South Africa
CJ answers Bok SOS
Monday, November 09
Tighthead prop CJ van der Linde will join the Springbok squad in France on Wednesday as a replacement for Jannie du Plessis, who has withdrawn from the European tour with a hand injury.
Leinster-based Van der Linde made the last of his 56 Test appearances for South Africa against Australia in a Vodacom Tri-Nations fixture in August 2008.
His most recent appearance for Leinster was in the Irish champions’ 23-6 victory over Cardiff Blues on 31 October, before the break in the European season for the autumn internationals.
Van der Linde made his Test debut as a 22-year-old against Scotland in 2002 and was a member of the World Cup-winning squad of 2007.
“It’s fantastic that we’re able to call on a player with CJ’s experience to join the squad,” said Bok coach Peter de Villiers.
“With such a tight schedule it is also helpful to be able to bring in someone who has been part of the group before, knows the systems and will settle in quickly. CJ is also a specialist tighthead who will provide the type of cover we will need.
“It is unfortunate that we have lost three players so early in the tour but that is part of the game and we have to be able to manage such setbacks,” de Villiers said.
Hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and prop Gurthrö Steenkamp were also forced home with injuries following the opening match against Leicester on Friday.
Van der Linde will travel to France on Wednesday where the rest of the squad, arriving from Johannesburg and London, will converge in Toulouse. The other two replacements Wian du Preez and Adriaan Strauss will join the squad in Johannesburg on Sunday.
I truly think coaching is the issue. Can't we get a proper scrumming coach? Old Gary Gold was the WP forwards coach and they were rubish. Now that he's gone all of a sudden the WP scrum is doing well?
Get OS (LEGEND) Du Rand in there!
He has the aggression and size to impose himself at 1. I see Beast becomming the perfect Super-Sub and possibly replacing VanDerLinde in the last 30 minutes
I must admit I was dissapointed with Gurthro Steenkamp against the Tigers. I rate him but it seems like he is tiered and had little support from his 6 and 7 flanks
Even Ashley Johnson is too blame for breaking far to soon from the scrum and not supporting their tight 5
Davon Raubenheimer
Chilliboy Ralephelle
15. Riaan Viljoen.
14. J.P. Pieterson.
13. Jacque Fourie.
12. Wynand Olivier.
11. Bryan Habana.
10. Morne' Steyn.
9. Fourie DuPreez.
8. Ryan Kankowski.
7. Schalk Burger.
6. Heinrich Brussow.
5. Victor Matfield.
4. Bakkies Botha.
3. Jannie DuPlessis.
2. John Smit (c).
1. C.J. VanDerLinde.
16. Beast Mtawarira.
17. Bismark DuPlessis.
18. Andries Bekker.
19. Jean Deysel.
20. Ruan Pienaar.
21. Adrian Jacobs.
22. Zane Kirschner.
My other reservation of your team is that i think we should play Pienaar at 12. Wynand is like wilim de waal, an awesome player at currie cup level, but strictly not above that.
It is going to be ultra tough on firday night - i reckon it will be harder than ireland.....on the positive lots of these guys know how to win in france and played a whole world cup there -except they didnt play france of course, but it still is nice to know that lots of the playters had 5-7 games there in 2007
How can you leave the most experienced test captain out of the team because
of current form? His leadership on the field is what wins trophy’s you knob. There is teaching the skills
that he possesses.
Wynand is by far the second best inside we have after JDV. He still young and after JDV probably has the most
experience at the pos. so it would be an obvious choice.
Funny that Wynand won best player in the Super 14 over 110 other contenders if he isn’t good enough. He was probably the best. inside
in the tournament.
I am a Pienaar fan but iI think he needs to be left alone at 9, sent home to practice and get some form so we can all remember why he is a Springbok in the first place.
Potgieter is more likely to captain the Bulls before Chilly and Olivier in the first place then they go and select Olivier as the Vice captain? Madness. No wonder Potgieter was so quiet.
Deysel made a huge impact coming on shamefully with little support.
HAS EVERYONE FORGOTTEN THAT PIENAAR PLAYED 10 WHEN WE LAST TOURED eUROPE AND WE GAVE ENGLAND A CARROT AND BEAT WALES! CAN'T BE THAT BAD.
Also you are nuts if you think Viljion is a better option than Kirchner! The latter atleast has some bloody experience in super 14 and won many trophies!
If Kirchner was white and Viljeon was black you'de be calling quota quota!
Some bok fans embarass me with there lack of knowledge but big mouths or in this case hands
Johnson for 8th man!!!!!!
And well done to Bekker - I thought he had a storming performance - driving at times 3 Leicester players on his own!
