If Fourie du Preez’s inclusion in the Springbok Rugby Championship squad was a major surprise last week, there will be nothing of the sort when Heyneke Meyer names his side to take on Argentina next weekend: Du Preez will be named as the No 9.
Meyer is desperate to find the right scrumhalf ahead of the 2015 World Cup and Du Preez appears to be his man. He knows the 31-year-old extremely well, having coached him at the Bulls, and he knows he needs to act now if he’s to build the ideal 8, 9, 10 combination, one that’s good enough to win the World Cup.
There’s been criticism aplenty of Meyer’s decision to bring back the 2007 World Cup winner from Japan, with many feeling he should invest in someone younger. But Meyer has tried Francois Hougaard, Ruan Pienaar, Jano Vermaak and even Piet van Zyl, but none is really in the same class as Du Preez, who, according to Meyer, is still one of the world’s best No 9s. And, he’s young enough to still be a major factor at the World Cup.
Meyer is set to get his first look at Du Preez in the Test arena next weekend when the Boks take on Argentina at FNB Stadium. Du Preez’s inclusion is likely to be one of just three changes to Meyer’s current strongest line-up, with the others potentially coming in the front row where Bismarck du Plessis could be set for a recall, while Duane Vermeulen will return at No 8.
With Du Preez back in the Bok fold, and to a degree providing Meyer with some comfort, the hooker position is probably the other area the Bok boss has mulled over for weeks and months.
Adriaan Strauss has been Meyer’s man in the absence of Du Plessis and has performed outstandingly in the No 2 jersey, so much so that he nearly took charge of the team when Jean de Villiers was in doubt for the Samoa Test earlier this year. But Du Plessis is back after a lengthy injury layoff and eager to win back his place in the Bok team.
At his prime a few years ago, Du Plessis was the best hooker in the world, and that playing behind John Smit.
Meyer is a Strauss fan, but he may well opt to give Du Plessis the duties against what should be a powerful and highly charged Argentina side. Meyer knows what he has in Strauss, who’s been the first-choice man for some time, but he’ll want to get a good look at Du Plessis, so the Sharks man may be in for an extended run in the No 2 jersey.
Vermeulen will almost certainly return at eighthman where he’ll take over from the injured Pierre Spies. The Stormers man was a sensation alongside Willem Alberts and Francois Louw on the November tour of Europe, and Meyer couldn’t stop singing his praises at the time.
He’s desperate to get that loose trio together again and it’ll also allow that 8, 9, 10 combination the coach has possibly earmarked for the World Cup in two years’ time to settle and get used to each other.
The rest of the Bok side picks itself, with the starting team set to feature no fewer than five “foreigners” – Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Du Preez, Louw and Juandre Kruger. Meyer will name his team on Wednesday.
Probable Bok team: Willie le Roux; Bryan Habana, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers, Bjorn Basson; Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez; Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw; Juandre Kruger, Eben Etzebeth; Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira. Replacements: Adriaan Strauss, Coenie Oosthuizen, Gurthro Steenkamp, Flip van der Merwe, Siya Kolisi, Ruan Pienaar, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein
Fixtures:
August 17: Australia v New Zealand, ANZ Stadium, Sydney 12.05pm (SA time); South Africa v Argentina, FNB Stadium, 5pm
August 24: New Zealand v Australia, Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 9.35am; Argentina v South Africa, Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, 9.10pm
September 7: New Zealand v Argentina, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, 9.35am; Australia v South Africa, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 12.05pm
September 14: New Zealand v South Africa, Eden Park, Auckland, 9.35am; Australia v Argentina, Subiaco Oval, Perth, 12.05pm
September 28: South Africa v Australia, Newlands, Cape Town, 5pm
September 29: Argentina v New Zealand, Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, 12.40am
October 5: South Africa v New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg, 5pm
October 6: Argentina v Australia, Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, 12.40am