Good day fellow bloggers,
There are a lot of opinions and matters being discussed on the blogs, which is not a bad thing at all, however, some points need to be put to rest, so I decided to gather a research team and attempt at doing that, Mythbusters style.
Let’s look at some myths lurking around the blogs:
- The Springboks have a one dimensional gameplan
- England actually jogged out in a purple kit
- Lambie is being coached out of his talent
- Bismarck du Plessis is our best hooker
The old unimaginative gameplan
A lot has been said about this, and I am going to take everybody’s arguments into consideration here, so here are the tests
Do the Springboks play forward based rugby – Yes
Does a backline player have to most running metres – No
Does the Springbok backline get enough ball – Thanks Met Uysh, the answer is No
Do the forwards dominate in rucks – Sadly, they are all in the backline waiting for the ball, so the answer again is No
Was there any flair from the team’s players – Only 4 out of 15 makes for a negative persentage so again No
Myth Status – Confirmed
England actually jogged out in a purple kit
Hahahahahaha, moffie poms, hahahahaha – Yes
Myth Status – Confirmed
Lambie is being coached out of his talent
Has he been playing the same attacking game he played in Super Rugby and Currie Cup – No
Has he been kicking the ball into the oppositions hands instead of gaining territory – Yes
Has he been standing 15 metres behind the scrum where Steyn’s X marks the spot – Yes
Does he look comfortable with a tactical game instead of attacking game – No
Will the reports of HM giving him free range to step up to the plate and play his own game – Unfortunately it’s a No, yes it was raining, but Lambie was lost in the first half and only made a couple of showings.
Myth Status – Confirmed
Bismarck du Plessis is our best hooker
This myth calls for a table structure so we can scientifically determine the outcome of this highly debatable subject
| Player | du Plessis | Strauss | Liebenberg | Ralepelle |
| Powerful | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ball turnover ability | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership experience | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Red/Yellow Card prone | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Penalty machine | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Injury in this season | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Had the most metres gained in a game | No | Yes | No | No |
| Leads Provincial/Super squad | No | Yes | No | No |
Well, according to our researchers, things are looking like a draw on strongpoints and less likely on weak points.
Strauss seems to be in the lead and he is making the most of his opportunity.
Myth Status – Still undicided
Please feel free to discuss what our researchers have found and also mention any other myths you want investigated.
Peace!
Okay just go and do an analysis on Jean De Villiers. He was “injury prone” in your terms and now he never seems to get injured!
Jean is the perfect example of people branding a player too soon. I mean really have a look at Goosens injuries, not how many but how they were caused?
Loving all of this! Ideally I would have liked both Strauss and Bissie in the team, but yeah that not’s not going to happen unless we convert one of them into a blindside flanker. Strauss is probably fast enough… Plausible? Lol sorry just had to chuck in my two pennies.
Doubt that will happen though, we have more than enough talent from 6 to 8.
On the other hand though, I would like it, Bismarck for the physicality, and Strauss captaining from the front – Very Plausible!
Nice post Haasie
One thing is for certain with regard to the “Best Hooker” myth. The odds are pretty damn good it’s an Old Grey boy
Haha, I am pleased with him just being from the Free State.
Good post, except for your Bismark thing, thats pathetic, you can’t base those silly stats on anything
Bismark is not only our best hooker but the best hooker in world rugby
Changed the researches conclusion, Bismarck is a great hooker, but what has Strauss done wrong since replacing him?
One important thing that your stats are missing with the hooker comparison is line-out accuracy. I am a fan of all 3 the top hookers, Bismarck, Strauss and Chilly, but only Strauss has the accuracy. Bismarck has had some pretty off-days in terms of that, but he brings the other aspects you mentioned. Leadership ability Bizzie does not have though.
That is where my point actually hits, who will lead the Boks come 2013?
If we go down the list of a potential (crowd favorite based) Bok team to the next RWC I only see individuals and very few potential captains:
Forwards Pack potential leaders: Flo, Juandre Kruger (if Bekker don’t stop injuring his back on those female student res beds, Juandre will be the go to #5), Spies (coach’s fav, not mine)
Backs: No one –
Houghaardt (?) – individual
Goosen, Lambie, Jantjes – individual
Frans Steyn – individual
Juan de Jongh – individual
JPP or Mvovo – individual
Habana, Rhule – individuals
Taute, Kirchner (CF) – individuals
So only out of the forwards a leader can arise, but the future looks as scabby as athlete’s nipple. May be as painful as well…
Apologies, I could have posted a whole new blog on that, hahahaha
Exactly, if Bismarck is to play, Spies will be captain, If Strauss is to play, he will be my first and probably only choice as captain. Here we go again, Smit over du Plessis for the greater good of the boks turned into Strauss/du Plessis
No worries bud, there will probably be 90 blogs about this come May 2013.
