...has to be one of the great sights in the game. He is fast and quickly into his stride. When tackled he is probably one of the best at offloading. If this player can stay healthy, and he is joined by Etzebeth, the Stormers could yet come back from their early disappointments.
Agree Mozart. Bekker really played awesome rugby yesterday. He was everywhere and caused real problems for everyone in the Chiefs team. For example - he busted 7 tackles and made one major linebreak. I think that Etzebeth would be back within the next three weeks. Next week the Stormers has a bye and that means another two matches.
In the meantime Steenkamp was awesome in the line-outs yesterday, I think he was responsible for most of the lost line-outs by the Chiefs on their throw-ins. He is not a hardworking lock - but did more in line-outs than expected.
Poor Saffex - he must be sick around the stomach by now - Steenkamp is one of his pet hates.
Would be my Bok pairing as well, Moz.
What about that dummy and little step. The big man has good skills.
When he gets into space and starts moving like that, my eyes pop out of my head and I have to give my head a shake and remind myself that that is Bekker. He has serious skills and can move for such a big man. Just needs to stay healthy!
Mike. I think Steenkamp has played 2 good games this year. He has also not taken any stupid penalties which is a positive.
Canrugby
Steenkamp's line out play was phenominal. I lost count of the numbr of opposition balls he stole. I doubt not that he deserve accolades for his performance againt the Chiefs.
Steenkamp is useless, all he can do is take line-out balls which every lock is expected to do. He adds nothing in general play and is a liability in the scrum as he provides the engine room with no grunt. You dont see him on the field other than at line-out time.
Saying he is good because he takes line-out balls is like saying a flyhalf is good because he can kick for poles.
The Stormers have been hammered in the scrums because part of the reason is that they have lost their grunt player in Etzebeth. Steenkamp is a very average lock, not good enough for S15 rugby
I didn't think he played very well against the Sharks. Although the Stormers whole lineout was a mess that game. If he can keep this up for a couple more games though I will be pleased with his play.
When filling in for injured star players, you really need to just not make mistakes, don't take stupid penalties, and do your job well. Don't try to replace the injured player. I think he's done that fairly well so far.
Saffex.
I think that's what I'm saying. He can be good at times but overall he is average. Which is a whole lot better then bad......And who really could replce Etzebeth come scrum time? That's an impossible task. Steenkamp just needs to not do anything stupid out there, and make his tackles, and take his lineouts, and that really all we can ask.
He has been poor, the Stormers scrum has struggled as he lacks physicality, you never see him in general play and he has missed some tackles in the 3 games he has played.
The guy is poor just like his brother is for the Bulls.
You're talking like I'm defending the guy, Saff. LOL. All I'm saying is he's doing his best, and not making a mess of things. It's all that can be asked really from a bench player filling in for a star player. Who else would you like in that spot for Etzebeth?
Well for a start Coetzee cocked it up big time by overlooking the impressive Quinn Roux in favour of the average Steenkamp last season. Roux is now playing his rugby in Ireland. He was pretty close to Etzebeth, in fact he is bigger. He is a year older than Eben, stands 2m and weighs 125kg and a real hard nut. Coetzee woke up to his talents at the end of the season, but by then it was too late as Roux had signed for Leinster.
The Stormers have also signed Baby Bok, Ruan Botha, who is a better option than Steenkamp. If Botha was not the answer then Elstadt should have been moved to lock.
Agreed Etzebeth is irreplaceable, but Steenkamp is a poor attempt at getting close
Here is Etzebeth and Roux together
Elstadt is the only player I could think of. But then the flanks get botched. Or would you put Fourie at flank, and Liendeberg at hooker? Still, not as good as it could be. It will be a nice day when the Stormers scrum is fully healthy.
The Stormers scrum would be better with Elstadt at lock and Rhodes brought in on the flank, if Rhodes is fit. Also available is Armand who is a good player. No I would not move Fourie to flank as then you would have two light loosies in Fourie and Kolisi.
I would have brought Ruan Botha into the equation ahead of Steenkamp. Steenkamp would not even make my Stormers bench
Simple answer:
Kolisi needs to be replaced by Deon Fourie at 6.
Kolisi had his best game of the season over the weekend, but it was nothing compared to some of Deon Fouries performances last year at 6.
Twatbok your ignorance shines bright. Kolisi will play many tests for the Boks, Fourie wont play any. Therein lies the difference. Kolisi has the physicality to make an impression at test level, Fourie does not
Simple Saffex.
The only flankers playing rugby that only weigh 100kg's are excellant on the ground as fetchers, along with other seconday skills.
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Many backline players weigh over 100kg's, especially in New Zealand.
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At the height/weight of 100kg's, loose forward can not be allrounders, so they have to be very strong on the ground to make up for less contribution in the lineouts and as carriers.
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Brussouw and Deon Fourie are exceptional on the ground, as is Pocock. They are all very light for a loose forward. Being shorter/lighter can help a flanker be more effective as a fetcher, but does not make them a good fetcher alone.
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From what I have seen of Kolisi he is not a fetcher. Deon Fourie is, and he is also more physical than Kolisi.
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It is about combinations when building up a loose forward trio, not choosing your favourite young player.
If for example Spies and Alberts are chosen at 7 and 8,then the boks will need a specialist 6 opensider because Spies and Alberts are not effective on the ground.
However if a backrow is chosen of - 6 Schalk Burger, 7 Alberts and 8 Vermuelen - this is 2 allrounders, and one specialist carrrier (Alberts)- this does not require a specialist fetcher like.
Both Schalk and Vermuelen are effective on the ground as fetchers as as well as carriers, and both are tall enough/heavy enough to be effective on the lineouts, kickoffs, rolling mauls etc.
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Kolisi is not a specialist fetcher and at 100kg in weight/height he will is not physical enough at Test Level.
Keegan Daniel is in the same boat as Kolisi, although Keegan Daniel is a better player than Kolisi.
Twatbok, I have read some shit in my life but saying Fourie is more physical than Kolisi is laughable. Kolisi is a fetcher, what the hell was he doing on Sat, slowing possession down and contesting for the ball. The only thing Fourie does on the ground is illegal, giving away penalties at random. So according to your well informed take on fetchers, are fetchers only defined by the number of turnovers they execute?
Oh so if Schalk is playing who is going to be doing the workon the ground - allrounder my arse.
Kolisi will play many tests for the Boks, for the lad has that freakish ability to slip tackles and is powerful in the tackle. Add that to his speed to the breakdown where his contesting skills are up there with the best
The other day you said that Kolisi is a better player than what Schalk Burger was at the same age.
The same age that Schalk Burger won the international player of the year award, as a number6.
If you want to read shit, you should keep a record of all of your posts and then read them a few years later when a player is a little older and has fallen out of your favour.
You dont use the same criteria to measure the performance of a young player and an old player.
No one writes as much crap on this site as you.
I stand by that - Schalk has always been a good player, but special talent he has never been. Much of what Schalk does is abbrassive in your face stuff, body on the line - its not a skill thing and hardly difficult to replicate.
His skill level is on par with the likes of Alberts, Elstadt, Deysel, J.Potgieter, Vermeulen and Danie Russouw........players like Coetzee, Daniel, Botha, Kolisi and CJ Stander have better skill sets, they are better rugby players.
In the name of progression and the way the players have improved, the fact that Schalk won player of the year back then, does not mean he was a better player than the likes of Kolisi and co now. These kids are as good, if not better than Schalk was at the same age.
Right now, Schalk does not have a hope in hell of competing with these youngsters
