2012 Rugby Championship Game 1 South Africa vs Argentina - 18 August

[Braveheart81]

Oh that's right. I should have remembered that.

If only his name was Sonny Bill Kankowski, he might have been available for the first two games.

 

[Richo]

Argentina are the 8th ranked side in the world. The other three competitors are 1, 2, and 3. There is a fair gap between them.

Hopefully we see that gap narrow. My guess would be that playing six matches a year against the top 3 sides will see dividends quickly. That doesn't mean winning TRC, just becoming increasingly competitive.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Game is being played at Newlands mate. Last time I checked that was still a Springbok home game.

opps. My excuse is I had just started the game 2 thread, so Argie home game was on my mind.

Post should read:

I feel that the Argies will give the Bokke a fair going over up front, but the overall quality of the Bokke 6-8 and backs will win out in the end.

Newlands Home town advantage will "lift" Saffers by 10 points with the Final Score being Bokke by 25 - 35.

 

[Brisbok]

opps. My excuse is I had just started the game 2 thread, so Argie home game was on my mind.

Post should read:

I feel that the Argies will give the Bokke a fair going over up front, but the overall quality of the Bokke 6-8 and backs will win out in the end.

Newlands Home town advantage will "lift" Saffers by 10 points with the Final Score being Bokke by 25 - 35.

Yes I thought that was the case, you have been very proactive with the game threads!

Regarding a prediction for this game, I wish I had your confidence! I would be very happy with a 25-35 point win. I expect the Boks to win, but I think it may be a little closer than that. Maybe 10-15 points. Apparently there has been a bit of rain in Cape Town this week, so hopefully that will clear up in the next day or two.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^
The couple of days of rain in the U20 RWC in Safferland certainly kept the points down temporarily in that comp.

I just feel on the back of the S15 tournament that the Bokke will be more ready, and will pile it on in the 2nd half.

A packed Newlands stadium should lift the Bokke.

 

[Blue]

So no replacement in the squad names for Spies which suggests that HM might still be hoping he can get Kankowski back or if Duane Vermeulen comes through a couple of Currie Cup games he will be fast tracked.

In the meantime I am more than happy to see Keegan stepping up.

 

[en_force_er]

So no replacement in the squad names for Spies which suggests that HM might still be hoping he can get Kankowski back or if Duane Vermeulen comes through a couple of Currie Cup games he will be fast tracked.

In the meantime I am more than happy to see Keegan stepping up.

He's deserved the starting spot for ages now in my mind, he's less likely to score 80m tries that Spies but much more likely to bend the defensive line in traffic.

I'd be disappointing if he finally got a look in off a injury reduced seasons rather than one of his many terrific ones, not because of the end result but because it's a reflection of circumstances rather than that he damn well deserves his spot.

 

[Blue]

enforcer

HM has spoken highly of Vermeulen and inidicated that he has the type of attributes that he wanted in an 8. I reckon had he not been injured he would have been given a chance against the Poms.

I hope he gets a crack and smokes it.

 

[rustycruiser]

He is playing his first match back for WP this weekend. Assuming all goes well, maybe he should keep his passport handy for a trip to Mendoza?

Better yet, let him get some game time in the CC for three weeks, and throw him into the 8 jersey on Sept 8th vs the Aussies.

 

[tigerland12]

Argentina: Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, Gonzalo Camacho, Marcelo Bosch, Santiago Fernandez, Horacio Agulla, Juan Martin Hernandez, Nicolas Vergallo, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (captain), Alvaro Galindo, Julio Farias Cabello, Patricio Albacete, Manuel Carizza, Juan Figallo, Eusebio Guinazu, Rodrigo Roncero. Reserves: Bruno Postiglioni, Marcos Ayerza, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Thomas Leonardi, Leonardo Senatore, Martin Landajo, Martin Rodriguez

I'm really unsure why they've opted for two loose forwards (I know Cabello is also a lock) on the bench instead of having Imhoff, who is a potential game breaker when he comes on. And also they would of been better picking a specialist lock on the bench, such as Vallejos Cinnani.

Some big backrow issues without Leguizamon.

 

[en_force_er]

enforcer

HM has spoken highly of Vermeulen and inidicated that he has the type of attributes that he wanted in an 8. I reckon had he not been injured he would have been given a chance against the Poms.

I hope he gets a crack and smokes it.

Yeah, in retrospect I'm forgetting to account for the fact that there's a new coaching regime too. Love reading your Saffa inside knowledge Blue. What's talk of the Lions/Kings debacle?

 

[Blue]

I fear I am slowly starting to lose touch with some of the ins and outs of SA rugby so we need Paarl for the finer details. I read this weekend that the next week will be telling for the Lions. Honestly there have been so many rumours going around that it's impossible to know what to believe.

The latest is that the Kings will receive some sort of payment to basically go away for a couple of years and prepare better. Who knows.

 

[PaarlBok]

I fear I am slowly starting to lose touch with some of the ins and outs of SA rugby so we need Paarl for the finer details. I read this weekend that the next week will be telling for the Lions. Honestly there have been so many rumours going around that it's impossible to know what to believe.

