Sam Whitelock - and maybe another All Black - to be unveiled at Toulon, reports

Roll back to the state of the Boks back in 2018, and most would be hard put to believe the transformation since.

That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, bud!

Your passion for the game shines through.👍

“Bit disingenuous to say that none of the new players are likely to become regular starters.”

I didn’t say none are likely to become regular test starters. SFM will probably displace Pollard as the 1st choice flyhalf pretty soon, Jan-Hendrik Wessels is a bit of a way off, but looks like a really high quality prospect, and Cameron Hanekom could be great too. But that’s just three players. Most other nations have unearthed better talent than that. E.g. England have Fin Smith, CCS, Pollock, Opoku-Fordjour, & Feyi-Waboso. France have Jegou, Attisogbe, Auradou, & Tuilagi. New Zealand have Lakai, Bell, & Sititi.

“Too late to introduce new talent? In 2024? 3 and a half seasons out from the next WC? Laughable, mate. Im starting to think you might be BS’s alt account.”

Sorry I think I just didn’t explain this point very clearly. In 2023 SA were really reliant on experience. They started the competition with 14 players on 50 caps or more, and one on 113. New Zealand, who came second, had 13 players on at least 50, and 4 players on at least 100. England were perhaps the team that overperformed the most at the WC, and began the comp with 16 players on at least 50 caps, and 4 on at least 100. 3 years is plenty of time to introduce new players to a squad, but it isn’t enough time to build a squad with world-class levels of experience. Even if a player plays every match between now and the start of the WC, that’s only like 30-35 caps?

Corris loved the way I presented his stats. There is a process of peer-checking that goes on in the background.

But I do see you have no escape from your own ‘preconceived notions’.

Good luck with that!

I’m fully aware that there are developmental structures in place in SA. So is Ben Smith. So is everyone. But there are developmental structures in place in all tier 1 rugby nations, and the English, French, Irish, and Kiwi systems have produced many more talented youngters in the past 5 years than the SA system has.

It also looks like the management may have jumped the gun if they’re actually saying it’s off the table. I’m not sure that it’s in their remit to arrive at such a conclusion. The chairman will find a room divided on the issue. First of all, and most importantly, it was never the intention of the law to allow other than 5-3

More loose situations under high balls, but a push in the back is a push in the back and that (deliberate) push led to 3 French players colliding, the breaking ball and a significant try. TMOs are now more used to these situations and don’t miss these instances of foul play.

When you are being innovative you tend to get away with more. Not even French media spotted that one and it didn’t make the ‘list’ against the officials that day.

the success of one singular school has very little to do with the success of a nation!

I suspect Ben Smith is vaguely aware of SA success in schools competitions, and quite rightly doesn’t care, because it has no bearing on the points he is making in the article.