Is Springbok coach Peter de Villiers crazy or just misunderstood? His latest selections have caused plenty of debate this week — Rob Peters and Ebrahim Moerat thrash it out!

Rugby staffer Ebrahim Moerat wonders about all the fuss surrounding Earl Rose's selection as the Lions utility back is unlikely to feature in the Test series anyway. And why is nobody complaining about the selection of out-of-form players like Schalk Burger?

While it's been very tricky to judge Peter De Villiers during his 16 months at the helm due to fluctuating results, the British & Irish Lions series will finally provide the facts for a delayed assessment on his aptitude as Springbok coach.

Many have labelled him 'crazy' and critics have taken aim again this week after his latest Bok selection.

So far not a ball has been kicked in the Test series; yet, De Villiers' selections are being severely scrutinised and condemned, particularly those of Earl Rose, Ricky Januarie and to a lesser extent Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn. The omission of Stefan Terblanche, Heinrich Brüssow, Zane Kirchner and Jano Vermaak, to name a few, has also raised eyebrows.

Pienaar, Steyn and Schalk Burger have all been included based on reputation after average Super 14 performances but there's not much outcry over that.

Rose's Super 14 form has been very disappointing but De Villiers seems hell-bent on giving him a cap. He is unlikely to feature in the first Test anyway; therefore all the fuss around his inclusion seems unnecessary, at least for now.

I remember the protest when World Cup-winning coach Jake White pulled in veterans Percy Montgomery and Os Du Randt. And, much like his predecessor De Villiers has stuck with players he believes in and they are yet to prove him wrong at international level.

De Villiers' statistic reflects nine wins from 13 outings which gives him a similar success rate to that of White. His stint also includes the historic win over the All Blacks in Dunedin last year.

However, his biggest challenge as Bok coach will be the British & Irish Lions.

Fans will accept nothing less than a Bok whitewash and anything less is sure to result in De Villiers verbalising some abstruse quotes.

iafrica.com's Head of Sport, Rob Peters, cannot think of any logical reason why Div is ignoring the claims of Zane Kirchner, while backing Earl Rose. And why is he so intent on creating tighthead props when we have enough already?

Should Div be given the benefit of the doubt over his suspect selections? No. Because for a guy who has been in the job for more than a year — and that has been a rollercoaster of a year — and who has the benefit of hindsight, he should not be given anything.

He took chances early on in his tenure and fell well short — remember the Tri-Nations? When he reverted to the tried and tested, relied on form over favour, and banked on the Springboks’ natural game-plan, the team flourished.

And while his selection of Morne Steyn is a good one, you have to say that after the Bulls pivot’s performance in the Super 14 Final, De Villiers simply had no choice, but to hand him a Springbok blazer.

The selection of Earl Rose over Zane Kirchner, meanwhile, is more than bizarre, it’s preposterous!

Kirchner has been one of the form fullbacks this season, his fielding of the high ball is solid, his kicking game is fantastic, and his attacking prowess is as good as any other. Rose, however, is erratic at best. He has moments of genius, but they are far outweighed by moments of madness. And contrary to Div’s assumption that the Lions back has not been given enough game-time, Rose has failed to use any of the many, many chances handed to him this season.

The Bok coach reckons Rose has the ‘X Factor’. Great, let him go audition for Idols, because he is certainly not ready for Test rugby, let alone to face up against the might of four nations!

Rose, of course, is not the only strange occurrence in the squad to face the Lions. For my mind the decision to omit a seasoned tighthead prop is sheer madness, particularly against a team that has made it quite clear they are going to attack the scrums.

John Smit, who will start at tighthead, has done a hell of a job, but who is there to back him up? Deon Carstens is a looshead, so is Guthro Steenkamp… is Div really saying that we have no quality number threes? Where is BJ Botha? Jannie de Villiers? Well, I can tell you where they are not – where they deserve to be.

Look, I still think the Boks have way too much in the bank to not clinch a 3-0 Test series against the Lions, but that does not eradicate some glaring errors in the latest Bok selection. I just hope that those mistakes do not come back to bite John Smit and his men in the butt. It’s happened before – anybody remember 1997?

  • What are your thoughts on Peter de Villiers' selections? Should he be given the benefit of the doubt? Comments below!


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