Eggchaser top ten picks for number 7

Bwahahahahahahahaha. If statisticians were always right they would be todays coaches. But no the people who understand the game become coaches.

Being a statistician is about as bad as being a lawyer! These lunatics lie through their teeth. Hence we have the most deadly hoax in history foisted on the world - the man made climate change hoax. No I prefer firstly the evidence of my eyes and secondly the virtually unanimous opinions of the experts of the rugby community.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics," which (strongly) suggests that statistics can be used to mislead, You start with lies, build up to damned lies and reach the highest point of lies which is the creation of bogus stats and their incorrect use..

Why am I not surprised that this warped mozzietard is a statistician who obviously doesn't understand the game after years of trying! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Diversion….failure

So very bad has the use of statistics been that this adage has become famous.

I wonder how many times ou mozzietard has used stats to deceive people.. Fooling people on the board using stats is unlikely to have been his first effort in the regard!

Have the courage to debate the numbers, I look forward to that….come now, don’t be a coward,

So if some of you don’t rate PSDT, then injuries aside, who do you select at 7?

Mozart

As you claim you are rthe best rugby performance analyst in the world, I tod you before that the so-called stats you use is B S and that real rugby analysts use a system that followed every player and then indicate what he did, The system ws developed in 2014 and is used b nmational and amjor club teams. Rather expensive at I believe $50 000.

Until you get that program and use it your evaluations are totally worthess based on amateur BS. of zero value, .

Fair question Dave. I don’t rate the Deysel twins, but you could play Hanekom and Roos at 7/8. We’ll have to see what version of Hanekom returns after his serious injury, But the skill set of that combination is exciting.

I also looked at Ruan Venter over the weekend…..6’6”, 260 lbs, 22 years old. Inconclusive, he might need a bit more time. Maybe Kobus Wiese, but he too isn’t ready yet and I haven’t seen enough of him to be sure.

So while I still think 5 lock is Dud’s natural position, we haven’t got a clearly deserving blindsider at this point and Dud Toit knows the team and the systems….the inside track. And given we have ample coverage at 5 lock it won’t hurt us to continue his role at 7, until a replacement makes his case.

But I’d pull him into a tighter role, moonlighting on the wing hasn’t worked. Nor has his role as our main forward ball carrier. I’m not optimistic he will ever compete on the deck, but he could be more of a factor in rucking. If we can get our hookers to throw better, using him more at the back of the lineout is a natural….surely his height should be a plus there. And his role as first tackler is fine.

In other words until we get a natural blindsider get him to play more like Juan Smith not like a slow version of Pierre Spies.

Personally I’d love to see Hanekom at 6 with Roos at 8

For now PSDT reigns supreme at 7, I actually think his additional responsibilities out wide add to his value, he has done some good work out there

He will never compete on the ground, he is not athletic enough and too tall. There are the odd tall players than can do some work on the ground but PSDT is not one of them. It’s down to athleticism

His carrying in traffic as I keep saying is as good as players of similar size like Eben, RG and Lood. They are not as effective as the likes of Jasper who are shorter and bulkier. Those tall gangly giraffes are easier to bring down. They almost seem too heavy. But they are effective as they take contact and their bulk enables them to breach the advantage line, it’s a metre or 2 at a time.

Candidates to replace PSDT in the not so distant future are Elrigh Louw, Vincent Tsituka, Ruan Venter, BJ Dixon, Batho Hlekani and Reinhart Ludwig. Cobus Wiese is also an option but he is probably better suited to lock.

The du Preez twins are 30 now - no point

Elrigh Louw all day every day. I despise the fact that he got injured last season. My heart breaks for these kids when they do everything possible to get to where they want to be and the universe just says "Nah."

Honestly, there hasn't been a peep from him since his injury and it was a horrific one. I'm not sure when he'll be back. Have searched the tinterwebs for some news but haven't found any.

Ruan Venter needs to leave the Lions ASAP. He's totally wasted there. A massive unit of a man but entirely mismanaged at the Lions where the coaches don't seem to know their arses from their elbows. I think he could do very well under the right boss. Having a guy like that in your squad but not a single strike play that involves him coming on at pace...how!!!??? That should be your guy. He's the one that will break the oppositions back. And as much as Dave disagrees, Venter is still the only guy from SA that I have seen totally shut Roos down. He nullified Roos so effectively that at halftime the commentators specifically spoke about he's all but removed Roos from the game. I've yet to see any other SA forward do that.

But it's worth remembering that the combo of Tsitsuka, Wiese and Eskom worked extremely well against the Georgians. It's the most dominant I've seen our back three be this season, granted it was against lesser opposition, even if Georgia's pack is far better than their Tier 2 status suggests. All three are fantastic ball carriers and can give momentum at the drop of a hat. All three threaten on the ground while not being exceedingly good at it. I dunno, something in the way they rumbled against Georgia looked very good...but then Tsitsuka fell out of favour with Rassie because apparently he had some issue with his breakdown work. I felt that was a quick judgement and Vince deserved a few more bites at the Apple. Particularly when you consider the shambles of a Sharks side that Vincent comes from.

Watch out for Ludwig at the Bulls. The guy made about million tackles on the weekend. He's well on my radar at the moment and if you were to ask me for a long term replacement for PSDT, along with Elrigh, that might be where I'd be looking. 199cm and 115kgs....yet puts in 26 tackles in a game like it's nothing.

Agreed, on keeping PSDT. He's doing a job and probably playing better right now than he ever has. While I don't think he is the greatest 7 in the history of the universe he does do a job and he is the incumbent. Nobody is really threatening to take the jersey off of him right now anyway. There are elements of his game which I do enjoy and though I don't think he really excels at anything I am willing to concede that there must be intangibles that he brings to the table.

But here's a question...

What can PSDT do that Roos can't?

PSDT is a bit more physical than Roos, but not as explosive, but ATM I think Roos is his natural successor...would love seeing the 6 Hanekom, 7 Roos and 8 Wiese combo.

PS, Roos can't cover lock.

Disagree there Draad - I’d have 6 Hanekom 7 Jasper 8 Roos

Roos is the better all round player, Wiese is about the power. Your blindside should be a physically imposing player and probably the least skilful of the 3 loosies

I like my 8 a big bruiser...like Vermeulen en Wiese...and Trokkie...but Roos is more than physical in his own right...he has done well at both 6 and 7 for the Stormers in the past.

A part bruiser, part ball player is your ideal 8 and that is Roos for me

Wiese is a bruiser

The thought of Hanekom and Roos combining with Williams, Sacha, Willemse, Hooker, Moodie, JJ, Arendse, Kolbe, Edwil and Fassi is mouth watering

I can live with that too...I like the idea of those 3 playing together...