Johannesburg - Ever since the Springboks crashed out of the World Cup in England last year, several questions have been asked about the future make-up of the team.
One of the questions was answered a few weeks ago when Allister Coetzee was named coach and it seems he’s pretty much got the management team he wanted.
Now, the next questions will be answered this weekend - and they’re likely to go a long way in giving South Africans an idea of what to expect of the Boks in the next four seasons.
Everything now is about the players; who’ll be picked from overseas clubs, who’ll captain the side, who’ll miss out because of Sevens duty, which of the “oldies” will be told “thank you and goodbye” and, sadly, everyone from the politicians to the schoolboys will probably be counting the number of black players in the squad.
I say “sadly” because it really should not be an issue; not after the Super Rugby season we’re experiencing. There are quality black players producing the goods every weekend and to label them “black players” is wrong.
They’re rugby players who want to be treated like every other rugby player ... and all those men who make the Bok and SA 'A' squads should be seen as just that - rugby players who’ve been picked to represent their country.
Right, the overseas-based players. Who’ll Coetzee pick from England and France? Duane Vermeulen has apparently been told to report for Bok duty the week before the first Ireland Test, but Toulon want him to stay on in France.
You see, it’s because of this kind of thing why I stated overseas-based players shouldn’t be considered for the national team.Vermeulen’s dilemma is not new to South African rugby.
Frans Steyn and former coach Peter de Villiers could never quite agree about his playing in France and also making himself available for the Boks... and it caused bitterness on both sides for many years.
Vermeulen then seems to be a certainty in Coetzee’s squad, if he can come to an agreement with Toulon, so it would appear the new Bok boss will pick a few overseas-based players, but who’ll they be?
Maybe Bismarck du Plessis, maybe Johan Goosen (especially now that Elton Jantjies is injured), maybe Francois Louw - who I understand is favourite to be named skipper.
That’s another question everyone is waiting to get answered.The other options, of course, are Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley, Juan de Jongh, Schalk Burger and Adriaan Strauss.
Perhaps Coetzee will only name his skipper on the eve of the first Test, allowing himself some time to suss out the candidates during the two-week training camp.
Then there’s the issue of the Olympics later this year and the Sevens team being one of the hot favourites for gold. Anyway, is De Jongh’s immediate future with the Boks or Sevens team, is Damian de Allende going to be roped in to the Sevens side with Warrick Gelant?
Already the Boks can’t call on Bryan Habana and Francois Hougaard... or Seabelo Senatla.Finally, will Coetzee’s squad have a bit of the old, mixed with the new, or have we seen the last of Schalk Burger, JP Pietersen, Louw, Vermeulen, Beast Mtawarira, Du Plessis and Ruan Pienaar?
So many questions...
The Star