Back to the future...

If you stop to think about all the achievements that the Springboks have had and then think about the ages of the players, it's startling to think how young they really are! Everyone knows and speaks about how the current crop can all play through to the world cup, but if you actually think of the amount of experience they will have it becomes scary!

I looked at the ages of the current Bok squad and a few possibles for the next few years. Have a look at the table and you'll see how young they'll still be at the next world cup! The first column is their current age and the second column their age by October 2011.

		2009	2011
1	Mtawarira	24	26
2	B. du Plessis	25	27
3	Smit	31	33
4	Botha	30	32
5	Matfield	32	34
6	Brussow	23	25
7	Smith	28	30
8	Spies	24	26
9	du Preez	27	29
10	M. Steyn	25	27
11	Habana	26	28
12	de Villiers	28	30
13	Fourie	26	28
14	Ndungane	28	30
15	Pienaar	25	27
16	J. du Plessis	27	29
17	Ralepelle	23	25
18	Russouw	31	33
19	Burger	26	28
20	Januarie	27	29
21	F.Steyn	22	24
22	Jacobs	29	31
	Squad
	Pietersen	23	25
	Bekker	26	28
	Kankowski	24	26
	Olivier	26	28
	Possibles
	Steenkamp	28	30
	vd Linde	29	31
	BJ Botha	29	31
	Muller	29	31
	Sykes	25	27
	Potgieter	22	24
	Kirchner	25	27
	James	30	32
	Nokwe	28	30
	Chavhanga	26	28
	Deysel	24	26

I have left out some players that might make their mark in the next 2 years. Obviously, there are also those Heinrich Brussow's that will bounce onto the scene.

Take a look at their ages, think about your age in comparison and how young this side is and how much they can still achieve!

Bring on Saturday! Go Bokke!

Weilding the axe and covering the wounds

Jaque Fourie will make his 50th appearance for the Springboks when he runs out for them on Saturday!

Fourie is one of the most talented midfield players in the world. He runs excellent lines, is strong on his feet, has great pace and is solid on defence. His partnership with Jean de Villiers is globally feared and I believe Fourie is the greatest outside centre South Africa has produced. People may argue that there are other legends that were better than Fourie, I disagree.

The teams for Saturday's test have been announced and we have no real surprises. Robbie Deans has wielded the axe by making 5 changes to his side and is seemingly still looking to find the answers to winning rugby matches for Australia.

Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers, has merely tried to bring in cover for the wounded Boks that have returned home.

Ndungane gets a rare start in place of JP Pietersen and Danie Russouw comes in for Bekker on the bench. Johan Muller has also been flown in in case Bakkies Botha's mild injury flares up. Ndungane will not disappoint and is sure to be solid for South Africa. Danie Russouw would start for any other international team.

Stopping the Springbok machine is not impossible but highly unlikely given the number of changes and the contrasting tempos. Yes, the Boks only won by 7 points, but the scoreline flattered the hosts and John Smit would be disappointed that his team conceded those late tries.

The Boks will be looking for a much more polished performance, especially in the last 20 minutes of the game. The mathematics remain simple, win this test match and the Tri Nations is in the bag.

Go Bokke!

Links to the teams for Saturday on SARugby.com:

Springboks

Wallabies