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What an enthralling year of ups and downs it has been and in my opinion a lot more ups than downs. Highlights were definitely Heyneke’s first victory against the All Blacks as well as a deserved IRB Player of the year nomination for Duanne Vermeulen. Lowlights must be that Morne Steyn kick in Brisbane and then the embarrassing whopping we received from the Irish. But finish 10 out 13 victors so far with the 3 losses all being away from home is not bad at all. Also finishing 2nd ranked in the world after the impeccable All Blacks should also not be taken lightly. What will be seen as a step backwards is the fact that as opposed to 2013 in 2014 we were not able to take the Aussies in their own backyard when they were ripe for picking.
But let’s get back to this Saturday. As the test is being played outside of the international test window none of the Boks’s overseas players are allowed to play meaning no Habana, Pietersen, Burger, Steyn, Steenkamp or Goosen. What is strange however is that the French based players of the Welsh like Jaime Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Mike Philips are allowed to play which seems strange. Northern Hemisphere favouritism perhaps? It will be a good test thought to see how dependant we are on our overseas based players and if they are so crucial to the national set up as we think. Yes of course Habana, Burger and the injured Louw are world class irreplaceable players but surely we should consider picking less overseas boks? It seems that the fact that they are not available from start to finish does cause disruptions in the team. Something to consider….
Another start for Lambie probably means that for now he is Meyer’s favourite in these conditions. Heyneke stated in the week that these conditions suit him best and that Pollard excels in dry conditions. Although I would pick Pollard even if there is a tornado Lambie is getting more confident and resolute with every test start. For now it may also be that Pollard coming on in the last 20 minutes is the ideal situation. On the wings the almost forgotten Mvovo and Hendricks will want to prove that they deserve a world cup berth. I would guess that Heyneke will probably only take 3 wings along next year which means that probably only one of them will make it. Mvovo’s versatility in that he can also play fullback should count in his favour if it is a tight battle. It is a shame that George North is injured though as Cornal Hendicks would have wanted to show that he can tackle the big guys and his bad performance against Julian Savea was a fluke.
Heyneke’s emphasis on physical fitness as recently seen in the Springbok camps held in Stellenbosch prior to the tour will help the Boks pull though this one after the long season. Wales does have brilliant individual players but as a unit and when they are firing on all cylinders there is no beating the South Africans. They will also be motivated by the fact that they can give it their all one last time before getting an extended and well deserved break . Boks by 15.
