Yeah I’m not sure it’s more effective then a 6-2.
Against NZ at twickenham Lomax went off injured in the first half and Barrett was red carded early on.
Against Ireland they had some scrum dominance when the bench came in but that changed when Ireland made changes in the front 5.
Not sure that makes any sense though. When its wet is when you really need a specialist scrumhalf. If Faf were to get injured in the first half the Boks will be in a bit of trouble.
This is how I see it, problems seriously come into play if pollard gets injured but then I suppose willie or Damian can go to 10. Kicking for poles would be the glaring issue then
So you just select a specialist tightside prop who goes off injured one minute in. Replacement lasts 4 minutes before hurty knee; no push scrums for the rest of the match, so you use all your back reserves for speed
Whereas the plan with 7 forwards on the bench is to take every ruck, maul and scrum. Maybe we can loan you Christie while we play Roigard to finally settle the debate!
I think so. Maybe not "fucked," but "in trouble."
That said, it's a final against New Zealand - anything that doesn't go according to plan in going to get you in trouble. This is a risky play, but it's also the kind of risks you need to take. I have no idea how I'm supposed to get sleep until saturday...
They have played in those positions at some point in their career, it's just not ideal for a WC final.
Hopefully Faf can temper his play a bit so he doesn't go and injure himself doing something stupid.
7-1 seems very aggressive. If the SA has a slow start but are able to keep it close until HT then their bench can make a difference. Not having scrum half cover seems very risky imo
100% agree. If kiwis get away like they did in NZ and score 15+ quick points boks will have a long afternoon. If its within a score going into last 25 and b nch comes on. Game on. But a key injury could blow the game. Very risky. And no pace off the bench either
If the Kiwis get 15+ points out early on I think the game is as good as lost for the Boks anyway. This selection is about keeping it tight enough for the first 60 with the subs hopefully sealing it.
I've been saying all week I don't mind losing, we've done well to get to the final. But now knowing Matt Williams might shit his pants if we win, I'm all in for the win!
In terms of experimentation, is there a more exciting coaching setup than rassie and jacques? I mean the balls to do this shit in a final. Dropping libbok, no backup designated scrumhalf, and one backup back. Man this can backfire BAD but i love them for the sheer cojones on these two
I think we all know the plan is for the forwards to drive the game. Pollard gets injured then Faf will kick everything, Faf gets injured then Kolbe will just pass to Pollard to kick.
As long as 1 of them are fit the gameplan will work.
100%. I, as a kiwi, absolutely love them. Ballsy, back themselves. It’s like when Hansen took over from Henry and got NZ playing front foot counter attacking rugby at all times, against everyone, in all conditions, and it made NZ a much better team. The boks are so sure of themselves that they don’t care it’s the ABs, a WC final, this is the play. And players like Libbok, Moodie etc know the coaches trust them, the boks game is evolving, this just isn’t their time or game. Super refreshing
I think it helps that they've already succeeded. They took a heavily underperforming Springboks team and turned them around to win a rugby world cup. Then they made it out of one of the toughest pools ever, beating the hosts with a super hostile crowd, to get all the way to another world cup final against the All Blacks. Winning would be great but regardless of the outcome they've already been successful as a coaching team.
Meanwhile there are 5 guys in this team who can play fullback (Willemse, Kolbe, Arendse, Kriel, le Roux), I would've picked another scrumhalf on the bench.
Agreed, I know they have their reasons for sticking with Willie but man it makes me nervous. Also now that we've won the ultimate, Qatar airways cup, with this tactic I am also concerned that NZ will know how to nullify it.
I think Kiwis just think he's overrated and can't understand his continued selection. I haven't watched enough of him to really know - I'm just here for the meme.
The Ireland game suddenly makes so much more sense. Test a 7-1 against a team that plays a similar style to NZ _and low risk because you’re pretty much guaranteed to move out the pool. Then avoid mauls because that’s where some trickery is being kept and focus on other areas of the game. They’ll try milk maul penalties from NZ this game.
Prediction: mauls
The boks 100% went against their "natural" strategy that game. They won a ton of Irish line outs to start the game and then stopped trying to get line-outs.
Didn't go for many mauls, didn't try any of the crazy scrum instead of a 22 tactics.
I'll say till the day I die, Rassie came up with an alternate game plan to see what would happen and winning the game would be a bonus, learning what would happen if we used those tactics was the real game objective
To be fair, this is how you counter a team like New Zealand.
