SARrugby.com

Its simple, you select the worthy incumbents and you fill the rest of the spots with players who represent the future. What you never do is select a bunch of washed up hasbeens as your back-up players - why on earth would you do that? Where is the sense or logic in these selections? How on earth can one hope to progress and build if your back-ups should be chewing their cud in the pastures?

Hell we have a core in Lambie, JP, Mvovo, Hougaard, Pienaar, Beast, Strauss, Chiliboy, Jannie, Etzebeth, Louw, Alberts and Vermeulen.......thats 13 players.

Add to this core, the future in Ludik, Rhule, Mapoe, v/d Heever, Taute, JJ, Jordaan, Whitehead, F.Venter, Jantjies, Reinach, Groom, Kitshoff, M.v/d Merwe, Malherbe, F.Kirsten, D.Fourie, Steph du Toit, Bresler, JA Marais, Willemse, Daniel, CJ Stander, A.Botha, J.Strauss and Coetzee..................not to mention the return from injury of Habana, Frans, Jan Serfontein, Goosen, Coenie, Bismark, Bekker, Brussouw, Kolisi and Elstadt.

Its that simple

Saffex

Not so simple - my friend.   Easy for you to come up the names - but where are the 8 Bull players that must be in the squad?  From all those mentioned - only three Bulls.

You must learn and get your prioriies right - before you come up with silly names.   Fid the 8 Bulls and Meyer might even agree with you!!!

injuries have been a big factor in 2012 for the Boks, despite the depth that the Boks have in SA, once u start looking past ur top 2 players in every position, u are literally up shit creek without a pedal.
just because the players replacing the injured are class, dosent mean they have the big game tempermant and more importantly the team cohesion that the incumbents have which can only be forged over time. this is an area where i thnk the All Blacks excel and also why they dont have the best RWC record.

when ithe international season starts, All Blacks seem to be on the same page and work as a cohesive unit by adapting to the team demands a lot quicker then any other team in the world, juest take a look at the hidhing the irish got in the first test this year.
normally it takes a game or two, even for the All Blacks, but after they click, they are a force like no other and this has happened time and time again over the years>

the RWC though is an enigma of sorts, its my belief that once u reach the quater finals, teams have started gel and bond and the synergy advantage that the All Blacks normally have over their opponents is lost.
its not the only factor of course, but its IMO a contributing factor.

talk about off topic, lolz, :oP