South Africa Rugby World Cup 30 Man Squad
A player who might be surprised to be left out is the young Sharks flier Lwazi Mvovo who seemed to be on an upward curve performance wise. judging by the number of test caps in the collective it is clear that the Springbok management is counting on experience more than anything to do the job in New Zealand, which then comes as a surprise that AD Jacobs has been left out of the squad.
The squad that brags 18 players who played in and went on to win the 2007 world cup final has at least 12 of these world cup winners in the starting line-up. With the combined test cap tallying over 1200 caps, this is most likely to be the most experienced squad in this year's world cup.
Another surprise was Bath's new signing Francois Louw being called up, many thought Ashley Johnson would have got a call up but the ex Stormers player will now leave Bath after just joining them 2 weeks ago to return to the Boks setup.
Backs: Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Butch James, Pat Lambie, Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Francois Steyn, Morné Steyn.
Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Heinrich Brüssow, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Francois Louw, Tendai Mtawarira, Johann Muller, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Gurthrö Steenkamp, CJ van der Linde, Victor Matfield, (v/c), John Smit (c).
The young guns in the backline, may have been selected on the grounds of their versatility Juan de Jongh, Francois Hougaard and Patrick Lambie all come to the fore with an ability to play in at least two backline positions. Out of the 14 backs that will be going to New Zealand only 6 are specialists in their positions, leaving a lot of room for possibilities and maybe some new combinations my form.
While the bulk of the Springbok test caps lies in the forward division, there are a few new comers who have edged out some old war horses for starting places, and others who are knocking at the door. There are also a few players who have yet to make a name for themselves on the biggest rugby stage. Willem Alberts, the Du Plessis brothers and the sensational Brussow will be a surprise package to the world. These guys are just a few examples of the future talent that the Springboks have to build on beyond this year's world cup.
