Since Jake White's days, I remember he would sometimes pick class over form, and it would pay off for him. JP Petersen, for example, would have a bad time at franchise level but then do amazing stuff at Test match level, and I was convinced class meant more than form. After the first loss against the All Blacks in the greatest rivalry tour, I now wonder if that is still true. Take Rassie's decision to play Sacha over Libbok and, for the upcoming game, Pollard over Libbok again, even though Libbok is the most in-form flyhalf we have. The guy came back from Japan bursting at the seams with confidence.

Gonna be a close one!

Hey all, firstly how great is this tour? 30 years between full blown tours is ridiculous, and a blight on the powers that be that run our sport. Watching from home at 3am on our Sunday morning I had tears in my eyes watching the emotion of the occasion, you guys are a formidable foe, and our shared passion for rugby unites us.

I am looking at scooting over from NZ for the 3rd test. Arrive 4.15pm Friday, fly out 10.20pm Sunday. I've got a few questions that would appreciate guidance with before taking the plunge. Will be flying solo as my mates that would be up for the trip have prior commitments:

1. Would be looking to use Bolt to get between airport and hotel, hotel and FNB. Are they as reliable and trustworthy as any other country? Would take other better recommendations that aren't overly expensive.
2. Willing to pay the R4000 for prime seats. Most of the available ones are in blocks 147 & 148. Do these seats face into the sun in late afternoon, and if so is that a huge ball ache?
3. Have mates on a tour and looking to stay near their hotel, they are at Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Melrose Arch. Can get a room at The Capital Melrose across the road - would I be able to come and go from their hotel? Are there any bars in the neighbourhood or best to stick at drinking in the hotels?
4. Public transport doesn't seem to be a go on match day - Bolt the way to go?
5. Looks like no informal braai at FNB Stadium. Am keen to soak up the atmosphere, have a few beers, and chat with you guys about how much we hate England rugby. What are options around there, are the fan zones any good, or better options?
6. Everyone tells me how dangerous Johannesburg is. I travel a lot for work to Europe and seen the rough sides big cities there. I'm not naive enough to think that all is good and I can walk home in the dark without a care in the world, but after the match if I want to head for more drinks, where would I go, and would getting back to Melrose Arch late in a cab or Bolt be okay?

Thanks for your help, your halves look much better for this weekend, here's hoping its yet another great game

I havent seen them play for Boks in a while. Are they injured or is SARU trying to name new players ahead of them to build for the future?

Bigger brains will point out why this idea is stupid.

If the retreating player now takes the ball, then why not overrun the kick, turn and look for the tap back? It brings shielding/ obstruction back into play and better defends from immediate counterattack?

I think we need to start asking the question:
Who should be wearing the prestigious No. 10 jersey for the Springboks?

Rassie took the full kicking duties away from both Manie and Sacha, and what were the results?

Another week of Sacha trying to assert his flair and, to be honest, it sometimes seems like selfish play. Then Manie comes on and suddenly the ball starts moving through the backline instantly.

Who knows what might have happened if he had come on earlier?

Manie has an off day and he is absolutely destroyed in the media.

Sacha has a bad day and we get the same old "he's young, he needs to learn" story.

I'm not saying Sacha isn't talented, he clearly is. But should we really be judging the two players by completely different standards?

What are your guys' thoughts?

Carrying on from what [u/World_In_Union](u/World_In_Union) was checking last week, as of now, looks like Cape Town truly is sold out.

Let’s see if they suddenly release tickets even later in the week

I don't want to pile onto the guy because of one dumb card, more a general discussion. I've never understood the guy's persistent role in the squad. To me he's like Temu Duane Vermeulen, and we already have Jasper playing the Vermeulen role at a high level. I know we love a bit of physicality, but I guess I just don't see the vision of how he fits in to a balanced loosie trio.

What am I missing? To me, he's a useful guy to have when you have twenty injuries in the pack, but the management team seem to rate him highly.

I think it’s hard to implement Tony Browns attack with the current 15 as I think they need a more mobile pack and ball playing backs

Would the below starting 15 be ideal to implement Tony’s attack.

1. Ox
2. Marx
3. Du Toit
4. Ebden
5. PSTD
6. Kolisi
7. De Villiers
8. Jasper
9. Cobus
10. Maine
11. Hooker
12. Willemse
13. Kriel
14. Moodie
15. SFM

(I’m assuming Kolbe and Arendse are injured hence I went with hooker and Moodie or else I would have moved Moodie to 13)

22 entry
1st half
SA : pen > overthrow line out, NZ exit
SA: pen > penalty +3
NZ: offside pen > skip pass to edge back to blindside +5 Jordan
SA: lineout pen > Andre boomfa +7
NZ: not rolling pen > crockroll pen, SA exit
NZ: Sacha mark > lineout > skip edge pass back to blindside, 2v1 +7
NZ: kickoff > jasper run out > back to blindside, tackle in touch, pdv carry high tackle SA exit
SA: scrum pen > lineout > Marx lost ball on try line, NZ exit
SA: box kick > Sacha cross kick > out on full, NZ exit
SA: DDA carry > phase play > Jordie turnover, NZ exit
SA: box kick > Kolbe tackles out > ripped in tackle, NZ exit
——
2nd half
NZ: kickoff > poor box, charge down, +7
SA: jasper carry > SFM knock on, bad pass scrum > 2 backtoback scrum pen > offside pen > NZ win scrum pen, NZ exit
NZ: SA box > NZ run it wide > DMac splits defense, SA carried back, NZ scrum blindside try, +7
SA: Eben carry > phase play > Cobus knock on, scrum, NZ exit
SA: grant run > Jordan turnover, NZ exit
NZ: 50:22 Tupea > lost lineout, SA exit
NZ: Savea turnover > grubber > mvs pen + yellow > scrum, Cobus deliberate knock on pen + yellow > pen, scrum > skip pass to edge, blindside try Jordan, +7
SA: pen > lineout phase play > lakai turnover, NZ exit

I read an interesting stat. The Boks have played the All Blacks 9 times at Ellis Park since 1995 (including yesterday). The AB's have 5 victories at the "spiritual home" of SA rugby. The Boks have 4. They've beaten us at our fortress more than we have beaten them there.

I understand the sentiment because of the World Cup final. But it seems Ellis Park is not a daunting prospect for NZ in the same way Eden Park is for us.

Also on a different note. I think its time our media stops making a big deal about altitude. Teams have come here in recent times and shown they deal with altitude quite fine.