TRUTH BE TOLD

Springbok and Sharks Loose head Prop Beast Mtawarira suffered a serious injury durring pre season training with the Sharks, an apparent cracked fibia bone in his right ankle will keep him on the sidelines for an estimated 3 months. 

My rough calculations have him back in action by the start of may. we start our international season against England on the 9th of June, the Springbok squad for this three match series will get together a week prior to the first game,  Beast will return having played no competitive rugby in more than 6 months – Match fitness the obvious issue. Should Beast recover in this three month period he will have 4 Super 15 matches to get back to acceptable match fitness,(the first of these matches may well be from the bench)  should his recovery take longer than the three months, we might well find ourselves in a position where(having Beast’s best interest at heart) He’ll miss the England tour to SA, or at least the first match. 

Having said that, I think it’s safe to assume, just to be safe, we’ll have to think about  other options for the Springbok Loosehead position. I’ll name all the options I think National Management should consider and why. – Being proactive rather than Reactive

1.Coenie Oosthuizen(Cheetahs)

- As many of you already know, I’m a uge Coenie fan, I feel he was somewhat unlucky last year, not getting any game time in the Green and Gold, I think his relatively new found Tight head ability, as average as it maybe, is just another quality that cements his place at the top of the talented prop pile. I think another strong season of Super rugby should be enough to convince most (unfortunately not all) that Coenie is a must for the Springbok jersey, Gurthro’s departure has left a gap for a prop on the bench(when Beast is back to full fitness), and Coenie would be the ideal impact player. I’m have no idea what Meyer’s viewson Coenie is though. 

2.Dean Greyling(Bulls)

- Dean was included in the second string team that faced NZ and Austalia away in last year’s Tri Nations, and he did quite well, I like his style, a good ball carrier, solid at scrum time, and being a Bulls player, Meyer will no doubt have a good idea of what Greyling’s capabnilities are, and that may just make him the favourite to backup Beast, he’s however unable to play tighthead, and one can only assume that unless a versatile prop is selected in the number 17 jersey on the Bok bench, a tight head prop will be selected. So although Dean may well be second in line, I’m not convinced we’ll see two loose heads in our match day 22 too often. 

3.Gurthro Steenkamp(Toulouse) 

- I’ll start off by stating, I’m not in favour of bringing back players who have moved overseas to finish their careers. I’m not sure if Gurthro is retired, but even if it isn’t official, he won’t be at the next world Cup, bringing him back ahead of the options we have in SA would be a bit of a “klap in die gesig”. But, if Beast wasn’t fit in time, it would make sense bringing in an experienced option, in order to limit the disruption. 

4.Marcel van der Merwe(Cheetahs)

- Marcel van der Merwe is no doubt at the wrong union, in a frontrow already containing Coenie and WP Nel, this young , powerful explosive loose head is a sure future great, at any other union(taking into account Beast is injured), it would’ve been very tough for the management not to start him. This will be his first full Super rugby season, and I’m excited to see how he’ll do. I think he’s a real option for the Springbok jersey, perhaps inexperience couonts against him, but he would certainly be in my EOY squad. therefor should Beast fail to recover, Meyer’s personal preference might just see Marcel getting a call-up. 

5.Steven Kitshoff(Stormers) 

- Kitshoff is another youngster who is to a certain extent untested at SR level, this will also be his first full season. but in his case, after some strong performances in the warm-ups, he seems to be the first choice Loose head at the Stormers, which will go a long way in helping him establish himself as a serious contender for that Bok Loose head position. I wouldn’t consider him at this stage, but after a strong “half season” , he might just have put his hand up. The Stormers’ scrum still seems to struggle and if this continues, Kitshoff might be labellled a weak scrummager, something that’ll seriously dent his dreams of oneday playing for the Springboks. 

I know all the Shark supporters will be hoping that Beast will be back at the start of May, but I wouldn’t mind seeing some of the younger usual fringe players get an opportunity to impress in a Springbok jersey. 

The Time has come..

10 Minutes to go until The new Bok coach will be announced, and we’ll also know who the Kings will be replacing in the 2013 SuperXV.

interesting times ahead…

Allister Coetzee today named a squad to take on the Boland Cavaliers in the first preparation game of the season in Wellington on Saturday (15h45).

