Lol, well tied in. I must admit I don't have the knowledge of Stormers rugby to have much of an opinion on your selections, but that does actually look like a very impressive side, very strong throughout with a few legends thrown in. The front row looks less impressive than the rest, but then again you could say the same about the Canes, and you definitely out do us in the locking department! Though I always thought of Habana as more of a Bull and Jaque Fourie as a Lion, but I guess they did play a fair amount of rugby at the Stormers in the end.
Anyhoo, I think the Canes line up out does this one, just too much fire power, but it's not a shut out.
Tbh though, I think this Stormers line-up is at least on par with the Highlanders one, maybe even edges them. If you look at head-to-heads, I put it 8-7 to the Stormers.
Fair enough. If you have to make room for Umaga and can't find a spot for any of a 100 other outside backs then you know you are on to something.
On the Stormers front row, and this might be bias, but I've always felt Visagie would have been a legend if it wasn't for Os du Randt and Schalk Brits despite his shortcomings is SA's answer to Dane Coles. I just had to have Toks. Who doesn't want to see a 140kg man outpace most loose forwards?
It's not very nice to steal Habana, when he played his best Super Rugby at the Bulls:
1. Pierre Ribbens
2. Gary Botha
3. Richard Bands
4. Bakkies Botha
5. Victor Matfield
6. Ruben Kruger
7. Anton Leonard
8. Pierre Spies
9. Joost van der Westhuizen
10. Morne Steyn
11. Bryan Habana
12. Ettienne Botha
13. Andre Snyman
14. Akona Ndungane
15. Johan Roets
16. Wessel Roux
17. Danie Coetzee
18. Gurthro Steenkamp
19. Danie Rossouw/Geo Cronje
20. Pedrie Wannenburg
21. Fourie Du Preez
22. Derick Hougaard
23. Frikkie Welsh
Ag, sjeim, man!
Okay, take Habana and I'll put in Pieter Rossouw for the Stormers. Nobody is more 'Province' than that! Your line-up makes me think of a strange thing that happened to me a few years ago. I met with a new client called Antonio de Oliviera for additions to his home. The whole time I just couldn't place it but asked him if I knew him from somewhere. He asked if I followed rugby and said he played hooker for the Blue Bulls but they insisted on calling him Anton Olivier feeling the partisan Bulls fans might have issue with a Porra on their books!
On the topic of Habana not being a 'Stormer' because he only had the two seasons. It made me think of how unfair it is that many SA rugby stalwarts would have been considered Cheetahs if they were able to keep players for longer than 2 seasons. Smith and Du Randt are exceptions. Soooo.......
Cheetahs XV BOOM!
1 Os du Randt
2 Naka Drotske (IMO better than Strauss)
3 WP Nel (to round out a monster front row with a subtle bit of skill)
4 Andre Venter (moving Venter from the flanks and to make room for Smith and Brussow who is a specialist fetcher. Venter is lock shaped and with Matfield as line-out operator I prefer a bruiser at 4)
5 Victor Matfield
6 Heinrich Brussow
7 Juan Smith (c) (hard to argue for Rassie or Venter ahead of Smith)
8 Duane Vermeulen
9 Super Sarel or Ruan Pienaar?
10 Jannie de Beer
11 Jongi Nokwe ? (have to admit, my Cheetahs knowledge is being tested)
12 Brendan Venter
13 Francois Steyn ?
14 Willie le Roux
15 Andre Joubert (if not for those damned poaching Sharks the Cheetahs would be strong!)
Had trouble with the backline. That pack is monster though... totally forgot about Ruben Kruger as well. The Free State is the place to get your flankers it seems.