DAVID SHAPSHAK & MWP, Johannesburg | Tuesday 1.15pm.
AXED Springbok captain Gary Teichmann, replaced on Monday by Joost van Der Westhuizen for the Tri-Nations and World Cup campaigns, still thinks he is capable of playing and leading at Test level.
“I’m obviously disappointed that I have not been considered for selection as a player and captain of the Bok team,” Teichmann said in a statement.
“Although it is apparent that I no longer fit in to the plans for the Tri-Nations and World Cup, I still believe I am capable of playing and captaining at Test level.” Teichmann, hailed as many in the past two years as the best eighth man in world rugby, has been dealt a cruel hand: with nine weeks before the World Cup, he is the sacrificial lamb in a major Springbok restructuring aimed at retaining the William Webb Ellis trophy.
Record defeats to Wales (their first victory over the Boks in 96 years), New Zealand (28-0, the worst Bok losing margin) and Australia (32-6, the highest Wallaby score) in the past month have forced coach Nick Mallett to take drastic action.
No longer guaranteed of a starting place in the Bok line-up, Mallett axed the 32-year-old Natalian from his 26-man squad for the two remaining Tri-Nations Tests and the World Cup in October.
“It was a very difficult decision for the selectors to make. But it was a decision we believe was unavoidable,” Mallett said.
“The captain of the Springbok team has to be an automatic selection in his position in the starting fifteen. Looking at our best possible loose forward combination at present we do not feel that Gary is an automatic choice.
Teichmann, 32, was capped 41 times and led the Springboks on a record 34 occasions. Successive injuries forced him to miss most of this year’s Super 12 and knocks to his knee in the first Italian Test in June, then in the Tri-Nations opener against New Zealand forced him out.
Still, Teichmann says he turned in good games: “Despite a run of injuries, I believe I had good performances in my last two Test matches.”
Mallett has recalled veterans from the 1995 World Cup campaign whop played in the Ellis Park final — Chris Rossouw, Brendan Venter and Ruben Kruger — as well as half back general Henry Honiball and Adrian Garvey. He also left out injured players Japie Mulder, Pieter Muller and Mark Andrews.
Bobby Skinstad, although having played only 30 minutes of Currie Cup rugby after a three month knee injury layoff, os Andre Vos are set to take over at the base of the scrum. — MWP
Squad:
Percy Montgomery, Breyton Paulse, Pieter Rossouw, Stefan Terblanche, Robbie Fleck, Deon Kayser, Brendan Venter, Gaffie du Toit, Henry Honiball, Andre Snyman, Joost van der Westhuizen (capt), Werner Swanepoel, Bob Skinstad, Johan Erasmus, Ruben Kruger, Andre Vos, Andre Venter, Selborne Boome, Krynauw Otto, Albert van den Berg, Cobus Visagie, Adrian Garvey, Naka Drotske, Chris Rossouw, Os du Randt, Ollie le Roux — MWP