We're gonna miss Spies on tour!
nice pick...
how he has his long stud boots with him...
somebody needs to anchor this bok scrum...
he not the best scrumming..but he has experience
and we do have an ex hooker playing 3,.,
he gotta be better than that...
hey..hats of to smitty for taking this role on..
as a captain..he is the best..maybe loosehead would have been a better bet..
Jannie got owned in the Currie Cup and again on Friday night, it think it is a blessing that he is on his way home. He isn't good enough anyway. Chilli never should've been there anyway, so there is no real injustice with him coming back home either. He may be a fantastic leader, but seriously, he is not good enough to start for the Bulls and that is when he is not injured....which he always is.
As for Wynand, he is not as good as Jean De Villiers, but he is better than anyone else currently playing in that position in South Africa.
I still can't get over all of you carrying on about Janni being in the side when the article you are commenting on is about him being replace for the tour.....CATCH A WAKE UP!!!
CJ - Loosehead
John - Hooker
BJ - Tighthead
Beast comes on as impact player
Bismark - Impact player two.
Great to see CJ back and excellent choice for the bench as he covers both positions.
I think CJ will do great as he has been playing up North for a couple of seasons now.
Then, on the John Smit issue picture this, RWC final against New zealand: 12-12 with ten minutes to go: you need your captain, am i right. Only problem is: John Smit is sitting on the bench from half time because he can no longer play 80 minutes of rugby.
When you are changing captains, do it before the in(edited)bent is past his sell-by date (and im not saying that JS has NO place in the team people) so that he can retain a supportive leadership role within the team, *teaching the new captain a thing or two along the way. This will mean that there will not be a huge leadership vacuum when he is gone...
It makes me wonder why in this country we have the need to back a player on his 'potential' or 'flair' or whatever (who his dad was) and get so excited. WE have a great Springbok team and players should have to prove themselves and play their way into that.
Pienaar - unfortunately - doesn't deserve that kind of adulation. Neither does Peter Grant, Shchalk Brits or this clown who pretends to play lock for the Boks at the moment Andries Bekker.
that is practically why John Smit has moved to prop is to prolong his career.
Os was 35 years of age and played the ENTIRE 80 mins in the 2007 WC final.
John Smit will be 33 years of age in 2011 WC. So....what think of something else.
And as for your trick question, no playing flyhalf is actualty the best position to learn your Flyhalf
trade.
I believe Pienaar has the talent to play fly half and to be a world class fly halve as well. But, he needs to work at his kicking game
and hê needs quality game time at Super 14 and CC level. That were you build your confidence. That were the Sharks need to step UP and
stop importing flyhalves and actually use the one at their disposal.
In which case: Ragingbull, you are right about everything you've ever said. Two gold stars for you buddy, well done!
Deysel made a huge impact coming on shamefully with little support
I like Morne Steyn at flyhalf, I dont know why we keep on hammering the Pienaar at flyhalf issue. Morne Steyn is solid, a great kicking game, clever player, very calm, everything you want in a flyhalf, he's young and he is a BIG problem for any apposing side.
Come New Zealand, the next world cup, with probably muddy and rainy weather, great forwards and Morne will be a winning combo.
If Jean de Villiers comes back to SA, I think he will be a good choice for captain or backup to john. In saying that I think John Smit needs to step up with his game because Bismarck is close. John needs to play hooker, he is best there, I like him more there.
bokke 15 to face france:
1.Cj van der linde
2.bismarck
3john smit
4.victor
5.bakkies
6.brussow
7.deysel
8.ryan kankowski
9.FdP
10.morne steyn
11.Bryan habana
12.wynand olivier
13.jaque fourie
14.JP Pietersen
15.kirchner/viljoen(can't choose)
16.beast-great impact sub
17.adriaan strauss
18.andrie bekker
19.ashley johnson
20.francois houghaard
21.meyer bosman
22.kirchner/viljoen
1 Beast
2 Bismark
3 John Smit
4 Bakkies Botha
5 Victor
6 Brussow
7 Schalkanator
8 surfer KAnko
9 Fourie
10 M steyn
11 Habana
12 Adi Jacobs
13 Jaque Fourie
14 JP Peterson
15 Zane Kirchner
16 Adrian straus (well deserved)
17 CJ vd Linde
18 Andries Bekker
19 Danie Rossouw
20 Ruan Pienaar
21 Wynand Olivier
22 Odwa Ndugane
He might go with 2 reserve props so maybe Wian du Preez in Ndugane's place on the bench
i think im near 100%??
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Andries Bekker, 20 Danie Rossouw, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Wynand Olivier
100%....