A timely test of Bok depth
by Gavin Rich 04 June 2010, 08:25
With Fourie du Preez announcing that he is likely to undergo a shoulder operation that will keep him out of rugby for the rest of the year, Saturday’s first test of 2010 against Wales in Cardiff probably couldn’t come at a better time for the Springbok management.
It is no secret that no-one really wanted this match. At least no-one directly involved with the Boks. When it was announced a few months ago there were raised eyebrows and not a few mutterings of discontent. With a Grand Slam tour due to come at the end of it, the year before the World Cup was already seen to be a taxing one.
But coach Peter de Villiers’s response to the challenge was a wise one. Instead of throwing his frontline players into an extra match, he resolved to widen the net for this game and test his depth. It may be necessary given that the Boks during their successful 2009 campaign never looked comfortable when the core of experienced players that make up the spine of the team were not present.
When the Boks were outplayed by the British and Irish Lions in the final test of the series in Johannesburg, it begged the questions: What happens when Fourie du Preez is injured, what becomes of them when Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield are not there?
Fate, as it often does, has conspired against De Villiers in that injuries have forced him to contradict his initial stated intent of giving all the top players a rest. Jaque Fourie, for instance, is playing because Jean de Villiers, the initial selection, has to undergo an operation.
Why is Fourie playing when of all the Bok players he might well be the one most in need of a rest after playing all the Stormers games in the Super 14? At the time of the surprise announcement that he would replace De Villiers, it was feared it might mean that he was not considered a first choice for next week’s match against France at Newlands.
But when Andries Bekker was injured and then replaced by Victor Matfield those fears should have been allayed. Clearly the selections are being driven by a recognition on the part of the selectors that while this is an experimental team and an experimental occasion, there is still a need to avoid embarrassment and, hopefully, to win.
That final one is not a small consideration. It should be a big one. In this day and age, when the World Cup means so much, there is a tendency to think that some individual test matches are not so important. And neither should they be.
But the Boks do have a proud record against Wales. Their only defeat against that nation remains the one they suffered in the last summer test in Cardiff back in 1999, when the build-up was overshadowed by a behind the scenes wrangle and very public spat over racial representation in the team.
They should want to keep that record intact, so it makes sense that when experienced players were injured, for both Andries Bekker and De Villiers qualify as experienced international players even though Bekker hasn’t often been first choice, that experienced players are called in to replace them.
The weakness of this Bok team is the lack of regular combinations, but that was changed a bit on Thursday when Juan de Jongh was called in to replace Butch James, who was the victim of a contract dispute between his club and the international authorities. De Jongh will at least line up alongside his regular Super 14 partner, Fourie.
And Matfield is alongside Danie Rossouw, so perhaps Bekker’s withdrawal was also a happy accident. The front row also looks a strong one, with skipper John Smith hooking the scrum between two experienced currently overseas based internationals in the form of CJ van der Linde and BJ Botha.
At loose-forward there are players who are new to each other, although the decision to select Joe van Niekerk after his outstanding exploits for Toulon was a good one. The halfback pairing may have played together before, but not recently. Ruan Pienaar was in good form at flyhalf for the Sharks at the end of the Super 14 season, but Ricky Januarie was not a first choice at the Stormers and could be rusty.
Fortunately for the Boks the Welsh are also a long way short of full-strength for this game due to end-of-season injuries and operations. But they do have some key British and Irish Lions players at the back who could pose problems if they get enough ball, with Jamie Roberts no doubt eager to continue the good form he displayed before being injured in the Loftus test.
Stephen Jones was the Lions’ first choice at the beginning of the series, and Mike Phillips will of course need no introduction to those who played against him last year. It’s just a pity Bakkies Botha isn’t there to welcome him by blowing him a kiss.
There should be enough motivation for the Lions players in the Welsh team to lift the hosts to a repeat of 1999.
Teams
Wales: Lee Byrne, Leigh Halfpenny, James Hook, Jamie Roberts, Tom Prydle, Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips, Ryan Jones (captain),Sam Warbuton, Jonathan Thomas, Deinol Jones, Bradley Davies, Adam Jones, Matthew Rees, Paul James.
Reserves: Huw Bennett, John Yapp, Alun Wyn-Jones, Rob McClusker, Richie Rees, Dan Biggar, Andrew Bishop.
Springboks: Frans Steyn, Gio Aplon, Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jongh, Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Pienaar, Ricky Januarie, Joe van Niekerk, Dewald Potgieter, Francois Louw, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, BJ Botha, John Smit (captain), CJ van der Linde.
Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Jannie du Plessis, Alistair Hargreaves, Ryan Kankowski, Meyer Bosman, Zane Kirchner, Bjorn Basson.
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland).
Kick-off: 3.30pm
Prediction: Wales to sneak it.