I posted this on another thread.....but it's the most important selection issue.....and perhaps the most opaque. So here goes:
Morne is a Bools style kicking flyhalf. He is not a natural runner with the ball....nor is he anything more than an adequate defender. But he is a great kicker of the ball....and as we saw at Ellis Park for Habana's two tries.....he can time and throw a good long pass. He is also an experienced/steady decision maker at 10.
Lambie is really not physically set to be much more than a Morne clone. He may be slightly better on the run and in the tackle....but he isn't impactful at either. And he is not as good a kicker and crucially not as mentally tough. I'd hate to see the last RWC kick being given to Lambie
Goosen's reputation is based on his open field running and huge boot. But he is not as good a tactical kicker as Morne, and his running is compromised by his flinching from contact. His decision making is still a bit of a mystery and his tackling is probably the weakest of the candidates. Then there is the effect on the team of playing with injury risk...a ticking time bomb.
We have the youngsters Pollard and Swiel. To me Pollard has a better head at this stage and looks more rugged. But time will tell....after RWC15. Perhaps Pollard has a bench shot....but it's a long one.
And so on to Marnitz ....a rugged player. I don't think he passes as well as Morne and I don't think he reads the game as well as Morne. For the rest he may be a bit better. A deadly goal kicker, solid tackler and reliable runner in tight spaces. To me this is the closest option for a straight Morne swop....but in the end, the edge where it exists is too slight to lose all Morne's experience. Then there is a nagging thought that at one stage Cat looked just like Marnitz and where did that take us?
So finally on to my pick Frans. Not a neat package by any means. He has been charged, lost his boot for a game, missed some tackles.....lost some balls. He obviously likes his meals. But he is a huge talent. He can run in tight spaces and offload. He smashes players when he gets hold of them....ask Beal or Shane Williams. And he had the nerve to kick the RWC winner at 20. He is still learning the flyhalf game....but winning matches along the way.
The choice in essence comes down to a classical kicking flyhalf...Morne. Or the kind of rugged player at 10 that seems to ignite Bok teams....like Honibal and Butch . I'd play Frans with Morne on the bench.
