Boschoff belongs in Bok squad

Just areminder from Koe as to how good this guy is.

Marnitz Boshoff is too good to be ignored as a national squad member, writes MARK KEOHANE inBusiness Day newspaper.

The Lions flyhalf, who is equally comfortable at fullback, gave another reminder of his range of skills as the Lions ended the Cheetahs' Currie Cup aspirations.

Boshoff was the Lions' standout player in this season’s Super Rugby and his form earned him a Springbok call-up for the June internationals. Injury cut short Boshoff’s impact but his form in the Currie Cup has been imposing and influential.

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer’s first choice is Handré Pollard – and on this count there can be no argument. Meyer identified Pollard as a 15-year-old and the Cape-based teenager committed to the Bulls as a first professional destination.

Meyer has always believed Pollard to be a special player, but he no doubt thought Pollard’s breakthrough year would come a year after the 2015 World Cup. Fortunately it has come a year before rugby’s global showpiece.

But injury ends a player’s season very quickly and amid the hype of Pollard’s arrival, it’s equally important to ensure the reserve depth is functioning and equally capable of delivering at international level.

Meyer’s Bok insurance policy since 2012 has been Morné Steyn, the boy he turned into a man at the Bulls. Meyer converted Steyn from a No 12 to a 10 and ensured he turned his goal-kicking into a profession that would define his Test and Super Rugby career.

Steyn, in the past month has been cast the villain of Bok rugby on the basis of a missed touch from a penalty, the consequence of which was an Australian try-scoring counter-attack and last-minute 24-23 win in Perth.

Steyn was axed and Pollard was given a start against the All Blacks in New Zealand. The rest isn’t quite history, but Pollard retained the starting role against the Wallabies and All Blacks in South Africa. And he has blossomed.

The Test jersey is his to lose, rather than keep. Legendary Bok flyhalf master and SuperSport analyst Naas Botha said Pollard would be the Bok flyhalf for the next 10 years if he remained fit. He is easily the most complete of the South African flyhalf prospects.

But in Boshoff, Meyer may just have a younger and potentially better version of Steyn, whose season has turned dramatically for the worse. He is down on confidence, down in the Bok pecking order behind Pollard and Pat Lambie and potentially out of contract at Stade Français, who want an early release for Steyn.

Boshoff’s domestic form will only add to the complications of Steyn’s immediate international future. I still believe Meyer will be loyal to Steyn when it comes to World Cup selection. You don’t dump such international experience and any player who has scored 31 points in a Test against the All Blacks has a quality to his game.

Steyn can play Test rugby, but he can’t do what Pollard does to trouble the defence. And he doesn’t quite have the all-round attacking game of Boshoff.

Lambie has been given starts at flyhalf for the Boks in the Meyer tenure but was more adequate than awesome. His greatest contribution has come in the last two Tests, when he produced his most inspiring 20 minutes of Test rugby against the Wallabies in Cape Town.

His last-minute 55m penalty kick to beat the All Blacks at Ellis Park also ensures that while he is not the starting favourite he is also not the forgotten man of Bok rugby.

Boshoff is also not going to be easily forgotten if he continues to play as he has done all season. His versatility in playing 10 and 15 is an advantage and there is no substitute for his goal-kicking accuracy.

Bonus-point tries may prove the difference in winning the Rugby Championship but goal-kicking wins World Cups.

Johan Goosen (in France) and Elton Jantjies (in Japan) are another two gifted Bok No 10s. Let’s not dismiss their claims or their youthfulness. Both have played Test rugby and both are still in their early 20s. Their overseas stints will mature their game and they provide impressive cover to the likes of Pollard, Lambie and Boshoff, who will be critical to the Lions Currie Cup title aspirations.

The Lions, in dismantling the Cheetahs, are favourites to play Western Province in the Currie Cup final.

And if they are to win it – and they’ve been my favourites from the outset – Boshoff will be among the reasons they’d have done it.

Well Boschoff short of game dowm and battling with a swirling wind came u nstuck. I believe the Lions managment will in future send their kickers dowma  day ealrier to practice at Newlands and get used to conditions.

No a quality player short on game time cannot be trashed by one poor kicking display in the wind.

This is truly, awesomely stupid. Morne comes on and kicks the penalty that saves us against the Bargies....he also makes the instant pass that gets Hendriks over in the corner. He plays a solid enough game against Oz....and then, by some quirk of fate he makes a mistake. He doesn't get the ball into touch on a penalty. OZ has 65 metres to go....and we cant defend it. Not a word is said about the poor defence....Morne is the loser.

