June International Tests: South Africa vs. France (1st Test) (10/06/2017)

[unrated]

As a consequence of the SA results last year im an not as exited about this series as usual but it's still nice to see the Springboks play even when we are in tough times here in SA.
We are ranked below the French in the rankings but I still feel that we are a better team than them and the likes of Ireland and Wales.

Our wings has been on form but it should be worrying that we are probably going to debut two new wings and a fullback for the first test. But hey you've got to start somewhere. It would be nice if Jean-luc du Preez can get a start. I Hope Ross Cronje can convince me that he is up to standard.

This team does not seem like a long term strategy just a bunch of form players. And many will probably drop out of the national picture closer to the World Cup.

Maar met n swakker span as gewoonlik dink ek ons sal die beste wat Frankryk kan bied nogsteeds met gemak kan wen.

 

[Sotavalta]

Springbok team announced:

15 Andries Coetzee
14 Raymond Rhule
13 Jesse Kriel
12 Jan Serfontein
11 Courtnall Skosan
10 Elton Jantjies
9 Ross Cronje
8 Warren Whiteley (captain)
7 Oupa Mohoje
6 Siya Kolisi
5 Franco Mostert
4 Eben Etzebeth
3 Frans Malherbe
2 Malcolm Marx
1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Jean-Luc du Preez, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Dillyn Leyds

 

[Sker]

Jaco Kriel injured or out of favour?

my prediction: we'll be 30 behind before we let Frans Steyn come on: he'll single handedly destroy the french before magically revealing that he has kept Johan Goosen in his backpocket. He'll take over captaincy and coaching and win the world cup for us.

*fanboying intensifies*

on a more serious note: I don't feel like we're defensively that very sound, especially in the backs, will we leak tries?

 

[Sotavalta]

Jaco Kriel injured or out of favour?

my prediction: we'll be 30 behind before we let Frans Steyn come on: he'll single handedly destroy the french before magically revealing that he has kept Johan Goosen in his backpocket. He'll take over captaincy and coaching and win the world cup for us.

*fanboying intensifies*

on a more serious note: I don't feel like we're defensively that very sound, especially in the backs, will we leak tries?

From what I heard is that Jaco Kriel is not 100% fit. So hopefully he will start in the second test match.

Haha I wish your fantasy would come true.

I am scared that Rhule is going to miss a lot of tackles...

 

[Sker]

Yeah Rhule and Kriel as well, their defense has always been a bit suspect.

Well, I don't think the Springboks can disappoint me any MORE than they already have. So it'll only get better from here on out. Right guys? Right?

 

[SomeOke]

Unfortunately this is pretty much the best team we can field, there are no incumbent wings remaining, we have enough centre injuries to be forced into Serf/Kriel, Elton is just about our only option and with Jaco Kriel injured their are no other 6's in the squad.

I personally would rather play Jean-luc over Mohoje, and the props could probably be shuffled a bit, but these are our experienced guys and Beast and Malherbe haven't been terrible.

If you want to be hyper critical you could say we should have included another 6 in the squad (Cloete or K Smith), but ultimately the selection has some positives as well (like most of the Lions).

In the end its not really about selection, it's about seeing an improvement in our culture and tactics, I no longer want to beat the AB's as we're years off that goal. At this stage, we need to win this series and show some improvement. If that doesn't happen AC must go.

As a Springbok fan I'm never happy, but the minimum to keep my griping away would be us in the top 3 rugby playing nations.

Losing to number 6 at home, will solidify that we belong with the bottom tier 1 and top tier 2 nations.

 

[Durbanite]

France:

15 Brice Dulin
14 Yoann Huget
13 Henry Chavancy
12 Gaël Fickou
11 Virimi Vakatawa
10 Jules Plisson
9 Maxime Machenaud
8 Louis Picamoles
7 Loann Goujon
6 Yacouba Camara
5 Yoann Maestri (captain)
4 Julien le Devedec
3 Uini Atonio
2 Clément Maynadier
1 Jefferson Poirot

Substitutes:
16 Camille Chat
17 Eddy Ben Arous
18 Mohamed Boughanmi
19 Bernard le Roux
20 Kévin Gourdon
21 Baptiste Serin
22 Jean-Marc Doussain
23 Vincent Rattez

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I can't say either selection is filling me with confidence for the quality of this contest.

