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Stephen Nell
East London – Jean de Villiers on the right wing and Gio Aplon at fullback.
Those are just two of the moves Springbok coach Peter de Villiers appears to be contemplating to complete “the last piece of the puzzle” ahead of this year’s Tri-Nations.
If Monday’s training session at the Buffalo City Stadium is anything to go by, the coach is certainly planning a few more experiments for Saturday’s second Test against Italy.
Aplon played most of his senior rugby for Western Province as a fullback and should make the positional switch in the Test team without difficulty if it is required.
De Villiers has started the majority of his Tests at inside centre, but did well on the wing earlier in his Test career.
Only time will tell whether the coach was simply weighing up his options or genuinely intends selecting that way.
One thing De Villiers has succeeded in is building depth for the Boks.
Francois Louw and Dewald Potgieter have both taken the step up at loose forward, while Zane Kirchner looked settled at fullback last week.
Aplon and Juan de Jongh have also successfully made the transition from Super 14 to Test rugby.
“Gio made his mark for the Stormers at wing and fortunately for him we had a number of injured players in the position. He has now made the position his own,” said De Villiers.
“It’s good to have versatile players. While I’d like to see them in one position, it’s important to have a few that can cover a couple of positions to give us options on the bench.”
The wings on the injury list such as JP Pietersen, Odwa Ndungane, Jongi Nokwe and Akona Ndungane will have to work hard to make the Bok team again.
“We’re not keeping open a spot for anyone in this team. They’ll have to earn their place again and the Currie Cup is a good place to start,” said the coach.
Bjorn Basson, who along with Victor Matfield, Ryan Kankowski, Flip van der Merwe, Alistair Hargreaves and Bandise Maku were not considered for this week’s Test, also showed some promise against Wales as a replacement wing.
John Smit (hooker), Schalk Burger (flank), Danie Rossouw (lock/flank), Jaque Fourie, Wynand Olivier (both centres) and Andries Bekker (lock) are in the squad again this week.
Fourie may well be utilised with De Jongh in midfield. The large number of centres in the squad increases the possibility that De Villiers may be used as a wing.
“We have the best of both worlds being able to experiment but also manage the players ahead of the Tri-Nations. I’m 75% certain on how the squad will look for the Tri-Nations,” said De Villiers.
The coach also praised the state of the stadium pitch in East London.
“It did not look this good when I was here a few months ago. The table has been set and now we need to serve up a satisfying meal.”
East London – Jean de Villiers on the right wing and Gio Aplon at fullback.
Those are just two of the moves Springbok coach Peter de Villiers appears to be contemplating to complete “the last piece of the puzzle” ahead of this year’s Tri-Nations.
If Monday’s training session at the Buffalo City Stadium is anything to go by, the coach is certainly planning a few more experiments for Saturday’s second Test against Italy.
Aplon played most of his senior rugby for Western Province as a fullback and should make the positional switch in the Test team without difficulty if it is required.
De Villiers has started the majority of his Tests at inside centre, but did well on the wing earlier in his Test career.
Only time will tell whether the coach was simply weighing up his options or genuinely intends selecting that way.
One thing De Villiers has succeeded in is building depth for the Boks.
Francois Louw and Dewald Potgieter have both taken the step up at loose forward, while Zane Kirchner looked settled at fullback last week.
Aplon and Juan de Jongh have also successfully made the transition from Super 14 to Test rugby.
“Gio made his mark for the Stormers at wing and fortunately for him we had a number of injured players in the position. He has now made the position his own,” said De Villiers.
“It’s good to have versatile players. While I’d like to see them in one position, it’s important to have a few that can cover a couple of positions to give us options on the bench.”
The wings on the injury list such as JP Pietersen, Odwa Ndungane, Jongi Nokwe and Akona Ndungane will have to work hard to make the Bok team again.
“We’re not keeping open a spot for anyone in this team. They’ll have to earn their place again and the Currie Cup is a good place to start,” said the coach.
Bjorn Basson, who along with Victor Matfield, Ryan Kankowski, Flip van der Merwe, Alistair Hargreaves and Bandise Maku were not considered for this week’s Test, also showed some promise against Wales as a replacement wing.
John Smit (hooker), Schalk Burger (flank), Danie Rossouw (lock/flank), Jaque Fourie, Wynand Olivier (both centres) and Andries Bekker (lock) are in the squad again this week.
Fourie may well be utilised with De Jongh in midfield. The large number of centres in the squad increases the possibility that De Villiers may be used as a wing.
“We have the best of both worlds being able to experiment but also manage the players ahead of the Tri-Nations. I’m 75% certain on how the squad will look for the Tri-Nations,” said De Villiers.
The coach also praised the state of the stadium pitch in East London.
“It did not look this good when I was here a few months ago. The table has been set and now we need to serve up a satisfying meal.”
