Week 5: England vs Crippled Bokke

[OomStruisbaai]

It will be Evan Roos make or break test.

[assfly]

I didn't rate either of our locks against Ireland.

[Chilli]

I didn't rate either of our locks against Ireland.

Ireland or Italy?

[Chilli]

Orrie
DDA
Kriel

Orrie was pretty good last week. You never liked him.

No he wasn't.
He is not a Bok level lock.

[OomStruisbaai]

Orrie
DDA
Kriel

Orrie was pretty good last week. You never liked him.

No he wasn't.
He is not a Bok level lock.

I blame Jens for this. Orrie has been great since joining the Stormers. He use to get cards left, right and center. I cant remember him getting any since he got to the Stormers and is a good lineout jumper.

Anyways he deserve his chance now.

[assfly]

I didn't rate either of our locks against Ireland.

Ireland or Italy?

Typo. Meant Italy.

[boere wors]

As expected, Rassnaber don't have the balls to start Libbok.
On the other hand, credit for giving Roos a start at 8.

[Sards]

Twickenham. Every game is getting bigger and bigger for him. I haven’t seen the ticket sales, but I am sure there will be a massive crowd at Twickenham for the game, which in that sense will make it similar to Marseille. So it will be a good experience for Manie and a good test for him and I have confidence in him.

“But were we tempted to start in this game? Well, in our view Damian has been doing well as the starting No 10. Don’t forget that he only started to settle into the flyhalf role at international level very recently. I think he’s had just five games there, and he’s been developing well week from week. We know he can do it for us at 12 and 15, but we want to see him at flyhalf and this is another opportunity for him to grow in the position.”

to put it in short, the selection is not about Libbok and his potential. The Bok coaches will be hoping that might become irrelevant anyway once Handre Pollard is fit again and if Elton Jantjies can get over his personal problems and return to form. Nienaber and national director of rugby Rassie Erasmus have always said they place a high premium on experience when it comes to the game-driving position at a World Cup, and Pollard and Jantjies have each played more than 50 games for their country.

There isn’t enough opportunity between now and the start of the World Cup in France next September for Libbok to accumulate anything like that level of international experience, so the focus right now, if Nienaber is being read correctly, is on developing Willemse as a player who can cover flyhalf from within next year’s World Cup squad.

I have no words
When Handre got injured Libbok should have been brought into the bok team immediately.

Once again we are on a 5 to 3 bench split because Nienaber has decided to play Willemse at 10.

[OomStruisbaai]

Willemse play against the best 10 in world rugby. So the experiment with him in 10 to fail is excellent. Sards obviously hoping for this to happen.

[Chilli]

Orrie was pretty good last week. You never liked him.

No he wasn't.
He is not a Bok level lock.

I blame Jens for this. Orrie has been great since joining the Stormers. He use to get cards left, right and center. I cant remember him getting any since he got to the Stormers and is a good lineout jumper.

Anyways he deserve his chance now.

No he doesn't. He is still average.

[fishfoodie]

I'm quite looking forward to seeing the match up between Nowell & Mapimpi.

[assfly]

Last Bok game for 6 months. The drought begins.

[OomStruisbaai]

Some of the Springboks need a decent break after this test

[assfly]

Some of the Springboks need a decent break after this test

Definitely, especially our forwards. I hope they don't play any URC until January.

[OomStruisbaai]

Some of the Springboks need a decent break after this test

Definitely, especially our forwards. I hope they don't play any URC until January.

A lot of rugby coming up. Dunno if the Sharks and Stormers can go without the likes of Kolisi, Etsebeth, Bongi, Kitshoff and Malherbe. No way the Japan clubs will be without the others.

[assfly]

If this test is outside of the window, does that affect the England team too?

[average joe]

If this test is outside of the window, does that affect the England team too?

No, as far as I understand the clubs get compensated for the loss of their English players by the RFU. Foreign players are not covered so they don't get released from the clubs.

[assfly]

No, as far as I understand the clubs get compensated for the loss of their English players by the RFU. Foreign players are not covered so they don't get released from the clubs.

Ah, ok then.

[sockwithaticket]

If this test is outside of the window, does that affect the England team too?

No, as far as I understand the clubs get compensated for the loss of their English players by the RFU. Foreign players are not covered so they don't get released from the clubs.

That's correct, part of the Elite Player Squad agreement the RFU have with PRL is greater player access and the agreement is, of course, underpinned by cash.

As such, PRL are quite protective of the terms of the agreement and will fine clubs who release players outside of the international window (Northampton fell foul of this with George North in the past). If other nations want the kind of access England get, then they also need to pay up.

[OomStruisbaai]

It's a good thing. Wish we can have the same in SA.

[assfly]

Mapimpi needs a big game if he's going to be in contention for the world cup. There are so many young wings pushing for his spot.