Plisson has achieved very little in a french shirt when I have watched. And I may be in a minority of one but I prefer the other Fijian winger over Vakatawa. At least Spedding isn't there and I think Huget is decent. Fikou beginning to live up the hype when he hit the international seen - so I am maybe being too negative. But Plisson... did he have a good season at club level?

I was an immediate fan of Skosan after seeing him in the reserve Lions loss to the Jagaures last season. He is an athelete of the highest order and I expect an impact from him at international level if he gets any sort of quality of ball. I think he has the potential to eclipse any previous Bok winger of the past 20 years - and I don't normally get carried away by players.

Not sold on SA halfbacks this year although definite signs of improvement from both in the last couple of weeks it seemed?

South Africa by 3 if it is wet and 13 if conditions are fine.

Throw that out the window if AC makes his halfbacks kick away early phase ball like he did all of last year. We should be able to tell that inside 5 minutes. France have enough weapons to exploit that.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I don't like the centres, don't like the fact we get no benefit from last year ITO consistency in selections, don't like that we are so light across the park, don't like that we have no fetcher (AC will never learn). I think we are going to lose the first and 3rd tests. But if that is what it takes to get rid of AC then so be t though I suspect his sucessor will also have it tough with the politics if anyone is even willing to take the job.

 

[The Jones Boy]

France have been on the up since the RWC 2015 under their new coach, they could offer a cracking game against the Bokke who are always tough to beat.

 

[FrenchFan]

France:

15 Brice Dulin
14 Yoann Huget
13 Henry Chavancy
12 Gaël Fickou
11 Virimi Vakatawa
10 Jules Plisson
9 Maxime Machenaud
8 Louis Picamoles
7 Loann Goujon
6 Yacouba Camara
5 Yoann Maestri (captain)
4 Julien le Devedec
3 Uini Atonio
2 Clément Maynadier
1 Jefferson Poirot

Substitutes:
16 Camille Chat
17 Eddy Ben Arous
18 Mohamed Boughanmi
19 Bernard le Roux
20 Kévin Gourdon
21 Baptiste Serin
22 Jean-Marc Doussain
23 Vincent Rattez

My read on the selection based on my scant knowledge gleaned over +20 years as a Toulouse fan

No captain (Guirado) - Maestri is not a captain nor a leader. He can't do it at Toulouse where he's gone missing. He no longer cuts it at test level. His defensive replacements are not good - even in training. We have much better and younger locks (Iturria, Vahaamina) who had a stellar season with their club but they are injured.
Big question mark on the playmakers. Who are they? Both Plisson and Machenaud are excellent kickers but playmakers? Machenaud has been below par at
Racing. But then when you're playing for 'Racing 92' (92 is the postal code - useful info as no one incl. taxis can apparently locate their stadium) aka the Parisian rugby train wreck of cocaine, drink driving offense with an average of 10,6 fans per game, an empty hell hole of a stadium in one of Paris ghastliest suburbs, but hey they've got the highest paid player in da WOORLD...

Weenie Atonio may be a nice honey loving bear but a test player he aint. Too slow. Great hands for a prop but that would be the icing on the cake had he been blessed with the many other qualities expected of a test prop. Not a very good scrummager. Prone to giving away penalties cf last 6 Nations. Raba Slimani is the best tighthead in Europe. Much more mobile and an absolute beast of a scrummager. Good eye for a gap and surprising anticipation.

Clement Manadier is a good T14 soldier. Camille Chat and Christopher Tolofua are way better in all facets of the game. Tolo was our best forward in a hellish season. He's been recruited by Saracens who clearly sees things in him the union doesn't. He's got to be the most destructive forward I've seen ball in hand in Europe. Even Picamoles was afraid of him at Toulouse. Very good scrummager. I've seen him switch from hooker to loose head in same game and demolish the opposition just the same. Heard he's not injured. Why is he not in the squad when so many first starters are being rested? We've got depth with talented youngsters absolutely built for test rugby but we're not using them. Must be Global Warming. Let's not blame FFR's anal conservatism and overall cluelessness.

Chavancy is another good T14 soldier not a test centre like Fickou Fofana or Lamerat - Danty would have been a better filler. I mean if you're going to pick players that are filling in might as well travel with guys who have got the physique to play test rugby in SA.

