by Baylion
March 18, 2013 in Uncategorized
I said it before and I say it again – this youngster isn’t physically ready for senior rugby yet and he’s being broken.
and
No matter how many excuses people make that his injuries could have happened to anyone there is a serious problem here.
by Baylion
October 8, 2012 in Uncategorized
Goosen pulled up injured after about 20 minutes into the test against the All Blacks. The initial reports on his knee injury is that he may need surgery and will probably be out of rugby for the rest of the year. It took just 150 minutes of test rugby for Johan Goosen to break down (140 minutes if you consider that he was kept on the field, limping, for 10 minutes).
The powers that be will have to make a serious decision about this youngster’s future if they want to see him still play rugby in two or three year’s time.
In my post When will Johan Goosen break? I mentioned that in his short senior rugby career has has been subbed for injury in 37% of his matches, i.e. every third match on average. This just cannot continue.
But what to do?
The logical solution would be to allow him to only play u/21 rugby next year but this kid has tasted rugby at the highest level, how will he react to such a restriction?
Between the Bok management and the Cheetahs management they will have to look for a solution because if the Cheetahs continue to play him fulltime in Super Rugby and the Boks in tests his career isn’t going to last very long.
It will be a pity to see such a talent go to waste because of injury and mismanagement.
by Baylion
September 26, 2012 in Uncategorized
With Johan Goosen starting and Jantjies, Taute and Lambie on the bench we could just be seeing the start of a new era in Springbok rugby, provided that the bench players get reasonable time on the field of course.
But be that as it may, these four youngsters represent the future of Springbok rugby and it is up to them to grab this opportunity with both hands to ensure that the old guard is well and truly put out to pasture.
This group of youngsters provide the Springboks the opportunity to move forward and become one of the most exciting teams in world rugby as all four are x-factor players who can, once they settle in, take any team apart provided their forwards give them enough good ball, and we have the forwards who can do that.
Here’s to the new guard!
by Baylion
August 30, 2012 in Uncategorized
People often quote: “If you’re good enough you’re old enough” but surely some sense of responsibility needs to be shown by the men in charge?
Johan Goosen has played 10 Currie Cup games (nine in 2011) and nine Super Rugby games and so far he has been subbed injured seven times, twice he was out of rugby for a while, once for two weeks and once for four months. In 37% of the matches he played he was subbed injured!
Whether it was small injuries or not, whether he was replaced as a precautionary measure or not is irrelevant. Fact is, he was injured and in one stretch in the Currie Cup he had to be replaced three games in a row and two games later he was out for two weeks.
Now he has been called up into the Bok squad after returning from long-term injury and having played just 50 minutes of one Currie Cup match where he was clearly not match-fit yet. Does this indicate any concern for the player’s well-being?
While one kan take Naka Drotske’s concerns with a pinch of salt as he himself played Goosen through injuries it is no excuse for a Bok coach to ignore warnings about a player’s lack of match fitness, which clearly showed in his first game back, and is the height of selfishness and self-indulgence.
Surely it must be a matter of concern that a talented young flyhalf is being played into the ground before his career has really started?
by Baylion
August 25, 2012 in Uncategorized
I get the impression that size is more important than skill with Heyneke Meyer.
Flyhalf: At flyhalf Mornetjie is his blue-eyed boy while both Elton Jantjies and Pat Lambie warmed the bench in the last two tests without seeing a minute’s game time. In Jantjies’s case Mornetjie had a horrendous time on the field and later Meyer’s excuse was that it was the wrong time to bring Jantjies in for his first cap. I’m not sure what his excuse is for not giving Lambie game time.
However, everyone seem to expect HM to call up Johan Goosen shortly now that he’s fit, but then Goosen is much bigger than both Jantjies and Lambie and he will still gain some weight too.
Morné Steyn
HEIGHT 184 cm
WEIGHT 91 Kg
Elton Jantjies
HEIGHT 176 cm
WEIGHT 88 Kg
Johan Goosen
HEIGHT 184 cm
WEIGHT 87 Kg
Fullback: At fullback Meyer’s first choice in Zane Kirchner with Lambie as his backup. But then Kirchner is bigger than Lambie and it will be interesting to see how soon Heyeneke Meyer calls on Jaco Taute once he’s fit again, leaving Lambie out in the cold.
Zane Kirchner
HEIGHT 184 cm
WEIGHT 92 Kg
Pat Lambie
HEIGHT 177 cm
WEIGHT 87 Kg
Gio Aplon
HEIGHT 175 cm
WEIGHT 80 Kg
Jaco Taute
HEIGHT 187 cm
WEIGHT 95 Kg
Centre: Heyneke Meyer’s preference of JJ Engelbrecht over Juan de Jongh should come as no surprise – JJ is bigger.
JJ Engelbrecht
HEIGHT 190 cm
WEIGHT 94 Kg
Juan de Jongh
HEIGHT 177 cm
WEIGHT 84 Kg
Hookers: Funny enough, HM went against the trend to call up Craig Burden but considering the alternatives: Deon Fourie (smaller), Willie Wepener (not very good), Callie Visagie (injured) and Hercu Liebenberg (also not very good), he had no choice but now that Bandise Maku is back I’m sure he can expect a call-up soon if he shows that he’s match fit over the next two weeks.
Craig Burden
HEIGHT 184 cm
WEIGHT 98 Kg
Deon Fourie
HEIGHT 177 cm
WEIGHT 98 Kg
Bandise Maku
HEIGHT 183 cm
WEIGHT 104 Kg
So it seem size does matter to Heyneke Meyer.
Other positions:
Flanks: Surprisingly CJ Stander has not been called on but then, Jacques Potgieter is bigger.
Willem Alberts
HEIGHT 191 cm
WEIGHT 119 Kg
Marcell Coetzee
HEIGHT 190 cm
WEIGHT 106 Kg
Jacques Potgieter
HEIGHT 194 cm
WEIGHT 115 Kg
Heinrich Brussow
HEIGHT 181 cm
WEIGHT 102 Kg
Siya Kolisi
HEIGHT 186 cm
WEIGHT 99 Kg
CJ Stander
HEIGHT 190 cm
WEIGHT 106 Kg
Number 8: With Spies and Kankowski unavailable Duane Vermeule should be a shoe-in not that he’s back.
Pierre Spies
HEIGHT 194 cm
WEIGHT 108 Kg
Ryan Kankowski
HEIGHT 195 cm
WEIGHT 108 Kg
Keegan Daniel
HEIGHT 188 cm
WEIGHT 100 Kg
Ashley Johnson
HEIGHT 185 cm
WEIGHT 105 Kg
Duane Vermeulen
HEIGHT 193 cm
WEIGHT 108 Kg
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