So at the start of February we are still six months away from Test Rugby. Many things including injuries can change the picture in that time, but it’s always interesting to get a sense of where things are. So here are my picks with ratings a) absolute best choice b) very likely choice c) debatable.
Willemse b
Kolbe a
Moody c
Esterhozen b
Edwil c
Sacha a
Williams c
Ox b
Marx a
Wilco b
Etzebeth a
Nortje b
De Villiers c
Ruan Venter c
Wiese a
Just a joke again. The nex t tes sfries start in July and you have not seen any of the foreign-based players play.
Excellent contribution Clever…well done.
It's nuts to look through that list and realise most of those guys would be hard As for most other teams.
I really hope Venter kicks on this year cos he could be a banker for the next 8 years if he does. Honestly, I'd be surprised if Rassie doesn't pick him.
I'd put Hozen in the A category because I think this hybrid thing turned out better than Rassie ever dreamed and I doubt he would ever want to leave home without him at this point.
...and we need an A+ category to put Wiese into haha
A+ Category - Spend all available resources to clone him ASAP
15 Fassi (a)
14 Kolbe (a)
13 Hooker (c)
12 Willemse (a)
11 Arendse (a)
10 Sacha (a)
9 Williams (a)
8 Roos (c)
7 PSdT (a)
6 Siya (a)
5 Nortje (b)
4 Eben (a)
3 Wilco (b)
2 Marx (a)
1 Ox (a)
PS AE would be on my bench, not as any kind of hybrid player but as the 2nd best #12 we have.
PPS If PSdT is not part of this conversation because of his upcoming surgery, you can put almost any name there with a (c)
Sasha right now is dropping fast in terms of his actual on field performance.
That said, he kept the Stormers in the hunt with some massive kicks but he is still not up where we need him in terms of consistency. He is going down the same path as Libbok. Amazing in a few games but struggles to command the game.
The Stormers had the most kicking meters but lost a lot of territory. Most of his kicks were aimlessly kicked away, trying to force smart plays that didn't pay off.
I haven't been impressed with Pollard since he join the bulls but his last game against the Lions he looked to be back in control. The bulls defence has improved and they are using their forwards more instead of trying to play east to west. Where as the bulls are north to south.
Hopefully the break can get the boys into a proper mind set for the final challenge of the year
Sacha has finessed experience with talent…creating tries from neutral positions. His short kicking has been erratic, but give him the challenge of a 50 meter kick and it’s radar precision.
This kid’s mind is even more unusual than his physical talent….there isn’t a high ball he won’t jump for or a turnover opportunity he won’t contest. He is a warrior and if we take that away from him, he will lose some of his mojo. Although the injury risk is high.
But experience has its merits. If Pollard can find form he is the ideal mentor and the player to assume the kick at the death role….the Morne role.
Sacha also needs a solid 12 like Esterhozen and the same twelve, there is value in building understanding between 10 and 12.
Finaly his best games have been in green and gold because there is the discipline of a set game plan. The Gelant style game plan in the Stormers allows him too many options. At this stage some guard rails are helpful
After Galant's stupidity this weekend, I hope he is finally sent packing. How could they keep him after that!?
He's a senior player at this point yet erratic and crazy. Not the kind of influence I would want anywhere near my team.
Gelant brain fart reminds me of Robbie Fleck that just strolled over the line and then got clattered by Keyser.
Moz, you are talking about 2 or 3 games that Sasha played well in.
Yes, he has the talent, looks amazing but the best players in the world backs that talent most weekends.
Look at the top players today
Du Pont does it at will and you can't contain him. He is always a step ahead.
My fear is that they figure him out and it all falls apart.
Especially his physicality.
Doc Craven was very defensive of Naas when he didn't seem him to be too physical
I see it differently K.
Manie wasn't nearly this effective at this age. To me it's looks like Sacha he is being told to kick everything. Really, I just don't think Dobson knows what to do with him, and is struggling to make the best use of him. Wouldn't surprise me if, since the Stompies started so well this season with Matthee, Dobson is trying to get Sacha to play to that gameplan or something.
He made two scores last weekend and this past weekend he was excellent off the tee. Hardly fading or dragging the team down.
I think we're forgetting that Sacha can't win games all on his own every weekend. Other players need to step up and do something too.
Pollard, for example, never created as much as Sacha does and is pretty much a reliable kicker but rarely wins you games on his own. Nobody ever questioned him until recently and that's really just down to age.
If Pollard never got "figured out" I can't see anyone figuring Sacha out. The only way you figure him out is by having half the team constantly watching him, and that creates opportunities for other people. He's nimble enough that if you target him he'll go past you or put someone else in space. He'll chip over you accurately and collect his own kicks. He'll change direction with a pass to someone nobody was expecting or fly kick a ball out the anir and chase it down, I honestly don't know how one figures that out. It's just too much haha.
Perhaps I'm a fanboy, but I really can't fault his trajectory at all. Nothing I see rings any alarm bells for me.
And again, there are two wingers, two centres and a fullback that need to come to the party too. And then, of course, the Stormers pack didn't have a solution for the Sharks taking it up the middle which is a more a testament to the Vissies pack hitting their straps than anything else.
Also, as much of a purple patch as Reinach has found himself in, his clearance times aren't like those of Williams, VD Berg or Papier. Geez, the difference in how the Sharks look with and without Williams is night and day. Sacha doesn't have that luxury at present.
For me, give Sacha as much time as you can on the ball, give him a solid platform, and then let him take it from there because that's where he shines like nobody else.
Don't burden him with the captaincy ... Dan Carter was never ever never considered for the role despite being a superstar. I prefer a forward as moi captain .
I think Sasha needs to mature still. Definitely way more effective than Manie by a country mile.
He needs a foil player like Mcaw and Carter. You know when those two were on the park, it will be a long game. McCaw disrupted so much, but also very smart captain and had an endless engine.
Not like kwotalisi that is spent after 30 min and then never wins the ball on the ground.
At the Stormers, they are short on leadership right now, but agree that he shouldn't be captain.