De Villiers' big mistake
Bok coach Peter de Villiers named a 37-man squad and there were three players overseas whose names were glaring omissions.
Bok coach Peter de Villiers recently named a 37-man squad and there were three European-based players whose names were glaring omissions.
Schalk Brits, Brian Mujati and Joe van Niekerk have been in fine form for Saracens, Northampton and Toulon respectively, but couldn't crack the nod for De Villiers' squad.
At the Aviva Premiership awards last month, Northampton flank Tom Wood beat his Saints' team-mate Mujati to the Player of the Season award, and Brits finished in third place.
As a tribute to their fine form, both Brits and Mujati were also selected in the Aviva Premeirship's Team of the Year.
Brits is a gifted hooker blessed with the ball skills of a backline player and a side-step which is the envy of rugby players across the globe.
Before going to Europe he was criticised for playing with too much flair for a tight forward and not being visible in the tight exchanges – a fair criticism at the time – but this aspect of his game has improved since playing in Europe for the past two seasons.
Brits has made a big impact on the English game and played a vital role in securing Saracens' first ever Aviva Premiership title last month.
His performance in the London club's 22-18 win over Leicester in the Premiership final earned him the man-of-the-match award and Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs probably described the hooker's performance best when he said after the match: “Schalk Brits was just phenomenal, a man possessed. If anything, he was probably the difference between the two sides.”
However, De Villiers recently said there were five hookers – captain John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Adriaan Strauss and Bandise Maku – playing in South Africa who were ahead of Brits in the pecking order for Bok selection.
In my opinion, of those five players only Du Plessis can lay claim to being better than Brits and believe it will make sense to have the Saracens star in South Africa's matchday 22 as back-up to the Sharks hooker.
Brits is a game-breaker who could wreak havoc with opposition defences if he comes off the bench during the last 20 or 30 minutes at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Tighthead prop Mujati forms part of what is generally regarded as the best front row in England. Along with hooker Dylan Hartley and loosehead prop Soane Tonga'uiha, Mujati has destroyed several opposition front-rows in the Premiership and in the Heineken Cup.
De Villiers is on record as saying that he sees his captain as a hooker but I believe he'll pick Smit and Du Plessis in the same front row when it comes to the business end of the World Cup.
Smit's form at prop has not been of a high standard and he's yet to dominate an opponent at Super Rugby or international level – something Mujati has done consistently on the European stage and in the Premiership.
There was talk before the Springbok squad announcement that Mujati would be a surprise inclusion, but De Villiers instead opted for younger props like Blue Bulls tighthead Werner Kruger and Cheetahs loosehead Coenie Oosthuizen along with established front rankers like Guthro Steenkamp, Tendai Mtawarira, Jannie du Plessis and Smit.
Joe van Niekerk's situation is somewhat different to that of Brits and Mujati in that South Africa have several outstanding loose forwards.
With players like Schalk Burger, Pierre Spies and Juan Smith already established on the international stage, Van Niekerk always knew he would find it difficult to break into the Bok side when he opted to further his career in France.
However, the former Stormers and Lions star, who has played for his country in all three positions in the back row, has been in the best form of his career and also showed in recent matches for the Barbarians against England and Wales that he will not disgrace any side in the Test arena.
Van Niekerk, who has played in 52 Tests for his country, is highly rated in Europe and captained a Toulon side which included international stars like fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and former Wallaby flank George Smith during this past season.
While Burger, Spies and Smith (if fit) have the inside lane for the starting berths in the Bok back row, I believe he's making a big mistake by not having a player of Van Niekerk's utility value and experience (at least!) in the squad.
By David Skippers