Thanks Aussie teams

[Braveheart81]

Surely part of our issue regarding depth is that we don't have the public support for our teams that provides the financial resources to pay players more and keep more of our better players in the country.

Clearly there are some Australian teams under performing this year based on the results you'd expect from their squads (possibly all except the Rebels). That's not a depth issue.

 

[PaarlBok]

Bulls sure made a statement, more so the Sharks.

 

[PaarlBok]

Real depth comes with strong structure from the bottom. SA never have a problem with this. Our schoolboy system produce year after year great talents and specially nowadays from all skin colour.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Anybody peeved at the stupidity of Andrew Slacks comments -snip-

And that's where I stopped reading. The guy was a marvellous player, but let's be honest, his tenure as Reds coach was the start of 'The Rot' that was only excised by Mooney/Link.

 

[Lindommer]

To be fair to Slackie he realised he was a step above his level of competence and pulled the pin after one year.

 

[TOCC]

Real depth comes with strong structure from the bottom. SA never have a problem with this. Our schoolboy system produce year after year great talents and specially nowadays from all skin colour.

Have you seen the Kings play? Lol

 

[brokendown]

as a Force fan,I would like to thank SA rugby for the Kings.That team may just save us from the wooden spoon!

 

[TOCC]

Real depth comes with strong structure from the bottom. SA never have a problem with this. Our schoolboy system produce year after year great talents and specially nowadays from all skin colour.

Sharks, Stormers, Kings and Cheetahs all lost this weekend.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^^^^^ Lions also.

 

[Pfitzy]

Meh. Its only one week. Getting up over the Stormers at Newlans is no easy task, though the Tahs had a bit of a leg-up from the ref with that red card.

Not that the winger would have been much help in a scrum

 

[Strewthcobber]

The majority of South African "depth" is playing in other counties and continents these days aren't they?

 

[Highlander35]

The majority of South African "depth" is playing in other counties and continents these days aren't they?

That's a fun game to play. If everybody's stripped of any foreign caps, here's my Pro12 Saffa team:

1. Allan Dell (Edinburgh)
2. Richardt Strauss (Leinster)
3. WP Nel (Edinburgh)
4. Quinn Roux (Connacht)
5. Franco van der Merwe (Ulster)
6. Josh Strauss (Glasgow)
7. Tyrone Holmes (Glasgow)
8. CJ Stander (Munster)
9. Ruan Piennar (Ulster)
10. Franco van Zyl (Zebre)
11. Danie Podman (Connacht)
12. Andriess Strauss (Edinburgh)
13. JJ Englebrett (Ospreys)
14. Hanno Dirhen (Ospreys)
15. Zane Kirchner (Leinster)

16.
17. Brock Harris (Dragons)
18. BJ Botha (Munster)
19. Anton Bresler (Edinburgh)
20. Cornell du Preez (Edinburgh)
21. Sarel Pretorius (Dragons)
22. Ulrich Beyers (Zebre)
23. Carl Meyer (Dragons)

And there's about a dozen more I either can't be bothered listing or finding.

 

[Groucho]

After this weekend, thank goodness for the Saffers!

 

[Groucho]

Meh. Its only one week. Getting up over the Stormers at Newlans is no easy task, though the Tahs had a bit of a leg-up from the ref with that red card.

Not that the winger would have been much help in a scrum

Wasn't the red mandatory under the laws?

 

[Pfitzy]

Didn't mean it wasn't the right decision. Certainly helped the Tahs come home well

 

[ChargerWA]

Paarl post snide article pointing out how rubbish the Aus conference is................nek minit

 

[Pfitzy]

Hubris, chaps. Hubris.

 

[PaarlBok]

Black weekend for the SA teams, reality check needed.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I think people are putting the cart before the horse here. We don't need depth to make Super Rugby teams more competitive. We need those Super Rugby teams to build depth.



We may not have sufficient depth to support five competitive teams and satisfy the recruitment demands of Europe at this time, but the only way to build that depth is to get more young players on the field at the top level, and that's what's happening.



Consider the situation as it used to be, in which Wallaby candidates queued for years behind Wallaby stalwarts at the Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds, hardly ever getting a game.



Some transparent concern trolling at the hands of the gleeful foreign press (and, sadly also our own) means nothing compared to the combined years of hard-won experience a generation of excellent young prospects is getting.



Previously, we might not have even seen players like Stirzaker and Kerevi outside club rugby yet, let alone even newer hot prospects like Naivalu and Nabuli. Now we're looking at recruiting Koroibete to fill a recruitment gap. That's a good thing.



Damn the torpedos, and full steam ahead.

Nailed it Groucho.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Consider the situation as it used to be, in which Wallaby candidates queued for years behind Wallaby stalwarts at the Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds, hardly ever getting a game.

If it's the same situation I'm thinking of, that did coincide with a dominant period in Wallaby rugby!