I never said Strauss did anything wrong, Bismark is just better
At what?
Strauss throws in accurately to lineouts, tackles, runs and steals balls.
at everything
HAHA, that then settles it I guess
Another myth is this injury proneness that some guys feel so strongly about! If a guy has bad luck in terms off falling bad or illegaly tackled and getting injured due to it, they shout injury prone!
Coming back to your point I think Bismarck is our best hooker, his presence in the team is already a big boost. Adriaan is not far off but not the same league as Bissie.
Just because a guy gets replaced because of injury in 37% of his matches he’s not injury prone?
Agreed Bismarck brings intensity, but Strauss bring a cool head and leadership. Bismarck will probably be our hooker but that leaves Louw as our other Captain option, do we want a player who applies his trade in another country leading our National squad?
Are we talking about Goosen here?
Actually Dan Carter as missed whole seasons and a World Cup through injuries – nobody saw any issues with that…
Hundred percent true
Carter is 30 years old and has played 93 tests in 10 years averaging 9 p.a. His lowest # of tests was last year – 6
In that time he also played 103 Super Rugby games, averaging 10 p.a.
Goosen is 20 years old and in his second year of senior rugby (counting a few CC games in 2011) and has been replaced injured 8 times already and has missed 7 Super Rugby games and 3 tests due to injury.
The warning signs are there whether you want to admit it or not. Let’s hope he can play a full year next year.
yes there is warning signs, but he is not injury prone. This is his first season at the highest level. Give him a year, if you are proven to be correct I will admit it. But untill he plays another season its too soon to brand a player as injury prone. Due to the way the injuries was caused and his age.
Jip, sorry about that long post I’m starting to get gatvol of this now.
Don’t apologise Guntz, stating your point is stating your point. My advise, let them be, Goosen will do the talking on the field.
Okay Bay, you said a player should be managed. So a 19year old gets replaced after playing 60minutes because of suspecting a injury? not having a injury.
Goosen had 3 major injuries, I am a close follower off Goosen since I saw him at craven week. First injury was a concussion caused by your beloved Jantjies going high on him, actually a flippen horrible piece of tackling! Then he was managed the next few games to not overplay the concussion which can lead to more serious problems (remember recently about a young bulls prop who passed away due to a knock on the head?).
Then he played against the landers, fell very akwardly while scoring a try, anyone who would fall like that with a player on your back would get injured no matter how strong your arm is.
The third one, a guy twice the size of you fall on your knee while you cant move your leg because you are at the bottom of a ruck would cause damage to anyone.
Injury prone se gat man.
Maybe you should watch the games he played and see what the guy can do and why some teams play the Cheetahs differently when he is on than trying to make him sound crap in favour of Jantjies who will never ever make teams change the way they play because of him.
I’m not arguing that he has potential and I’m not arguing that he has a big boot. I’m saying that he doesn’t seem ready physically. Whether you want to accept it or not, when a player is replaced injured 8 times in a year the warning lights must flash, especially when he is still a youngster at the start of his career.
A number of the current crop of youngsters started at about the same age as him and none of them seem to have the this problem – Lambie, Taute, Jantjies, Marcell Coetzee, Etzebeth, Kitshoff to name a few. Yes, some had injuries but not every third game on average.
Young players who struggle with injuries careers’ get delayed, cut short or never really get off the ground – Lionel Cronje, van Aswegen, Mapoe, Waylon Murray as examples
Ball turnover ability must go to Bismarck over Adriaan, the stats prove it.
The question is: Do you want a hooker who does the hard graft in the rucks and mauls or a hooker who thinks he should play like a loosie?
How about a Hooker than can do both?
Bismarck is a fetcher, Adriaan is a ball carrier. Simple as that. Which is why there is space for both of them and depending on the opposition and game plan on the day.
We have to many forwards as ball carriers as it is an not enough to do the hard graft, which is one reason why Flo has had such success this year.
Can’t argue with that.
Question is though, how many fetchers is enough? Do we go for a Minnie/Brussouw/Coetzee / Flo / Spies/Alberts loose trio, where the nr 8 can carry and the rest can retain ball?