“We are currently training with a very big squad and I want to utilise this first game to take a look at some of the younger and new players in the set-up. Of course there are a few of the seasoned guys there as well. We will look to be cutting the squad in the next week or two and there are a great number of players pushing hard for consideration. This warm up game is crucial to our continued preparation.” said the coach. “As always when we play our neighbours Boland we expect a tough and physical outing against them. They proved their credentials last year and there are definitely a few of the players that will be looking to catch the eye of the Stormers coaches. ”

The following players have been selected to represent the DHL Stormers in the pre- season friendly match against the Boland Cavaliers at Boland Rugby Stadium in Wellington on Saturday 21 January at 15h45. – The Stormers.co.za 

The squad: 

Adrian Kritzinger 
Allistair Vermaak 
Berton Klaasen 
Bolla Conradie (VC) 
Brok Harris 
Burton Francis 
Clement Lewis 
Danie Poolman 
De Kock Steenkamp (C) 
Don Armandt 
Eben Etzebeth 
Ederies Arendse 
Frans Malherbe 
Gerbrandt Grobler 
Gerhard van den Heever 
Gio Aplon 
JP du Plessis 
Juan de Jongh 
Kurt Coleman 
Marcel Brache 
Michael van der Spuy 
Nic Groom 
Nick Koster 
Nizaam Carr 
Reuben Johannes 
Rohan Kitshoff 
Tiaan Liebenberg 
Yaya Hartzenberg

I like the look of this squad, all the youngsters and new recruitments getting their chance. Timo Swiel is the only obvious omission I’ve picked up on. 

In other Rugby news, SARU may decide on keeping Peter de Villiers around for just a little longer - as a caretaker coach for the upcoming three-Test series against England. I know all the critics and fickle supporters are already up in arms about this possible decision and I’m loving every minute of it, I am ashamed to be associated with the general South African supporter. – at least SARU is finally giving Divvy the respect he deserves? 

Are currently 43/4 against Pakistan.

This started out as a comment to Johan on his post, but it got a little long, So I’ll rather turn it into a post instead. 

he selected the following team as the probable starting 22.

1. Wickus Blaaw

2. Tiaan Liebenberg

3. Brok Harris

4. Rynhardt Elstadt

5. De Kock Steenkamp

6. Schalk Burger

7. Siya Kolisi

8. Nick Koster

9. Dewaldt Duvenage

10. Peter Grant

11. Bryan Habana

12. Jean de Villiers

13. Jaun de Jong]

14. Gio Aplon

15. Joe Pietersen

16. Deon Fourie

17. Deon Carstens/Frans Malherbe

18. Hilton Lobberts??

19. Nizaam Carr

20. Nic Groom

21. Gary van Aswegen/Demetri Catrakilis

22. Gerhard van de Heever

My response: 

I’m not exactly sure where all the negativity is coming from, I’ve read quite a few posts this past week, all along the same lines. Most Stormers Supporters seem to feel we’ll have very little chance of a successful campaign in 2012, and I just can’t seem to put my finger on where all the negativity is originating from. 

I don’t agree with the team selection at all, I think the reason “we lack a decent forward pack” is due to those selections. There is no way we’ll improve in the scrums and breakdowns with Harris and Blaauw still starting, another issue for me is the loose trio, where Burger, who can be found in the backline more often than not, is accompanied by two tallented youngsters who unfortunately also happen to be ball carriers who don’t spend much time at the breakdown. Duane Vermeulen was great at getting around the park, cleaning out rucks, and played a big part in the physical exchanges, to replace him(he is injured) you’ll need someone who’s less flashy and has a strong tight game. 

So with the above in mind, this would be my 22. 

1. Steven Kitshoff (Blaauw was exposed last year) 

2. Deon Fourie (he’s our best hooker, but rotating him and Tiaan will probably be key throughout the season. 

3. Deon Carstens(JC Kritzinger would’ve been my first choice, but heard he reinjured himself) not sure how capable Carstens is at tighthead, but apparently he can play both sides. 

