What's the point?
rugby365 columnist Steve Farrell takes a look at what he regards as a pointless exercise, the encounter between South Africa and Argentina at the weekend.
The Springboks put a decidedly average Puma side to the sword on Saturday, but as far as I was concerned, this game was a pointless dress rehearsal ahead of this weekend’s huge Tri-Nations encounter against the All Blacks at Newlands.
A rather disappointing crowd was at hand at the newly named Coca-Cola Park (the famous Ellis Park is no longer) to watch the Boks run riot, which was an indication of what they thought of the game. Some people might argue that it gave the Boks confidence heading into Saturday’s vital clash. I would agree that the likes of Pierre Spies, Butch James, Jongi Nokwe and Adi Jacobs would have relished the run, but with three physically demanded weekends to come, one has to question the merit of playing a hugely disappointing Argentina in the middle of the Tri-Nations.
The Boks ended off playing touch rugby in the second half, which is not the way that they are going to play against the All Blacks. If they do, they will lose. They were basically playing shadow rugby against some non-existent defence which is a far cry from what they are going to encounter at Newlands.
Just ask Bakkies Botha and Jaque Fourie about their thoughts on the game.
Fourie has waited all year to make his Bok comeback. His return lasted five minutes with news that he fractured his cheekbone in an attempted tackle. He now faces another lengthy stint on the sidelines. You have to feel for the gangly No.13. He is a class player and has proved that over a number of seasons now. Frans Steyn should get a immediate recall after being left out in the cold. The Sharks youngster can cover every position in the backline, barring No.9, so his inclusion should be a mere formality. The last time he played a Tri-Nations Test at Newlands, he came off the bench and calmly slotted two superb drop-goals to win the game for the Boks against a gutsy Wallaby outfit.
How Springbok coach Peter de Villiers would love a similar impact from the shaggy haired 21-year-old.
The big worry is Botha. There is no player that can substitute his mere physical presence and no-nonsense approach. His attitude is the perfect tonic needed for an All Black Test match. If he is indeed ruled out, and all indications are that he will, who will replace him? Danie Rossouw is the ideal replacement. He knows the set-up and is also a physical player in the mould of his Bulls teammate. Andries Bekker will continue off the bench and should definitely get some game time. The reason De Villiers will probably go for Rossouw over Bekker is that the Stormers lock is too similar a player to that of Victor Matfield. Both are extremely athletic locks, but lack the physicality of a Botha or Rossouw. There is also Johan Muller, who has become the forgotten man of South African rugby of late. He is likely to remain just that as Rossouw looks set to get the nod.
The Bakkies issue is by no means the only tough decision awaiting Peter de Villiers.
Percy Montgomery has played 99 Test matches form his country. It would indeed be fitting for the born and bread Capetonian to run out at Newlands for his 100th Test against the arch enemy. Whether he does that from the bench or from minute one remains to be seen. Conrad Jantjes offers more on attack, there is no disputing that. He has a prodigious boot on him, but has been guilty of not finding touch on occasions. Montgomery won’t do anything flashy (his hamstrings won’t allow him the luxury) but his positional play and cool head will make up for his lack of pace. I just get the feeling that Percy is not quite ‘there’ anymore. By that I mean that he seems to be struggling to keep up with the game under the ELVs, and I can’t see him lasting 80 minutes against the All Blacks. Therefore I’d start with Jantjes. He will need to be on top of his game, considering Dan Carter will exploit every inch of the Newlands turf with his pin-point kicks. Jantjes was caught out of position on a few occasions in Wellington a month ago and Carter would not have forgotten that. But for me, Jantjes is the man to wear the No.15 jersey. Percy will probably get a run and earn that very special, and very well deserved 100th cap. But it will mean nothing if the Boks don’t go on to win.
Adi Jacobs did well at No.13 and his beginning to develop a good understanding with Jean de Villiers. Peter de Villiers is showing faith in the former ‘impact player’ and that faith his beginning to show in Jacobs’ play. People have questioned his defence but so far he has stood up well, but he will be tested defensively on Saturday. Ma’a Nonu’s display against the Aussies silenced his growing number of critics and he will be looking for another barnstorming performance against the Boks. Jean de Villiers will be wanting to put in a good defensive effort after his defensive lapse that allowed Stirling Mortlock to score in Perth.
Fourie du Preez made a very encouraging return to international rugby with a solid display from the bench. His crisp service was immediately noticeable once he replaced Ricky Januarie, who had one of his poorer Tests of his career. I have no doubt that Du Preez will start against the All Blacks. Januarie has done extremely well this season, but Du Preez a class player who showed on Saturday that he is still as hungry as ever to represent the Springboks. His calm head will be invaluable in the pressure cooker environment against the All Blacks.
Ruan Pienaar, after being released to play Currie Cup action, put in an eye-catching performance at scrumhalf for the Sharks against the struggling Western Province, outlining the fact the No.9 is his best position. The poor Pienaar has been shuffled around the backline more regularly than a Rafael Nadal fist pump over the last two years and his form has suffered because of that. For the sake of his future he must now insist at playing No.9. That’s where he belongs.
Another selection poser heading into the All Black game is at the back of the scrum. Pierre Spies started in the No.8 jersey and had his best game of the season. He is a thoroughbred athlete with immense pace for a loose forward and wrecked havoc against the Pumas. The question is, can he do that against the All Blacks? He needs to improve his hands and become more consistent to convince me he’s the man to wear the No.8 jersey on a consistent basis. That said, he did enough against the hapless Pumas to start against the All Blacks. ‘Big’ Joe van Niekerk also stated his case with a powerful 25 minute performance from the bench, scoring two tries in the process.
Schalk Burger will slip back into ‘his’ No.6 jersey, leaving Watson and Big Joe fighting it out for a place on the bench. Watson had a solid game for the Boks but I’d lean towards picking Big Joe. He is considerably bigger than Watson and will be more of an asset against the big All Black loose trio. Some would argue that Watson is needed for his fetching abilities, but against the Pumas he played a very loose game, so I don’t necessarily think that De Villiers needs to include him in the 22.
The front row is also another area where De Villiers and co will need to think long and hard. The Bok scrum looked better on Saturday with Bismarck du Plessis back from suspension and the ‘Beast’ also held is own. The self-same front row of Mtawarira, Du Plessis and Van der Linde could run onto the park against the All Blacks. The other option is to bring back Gürthro Steenkamp, who was surprisingly omitted from the weekend’s ‘practice run’ against Argentina.
It promises to be an epic Test match. The Boks need to win to keep their Tri-Nations campaign alive, whilst an All Black win will make them favourites once again. It’s hard to pick a winner, but home ground advantage has to swing it the Boks’ way. A few key moments will define Saturday’s result, one of them being selection. But the Boks should win this one by the skin of their teeth!
Do you agree/disagree with Steve? Email us your views!