So now we would rather have the guy who missed three sitters because he choked....yes that's the right word, choked. The choker rather than the guy who can knock them over at the death under all the pressure in the world. Why, because Boshoff is a great attacking flyhalf? Morne is a far better passer than this clunker.

South African fans really lose the plot.

The biggest insults in the squad are the inclusions of pathetically useless Morne and Steenkamp, closely followed by Pienaar, Bakkies and Matfield.

The 3 flyhalves should always have been Pollard, Goosen and Lambie.......given this fact, there was never going to be a place for Boshoff. 

Well it's nice to see you finally have Pollard at the top of the list> As late as mid September he was nowhere:

There is little to choose between Goosen and Pollard? Well you see that shows just how little grasp you have of what makes for a succesful test player. Pollard  lifts us over the ABs....Goosen plays behind Sexton for a French club, and the moron still doesn't get it. There is no hope for you Vetsak.

I would like to add to the judgement on Morne Steyn.

Take away his goal kicking and what does he offer?

Some may suggest that he has a good pass, but a good pass alone means nothing, firstly you need to create hesitation in the opposition defence, something Steyn does no do, hence when he passes from deep, our midfield is already behind the gain line with defence that is lining them u as they simply drift from Morne to the next defender.

This in turn completely negates any potential overlap that could have been created, that means our midfield runs laterally to wards the sideline which in turn allows our wings no space on the outside.

Even when they attempt to run an inside line they are covered as the original defender on Steyn did not have to commit and they have an additional defender to defend on the inside pass or running line.

Morne hesitates when he wants to attack the line, and because he is on the back foot an too deep, without the necessary pcae from start he is always caught in defence, I cannot remember when if ever he had beaten a defender for pace or been able to break the line.

The only defender I remember he beaten was in open pla when he fended of an all black forward (can't remember who it was, could have been Retallic or Read)

By Having MOrne Steyn in the 10 position does tremendous damage to any potency our backline may have, and it is therefor understandable that we do one pass charge into the defence moves with him on the pitch.

As for his line kicking, in 2012 and 2013 as well as this year, missed line kicks near the end of the match has cost us a couple of games as he didn't hit touch with a penalty kick and then allowed the opposition to run at us.

So without his goal kicking, Morne Steyn is of no benefit to us.

Ooh look Lorna is informing me about the rights and wrongs of a flyhalf when the pathetic coward sees a positive in the inclusion of Morne

Hey coward do you wear the pants in that partnership?  

 You can't judge Boshoff on one poor kicking performance when you are punting Morne Steyn who had kicked 50 odd percent of his kicks in 2012.

That is applying double standards

 Mozart, you obviously missed the Super rugby games where he beat The Cheetahs by kicking 6/6, then the Stormers by kicking 7/7 plus 2 drop goals, then the Blus by kicking 7/7 plus 2 drops, then the Reds with 5/5, he beat the Bulls with 6/6 plus two drops.

I saw some of those games BB...that was super human kicking. The guy is technically flawless. But that doesn't mean he has iron nerves in a huge game. I was at Twickenham when de Beer kicked the RWC semi into over time. Driving rain....40 metres out....into the wind. One felt he was going to make it....because he had iron nerves. I don't think Marnitz will ever have that kind of confidence in himself again.

But maybe I'm wrong....it's just what I think. Think Tiger Woods 2014  vs Tiger Woods 2000. The 2000 model knew he was going to sink a pressure putt, the 2014 model hopes he is going to sink the putt. The technique is the same, the nerves are shot.

Voor die game gesê 41kph wind.  Leeus skop te hoog pale toe jy kan sien hoe die wind die bal beweeg.

James Hunt, on 25 Oct 2014 - 6:36 PM, said:

Well done WP, the difference is a flyhalf schooled in kicking into the teeth of the wind..  Both teams played good rugby!

DbDraad, on 30 Oct 2014 - 8:38 PM, said:

Good flyhalf, had a bad game. The wind was bad. Did anyone care to compare the trajectory and height of the kicks between Kat and the Lions kickers?

That's a big statement DB

 I am going to respectfully disagree with you guys here.

YEs Cruden started this season poorly after his injury. BUt as a all round flyhalf he is still ahead of Barrett, he is tactically a much better kicker than Barrett and manages to control the game better than Barrett.

Barrett has improved his accuracy at kicking restarts, but at this moment in time he is a very potent impact player, he is very dangerous in open play where his pace sets him apart from Cru den, but he drifts in and out of 80 minutes.

Goosen

1/0

140

107/232/65

227

2

12

11

12

81/16

3/0

6

2/0