JM Doussain had a terrible season for us. He was god awful. Unrecognisable. A sex change would have been less painful. What's he doing in a French jersey?! Can you keep him?

The bench may offer relief with Chat, Ben Arous, Gourdon, Serin - which means 'canary' in French, he does look like a canary who just flew out of his cage,never mind.

The Boks by +10 pt.

PS can Francois Steyn switch sides at HT if needed?

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Are any French or SA posters actually excited for this series?

How appropriate that we have drawn each other. Both countries have the player pool to make for a team to push for 2nd spot on the rankings but for outside factors to kill off our chances. Sad really. I mean I'll watch if convenient but can't say I will feel anything whatever the results.

 

[unrated]

Are any French or SA posters actually excited for this series?

How appropriate that we have drawn each other. Both countries have the player pool to make for a team to push for 2nd spot on the rankings but for outside factors to kill off our chances. Sad really. I mean I'll watch if convenient but can't say I will feel anything whatever the results.

I am not very hopeful.
Don't like these supporters that says they won't support the Springboks while they are doing bad or with all the **** that's going on. A true fan stays during the hard times. With that said I feel the hard times will continue for this year still at least. I'm predicting that France will win this series 2-1. If we win then great but just can't see it happening as this lineup seems weaker than the one that played against Ireland last year. Seems like in some positions they skipped the first ,second and third best players (such as Reinach, Faf and Piet van Zyl) and went straight for a player down in the pecking order. Well done to these players for working themselves Into the reckoning.

 

[SomeOke]

Are any French or SA posters actually excited for this series?

How appropriate that we have drawn each other. Both countries have the player pool to make for a team to push for 2nd spot on the rankings but for outside factors to kill off our chances. Sad really. I mean I'll watch if convenient but can't say I will feel anything whatever the results.

Sadly I seem to be a sucker for punishment, I'm excited for the series and will still be crushed if/when we lose.

That said I don't have high expectation. If we lose the first test as far as I'm concerned we must lose them all so we can sack AC.

 

[unrated]

If we lose the first test as far as I'm concerned we must lose them all so we can sack AC.

Exactly how I feel. But if AC gets sacked I would like it if we could keep Brendan Venter and Fraco Smith. Can we have the best of both worlds?

Also the kit with the new Mtn logo looks cheap.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I am not very hopeful.
Don't like these supporters that says they won't support the Springboks while they are doing bad or with all the **** that's going on. A true fan stays during the hard times. With that said I feel the hard times will continue for this year still at least. I'm predicting that France will win this series 2-1. If we win then great but just can't see it happening as this lineup seems weaker than the one that played against Ireland last year. Seems like in some positions they skipped the first ,second and third best players (such as Reinach, Faf and Piet van Zyl) and went straight for a player down in the pecking order. Well done to these players for working themselves Into the reckoning.

Oh, I'm not very hopeful either but what I was asking is whether people were excited? In the past even if I weren't hopeful I would still have been sweating during the game. Now I don't actually even care.

 

[Sker]

Yeah that's the saddest thing Stormer. I remember a few years ago, even on the Friday already I'd be getting super excited for a test match. The Saturday would normally be unbearable but at least you could watch the other internationals, now...

I mean what's the last good Springbok match we watched? The semi final against NZ?

 

[unrated]

Yea it is sad man. I'm not really exited but will watch the game nonetheless . I think the issue is competitiveness. If we are playing well and we stand a chance against the top teams the you get exited. You want to watch two from teams come up against each other to see who is the better of the two and how the players you like will perform. Now we know which games we will lose and are hopeful of winning games that in the past we would destroy the opposition such as Italy.

Game days we used to have a big braai with friends and watch the game. Nowadays we would still hold braais but most people there won't be interested in the games and just check the score intermittently . I'm a rather hardcore supporte so will watch the game alone if I have to. It just shows SA needs to be at the top for our demanding public to be interested.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Poor start from France, but they'll improve. For me the questions are will the Boks show more effort than at times in late 2016? And will they play in the expansive style they seem to be enforcing at at their Super Rugby franchises. If both answers are yes, then this should be well worth watching.

 

[mosfeldt]

Boks looking pretty promising so far. An air of confidence and excitement about them, Jantjies seems to be enjoying himself. Ref is a bit whistle happy tho.