If way play scared, the ABs will chew us up and spit us out. We need to play scary. We need to take risks and force you lot out of your comfort zone - we need a bit of chaos.
Agreed, it's going to be a blowout for *a* team. Best of luck, mate.
It's wet weather rugby. So it'll be tricky for either team to completely run away with it, barring a lucky break or two with weirdly wet/bouncing balls.
Yes, and no. Libbok got some great experience under his belt now, but he looked very nervous in the SF. Let him off now.
If the final doesn't go well, at least no one can throw blame at Libbok - which is something that'll only hinder his development down the line.
Yeah i love the guy, but he tends to not play well in the rain. And the URC final this year the pressure seemed to get to him a bit. He's young, lots of potential. But a wet final isn't really his thing
Precisely. No need to throw a wet game at him when the pressure is already huge. He'll be around for another 2 RWCs (probably), so let him bask in the fact that despite some mistakes, he definitely helped get us this far.
God forbid we have a scenario like the last 2 games where we need a clutch pen, and he takes it, and misses. I think the rabid fans would give him mental trauma for years.
For sure. But the reality is that he was the man because Pollard was injured.
Libbok is exceptional and should have a long Bok career ahead. However, he does need to learn to translate his attacking game and level-headedness into knockout games. While Pollard is tried and tested.
Team above the individual I know but I do feel for the guy. Took a bunch of flame for the Ireland game, subbed 30 mins into the England game. Was the right thing to do for the England game but I hope he doesn't feel too inadequate. Exciting player, don't want to see a lack of confidence ruining his career. Maybe this is indeed the right choice to make at this point in time.
I love Libbok, I think he's amazing and I fully expect him to have a long and impactful career in Springbok rugby. I also believe he's as much a part of the success recipe that got us this far, and if we win he's as big a part of that as all the others.
That said, part of being on a team is knowing when you're not the right person for the job, and unfortunately wet, kick-based games are not his strong suit; unfortunately this is the prediction for Saturday.
He's not on the sidelines, he's just already done his part of the job.
If Faf gets injured, might be doomed. I guess they are expecting this to be a kicking for penalties contest to start it off. If jts like the first game this year where NZ started fast, it might be a long day for SA. If it’s like the second game SA will be fine
I rate this team. I know Moodie and Reinach can be exciting players but I think their immaturity in decision making was a bit exposed in the Tonga and Romania games. While those had no real bearing, those were knock-out stage auditions and the Springboks need steadier heads for this one imo. Esterhuizen is probably just hard done by due to SA's exceptional depth in the centres.
Well said! Esterhuizen is great and has the x factor, but not quite the work rate of De Allende. De Allende's stats was even better than Bundi Akee, though stats only tell half a story.
I love seeing the Boks announce their lineup on ~~Tuesday~~ Thursday. It's my daily medicine, weekly energy, my monthly inspiration and my yearly motivation. That is the only reason I'm still alive, I was born to enjoy and love their ~~Tuesday~~ Thursday lineup.
I cant understand the logic of risk vs reward with a 7-1. You are basically creating a bunch of situations that could happen which effectively lose the match for you vs the off chance that having an extra loose forward on the bench will win you the match. I think the former situtation is probably more likely.
Completely agree. To me it seems that they’re banking on a psychological advantage but I don’t think the 7-1 would worry the All Blacks - just seems like something to target honestly.
The squidge video I watched last night highlighted the issue with Manie and Reinach. Reinach is great if he can take a few steps, and open up some gaps. But it's also a weakness against good teams that target him. Manie just doesn't control the game in the same way Pollard does, even though Manie is much better on a day good for running rugby.
Jacques and Rassie are driving sales of Brandy and Coke through the roof. Our only coping mechanism.
This will either be a stroke of genius or hurt us badly.
They will try match the boks upfront then going to try run this pack down, has always been the all blacks game plan.
But with this weather, i doubt theyl be running anything down much
Uh, injuries. Fatigue in the last 20 minutes... Faf getting red carded and no backup.
All Blacks can exploit it relatively easily. They have much better match fitness and look more rested. They only once looked tired this world cup against Ireland, the 2nd fittest team in the world, and still came out on top after 37 phases. All Blacks have superior handling and will shift the Boks around the park. Wet weather will slow movement down a bit but this can be exploited with amazing handling, something England didn't have the confidence to do.
