Three new caps in Bok squad
Brad Morgan
16 May 2005
Jake White has named three new caps in his Springbok squad of 33 for the national side's first two tests of the year, against Uruguay and France in June. Enrico Januarie, Gary Botha and former Zimbabwean Tonderai Chavanga all cracked the nod for the first time.
The selection supports the selectors' earlier claims that they would stick by the players that served them well last year.
Last season, Chavanga cost SA Rugby a huge £100 000 fine after he played for the South African Sevens team before having served the necessary three years of uninterrupted residence in South Africa, which would have made him eligible for SA.
In love with Chavanga's pace
Jake White and his fellow selectors, convenor Peter Jooste and former Bok coach Ian McIntosh, love Chavanga's pace; one of the enduring sights of the Super 12 competition in 2004 was that of the speedy winger racing away from All Black flyer Joe Rokocoko in a foot
race for the try line.
Januarie would have travelled overseas with the Springboks at the end of 2004, but missed out because of injury. His selection comes as a surprise, all the same, because he didn't play in the Super 12 this season.
Botha was a man many considered extremely unlucky not to make the Springbok touring party last season. Aided by the Bulls' strong showing in the Super 12 - which earned the Pretoria-based side a place in the semi-finals - Botha finally convinced the selectors that he belongs in the green and gold.
Another chance for Willemse
Like his Cats' teammate Januarie, Ashwin Willemse - South Africa's player of the year in 2003 - didn't play in the Super 12 at all, and, as in 2004, was chosen despite missing most of the season because of injury. It didn't work out last season as he suffered another injury. Here's hoping it works out better in 2005.
Two overseas-based players who played vital roles in South
Africa's good showing in 2004, fullback Percy Montgomery (who has joined the Sharks but will play his first game for the team in August only) and flyhalf Jaco van der Westhuysen, were again selected. Breyton Paulse, who recently signed for French club Clermont, also was named.
Sephaka surprise
In something of a surprise, prop Lawrence Sephaka, who hardly featured in the Super 12, was preferred to Richard Bands, who has been in fine form for the Bulls in the second half of the competition. It also relates to the specific demands of the position. Not one specialist tighthead prop was named, although Bands and Marius Hurter are part of a list of 11 players who were selected pending fitness tests.
Apart from Bands, the only man from the Bulls' powerhouse pack not to crack the nod was eighthman Anton Leonard. Of the nine Bulls selected for the 33-man squad, only two were from the backline: Fourie du Preez and the very exciting Bryan
Habana.
It is interesting to note that the Stormers had 10 players selected for the national squad, one more than the Bulls, who crushed them 75-14 in the final round of the Super 12.
Certainly, the Stormers endured an extremely disappointing season; they had hopes of challenging for the title after finishing third on the table in 2004, and also taking into account the Springboks' good year in 2004, during which many Stormers starred.
Trimming the squad
The selectors opted for three hookers and three scrumhalves, with those numbers set to be trimmed to two when the squad is cut to 22 players for the Uruguay and France tests.
It is a given that captain John Smit will be one of the hookers, while Fourie du Preez is undoubtedly the best scrumhalf in the country. That means the sporadically used Hanyani Shimange will go up against Gary Botha for the number two spot behind Smit, while Enrico Januarie will oppose Bolla Conradie for
the second scrumhalf position.
In another surprise, the selectors opted for only one flyhalf, Jaco van der Westhuysen. The chances of Butch James of the Sharks were hurt by a string of injuries, while Andre Pretorius of the Cats can count himself unlucky to have missed out.
Questions of fitness
Gcobani Bobo, Jongi Nokwe, Michael Claassens, Juan Smith, and Tim Dlulane toured with the Boks last season, but were not included this time around. They are, however, all part of the list of 11 that have a chance to prove their fitness.
The list also includes Cats' hooker Schalk Brits, who made a huge impression during the Super 12 - but apparently not such a favourable impression on coach Jake White, after telling journalists that he might look to continue his career abroad if he didn't earn Springbok selection.
White has also been quoted in SA Sports Illustrated as saying he believes Brits would struggle to make the impact he has made
in the Super 12 in test rugby because he is so light for a hooker.
Gaffie du Toit and Gerrie Britz were both part of the Springbok tourists last year, but neither was considered as both are due to undergo surgery shortly.
Glancing over the make-up of the squad, it is clear that the selectors have rewarded a number of players for their contributions in 2004. Men such as Marius Joubert and Joe van Niekerk would surely not have cracked the nod had they been judged on their 2005 form.
THE SPRINGBOK SQUAD
Forwards
Eddie Andrews, Bakkies Botha, Gary Botha, Schalk Burger, Jacques Cronje, Os du Randt, Victor Matfield, Lawrence Sephaka, Hanyani Shimange, John Smit, Gurthro Steenkamp, Solly Tyibilika, Danie Rossouw, Albert van den Bergh, CJ van der Linde, Joe van Niekerk, AJ Venter, Pedrie Wannenberg
Backs
De Wet Barry, Tonderai Chavhanga, Bolla Conradie, Jean De Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Enrico Januarie,
Marius Joubert, Wayne Julies, Percy Montgomery, Breyton Paulse, Brent Russell, Jaco van der Westhuizen, Ashwin Willemse
Players selected for fringe squad pending fitness
Gcobani Bobo, Tim Dlulane, Michael Claassens, Juan Smith, Conrad Jantjes, Jonghi Nokwe, Lukas van Biljon, Quinton Davids, Schalk Brits, Richard Bands, Marius Hurter
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