INLSA
Heyneke Meyer
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has come under fire for his selection of his first squad with critics accusing him of favouring the Bulls and the Sharks in the 32-man line-up that will take on England.
His new team, which includes 13 Bulls and 12 Sharks players has three Stormers, two Cheetahs, and two Lions – this despite the victories of the Stormers over the Bulls and the Lions over the Sharks in their Super Rugby matches on Saturday.
Meyer said on Saturday night that he “didn’t count” how many players came from each Super Rugby team. “I just pick the guys I believe are the best,” he said. “There are a lot of great Stormers players injured, like Duane Vermeulen, who is a great player, Schalk Burger and Andries Bekker, who is also not around. If I pick a team, I need to pick the team that I believe is the right one.”
However, social network site Twitter was aflutter after the announcement with many questioning the racial make-up of the team and why transformation had played such a small part in the selection of players.
Rugby fan Jannie Momberg tweeted: “Kolisi, Aplon, De Jong all miss Bok squad selection. Meyer is partying like it’s 1989.” He added: “The first proper anti-transformation Bok squad of the decade. Disgrace”
There was anger in the Stormers’ camp about the omission of star flank Siya Kolisi, while it was thought that backline players Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon were also unlucky to miss out.
Former Bok flank Rob Louw said he was “disgusted” with the way that Stormers players were being treated.
“The selectors haven’t gone on form, because those players haven’t had form. The Bulls have lost three games in a row, so how could they go and pick that whole backline of the Bulls? What form have they gone on? They lost two games overseas, and were lucky to win the other two.”
Former Bok wing Breyton Paulse said Kolisi had proven himself consistently this season. “It is not as if Siya is now suddenly starting to play well. He had a man-of-the-match performance at Loftus, and he made the difference in the game by hitting that gap and passing inside to Bryan (Habana) to score. If he didn’t do that, the Stormers may not have won that game,” he said.
Merit
Paulse said it had been a great opportunity for Kolisi to be given a chance “if we talk about transformation in rugby, as he would be there on merit”. There are eight players of colour in the 32-man squad.
“I think Heyneke is in a very difficult situation. He has very little time to prepare the team, so he is taking guys who he is familiar with – who are obviously the Bulls guys.”
Former Bok captain Corné Krige felt that Kolisi, De Jongh and Aplon were unlucky not to make the squad, and said that Cheetahs flank Heinrich Brüssow should also have made the cut.
“But ja, every Springbok coach picks players who he is comfortable with… He’s got 13 Bulls in the side and the whole management team is Bulls, so he is obviously surrounding himself with people he is comfortable with.”
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