saracens, lifting them to the top of the league standings at this early stage of the English season, and would no doubt love to put one over his countrymen. However, this game is a big test for the Boks, they are seeing it as such, and this time they do have a decent front-row, possibly the best they have fielded on tour so far.
Those ingredients should produce the morale-boosting win the Boks so desperately need. If they don’t, then the Boks are in even more trouble than we thought.
Teams:
Saracens:
15 Michael Horak, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Neil de Kock, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Justin Melck, 6 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 5 Hugh Vyvyan, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Richard Skuse, 2 Ethienne Reynecke, 1 Rhys Gill
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 George Kruis, 19 Andy Saull, 20 Kevin Barrett, 21 Alex Goode, 22 Rodd Penney
South Africa:
15 Earl Rose, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 6 Jean Deysel, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Riaan Viljoen
