Meyer Bullish for England

Heyneke Meyer has proved once and for all he is his own man. His first Springbok squad was Pretoria blue (and pink) in complexion, with chunks of Shark and, to the consternation of the Western Cape, only sprinklings of Stormers included.

The inclusion of Jano Vermaak and JJ Engelbrecht even though they have not been in the Bulls starting XV on a consistent basis was a surprise. Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh, two popular choices widely expected to make the squad, appear to be extremely unlucky. Heinrich Brussouw’s axing was also a surprise, but considering the general size of the squad chosen (big and bigger), maybe it shouldn’t be. The Cheetahs fetcher’s form hasn’t been outstanding nor poor this season.

Jean de Villiers naming as skipper might console the Cape rugby media for a day, while Siya Kolisi’s time will come. Wynand Olivier has never shined in a Springbok jersey but Meyer perhaps has decided that the best way to beat England, considering the little preparation time he has is via the Bulls route. In doing so, he has chosen the players most familiar with the philosophy Meyer himself pioneered in Pretoria.

While many teeth have been gnashing, the inclusion of young tykes Eben Etzebeth, Marcell Coetzee and Coenie Oosthuizen should get some pulses racing in the forward department. Frans Steyn’s and Ruan Pienaar’s inclusions, even though they played their rugby overseas (Steyn has signed up with the Sharks for three years) should also not be taken lightly.

Ryan Kankowski’s and Jacques Potgieter’s inclusions even though both are coming back from injury also raised a few eyebrows.

The proof of what path Meyer has decided to pursue will come at the end of the three Test series. For his sake, a 3-0 sweep will be the ultimate vaccination against criticism, especially from the Stormers/WP-aligned Springbok fan base. When the Springboks win, such gripes always seem to fade into the background.

Something else to consider is the squad might change before the inaugural Rugby Championship (henceforth referred to as the Four Nations in this blog since it’s less of a mouthful) begins at the conclusion of the Super rugby season.