Hane vs Springbokke

[Hugonaut]

Big backrow from the French. I was very impressed with Picamoles in his couple of games against the All Blacks this summer, think that he has made huge strides. Congratulations to Lievremont for sticking with him and seeing the potential, as I didn't think that he was going to mature into the player that he has shown himself to be.

Dusautoir is absolutely world class, a genuinely exceptional player, and Harinordoquy at the top of his game is fantastic to watch. Interesting to see Bonnaire on the bench rather than Ouedrago, thought that they might have included the latter to give them the ability to change their style. A very, very talented bench; amazing that they can leave out Elissalde, seeing as he can cover both SH and OH.

Mermoz is playing great stuff for Perpignan at the moment, delighted to see him included. Very disappointed to see Medard omitted at fullback, but obviously Lievremont has gone with a horses for courses selection, recognising how often the Boks will put bombs up – Traille is about 4 inches taller and three stone heavier, and ML obviously sees him as a better and more durable bet against the Boks excellent kick-chase game.

Has the potential to be a cracking match, really looking forward to it.

 

[Biffo]

Traille is about 10 cm taller and 20 kg heavier

Fixed.

Hugonutty, have your mob joined the EU yet?

 

[Lee Grant]

That is an outstanding front row the French have picked but my jury is still out on the 2nd row. I'm yet to be convinced of Nallet and Millo-Chluski. I must admit that MC is having a better year to date in the Top14 than I noticed last year; though that probably doesn't mean a lot.

The backrow is outstanding. I wondered who the French would pick at no, 8: Harinordoquy or Picamoles, as both have been in top club form, but they picked the two of them, with Harinordoquy playing 6. There is no mention of 7. Ouedraogo in the 22; so he must be injured. Without him the backrow won't be as mobile, but it will be harder and stronger. That's what you need against the Boks. With Harinordoquy not a specialist flanker, it will be interesting to see if captain Dusatoir plays on the openside in all of the scrums or stays on the LH side all the time as he usually does.

After his successful tour of NZ and Oz Dupuy was always going to be the scrummie. They have a lot of good no. 9s in France but there is nobody that stands out a lot from the others, like a Galthie. But watch out for 19 y.o. Florian Cazenave, the USAP scrummie in the future; he's like a box of snakes.

With Beauxis injured, FTD is a logical choice at 10, though I have seen very little of him this season. The big surprise for me is young David at 13. If the cunning Mermoz is playing at 12 it made sense that his form USAP team mate Marty should be the 13, but they chose ST's David, who must be 15 kgs heavier.

David is built like Cameron Shepherd and probably got the nod because he is expected to play opposite a big chap like Jaque Fourie. There's another big guy at 15 too: Damien Traille. Don't worry about Frans Steyn kicking the ball a mile - this bloke can too. His playing means that the excellent ST fullback Medard is on the bench, but he'll come on in the 2nd half - he's a cracking player.

Its a bloody good bench.


Not many of the Boks who got beaten by the Tigers last Friday night will be playing in the test match but, geez, they were awful for a lot of the game. The test scrum had better be a couple of steps up for the dirt-trackers scrum. I can't remember a SAffer scrum being disintegrated so often in one game and were it not for Castrogiovanni being given a spell - it would have been worse.


Hugonaut

Good post. You covered a lot of my points whilst I was watching a recording mid-post but I'll post mine complete, anyway.

 

[PaarlBok]

Bok 22 for friday:
Springboks - 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Adi Jacobs, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Andries Bekker, 20 Danie Rossouw, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Wynand Olivier.

Pretty much as expected.

 

[PaarlBok]

No surprises at all. Just state the positives of that midfield dirt tracker matches. Imagen we went in this important test with a Jannie Doep/ChilliBoy/Guthro Steenkamp on the bench?

The Bokke will have to play the way they play all year. Apply the pressure on the Hane from minute 1 and keep them under pressure and they'll make the mistakes, Steyn will do the rest.

