What would you do if you were given a chance to pick a match-day 22 member Springbok team and it had to be today? Who would you pick? Who, in your opinion, would be the current form players?
Well if I was given that opportunity then this is who I would pick, starting from loosehead prop:
- Tendai Mtwarira – affectionately known as the Beast, and with good reason. Has shown again why he is considered one of the best tight forwards in the country, if not the world. His display of strength keeping his jumper up also swung things in his favour.
- Bismarck du Plessis – There is no doubting that he is the premier hooker in the world at the moment. He is brilliant in the tight and the loose and steals ball like a fetcher. If anyone doubts he is the worlds best, they can take it up with Mr du Plessis.
- Jannie du Plessis – during the second half of the Super 15 competition Jannie has really shown his quality. He is scrumming well and playing well in the loose. Along with his brother and Beast they are probably one of the strangest front rows in the competition.
- Eben Etsebeth – he has proven himself to be the premier number 4 in the country at the moment and he is still very young. He has the ability to improve even more and that should be ominous for any team he faces. Not quite a Bakkies yet but he is sure to get there.
- Andries Bekker – he is starting to find his form again and hopefully his injuries are behind him. A stalwart of the Stormers team… and he is taller than everyone else.
- Marcell Coetzee - this kid has major talent. He is the energizer bunny, the new Schalk in his younger days. He has the highest tackle count in the Super 15 competition, and it’s because he never stands still and is always in the thick of things.
- Willem Alberts – He proved his worth against England and he continued doing that throughout the Super 15. Yes Plum has moved him to lock (which is not a bad call) but he still batters people into submission. The advantage line must hate the sight of Alberts at full tilt.
- Ryan Kankowski – man oh man has Kanko found some form. Not only did he show Pierre Spies up, the week after he goes and outplays Higginbotham. Granted his pack gives him go forward ball but the one thing that has come up is that Kanko can also play when the game is tight.
- Charl McLeod – Hougaard’s continued poor form sees him drop drastically in my pecking order. McLeod has delivered time and again and out of all the scrumhalves has looked the most dangerous. He reads a game well and can kick from the base of a scrum, ruck or maul, unlike Hougie.
- Peter Grant – the reason I pick him above… well, anyone else, is that he has been Mr. Consistency. He kicks above 90% in the competition, attacks the gain line and can defend. His only problem is distance kicks, but if you put someone like Frans Steyn next to him it won’t matter.
- Bryan Habana – he found his form against England and has been carrying it through after that. He is someone I would always have in my team because his defence is top notch to… and of course there is his pace.
- Frans Steyn – there is no doubt in my mind that Frans is our premier inside centre. He is big and fast, has great vision and can boot the ball miles. His defence is strong to.
- Jean de Villiers – the reason I pick Jean is because we need a captain. His game isn’t at its best but neither is it bad. He should rediscover his form soon though and then expect great things.
- JP Pietersen – well what can be said about the man other than at the moment, he is o fire! No one comes close to his class at the moment. His defence is impeccable, as shown against the Reds and has scored 4 tries in the last 5 games. Enough said.
- Pat Lambie – this is a close call Pat is injured at the moment, yes but other than that he is our best option, even though someone like Joe Pietersen and Louis Ludik are playing well. He is hardly caught out of position, can kick well, hardly ever misses a one on one tackle and can attack. Plus he is so calm, after Peter Grant I think he is the calmest guy on the field.
- Adriaan Strauss – he is definitely the second best hooker in the country.
- WP Nel – he has proven himself every year and every year he is overlooked. No wonder he is leaving
- Juandré Kruger – he has filled the void of Matfield quite nicely at the Bulls.
- Siya Kolisi – very unlucky not to have been included against the English. Strong tackler.
- Francois Hougaard – he offers more options. If he plays behind a dominating pack then he should perform well. He can also cover wing.
- Elton Jantjies – felt the blind faith shown in Morné Steyn was unwarranted. Should have gotten game time against the English. Think he would have done better than Steyn anyway.
- Juan de Jongh – because he gives the option of covering more bases. Would have loved to pick Basson because of his aerial play, but his injury is long term, or Mvovo because he can finish.
People I consider unlucky, but good enough:
- JC Jansen van Rensburg
- Lourens Adriaanse
- Chiliboy Ralepelle
- Tiaan Liebenberg
- Steven Sykes
- Anton Bressler
- Franco van der Merwe
- Keegan Daniel
- Josh Strauss
- Ashley Johnson
- CJ Stander
- Rynhardt Elstadt
- Piet van Zyl
- Dewaldt Duvenage
- JJ Engelbrecht
- Robert Ebersohn
- Tim Whitehead
- Louis Ludik
- Joe Pietersen
- Gio Aplon
- Lwazi Mvovo
Agree with most but not with you on Mcleod, he blows too much hot and cold, and more cold than hot.
