How good are the Boks?
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@NTA said in How good are the Boks?:
@MN5 said in How good are the Boks?:
( how the hell did a non athlete like Bill Young get to the top like he did ??? )
He owns a pub.
Also, by the time everyone had picked their backs (league targets), and locks (tall kids), and back row (also league targets), only the unathletic kids are left.
And that, folks, is how Australian Rugby undervalues front row players.
Yeah but even using your criteria above he was unathletic. The guy appeared to have no muscles at all.
How the hell he competed with the rampaging monsters that opposed him is anyones guess. Good on him.
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@MN5 said in How good are the Boks?:
Yeah but even using your criteria above he was unathletic. The guy appeared to have no muscles at all.
How the hell he competed with the rampaging monsters that opposed him is anyones guess. Good on him.
he was 1.88m tall and at least 110kg, bigger than he looked, more cunning than some took him for
https://www.mediastorehouse.co.uk/mary-evans-sports/rugby/young-25066940.html -
@nostrildamus said in How good are the Boks?:
@MN5 said in How good are the Boks?:
Yeah but even using your criteria above he was unathletic. The guy appeared to have no muscles at all.
How the hell he competed with the rampaging monsters that opposed him is anyones guess. Good on him.
he was 1.88m tall and at least 110kg, bigger than he looked, more cunning than some took him for
https://www.mediastorehouse.co.uk/mary-evans-sports/rugby/young-25066940.htmlYeah that was my point ( I think )
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@booboo said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
A hypothetical league containing Boks 2024, ABs 2015, Eng 2003, Oz 1999, NZ 1996, Boks 2009 (my opinion on the best international teams of the pro era)
Who wins? Ref is Nigel Owens. For me, the best ref of the last 30 years.
NZ 2015.
Easy.
I would say so but if the Boks had everyone fit to play the 2015 ABs tomorrow, then they would be a formidable opponent.
Now all we need is some to do the head to head between the two teams!
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@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
A hypothetical league containing Boks 2024, ABs 2015, Eng 2003, Oz 1999, NZ 1996, Boks 2009 (my opinion on the best international teams of the pro era)
Who wins? Ref is Nigel Owens. For me, the best ref of the last 30 years.
Boks 2024
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@BerniesCorner said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
A hypothetical league containing Boks 2024, ABs 2015, Eng 2003, Oz 1999, NZ 1996, Boks 2009 (my opinion on the best international teams of the pro era)
Who wins? Ref is Nigel Owens. For me, the best ref of the last 30 years.
Boks 2024
😳. You ok @BerniesCorner ?
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@booboo said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
A hypothetical league containing Boks 2024, ABs 2015, Eng 2003, Oz 1999, NZ 1996, Boks 2009 (my opinion on the best international teams of the pro era)
Who wins? Ref is Nigel Owens. For me, the best ref of the last 30 years.
NZ 2015.
Easy.
Great team, filled with GOAT players in so many positions, knew how to win
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@booboo said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
A hypothetical league containing Boks 2024, ABs 2015, Eng 2003, Oz 1999, NZ 1996, Boks 2009 (my opinion on the best international teams of the pro era)
Who wins? Ref is Nigel Owens. For me, the best ref of the last 30 years.
NZ 2015.
Easy.
The bok NZ game at that WC was pretty darn close. That after the sorry boks were beaten by Japan a few weeks earlier. I don't know. Would be a good game.
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@W32 said in How good are the Boks?:
@booboo said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
A hypothetical league containing Boks 2024, ABs 2015, Eng 2003, Oz 1999, NZ 1996, Boks 2009 (my opinion on the best international teams of the pro era)
Who wins? Ref is Nigel Owens. For me, the best ref of the last 30 years.
NZ 2015.
Easy.
The bok NZ game at that WC was pretty darn close. That after the sorry boks were beaten by Japan a few weeks earlier. I don't know. Would be a good game.
Yeah my "easy" referred to it being an easy decision, not necessarily an easy victory.
Played 10 times I'd back that 2015 team to win 7.
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@W32 Boks 2023 (which is basically Boks 2024) beat an inferior (when compared to NZ 2015) team by one point playing with an extra man for 50+ mins.
Boks 2024 and ABs 2015 both know how to win tight games. For me it would come down to 2 things - (1) can ABs 2015 front row stand up to the Boks 2024 one at scrum time and (2) can Boks 2024 slow down the ruck speed enough of ABs 2015.
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Watching the URC round 3 matches this weekend and realise again how much talent South Africa have at the moment. The Lions struggled in the URC and now their investment in their own young talents start to pay rich dividends. They only had a few players in the Bok squad but that is going to change. Sharks and Bulls are poaching from everywhere while the Stormers and Lions invest in their youth structures.
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@OomPB said in How good are the Boks?:
Watching the URC round 3 matches this weekend and realise again how much talent South Africa have at the moment. The Lions struggled in the URC and now their investment in their own young talents start to pay rich dividends. They only had a few players in the Bok squad but that is going to change. Sharks and Bulls are poaching from everywhere while the Stormers and Lions invest in their youth structures.
