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Stephen Nell
Cape Town - No place for Schalk Brits… and tears for constant performers in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby competition like Sarel Pretorius, Peter Grant, Coenie Oosthuizen, Duane Vermeulen, Ashley Johnson and Francois Louw.
This could be a very likely scenario when the Springbok squad of 30 players for the Rugby World Cup is announced on August 23.
The competition for spots in the World Cup squad is so tough that some of the big guns could be left at home when the Boks travel to New Zealand.
Not even the Sharks’ brilliant young flyhalf Pat Lambie is assured of his place in the squad, while players like prop CJ van der Linde, wing Lwazi Mvovo, centre Wynand Olivier and fullback Zane Kirchner could all struggle for a place.
Brits’ form has been second to none in the Northern Hemisphere this past season and he was also Saracens’ star in their recent English Premiership final win over the Leicester Tigers.
While the British media have hailed Brits’ performance and many local pundits also believe he could be a trump card for the Boks, it seems as though Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is not convinced.
“Schalk Brits is a brilliant player...but let me name you five hookers and then you tell me in who’s place should I pick him: John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Adriaan Strauss and Bandise Maku,” said de Villiers.
“If Schalk was here (playing in South Africa), and if he was involved with us (the Boks) last year, we would have known better. He made the choice to go overseas, and I have always said that I will look overseas if we don’t have anyone locally.
“He’s so unlucky. I think he could make a difference, but he’s playing in a position where we have a lot of options
Pretorius and Grant could also miss out due to a combination of versatility and experience from other players.
Fourie du Preez will be South Africa’s first choice at scrumhalf, while Ruan Pienaar and Francois Hougaard are both versatile players that could play in more than one position.
Pienaaar could even be a strong contender for the number 10 jersey and he is able to play fullback as well. Hougaard has also shined at wing, and such versatility could count in their favour in the composition of the final squad.
Grant and Lambie may struggle to make the group if De Villiers decides to take Morne Steyn and Butch James as his two flyhalves to New Zealand.
Mvovo could struggle because Bryan Habana is still the hot favourite to wear the No 11 jersey, while Hougaard is also very capable of slotting into that position. JP Pietersen, Bjorn Basson and Gio Aplon are also strong contenders at wing.
Vermeulen, Johnson and Louw could quite frankly just be victims of the amount of quality loose forwards at South Africa’s disposal.
Oosthuizen’s chances also seem to be slender, with Tendai Mtawarira and Gurthro Steenkamp ahead of him at loosehead props.
Jannie du Plessis should make the squad as a tighthead prop, while Van der Linde would have to fight it out with the likes of Werner Kruger and Brian Mujati.
Frans Steyn’s presence and Gio Aplon’s ability under the high ball could seal Kirchner’s fate.
De Villiers rates Adrian Jacobs highly, and together with the three Stormer centre’s – Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie and Juan de Jongh – there may not be a spot left for Olivier.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see whether De Villiers will use the away leg of the Tri Nations to give some of the Super Rugby performers a shot in the green and gold.
De Villiers has also given the assurance that there will be no race quotas for the World Cup squad.
“I have no obligation towards anybody. The guys who will be going – white or black – will feel worthy of their place.
Cape Town - No place for Schalk Brits… and tears for constant performers in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby competition like Sarel Pretorius, Peter Grant, Coenie Oosthuizen, Duane Vermeulen, Ashley Johnson and Francois Louw.
This could be a very likely scenario when the Springbok squad of 30 players for the Rugby World Cup is announced on August 23.
The competition for spots in the World Cup squad is so tough that some of the big guns could be left at home when the Boks travel to New Zealand.
Not even the Sharks’ brilliant young flyhalf Pat Lambie is assured of his place in the squad, while players like prop CJ van der Linde, wing Lwazi Mvovo, centre Wynand Olivier and fullback Zane Kirchner could all struggle for a place.
Brits’ form has been second to none in the Northern Hemisphere this past season and he was also Saracens’ star in their recent English Premiership final win over the Leicester Tigers.
While the British media have hailed Brits’ performance and many local pundits also believe he could be a trump card for the Boks, it seems as though Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is not convinced.
“Schalk Brits is a brilliant player...but let me name you five hookers and then you tell me in who’s place should I pick him: John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Adriaan Strauss and Bandise Maku,” said de Villiers.
“If Schalk was here (playing in South Africa), and if he was involved with us (the Boks) last year, we would have known better. He made the choice to go overseas, and I have always said that I will look overseas if we don’t have anyone locally.
“He’s so unlucky. I think he could make a difference, but he’s playing in a position where we have a lot of options
Pretorius and Grant could also miss out due to a combination of versatility and experience from other players.
Fourie du Preez will be South Africa’s first choice at scrumhalf, while Ruan Pienaar and Francois Hougaard are both versatile players that could play in more than one position.
Pienaaar could even be a strong contender for the number 10 jersey and he is able to play fullback as well. Hougaard has also shined at wing, and such versatility could count in their favour in the composition of the final squad.
Grant and Lambie may struggle to make the group if De Villiers decides to take Morne Steyn and Butch James as his two flyhalves to New Zealand.
Mvovo could struggle because Bryan Habana is still the hot favourite to wear the No 11 jersey, while Hougaard is also very capable of slotting into that position. JP Pietersen, Bjorn Basson and Gio Aplon are also strong contenders at wing.
Vermeulen, Johnson and Louw could quite frankly just be victims of the amount of quality loose forwards at South Africa’s disposal.
Oosthuizen’s chances also seem to be slender, with Tendai Mtawarira and Gurthro Steenkamp ahead of him at loosehead props.
Jannie du Plessis should make the squad as a tighthead prop, while Van der Linde would have to fight it out with the likes of Werner Kruger and Brian Mujati.
Frans Steyn’s presence and Gio Aplon’s ability under the high ball could seal Kirchner’s fate.
De Villiers rates Adrian Jacobs highly, and together with the three Stormer centre’s – Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie and Juan de Jongh – there may not be a spot left for Olivier.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see whether De Villiers will use the away leg of the Tri Nations to give some of the Super Rugby performers a shot in the green and gold.
De Villiers has also given the assurance that there will be no race quotas for the World Cup squad.
“I have no obligation towards anybody. The guys who will be going – white or black – will feel worthy of their place.