Hougaard’s decision making lets him down more often than anything else but he will gain the experience. He is too good a player to leave out. Remember Mcleod;s good performances come off great forward dominance. Hougaard’s been behind a struggling pack most of the time this season and a useless nr 8.
Agree with you on Kanko but would prefer Duane and Schalk if they’re fit. Remember that Schalk still last year topped the tackling stats in tests.
But in their absense Kanko and Marcell are the best choices. I just think we can’t get Kanko cause he’s going to Japan!!! So we’re stuck with Spiere….
I’m worried about tighthead. Werner Kruger is kak and WP is going to Scotland, so won’t be available either.
I know McLeod has a penchant for duality but out of the current crop at the current time, he is playing best. Would also rather have Duane and Schalk but as you say injuries, which is why I didn’t consider them. It sucks that WP is ducking but i’m pretty sure that if anyone can find a good tighthead it would be the Cheetahs. Plus i’m pretty sure Coenie will be converted, he looked good against the English
Good Pick
Excellent players to pick from. Will go with Kruger at 5 and Kolisi at 6. Will keep Hougaardt at 9. Juan de Jongh should also be considered.
Feel juandre might be a bit to light so let the heavies do the work up front… then bring him on.
so what your saying is that bekker hits rucks, lol
harder than Juandre
in all honesty bekker is picked because of his height and experience calling line outs,but his injury prone nature will ensure kruger gets a shout…both will have tremendous impact,the main problem we have is spies at 8
As soon as Duane is fit Spies shouldn’t be a problem anymore…
Bekker has been playing very well since returning from injury, I think he should still be first choice at 5, but Juandre is a more than able backup. Franco vd Merwe also a good fallback….
I would pick Brussow at 6 and Coetzee at 7 and Strauss at 8( kanko is great at the moment but we will be too loose with these 3!(Vermeulen cant start yet but after the cc he must take over at 8). Keegan Daniel as cover for all 3 loose forward positions off the bench(I know this leaves us a little light and therefore I wouldnt play bekker as he is a bit loose). I may consider Lambie at 10 with Joe pietersen at 15. I think a Combo of Lambie and Steyn at 12 may be the future
Could work but we might be a bit light then in the forward department. And as a backline for the future… I see Piet van Zyl, Johan Goosen, Bjorn Basson/lwazi Mvovo, Frans Steyn, Juan de Jongh, JJ Engelbrecht and Pat Lambie… my opinion
AGREE:) but add jan senfortein
not just him… there is also William Small-Smith, Paul and Paul Jordaan… tough choices
9. Hougaard
10. Goosen
11. Basson
12. Steyn
13. Serfontein
14. Peterson
15. Lambie
good thing your not the SA coach then
Maybe… maybe not
Agree, You should have been a SB Selrctor
te veel impotente backline spelers van die stormers in die span
As hoeveel mense wil jy in log en comment… sien jy is ook Gillbert
nadat ek jou heel interesante blog gelees het, en gesien het jy voel die hele stormers backline met hul 1D spel patroon hoort in die bok span het mar eventually geregestreer.
die nuwe platform blows apes
Bly ek kon uit help
Good side- problems as always at scrum-half, fly-half & captain. Much as I appreciate JDV the time is now to start blooding a new captain.- I still believe we threw the last RWC away by insisting on JS, when Bissie was clearly our top No 2. I wish Morne S would get his mojo back or Goosen get fit again as Test rugby might prove a step too far for currently impressive Grant.. McCleod is too erratic so would still prefer Hougaard.. O n the positive side this season has unearthed Etsebth & Coetzee who should serve us for many years to come. No Ruan Pienaar in the mix ?
I’m just going on what I see in the Super Rugby tourny. Pienaar showed his class against the English so would be a good bet, but as I say, I haven’t seen him play lately. Hougaard on current form is not worth a place even though he has boat loads of talent
Joe petersen before Lambie. He has more attcking flair than Lambie. Lambie rather as a backup to Peter Grant.
Who would your team be includung injured palyers
Joe ahead of Lambie? No ways bru…at this stage, rather pick Lambie at flyhalf and pick Joe at FB, but Lambie has to be in the squad. Grant has been solid with his kicking but struggled to ge this backline away, plus he is a short term option, not one for the future.
