Springbok rugby icon Rob Louw believes that with some tweaks, the Springboks have the ability to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup to be held in England from 18 September.
RJ – What are your views on the current team heading into RWC15?
RL – I am positive, but do have some questions after the November internationals. Heyneke Meyer has been a bit inconsistent both in selection and his comments to the media. He made such a big deal of Handre Pollard, stating that he would become a Springbok great, but was dropped out of sight after the Ireland game. Some of his comments are not always logical. The Springboks need Willie Le Roux to add spark to their backline, but Meyer has been talking about bringing Zane Kirchner back into the squad. What should Le Roux think of that? The pressure will only increase, but I believe we can go all the way as we have the players and we can beat the All Blacks in England. Being able to select players who play their rugby outside of South Africa works for us. One thing I would like Meyer to do is put faith in Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit as the starting lock forwards, but keep Victor around to mentor them.
RJ – Are there any “special” players that Heyneke is missing out on?
RL – Juan de Jongh should be in the squad. He tackles, breaks the line and has vision. Meyer probably feels that his lack of bulk counts against him. Seabelo Senatla should also have been blooded during the November internationals. I would also like to see Heinrich Brussouw in the squad. Meyer likes big loose forwards to keep the set pieces powerful, but I would play him because there a a lot more breakdowns than lineouts and scrums.
RJ – How important do you think it is that Heyneke Meyer convinces Frans Steyn and Jacques Fourie to make themselves available for the Rugby World Cup?
RL – Definitely very important! The Springboks are a bit thin at centre right now, especially if Jean de Villiers does not recover from his knee injury in time.
RJ – What are your thoughts on issues such as technology/rules/scrums
RL – The rules are sometimes too grey. Rucks and scrums are too filled with penalties that could go either way and sometimes scrums are a guessing game. The 15-a-side game is sometimes too slow and because of the amount of tight phases, but the support world wide should remain about the same. I believe 7’s will grow significantly because it is quicker and shorter. Inclusion in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games should also make a significant impact on 7’s following. For the 15-a-side game, I hope for a more open game. It was great to see Western Province and the Golden Lions running the ball so much during the 2014 Currie Cup and I hope to see the Springboks adopting a similar style.
In case you missed part one of the interview with Rob, you can read it here.
Thank you for reading. Follow me on twitter @jordiesview. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LWOSWorld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
“Main Photo:”
