Two key men to the Sharks campaign today were Fransie and Alberts. Massive hits by them to put province off their game and set the tone! Fransies vision and beautiful long pass for the disallowed try was class.
Mike, time to wake up from this world u living in. Fransie and willem are musts in the bok setup.
Future at lock is looking bright. Etzebeth and steph du toit will be better than Botha an matfield combination and that's no easy feat.
Boklopic
Just tell me something to clear up the issue - what hits are you talking about? Steyn made one very good tackle and the rest of the so-called hits - when did they happen? The other tackles was bog ordinary and nothing special.
If they were that strong - why was Albert never mentioned by any of the commentators in the first half od the game? Another question - De Allende took the "big hit" never lost possession of the ball and placed it for recovery by his side.
Both players you mentioned as the key to the Sharks victory had a minimal impact on the game - the real impact was by Du Toit and Lambie.
Both Fransie and Alberts let down the Boks badly in the past - and if selected they will let them down again in future. Both are as slow as prop forwards - in attack meaningless and in defence I must admit - better than Jannie Du Plessis, but likely to miss tackles like Steyn missed one on De Allende yesterday and Alberts missed Read at Ellis Park.
Sorry - but I look at games carefully and critically in full and do not get away with one episode rubbish. I also take note of when players give away penalties and what happened after they were subbed. The Sharks would have done better without them than with them - fact.
Boklopic
Just tell me something to clear up the issue - what hits are you talking about? Steyn made one very good tackle and the rest of the so-called hits - when did they happen? The other tackles was bog ordinary and nothing special.
If they were that strong - why was Albert never mentioned by any of the commentators in the first half od the game? Another question - De Allende took the "big hit" never lost possession of the ball and placed it for recovery by his side.
Both players you mentioned as the key to the Sharks victory had a minimal impact on the game - the real impact was by Du Toit and Lambie.
Both Fransie and Alberts let down the Boks badly in the past - and if selected they will let them down again in future. Both are as slow as prop forwards - in attack meaningless and in defence I must admit - better than Jannie Du Plessis, but likely to miss tackles like Steyn missed one on De Allende yesterday and Alberts missed Read at Ellis Park.
Sorry - but I look at games carefully and critically in full and do not get away with one episode rubbish. I also take note of when players give away penalties and what happened after they were subbed. The Sharks would have done better without them than with them - fact.
Saffex
And Alberts did not miss a crucial tackle on Read in the Ellis Park test that led to Ben Smith's try. He did not fell over his own feet when he was the nearest player to Aaron Smith to recover the ball after Smith was tackled - will led to the first Messam try in the same match? And he did not miss tackles of two try-scoring players in the Samoan test? Those are just examples from two tests this year and to my mind constituted letting down of the Springboks.
Then we have Francois Steyn - he had poor matches in the past as well - last year in particular when he was overweight and slow and crashballed 80% of the time he got the ball - thus destroying any potential backline attack of the Springboks. He is still slow in execution and play and lack the speed to play at center. That too was obvious yesterday. I think he cold make it -but there are still areas of play that he must get back and that he has the opportunity to do in Super 15 next year. I definitely prefer De Villiers, Engelbrecht and Serfontein in the center positions.
Even yesterday most of Steyn's plays ended up amongst the forwards - where he made little headway. The two instances of good play - where he ran into defenders and passed the ball wide before actual contact, I did mention earlier in my comments would have let to tries - but for prior mistakes by the Sharks.
My question remains - how would Steyn manage in a fast moving attacking backline context? I am not at all convinced that he would equal the performance of the previously mentioned players.
So lets wait and see what happens next year on Super 15 level and hope he can be a good attacking player - and than make assessment of the situation.
Boklogic
Who was Steyn "hitting back" all day? Must have been amongst the forwards - since he only made one tackle on De Allende and missed one as well. Whenever Steyn did get the ball - other than the two cases. which I mentioned specifically - he went into the forwards and crashballed - that being his standard play since his return from France. Still as slow a carthorse and still overweight is our Fransie.
And Alberts remains a match losing investment - cost us two tries at Ellis Park with no added benefit at all. The worst and most limited fat loosie SA had in the past decade. What does he bring to the party - nothing in line outs, zilch in mauls and no ball recovery ever, with a low tackle count thrown in - doing about 10% of what i s expected from a loosie, The sooner he goes - the better our back row will be.
Cleancut
I think we have a problem here and that can be solved if we club together and collect some money for the commentator to get a pair of specs. How can he miss out on all the wonderful play by Alberts in the first half and not mention his extra-ordinary achievements not even once!!!!! The poor bugger must be blind not to see what is happening on the field of play.
Come now - I am prepared to give R100 for the purpose and also pay for specs in full for you - not the type that creates mythical views - but real life views. That really would help with your viewing of rugby games.
I would love to see a proper blindside flank on the field of play and not a recycled prop in that position and hope Meyer's eyes see the same as what is really happening. Hell Jannie made a better attempt to tackle De Allende - than Alberts did in the Read case at Ellis Park - at least he did not end up flat on his face like Alberts did.
Cleancut
Really funny one - that one. So that is the way to discuss issues. Nice try though, but there are others with reservations about fatboy as well.
Cleancut
I have never changed my mind inn respect of Alberts - have always expressed severe reservations about his mobility and all round game. If Alberts could perform like Messam for instance - I would change my mind about him. However, there is no likelihhod of that since he has not only physical problems - but all a lack of ball sense. Ball sense is why McCaw is always at breakdown points earlier than other players and in some way why our loosies arrive late. Be it as it may - I regard Alberts as the forward equivalent of Francois Steyn as a backline player.
I have had reservations about the latter all along and was severely critical of him in the tests last year - and to date has not seen anything that would make me change my mind on him. Saffex cannot stand my view on that one - and I think you share my point of view on him.
Kolisi I have always regarded as a quota player - defective in about all aspects of loosie play. A rare carry of balls - where he is bre aking a tackle or two - is just not good enough. Only real - and not imaginary - performance will change my mind on that one. I am ready to take the standard flak from Saffex for what I said here.
I am sorry we differ on Alberts. On players like Steyn, Hougaard and Kolisi we are - I believe - in agreement.
