I was impressed by Embrose Papier the Bulls scrummie. Real pace here and flair as well.
Flyhalf - Willemse now heads the queue.
Inside centre: Although Allende is playing well I'll go for Rohan Janse van R ensburg. Outside centre, Jessie Kriel
Back three Aphiwe Dyanti, Mapimpi and Gelant.
Other players in the mix:
Faf, Pollard, Allende, Am, Willie Le Roux, Combrinck if fit, Leyds and I am sure a few others
Beeno
There is a serious problem that should be considered first and that is the issue of defense in the channel. That is where Van Rensburg fails miserably - he is even a worse defender than Fat Fransie is when it comes to defense, At least De Allende is a better defender than Van Rensburg - but I am not particularly imporessed by either,
Then there is the issue of scrummie - none of the candidates really makes a positive impression. I know you think Faf is the one - but I have serious doubts in his case, Faf is not a good distributor of the ball and his passing is problematic. He had his chances and did not really make the grade. The only SA scrummie who impressed me thus far in Supr 15 is Papier - a faster and better-thinking player than Faf, He is regarded as the back-up scrummie of the Bulls - and the injured Ivan van Zyl will be back soon. I think the scrummie will come from these two - Papier or Ivan van Zyl.
I like Gelant at Full back and think - despite the protests of Mozart and others - that Kriel he my end up at 13,
It is too early to make a prediction on the wings and centers issue - we will have to see what happens over the next six weeks,
Sure Mike the guys must prove themselves on a consistent basis. Time will tell. BUT I think we have some attacking gems we can call on. Coetzee at Fullback offers zero on attack.
All of my backline has real attacking flair could rip the opposition apart behind adomi nant pack
What shape ? Pear is it ?
Beeno
There is one problem - they can rip open on attack - but then they get ripped open in return by the opposing team when the latter attacks, There needs to be a balance on attack and defense,
The Lions backlinme was atrocious in defense over the last two week, They scored magnificent tries - but allowed the opposition to score even more such tries, That is just not good enough,
Van Rensburg has a history of poor defense and I would normally support him all out but for that problem. The last two matches he attempted 16 tackles of which he missed 8 representing a missed tackle ratio of 50%. That is about 35% too high.
Van Rensburg is a strong ball carrier and has some pace when he got into motion and is not caught early, However, to get to the latter is a rarity, On defense he is to my mind pace-deficient and because of that deficiency he is unlikely to overcome the defense deficiency, In this regard he is much like Fat Fransie, People ran past him without him even making an effort to tackle the opponent. If he tries to the result is too frequently a missed tackle,
The problem is partially also due to Jantjies - who cannot successfully compete in defense. One can say that the problem could be solved by using Pollard as a flyhalf - but he also is dicey in defense, Willemse may make a difference though,
Pity - but Van Rensburg is unlikely to ever make a passable center on test level.
Mozart
Mapimpi used to play for the Kings and is now with he Sharks. He is ten times the player Rhule is - fast and effective and a sound defender as well. Was the Sanzaar wing selection last week and normally put in good performances, Need some refinement iro of ball covering to receive catches, but that could be corrected through experience.
Mozart
I always had a high opinion of Umaga as a player and a person and wonder whether his comments in the case of the center situation of the Springboks should not be considered as contained in the following article in News24:-
Blues coach and former All Black Tana Umaga believes Handre Pollard’s versatility could prove handy for the Springboks in future.
Injuries forced Bulls coach John Mitchell’s hand earlier this month when he moved Pollard to inside centre shortly before their clash against the Lions in Pretoria.
Even though the Bulls lost the game 49-35, Pollard performed adequately in the No 12 jersey which sparked interest about his possible future in the position.
Umaga, a former All Black midfielder, spoke exclusively to Sport24 in Cape Town this week as his side prepared to tackle the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday.
When probed whether he felt Pollard had a future at inside centre, Umaga responded: “I can see the merits behind John Mitchell’s decision to shift Pollard to inside centre. I think he has the skills to play as a second receiver, and it would offer the Springboks two kicking options.”
Umaga added that he felt Pollard had the necessary skills to master the flyhalf and inside centre positions.
“In the modern game, you require midfielders that can carry, distribute and provide a kicking option. It’s pretty tough to come up against centres that are triple threats. South African rugby has always been strong in the midfield department. At the moment, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende are probably the two South African centres that come to mind. However, owing to his ability to distribute, carry and kick, Pollard is an interesting option. As a player you have to want to make the shift yourself.”
Pollard next to Willemse at 10 may be the answer at 12 with De Allende as back-up, Pollard may also have less defensive problems and next to a live wire flyhalf like Willemse he may be a very difficult customer to contend with.
Umaga obviously knows what he is talking about and it is clear he does not rate the Lions center combination. I do not know what he would have said after the game about De Allende and Viljoen - but they were on the day better than two of the best players in world rugby SB Williams and Rieko Ioane.
There is nothing much wrong with the defence of Willemse. Rohan's defence is just fine. Kriel likewise. Mapimpi defends okay as does Gelant. Gelant is NOT slow!!!
We shall see how they go but I think all the players I mentioned are in the mix.
Beeno
I am afraid Rassie - who studies rugby as a science - will not agree with you about Van Rensburg. He will study the strength and weaknesses of every player and then see how thy can ft into his team.
It is more likely that he may agree with the Umaga's assessment than with you. Whether you like it or not he may use Pollard as an inside center and put De Allende on the bench,
Beeno
My money is on Le Roux at full back.
My backline will be -'
15 Le Roux, 14 Dyantyi, 13 Kriel, 12 Pollard, 11 Mapimpi, 10 Willemse, Van Zyl/Papier
The bench should be Van Zyl/Papier, De Allende, Ismaiel/Nkosi/Gelant
That will make the average age of the backline players circa 22 years old and will provide building blocks for the future,
