How well we remember the Sharks debut of Frans Steyn in the wet of King’s Park all those years ago.

Even then, nine long years ago, he played with a swagger. A year later, he was hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup high on a cool Paris night.

Steyn was the baby of that World Cup team, but he played with an authority and assurance that belied his years. He was every inch a Springbok and, as subsequent seasons demonstrated, one who was determined to hang about.

The lesson in Steyn’s selection, and it is one that Heyneke Meyer must consider, is that you need to accommodate the tyros. Yes, even at World Cups. Perhaps even especially at World Cups.

These are the players still wet behind the players, but possessed of the qualities you require in every big-name player. They aren’t swamped by the occasion, their talent runs deep and as youngsters they offer boundless energy and enthusiasm.

You don’t pack your team with them either. There’s little to beat experience, especially at big events, plus the hardebaarde are important too. They show the youngsters the way.

Meyer is conservative by nature, but he is going to have a tough time leaving out either Jesse Kriel or Vincent Koch.

Kriel learned his rugby at Maritzburg College, but has really hit his straps at the Bulls. Fears that the Pretoria union would curb his instincts have proven unfounded. The 21-year-old has revelled in the space and opportunity offered at fullback and is South Africa’s form No 15.

I keep waiting for him to do something stupid because he’s so young, but all he does is get better. He’s fearless and fast and gives the Bulls an attacking edge they have sorely lacked. It is encouraging that he has also spoken confidently of his ambitions. None of this ambivalent guff about doing your best. “I want to go the World Cup,” he boldly stated last week.

He has confidence in spades.

Ironically, Koch slipped through the net at the Bulls. Normally astute at identifying raw talent, the Bulls let him go after he had played age-group rugby for the union. He ended up at the Pumas where he fast earned a reputation for powerful scrummaging at tighthead.

The Stormers soon spotted a good thing and lured him to Cape Town. It was a risky move given the sad state of the Stormers pack in recent years, but Koch instantly offered it power and stability. They now have one of the best packs in the tournament.

It’s been years since South Africa boasted a real beast in the No 3 jersey, someone able to rattle the opposition’s cage. But Koch looks like he could be that man.

The Empangeni-born brute is still just 25, which is young for a prop, and ought to get even better the more he plays in higher company. Unlike other players, who are required to do so much in the modern game, all you really want from a tighthead is to scrum like a bulldozer. The 1118kg Koch is that man.

The pair’s selection also wouldn’t be the big risk it may seem. There are enough soft games in the World Cup to put them in and see how they go. No-one reasonably expects Koch to start ahead of Jannie du Plessis in a major Test match, but he would be ideal insurance as back-up or a substitute on the bench. Of course, if Du Plessis were to be injured, Koch would have to step into the breach. But not once in this Super Rugby season has he looked out of his depth against the marauders from New Zealand or the cunning Australian front rankers.

As the season wears on, it’s obvious that Meyer may be forced his hand due to the mounting injuries. The relentless battering that modern-day rugby exacts is evident on the sidelines at every training session. Assorted players limp along, bandaged and bruised, seemingly accepting of the occupational hazards associated with their job.

It probably means that the World Cup squad Meyer wants isn’t the one he will finally select. Happily, Kriel and Koch offer compelling options. – © Sunday Tribune