Depth. Boks have depth. In terms of talent, who are the players not currently playing for the Boks who will raise the bar in how they play? At the end of the day, you can only pick 23 on match day, so who is the diamond that will lift the Boks to new heights.
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@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
@OomPB said in How good are the Boks?:
Watching the URC round 3 matches this weekend and realise again how much talent South Africa have at the moment. The Lions struggled in the URC and now their investment in their own young talents start to pay rich dividends. They only had a few players in the Bok squad but that is going to change. Sharks and Bulls are poaching from everywhere while the Stormers and Lions invest in their youth structures.
Depth. Boks have depth. In terms of talent, who are the players not currently playing for the Boks who will raise the bar in how they play? At the end of the day, you can only pick 23 on match day, so who is the diamond that will lift the Boks to new heights.
Cameron Hanekom - that's my prediction.
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@Billy-Webb said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
@OomPB said in How good are the Boks?:
Watching the URC round 3 matches this weekend and realise again how much talent South Africa have at the moment. The Lions struggled in the URC and now their investment in their own young talents start to pay rich dividends. They only had a few players in the Bok squad but that is going to change. Sharks and Bulls are poaching from everywhere while the Stormers and Lions invest in their youth structures.
Depth. Boks have depth. In terms of talent, who are the players not currently playing for the Boks who will raise the bar in how they play? At the end of the day, you can only pick 23 on match day, so who is the diamond that will lift the Boks to new heights.
Cameron Hanekom - that's my prediction.
At flank or no. 8?
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@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
@Billy-Webb said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
@OomPB said in How good are the Boks?:
Watching the URC round 3 matches this weekend and realise again how much talent South Africa have at the moment. The Lions struggled in the URC and now their investment in their own young talents start to pay rich dividends. They only had a few players in the Bok squad but that is going to change. Sharks and Bulls are poaching from everywhere while the Stormers and Lions invest in their youth structures.
Depth. Boks have depth. In terms of talent, who are the players not currently playing for the Boks who will raise the bar in how they play? At the end of the day, you can only pick 23 on match day, so who is the diamond that will lift the Boks to new heights.
Cameron Hanekom - that's my prediction.
At flank or no. 8?
Definitely no. 8
IMO he has the ingredients to become our best there for many years to come. -
@Billy-Webb I saw his performance against Leinster last year. Boks are well stocked at 8 already with Elrigh Louw and Evan Roos. You think Hanekom is better than both? He must be some player.
Who replaces PSDT and Etzebeth in the next 3 years? PSDT may make 2027 WC, but he'll be 35 by then and the body may not be willing to do what the mind wants. I think these 2 are the Boks standout players in a current world XV.
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@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
@Billy-Webb I saw his performance against Leinster last year. Boks are well stocked at 8 already with Elrigh Louw and Evan Roos. You think Hanekom is better than both? He must be some player.
Who replaces PSDT and Etzebeth in the next 3 years? PSDT may make 2027 WC, but he'll be 35 by then and the body may not be willing to do what the mind wants. I think these 2 are the Boks standout players in a current world XV.
I've always been a fan of Roos, but he hasn't convinced me when taking that final step up to international level yet.
Elrich Louw in contrast looked more at home in a Bok jersey imo. But I think he is more of a blindside flanker (7 in SA speak). He's no PSTD (yet) but reminds me a bit of Andre Venter (remember him?) Hard, uncompromising workhorse.From what I have seen of him, Hanekom strikes me as a true no.8. Of course, we still have to see how he copes one level up.
On replacing PSDT and Etzebeth... and you can add in Marx there as well, I really don't know. Truly outstanding players. But when Duane Vermeulen's retirement started looming, I was equally concerned about a long term replacement at 8 and already there are some promising contenders. So who knows... Maybe the SA forward factory produces once again.
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@Billy-Webb said in How good are the Boks?:
@stodders said in How good are the Boks?:
@Billy-Webb I saw his performance against Leinster last year. Boks are well stocked at 8 already with Elrigh Louw and Evan Roos. You think Hanekom is better than both? He must be some player.
Who replaces PSDT and Etzebeth in the next 3 years? PSDT may make 2027 WC, but he'll be 35 by then and the body may not be willing to do what the mind wants. I think these 2 are the Boks standout players in a current world XV.
I've always been a fan of Roos, but he hasn't convinced me when taking that final step up to international level yet.
Elrich Louw in contrast looked more at home in a Bok jersey imo. But I think he is more of a blindside flanker (7 in SA speak). He's no PSTD (yet) but reminds me a bit of Andre Venter (remember him?) Hard, uncompromising workhorse.From what I have seen of him, Hanekom strikes me as a true no.8. Of course, we still have to see how he copes one level up.
On replacing PSDT and Etzebeth... and you can add in Marx there as well, I really don't know. Truly outstanding players. But when Duane Vermeulen's retirement started looming, I was equally concerned about a long term replacement at 8 and already there are some promising contenders. So who knows... Maybe the SA forward factory produces once again.
I remember Venter. Loved him as a player. No frills, uncompromising, hard bastard. So sad to see him struck down by illness.