Think Schalkie will play a important role in this test, his defense will be all important and looking forward to see him and Brussouw playing in tandem. Hope this this will settle their combo for the future. This will allow Kankowski to play his natural nr8 game. Running pill back at the French.

See the Hane start their Nasty Bokke kak already , we need some cool heads in Toulouse on friday, no brain farts. Frustrate them into their nasty thoughts and let them give penalties.

 

[Biffo]

See the Hane start their Nasty Bokke kak already.

Please tell us what nasty Bokke stuff.

 

[PaarlBok]

See the Hane start their Nasty Bokke kak already.

Please tell us what nasty Bokke stuff.

You mean the link to the story? Stuff?

 

[Biffo]

See the Hane start their Nasty Bokke kak already.

Please tell us what nasty Bokke stuff.

You mean the link to the story? Stuff?

Don't worry, Mate. I have just been to Keo (as you have) and had a good laugh. If your lot respond in kind, we might have a words shitfight between the Roosters and the Deers, two camps each living within 0.0001 mm glass walls.

 

[PaarlBok]

Boet good luck if you want to read the Keo lot postings. I dont go there, iowadays a little bit on PR but as soon as I see bitch fights coming up I'll run away like a kak dog.

 

[Hugonaut]

Traille is about 10 cm taller and 20 kg heavier

Fixed.

Hugonutty, have your mob joined the EU yet?

I think the EU are going to throw us out for our massive national debt. It weighs several hundred stone and stands 17'4".

 

[Blue]

See the Hane start their Nasty Bokke kak already.

Please tell us what nasty Bokke stuff.

You mean the link to the story? Stuff?

Don't worry, Mate. I have just been to Keo (as you have) and had a good laugh. If your lot respond in kind, we might have a words shitfight between the Roosters and the Deers, two camps each living within 0.0001 mm glass walls.

True. Nallet's comments about Bakkies are baffling though. He blames Bakkies for breaking his chest bone. Nasty. This is going to be a shitfight.

 

[Blue]

Good to see the front row replacements on the bench. Snor saw the error of his ways and called in some artillery.

 

[PaarlBok]

True. Nallet's comments about Bakkies are baffling though. He blames Bakkies for breaking his chest bone. Nasty. This is going to be a shitfight.

I actually saw this one

Superrugby

Bring on the 'nasty' Boks


"South Africa are world champions, they are the best team in the world but they also are the nastiest and most physical team in the world. A team that is always trying to hurt," the number eight who will switch to flanker to bring more power to the French pack, told journalists on Monday.

"Of course, they play inside the rules, they don't stamp on you or knee you because now if you do that it's a yellow card or even a red card," he added.

"Our sport is changing but the fundamentals are the same. A rugby game, and particularly a game against the Springboks, is above all a fight between two packs of forwards."

Asked if he agreed with Lucien Mias, captain of the first France team to win a test in South Africa in 1958 who said that "in a sport of sacrifice, the Springboks have decided once and for all to be the butcher rather than the lamb", he answered:
"Yes, you could say they are butchers but I can assure you we are not going to be the lambs on Friday."

The laugh which followed that sentence was clearly a sign the 29-year-old with 56 caps was approaching the game with a great respect for the Springboks.

"They don't play a very sophisticated game but they always try to break their opponents defence, they are very strong on the tackle, and in the rucks, their line-out is superb and they are hefty in the physical duels," he said.

"We beat them last time we met but it was in 2006 (36-26 in Cape Town) and they were rebuilding their team. Friday's test will be another story, winning the World Cup has given them a lot of confidence and they can hammer any team in the world," he added.

"To match them, we'll have to be very strong on the fundamentals of the game, do simple things but do them well even if sometimes it's the most difficult. I'm sure we can do it but we'll have to be at our best and play with a lot of solidarity."

Well we (Bok vs Haan) comes a long way like the bolded bit. Hope our lot just keep the eye on the ball. No frekken brain farts, let them have it.

