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My backline for the end of the year tour would be-

9. Pienaar- The best we have. 

10. Lambie. Good all round player. Decent pole kicker. Better than Jantjies. 

11. Habana. 

12. JDV. No other inside center can make the position their own or challenge JDV now that Frans is injured. The under 21 squad have to prove on Superxv level against the best before being good enough as boks

13. Dejong (good defender, specialist center. Can also cover inside center. Combination with Jean at Stormers. He is under rated on attack.

14. JP Pieterson (cover as outside center)

15. Aplon

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Sometimes people compare the form of a player against the All Blacks where the pressure and speed is massive to the Curry Cup against Griquas etc. It is not the same, and our veterans could play in the curry cup blind folded.

J

Bench

Earl Jantjies to cover flyhalf (who else is their?)

Francous Hougaard- Scrumhalf and wing cover. Impact player.

Rahoel (cheetas wing), or perhaps another center. Not sure in South Africa who this will be. Perhaps Paul Jordaan, but given the injuries to Goosen maybe not best the rush the young players. Tim Whitehead could be considered as a specialist inside center. He lacks pace, but that is less important for an inside back than his ability to create for his outside backs.

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no Not Morne

Who is this Earl Jantjes?

Do you mean Earl Rose or Elton jantjes?

 well good thing you are not coach,haha, just joking. dejong? please. rated him 2 years ago, can't pass and is a average defender. whitehead misses too many tackles but I like his distribution skills, too slow though. Lambie, I like lambie but his tactical kicking from 10 is bad as well as his goalkicking, but he hasnt really played 10 for  while now. The sharks backline looked better with the frenchy there.I believe that with good coaching, Lambie can become a great 10. Aplon...would have Taute in at 15 rather, but then again he hasn't played there for months now

I'd sign up for your backline Shark.....there is more attacking potential there, and more relevant experience. I don't see de Jongh as the long term answer.....but he is way ahead of Taute and Jordaan at this stage, in terms of the tough art of test rugby.

I would also play Aplon ahead of Taute.....at least Geo can make an open field tackle and he is twice as explosive as Taute.

We have seen this movie over and over again with our B teams stuffed with emerging talent. Most recently in the TN last year, resting our RWC players. They got thumped 40 to 7 and then in RSA the A team beat NZ 18 to 5. There is a vast, vast gulf between our test team and a team comprised of CC standouts.

On Saturday Taute, Coetzee, Jantjies, Goosen and Coenie were deer in the headlights. But the revisionism has already started.

The facts are the facts....these youngsters are not yet seasoned enough for test rugby.....deal with it.

 mozart, "at least geo can make a open field tackle". yet again your analysis is flawed. You base this on one game?

Did you watch the australia game? I also believe in a mix of youth and experience, but we dont have any experience available.A inexperienced jordaan and taute is still better than a semi experienced dejong

Mozart

Let me be blunt - De Jongh did nothing in the Super Series in 2012 - as a matter of fact he was a serious detiment to the Stormers in that series.   Since then he came on in two tests and showed nothing at all = matter of fact he fluffed a potential try against the Wallabies.  He has a reputation as a good defender - but I have not seen any of that in the Super series games at all.   You cannot play a center with zero attacking skills in any backline.

I am unsure about the flyhalf issue.   One thing is certain - we do need a flyhalf.   Jantjies is not a player that can be used at international level.   I said he is good on CC level - average at Super Series level - and absolutely a no- no on international level.   You cannot play a flyhalf that the players themselves by-pass by not passing a ball to him - because he squandered balls passed to him - like happened om Saturday.  For England playing conditions I think the best move could be to use Grant.  Steyn - he is a very poor flyhalf - since he destroys backline play completely and kick away possession as a rule -  but I have more doubts about the alternatives.   I would suggest that  Grant should be used under the circumstances - with Steyn as back-up..

I agree with Rugby 107 here.  Jordaan in particular has been 10 times the center in Super 15 compared to De Jongh - so lets see whether he can be used rather than the harmless De Jongh.   

Jalap - don;t you realize - Jantjies is our new personification of Rose.  Sharkbok is correct in that one.      

9. Sarel Pretorius

10. Pat Lambie

11.Bryan Habana

12.Jean DV

13.jaco Taute

14. Jp Pietersen

15. Gio Aplon

Bench: Pienaar,Fouche,Basson

 Fouce? you are not serious!!????? Basson????? no way..... Sarel Pretorius?????maybe last year, not this year. The rest i am okay with.

I think that Meyer should in fact experiment with some players that could in future become the core of the future Springbok backline as a basis to buit op a sustainable future backline.

I believe that as is nomal with him - Meyer will look at some more experienced players.   Pienaar does very well in the slower Engish conditions - especially if his performance for Ukster is borne in mind.   That would probably make him a candidate for the no 9 position.   The question of back up is  the problem.   Bearing in mind that Hougaard is seemingly not in line in heay conditions - witness the mess he made in the PE test - I think the guy that may come into the picture is Pretorius - who did very well in CC for the Cheetahs.

Insofar as the flyhalf is concerned - I have my doubts about this position, there is every likelihood that Lambie will be brought in - but I do beelieve Morne may be in the squad - either as front line choice or as backup on the bench.

No 12 is a certainty - it will be De Villiers as captain.

No 13 -  Meyer may wish to give Taute another chance in that position - but I would think that Jordaan will be in the squad.    He is at the moment the form player on CC level in that position and showed something really special in rhe Super series as well - especially in the Reds game and the final against the Chiefs - where he played at 12.

Wings -  Habana and Pietersen are the certainties - and only the back up players will be in dispute.   The choice there is between Rhule and Hougaard - the latter was very poor in the last two tests.   Basson just came back from injury and there is no way that Meyer will take a chance with him in the squad.

No 15.   Meyer may have realized that Kirchner is not up to standard.   I think that he may consider Aplon - but the latter is also no long term prospect.   The only real full back that did extremely will in CC is in fact Le Roux from the Griquas.   I would take him along and even try him out as starting full back.   The other advabtage in this case is that Le Roux was by far the best SA full back in the SA Super Series franchises in 2012 so his selection will not be a big gamble ar all.

I don't think that Jantjies is an option at all.    He was despite the reports to the contrary useless on Saturday when he had to play for the majority of the game.    Hougaard may be also on the way out - especially in view of the mess he made at wing - and the fact that he really is not a scrummie at all,   

I think there will be a squad of 12 players selected for the backline and I would think the following would be in the squad:-

Le Roux, Pietersen, Habana, Rhule, Taute, Jordaan, De Villiers, Lambie, Morne Steyn, Pienaar and Pretorius - leaving 2 futher choices.   That could be any one of the following:-

Hougaard, Aplon,  Kirchner, Vermaak or De Jongh

The latter five all - with the exception of Aplon - have some detrimental aspects in their game or have shown nearly nothing in tests, the Super 15, or now on CC level.

The players that would not be considered include Engelbrecht - he played atrociously badly on CC level for the Bulls - so I think he would not be a consideration - too big a gamble.

The main selection of a more permanent backline will be the prerformance of players in the Super 15 next year.  The players will have ro perform like never before in that competition to stake their claim for subsequent national selection.