De Villiers does it again
As the first Test against Wales draws nearer, former Springbok centre Robbie Fleck continues to be impressed by new Bok coach Peter de Villiers.
Regular ‘Last Word’ readers will know that I have backed Peter de Villiers right from the start. Just last week I wrote how impressed I was with his first squad selection, and this week is no different.
De Villiers has now whittled down his large training squad into a 30-man group that will do battle in the Tests against Wales and Italy, before next week confirming just which 22 players will play in the first Test against the Six Nations champions.
It’s difficult to please everybody when selecting a squad, but, by and large, I think De Villiers has got things pretty much spot on with this 30-man squad.
The beauty for me, however, is that after so much unnecessary panicking from certain sections of the media and the rugby public, De Villiers has picked a squad that is not only competitive, but also one that was selected entirely on merit. At the same time, 11 players of colour have made it into the mix and the majority of the World Cup-winning squad has also been retained.
Bringing back the likes of John Smit, Victor Matfield, Butch James and Percy Montgomery could just prove to be De Villiers’s wisest move, however; I have no doubt that all four of them will add tremendous value across the board. Percy faces stiff competition from a guy like Conrad Jantjes for that No.15 shirt, but whether he plays or not, Monty will make a difference to this squad.
I am not entirely convinced by the selections of Bolla Conradie and Adrian Jacobs, but I think De Villiers’s hand was forced somewhat by injuries to Fourie du Preez and Jaque Fourie. Danie Rossouw could also be considered rather fortunate to have made the squad, but don’t forget that these June internationals will be played according to the old laws – not the ELVs – and that would suit a guy like Danie.
Johann Muller is probably the unluckiest guy not to have made the squad, but then again, could they have left Andries Bekker out after the Super 14 that he had? Schalk Brits might also consider himself unlucky, but I don’t see the need to have three hookers in the squad – three scrumhalves is also too much.
What I do like though is the way De Villiers has justified leaving out Muller and, also, JP Pietersen, another World Cup winner. They are by no means out of the picture and that is exactly what he has said, telling both of them to take a break after a long Super 14 campaign.
He is an honest bloke and not afraid to tell the media exactly what his rationale is when picking or not picking a player – he has not hidden behind anything or anyone. When I was dropped from the Bok squad towards the end of my career I was never told what I had to do to make it back. (In fact, I am still waiting to find out I need to do to get back in!)
Of course, this ‘open door policy’ of De Villiers’s will be put to the test when the Boks actually start playing… and if the team loses… People do weird things under pressure, I just hope De Villiers maintains this transparent way of dealing with the media, and the public, even if results are not going his way.
Looking at the 30 players that De Villiers has selected, this is how I think De Villiers will go for the first Test:
15 Percy Montgomery
14 Tonderai Chavhanga
13 Frans Steyn
12 Jean de Villiers
11 Bryan Habana
10 Butch James
9 Enrico Januarie
8 Pierre Spies
7 Juan Smith
6 Luke Watson
5 Victor Matfield
4 Bakkies Botha
3 Brian Mujati
2 John Smit (captain)
1 Gürthro Steenkamp
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Peter Grant, 22 Odwa Ndungane.
It’s not vastly different from the squad that I selected after Round 10 of the Super 14…
Speaking of the Super 14, Saturday sees the Final of the 2008 tournament – easily the most competitive Super 14 I have ever watched or been a part of.
It really is hard to look past the Crusaders lifting their seventh Super Rugby title. They were simply a class above against the Hurricanes, when it mattered most, and it’s cut and dried for me on Saturday morning (our time!) – the Crusaders to win.
Most of my columns this year have involved me praising the Crusaders, but they really are a class act and the only way the Waratahs can beat them is to attack them wide. The ‘Tahs, however, are not the expansive team of old – basing their game on a ferocious defence and feeding off their opponents’ mistakes – and they don’t have the firepower to the test the ‘Red and Blacks’.
Last week’s semifinal against the Sharks was a prime example of how they get on top of teams, allowing that back row of theirs – Elsom, Waugh and Palu – to run riot. The Crusaders will know how to nullify those three guys.
As bad as the Sharks were, they did have the Waratahs under pressure when they finally put a few phases together – a more disciplined Crusaders team will be able to keep the ball a bit longer and eventually break down the ‘Tahs’ defence.
Fleckie’s prediction: It won’t be the most expansive and open Final ever, but the Crusaders will have too much for the Waratahs.
Enjoy the Final,
Fleckie
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