 

[Thomond78]

The bit about "no stamping or kneeing" is a bit wistful, by the sound of it. T14 is open savagery at times; never be under the illusion that the French don't just love the biff or seeing blood. They're all in favour of it.

Where's the game, Paris or Marseille...?

 

[PaarlBok]

Toulouse, thats why they pack their team with Toulouse players, make sense being their first big one this season.

Ja maybe we got that love for blood from our French blood in the vains.

 

[Thomond78]

Toulouse, thats why they pack their team with Toulouse players, make sense being their first big one this season.

Ja maybe we got that love for blood from our French blood in the vains.

Ouch. It's going to be beyond mental, in that case. First big game in Toulouse in yonks, and the city is beyond rugby-mad. Be a good night to be in Big Trev's place Dé Danu, then.

Qui ne saute pas n'est pas Toulousain! Qui ne saute pas n'est pas Toulousain...!

 

[PaarlBok]

Bok team with caps
15 Zane Kirchner (1)
14 JP Pietersen (30)
13 Jaque Fourie (51)
12 Adi Jacobs (28)
11 Bryan Habana (54)
10 Morné Steyn (9)
9 Fourie du Preez (52)
(Backs = 225= 32 average)

8 Ryan Kankowski (9)
7 Schalk Burger (53)
6 Heinrich Brüssow (10)
5 Victor Matfield (89)
4 Bakkies Botha (63)
3 John Smit – Captain (90)
2 Bismarck du Plessis (30)
1 Tendai Mtawarira (19)
(Forwards = 363= 45 average)
Reserves:
16 Adriaan Strauss (5)
17 Wian du Preez (0)
18 CJ van der Linde (56)
19 Andries Bekker (18)
20 Danie Rossouw (43)
21 Ruan Pienaar (34)
22 Wynand Olivier (24)
(Reserves = 180 = 25 average)

Total = XV = 588 = 39 average

Doing this because experiense for us will be vital.

 

[Lee Grant]

Pretty much as expected taking into account the unavailability of players like Juan Smith and Pierre Spies.

It will be a big test for Kankowski who, with Spies at home now, has a chance in a big test match. He had better take his opportunity with Ashley Johnson on the rise. And Burger had better have a big performance too else he will be a permanent reserve when Smith comes back because the Boks are using a fetcher on the openside now these days like everybody else.

It will also be a huge occasion for reserve LHP WdP on debut. He's no spring chicken but he could have a reasonable test career if he does OK. The Boks obviously don't want a repeat of the Friday game and have chosen 2 props on the bench and a hooker, notwithstanding that Smit could always throw the ball into the lineout if needs be.

They can only have a full reserve front row because they have the superb utility player Ruan Pienaar on the bench, enabling a 5/2 split.

I will be interested to see how Smit goes in the scrum against a top French front row and how Jacobs deals defensively with the likes of Mermoz and David coming at him. I have a feeling that JdV, now with Munster, will be missed defensively.

It's a big test for Zirchner also. I had forgotten completely that Frans Steyn is playing in Paris these days, but I rate Zirchner in matters other than keeping his cool; not that young Frans had a lot of merit in that direction.

This team should be too good for the French team and you would have to pick the World Champions every day of the week if the game was played in Paris.

But it ain't. You can almost hear the roar for the bulls - and not for the blue ones either.

 

[rustycruiser]

Good to see the front row replacements on the bench. Snor saw the error of his ways and called in some artillery

More like saved by the injury of Guthro, Chili, and Jannie Doep. The exact same situation as when Schalk's injury lead to Brussouw's inclusion in the first Lions test. Do you think any of CJ, du Preez, and Strauss would have got the call up with no injuries? Chilli and Jannie (or Guthro) would have been on the bench.

With that said, I hope all three come on, have blinders, and force PdV to take notice of them. Especially after the starting scrum goes backwards (it will!) We need to fix the Bok scrum.

 

[Lee Grant]

Good post rustycruiser.