Coach Meyer’s Magnificent 5
Only 31 players can go to British Isles in September
SPRINGBOK coach Heyneke Meyer has an idea what his Rugby World Cup squad will look like, but the form of some players will make for an interesting lottery pick.
His Sharks contingent, bar Marcell Coetzee, Pat Lambie and Bismarck du Plessis, has been a disappointment.
The Lions have punched well above their weight with their no-name brands, some of whom have put their hands up for Bok call-ups.
There is going to be a flipsided coin of ecstasy and agony as only 31 players can go to the British Isles in September and hopefully come back with the William Webb-Ellis trophy.
Here are five players who, injury permitting, should be pencilled into the unit: Vincent Koch (Stormers): Each year brings a different set of scrumming rules and they affect teams differently. The Stormers scrum has always been a makeweight one, but with Koch it has morphed into a powerhouse.
He is leading the Stormers in-house tight-head battle against the already capped Frans Malherbe, but Meyer always tends to look at experience ahead of immediate impact.
Last year’s star tight-head Julian Redelinghuys seems to be forgotten already, while Marcel van der Merwe is not firing on all cylinders. His biggest threat could be Trevor Nyakane’s malleability in both front row positions, where he has excelled for the Bulls. Cheslin Kolbe (Stormers): The spare fullback role is disputed territory with Jesse Kriel’s sudden emergence, but the Stormers’ latest pocket-rocket has done the hard yards to suggest he could be worth picking.
If size is seen as a factor, then look no further than the tall but spindly Mike Brown, who has proven to be England’s first-choice 15.
It is not like incumbent Willie le Roux is the best defensive fullback, but Kolbe has shown bravery, despite the likes of Bryce Heem and Waisake Naholo mistaking him for a speed bump.
Meyer’s preference for the bigger men may prove to be Kolbe’s undoing, but his picking of Le Roux, despite his magic and skill, will again raise questions about how comfortable he is with small players of colour, despite their explosiveness. Rudy Paige (Bulls): From Bull backbencher to the choirmaster is how Paige’s rising stock can be described. The outcry emanating from his knee injury is testament to the value he brings to the Bulls, especially from an all-round game perspective. He is a bit of a long shot from a Bok view, with Cobus Reinach neatly building from the platform he laid last year, but the injury curse often strikes blindly.
Depth is not much of an issue when Paige is on form, but his lack of European experience could count against him.
Pieter-Steph du Toit (Sharks):
He will have to be phased in carefully, but the Boks will need this young, athletic greenhorn to be firing on all cylinders. His preference for calling in the lineout elevated his stocks at the Sharks and they have missed his imposing presence.
Meyer rates Du Toit highly, but whether his knee holds up is a different story. He has to be a shoe-in for the 31-man squad, especially with his ability to cover lock and flank with equal ease. Elton Jantjies (Lions): Despite the lack of Springbok experience, Jantjies could potentially be the Stephen Donald option. He could be overlooked for Johan Goosen, but it would be unfair on the Lions pivot who has provided the flair next to the solidity offered by Marnitz Boshoff.
Meyer has never been a fan of Jantjies, but he has been key to the Lions’ revival. His chances are remote, but in the event of a catastrophic injury problem, he could be the man.