The BaaBaa Boks
OPINION: The Barbarians are all about fun. For the Springboks, victory is at a premium. When the two teams meet in Cape Town on Saturday, it will be a clash of cultures.
However, there is a way for South Africa to get their international campaign off to a triumphant start and still entertain.
It is unlikely Bok coach Rassie Erasmus will ever take advice from a journalist, and he is creative and inventive enough to have a master plan for a winning start.
However, it is worth attempting to put a team out there that would justify a top billing at the Cape Town Stadium this coming Saturday.
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For entertainment value, there will be some creative backs.
The forwards will provide the bulk and brute force, but still have the skill to cope with an expansive game plan.
I based my selection on the Bok squad named by Erasmus, the fit players from which he will select his matchday 23.
Young Ethan Hooker is my bolter and while he could be a brilliant outside centre, I will use him on the wing – with the experience of established Bok like Aphelele Fassi; Jesse Kriel and Damian Willemse to guide him.
My halfback combination sees the maverick skill of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu with the calming head of Grant Williams.
My forward bolters will be Vincent Tshituka and Asenathi Ntlabakanye.
That is counter-balanced by the captaincy of Siya Kolisi, along with the experience of players like Jasper Wiese and Malcolm Marx.
Below is my BaaBaa Boks, a team that can be both brutal and entertaining.
The @king365ed XV: 15 Aphelele Fassi; 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Jean-Luc du Preez, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
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