4. Hilton Lobberts 

5. De Kock Steenkamp (I am very tempted to give Etzebeth a run here, but I know management won’t be that brave) 

6. Schalk Burger

7. Reinhardt Elstadt(simply because we need at least one loosie with a strong tight game) 

8. Siya Kolisi

9. Duvenage

10. Dimitri Catrakilis (I’m not into the whole bring grant back idea, we should give these younger players their deserved game time) 

11. Bryan Habana

12. Jean de Villiers 

13. Juan de Jongh

14. Gio Aplon (I might play van den heever on the wing and Aplon at fullback depending on his form) 

15. Joe Pietersen

16. Tiaan Liebenberg

17. Brock Harris / Frans Malherbe 

18. Quinn Roux 

19. Nizaam Carr 

20. Groom / Schreuder

21. Gary van Aswegen 

22. Gerhard vd Heever

I see our injuries may have weakened our squad in certain areas, at lock it just doesn’t seem the same without Bekker, and similarly at Loosies with Vermeulen, specially because we have a bunch of very young and inexperienced backup options. JC will also be missed due to the reputation of Blaauw and Harris and the inexperience of Malherbe and Kitshoff. But if you think about it, we had a very similar looking squad last year, and we were the top South African side, I also think we may have some trouble areas, should injuries pop up, but I wouldn’t (before a single game has been played) categorise this squad as weak. 

I feel we have some exciting youngsters in Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Nizaam Carr, Quinn Roux, Timo Swiel, JP du Plessis, etc. who’ll all be debuting in Super rugby. And I see some exciting times ahead for Stormers rugby. I’m not expecting us to win the 2012 Super15, because that would just be arrogant , but I don’t expect us to fail or struggle either. it may be the toughest rugby tournament in the world, but just like years gone by, we should be up for it. 

In the Following article it is mentioned that both Kallis and Amla won’t take any part in the 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka, Amla due to family responsibilities while Kallis is being rested. Rory Kleinveldt also withdrew from the squad after picking up an injury last week…Their respective replacements have been announced as Colin Ingram, Alviro Petersen and Vernon Philander.

Proteas squad: AB de Villiers (Titans, captain), Johan Botha (Warriors), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (Titans), Colin Ingram (Warriors), Albie Morkel (Titans), Morne Morkel (Titans), Wayne Parnell (Warriors), Alviro Petersen (Highveld Lions), Robin Peterson (Cape Cobras), Vernon Philander (Cape Cobras), Graeme Smith (Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Warriors).

 I may be a little hard on AB , but I felt he was trying a little too hard with his field placings and bowling changes in the second ODI, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for creativity and innovativeness. But I felt opening with Steyn after Morkel and Lopsy killed the Sri Lankans in the first ODI was slightly strange, I also felt the opening bowlers were taken off a little early, almost a sign of impatience on AB’s part. Strange then that even with the creative AB at the helm, Faf still wasn’t bowled, after the World Cup, I personally felt he was a genuine part-timer, who had the ability to bowl consistantly, and take the odd wicket. a lack of faith in him perhaps? 

I think in the first ODI, we played the situation well, when we brought Albie in earlier when there was less than 10 overs left, in the 2nd ODI however, we were in a similar position, very little runs needed, 50 or 60odd, and less than 10 overs left, JP Duminy in and established, AB on his way back to the pavilion, I expected Albie to come in, some may argue that bringing in Faf worked, (we won afterall), but there were some very nervous moments at the end, something that may have been avoided if Albie came in to score a quick 20-30 runs, leaving JP and Faf needing to score nothing more than singles to stroll to victory. 

I’m not sure if resting both star batsman in one match is a smart move, taking into account how often we rely on these players to “save” an innings. However, I like the fact that we’ll be giving fringe players some time in the middle, seeing that injuries always turn up unannounced. This would be my XI for the 3rd ODI.

1. Graeme Smith 

2. Alviro Petersen 

3. Colin Ingram 

4. JP Duminy 

5. AB de Villiers(c)

6. Faf du Plessis 

7. Albie Morkel 

8. Robin Peterson (althoug I still think Imran Tahir should be our ODI spinner)

9. Dale Steyn (Management might give either Philander or Parnell a start, both are good enough batsman to be direct replacements) 

10. Morne Morkel

11. Lonwabo Tsotsobe 

Still a very solid line-up, The way the Sri Lankan batsman have been going out for low scores, one almost feels it can’t be too long before either of their big names score a big one, That being the reason I won’t change the bowling attack too much. the inclusion of Vernon Philander is exciting though, surely if he could emulate his test form, he should be in the team. 