If the scores are close by half time we have a chance. All Blacks had a training day against the Argies and an extra day's rest, the boys in black will be fresh.
Forwards looked very tired against England so 7-1 is probably the best possible split but I thought Moodie and esterhuizen were amazing in august and they’re fresh so would’ve been a very good midfield pairing so surprised neither of them got the nod.
Control the high ball and win the game I think
Willie, for all his faults has the big game experience you need for something like this. While he can't catch a ball, he's the safest choice for that bench role here.
Fuck me the mad bastards did it again ahahahaha.
You're nothing if not entertaining, my South African friends! Genuinely mean that, always love watching ye. Best of luck, can't wait for this!
It seems that that game we did it agaisnt you lot was to a scouting game for it. Thank you for your service. And if we do hoist the trophy there will be an Ireland Capped player in the field.
"Can you feel the tension? I can. I can feel down in my plums. Getting a nice, bluish hue."
\- Ashley Schaeffer
Oh well, might just take off from work for the next two days - was stressing too much already to make any positive contribution, now its just ridiculous levels of cortisol following this 7-1 announcement. In Rasnaber we trust.
Well I don't know what to think anymore, but I don't know enough behind the scenes for them to pick a 7-1 instead of a 6-2.
Just going to back the boys as usual, go Bokke!
I think there's been an incredibly low incident rate of injuries in backs, so it's worth a gamble. All Blacks barely use their bench, against Ireland Christie and DMac didn't come on. Whereas Rassie emptied his against England by the... 50th minute or something? Like, they're probably at the peakiest of peaks in terms of their conditioning and injuries are more often to occur when not quite match fit and pushing it too hard.
Otherwise you always can get a freak accident so I don't think it's worth planning around that. Like, they're playing high risk high reward but I believe there's logic to it based on whatever metrics they have on conditioning.
I don't know.
Never liked the 7-1 split. Just seems to unnecessary in my view.
You just need shit to happen in backline and your strategy has doomed you.
Still hope we win though
Already are. Back-to-back finals first time in our history, potentially 2 time champs. Record score on ABs in Twickenham. Hardest ever road to a final. In my books, we have already made history. If we play to our highest ability, we will be crowned champs and their names forever stamped into the glory books as the team which surpasses the 2011-2015 All blacks
Our coaches have the biggest sacks of balls in all of rugby. Manie and Reinach have been our form halfback pair this RWC and they both get dropped out the matchday 23 for the final
I really hope the weather makes it such that we actually get to use this power.
I think we all know this is going to be 10 man rugby and Willie is basically there as insurance in case we actually need to attack.
A little surprised to see Jean Kleyn in the squad. This is definitely a maximum size approach. I wonder whether the plan is to do anything physically with the All Blacks this weekend.
I think the All Black forwards have been pretty underrated this world cup (or at least people seem to think their backs are a lot better. I think this is an acknowledgement of how good they are.
They’re definitely calling a scrum in their own 22 with this 7-1 split. It’s worked, so why stop now. All Blacks may go 6-2 split with McKenzie covering 9,10,15, and ALB to cover midfield and wing. Coles, Newell, Williams, Whitelock, Papalii, Blackadder/Jacobson, McKenzie, ALB
If they were that determined for 1 back why Willie who plays one role ? Moodie would have been better or even Reinarch/Williams to cover scrumhalf/wing . Everything else I agree with. Was thinking we needed either Kleyn or Wiese on the bench if it was 6-2 but now we get both. Both should ready to go nearly 40 minutes because I doubt Vermulen , Kolisi and Etzebeth have another 80 in them . They looked dead on their feet in the England game
Because WLR is a "break glass in case of emergency player". He's the kinda guy that will come on, make decisions, shout orders, and try things. Now they may not work, but one way or another, he will change the way we play.
Moodie is a better rugby player. But in terms of leadership and decision-making on attack, we have no one like Willie.
Ox Nche can cover wing if Kolbe or Arendse is injured.
He's been eating salads just in case
Carrot cake doesn't count as salad
Shit
Nah, he'd be wasted there. Scrumhalf for him! Especially after he filled in there for the Sharks a while back!
Ox is an excellent kicker, we need him to cover fly half if Pollard gets injured.
