I greeted the Springbok team announcment on Saturday with a large degree of relief.  It wasn’t only that the Bulls and Stormers had come through their semi-finals unscathed, but that the team to face Wales in Cardiff on June 5 had a very balanced and sensible look to it.

That said, there’s been quite a bit of criticism of the side from fans and in the media.  So maybe it’s worth having a closer look at the squad to analyse some of the ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘ugly’ points.

Good:

Overseas selections:  My biggest relief when seeing the team was that it wasn’t some sort of ‘Springbok Barbarians’ team as some had speculated in previous weeks.  The six (now down to five following Jean de Villiers’ withdrawal) overseas Boks are all experienced Boks who have plenty to offer and have a shot at playing in the World Cup next year.  There would be no real value in picking the likes of Ernst Joubert, Schalk Brits, Ross Skeate, Daan Human, Philip Burger, Shaun Sowerby, Peter Dixon…  the list goes on.  They weren’t good enough to make it when they were here and offer little from overseas - despite some of them playing some good rugby in France and England.

Aplon & Louw:  Richly rewarded debuts for the Stormers pair.  They are also unlikely to feature heavily in the action once all the front line Boks return - so it’s a great opportunity to see what they have to offer.

Potgieter, Kankowski & de Jongh:  All have potential to contribute to the Boks and have a serious future in the Green & Gold.  They are all at different stages of their careers, but the experience will do them good.

The Bad

Wing depth:  One injury to JP Pietersen and we’re scratching around for a winger.  Odwa Ndungane can do a job and Bjorn Basson may yet develop into something, but they are far from world class at this stage.  Francois Hougaard all of a sudden looks as if he’ll start on the right wing against France.  Where are all the wingers?

Bekker & Rossouw: Bekker and Rossouw have had massive seasons and should be left behind to rest along with their teammates from the Bulls and Stormers.  Just like wing we seem very short in the lock department.  I can understand the logic of not taking two green-horns to start a Test against Wales, but it’s still a big worry.  Juandre Kruger should have been the bolter selection in my book.

Pienaar 10, Butch 12: I’m not a huge fan of this selection, but I can understand the logic.  Pienaar gets another chance (surely he must be running out of chances?) and has James there to help him out.  It’s still not a great call though - if Peter Grant isn’t in the coach’s thinking then he’s been hard done by.

Francois Steyn: Woah!  Relax!  He should be there - it’s just a poor reflection on the player and the coach that they’ve got an open feud running to add distraction to a squad that needs to come together quickly.

The Ugly

Chiliboy & Hargreaves: There’s simply no way that either deserves to be there.  Limited game time and serious question marks over whether they are good enough hang over the pair.  Did we learn nothing from those defeats to Saracens and Leicester last year?  Maku, Liebenberg, Fondse, van Zyl, Sykes, van der Merwe all better options.

Ricky Januarie:  Experience.  Last chance.  Blah blah blah.  Januarie can’t hack it anymore and, while I understand why he is there, I don’t think he should be starting at 9 if he can’t hold down a Stormers spot.  Sarel Pretorius or PIENAAR (at 9) would have been a better call.

Jaque Fourie:  The man deserves a rest.  Either de Jongh should start at 13 or Marius Joubert should have been dusted off to start alongside his mate Joe van Niekerk.  Sending Fourie over makes no sense at all.

Overall, I think it’s a team that will do the Springboks proud and there’s going to be plenty of information to be gleaned for the selectors.  My overriding feeling is happiness that a journeyman Bok side wasn’t selected.