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RC - Wallabies vs Springboks, Gold Coast Sunday 12 September 8:05 PM

Bullrush

John Hipwell (52)
Taking that JOC (James O'Connor) will still be unavailable, my backline would be:

9. White
10. QC (Quade Cooper)
11. Koroibete
12. Kerevi
13. Paisami (is he available?)
14. Kelleway
15. Hodge

Bench: McDermott, Lolesio, Petaia, Ikitau

I initially started Lolesio mainly due to QC (Quade Cooper) having not played for a long time but fuck it. What's the point of him being there if you're not gonna play him? Give him 50mins and bring Lolesio on - apprenticeship etc etc. Maybe start Lolesio again against Argentina.

White for (hopefully) quicker delivery and to direct the forwards where needed. Hodge to fullback with his big boot but also as the dual playmaker role.

When JOC (James O'Connor) comes right, I'd be looking to play him more in the centres or even fullback.

I know these will probably be unpopular selections here but I really think you have to stick with Noah. He was getting rated pretty well by many on here after the second French game and after the series, here's what was written on the main page of GaGR
Noah Lolesio was great in the final game, and I’d like to see him hold his spot. JOC (James O'Connor) will get his chance, but Noah made such noticeable strides in this series that you’d be mad to walk away from him. The intercept was a key moment in both the game and his career: you could feel him grow two feet as he dived over the line.
Then he gets targeted by the 2nd best team in the world for 3 straight Tests and now everyone thinks this 10 Test kid is useless. People are wanting to go to a guy who doesn't even play 10 in Super Rugby Au. It's so short-sighted but I feel like it's typical of what I've seen from Aussie rugby for the last 10yrs.

I probably would have played QC (Quade Cooper) to start on Saturday with the view to trying bring Lolesio along on his international journey. Having an experienced player like JOC (James O'Connor) in the backline would help. Someone talked about Beale for the EOYT and I'd be all for that if possible.
 
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PaarlBok

Rod McCall (65)
Springbok team to face Australia in Gold Coast:

15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 66 caps, 60 pts (12t)
14 – Sbu Nkosi (Cell C Sharks) – 12 caps, 40 pts (8t)
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 19 caps, 20 pts (4t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Munster) – 51 caps, 30 pts (6t)
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 18 caps, 80 pts (16t)
10 – Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier) – 53 caps, 521 pts (6t, 82c, 105p, 4d)
9 – Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks) – 32 caps, 25 pts (5t)
8 – Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Bulls) – 53 caps, 15 pts (3t)
7 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 44 caps, 5pts (1t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 56 caps, 30 pts (6t)
5 – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks) – 50 caps, 25 pts (5t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Toulon) – 90 caps, 15 pts (3t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 43 caps, 5pts (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) – 41 caps, 40 pts (8t)
1 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 52 caps, 5pts (1t)

Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 39 caps, 35 pts (7t)
17 – Ox Nché (Cell C Sharks) – 4 caps, 0 pts
18 – Vincent Koch (Saracens) – 24 caps, 0 pts
19 – Marco van Staden (Leicester Tigers) – 6 caps, 0 pts
20 – Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo) – 12 caps, 5 pts (1t)
21 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 5 caps, 0 pts
22 – Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers) – 14 caps, 25 pts (5t)
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 12 caps, 5pts (1t)

Springbok record against Australia:

Played 88; Won 48, Lost 37, Drawn 3; Points for 1733, Points against 1550; Tries scored 202, Tries conceded 159; Highest score 61 pts, Biggest win 45 pts; Win %: 54%.

Milestones:

  • Makazole Mapimpi has scored 16 tries in 18 Tests, which equates to a try-scoring record of 88.9%. The player with the best try-scoring ratio with more than 20 Test caps, is former Springbok centre Danie Gerber, who ended his career with 19 tries in 24 Tests (79.2%).
  • Duane Vermeulen will start his 53rd Test in the Springbok No 8 jersey, stretching his number of starts to six more than the second-placed Pierre Spies (47).
Miscellaneous:

  • The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is
  • There are 251 caps in the backline with 429 caps amongst the forwards. On the bench there are a further 116
  • The average caps per player in the backline are 36 the forwards 53 while the players on the bench average 14.
 

PaarlBok

Rod McCall (65)
SA Rugby
The experienced No 8 – who joined the Springbok squad at the start of the Castle Lager Lions Series in August but has yet to play a match – has recovered fully from the ankle surgery he had earlier this year and headlines the return of a handful of injured players for the important encounter.

Scrumhalves Faf de Klerk (leg strain) and Herschel Jantjies (hip pointer), and flank Marco van Staden (ankle) are also back from injury as Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber made 13 changes to his matchday squad for the match – seven in the starting lineup and six on the replacements bench.

Five of the changes to the starting team that defeated Argentina 29-10 in the second round of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay were amongst the forwards. Vermeulen takes over from Jasper Wiese at the back of the scrum, and Eben Etzebeth comes in for Marvin Orie at lock, while a new front row of Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe (both props) and Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) will be in action.

The two changes in the backline are on the right wing, where Sbu Nkosi replaces Cheslin Kolbe who took a knock to the leg at training, and scrumhalf, where De Klerk returns for the first time since the second Test against the British & Irish Lions in place of Cobus Reinach.

Sbu Nkosi scores against Australia in 2019.

Sbu Nkosi scores against Australia in 2019.

