SA franchises without Springboks

[OomStruisbaai]

All SA teams lost their URC matches this weekend. Granted the Bulls, Lions and Stormers still on tour with close losses against strong opponents. The Sharks however at home is bad.

Plumtree open a can of worms and surely valid.

You can’t blame our franchise coaches for being reluctant to sign Springboks, who miss the first few rounds of the URC when on Test duty and are then required by SA Rugby to take breaks during the rest of the tournament. It makes far more business sense for franchises to recruit players who are not in Springbok contention and available for the entire URC campaign.

Of course, the solution to this problem is a global rugby season, with clearly defined international and club windows that do not overlap, and a proper off-season. Until that happens, though, SA franchise coaches have to accept they can’t make full use of their most prized assets and change their recruitment strategy accordingly.

Time to get over WC babelaas and move on Plums.

[assfly]

It's ridiculous. One of the $harks biggest problems is at 9, and we've got two world cup winning 9s watching the game from the stands.

Meanwhile Pollard has already played 2 games for Leicester.

[OomStruisbaai]

The Westville Lion had a blinder in 9 yesterday.

[Sandstorm]

It's ridiculous. One of the $harks biggest problems is at 9, and we've got two world cup winning 9s watching the game from the stands.

Meanwhile Pollard has already played 2 games for Leicester.

Pollard missed 4 months before the World Cup. He hasn’t been overplayed in 2023.

[assfly]

Pollard missed 4 months before the World Cup. He hasn’t been overplayed in 2023.

Neither have Henrikse or Grant.

I understand giving Eben and Ox a rest, but our two 9s are a different story.

[Sandstorm]

Pollard missed 4 months before the World Cup. He hasn’t been overplayed in 2023.

Neither have Henrikse or Grant.

I understand giving Eben and Ox a rest, but our two 9s are a different story.

If you bring back yours, then it becomes an arms-war & other teams will bring back players who really need a break.

It would probably have made more sense to count up the minutes each player was on the pitch in RC & France and set out categories, but they didn’t unfortunately.

[assfly]

If you bring back yours, then it becomes an arms-war & other teams will bring back players who really need a rest.

Not necessarily. Just look at hours played. Orie was playing in France the weekend after the final. He had a heavy season with the Stormers but not much with the Boks. It was common sense.

Wiese has also been rushed back to Leicester, his playing hours are very high.

Just apply common sense.

[Sards]

Crying about Springboks is ridiculous. Team depth should accommodate this. Ouboets is just frustrated that the Stormers can't catch a cold on tour now he wants to blame the lack of Springboks.
I do agree re the Sharks scrumhalves. It's a key position and our scrumhalves hardly played at the RWC.

[Biffer]

Yeah, because that doesn’t affect any of the other teams. Jesus.

[assfly]

Yeah, because that doesn’t affect any of the other teams. Jesus.

Then go start a thread somewhere else about it.

[OomStruisbaai]

The one consistent among South Africa’s trio of Vodacom URC coaches in Jake White, John Plumtree and John Dobson, was the size of their smile in welcoming back their World Cup title-winning Springboks.

Munster’s Graham Rowntree also grinned in welcoming Bok World Cup winner Jean Kleyn back into the team.

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen did not have such a luxury as there were no World Cup winners from his squad, but for the other South African three, the return to action of these world-class players could not have come sooner.

White raved about veteran Willie le Roux’s authority as a player/coach in the build-up to the Vodacom Bulls win against Connacht. Le Roux, in his URC debut, justified the hype and the pre-match purple prose.

World Player of the Year nominee Eben Etzebeth took charge of the Sharks forward pack against the Dragons and the result was the most emphatic Sharks performance of the season.

Etzebeth was huge in everything he did.

The Sharks had lost their opening five league matches, including a home match to Connacht, but with Etzebeth at the forefront of the World Cup stars, the hosts were unrecognizable from the side that laboured through the opening five matches.

Bok World Cup scrumhalves Jaden Hendrikse and Grant Williams were on fire, with the latter bagging a brace and again showcasing his electric pace.

Plumtree, back at the Sharks for a second stint as coach, finally got to flash that big grinning smile after the Sharks scored 69 points against the Dragons. This is why he came back to Durban, to lead a squad of gladiators and world class players.

White’s Bulls were also such a different prospect with his World Cup players and this week Dobson got the necessary relief from four successive defeats overseas when veteran Deon Fourie led the DHL Stormers World Cup-winning quartet back into training.

Utility back Damian Willemse, who started for the Boks at fullback in the World Cup final but has produced his best rugby for the DHL Stormers at inside centre, spoke refreshingly of his desire to win the URC title for a second time. His teammate and No 10 Manie Libbok was as enthusiastic about dominating in a league that he made his own in the past two seasons.

Fourie, seemingly younger with every passing week, immediately added punch to the preparations and brought calm to the pack.

The leadership, said Dobson, of his World Cup quartet, was something that had been missing for the Stormers this season.

"They’ve won international rugby’s biggest title a month ago and there was always the danger of a World Cup hangover, but from what I have experienced this week and what I have observed in the performances of the Boks World Cup winners for other teams, it has been the opposite.

