Smit leads Bok-flavoured BaaBaas
Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:56
Back together: Bryan Habana, Jake White and John Smit
World Cup-winning Springbok captain John Smit will lead the star-studded Barbarians team when they face Australia in the year-ending international at the Wembley Stadium on Wednesday.
Smit, who will reunited with his World Cup-winning coach and confidante Jake White on the field for the first time since the 15-6 in the Final in Paris last October, will have eight other Springboks in the starting XV.
The other World Cup winners who will start are fullback Percy Montgomery, centre Jean de Villiers, wing Brian Habana, flyhalf Francois Steyn, scrumhalf Fourie du Preez, flank Schalk Burger, as well as locks Bakkies Botha and Johann Muller.
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, fresh from last Saturday's 32-6 victory over England, will make his first appearance for the Barbarians.
The one surprise is Welsh wing and International Rugby Board Player of the Year Shane Williams, who has been included on the bench - with Joe Rokocoko on the right wing and Habana on the left.
Another surprise sees All Black wing Rico Gear start alongside De Villiers in the BaaBaas' midfield.
South Africa's World Cup-winning coach, White, and his close friend Eddie Jones, an assistant to the Boks mentor at the World Cup, have kept with tradition of selecting an uncapped youngster on the bench - the honour going to Western Province loose forward Nick Koster.
White described it as "one of the better Barbarians sides" there has been for a while.
"Eddie [Jones] and I are really chuffed to get this group of players together," White told a media gathering at the team announcement in London on Monday.
"It has been nice for me to be with the players I coached [at the World Cup], but it has also been nice to coach players like Richie and Joe Rokocoko.
"Usually when I see them they are on the other side of the field! It is nice to see the players who usually smash into each other having an opportunity to play as a team and that is something unique in rugby.
"The important thing is that a number of these players haven't played for the BaaBaas - players like Richie, Bakkies Botha, Jean de Villiers and John Smit - and I think it is wonderful they get the opportunity to play alongside such wonderful players.
"A guy like Sean Fitzpatrick was a great captain of New Zealand but never got the chance to play for the Barbarians and I am sure he would have loved to play in a team like this."
Barbarians: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Rico Gear, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Francois Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Census Johnson, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Federico Pucciariello.
Replacements: 16 Mark Regan, 17 Rodney Blake, 18 Chris Jack, 19 Nick Koster, 20 George Gregan, 21 Ollie Smith, 22 Shane Williams.
Date:
Wednesday, December 3
Venue: Wembley Stadium London
Kick-off: 19.45 (19.45 GMT)
Referee: Chris White (England)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England), Steve Terheege (England)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)
* Do you like this team? Who would you have selected?