Malcolm Marx (hooker), Ox Nché, Vincent Koch (both props), Van Staden, Wiese and Jantjies, meanwhile, will join Damian Willemse (utility back) and Kwagga Smith (loose forward) on a powerful replacements bench, which features a six-two split of forwards.

Nienaber was pleased to have a handful of players back from injury as the Springboks embark on a challenging four week stretch to defend their Castle Lager Rugby Championship title, with back-to-back Tests against Australia before successive encounters against New Zealand.

“We have been following the progress of the injured players on a daily basis, so we knew that we would be in a position to select most of them for this match,” said Nienaber.

“Duane has played an active role off the field in our team meetings and with the analysis of the opposition, and he has also provided guidance at training. He returned to full training when we arrived in Australia, so he has been in the thick of things for a while now.

“Duane, Faf and Herschel are Rugby World Cup winners, and so is Eben, who is back after we rotated him to manage his workload, while Marco has made a strong impact on the field this season as well, so we are pleased to have them back in the fold.

“Australia pose a strong threat with their running rugby and they like to keep the ball in play. They will also be playing in front of a charged-up home crowd, so it will be good to have these experienced players back as they know what it takes to perform in big matches.

Faf de Klerk is back in the No 9 jersey after missing the Boks' last three Tests.

Faf de Klerk is back in the No 9 jersey after missing the Boks' last three Tests.

“Unfortunately, we lost Cheslin to injury, but we are fortunate to have Sbu who steps in. He’s been working hard at training and he is eager to get back on the field.”

With the Springboks’ last Test being close to three weeks ago, Nienaber said it was important for the team to hit the ground running against Australia to maintain the momentum they’ve built up this season.

“We had sufficient time since our last Test to give the players a break after the physically taxing start to the season, and to work in a hard conditioning week before we tackle the remaining four Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches,” said Nienaber.

“We will be tested thoroughly in the next four weeks, so we have to be up for the challenge mentally and physically. There are also trophies such as the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate and the Freedom Cup up for grabs, so we will prepare well and give our best on the field.”

Luke Pearce (England) has been appointed the match referee, with Australia’s Damon Murphy and Jordan Way serving as assistant referees, and England’s Matthew Carley will be the TMO.
 

Blue

Andrew Slack (58)
Unless we have been playing possum all year it would be a miracle if we win against the boks tbh.

The Boks just too physical and too complete compared to what has been an extremely poor wallaby outfit this year.
Play fast. Get a lead. Make us chase the game.
 

Blue

Andrew Slack (58)
Springboks – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Jasper Wiese, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse.
 

RebelYell

Arch Winning (36)

dru

Tim Horan (67)
That is a bloody strong Bok team.

I do a short segment on NZ Radio every Monday chatting all things Aussie sport, often a fair bit of Rugby.

Here's this week's in case anybody is interested, reviewing Blde & turning attention to the rest of TRC


Good work, Pete.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
Unless we have been playing possum all year it would be a miracle if we win against the boks tbh.

The Boks just too physical and too complete compared to what has been an extremely poor wallaby outfit this year.
Gel, I reckon the Wallabies have been fair to good for most of their games this year. Just very poor for about 15 - 20 minutes. If they can play consistently at their good level for 80 minutes they could give the Saffas a run for their money. But yes, the Boks will probably be too physical for our young and inexperienced Wallabies.
 

liquor box

Greg Davis (50)
I would like to see Petaia at 13 as well. Get the ball in his hands and have him more involved. BT only pushed him onto the wing as he had too many centres with Petaia the most capable in the back 3.
I think he was pushed to the wing so he did not have to worry about being able to distribute the ball.
 

Kenny Powers

Ron Walden (29)
To me, you guys have to play Kerevi at 12 to counter de Allende who is going to run at Lolesio all day long.
You’re right on that. Some on the forum seem to think that because Lolesio topped the backline tackle count for Australia in Bled III that is a good thing. Well he had to top the tackle count because that was the channel the AB’s were running they ain’t stupid. Likewise Beauden Barrett topped the AB tackle count because he is the least dominant defender in the AB backline and Australia ran at him.
Maybe our obsession with tackle stats in Australia comes from overly simple game of League because it annoys me endlessly as the most important statistic that you can’t record is the tackle that was never missed because it was never attempted because the player was never in the right position because they don’t have Rugby smarts.
 
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KOB1987

Rod McCall (65)
JOC (James O'Connor) out? Stuff it. Chuck in Quade. Give him a chance to unpick this ridiculous Bok defence. He’s always troubled them.
Doran was inferring in his article which was before your mail that JOC (James O'Connor) was to be named on the bench. Sounds like Banks is getting punted for Hodge and Paisami for Ikitau the only other possible change, although Len's left boot could save him. So if you're right then yeah, chuck Quade on the bench.
 

Tah Man

Larry Dwyer (12)
I suspect we will see something pretty close to the 23 below. QC (Quade Cooper) is worth the price of admission alone

1. Bell
2. Fainga'a
3. AAA
4. Rodda
5. Phillip
6. Swinton
7. Hooper
8. Valetini
9. McDermott
10. Cooper
11. Koroibete
12. Kerevi
13. Ikitau
14. Kellaway
15. Banks

16. Kaitu'u
17. Slipper
18. Tupou
19. Swain
20. Samu
21. White
22. Hodge
23. Petaia
 

Dctarget

John Eales (66)
Paisami should be back yes? I’d have him in the centres with Kerevi. Hodge at 10 and Banks at 15.
 
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