I do think the lack of Stormers tries is not due to the halfback pairing but more due to the nature of the game the Stormers as a team plays. They are so defence minded and try and make as few mistakes as possible, and that makes them play with in themselves… doesn’t offer room for flair.
I would keep Jannie, Bismarck and Beast, Etsebeth and Bekker. in the loosies I’d have Schalk, Alberts and Duane. if I could pick any 9 and 10 it would be Pienaar and Goosen. At centre and if captians didn’t matter I’d have Frans and de Jongh. My wings would still be Habana and JP and my fullback Lambie. Joe is good and its a close call but my gut says Lambie
I agree up to lambie, Jaco Tauta (sp) would offer us more at fullback
Not sure why ou would say test rugby would be a step too far for Grant in test Rugby at this stage, but a fit Goosen would be ready? Goosen is a great player but he has no experience in test rugby and little top flight experience, while Grant is vastly experienced at senior level.
However, come end of year I would love to see Goosen get expousre, even against Argentina perhaps, but I think it is still too early for Goosen to be pressed ripe this year.
i think Grant will thrive at tests… such a calm oke on the field
Goosen Is most definately a guy for the future, pure talent, but he has played all of 9 super ruby games (Grant has close on 90)how do you say test is a bridge too far for grant…a 94% success rate,hits the gain line and defends (less can be said for steyn).
I completely agree with almost the entire team,however at scrum i would go for a tried and tested in ruan pienner and mcleod introduced of the bench.
grant is the best option at ten for now but i would like to see goosen intrduced when available,i believe he is awesome talent.
i would like players from the under 20 atleast called up especialy guys like jan sanfonten.
as a sharks fan and with michelak jetting off back to france either after this weekend or next weekend i would love if we snatched up either pollard or goosen!:)
I didn’t pick pienaar because i only picked chaps that i have seen playing… thus Super 15. Pienaar would be in my team in most other occasions but i decided to stick to the crop that have been playing here.
Pienaar won’t be available for Rugby Championship as he is contracted to Ulster. Same with WP Nel, Kanko, Olivier, Stander and Johnson.
true
Great thanks- agreed. Goosen a must for the future and would be a great team. Stormers 23 -Chiefs 16
Versatility is key…. The more versatile players you have the more options you have
15. Pat Lambie {10/15} /
14. JP Pietersen {14/13/15}
13. Jean de Villiers {13/12/14 but this time he goes merely as captain courageous}
12. Frans Steyn {12/13/10/15 + Bazzooka Boot}
11. Bryan Habana {11/13} + Class Act
10. Peter Grant {10/12} + A reward for consistent performance in Super Rugby
9. Ruan Pienaar {9/10/15} + His England perfomance from the bench earns him my nod
8. I DO NOT HAVE A NO.8 NOW…. But for combination’s sake I would go for Ryan Kankowski, since his played together with the first choice no.9 and is in a commendable form and also can pack on the side of the scrum…
7. Willem Alberts {7/5} + His England performance gets him the nod
6. Marcell Coetzee {6}+ He just does it for me… Too sad, Brussow is an assert
5. Andries Bekker {5} + His back with a bang
4. Eben Etsebeth {4} + Is prooving his worth, but I have wondering what would be the case if Rynhard Elstadt was not moved to flank
3. 2. 1. The Shark Trio needs no special mention
16. Andries Strauss = Never disappoints
17. Steven Kitshoff = Grooming
18. Juandre Kruger
19. Siya Kolisi
20. Francios Hougaard
21. Juan de Jongh 12/13}
22. Gio Aplon {15/14}
If you’re picking such versatile backs would it not perhaps be better to go with a 5/2 bench split to ensure forward dominance?
1.Beast
2.Bismarck
3.Coenie Oosthuizen
4.Etzebeth
5.Bekker
6.Brussow OR Derick Minnie OR Siya Kolisi
7.Rynhardt Elstadt OR Marcell Coetzee
8.Duane Vermeulen
9.Ruan Pienaar (Hougaard not a 9)
10.Goosen
11.Hougaard
12.Frans Steyn
13.De Jongh
14.JP Pietersen OR Aplon
15.Joe Pietersen OR Jaco Taute.
1.Beast
2.Bismarck
3.Coenie Oosthuizen
4.Etzebeth
5.Bekker
6.Brussow OR Derick Minnie OR Siya Kolisi
7.Rynhardt Elstadt OR Marcell Coetzee
8.Duane Vermeulen
9.Ruan Pienaar (Hougaard not a 9)
10.Goosen
11.Hougaard
12.Frans Steyn
13.De Jongh
14.JP Pietersen OR Aplon
15.Joe Pietersen OR Jaco Taute.
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Good Selection.