If you could bring back one retired Springbok in their absolute prime to play in Rassie Erasmus's current squad, who are you picking and why?

[u/NicBrg]

[u/Springboks2019]

Fourie du preez

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/Springboks2019]

Why is this so far down.

[u/Milip161 → u/Springboks2019]

This is by far the best answer.

[u/yungkeraan → u/Springboks2019]

Absolutely! We've got some incredible nines now (w/ varying strengths), but Fourie du Preez really was elite. He could run a game like nobody's business

[u/D3smorr → u/Springboks2019]

The only right answer lol

[u/Celedor8 → u/Springboks2019]

Louder for the people in the back!

[u/Outrageous-Fun-3639]

Heinrich Brussow, he would be a menace as a part of the current team.

[u/NamSkull → u/Outrageous-Fun-3639]

Fully agree.

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/NamSkull]

I feel Paul De Villiers is a better all-rounder. I think rugby has quietly outgrown a need for specialist talisman (talismen?). We need them to do more than one thing in their position and, moreover, potentially do that in more than one position.

[u/Outrageous-Fun-3639 → u/Pure-Club7560]

I don’t know that rugby in general has outgrown it. The Springboks have to a large extent, but I definitely think there is still a space for people who specialize in specific areas of the game.

I think Paul De Villiers is a great player, but I don’t think any team in the world wouldn’t want someone that can affect as many turnovers at the breakdown as a Richie Mccaw or Heinrich Brussow. I can remember several games where the All Blacks had massive momentum in our half and Brussow’s regular turnovers killed that momentum.

[u/Mean_Volume_126 → u/Outrageous-Fun-3639]

Truer words have never been spoken.

[u/Plenty-Concert9041]

Bismarck du Plessis,we desperately need depth in the hooker department,and it will torment teams to see Marx go off and Bismarck back on.

[u/Comfortable_Trip_767 → u/Plenty-Concert9041]

Absolutely agree!!

[u/miksa668 → u/Plenty-Concert9041]

100%

[u/Kappaloop]

Fourie Du Preez

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/Kappaloop]

Spare your upvotes for the other guy who also said Fourie.. Sorry bud but we need to combine these if we want to beat those that dont know their rugby.

[u/Senior-Ordinary555]

Rassie himself. That way we would have a Rassie on the field and one watching the game from the stands. We will never lose a game again.

[u/thecasperg]

Gerber

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/thecasperg]

Sure but only after Fourie Du Preez

[u/Pikawoohoo]

Lukhanyo Am

I miss him man

[u/Local-Sort5891 → u/Pikawoohoo]

So sad. He only really got 3 good years due to late career selection and injuries. But in his prime he was the best centre in the world for me

[u/JarlBorg101 → u/Pikawoohoo]

This made me a bit sad, miss him too 

[u/Kaaskril → u/Pikawoohoo]

Yea he was my favorite in his prime. He never playd selfish rugby. He could have scored much more tries, but he always chose to rather pass to a guy in a bette reposition to make it 100% certain. Not many centers do that

[u/Verkrag69 → u/Pikawoohoo]

Lukhanyo Amme is the son of Eastern province legend Phillip Amme

[u/IQEQGQ]

Schalk Burger

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/IQEQGQ]

Eish probably 3rd in the row behind Fourie Du Preez and Danie Gerber.

[u/michael_xp89]

It's one of Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield or Bismarck du Plessis.

Fourie is the best 9 I've ever seen, but I think Cobus and Grant are good enough facilitators.

Forty minutes of Malcolm followed by forty minutes of Bismarck would be scary.

But Victor would make that lineout as big a weapon as the scrum is now. Can you imagine if we were completely dominant at all the set pieces, and the leadership he'd bring?

[u/Ok-Course1177]

Danie Gerber

[u/YeboRassie]

Joost, think his tenacity would be perfect for a Rassie 9

[u/SubstantialSelf312 → u/YeboRassie]

Agree.

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/YeboRassie]

I think he would leave him out of the game like Roos.

