I’ve just watched both semi-finals of the Currie Cup and walked away with some re-affirmed perceptions about SA rugby.
Province was pretty lucky to exit their match with a win while the Sharks was clearly the better team against the Bulls. Some stereotype ref watchers are whinging as usual about the ref and to be honest he had a bit of a mediocre day but to be fair the ref was not the difference between the two teams (Bulls vs Sharks).
The difference in both matches for me was the flyhalfs. The TVL Lions played a high tempo game and I thought their forwards were better in the mauls and at the collisions than the Western Province forwards but Jantjies was unable to general the game. This is a game that Gerald Bosch would have won for TVL in years gone by. Bondesio is the playmaker in that team and much of Jantjies so-called success is a result of Bondesio creating front foot ball for his team with sniping little bursts around the rucks, scrums and mauls and with his ability to pick runners and shift the ball to the right players.
Bondesio was miles better than any other No 9 playing in the semi-finals on the weekend. The Sharks No 9 (Reinach) has potential but is far from the finished product and I will not pull him -at this stage- into the Springbok touring squad.
Where Jantjies was unable to pilot the game Lambie on the other hand was outstanding in his ability to navigate the Sharks to a win under high pressure circumstances. Lambie’s line kicks and place kicks were excellent but it is his ability to read the game that makes him such and valuable player at No10. While Lambie stood out in the match Morné Steyn was hardly noticeable during the entire match.
Lambie’s talents are wasted on No15.
He is the playmaker SA needs in the pivotal flyhalf berth. I like the way Lambie tackles low on the ankles in the flyhalf channel and he is a far better defender in that position than back at No15.
Lambie and Goosen should in my books be the flyhalfs for the end of year tour (that is if Goosen recovers in time. If not I’ll even consider Peter Grant). Here specifically is what I like about Lambie as a flyhalf:
- He is unpredictable and constantly varies what he is doing;
- He reads the game and have an intuitive feeling for where to be, what to do and where to position himself (deep or flat) behind his pack;
- He defends well in the inside channel;
- His tactical kicking is great and he uses the kick as an attacking weapon and not as an option because he doesn’t know what to do with the ball;
- He is fast of the mark –probably the fastest of all the SA flyhalfs- and plays direct rugby;
- He attack space and know how to put his outside backs into space; Frans Steyn is going to be a real factor on 12 if he plays next to Lambie;
- His line kicks are excellent and he maintains a high percentage success rate as a place kicker and more importantly he can kick under pressure;
- He has a compact built with a low center of gravity with fast feet and an intuitive feeling for space and time which not only makes him the ideal flyhalf but also less prone for injury; Goosen needs to be nursed and Lambie is a type of player who can take the brunt while Goosen matures;
- He distributes well with both hands and;
- He has good hands in the sense that he catch difficult passes (high, low and behinds his back) and can make instant decisions on what to do with the ball if he receives a bad pass under pressure.
Lambie in short is a player around which countries like Wales, England, Australia and New Zealand will construct backlines and game plans.
Apart from the fact that Lambie stood out for me in the semi-finals I also noticed at least eight more things about SA rugby. This is eight essential ingredients of rugby teams that put us behind the ball game when it comes to New Zealand. This includes:
- No scrumhalf that stands out. Bondesio was, for me, the best of the four that played over the weekend but I am not sure if his kicking game is good enough. Reinach -the Sharks No 9- get a bit flustered under pressure and his kicking game is also suspect;
- We don’t have a real quality No8 in the country and as long as we lack a quality combo in 8 and 9 the Springboks will struggle to beat New Zealand. The Golden Lions No8 was better in the tight aspects of the game than Duane Vermeulen but his roaming ability and game reading skills have not stood out for me;
- A ball carrying, linking No 7 like Rob Louw is absent in our rugby. Our coaches have turned all our loose forwards into ‘fetchers’ and basher-ups. Our loose forwards are so part and parcel of set moves resolving around forming pods that they can’t play heads-up rugby anymore. Imagine Rob Louw playing for the current Stormers, Bulls or Lions. He will not fit. The only team that allows their loose forwards to play heads-up natural loose forward rugby is the Sharks hence the fact that Keegan Daniel has been nominated as SA player of the year;
- We lack a good No15. Zane Kirschner was probably the best on the weekend in that position with Louis Ludick not far behind but neither of them make me feel that they can create something from nothing like Christian Cullen, Isreal Dagg or Gysie Pienaar;
- A real inside center namely someone with speed of the mark, twinkle toes, fast hands, line breaking and offload ability who can put his outside backs into space is absent in the top teams. I’ve seen some players like that in the SA u/21 team and can’t wait for those youngsters to come through but have a feeling that they will be coached into stampkar cannon fodder by our top coaches;
- Classy outside centers with speed, an outside break, good decision making and who understands running lines like Conrad Smith is a real scarcity in SA teams;
- How I miss backline interplay in SA rugby like what the Samoans did against us during the RWC 2011 or like Brain O-Driscol and Jamie Roberts for the Lions in 2007;
- The Stormers and the Bulls are still struggling to shift from traditional 10-man forwards structured rugby to 15-man high tempo rugby. The Sharks and Golden Lions are getting better at playing the high tempo modern game but still lack something to become natural and fluid at it. That something -which is lacking- is having real playmakers in the key positions of 8, 9, 10, 12 and 15. More importantly the SA teams lack linking loose forwards that can intuitively switch from roaming/linking to playing tight as the situation demands like Kieran Read and McCaw.