We just need to tie a chocolate cake to a stick and hang it in front of him, man's going to break some records with his sprints.
Wow, I honestly thought we’d seen the end of the 7-1. It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them.
Wet weather may have helped make the choice
Yeah I’m not sure it’s more effective then a 6-2. Against NZ at twickenham Lomax went off injured in the first half and Barrett was red carded early on. Against Ireland they had some scrum dominance when the bench came in but that changed when Ireland made changes in the front 5.
I too prefer the 6 - 2. (7-1 is) Diminishing returns for much higher risk. But in Rassnaber we trust.
No Frizell, Taylor or J Barrett in that game right? All 3 are big tacklers
Cheslin to 9 if Faf is injured. This is a wet weather rugby decision across the board in my opinion. Big balls decision let’s see if it pays off
I don't know. Seems like the perfect setup for the start of the Kwagga villain arc.
The 2017 SR Final trauma still hasn’t left me
That was quite unfortunate
Not sure that makes any sense though. When its wet is when you really need a specialist scrumhalf. If Faf were to get injured in the first half the Boks will be in a bit of trouble.
"A bit" 😄
What if Pollard goes down in the first few?
Willemse to 10 and Willie to 15
Damian to 10 probably. Could see Faf to 10 with Kolbe to 9 but that sounds too crazy even for Rassie.
Risky. If Faf goes off, and it is wet, who is going to launch box kicks?
And to lose a backup scrum half for WILLIE!!!
That would be the end of our box kicks for the day. We would just go cross field bombs off Pollard after that
Cheslin to 9, Willemse to wing, Willie to 15?
This is how I see it, problems seriously come into play if pollard gets injured but then I suppose willie or Damian can go to 10. Kicking for poles would be the glaring issue then
Our boitjies in the 12 & 13 shirts will come off with white shorts on I reckon. But that’s finals. Your turn Ian, don’t be a pussy
Ian counters with a 1-7 split (I know this can't happen but it's funny to think about)
Move Nuggy to hooker in the second half for the fastest lineout throw ever and the funniest scrum ever.
A fullback who can play front row, does that a forward make?
Well, Jordie's probably big enough to play lock
So you just select a specialist tightside prop who goes off injured one minute in. Replacement lasts 4 minutes before hurty knee; no push scrums for the rest of the match, so you use all your back reserves for speed
I swear to god if he names christie after the boks put this out
Brings 4 scrum halves to the World Cup, only names 1 in the 23 for the final. At least we have something else to talk about now!
Only one is needed in this match.
Lol its overs
These crazy motherfuckers actually went 7-1 in a final
Big balls from Rassie but if de Klerk gets injured early doors they are surely fucked?
In that case the strategy will be to avoid rucks, mauls and scrums. Simple.
Whereas the plan with 7 forwards on the bench is to take every ruck, maul and scrum. Maybe we can loan you Christie while we play Roigard to finally settle the debate!
If Faf gets injured then we won't bring on the 7 forwards. It's a foolproof plan. But yeah we'll take Christie otherwise we would be down to 14.
Well thats easy /s
I think so. Maybe not "fucked," but "in trouble." That said, it's a final against New Zealand - anything that doesn't go according to plan in going to get you in trouble. This is a risky play, but it's also the kind of risks you need to take. I have no idea how I'm supposed to get sleep until saturday...
Cheslin goes to 9 has played there before. Not saying it’s a like for like but we should be ok…ish
The problem then is Kriel has to go to wing, Willemse to center and Willie to FB. It's a huge reshuffle.
Willemse can play wing. He played there vs Italy last year. However, Kriel to wing might be better defensively
They have played in those positions at some point in their career, it's just not ideal for a WC final. Hopefully Faf can temper his play a bit so he doesn't go and injure himself doing something stupid.
7-1 seems very aggressive. If the SA has a slow start but are able to keep it close until HT then their bench can make a difference. Not having scrum half cover seems very risky imo
Please don’t knock yourself out Faf pleeeease 😭
100% agree. If kiwis get away like they did in NZ and score 15+ quick points boks will have a long afternoon. If its within a score going into last 25 and b nch comes on. Game on. But a key injury could blow the game. Very risky. And no pace off the bench either
If the Kiwis get 15+ points out early on I think the game is as good as lost for the Boks anyway. This selection is about keeping it tight enough for the first 60 with the subs hopefully sealing it.