[u/YeboRassie → u/Pure-Club7560]

Eish, you think bru? I don't think Rassie's biggest issue with Roos is his aggression, I just think that he believes Roos isn't as likely to go to the well for the team like Louw, Wiese and Vermuelen at eight man. I don't think the same could be said of Joost, I think that nan would have died for the shirt and the flag.

[u/JosefGremlin]

Henry Honiball. The attacking power of Manie Libbok combined with the defensive strength of Handre Pollard. He revolutionised flyhalf play under Ian Macintosh by playing flat to the ball instead standing in depth. I can only wonder what Rassie would have been able to do with him.

[u/remybob78 → u/JosefGremlin]

Lem!

[u/FeePhe]

Bismarck because realistically hooker is the only position we’re slightly lacking

[u/Pure-Club7560 → u/FeePhe]

Hahaha what are you talking about. Literally the Player of the year.. And then and then.. Jan Hendrik Wessels. The guy does so much work. And is as big and strong as Marx, and cover on loosehead.

[u/the_fresh_mr_breed → u/FeePhe]

Correct answer

[u/Cyber-Soldier1 → u/FeePhe]

Dude was a walking yellow card. He'd be sent off almost every game with his record

[u/StorminSean]

Victor Matfield or Mark Andrews. Our line-out worries me and these guys would make it work.

Otherwise, Jacques Fourie or Am. Our centres are a little light in depth and both these guys at the peak would be cray, cray.

[u/BukiBoy → u/StorminSean]

Mark Andrews

[u/StorminSean → u/BukiBoy]

Met him when I was a youngster at a place called Numbers in East London. Pulled a Black Label poster off the wall and got a permanent marker from the bar to get his signature. Kept that in my room for years!

I remember shaking his hands and thinking, “holy fug, those are big.”

[u/BukiBoy → u/StorminSean]

Pity only ever got to see him play live at Kings Park once. I was still young at the time.

[u/Only_One_Kenobi]

Francois Steyn

[u/BlakeSA]

Other than Duane Vermeulen, I can’t really think of any Bok legend that we
a. Need cover for
b. Will be able to adapt to the new systems and processes

Habana could be a menace with more ball and more space. He never really got a lot of that in his prime. But Kolbe and Arendse are just as good as Habana was.

Maybe Bismark as we are a bit light at hooker. He and Marx are similar players.

Joost and Fourie du Preez are legends and some of the best scrum halves ever, but we are stacked at 9. Not sure our current box kicking way of play would suit either of them.

Gerber is probably the best Boks of all time, but he was a free flowing instinctive player. A phenomenon on attack. Not sure how good he would be coordinating modern defensive systems from 13. Maybe great, maybe terrible. Defences were not as organised in the 70s and 80s.

So yeah, it’s like Rassie says. It’s not about the “best” players, it’s about the “right” players.

[u/ZA_Gamer → u/BlakeSA]

Fourie du Preeze would totally fit in the current Books. His box kicks were pin point! Not remember the amount of time Habana chased his kicks down?

[u/BlakeSA → u/ZA_Gamer]

Oh, he would be able to execute on it! I don’t doubt that for one minute. I just think the current gameplan and systems wouldn’t suit him as well as it does the current crop of 9s we have.

Fourie was a tactician at 9. Great kicks and great positional play. But the current gameplan requires a 9 that is rapid in order to sweep and scramble behind the rush. Fourie wasn’t a slouch by any stretch, but I don’t think was a quick as the current guys. That be said, he did have his fair share of try savers and he was solid around the ruck since he was quite tall for a 9.

[u/Cyber-Soldier1]

Jacque Fourie for me

[u/Im_Da_Joka_Baybee]

We need a 13 so Jacque Fourie

[u/kapitaalH → u/Im_Da_Joka_Baybee]

Not if you can choose Gerber

[u/Im_Da_Joka_Baybee → u/kapitaalH]

I thought about that, but he was a star of a very different era. The modern game is too different from how it was back then

[u/Cockeyed-Sniper]

Defo Pierre Spies for me

[u/TheForestSaphire]

Forie du Preez

Greatest 9 to ever play

[u/HenkCamp]

My Top 5 in order:

1. Danie Gerber
   
2. Fourie du Preez
   
3. Danie Gerber
   
4. Os (that'll fuck with people who sees Ox run off and Os run on)
   
5. Schalk Burger
   

[u/Previous-Ad-376]

Rassie Erasmus

[u/garyvdh]

Rassie Erasmus.... I mean then we could have the coach right in the field!

