A 36-man Springbok squad without JDJ - Give Juan De Jongh a fair chance please

Abe Williams

I have looked at the SA squad on the last three occasions and it did not instill a lot of confidence. It is not easy to understand what Heynecke Meyers’ plan is with his selections. His motivations and long term agendas raise many questions.

Let me explain. Damian De Allende is sitting with a Bok contract yet there are so many players who have outplayed him. Meyer made the same mistake with JJ Engelbrecht where the player struggled and seemed out of his depth, yet he was also awarded with a Bok contract. Juan De Jongh received very few opportunities to stake his claim to the starting line up while players like JJ Engebrecht, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein and of course Johan Goosen were nurtured and given the space to make errors and learn from them.

Considering the status quo, does it add merit to the argument of many supporters that coaches conveniently find ways to not select players of colour and justify their choices as "development" or not being physically "big enough"? Since we are on that subject of size, lets address that: A talented player like Gio Aplon(1.75 m and 78 kg) has always been told too small while his peers like Pat Lambie(1.77m end 83kg) not much bigger, but got the green light. Let us compare Juan De Jongh(1.75 m and 88 kg) against JJ Engelbrecht(1.91 m and 95 kg).

Both players are quick but their key difference that Juan De Jongh has a natural side step and hand-off that makes him able to break tackles and defensive lines. Juan De Jongh also distributes the ball well to players out wide. JJ Engelbrecht finishes well but practically, he needs to be put in space first. His defense is mediocre and he often leaks tries by shooting out of his line of defense. He is not an outside centre but have been given that role as Meyer made it clear he want a big outside centre.

Let's compare Aplon and Lambie. There is no notable differences in their physicality. Both players have shown the size of their heart in both offense and defense. Aplon's greatest attributes are his speed, agility his deceitful step from both feet (Binne, buite soos my ma skinners sal sê). His defenders grasp for air because his deceptive speed it makes it all look so easy. Aplon has the ability to turn a match upside down in seconds and he possess a well-educated left boot. Pat Lambie does the basics well and stays remarkably calm in high-intense conditions which gives him the x-factor. He is versatile and can play fullback, flyhalf, centre and is a good place kicker. Lambie defends well but has been left exposed especially when playing at fullback bearing in mind it is not his preferred position.

Considering these facts, one cannot help but wonder how is it possible that these players of colour receive such few opportunities compared to their white counterparts that may not necessarily have outplayed them. I have been asking these questions on public platforms and on social media. I have been downplayed and had told, "let the best team play". Well Juan De Jongh was unquestionable the best centre in the Currie Cup. Why has he not be selected to be part of the team if we have to "let the best team play"? Johan Goosen was included in the team even after not being able to make the starting team for his club, Racing Metro. Why is Gio Aplon not recalled to the national side like his peers playing overseas? He is the most attacking fullback in our arsenal, and YES, I still rate him better than Willie Le Roux. Ashley Johnson has grown to be a local hero for his club, Wasps. Why was he not selected on the same basis that Juan Smith who was given a fair opportunity to prove his worth or lack thereof to the coach? One can only hope that "ALL" players will get the same 'air chances' as some players are enjoying at the moment otherwise this will soon count against the national coach.