Well that in short is my thoughts after having watched the weekend Currie Cup semi-finals. Hopefully Heynecke Meyer has noticed what Lambie can do at No10.
I disagree
First of WP dominated the mauls on the night and scored the match winning try by mauling more than 17 m.
The Lions dominated the scrums but thats expected the whole WP front row still qualifies to play u/21 rugby.
As for FH Elton had an off night with the boot. But that was because WP esp targeted him with their wings to cut down his time and space because a lot of the Lions attacking play surrounds around Jantjies.
As for Pat. He has had 2 good games. But his pack of forwards is so dominant at the moment that he has a world of time to do what he wants. This might not always be the case in the EOYT.
As for 9′s I agree we are struggling to find youngsters. But Pienaar is still a great SH. And then there is young Van Zyl who is injured.
It is always difficult to compare players at this time of year with so many injuries and player fatigue. We will have a better chance to see who is where at next seasons S15.
I also agree Lambie deserves some game time at 10 to see what he can do in green and gold.
Also have to agree that Ludick is on fire at 15. And if he does not lift Zane for the EOYT then I really doubt HM rugby brain.
Fair remarks.
WP had one good maul leading to a try. On average I would say it was a toss-up with regard to the mauls. Province maybe a bit better but I thought the Lions was better at the collisions and breakdowns as well as in the scrums. Not much to choose between the teams in terms of forwards play (rucks, line-out mauls, mauls in general, contest at the tackle and scrums).
The Lions overall had more flow with regard to phase play, I thought.
As for Elton. It was not so much his place kicking that I was dissapointed with it was the way he send his backline away. As an ex-flyhalf I was also not impressed with his option taking and his ability to run the game.
As for Ruan Pienaar. Yes he is a reasonable No9. I have always been a big Ruan supporter but Ruan has been far from a factor in the test matches this year. Not nippy enough and way to two dimensional. He either box kick or pass the ball to incoming runners. He is for sure the best we have but not in the class of Genia or Aaron Smith.
Ludick versus Sideshow Bob on the weekend is another toss-up for me. It depends what you look at I suppose. Neither of the two impressed me much on the weekend. Ludick maybe overall more of an attacking No15 than Sideshow but certainly not in the class of Isreal Dagg and/or Kurley Beale (at his best).
I feel we need some real flair in the back. Ludick probably deserve a change ahead of Sideshow and I would rather play him at 15 than Lambie as want to see Lambie at 10.
I disagree with your fullback comments and so would 99% of South Africans, Ludik was waaaaaay better than Zane Kirchener on the weekend and has been the form fullback in south africa the entire season
I’ve got nothing against Ludick and I’ll agree he is more of an attacking 15 than Zane. On the weekend it was a toss-up between the two for me. Ludick maybe hamperred by the wet conditions and the game plan (kick for territory).
Overall I don’t rate Ludick as being in the class of Isreal Dagg. I am longing for another Gysie Pienaar in SA rugby. At the moment Ludick would be a better choice for the EOYT than Sideshow Bob in my books.
How can he be hampered by wet conditions? thats ludicrous to suggest. it’s been raining in durban for most of the season and he has been outstanding in the rain.
OK sheriff I take note that you like Ludick. I simply have not seen enough CC matches to rave about him and he was not particularly outstanding during the S15. I am not saying he was bad during the S15 but that he did not stood out on that level this year.