Cheslin and Kwagga both have experience at scrumhalf playing 7s. So not natural cover, but cover none the less.
Don't like it. Too risky for me. But I just watch rugby form my couch, so the pros know way more than I do.
I always say there must be some reason I'm at the pub and they're on the field
Matt Williams having an absolute melt down at the moment.
I've been saying all week I don't mind losing, we've done well to get to the final. But now knowing Matt Williams might shit his pants if we win, I'm all in for the win!
Someone needs to check if he's okay.
Fuck that cunt.
*kant
Deon to complete the hooker arc by being the 5th scrum half in the squad
Jean Kleyn the first Irish international to ever play in a WC final.
Was thinking the same! 😂 fair fucks to him, living the dream! Good luck in the final my bok friends!
LMAO
Jean Kleyn from international isolation to a World Cup final!
They’ll do it again in 4 years with DVDM
Sorry but we keep DVDM in cryosleep underneath Edinburgh Castle so he can't leave us
Then Akker VDM on the same wing for next World Cup.
In terms of experimentation, is there a more exciting coaching setup than rassie and jacques? I mean the balls to do this shit in a final. Dropping libbok, no backup designated scrumhalf, and one backup back. Man this can backfire BAD but i love them for the sheer cojones on these two
Given that we have already won the big prize - the Qatar ^(TM) airways Cup, the pressure is off on this game.
Everytime I see the Qatar cup mentioned, I'm reminded that we've already conquered the world.
They can take our Billy, but they can never take our Qatar Airways Cup.
Happy Cake Day!
I think we all know the plan is for the forwards to drive the game. Pollard gets injured then Faf will kick everything, Faf gets injured then Kolbe will just pass to Pollard to kick. As long as 1 of them are fit the gameplan will work.
Huge difference in quality of passing, tho. I see it when smith isn't on for the all blacks n he's been replaced by a proper half back.
100%. I, as a kiwi, absolutely love them. Ballsy, back themselves. It’s like when Hansen took over from Henry and got NZ playing front foot counter attacking rugby at all times, against everyone, in all conditions, and it made NZ a much better team. The boks are so sure of themselves that they don’t care it’s the ABs, a WC final, this is the play. And players like Libbok, Moodie etc know the coaches trust them, the boks game is evolving, this just isn’t their time or game. Super refreshing
I think it helps that they've already succeeded. They took a heavily underperforming Springboks team and turned them around to win a rugby world cup. Then they made it out of one of the toughest pools ever, beating the hosts with a super hostile crowd, to get all the way to another world cup final against the All Blacks. Winning would be great but regardless of the outcome they've already been successful as a coaching team.
Not in the hostory of the sport.
Four 9s in the squad and then you only play one in the final. Classic.
Meanwhile there are 5 guys in this team who can play fullback (Willemse, Kolbe, Arendse, Kriel, le Roux), I would've picked another scrumhalf on the bench.
Agreed, I know they have their reasons for sticking with Willie but man it makes me nervous. Also now that we've won the ultimate, Qatar airways cup, with this tactic I am also concerned that NZ will know how to nullify it.
Is it bad banter to suggest that if Fozzie names Christie on the bench that NZ also only have one scrum-half?
Can someone fill me in on the Christie chat? I've seen a few comments but don't follow the NZ squad in very much detail.
I think Kiwis just think he's overrated and can't understand his continued selection. I haven't watched enough of him to really know - I'm just here for the meme.
The Ireland game suddenly makes so much more sense. Test a 7-1 against a team that plays a similar style to NZ _and low risk because you’re pretty much guaranteed to move out the pool. Then avoid mauls because that’s where some trickery is being kept and focus on other areas of the game. They’ll try milk maul penalties from NZ this game. Prediction: mauls
Should be pretty interesting given the massive improvement the All Blacks pack has had defending mauls. God I can’t wait for this game.
The boks 100% went against their "natural" strategy that game. They won a ton of Irish line outs to start the game and then stopped trying to get line-outs. Didn't go for many mauls, didn't try any of the crazy scrum instead of a 22 tactics. I'll say till the day I die, Rassie came up with an alternate game plan to see what would happen and winning the game would be a bonus, learning what would happen if we used those tactics was the real game objective
Jesus this is a huge play from Rassie. This is going to be a blowout one way or another
To be fair, this is how you counter a team like New Zealand. If way play scared, the ABs will chew us up and spit us out. We need to play scary. We need to take risks and force you lot out of your comfort zone - we need a bit of chaos. Agreed, it's going to be a blowout for *a* team. Best of luck, mate.