There are a few younger batsman who may feel they’ve been overlooked, Richard Levi comes to mind, but I guess with the experience of Kallis and Amla gone, the coaching staff wanted to bring in players who are comfortable at the top, and who bring a bit of experience with them. 

Should be another cracker tomorrow, AB’s run as captain has started brilliantly, so here’s to hoping he keeps up his winning ways, if anything else may it be a spectacle.   

So with Super rugby right around the corner, there are quite a few interesting talking points, Rassie packing his bags, keeping up with the countless player signings, speculating on how those signings will effect each  team, etc. 

This post however will be focussing on something a little different, that being “the next generation” of players. The 2011 World Cup saw an era of South African rugby ending. a New era is on the rise as we speak, just how “new” this era will be is yet to be seen though. South African rugby has never lacked depth, and therefor the road to the top is a very long one. Millions of talented young players in times gone by have stumbled on their way to the top, some coming much closer than others…This year, no different than any other, we’ll have a bunch of young talented players waiting in the wings. 2011 Super rugby season saw a few young players stake their clame, Jaco Taute, Johann Sadie, Coenie Oosthuizen, etc. 

I’ve selected a few young and relatively unknown players who I feel, if given some game time , will prove themselves to be world class and certain future Springboks.

Frontrow:

1. Marcel van der Merwe (Cheetahs)

- Marcel van der Merwe will most likely be battling it out with the machine called Coenie Osthuizen for that starting #1 position, however with Coenie’s recent relatively successful shift to the tight head side of the scrum, He may get more starting time, it being a long season too. Marcel is a mobile prop who loves nothing more than scoring tries, he is in that way similar to Coenie Oosthuizen, He’s also solid in the scrums, van der Merwe is unlucky that in SA we have many brilliant loose head props, but a strong season from him will no doubt get the Springbok management’s attention. 

Second Row:

5. Eben Etzebeth (Stormers) 

- Eben is yet to break into the senior province or Stormers team, but many know his name due to his impressive performances for the baby boks. Many have tipped Etzebeth to be a future great, the big guy is still very young, but with injuries to Bekker and Elstadt, and the non-resigning of Adriaan Fondse, management may consider giving Etzebeth a run, even if it is just from the bench. keep an eye on him if he does make his first appearance for the senior team. 

Loosies:

7. Boom Prinsloo (Cheetahs)

- Boom has turned into a 7′s star in the last couple of months, a very mobile loose forward, who’s strong in contact and defense. He has had liimited time in the 15-man code, and this may be his first full Super rugby season, depending on the injury status of players such as Brussow and Juan Smith, Prinsloo could find himself on the side of the Cheetahs scrum, he is perfectly suited for the Cheetahs’ expansive game. 

7. Siya Kolisi (Stormers)

- Siya was very unfortunate not to have played some Super rugby last season, he was called up, but due to being mugged, wasn’t available, he then came into his own in the Currie Cup, when he started regularly with regular first choice players at the World Cup, he even came on from the bench to play wing on a few occassions, I’m very interested to see what management does with the gap left by Francois Louw’s departure to Bath, the options are nearly endless, although we lack a quality opensider, therefor I’d be very happy to see management rather opting for the less traditional route, playing with two blindside flankers, giving that vacant starting position to Kolisi. 

7. Marcell Coetzee (Sharks)

- I’ve been very impressed with young Marcell during the 2011 Currie Cup season, his carrying is world class, again his success will depend on how much game time he gets, he’s unlucky that he’s at the sharks where they have big ball carriers in abundance, Willem Alberts and Jean Deysel his direct competition while Keegan Daniel, Ryan Kankowski and Jacques Botes are also quality loose forwards. definitely a future star. 

8. Arno Botha (Bulls)

- The 2011 baby boks captain is a quick powerful #8, he’s had some game time for the bulls during the 2011 Currie cup, The Bulls lost Springbok utility forward Danie Rossouw for the 2012 season, but they also signed Jacques Potgieter, who’s been nothing short of spectacular, therefor Arno might struggle to get regular gametime, but like we’ve seen in previous seasons, it’s impossible to avoid injuries, and fringe players will be called on some time during the season. looking forward to Arno getting his opportunity.  