As for hampered in the wet. The implication was not to suggest he is bad in wet weather more that wet under foot conditions does not allow for attacking rugby. There was a lot of kicking for territory in the match and Ludick did exactly what Zane did namely kick and chase. Did you notice the difference in speed between him and JP during one of those kick and chases. JP left him for dead. What does that say about his ability to be a world class 15 that can egnite his team?
yeah, ummm ok then, i can’t remember an occasion the entire match where Ludik duffed up under the high ball, his defensive was MILES ahead of Zane, it was like night and day. Ludik may not have the size or flair of the Aussies and AB (who you clearly admire…….ALOT) but right now, he is the best we got
I’ve not seen all the CC matches so far so my options are based on the games I saw on the weekend as well as what I saw during this years S15.
As for admiring the Aussies and AB fullbacks. It certainly is not a case of hero worship. More a case of looking at how the game evolve and what we need.
Ludick any day ahead of Sideshow Bob but he for me lack that special flair required to be an inspirational No15. I thought Sideshow Bob had one of his better games on the weekend and Ludick one of his average games. Not that Ludick was poor; he was on his average day still on par with Zane.
Make Hougaard a fullback,none of these other 15s have the real pace to be in the class of Cullen Daag etc real pace is what separates average from great as a counter attacker,sadly I feel we are losing Hougie somewhere,we need his running skills more than his average distribution skills,his box kick is not happening charged down twice crucialy on Saturday,with the way our backline drifts across field wing is not going to help him either,imagine him with 20yards in front of him and a licence to have a go,he has all the attributes of a great 15 but of course our conservative nature never allows for imagination.
Interesting thought line; Hougaard at 15. Not sure if he is tall enough he might get targeted with the high kick.
A tall wing like JP in the back three might help in such a case. Hougie will most certainly enjoy the space.
Great Post once again MC. I feel that:
Lambie was the best flyhalf and he is the answer at 10. He has once again proven that he has been wasted in the National Setup.
Ludik has been the in form fullback this year, and I won’t be surprised to see him have another great game.
Keegan will not win Sa player of the year because he was only used in 2 test. His nomination however is a indication of how he as player stepped up. We need players in that position to be thinkers.
Regarding the Nominations, it’s a shock to see Kolisi infront of Coetzee who has had a much better season in terms of workrate.
Daniel Leads the vote count on player of the tear so far, 20% to Daniel next best is Eben with 14%
At this stage we have nothing to loose lets see some thinking directed at player strengths and Hougaard is a broken play,space,one on one weapon ,one of our few X factor running threats but he is not used this way,I say put him there and let them kick it to him if they not pin point hes gonna hurt them I promise
I disagree with your assessment of Lambie. The Sharks have a mighty dominant forwards pack and anyway the Bulls are not the “team to beat” at the moment by any stretch – so no real test for Lambie. (your post also lost some credibility in MY opinion (we are all entitled to our opinions of course) when you said you would consider Peter Grant for EOYT).
All that aside, I would still give Lambie a shot at no 10 at the Boks. Goossen is still too young and needs 2 more years to mature in Super rugby. Just my 2 cents.
What exactly do you disagree with regarding my assessment of Lambie. In the end you agree that you’ll give Lambie a shot at 10. Why if you disagree with my assessment of Lambie?
I am not a particular big Peter Grant fan but he is an accurate place kicker, defends well and plays really well flat on the defensive line. Better option than Morne for the modern game and his style of play is also more compatable with Lambie. Janjies play a different style and that disturbs the sinchronicity in the back line. That is if you move from a flyhalf that attacks the line with speed (Lambie and Grant) to a flyhalf that plays more laterally on the defensive line. Jantjies receive the ball standing still or moving at a meduim pace forward and laterally. He drifts on the ball so that his straight runners can run off him. Totally different from what Goossen, Lambie and Grant is doing.
I would not play Jantjies as a replacement for either Goossen or Lambie. Janjies and Morne could work together as alternatives and that is probably what Heynceke is going to do and that would be the wrong way forward in my opinion.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. How in the world can you watch that match and think Zane was better than Ludik? Seriously now! Better runs, more focused and accurate kicking, all in all Ludik is a better attacking option at 15, considering that Taute’s performance is probably gonna be marred by his kick that cost the Lions the game.
Seriously bru this post is not about Zane vs Ludick. Ludick in this match was if better than Zane only slightly so. I thought the difference between them in this particular match was marginal. This single match does not provide strong enough evidence to state that Ludick is better than Zane; both had reasonable games. Over the entire CC compitition Ludick might have been better but that is not what the post was about. In the final analysis neither of the two excite me enough to think they will be outstanding Springbok fullbacks.
