admin
DURBAN. — Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira was named in the Springboks’ 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup in England next month. Jean de Villiers will captain the team that includes one uncapped player in scrumhalf Rudy Paige. There were eight players of colour in the group, which amounts to between 25 and 30 percent of the squad.
That comes up just short of the target, but may be enough to dull some of the criticism directed at the coach. By the time the announcement was made in blustery weather conditions at the pool area of the Bok team hotel in Umhlanga Rocks yesterday, the composition of the group was no longer a secret.
The slow and then steady trickle of unlucky players away from the team’s base during the course of the week, plus the occasional nod in a particular direction by player agents, had served as confirmation of the squad more than 24 hours before the lavish announcement at the plush KwaZulu-Natal venue.
There was nonetheless a suitable amount of anticipation in the air as Saru vice-president Mark Alexander confirmed that Paige and his former Bulls teammate Zane Kirchner were the two Bok bolters, and that coach Heyneke Meyer has enough trust in De Villiers’s fitness for him to lead the team at the global show-piece event.
Several public favourites, such as flanker Heinrich Brussow, were omitted, but overall the squad looked like the right mix to meet the dual goals of winning the World Cup and reaching transformation objectives. The important point is that while everyone will have their own view of who should have been there and the comparative strengths of various players, there is no player in the squad who doesn’t look a merit selection, something that hasn’t always been the case in the past.
That includes both Paige and Kirchner. When it comes to Paige, you have to question Meyer’s man management. Paige was excellent for the Vodacom Bulls in Super Rugby and is certainly a much better kicker of the ball than the man he beats out for the third scrumhalf spot, Cobus Reinach.
Morne Steyn has the experience and the proven match winning ability to travel ahead of Elton Jantjies, who arguably should perhaps have been given more opportunities to add to his experience and show his abilities during the non-World Cup years. Scarra Ntubeni looked a certainty for the third hooker berth a few weeks ago, but Schalk Brits’ excellent performance as an impact substitute in Buenos Aires a fortnight ago made him a must selection.
In terms of numbers of players in some positions, Meyer has taken risks. But JP Pietersen will back up the three centres that have been selected — De Villiers, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel — and discarded prop Steven Kitshoff will be just an hour away in France should an injury hit one of the five props during the World Cup.
The decision to take five props instead of six makes sense in that it allowed Meyer to include an extra lock and also accommodate an extra backline player. He was initially intending to make it an 18/13 split between forwards and now he has a 17/14 split. Pieter-Steph du Toit is included as a lock but can also cover the blindside flank position.
A front row selection who could be described as a bolter is that of Coenie Oosthuizen, formerly of the Cheetahs and now contracted to the Sharks. Although he has played 21 times for his country, Oosthuizen has had myriad injury problems recently and has undergone a neck operation. “It has been a tough couple of weeks but we have come through it and I think we have a group that is equipped to challenge strongly for the World Cup,” said De Villiers.
Squad
Willem Alberts, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Damian De Allende, Lood de Jager, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Fourie du Preez, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Siya Kolisi, Jesse Kriel, Patrick Lambie, Willie le Roux, Francois Louw, Frans Malherbe, Victor Matfield (vice-capt), Tendai Mtawarira, Lwazi Mvovo, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Rudy Paige, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Handré Pollard, Morné Steyn, Adriaan Strauss, Duane Vermeulen. — SuperSport.
Online Reporter