‘Boks on right track’

Lager Incoming Series.

While there has been general public acknowledgement about some of the players who have used their opportunities, there still are questions why Meyer hasn’t used others during the matches against Scotland, Italy or Samoa, the latter who they face in the final match this weekend at Loftus Versfeld.

But while Meyer initially said he would utilise the games to give those fringe players a chance, he has come under fire for not using his whole squad and sticking mainly to the players he chose for the first test against Italy.

The criticism seems a bit harsh on Meyer, especially as he has given new Test caps to the likes of Jan Serfontein, Willie le Roux, Piet van Zyl, Siya Kolisi, Trevor Nyakane, Jano Vermaak and Arno Botha in the process, while others such as JJ Engelbrecht and Coenie Oosthuizen had their second Test matches in their careers.

While there is some disappointment that Lappies Labuschagne didn’t get into the match-day 23, Meyer’s rotation seems to be the biggest criticism as some of the bench players may have hoped to start ahead of the seasoned stalwarts.

Yet anyone who knows rugby knows how disruptive it is not to keep continuity in a side with a blend of youth and experience always the best way to go.

Meyer said his team were slowly building after having to “start from scratch” after the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

“You always have a long term goal as well, a lot of players left South Africa after the previous World Cup when there was a lot of continuity. We had to start right from scratch. There are a lot of guys that are on the fringes who have got a chance in this series, and we wanted to use this series to blood players,” Meyer said.

“I know people talk about other teams with injuries, but we have almost an entire team out at the moment. Guys like JP Pietersen and Frans Steyn you don’t replace overnight. Nor players like Zane (Kirchner) and Jub-Jub (Juan de Jongh).

“What I’m really happy with is our so-called second tier players, because now we have another 15 players who can play there. I want to make it clear as well that I’m realistic. I’d love to stand here and be inspirational and say we’re the best team in the world. We have to stay humble, we know it is still a very long road ahead and these guys have to prove themselves in a tough environment against Samoa.”

The Bok coach reiterated his stance that the team are on the right track, and used the depth created by the new caps as the perfect example of how he has given players a chance.

Considering the injured players that are currently out, and those rested this week like Pat Lambie, Juan de Jongh and others, it is easy to see why he is so confident.

“We’re on the right track, but there is still a long road ahead. We said it before Scotland as well and this team will just get better. Especially if you look at the depth we’re building at the moment.

“I probably didn’t express myself in the right manner when talking about spreading the net wide. It was Willie le Roux’s first start where we could have played Zane Kirchner.

“It was JJ Engelbrecht’s second test match and Jano also came into the mix. Bjorn Basson has never started for me, and Siya Kolisi and Arno Botha had never started a test match before.” – SuperSport.com.