Sponsors. And crowds. And money money money.

Cheaper to play a Bok into the ground than make excuses to the sponsors, why he does not play And rent another player in his place.

Broken Bok is Rassie's problem ...

Agreed.

The only released player that I would have rested is Aphiwe Dyantyi.

All the rest need game time.

As long as he god forbids doesn't get injured I'm happy if he plays
I'd like to see him against the north

Cape Town - Scrumhalf Nic Groom will lead the Golden Lions for the first time when they take on the Pumas in a Currie Cup game in Nelspruit on Friday night.
The Johannesburg based team are bolstered by the inclusion of two Springboks, Elton Jantjies and Lionel Mapoe.
According to the new captain Groom the two weeks off was good timing for the team and that they are ready to bounce back.
“A lot of this week has been about us and not where we play. You can’t control the referee or the field or the crowd. We are really just inwardly focused,” he commented on playing in Nelspruit.

Kick-off is at 19:00.

Pumas
TBA

Golden Lions
15 Sylvian Mahuza, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom (captain), 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 James Venter, 6 Hanko de Villiers, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Corne Fourie, 1 Sti Sithole
Substitutes: 16 Pieter Jansen, 17 Danie Mienie, 18 Chergine Fillies, 19 Driaan Bester, 20 Len Massyn, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Shaun Reynolds

Former Junior Springbok and Lions scrumhalf, Marco Jansen van Vuren, has joined the SA Rugby Sevens Academy.

CAPE TOWN – Western Province assistant coach Dawie Snyman says the return of their Springbok players for their Currie Cup game against the Blue Bulls won’t be a disruption.
Province will take on the Bulls in their last round-robin game of the season before they head into the semi-finals, and a number of Boks will be available for the Loftus meeting.
Snyman said that the Boks, who aren’t contracted, will be available for Saturday’s game - meaning that the likes of tighthead prop Wilco Louw, hooker Bongi Mbonambi, loose forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe and flyhalf Damian Willemse could all be injected into WP’s weekend line-up.
“One or two of them trained today and some who played on Saturday did not. They will be back tomorrow (today),” Snyman said at the team’s training base in Bellville yesterday.
“A lot of them have been a part of our squad. Wilco played for us against the Pumas and Griquas, Damian played against Griquas and Notshe played a few games. They are guys who are used to what we do and how we play. It is not as if they are coming in from outside and they don’t know what we’re doing.”

With the return of WP’s Boks, it will be interesting to see how head coach John Dobson rolls the dice this weekend.
Snyman also said that it’s going to be important that WP hold onto the momentum they’ve built up thanks to their five-out-of-five match stat and scintillating form they’ve been in.
“There are guys who have been performing well and it’s important to keep that momentum and continuity, so we’ll have to look at that when we select the team,” he said.

One of the selection posers Dobson will face is how, or where, to make use of Willemse. The 20-year-old flyhalf came off the bench and replaced Willie le Roux against the All Blacks at the weekend, and while Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has said that he wants to ease Willemse into Test rugby at fullback, WP’s attack coach said that it doesn’t really matter where he plays, although he believes Willemse’s “best games have come at flyhalf”.
“The Springboks have had a look at him as a fullback. He played fullback for us against Griquas and in last year’s final. But his best games in Super Rugby came at flyhalf. So we will have to see how the week goes,” Snyman said.

“Damian is a special player, so it doesn’t matter if he plays at No 10 or fullback. What is nice about someone who can play (No) 10 and 15, is that he can play as a first receiver and in the wider channels as well. So we can use him in different ways.”

I thought this guy was meant to be the next Joost? Forgot about him until now...

I need some assistance from anyone who's been watching the WP games and can talk some rugby sense to help me understand something. Dan duP getting overlooked for Dan Kriel at 12 all season, what is this about? I really liked what I saw from Dan prior to his injury and thought he'd be our answer for the SR team in the midfield as well and Dan was always just plain crap prior to this CC season. Yet Dobson has preferred Kriel...what am I missing?

From the lions, so I can only guess what poster talked him up...

You missing watching WP games. WP scores tries for fun and Dan Kriel is part of the backline. In fact he defended well and form a great partnership with Nel.

Now stop write players off randomly. Dan Dup needs to earn a starting spot. That's a healthy team situation created by Dobson.

Names mean vokol, team first.

Fleck on the udder hand.

Flabbergasted that Cameron Wright hasnt been pulled under Rassie' s wings to develop...that kid has the most educated kick of any scrumhalf I have seen in Soup or Currie cup....the rest of his development can be managed with good coaching.

The way I see it...if you have a problem area you develop personnel to cover that weakness...Van Zyl is useless.

The Boks are doing well now with the players from the Sharks limited to the minimum. Let's not sour the team environment again with more Sharks players.

I think Cameron was at a Bok camp, already. Noted.

And Rassie will trust Robert to do his main development - Robert was one of our best Springbok scrumhalves, ever .....

Agree completely...you cannot argue with a 50% win rate...... ...after all its only the Springboks

A 50% win ratio against the all blacks, yes I'll take that any day of the week.

like has been mentioned many many times before....One game does not make a summer..

But you know what...I really don't care anymore....If your expectations of a 50% win rate is adequate for the boks...go on lad.

Flabbergasted that Cameron Wright hasnt been pulled under Rassie' s wings to develop...that kid has the most educated kick of any scrumhalf I have seen in Soup or Currie cup....the rest of his development can be managed with good coaching.

The way I see it...if you have a problem area you develop personnel to cover that weakness...Van Zyl is useless.

You missing watching WP games. WP scores tries for fun and Dan Kriel is part of the backline. In fact he defended well and form a great partnership with Nel.

Now stop write players off randomly. Dan Dup needs to earn a starting spot. That's a healthy team situation created by Dobson.

Names mean vokol, team first.

Fleck on the udder hand.

Herschell Jantjies outplayed him a two weeks ago.

JLDP is back with the team.......

Our best 7 in the country ready for action and his starting spot at the Boks

So much quality in this Sharks team. I haven't been following CC enough, are the blowing everyone out the water? Must surely be running away with the tournament, no?

You arent on any of the match threads which implies you dont watch rugby at all so shut your mouth

Another WP/Stormer on the rise?

Spekman has officially joined the Bulls.....* claps hands *
I suspect he will do better than Senatla and Ruan Nel....

Did you watch CC last year? He played.

But the choice at halfback seems to be a difficult one, with Papier likely to be benched by the Bulls and Bok Ivan van Zyl set to start against Province.
“It’s a difficult one, both are very good players same as Andre Warner who has done well in the Currie Cup for us. But the guys coming back from the Boks I will give them both an opportunity in the squad and I still have to make a decision on who is going to start. Ivan at this stage is the more experienced guy but we’ll make a call on Thursday morning.”

Ivan

Sards, boet

One does not have to put down Sards, he's doing it all by himself