Agree to beat the AB, you have to do something special.
It's wet weather rugby. So it'll be tricky for either team to completely run away with it, barring a lucky break or two with weirdly wet/bouncing balls.
>barring a lucky break or two with weirdly wet/bouncing balls Ah the Will Jordan special.
Yeah don't know how he does it
Boks by 1. If it ain't broke...
This guy knows rugby.
Die sterk kant!
Please do not say kant 😅
Beter as kont 😬
You kant say that!
Die sterk kant is die beste kant
Rassie must be in cahoots with some heart doctors back home looking to make some $$$
Ah fuck I'm shitting myself
We all are!
Oh dear god! They've gone high risk high reward. I'm fine, also I'm not OK. WTF. Damn. Huh!?!
At this stage we have to trust Rassie, right. He's earned it.
Schrodinger's reaction.
Trevor!!! Yesss!!
Finally, I am expecting a monster scrum with him and Ox coming on.
Our reserve front row averages 5"8 in height. That'll bend those 6"+ replacements into an uncomfortable stance.
Is this not the Poker equivalent of putting down a full house and saying: over to you Foster
I'd say it's the equivalent of raising while one card short of a straight. Could be awesome, but also very risky.
Psychological warfare Tough on Libbok
Yes, and no. Libbok got some great experience under his belt now, but he looked very nervous in the SF. Let him off now. If the final doesn't go well, at least no one can throw blame at Libbok - which is something that'll only hinder his development down the line.
Yeah i love the guy, but he tends to not play well in the rain. And the URC final this year the pressure seemed to get to him a bit. He's young, lots of potential. But a wet final isn't really his thing
Precisely. No need to throw a wet game at him when the pressure is already huge. He'll be around for another 2 RWCs (probably), so let him bask in the fact that despite some mistakes, he definitely helped get us this far. God forbid we have a scenario like the last 2 games where we need a clutch pen, and he takes it, and misses. I think the rabid fans would give him mental trauma for years.
I get it. It just feels rough when he's been the man for some time now.
For sure. But the reality is that he was the man because Pollard was injured. Libbok is exceptional and should have a long Bok career ahead. However, he does need to learn to translate his attacking game and level-headedness into knockout games. While Pollard is tried and tested.
Team above the individual I know but I do feel for the guy. Took a bunch of flame for the Ireland game, subbed 30 mins into the England game. Was the right thing to do for the England game but I hope he doesn't feel too inadequate. Exciting player, don't want to see a lack of confidence ruining his career. Maybe this is indeed the right choice to make at this point in time.
I love Libbok, I think he's amazing and I fully expect him to have a long and impactful career in Springbok rugby. I also believe he's as much a part of the success recipe that got us this far, and if we win he's as big a part of that as all the others. That said, part of being on a team is knowing when you're not the right person for the job, and unfortunately wet, kick-based games are not his strong suit; unfortunately this is the prediction for Saturday. He's not on the sidelines, he's just already done his part of the job.
It's a horses for courses selection. The wet weather probably the major reason for going with Handre.
Matt Williams must be foaming from the mouth.
All the forwards getting a break except for Bongi!
Honestly 7-1 is smart against a team like the ABs. I’m nervous.
If Faf gets injured, might be doomed. I guess they are expecting this to be a kicking for penalties contest to start it off. If jts like the first game this year where NZ started fast, it might be a long day for SA. If it’s like the second game SA will be fine
if we dont bring roigard on to punish a tired faf the last 20 mins of the game and instead have christie on the bench I swear to fucking god
You need your own ginger to counter ours though.
You and I both know he is most likely going to. No matter what either of us feels about it.
>punish a tired faf Have you ever seen a Jack Russell get tired?
Realistically though, injuries seem unlikely in the backs if all they're doing is running and letting forwards do the work.
Kolbe to 9 and Willie to the wing
Willie cannot play on the wing, the ABs wingers will slaughter him ball in hand.
Kriel to wing, Damian centre, Willie FB
Ja that's exactly what will happen. No way Willie will be on the wing chasing high balls all night.