The latest is that the Kings will receive some sort of payment to basically go away for a couple of years and prepare better. Who knows.

Friday is dday for the Lions.

Back on Topic. Would like to see a pack of 8Alberts 7 Kolisi 6 Coetzee 5 Bekker 4 Etsebet 3 Jannie 2 Battleship 1 Beast Backline probably Kirschner Habana JdV F Steyn Mvovo M Steyn Hougaard

 

[Brisbok]

South Africa:

15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Bryan Habana, 13. Jean de Villiers (captain), 12. Frans Steyn, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Keegan Daniel, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16. Adriaan Strauss, 17. Pat Cilliers, 18. Flip van der Merwe, 19. Jacques Potgieter, 20. Ruan Pienaar, 21. Pat Lambie, 22. JJ Engelbrecht

Reasonably happy with that team considering the circumstances. I would have started Lambie ahead of Kirchner and I wouldn't have played M. Steyn. The rest of the team pick themselves

 

[AlexH]

Bryan Habana ahead of JP Pietersen? Crazy.

Kirchner is a pretty average fullback. Lambie would have been a better choice for mine.

Morne Steyn is not the pick of the fly-half litter but until Goosen recovers he will do.

Otherwise, the team looks sufficiently menacing.

 

[PaarlBok]

JPP is injured.

 

[Jiggles]

I'm really looking forward to this match. I don't pretend to know much about the Argies so it will be great to see them go round.

It's also comforting to see that we don't have the only coach that is struggling with selections, and tactics as shown by the June tests. Not having Kolisi in the team, Pienaar on the bench along with Kirchner & Steyn starting is an error, I think.

If I was the Argies I would target the scrum and take the 3 points when they come. The sharks/bok front row, while dynamic around the park, are pretty poor in the scrum. I am not sure that Bekker and Etzebeth offer the required grunt behind them, even though they are pretty handy around the park also. It'll be interesting to see.

 

[Brisbok]

I'm really looking forward to this match. I don't pretend to know much about the Argies so it will be great to see them go round.

It's also comforting to see that we don't have the only coach that is struggling with selections, and tactics as shown by the June tests. Not having Kolisi in the team, Pienaar on the bench along with Kirchner & Steyn starting is an error, I think.

If I was the Argies I would target the scrum and take the 3 points when they come. The sharks/bok front row, while dynamic around the park, are pretty poor in the scrum. I am not sure that Bekker and Etzebeth offer the required grunt behind them, even though they are pretty handy around the park also. It'll be interesting to see.

The Sharks front row are poor in the scrums? That's the first time I've seen them described that way. They are certainly not a dominant scrumming unit, but they are more than capable of holding their own in most instances (the exception being at the end of a two week, three knock out game, 55,000km journey). The Bok scrum was expected to take a pounding from the much fancied poms in the June internationals, but it didn't eventuate (while the 3 starting front rowers were on the field anyway. Once Werner Kruger came on for Jannie, the scrums were a shambles).

The jury is still out on the scrumming ability of the Stormers second row combination. The Stormers' scrum has been a weakness at times, but the two locks are often scrumming behind a relatively inexperienced front row. We will know more about their scrumming ability in the next few weeks.

As for Kolisi, it's tough on him not to make it into the 22 man squad and I'm sure he might have had his eyes on Jacques Potgieter's bench spot once Spies was ruled out. However, it's hard to argue that he is more dynamic than Marcel Coetzee or Willem Alberts who are the starting flankers and his brief stint at no.8 for the Stormers was not seen as a success, so Keegan Daniel (who had a very good season in his own right) was definitely a better option there.

I definitely agree with you on Kirchner and Morne Steyn though, they should count themselves very lucky that the Bok coach is their former mentor at the Bulls!

 

[The Red Baron]

That is a pretty good pack. Great to see that Keegan Daniel's form has been rewarded.

 

[Blue]

Kirchner. Shit. Surely we have seen enough by now. Grant it Lambie was poor in the final but shit.

No Jantjes on bench at home so we are unikely to see him in this TRC at all. Meyer has all but given the commitment to Steyn that he won't drop him. That's what I read in his comments lately anyway. Seriously worrying.

JJ Engelbrecht. Coaches darling. Has shown me nothing that he even deserves to be in the squad. He is an okay Super Rugby player. Just okay.

Starting Bekker is questionable. He has been poor and injury prone this year. Kruger deserved to keep his spot with Bekker off the bench.

That Sharks front row is just fine. They have developed into a unit that will rarely get dominated and actually at times made the Crusades scrum look very ordinary just a few weeks ago. The two tall blokes behind them need to do their job though.

To question Etsebeth's physicality and workrate is borderline farcical. There is no better 4 playing in the southern hemisphere right now. Romano comes closest but Etsebeth is a freak.

Jacques Potgieter. Holy fuck. He offers so little. Makes the odd big hit and then drops off a tackle. Breaks the line once and then makes three bad plays. No thanks.