“These players have come back wanting more success, wanting to inspire success and wanting to showcase the qualities of world champions,” said Dobson. “We are fortunate to have so many of the winning World Cup squad playing for SA teams in the URC because it tells the next generation of players that if you perform in the URC, you will get noticed internationally.”

Dobson’s Stormers play Zebre Parma in Stellenbosch on Saturday and White’s Bulls host Plumtree’s men in what should be a bruising battle at Loftus Versfeld.

Tighthead prop Wilco Louw has been impressive for the Bulls since joining from London’s Harlequins and his contest with star scrumming loosehead prop Ox Nche is reason enough to pay to go to Loftus.

Nche has been described as the most destructive scrumming prop in the game, but he is up against a giant-sized boulder in Louw.

Outside of this duo, who will be dabbling in the dark arks of the front row, the World Cup-winning backs on either side make Pretoria’s Loftus the place to be this weekend.

SA Rugby Magazine | www.inpho.ie

[OomStruisbaai]

Some of the Springboks played really well like Willemse and Bulls Boks. The other look rusty like Libbok, Fourie and the Sharks lot. Haven't watched Kleym and Kitshoff.

Next weekend our franchise need them hitting their straps. Stormers have the toughest assignment Leicester Tigers away. 6 days later vs the champs.

[assfly]

I stopped watching at halftime, so I can't really comment that much on the $harks' Boks.

Eben seems in good form, but Am is far from his best. A few months ago he was the best defensive 13 in the world, now we are shipping tries.

Apart from that, there is just too much deadweight in that team.

[_Os_]

Whoever gets Serfontein has got a really good player. We've forgotten how good he is.

Jan Serfontein is the leading name of several overseas-based Springboks linked with a return to South Africa at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old Springbok centre, who has racked up over 100 appearances for French giants Montpellier since moving to Europe from the Vodacom Bulls in 2017, is among the star names who are reportedly eager to come back home to South Africa.

Sunday newspaper Rapport has added JD Schickerling, Jason Jenkins, Trevor Nyakane, Ruan Ackermann and Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese to a list of players who may be plying their trade for one of the local franchises next season.

The Sharks have been in contact with Wiese’s representatives, but the Leicester-based loose forward also has a big-money offer on the table from French club Stade Francais.

Director of rugby Neil Powell and head coach John Plumtree are eager to overhaul the Sharks squad by getting rid of underperforming players and reducing their reliance on the often-unavailable Springboks.

A heavy defeat to the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld means that the Sharks have won just one game out of seven this season and are one point off the bottom of the table.

The Sharks are reportedly keen to bring in the likes of Jenkins, who last played for the Springboks in 2018, and the uncapped Gloucester loose forward Ackermann.

The Vodacom Bulls could also join the race to bring some of the overseas-based South Africans back, as director of rugby Jake White is keen to continue strengthening his squad, after their sensational start to the season.

[OomStruisbaai]

Jake White wants Springboks, Powell not, Stormers go with the flow, Lions don't have Springboks.

Rapport

“We also have to look at our group if we don’t have the Boks available. This affects the amount of Boks you contract. For example, if you have 15 Boks and all of them go for national service, it becomes difficult. Then you start all over again with a team.

“If you don’t sign Springboks, you have to make sure that the players you sign are as close to that standard as possible. The Sharks are creating a new culture and environment.”

[OomStruisbaai]

Jake White have this worked out well to rest his Springboks now. The Stormers will probably rest their Springboks after this weekend important clash in France. Not sure what the Sharks will do.

This 8 week rest rules however is for all SA Rugby players and with the Currie Cup starting in July its going to be important to manage them well. The year also run from June to July the following year.

[OomStruisbaai]

Stormers Springboks rest period started on saturday. Will be without them against the Sharks except Fat Frans, He had his rest until now.

R365

“What is important in the next few weeks – with the Springboks on [compulsory] rest – is that these guys [rest of the Stormers] get a rest,” Dobson told @rugby365com.

“We will play a couple of ‘friendlies’ [training matches] against Maties and UCT – to ensure the other guys [fringe players] are included and ensure they buy into the same values that make this team so great.”

Dobson added that he doubts they will lose their momentum, despite a month without competitive games.

He also gave clarity of the five-week compulsory break that his Springboks must undertake.

Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok and captain Deon Fourie will all be unavailable for the next five weeks.

“They must have three weeks of complete rest,” Dobson told @rugby365com, adding: “They can’t be involved in rugby at all.

“Then it is another two weeks – in which they can train, but they can’t play.”

The one player who is not part of the compulsory Bok break is prop Frans Malherbe, who has now fully recovered from his lower back complaints and is available for selection.

Because he has not played since the World Cup, he is ‘excused’ from the Bok lay-off period.

“He will be available to play against the Sharks,” the coach added.

[OomStruisbaai]

Stormers will be without Willemse, Libbok & Fourie this weekend, Fat Frans maybe from the bench. Bongi & Koch back for the Sharks, not sure about the other Springboks, Bulls have KLA & Moodie back, Willie out starts his break from last game.