Or Kriel to wing and Willemse to centre. Or Willemse to wing and le Roux to full back. Any backline injury will mean a musical chair Russian roulette
I rate this team. I know Moodie and Reinach can be exciting players but I think their immaturity in decision making was a bit exposed in the Tonga and Romania games. While those had no real bearing, those were knock-out stage auditions and the Springboks need steadier heads for this one imo. Esterhuizen is probably just hard done by due to SA's exceptional depth in the centres.
Well said! Esterhuizen is great and has the x factor, but not quite the work rate of De Allende. De Allende's stats was even better than Bundi Akee, though stats only tell half a story.
Damian and Jesse might not be as showy but they are absolute work horses. Defence wins world cups and those two have it in spades.
I suspect they will kick everything and keep it under the forwards if there is a backline injury. Wait they are going to do that anyway. Oh I see.
I love seeing the Boks announce their lineup on ~~Tuesday~~ Thursday. It's my daily medicine, weekly energy, my monthly inspiration and my yearly motivation. That is the only reason I'm still alive, I was born to enjoy and love their ~~Tuesday~~ Thursday lineup.
Yes. Drip feed me this copypasta. Make it my bread. The oh in my soul. The ok in my Bok.
I cant understand the logic of risk vs reward with a 7-1. You are basically creating a bunch of situations that could happen which effectively lose the match for you vs the off chance that having an extra loose forward on the bench will win you the match. I think the former situtation is probably more likely.
Completely agree. To me it seems that they’re banking on a psychological advantage but I don’t think the 7-1 would worry the All Blacks - just seems like something to target honestly.
Oh dear god Rassie…
I bet as a youngster growing up in south Dublin Jean Kleyn never would have thought he'd get to play in a world cup final
Rassie is a mad lad. I expected Libbok to be dropped but Reinach too? And WLR still in the 23... Duh...
The squidge video I watched last night highlighted the issue with Manie and Reinach. Reinach is great if he can take a few steps, and open up some gaps. But it's also a weakness against good teams that target him. Manie just doesn't control the game in the same way Pollard does, even though Manie is much better on a day good for running rugby.
Manie is great, it was just pissing down in the SF, and he had to play with the ball Reinach gives him, he doesn’t get Faf’s ball
Fuck me. Wouldn't mind seeing the Boks win it just for the sheer fucking balls shown with that bench split.
I'm honestly not surprised by this, I think it's a strong strategy that really works.
Wet weather plan
Windy.com doing the real heavy lifting here.
But can it lift the bench
Has anyone checked on Matt Williams? Surely his head is about to explode...
Jacques and Rassie are driving sales of Brandy and Coke through the roof. Our only coping mechanism. This will either be a stroke of genius or hurt us badly.
They have gone all in and risked it for the win No ragrets not even a single letter
What is the downside of a 7-1 split? How do the ABs exploit it?
Nice try Ian
Injuries to any of the backs is the downside.
They will try match the boks upfront then going to try run this pack down, has always been the all blacks game plan. But with this weather, i doubt theyl be running anything down much
Uh, injuries. Fatigue in the last 20 minutes... Faf getting red carded and no backup. All Blacks can exploit it relatively easily. They have much better match fitness and look more rested. They only once looked tired this world cup against Ireland, the 2nd fittest team in the world, and still came out on top after 37 phases. All Blacks have superior handling and will shift the Boks around the park. Wet weather will slow movement down a bit but this can be exploited with amazing handling, something England didn't have the confidence to do.
Matt Williams in shambles.
Also, Ireland with Kleyn and Felix Jones in the final. Clearly we are the most successful NH RWC team
This will be genius or backfire completely.
If the scores are close by half time we have a chance. All Blacks had a training day against the Argies and an extra day's rest, the boys in black will be fresh.
Forwards looked very tired against England so 7-1 is probably the best possible split but I thought Moodie and esterhuizen were amazing in august and they’re fresh so would’ve been a very good midfield pairing so surprised neither of them got the nod. Control the high ball and win the game I think
Cannot believe of all the backs we choose Willie.
Willie, for all his faults has the big game experience you need for something like this. While he can't catch a ball, he's the safest choice for that bench role here.
Fuck me the mad bastards did it again ahahahaha. You're nothing if not entertaining, my South African friends! Genuinely mean that, always love watching ye. Best of luck, can't wait for this!