[SaintK]

Mapimpi needs a big game if he's going to be in contention for the world cup. There are so many young wings pushing for his spot.

He's bound to look good. He'll be up against May or Nowell

[Sards]

Mapimpi needs a big game if he's going to be in contention for the world cup. There are so many young wings pushing for his spot.

With Libbok at 10 he will definitely get opportunities. What sucks is that he will start with Willemse and Moodie will get Libbok. So don't hold your breath

[OomStruisbaai]

Mapimpi needs a big game if he's going to be in contention for the world cup. There are so many young wings pushing for his spot.

With Libbok at 10 he will definitely get opportunities. What sucks is that he will start with Willemse and Moodie will get Libbok. So don't hold your breath

Why do the young wings perform with Willemse in 10?

[Margin__Walker]

[sockwithaticket]

More or less as expected. I suppose the logic of benching Genge is so that we can finish with our stronger scrummagers? Thought it might be 4. Ribbans 5. Hill 6. Itoje, but interesting to see the faith in Coles given that he hasn't featured much since the Argentina game. B. Vunipola needs a big game, he's been distinctly underwhelming.

Ecstatic to get Freeman back in the side. I know it would be bad optics to drop Nowell completely having made him VC, but I really don't think he's a good bench option. Porter actually earned the chance to keep the 23 shirt.

[Margin__Walker]

If you have to play a Hybrid at 6, Coles is a better option than Itoje for me, so they at least look the right way around.

Freeman should offer much more threat than Nowell and nice to see him stick with JvP

[Raggs]

Freeman, May and Steward is a good aerial back 3.

[Sards]

Mapimpi needs a big game if he's going to be in contention for the world cup. There are so many young wings pushing for his spot.

With Libbok at 10 he will definitely get opportunities. What sucks is that he will start with Willemse and Moodie will get Libbok. So don't hold your breath

Why do the young wings perform with Willemse in 10?

They don't dude.....but they were scoring tries for fun when libbok came on.

[OomStruisbaai]

With Libbok at 10 he will definitely get opportunities. What sucks is that he will start with Willemse and Moodie will get Libbok. So don't hold your breath

Why do the young wings perform with Willemse in 10?

They don't dude.....but they were scoring tries for fun when libbok came on.

Well Moodie has never played with Libbok.

I think we scored tries in the 1st half against Italy. Arendse scored after Willemse put them in space.

But hey, fuck you watch only with one eye.

[Sards]

Why do the young wings perform with Willemse in 10?

They don't dude.....but they were scoring tries for fun when libbok came on.

Well Moodie has never played with Libbok.

I think we scored tries in the 1st half against Italy. Arendse scored after Willemse put them in space.

But hey, fuck you watch only with one eye.

That was the first backline try with Willemse in 4 matches. It was from the kickoff. The only 1 in 46 minutes. When Libbok came on for 34 minutes it was a backline try fest. The only other backline try was Hendricks in an individual effort for Willemse.

If Libbok comes on second half Moodie will probably come on too and I expect Libbok to put him away for a few

[OomStruisbaai]

They don't dude.....but they were scoring tries for fun when libbok came on.

Well Moodie has never played with Libbok.

I think we scored tries in the 1st half against Italy. Arendse scored after Willemse put them in space.

But hey, fuck you watch only with one eye.

That was the first backline try with Willemse in 4 matches.

Didn't we score tries when we beat the Wallabies, Mapimpi, Moodie, Ellende?

We beat them the first time in Aus since 2013?

[OomStruisbaai]

Here is a total lack of interest in this important test.

[Raggs]

Here is a total lack of interest in this important test.

We're starting a weak loosehead and have no idea if we're going to actually try to play again, or revert back to just trying to manage. We've gone back to playing a lock (even if he's played 6) on the flank, instead of a proper flanker. I suspect we're mostly just waiting to see what happens.

[shaggy]

Literally just bumped into Kolisi at The Lensbury. If he is declared unfit tomorrow it was my fault!

[sockwithaticket]

Here is a total lack of interest in this important test.

Over the last few years watching England has been more an exercise in frustration than enjoyment. Many of us will still watch out of a misguided sense of hope or obligation, but there's not a lot to be interested in. Hopefully the spark will be reignited once we finally get rid of Eddie.

[SaintK]

Anyway, England by 9!!

And Wales +12 against the Aussie IVth XV

[Hal Jordan]

Got a ticket for this, thanks to a work crony. Which means that I had to download the Twickenham Data Mining App as the general public cannot be trusted with paper tickets anymore. And for some reason it thinks I've screenshotted it.

Technology. It's fantastic.

[Insane_Homer]

Dress for rain.

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[Lobby]

Dress for rain.

Screenshot_20221126-090318.png

Twickenham isn’t in the South West.

Current forecast is only 50% chance of light rain.