Rassie, please stop with the musical chairs - Pick your 33 and never make another 13 changes to your team

For the past seasons now we have seen Rassie talking about having 3 quality players in each position.

We have seen more matches being played, more caps being dished out and more players being overlooked for what ever reason.

Rassie likes to create stressful environments, but what do we lear from the this. The first time he did it was against Wales in the US, the game was a disgrace and we lost, but along this we also lost some quality players that Rassie simply just wrote off. The Du Preez spring to mind. Were they bad on the day, maybe, are they bad players, no. How did they play for their clubs, amazing.

I could forgive the first game, but I couldn't forgive the most recent disaster that happened in Perth. What an awful game, horrible spectacle of a game.

What did we learn, no matter how long players stay in camp, they will never be match ready. We saw this when super rugby teams let their test players have a rest period for 6 matches before they joined. They were rusty and looked poor. Players like Carter, even with his class, struggled to find the pace of the game.

We heard Allistair Coetzee go on about how well they trained and then got beaten by 50 points or losing to a team like Italy.

We saw Meyer talking about that they already decided the minutes and when a player is going to play, yet, we see this again with Rassie.

He is making all the same mistakes as his predecessor, BUT he is winning and SA is better for it.

The only thing that I believe is helping us is the fact that Rassie has now been 8 years in the role, he formed the Mobi unit and worked with our age group. We now see our under 20 winning world titles and those players come through the system.

His alignment camps are great and we see all players now understand what is expected of them.

But why put unprepared players on the field that hasn't played for 3 months or haven't played together.

We had the opportunity to release the fringe players to the unions and let them train for 2 weeks instead of being released on the last minute.

We had the ABs, why did we not arrange some SA A games, but when we do, we get Stick coaching them and they are players you would never see like we saw Vusi playing for the boks when he is clearly not ready.

But Rassie has never coached the A team. Always some quota coach.

Yet, he wants to throw caps away.

He really messed up on Friday, why did he select Jan Hendrik, Porthen, Louw, Van Staden, Mostert? Our pack was completely weak. He could have Stenekamp and Du Toit?
Where was Cam Hannekom or Roos? That would be a super fast back row with skill.

Why select Fassi and why select Pollard when Manie was doing the job to get the backline moving.

Rassie need to stick to 33 players and stop throwing test away and start coaching the A team and arrange more of these games if he wants to see how the players perform.

But ultimately, SA rugby need to stop arranging these useless matches.

Argetina, Baltimore and Perth in 6 weeks is a complete joke with an All Blacks test in the middle and in 3 games this season the boks looked disjointed.

Players need time together, not to be interchangeable. The theory is now proven to fail and that players need time of the field and time together

King corn at a superficial level you make sense but not where the bigger picture is concerned.
Lets run through it. Rassie wants three plyers in each position. Nice goal as players get injured or simply age or lose form.
I fully agree that having Steenkamp and Du Toit in the front row would make a difference. as would Manie at flyhalf as it looks like Pollard is now third string as are Portens and Wessels as props. Odly enough noth look like potentially great hookers. I love Portens pace and how he players outside the scrum. Look he is very young and may still make it as a tight head. But I digress.
He tested Mostert to see how he was and also gave Lood time as Nortje had to be rested. Neithe rof these two locks have payed for a while.
He tested Elrich Louw who played his heat out but doesn't really reach the level needed. Rassie wanted to see if two scavangers would be helpful and so Van Staden was selected.at number 8.
He tested Jantjes and gave time to Fassie and Horn.
So hat rassie dis was test what he third stringers are. Props - Wessels and Porten. Conclusion, nice nd mobile but NOT as yet dominant scrummagers (and unlikely to be so when RWC arrives?)
Both Lood and Mostert were not at a high enough level and Eben once gain had to play 80.
Elrich is third string and not quite up to it as a seven. Where to from here.
Herschel is third string at best. Morne is best followed by Williams. Reinach is to ponderous in getting the ball out and is low energy when compared to Morne. Faf should come back and what about Papier?
Pollard is now the third string flyhalf but may still have a role to play.
Esterhuizen has had many many chances at center. He should be start at loose forward or on the bench as a hybrid. Personally I think he could make a world class loosie and thankfully Rassie saw his potential as a loosie. Bit late in the day now. I would prefer AE at & to Elrich Louw.
So we see a number of third string players tested. The second string are guys whose places barring injury are assurred.
When one takes into account this was a brand new team with only Eben and Hooker from the last wee ab tests. When the bomb squad came on it took a bit of time to settle down. So all in all they didn't do too badly against an Oz team that is now looking pretty competitive. Look forward to the Bledisloe tests.
The third stringers were always going to be the difficult selection issue. Putting them on in numbers gave a better idea of how good they are right now. Are there better players to replace them or can they be got to the required level. Fortunately we have a brilliant coach in charge and I think he will get it right as he so often does.
Everyone agrees that after the RWC there will be quite few changes to the Bok squad. That shows we are in a very tricky situation right now.
Meanwhile a plea to all mamparas. Respect our coach who is so far ahead of you that it is hilarious. Rassie is a deep thinker way beyond you ken. You should surely know this by now! You can obviously have your opinion BUT respect our great coach.
Thanks.

Thanks old Been,

I really appreciate you taking the time to provide such a great response.

Just remember, these players have already have a minimum of 5 test under them.

The main question is should this be done at test level, why not arrange more A games?

We could have had two A test against NZ during the tour and not have such poor games against undercooked URC teams. Where most of these players weren't included.

Maybe not make 13 changes. If you want to play two fetchers, then focus on that area and not just have the loose forwards and props as a new group and some backup cover.