Bok squad selection headache for Meyer
THE Springbok team for Saturday’s test against New Zealand in Dunedin was as difficult to predict as the capricious weather in the city yesterday.
With Eben Etzebeth already ruled out due to suspension, props Jannie du Plessis and Pat Cilliers, as well as centre Jean de Villiers and wing Francois Hougaard all sat on the sidelines as sun, rain and wind made for tough practice conditions for their teammates at the Ponsonby Rugby Club.
De Villiers and Hougaard just had bumps and bruises to nurse, but there is still concern for Du Plessis’s fitness after he injured his hamstring against the Wallabies. He is expected to be declared fit, while Cilliers’s participation is still in doubt.
With two props carrying injuries the Springbok management deemed it prudent to have Stormers prop Frans Malherbe join the squad to provide cover.
“Frans’s call-up is purely precautionary as our two tighthead props on tour are struggling with injuries,” Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said.
“Frans has been with us before and he knows our calls and moves. He’s still young and has a bright future . . .”
Malherbe is expected to arrive in Auckland tomorrow night and the team announcement may be postponed until then. Flip van der Merwe will replace Etzebeth, while talk of Bakkies Botha joining the squad as a reserve never got off the ground. At one point Meyer was keen to reunite Botha with his former teammates, but a lack of time and vast travelling distance conspired against the Toulon second-rower making the trip.
Meyer has much to mull over in selection before naming his squad today. He indicated earlier in the week that he would keep changes to the minimum but his search for the right mix to ensure an improved performance and injuries may force his hand into cutting deeper than he intended.
The match will be played indoors which is a huge blessing as an Antarctic front descended upon the south island yesterday.
Possible Bok team: Zane Kirchner; Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers (captain), Frans Steyn, Francois Hougaard; Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar; Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee; Juandre Kruger, Flip van der Merwe; Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira.