Big Joe the Bok bolter
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:28
Bok bolter: Joe van Nierkerk at No.8
Joe van Niekerk is the bolter in Springbok coach Peter de Villiers's side to face New Zealand in the opening match of the Tri-Nations, in Wellington on Saturday.
De Villiers, despite the somewhat surprising selection of Van Niekerk ahead of Pierre Spies at No.8, still named an experienced starting XV that features 11 members of the victorious Bok squad from the World Cup last year.
De Villiers defended the selection of Van Niekerk, telling a media gathering in Wellington that he had earned his place on form.
"Joe came back into the Springboks camp after having a brilliant Super 14 and has showed to all of us that he means business. He earned his place here," said de Villiers of the man affectionately known as 'Big Joe'.
He added that van Niekerk's experience was a factor in a Test as important as Saturday's Tri-Nations opener.
"Joe captained the South Africa Under-19 side, the [national] Under-21 team and the Lions. If you look at the spine of this side, there is a great deal of decision making running down that spine."
There is another surprise on the bench, where Luke Watson has won the vote as loose forward cover ahead of Spies and the fit again Ryan Kankowski.
De Villiers also opted for Conrad Jantjes at fullback, with Percy Montgomery on the bench. Odwa Ndungane starts on the right wing and Adrian Jacobs edged out Francois Steyn - who joins Montgomery on the bench as backline insurance.
Schalk Burger returns as the Boks' openside option on the flank, forming an impressive loose forward combination with Van Niekerk and Juan Smith.
Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha continue their record partnership in the second row - while CJ van der Linde, John Smit (as captain) and Gürthro Steenkamp form the front row.
The non-World Cup players in the starting XV are Jantjes, Ndungane, Jacobs and Van Niekerk.
Captain John Smit said there were a number of similarities between this Tri-Nations side and the team which won the World Cup.
"The majority of the squad that played a role in Paris in 2007 are still involved in this squad as well, so the theme remains the same," Smit told a media gathering in Wellington.
"The confidence we gained out of the World Cup is certainly quite relevant to how we're training and how we're playing.
"The exciting part is that it is a new era and we've got a new coach in Peter de Villiers and he's come with some fresh ideas and he's put some changes towards us as well."
South Africa: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Joe van Niekerk, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gürthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bismark du Plessis, 17 Brian Mujati, 18 Andries Bekker, 19
Luke Watson, 20, Bolla Conradie, 21 Francois Steyn, 22 Percy Montgomery.
Date: Saturday, July 5
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT)
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges: Matt Goddard, James Leckie
TMO: George Ayoub