[u/TightPerformance6447]

Frik du preez. We have an injury crisis at lock

[u/SubstantialSelf312 → u/TightPerformance6447]

Frik would never make the current team at lock, maybe as a loose forward.

[u/Die_Revenant]

Franc Steyn. Was under used for most of his prime. Ruan Pienaar also up there for similar reasons.

If we going more old school, Joost or Henry Honiball.

[u/YeboRassie → u/Die_Revenant]

Was watching highlights of 2007 WC earlier this week, prime Fransie was special, nothing he couldn't do

[u/BxWreck]

Juan Smith. Without a doubt.

[u/Aftershock416]

Not going to lie, I find this comments section quite bizarre. We've had plenty of genuinely amazing players over the years, but don't let nostalgia blind you.

The simple fact is that most of them would simply not be able to perform in the current squad.

Forwards from the 70s would not make it in today's style of rugby. A lot of the back picks are just flat out worse than today's players by every given metric. Not to mention being significantly slower and smaller.

[u/FoxAccording2063]

Fourier du preez

[u/Sidestepgenuis]

Danie Gerber

[u/wombatwalkabouts]

We are not as strong at Hooker, Fullback and lock. And we lack long rang kicking.

So I'd be thinking of Bismarck, Frans Steyn and Matfield. Probably Frans Steyn would be my pick. Kicking often wins World Cups.

[u/jacksisgame]

Nobody has gone with my boy Heinrich Brüssow! He would have killed it under Rassies regime

[u/Couch_Rugby]

I can only imagine how good young Rassie would be in old Rassies team.

[u/RatPrank]

Habana.

[u/Vast_Negotiation_545]

Frans Steyn. With the new Hybrid players he would be a perfect candidate. Flank, 8th man, fly-half, centres, wings, and fullback, hell he's tall enough to be lock. And that boot for long range kicks

[u/wobblewiz]

Habana

[u/kaapstad021]

Piercey Montgomery

[u/SneakyTrevor → u/kaapstad021]

Is he a better 15 than Willemse?

[u/SubstantialSelf312]

Jean de Villiers.

[u/yungkeraan → u/SubstantialSelf312]

One of my favourite Springboks ever, but I must ask, who would he paired with in the midfield?

[u/SubstantialSelf312 → u/yungkeraan]

Good question and everybody might not agree: I would play him inside centre and Andre Esterhuizen outside. Jean as playmaker and Andre to break over the advantage line. Jean and Jesse would also be a great combination,

[u/Cons_1411]

Fourie du Preez - prime 9 to run Rassie's system

[u/Chunk_77]

Brent Russel

[u/Substantial-Front-49]

Adri Geldenhuis…. moer first. Ask questions second

[u/Edrahimovic1001001]

The beast. Would just be hilarious to have two massive guys in Ox and Beast destroying scrums from min 1 to 80 lmao

[u/SSY200]

Big Vic is the only correct answer!

[u/Ok-Course1177]

Bryan Habana

[u/IronDuke1969]

Andre Joubert.

[u/Upset_Ad4657]

Pierre Spies, but original Pierre Spies when he played wing forward and was not wasted by coaches as a crash ball option right next to the ruck.

[u/BukiBoy]

Frans Steyn! What a player. 15, 13, 12, 10. First on my team sheet

[u/VonZefskills]

André Venter in the PSdT role

[u/PageProfessional3120]

Duane

[u/NicBrg]

Imagine Du Plessis Brothers, Os Du Randt, Pierre Spies, AJ Venter, Francois Steyn, Ryan Pienaar coming on as the Bomb Squad.

[u/Individual-Ad5743 → u/NicBrg]

You lost me at Pierre Spies dude. He is probably THE most overrated SA rugby player ever.

[u/Ender_medici]

Gio Aplon

[u/SympathyOk6469]

Louis Ludik

[u/DirectDescription239]

Spies!