It’s a little hard to take an article like this seriously when the author can’t remember the name of the scrumhalf that he’s touting so highly. Bondesio. And no, he’s not Bok quality. He’s destined to be a journeyman and will likely play for the Lions for a long time.
With regards to flyhalf, I’m not so sure Lambie is the solution. Goosen is one of those once-a-generation players who oozes so much potential that you can’t even imagine him playing badly. He’s still young, inexperienced and a little inconsistent, but he’s also by far the best natural flyhalf SA has produced for many years. Jantjies is a great flyhalf when he’s on form, but when he’s having an off day, he’s horrendous. That’s the funny thing about Morne Steyn – he’s so invisible during the game, people forget how badly he can play unless he’s missing kicks. It’s all very well talking about how his last minute penalty won the game for SA, but no-one considers that we might not have needed that penalty had we had a decent playmaker at flyhalf setting up try scoring opportunities.
Lambie is a fantastic all-round player with more skill and ability than he knows what to do with, but I believe his place is at fullback and playing under a coach with the vision to actually use him. Under Heyneke Meyer, any fullback we have is going to just stand at the back and field kicks, a conservative role quite deserving of someone like Kirchner’s ability, but a criminal waste of talent for someone like Lambie. SA had the same problem towards the end of the 90′s, desperately looking for a decent flyhalf, until Mallet came along and started using plays that brought Montgomery into the backline. Suddenly we chalked up 18 (?) wins in a row.
Goosen at 10 and Lambie at 15 is where the future lies for Bok rugby, but it’s going to take an open-minded coach to make them realise their potential. Hopefully either Heyneke becomes that coach or we find that coach somewhere else. It’ll be such a terrible waste of potential if we keep playing conservative rugby.
If you read again you’ll notice that I say Bondesio was the best No9 on the weekend and then also state that we have a problem on No9.
That means I don’t think Bondesio is bok quality but he is the playmaker currently in the Lions team more so than Jantjies in the few matches I’ve seen.
Yes Goosen is a once in a lifetime player but young, inexperienced and prone to injury. My point is Lambie has a similar style on 10 and is therefore in my opinion our solution in 10.
I don’t think Lambie is a fullback. He haven’t had one decent test on fullback. He is not a 100 meter sprinter (which is what you need on fullback namely a player with speed over 100 meters) but a 30 to 50 meter sprinter. Fantastic acceleration over 30 meters, strong, quick hands and sharp brain. That’s a flyhalf not a fullback.
Lambie is wasted on 15. He’ll play his best rugby on 10 or 12.
Hougaard(15) will excite,whats to loose
Hahahahaha, you may be right. Certainly a worthwhile experiment.
Agree that one of our biggest issues is lack of quality fullbacks. Ludik and Kirchener are good CC/S15 fullbacks, but not good enough for top class international rugby. One of the big differances between NZ and us is that they develop talent much beter than us. We rather spoil the talent (Gaffie du Toit, F Hougard, R Pienaar, F Steyn, etc). We need a fullback that does the basics right, high ball, positional play, defence and kicking. We have a few that are reasonable in these area’s ,but not that adds the flair of a Cullen/Dagg and become game winners. I think we should develop the raw talent better. Willie le Roux is a good example. He has all the flair to create something from nothing, but lacks some of the basic fullback skills. What a great fullback will he be is he is coached well. My thoughts
Agree with most if not all your remarks. Our fullbacks play under instruction, kick and chase from behind or kick for touch.
Aplon has potential to be a lethal fullback if we can get our wings and centers to go and help at the back like the AB teams does. There is always a line in support to give the fullback options. That in short provide players like Dagg to play to his potential and to be everything he could be. SA fullbacks are left on their own at the back with the result that they become very conservative even fearful to try something from the back.
So yes we don’t develop our raw talent and those that came along like Brent Russell are rejected because they are to adventurous. So we end up with boring fullbacks.
Now you talking !!!For me I would be looking to work with these guys as potentially great 15s :Hougaard Le Roux Taute and if we ever find a proper 13 and if he returned Jacque Fourie,he was an unbelievable 15 in his youth,these type of guys are balls to the wall attackers can kick and excell with a bit of space..Ludik Zane Viljoen technically very sound but unfortunately one thing you cant coach is TRUE pace,Aplon has the pace but sadly for him as soon as you put a 72kg fullback there he will be completely targeted as he has been in the past
Keegan Daniel for Bok captain!!!! Lambie is the best No.10 in SA. They are arguably two of the best rugby minds in the country. Period.