Half backs:

9. Piet van Zyl (Cheetahs)

- I’ve seen very little of Piet van zyl, and I also have no idea how old he is, but I know he’s only recently burst onto the scene, and I have to admit, I like everything I’ve seen from him, he’s fearless on the field, Sarel Pretorius leaving was initially a big issue for the Cheetahs who had limited quality backup, but van zyl has surely softened that blow, He is one of the few players on this list almost certain of a starting position. another player ideal for the Cheetahs’ running game. 

10. Johan Goosen (Cheetahs)

- Johan Goosen has been talked about since he was barely 17, and I know some bloggers are huge fans, I first saw Goosen play in the 2011 Currie Cup, and up to then people were only talking about his massive kicking boot, I obviously expected yet another one dimensional kicking fly half, however Goosen turned out to be the complete opposite. while his long distance kicking can only be compared to that of Frans Steyn, he also had a 90 something % conversion success rate during the CC. Add to that his brilliant attacking skills, and you have the perfect Fly half. Some feel Goosen should be called up to the Springbok squad as soon as this year, while others feel he needs a Super rugby season behind him before joining the Springboks, which ever way things turn out, It’ll be interesting to see if he can be just as influencial at Suer rugby level. 

Centres:

12. Francois Venter (Bulls)

- another promising youngster who made a good impressionin the 2011 CC, The Bulls kept Venter at 12 and moved Olivier to 13, and it seemed to work pretty well for them, I’d love to see Venter and Sadie starting a few games next to each other, and with Wynand Olivier’s injury, we might see exactly that. Francois has been very fortunate, with Jaco Pretorius retiring, both Stefan Watermeyer and stephan dippenaar no longer at the Bulls. hopefully he grabs his opportunity. 

Outside backs:

11. JJ Engelbrecht (Bulls)

- JJ has been on the scene for a while before finally moving to the Bulls, many have mourned his departure specially after a good Currie Cup season, but I completely understand and support his move, in 2011 when he was scoring plenty tries in the vodacom cup, the Stormers management persisted with Danie Poolman, who, with no disrespect, isn’t even in the same league as JJ. I’ve said this before quite a few times, but I believe JJ will be a future Springbok winger, I also Think he’ll be the next white Bok winger. I have a slight suspicion that the Bulls’ “running” game, and the fact that they create space for their wingers will see JJ shine. 

15. Timo Swiel (Stromers)

- wrote a post on him. He’s only played schoolboy rugby, but should be getting some time in the warm-ups, so he might still miss out on getting a spot in the final squad, but with the promise shown at school level, he could turn into our very own Kurtley Beale, He’s actually a Fly half, but his attacking skills has seen many suggest centre or Fullback as ideal positions for him to play, should be interesting to see what the Stormers do with this young talent. 

Feel free to add suggestions. I know some of you are well informed about the younger talent at your respective unions, and therefor I’d appreciate suggestions. There were some positions where no younger player(relatively unknown to super rugby) has convinced me of being a certain future star. 

Hi everyone, This is officially my first post of 2012. I wish you all all the best for the new year, and trust you all travelled safely over Desember. I returned to work yesterday, coincidentally on the longest day ever recorded by man(trust me) . But before this turns into a silly sentimental egotistical post all about me, I’ll turn to another return.

Yesterday’s FA Cup encounter between Leeds United and Arsenal saw the return of Arsenal legend and record goal scorer Thierry Henry. Arsene Wenger brought Henry on for his second Gunners debut with about 20minutes to go , the scores level at 0-0. It soon turned into a fairytale return when Henry received a brilliant through ball in the 79th minute, finding himself to the left of the goal in the 18yard area, a tight angle either side of the keeper, but Henry cooly slotted it in the far corner to score what turned out to be the match winner. 

Have a look

An obviously overjoyed Arsene Wenger said the following about the goal “When he was in this position, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s your angle, but it’s a bit too close’ . That’s where it surprised me. He didn’t force the shot. I thought he’d take a very strong inside shot but he made it look easy. I thought he was a bit too far to the left but he always had that special finishing. That was the Thierry Henry finishing.” 

The rest of Henry’s time at Arsenal should prove interesting, Wenger will no doubt be tempted to start the Emirates golden boy, hoping for Henry to add to his 227 wonder goals. Will Thierry Henry leave Wenger feeling like a rockstar on the sidelines a few more times?