Springboks
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@MiketheSnow said in Springboks:
You’ll shit on them
Twice
Let's see. Albornoz is fit again, and he is a baller
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Erasmus keeps faith in core of Bok squad to face Pumas
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Wednesday named most of the players who were members of the squad that retained the Freedom Cup in New Zealand last weekend in his 33-man squad for their closing two Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches against Argentina in Durban and London.
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Thought I should post this. Griquas, non URC province winning the Currie Cup against the Lions at Ellispark. First time they done this since the days of Piet Visagie and Mannetjies Roux. The end whistle has gone when the TMO called a penalty for Griquas and they nail the penalty to win by 2. No stars in that team, just a young up and coming x Bolander Piet Bergh who coach them well.
The 2025 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #30 – Champions Edition
Experienced flyhalf George Whitehead wrote his name in the Carling Currie Cup history books when he kicked the winning points for Suzuki Griquas to defeat the Fidelity ADT Lions 27-25 in yet another dramatic final staged at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. The hosts held a slight 17-14 advantage...
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@mikedogz Griquas, Cheetahs, Pumas and Boland is more or less the same strength. It will all depend on their budget. At the moment they are feeder provinces for the URC franchises. I think they will struggle in Soup however all of them have good packs. Thats where Griquas beat the Lions.
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Just had a look at the squads Rassie has been selecting this year.
He’s fielded 46 players thru 9 matches.
27 are local URC team players, and 19 are foreign based players.
Quite a few foreign players; but it seems to work well.
I’d say it allows flexibility in selections, both short, and long term.The current set up in SA pro rugby looks good.
The 4 local URC teams give them a taste of top Euro rugby. Not just of other URC teams but also through the EC, the top French and English teams.
And a foreign based legion he can call on. -
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@sparky said in Springboks:
The Springboks were awesome again. Can anyone stop this formidable team winning a third World Cup in a row?
Um… yes? They got thumped by an average Oz at home a month ago and a fairly average AB team stopped them two games ago.
But the World Cup is two years away. What matters now is demolishing opposition scrums, sharpening the bok attack and bringing through youngsters whilst continuing to win games. Bonus points for leaving emotional scars that can be reopened in future tests.
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@sparky said in Springboks:
@W32 Maybe a really fired up full strength French team? With a lot of luck......
We will know more after the November internationals. Both teams will be eyeing that game.
France have as much firepower as the Boks. Boks stronger in the scrum, but I’d say France edge the lineout. Backrows are incredibly strong in both teams. France run off Dupont at 9, SA have SFM and Libbock pulling strings at 10. Both teams have good centre combos (Boks may edge this), but the back 3 match ups are insane.
When France get a roll on at home in front of a partisan French crowd, they play like the Boks did today.
So I don’t think luck will be the deciding factor when these two teams meet in November
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@Smuts said in Springboks:
@sparky said in Springboks:
The Springboks were awesome again. Can anyone stop this formidable team winning a third World Cup in a row?
Um… yes? They got thumped by an average Oz at home a month ago and a fairly average AB team stopped them two games ago.
But the World Cup is two years away. What matters now is demolishing opposition scrums, sharpening the bok attack and bringing through youngsters whilst continuing to win games. Bonus points for leaving emotional scars that can be reopened in future tests.
To negate the Boks, you need to stand up to the scrum pressure, neutralise their aerial game, kick more intelligently, make your tackles and force them to make that additional pass/offload and don’t give away penalties that allow them territory. Oh, and take your chances and make them feel the scoreboard pressure. Basically, the blueprint is what the Wallabies executed at Ellis Park this year.
The Boks have played brilliantly in the last 2 games, but the blueprint to beat them is there. It is the blueprint to beat most teams
Is it easy? No. But in a World Cup, it only takes one perfectly executed gameplan to derail 4 years of prep
.I see some Bok fans are already calling for the 2027 trophy to be given early. I know this is a vocal minority, but the thing that may ultimately trip the Boks up is having too many choices and Rassie being too cute (the Guardiola syndrome) or the players believing the hype from big wins and freezing when someone punches them in the nose on the day when they forget that wins need to be earned.
Failing that, I believe Bryce Lawrence is being brought out of retirement
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@sparky said in Springboks:
@W32 Maybe a really fired up full strength French team? With a lot of luck......
The Boks should be #1 or #2 contenders at RWC but I'm actually more worried about the French than the Boks at the next RWC. I think the French could be formidable. The Boks still have some pressure points but should thank the ABs for giving them that extra shot of confidence.
And Argentina, they generally fade after the first 3-4 scrappy games. Maybe depth or conditioning.
