Boks' RWC warm-up begins
Brad Morgan
15 August 2007
South Africa's road to the World Cup features a test against Namibia at Newlands on Wednesday, before outings against Irish side Connacht on 21 August, and Scotland at Murrayfield on 25 August. The match, the last on South African soil for veterans, Percy Montgomery and Os du Randt, reveals coach Jake White's thinking on team selections for the World Cup in France.
With conditions in Cape Town forecast to be cloudy and cold, with a maximum of only 15 degrees, and with a 60 percent chance of showers in the morning, Newlands could well be muddy. The grounds in France are also likely to be heavier than those usually played upon in South Africa and the choice of players in a beefy pack reflects this.
Front row
In the front row, White has chosen 1995 World Cup winner Os du Randt at loosehead prop. He packs down alongside the captain, John Smit, while CJ van der Linde takes over from the the smaller BJ Botha at
tighthead prop.
Behind the front rowers, the lock combination of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield selects itself. Botha brings a no-nonsense enforcer's approach to the game, while Matfield brings outstanding athleticism to the position, especially lineouts, where he is widely regarded as the world's best.
The thinking that bigger forwards are needed for the heavier grounds up north is clear in the loose forwards. The incredibly industrious Schalk Burger fills the fetcher's role on one flank, while Juan Smith, another big man, packs down on the other side of the scrum.
Spies ruled out
There were questions about whether or not eighthman Pierre Spies, the number one choice at the position, would be able to play at the World Cup, but he was officially ruled out of a place in France on Tuesday afternoon after a third medical opinion was offered on clotting found on his lungs.
He wouldn't have played against Namibia and because of a
number of injuries - Bob Skinstad (rib), Danie Rossouw (hamstring), and Wikus van Heerden (knee) – Jacques Cronje, yet another super-sized loose-forward, has been called up from outside the 30-man World Cup squad to start the game.
There are, meanwhile, concerns that Van Heerden will not be fit in time for the World Cup.
First test of the year
At the back, Fourie du Preez plays his first test of the year after undergoing rehabilitation on a shoulder injury he first picked up late in April when the Bulls beat the Blues 40-19 in the Super 14. He soldiered on, turning out in the Super 14 final on 19 May, but since then he has been sidelined.
Butch James, who will be leaving the Sharks for English club Bath after the World Cup, cracks the nod at flyhalf.
Outside of him, the established combination of Jaque Fourie and Jean de Villiers takes care of matters in the midfield.
The least experienced players in a very experienced
Springbok team are to be found out wide. Ashwin Willemse (16 caps), whose career has been blighted by injuries, starts on the right wing, while JP Pietersen, with only six caps to his name, the least experienced member of the side, is included at left wing.
'Underappreciated'
Percy Montgomery, who will be playing his 86th test, only three matches behind the Springbok record of 89 held by Joost van der Westhuizen, is the fullback. While Montgomery has had to deal with criticism throughout his career, he has a big fan in coach White who has called him the "the least appreciated player in world rugby."
For a number of the first-choice players it will be their first outing in green and gold since a 26-21 loss to the All Blacks in Durban in April.
It is the most experienced Springbok team ever selected. The starting fifteen totals 580 caps, 365 of which are in the pack where the 31 won by Jacques Cronje and Schalk Burger make them the
least experienced player up front.
With the hugely experienced John Smit and Os du Randt in the front row, along with CJ van der Linde, the front rowers boast 178 caps between them.
Backline experience
There is less experience behind the scrum, but the 215 caps is considerable, although, minus Montgomery, that number falls to 130.
The Bok bench consists of hooker Gary Botha, prop BJ Botha, lock Albert van den Berg, lock Johann Muller, scrumhalf Ricky Januarie, scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, and wing Akona Ndungane.
Interestingly, coach White has said he won't use the versatile Pienaar at scrumhalf. Francois Steyn, another player with the ability to cover any position in the backline was not considered for selection because he is not 100 percent fit. Bryan Habana, too, while close to full fitness isn't quite there yet and wasn't considered.
The test against Namibia will be South Africa's 44th at Newlands. The Springboks have won
28 of the previous 43 games, lost 13 and drawn two. The average score at the ground is a remarkably close 16-12, but it is highly likely that the Namibians will test the Boks much at all.
World rankings
While the Springboks are ranked fourth in the world rankings - after playing the final two tests of the Tri-Nations without their leading players - Namibia is ranked 25th, one place below Korea and just ahead of Germany.
The Namibians will be led by Sharks' prop Kees Lensing who has seen little action with the Durban-based team this season. Their line-up includes a number of players who ply their trade in South African provincial rugby, while a number of others are South African based, but play club rugby only.
The disparity of resources available to both countries is obvious when one considers that in Namibia there are only 19 clubs and 1 100 players. Big clubs in South Africa, such as those found at universities, exceed that number of
players.
Recent defeat
And speaking of students, the SA Students team recently defeated Namibia 32-20 in Windhoek. Make no mistake, matters on the field could get ugly when the Welwitschias take on the Springboks.
White has indicated that the score in the test is not the most important thing to him. In fact, he says the Boks won't reveal all their tricks against Namibia. Rather, he says he wants to see player combinations, giving them a chance to polish their team work.
The coach is hoping to see the Springboks executing well, with the driving movements of particular importance because it is an aspect of play that will be vital in France.
Eddie Jones' impact
It will be interesting to see how the South African backs perform. Much has been made of the signing of former Wallaby coach Eddie Jones as a technical consultant and the players have spoken with enthusiasm about the changes he has
made.
Most of the work Jones' work has involved helping the backline create more inventive and more attacking running lines, but it has also taken into account defensive patterns, including the work between the halfbacks and loose-forwards close to the scrum.
Thus, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the performance of the centres, De Villiers and Fourie, who, although they are a well-established combination, have not played together for some time. One would expect that Jones' work would most clearly show itself in the midfield.
Referring to Jones' input, White says he has brought many subtle changes to the South African team's game which will benefit the side.
Loyal streak
In the lead-up to the game, coach White has shown his incredibly loyal streak, singing the praises of the experienced Du Randt and Montgomery.
Many have written Du Randt off as being past his best and no longer up to the rigors of international
rugby. White has countered by calling Du Randt "the best loosehead prop the world has seen."
He says the burly Free Stater is not as athletic as he once was, but he does the basic things better, and is one of the most feared players in the game. White says he will keep the prop for South Africa's biggest games and will not play him against the lesser teams.
Montgomery, he points out, holds numerous Springbok records, and says the Boks missed his goal kicking ability earlier in the season when he did not turn out in the green and gold. He also says the SA number-15 brings calmness to the players around him.
Camaraderie
Many of the Springboks, including Du Randt and Montgomery have been talking about the camaraderie of the team, saying it is this togetherness that they believe will lift them to World Cup glory. Du Randt has compared it to that all-for-one and one-for-all approach of the 1995 World Cup winning side.
The
highly-regarded Jonathan Kaplan will take charge of the test against Namibia, marking the first time since 1982 that a South African has refereed a Springbok match. Fransie Muller was the last man to do that, when SA lost 21-12 to Argentina, led by an inspired Hugo Porta, who scored all of the Pumas' points. The chances of an upset occuring at Newlands, however, are negligible.
With only four days between the World Cup warm-up games against Connacht and Scotland, it is likely that the team that faces Namibia will be similar to the fifteen selected to face the Scots. The outing against Connacht should see more of the "second fifteen" getting a run.
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