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Nienaber breaks silence on Boks' two selection casualties

By Warren Fortune
Marcell Coetzee has signed for the Bulls/.

Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber has opened up on the two notable omissions from his Rugby Championship squad.

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In the announcement last weekend, Marcell Coetzee and Aphelele Fassi were both left out after they made appearances in the three-Test series against Wales.

The two new players in Nienaber’s 41-man squad are Duane Vermeulen and Frans Steyn. They are both making their way back from injuries.

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While Coetzee and Fassi both returned to their franchises, the Bok door is still wide open for them.

“We still have a big group and it’s unfortunate for guys like Aphelele and Marcell,” Nienaber explained to reporters.

“We got two injured guys in to see where they are in terms of their rehab. We basically wanted to have a look at them before we go into the Rugby Championship.

“Off the field, they [Fassi and Coetzee] served the team well. They understood their roles and their responsibilities.

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“On the field, we have a performance analysis after every game and that is shared with the players.

“I don’t think it is my place to discuss their performance assessment with the public. You [reporters] are more than welcome to contact them directly and they can talk to you about it if they want to.

“In terms of their rugby stuff, I am 100 percent confident they will know if there are gaps in their game and they will work on it.

“I told both players that it is definitely not cheers. For us, it is almost like a pause.

“If there is another injury to an outside back or another couple of injuries at loose forward, then they will just slot straight in.

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“They are two guys that have been with us for quite some time.”

Meanwhile, there were also some notable changes in the All Blacks camp ahead of their trip to South Africa for two matches

After their 1-2 series defeat to Ireland, the All Blacks sacked assistant coaches John Plumtree and Brad Mooar.

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Jason Ryan, who has been with the Crusaders for the past six years, is the new forwards coach, while All Blacks selector Joe Schmidt has been given an analysis role.

When asked if the changes will be problematic for NZ with Rugby Championship so close, Nienaber responded: “I don’t think so.

“If you think back to 2019 when we were in the Rugby Championship and a few games away from the World Cup, the change with Swys [de Bruin] happened after the New Zealand [match].

“There were two games against Argentina and one game against Japan and then we went into a World Cup and we got Felix Jones in.

“I guess it is what it is. You just learn to deal with it.”

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A
Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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