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Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – Rumours of a continued impasse between Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and the once-wunderkind utility back Frans Steyn are hardly about to be quelled.
The Racing Metro player, many critics’ pick as a muscular and huge-kicking presence in the last line of defence for South Africa, could not find a place in a 28-strong Bok squad for the away leg of the Vodacom Tri-Nations, starting against the All Blacks in Auckland in a fortnight.
Steyn played in the first Test of 2010, a once-off against Wales in Cardiff, but was then marginalised for the inbound visits of France and Italy and now fails to get a plane ticket for the champions as they open their defence of the Tri-Nations title.
Earlier “misunderstandings” between De Villiers and Steyn appeared to have been cleared up when he made himself available for the Millennium Stadium date, but his omission from the party announced by SARU boss Oregan Hoskins on Saturday suggests there may be lingering issues at play.
Still, former Sharks player Steyn, 23, is a single-minded character and sometimes earns rightful brickbats for his virtuoso inclinations, arguably departing as he does from intended team battle-plans.
So a straight “rugby” decision cannot be discounted.
But fullback is one of few areas of Springbok rugby where there is some uncertainty and it is the spot where 36-capped Steyn was employed when South Africa clinched last year’s southern hemisphere bragging rights by winning 32-29 at Hamilton.
The big No 15 banged over three penalties from his own half to contribute importantly to that precious victory.
Now the only recognised fullbacks in the Bok squad are the Bulls’ Zane Kirchner and Stormers’ Gio Aplon, although the latter is also getting plenty of game-time at right wing for both franchise and country this winter.
In a list of 12 backline players brimming generally with versatility, Jaque Fourie and Ruan Pienaar could also be considered for fullback in emergencies.
Butch James of Bath has made the tour cut, indicating that overseas-based players are hardly persona non grata, so Steyn’s absence is really all the more conspicuous.
The relatively frail but slippery and ever-valiant Aplon wore the No 15 jersey in the satisfying 55-11 thumping of Italy in East London on Saturday, but physically sturdier Kirchner seems the likelier choice there for the high-stakes Tri-Nations opener at Eden Park.
Aplon may well, however, get the nod on the right wing, if coach De Villiers intends fielding the same back three – Kirchner, Bryan Habana and Aplon – who helped earn a sizzling 42-17 Newlands triumph over Six Nations champions France recently.
Broadly, that Test ought to be a strong yardstick for the Bok combo against New Zealand, with two exceptions to the starting line-up: Bakkies Botha is likely to restore his “old firm” arrangement at lock with Victor Matfield, at the expense of pretty unlucky Danie Rossouw (who tours anyway) while Jannie du Plessis may just be a whisker in front of BJ Botha now for the right-shoulder task.
It is also possible, of course, that Jean de Villiers, who was industrious in the slightly unfamiliar No 14 shirt in East London, could wriggle his way back in somewhere.
The Steyn matter apart, there are very few reasons to quibble with the composition of the menacing-looking touring squad.
It is certainly not wanting in the prop or lock positions, and the generous stocks in the former category have almost certainly put a permanent seal on the “John Smit at tighthead” experiment.
Gurthro Steenkamp and a freshly-eligible Beast Mtawarira fight it out at loosehead, and the No 3s are Du Plessis, Botha (both of whom unusually got on the try-sheet against Italy on Saturday!) and CJ van der Linde.
If the Boks are slightly under-resourced in one position, in fact, it is probably hooker, where the lone specialists for the three-match overseas venture are the captain, Smit, and, until recently, highly injury-prone Chiliboy Ralepelle.
Using the French Test, rightly or wrongly, as a heavy barometer, this is the likely Springbok starting XV at Eden Park:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gio Aplon 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier 11 Bryan Habana 10 Morne Steyn 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies 7 Francois Louw 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha 3 Jannie du Plessis 2 John Smit (capt) 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Cape Town – Rumours of a continued impasse between Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and the once-wunderkind utility back Frans Steyn are hardly about to be quelled.
The Racing Metro player, many critics’ pick as a muscular and huge-kicking presence in the last line of defence for South Africa, could not find a place in a 28-strong Bok squad for the away leg of the Vodacom Tri-Nations, starting against the All Blacks in Auckland in a fortnight.
Steyn played in the first Test of 2010, a once-off against Wales in Cardiff, but was then marginalised for the inbound visits of France and Italy and now fails to get a plane ticket for the champions as they open their defence of the Tri-Nations title.
Earlier “misunderstandings” between De Villiers and Steyn appeared to have been cleared up when he made himself available for the Millennium Stadium date, but his omission from the party announced by SARU boss Oregan Hoskins on Saturday suggests there may be lingering issues at play.
Still, former Sharks player Steyn, 23, is a single-minded character and sometimes earns rightful brickbats for his virtuoso inclinations, arguably departing as he does from intended team battle-plans.
So a straight “rugby” decision cannot be discounted.
But fullback is one of few areas of Springbok rugby where there is some uncertainty and it is the spot where 36-capped Steyn was employed when South Africa clinched last year’s southern hemisphere bragging rights by winning 32-29 at Hamilton.
The big No 15 banged over three penalties from his own half to contribute importantly to that precious victory.
Now the only recognised fullbacks in the Bok squad are the Bulls’ Zane Kirchner and Stormers’ Gio Aplon, although the latter is also getting plenty of game-time at right wing for both franchise and country this winter.
In a list of 12 backline players brimming generally with versatility, Jaque Fourie and Ruan Pienaar could also be considered for fullback in emergencies.
Butch James of Bath has made the tour cut, indicating that overseas-based players are hardly persona non grata, so Steyn’s absence is really all the more conspicuous.
The relatively frail but slippery and ever-valiant Aplon wore the No 15 jersey in the satisfying 55-11 thumping of Italy in East London on Saturday, but physically sturdier Kirchner seems the likelier choice there for the high-stakes Tri-Nations opener at Eden Park.
Aplon may well, however, get the nod on the right wing, if coach De Villiers intends fielding the same back three – Kirchner, Bryan Habana and Aplon – who helped earn a sizzling 42-17 Newlands triumph over Six Nations champions France recently.
Broadly, that Test ought to be a strong yardstick for the Bok combo against New Zealand, with two exceptions to the starting line-up: Bakkies Botha is likely to restore his “old firm” arrangement at lock with Victor Matfield, at the expense of pretty unlucky Danie Rossouw (who tours anyway) while Jannie du Plessis may just be a whisker in front of BJ Botha now for the right-shoulder task.
It is also possible, of course, that Jean de Villiers, who was industrious in the slightly unfamiliar No 14 shirt in East London, could wriggle his way back in somewhere.
The Steyn matter apart, there are very few reasons to quibble with the composition of the menacing-looking touring squad.
It is certainly not wanting in the prop or lock positions, and the generous stocks in the former category have almost certainly put a permanent seal on the “John Smit at tighthead” experiment.
Gurthro Steenkamp and a freshly-eligible Beast Mtawarira fight it out at loosehead, and the No 3s are Du Plessis, Botha (both of whom unusually got on the try-sheet against Italy on Saturday!) and CJ van der Linde.
If the Boks are slightly under-resourced in one position, in fact, it is probably hooker, where the lone specialists for the three-match overseas venture are the captain, Smit, and, until recently, highly injury-prone Chiliboy Ralepelle.
Using the French Test, rightly or wrongly, as a heavy barometer, this is the likely Springbok starting XV at Eden Park:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gio Aplon 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier 11 Bryan Habana 10 Morne Steyn 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies 7 Francois Louw 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha 3 Jannie du Plessis 2 John Smit (capt) 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