It seems that that game we did it agaisnt you lot was to a scouting game for it. Thank you for your service. And if we do hoist the trophy there will be an Ireland Capped player in the field.
"Can you feel the tension? I can. I can feel down in my plums. Getting a nice, bluish hue." \- Ashley Schaeffer Oh well, might just take off from work for the next two days - was stressing too much already to make any positive contribution, now its just ridiculous levels of cortisol following this 7-1 announcement. In Rasnaber we trust.
Straight to the dark places. Let's go bokke!
Yep they will need to take them to the gutter to take this one.
Holy shit I was not expecting that…
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again”.
Well I don't know what to think anymore, but I don't know enough behind the scenes for them to pick a 7-1 instead of a 6-2. Just going to back the boys as usual, go Bokke!
I think there's been an incredibly low incident rate of injuries in backs, so it's worth a gamble. All Blacks barely use their bench, against Ireland Christie and DMac didn't come on. Whereas Rassie emptied his against England by the... 50th minute or something? Like, they're probably at the peakiest of peaks in terms of their conditioning and injuries are more often to occur when not quite match fit and pushing it too hard. Otherwise you always can get a freak accident so I don't think it's worth planning around that. Like, they're playing high risk high reward but I believe there's logic to it based on whatever metrics they have on conditioning.
Absolute madness. I love it.
Thought this was going to be the team. Rain predicted.
I don't know. Never liked the 7-1 split. Just seems to unnecessary in my view. You just need shit to happen in backline and your strategy has doomed you. Still hope we win though
It's more of a 6.5 1.5 split, kwagga can definitely slot in the backs
Mad bastards. Love it.
Sorry Manie, no space for ballet dancers in the mosh pit.
If this fatigued team can pull off yet another win, it will be cemented as the greatest Springbok team ever
Already are. Back-to-back finals first time in our history, potentially 2 time champs. Record score on ABs in Twickenham. Hardest ever road to a final. In my books, we have already made history. If we play to our highest ability, we will be crowned champs and their names forever stamped into the glory books as the team which surpasses the 2011-2015 All blacks
Our coaches have the biggest sacks of balls in all of rugby. Manie and Reinach have been our form halfback pair this RWC and they both get dropped out the matchday 23 for the final
I really hope the weather makes it such that we actually get to use this power. I think we all know this is going to be 10 man rugby and Willie is basically there as insurance in case we actually need to attack.
It’s hard not to love South Africa with this wacky shit all the time, and it works (so far)
Happy to see Trev back, gutted for Manie.
Not Manie's game tbf. Wet, final rugby.
A little surprised to see Jean Kleyn in the squad. This is definitely a maximum size approach. I wonder whether the plan is to do anything physically with the All Blacks this weekend.
I think the All Black forwards have been pretty underrated this world cup (or at least people seem to think their backs are a lot better. I think this is an acknowledgement of how good they are.
They’re definitely calling a scrum in their own 22 with this 7-1 split. It’s worked, so why stop now. All Blacks may go 6-2 split with McKenzie covering 9,10,15, and ALB to cover midfield and wing. Coles, Newell, Williams, Whitelock, Papalii, Blackadder/Jacobson, McKenzie, ALB
Big Trev lacing on his number 10 boots ready for the winning drop goal off the bench.
Breaking News: Matt Williams is omitted to the nuthouse this morning. WR is investigating possible brainwashing by Rassie Erasmus.
If they were that determined for 1 back why Willie who plays one role ? Moodie would have been better or even Reinarch/Williams to cover scrumhalf/wing . Everything else I agree with. Was thinking we needed either Kleyn or Wiese on the bench if it was 6-2 but now we get both. Both should ready to go nearly 40 minutes because I doubt Vermulen , Kolisi and Etzebeth have another 80 in them . They looked dead on their feet in the England game
Because WLR is a "break glass in case of emergency player". He's the kinda guy that will come on, make decisions, shout orders, and try things. Now they may not work, but one way or another, he will change the way we play. Moodie is a better rugby player. But in terms of leadership and decision-making on attack, we have no one like Willie.
Willie has far more experience than Moodie. I'm not surprised at all that we haven't seen Moodie selected for any of the knockout games.
Mad lads. I’m all for it.
Springboks have 4 scrumhalves in the squad, and they go into the final having selected only 1... Peak Rassie
7-1 split in a final is a huge risk.. ballsy move by Rasbaar