South Africa vs Wales (14 June - Pretoria)

[shazbooger]

Would any other team have looked impressive. Hook at fullback is a huge gamble (if you ask me) but as the pack picks itself, and you dont have any scrumhalves left your a little stuck for options in the areas you really wanted to change. Its unfortunate really but cant be helped.

From the sounds of it they have been given a right going over by the coaches so you can expect a more fiery performance from the pack. Not sure if it'll make that much of a difference but here's hoping.

 

[Macsen]

*scratches head wondering how the hell soccer is the national sport when they are ranked near 100* [/b]

YES!!! We're ranked 53! You can only beat us at the unpopular sports that no one cares about, nyah nyah.

:wah:

 

[Cymro]

Wales team to face South Africa: James Hook (Ospreys); Mark Jones (Scarlets), Tom Shanklin (Blues), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Gareth Cooper (Gloucester); Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), Rhys Thomas (Dragons), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Gareth Delve (Gloucester), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt).
Replacements: T Rhys Thomas (Blues), Duncan Jones (Ospreys), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Dafydd Jones (Scarlets), Warren Fury (London Irish), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys), Tom James (Blues).

Not impressed, im going to have a moment befoe commenting on this team!
[/b]

Right had a think and really really puzzled by this!

Gareth Cooper starts? WTF is going on here, a person who showed hes not international quality and shows our ambition to play a negativie game of rugby! Fury get give us quicker ball than Cooper and he showed it when he came on last test! Rhys Thomas at tighthead? In November he got a working over by the South African props and I have to admit hes not a great scrummager, are they relying soley on Geth Jenkins upfront? Reason behind Thomas selection is the fact he is more mobile round the park, but im afraid Adam Jones has impresed me enough even in the last test to still keep hold of that 3 shirt. I presume that Delve is starting at 7! Again he is a 6 / 8 where as JT can play 6/7/8! Delve is not a 7 and I dont understand he is going to play there! Jaime Roberts at 12 is an interesting one, anyone would be better than Parker and Im glad that Gatland has seen this. Hook at 15 maybe a gamble but it should pay off!

South Africa: Conrad Jantjes; Tonderai Chavhanga, Adrian Jacobs, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana; Butch James, Ricky Januarie; Tendai Mtawarira, John Smit (capt), BJ Botha, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Luke Watson, Juan Smith, Pierre Smith.
Replacements: Bismarck Du Plessis, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Andries Bekker, Ryan Kankowski, Bolla Conradie, Francois Steyn, Percy Montgomery.

 

[Incredible Schalk]

Great so see the BEAST starting B)

 

[Steve-o]

Like this starting XV. Conradie deserves his bench spot, i guess. Good to see some of the young players are in the team, really looking forward to see Kankowski get a run, hopefully atleast 25-30 minutes.
There are alot of Sharks supporters up in Pretoria, and I'm sure they'll make Beast feel right at home

 

[Bull]

Who the hell is Pierre Smith?

 

[nicolaas777]

hopefully there will be a bigger and better crowd in this weekend! one who can sing ole!

 

[loratadine]

LOL ole haha

ummm delve is starting 8 i heared, and ryan 6 with jt moving to openside

 

[nicolaas777]

LOL ole haha

[/b]

what's so funny mister??

 

[BLR]

<div class='quotemain'>
LOL ole haha
[/b]

what's so funny mister??[/b][/quote]
Don't worry about him, he's just a Welshman.

 

[dullonien]

Well, interesting selections to say the least. I personally agree with Rhys Thomas at 3, he held his own against the Azzuri in the 6 nations, so should be fine scrum time. I thought Adam Jones went well in the scrums last week, but was nowhere to be seen in the open. We need players hitting rucks, and Gatland obviously thinks Thomas will anable us to contend in that area and is willing to sacrifice the scrums slightly.

The Beeb have confiremed that the backrow will be Jones, Thomas, Delve. So no problems there Cymro.

Can't believe Cooper kept his place, Fury looked good when he came on, deserved a start.

I'm looking foreward to see Roberts at 12, he's deffinately got the size, power and pace, but will he add anything Parker didn't? Maybe he's been chosen to nail de Villers every time he get's the ball? Huge gamble!

Hook at full back will work ok. He's got the talent and ability to play well there. He gives us an extra kicking option awell.

I like the look of the bench, good to see Bishop able to come on if Gatland's little experiment doesn't come off.

 

[loratadine]

lol i dont know, ole ole ole ole lolol, just funny like

spose different cultures

 

[nicolaas777]

yea well i think they should try and sing a song with more than just one word in it, but looks like ole is all that they can sing

 

[silent_shadow]

Not a bad team. I think they should keep more consistency in the scrum though.
But please don't tell me Steyn's coming in at 10?! Butch better play well. Steyn's one of those players who can make something out of nothing, unfortunately that also means he can lose the game for his team especially at flyhalf where he doesn't have the distribution nor the brains nor the ability to cope under pressure. So let's hope he comes on at a time when we've already won. Or I suppose I can just hope he plays well, but I can only see him as a hindrance at flyhalf. I just hope he proves me wrong...

 

[nicolaas777]

when we play the english again then they should sing de la rey...

yea steyn's gotta learn to pass.

 

[Jer1cho]

Kankowski? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Chavhanga still there, yay!!!!! Happy happy day.

 

[Bull]

This match is somewhat difficult to judge, meaning I don't know how well Wales will play. It's either going to be pretty close with the Boks winning or 50+ for the Boks, either way we will win.

 

[dullonien]

This match is somewhat difficult to judge, meaning I don't know how well Wales will play. It's either going to be pretty close with the Boks winning or 30+ for the Boks, either way we will win. [/b]

Sounds about right. Still don't think we'll lose by 50, our defence is still to good for that (praying to god I'm not proven wrong again).

 

[Jer1cho]

Who the hell is Pierre Smith?
[/b]

Juan Smith and Pierre Spies's adopted boy. They had problems conceiving.

 

[Sir Speedy]

WHAT THE F**K DOES GATLAND SEE IN COOPER? The useless ******* has been nothing but a replacement for the past 3 years for club and country (bar Newport, who are crap anyway) and he won't be going to the WC in 2011 unless he improves DRASTICALLY. As for Roberts at inside centre: I support this, because we lack inside centres and this dude is really powerful; I'm more concerned about Hook at fullback (although he can't be much worse that Stoddart! <_<).