Could this be the best team in Springbok history?

With 14 of the Springbok match day squad holding World Cup winners medals, this could well be the best Bok team in recent years. The 22 man squad contains a total of 754 test caps (which averages out to around 34 caps per person). This includes Brian Habanna and Jean DeVilliers who will be awarded their 50th cap as well as John Smit (85 caps) who will break the world record of most matches as test captain with his 60th appearance in that role.

On top of that, on paper the three least experienced players in the team Heinrick Brussow(5 caps), Morne Steyn (4 caps) and Tendai "the Beast" Mtawarira (14 caps) have proven to be Bok stars in their own right. The Beast has taken 2 Super 14 seasons and one and a half Springboks seasons to make himself a household name, any Springbok supporter would be a lier if they said they had not screamed BEAST at the T.V screen atleast once in the last 18 months. Heinrick Brussow took his chance against the B&I Lions when Burger was banned and has proven to the world that he is a contender for Richie Mcaws title as best open side in the world. Last but not least, Morne Steyn, I can hear all the B&I Lions fans across the globe shudder at the name. Steyn has waited in the wings, playing his best rugby in the 2009 Super 14 for the Bulls. He got his chance in the second test against the B&I Lions, in his first match he stopped Ugo Monye scoring what could have been a match winning try. In the second test with the air of a seasoned veteran, slotted a 50 meter penalty to win the series.

When you add the world class combinations of Bakkies and Victor(lock), Jaque and Jean(center), Fourie and M Steyn(half-back), Smith and Brussow(flanks) and of course Brian and JP(wings) you can start to see the winning formula. To that I must add that Frans Steyn has started to silence his critics by settling well in his position at fullback, and the formidable sight of Bismark, Smit and the Beast in the front row is enough to frighten any opposition coach. Spies too has played some cracking rugby in his time and I'm sure his best is still to come.

The bench is shaping up too, Ricky Januarie, Jannie Du Plessis, Dannie Rossouw and Wynand Olivier hold world cup winners medals and the later two holding Super 14 winners medals. The rest is made up of Chiliboy Ralepelle, Andries Bekker and Adi Jacobs, who can complain about having a former Springboks captain (Ralepelle), the proven campaigner (Jacobs) and the rising star (Bekker) in the mix?

However the only way this team will prove themselves to be the best Bok squad in history will be to win the 2009 Tri-Nations. While the campaign has started well, there is still a long way to go, and it continues this weekend with a possible record second consecutive home win over the All Blacks.

The Springbok team is (Test caps in brackets):
15. Frans Steyn (31)
14. JP Pietersen (27)
13. Jaque Fourie (46)
12. Jean de Villiers (49)
11. Bryan Habana (49)
10. Morné Steyn (4)
9. Fourie du Preez (47)
8. Pierre Spies (23)
7. Juan Smith (58)
6. Heinrich Brüssow (5)
5. Victor Matfield (84)
4. Bakkies Botha (58)
3. John Smit (85) – Captain
2. Bismarck du Plessis (25)
1. Tendai Mtawarira (14)

Reserves:
16. Chiliboy Ralepelle (5)
17. Jannie du Plessis (8)
18. Andries Bekker (15)
19. Danie Rossouw (39)
20. Ricky Januarie (36)
21. Adi Jacobs (23)
22. Wynand Olivier (23)

MM

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