Imaginary Test between SA and New Zealand

News 24 has selected the following two Fantasy yeans  teams to play:-

Greatest Springbok XV from 1996 to date

15 Percy Montgomery, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Cobus Visagie, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Os du Randt

Greatest All Blacks XV from 1996 to date (tweaked)

15 Christian Cullen, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Jonah Lomu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Zinzan Brooke, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Michael Jones, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Olo Brown, 2 Sean Fitzpatrick 1 Tony Woodcock

I have some reservations about the SA - team and the most important issue is who the coach is,   All the SA caches in that period had problems and deficiencies that showed a indifferent record against the AB's and the only coach that would produce the best potential result would be Erasmus,  With Erasmus as coach I will give the Springboks a small winning chance by 3 points - with any if the other coaches it will be losses between Mallett =7 point loss - White = 10 points - the ret between 20 and 40 points.

In looking at combinations the following:-

Cullen vs Montgomery

Howlett vs Habana

Smith vs Fourie

Nonu vs De Villiers

Lomu vs Pietersen

Carter vs Pollard

Smith vs Du Preez

Brooks vs Vermeulen  

Jones vs Du Toit

McCaw vs Burger

Whitelock vs Matfield

Brown vs  Visagie

Fitzpatrick vs Du Plessis

Woodcock vs Du Randt

Highlighted players having the edge. 

1. Fourie was a better centre than Smith. 
2. Nonu was a better centre than Jean. 
3. Lomu is highly overrated and not better than JP. 
4. Fitz betters Bismarck (not in top 5 hookers for Boks)
5. Thor is better than Brooke.
6. Monty over the one-dimensional and vulnerable Cullen. 
7. Jose Erasmus is the least capable Bok coach of the past twenty years. All of his work can be attributed to his defence coach. That's the beginning and end of his success. Supposedly an ideas man who will "get the backline going", he has regressed the Boks into the most one-dimensional and limited team in the top 15. That, despite a glut of talent at hand. Poor analytics, poor selections and far, far too conservative. 

When AO makes a comment just accept the exact opposite from what he comes up with is true. I did a real assessment of the coaches and it turns out that his hero Meyer was the bottom of the pile of coaches ever in SA,   The guy walked the plank at Stade Francais - he nearly destroyed  the club side  and was well on his way to do the same with  Springbok Rugby,    The audacity shown as to what he comes up with about Erasmus is limitless.   

There were very sound reasons for what I wrote about the assessment of the players mentioned as well.   However, AO is cowardly  as he would not make the a ssessment of potential results as well.   

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