“What about Johan Grobbelaar?” ask Bulls supporters after the announcement of Springbok touring team to Australia
While only two Bulls players have been deemed good enough to be part of the Springbok touring team for the Australian leg of the South Africans' Rugby Championship campaign, particularly serious questions are being asked about the hooker situation in the team.
Even after last weekend’s embarrassment in the Springbok camp, when a half-fit and out of shape hooker had to be taken off the field after less than half an hour to try and save the game against the All Blacks, the Springbok team’s management still cannot find a place in their tour group to Australia for the best South African hooker in the recent United Rugby Championship.
“What else does Johan Grobbelaar have to do to play for the Springboks?” is the question on most Bulls supporters’ lips after the announcement of the touring team.
Grobbelaar experienced a brilliant season this year in both the United Rugby Championship and the Currie Cup tournament. He was named man of the match several times during the season, while two weeks ago he was rewarded with three top awards at the Bulls’ annual awards event.
Photo: simondp@actionimage
Instead of making Grobbelaar part of the tour group, however, Jacques Nienaber and his fellow management members decided to choose the brilliant fetcher loose-forward, Deon Fourie, as a backup hooker together with Malcolm Marx and Joseph Dweba. Fourie last played hooker for the Stormers eight years ago before he left South Africa in 2014 to play in France.
These strange choices from the Springbok management follows after Marcell Coetzee, currently probably the best loose-forward in South Africa judged on his performances for the Bulls during the past season, also was sent home a few weeks ago after just 40 minutes of rugby for the Springboks in the test series against Wales. Coetzee is in direct competition with the Springbok captain and this is apparently problematic in the Springbok camp…
Another Bulls player who was part of the Springbok group until Saturday’s test in Johannesburg, the brilliant young lock Ruan Nortjé, was also not considered good enough to make the tour group to Australia. The Stormers’ Salmaan Moerat has been selected as the “standby” lock in the team.
Photo: simondp@actionimage
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber on Monday named a 34-man squad for the Australian leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, with only two Bulls players included in the squad. The uncapped Canan Moodie from the Bulls eared a call-up for his first tour in a settled national squad, while Bulls loose forward Elrich Louw is also part of the elect.
Nienaber said the touring squad, which features a good mix of youth and experience, was in line with the standard travelling squad for the Rugby World Cup and he believed that they were the right group of players to achieve what they set out to do in the two Tests against Australia in Adelaide (Saturday, 27 August) and Sydney (Saturday, 3 September).
The coach said he would make changes to the squad for the two Tests against Argentina in Buenos Aires and Durban as he looks to give his expanded group of players a chance to prove themselves with an eye on the Rugby World Cup which will be hosted in France next year.
Springbok touring squad is:
Props
Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)
Vincent Koch (Wasps)
Frans Malherbe (Stormers)
Ox Nche (Sharks)
Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92)
Hookers
Joseph Dweba (Stormers)
Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)
Locks
Eben Etzebeth (Sharks)
Lood de Jager (Wild Knights)
Salmaan Moerat (Stormers)
Loose forwards
Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)
Siya Kolisi (Sharks)
Elrigh Louw (Bulls)
Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs)
Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)
Duane Vermeulen (Ulster)
Utility forwards
Deon Fourie (Stormers)
Franco Mostert (Honda Heat)
Scrumhalves
Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles)
Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks)
Herschel Jantjies (Stormers)
Cobus Reinach (Montpellier)
Flyhalves
Elton Jantjies (NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes)
Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers)
Midfielders
Lukhanyo Am (Sharks)
Damian de Allende (Wild Knights)
Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins)
Outside backs
Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks)
Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz)
Canan Moodie (Bulls)
Warrick Gelant (Racing 92)
Utility Backs
Damian Willemse (Stormers)
Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)
Frans Steyn (Cheetahs)
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