Etzebeth ...cometh the hour

....cometh the man. Eben is not only looking like the captain out there....captaincy has focused his game as he takes more responsibility for making things happen. I notice the anti Etzebeth, Stephanie is our best lock, voices are very quiet these days. Somehow I don't think Ole Cruz was going to rush in gleefully to push Eben around, as he did to a flinching Stephanie. .. We have one world class lock in Eben, who is a great athlete ...we can afford a power lock like Willemse to round out the combination. That would be a dominating pair. The admirable Mostert can come on at minute 50.

 Mozart
It is impossible to discuss rugby issues with you since your understanding of the game is too limited to make any sense of your constant carping about players.
Etzebeth and Du Toit is two different type of players - but they complement each other.  In some facets Etzebeth is better than Du Toit - in others Du Toit is better.
So lets face facts you compare players on the basis you do  is actually stupid - so stop showing your ignorance.  

It's not me doing the comparing Pervert....If I were comparing it would be Stephanie and Mostert, a comparison Stephanie would lose.

I notice Mozart capitalizes the "P" in pervert, this must be a sign of respect 
PS, on substance I agree Etzabeth is playing well & is more mature on the field - doesn't have the ridiculous grin every time there is some pushing & shoving.

It's funny JW, you don't make a similar point when Urinal calls me Moffie with a capital M.....the only reason it seems more jarring in Clever's case is it's totally plausible, But nip away if you must.

 Old Tokkie your watchdog hey?...always snapping at your heels as if someone has asked him to, same old, same old until it gets nasty and then he goes off crying in his beer.

Mozart
This is ridiculous - Discussing Etzebeth in the heading followed by ridiculous comments on Du Toit.   One can bear a certain amount of BS from the rugby illiterate - but his repetitive4 attack on du Toit - with no real substance other than prejudice and hatred is what makes a rugby dis cussion impossible,   

 
Etzebeth has changed since being made capt. He's become an adult ... or at lest he's behaving as one.

Yes, I agree. He's definitely a lot more focused. No more silly faces ... a step in the right direction.

Whether he's a better leader than Warren is still to be seen. So far so good though ... but ... it's not exactly as though he's had to call the boys into a huddle or run the riot act.

Both France and Argentina have been very poor. It's allowed him a little time to settle in ... even Jantjies has benefitted from their sub-standard play.

Will they respond to his call as they do with Warren?

We'll see.

Whiteley has proven himself as a leader who probably had as big a role in the Lions' success as Ackerman....Etzebeth is a long way from that. But he was the roght choice in Whiteley's absence.

 Well said Moz.

 I liike the way Du Toiit, who was on the ground, quickly got rid of that Argie chancer. Hahahahha nice move by Du Toit who showed he knows how to handle himself. Wee matfiled would have laid down meekly hoping the horrid fellow would go away or that Bakkies would arrive to sort matters out!! Then our Thomas Lavini  was met full on by Du Toit who never gave an inch. Du Toit managed to also keep his temper and himself on the field. Elements of the story Dr Mozzzz is over looking!! l
Beeno is backing Du Toit as Eben's partner. Solid in the set pieces and tight fazes. Also very mobile for  a lock. He attempts tackles most locks would never be in a POSITION to make. The ignorant oaks  never factor this in and say Du Toit cant tackle. What a load of crud.!!I am however glad to See Dr Mozzzz at last on board about how good Eben is. My labour in pointing this out has not been in vain! 

Good to see you are back Beeno. I agree with your assessment 
Our good mate Moz seems to be suck in a CleverMike like groove on Du Toit. While I agree Du Toit has his weaknesses he has the attributes to be a good complement to Etzabeth. Hopefully good coaching will develop him this way - no guarantee on that though.

 Eben was the only forward who impressed last year under the Bok fiasco. That says a great deal about him.
I've had my doubts about him being a poser who spends too much time working out his guns but one has to give credit where it's due. He was always gonna mature at some point but my guess is that being exposed to Whitely and Kriel had hastened that process. He finally seems to care more about winning than about being a big man. Good on him.
PSDT<Mostert. Sorry. 
All these articles we are suddenly reading about how the Boks are opting for mobility over brute force and how well it's worked for them. So all of us on here who were calling for smaller forwards to back up a more expansive game were on to something after all. How many times has Kolisi been man of the match now? Kriel playing a blinder almost without fail. Mostert's ruck and tackle count? Remove those contributions and things look very different. 
One can help but feel that the Boks adopting this new style of play is similar to a junkie coming off of drugs. The longer the period of success the more likely falling back into old habits becomes. "Yay we're winning again, so lets make sure all our forwards weigh over 125kg."
For me the selection of Kasim said a lot about the commitment the coaching staff have to play a certain way. It would have been easy to opt for a big brute of an 8 but they didn't. He got picked specifically for his skill set, despite not being Whitely's true second.
Again, I had my doubts about Venter and it is early doors, but some of the decisions being made appear to be intelligent and purposeful. That's about as far removed from last year as it gets. 
Funny now, to even consider Adrian Strauss in the mix seems ludicrous. What a difference a year makes.
Lastly. Am I the only one who isn't convinced by Ross Cronje? Something's just not right. Despite making good decisions etc something about him seems off. Like he's too slow/predictable/uncreative or something. I'm not saying that he's not up to it. Just that he lacks a bit of zip. His passing also seems less crisp than it should be. By no means am I saying that Hougard should replace him either. If Paige can perform like he did last week with more consistency than I'd almost prefer him over Cronje. Blasphemy, I know. Ultimately, one has to wonder what Faf did wrong though. Plaid behind a terrible pack last year and did a lot more good than bad. I hear he's got a bit of an attitude though. Maybe it's that.