First Bok Alignment Camp

The following from News24:-

"Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will step up preparations for the forthcoming international season when the first of three alignment camps will be hosted from April 1-4 in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg. 

"As much as we don’t want to disrupt the weekly preparations of our Super Rugby teams it is equally important that we continue with preparations of the Springboks in the background," said Erasmus.

The following Bulls players will attend the first national alignment camp: 

Forwards

Lizo Gqoboka (prop), Trevor Nyakane (prop), RG Snyman (lock), Jason Jenkins (lock), Lood de Jager (lock), Roelof Smit (loose forward)

Backs

Rassie is showing which quotas he will select for the boks. 

Only two quotas in the list, the rest either has potential or are their based on merit. 

Gelant and Ismael is there on Merritt where as the 2 props are purely quota based. They are not even regular starters for the bulls

Lizo Gqoboka  (prop),  - Quota

Trevor Nyakane (prop), - Quota

RG Snyman (lock), - Potential

Jason Jenkins (lock), - Potential

Lood de Jager (lock), - Potential

Roelof Smit (loose forward)- Potential

Embrose Papier (scrumhalf), - Potential

Handré Pollard (flyhalf), - Merritt

Jesse Kriel (centre),  Merritt

Travis Ismaiel (wing),  Merritt

Warrick Gelant (fullback)" Merritt 

Kingcorn

Bluebok

Rassie is going to take a good hard look at the players - their fitness and potential will be evaluated.

I think that in the backline 7 players I think there are four players of Colour he will select - that is if  De Allende is taken as one.   Those are Papier, Willemse, De Allende and Ismaiel.   Papier is still very young - but he is showing great potential.   Based on performance they are worthy candidates on merit.

It is amongst the forwards there will be a problem since virtually all will be quota selections.  He may put Nyakane in the squad of 28 and other than perhaps Ntawarra the rest are all quota selections- even Kolisis is one.   So I think Rassie would have a problem.   Fact is there are no locks and loossies to be really considered.   As a start Rassie may have 10 or eleven in his squad from which to pick the match-day teams - but he may yet succeed in picking most of the players on merit.   

Kolisi has been disappointing so far this seasons and showing poor leadership. 

Lionel Mapoe is another that got completely outplayed over the last couple of games and showed no commitment or pace in cover or scramble defence. 

Am has marshalled the defence of the sharks and was really poor against the rubbers, the gaps in his channel was astonishing. 

I would like to see Vorster and Van Rensburg as center combo as both can switch between 13 and 12. Not the fastest but really solid. 

Kingcorn 

I also  thought that Janse van Rensburg and Vorster would be the ideal center combination, but they were part of the defensive sieve that cause two losses in a row and the razor thin win against the  Sunwolves.   They have a huge amount of reputation repair work to be done.

Based on actual performance his year De Allende is a certainty -especially after the way he manhandled SBW in the Blues game.   The outside center is wide open though.  

Maaik. DdA is of Spanish decent and does not qualify as a Q

Who is his mother?   I know - but the y have used him in the past for quota purposes/     

KingKorn ... you seem to have decided that the word "quota" is the right term for all players of colour.

Is that how you seem them?

To me a "quota" is a player of colour that hasn't been selected on merit but rather because of his skin colour ... merely to make up the demographic numbers.

I would never refer to Bryan Habana as a quota. 

Papier, Gelant and Ismael do not in my opinion fall under the "quota" umbrella.

Nyakane is an outright quota. He doesn't have any of the traits that one would associate with a Bok.

Gqoboka is a player that has a little potential but needs another season or two. I don't rate him as test material ... not yet any way.

CC

Jackson has not played any rugby since the start of the Super Rugby series nd I believe he is injured - so he did not provide enough proof this year,  

I would think that the full back favoured by Rassie would be Le Roux..   I have seen a number of games he played in for his club and he was exceptional.

Le Roux playing in a more attacking backline - which I think is what Rassie is looking for - would be a serious menace for opposing teams.   Le Roux was in the past  part of a stagnant backline and in such an environment his performances stagnated.

I  will be hugely surprised if Rassie became a coach who use  the dead backlines concept and e would prefer thinking players like Le Roux to make things happen.          

Gelant is fine under the high ball and has sufficient pace to make a great full back. You are blowing everything out of proportion again, Mozart.

Le Roux loses his way at times and can cost you the match all by himself. It's time for new blood and to my mind Gelant is the man.

De Allende isn't the right man for the 12 jersey. We need more than just a freight train. If it's a freight train you want then I'd go with Janse van Rensburg. 

Mike ... before you get your nuts in knot, just remember that a coach can destroy any player ... and so far we've seen the difference between a Ackermann coached Rohan and Vorster ... and a Swys coached Rohan and Vorster. Night and day.

Ceradunce

If you have nothing to add of importance - then stop your BS on the site.

Ceredyne, I have marked Gcobo and Nykane as quotas as they are not there on merit and not starting. The rest of the players I have marked down as potential as they have showed promise of earning their spots in their team. The boks is another story. 

I know these are only super rugby stats but this is something really interesting

http://www.rugby.com.au/competitions/super-rugby

Kolisi has the most missed tackles in the entire list. Of the most missed tackles, the top 5 so far is

Kolisi 20, Rhule 18, Janjties 16. Surprise! Surprise! No wonder the boks got hammered over the last 2 season.

The best turn overs have been from Roelof Smit who has the most

Roelof 10 and Marx 9, Imagine these 2 in tandem but the Quota Kolisi will take the place of Roelof. 

Rhule and Mapoe also conceded the most possession 11 and 10.

I am surprised Gcobo does not get more game time. He might not be the best scrummager, but he is effective outside of the scrum. 

Nykana is a decent player as well- but he does not maintain the fitness required. He has not very well aligned with John Mitchell for his constant eating. 

Snyman has been decent this season, as has the lead head. 

Jenkins seems to early to be considered.

Papier is looking good, Pollard has improved, and even Jessica Kriel too.

Ismaiel is solid, as has Gelant.

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Ceradunce

If you have nothing to add of importance - then stop your BS on the site.

What has made you think that I would be interested in your opinion?

Listen  Dofdoos - all the other members were writing about players and yu came in with something totally BS,

So let me add further there was no alignment insofar as Meyer's selection and game plans were concerned and none too in the case of Coetzee.  

So - it is no same old as you claim and you should realize that as well if you know anything about rugby,

Rassie realize what game plan and strategies he wants to use and he have studied the form of the players he wants to look at to see whether they could fit into the processes involved.   One he has done that he would look at the combination of players that will produce optimum results.

Too much for you to understand b ird brain?  

I read  exactly what you wrote and could not comprehend that anybody could be as stupid as you are

 I cant fathom why Dr Moz thinks Gelant is slow.

Rassie's big problem is quotas given the requirements - is it 50% must be players of colour? Few black forwards would make it. Beast I would still call upon for a cameo off the bench. What other black forward is really sticking up his hand?

Windpomp could you please behave. Thanks 

This Ceradunce is indeed a twisted moron.

Beeno

Mozart has a problem with a long list of SA players  he believes to be pace deficient - but that norm does not apply to real plodders like Kerevi, Fat Fransie and Basteraud.   Funny really.     

Mozart

How many times have the over-the-hill players  you have supported all out failed -eg in the Japan test in 2015 and those  fai lures did not include players like Morne, Alberts and De Jongh - who should never have been Springboks.      

Habana was also gassed by that American ... why ? ... a little difficult to turn around and catch a guy that's already at pace. Uh-Duh!!!

You don't like Gelant and so we'll see an endless supply of bias against him. Much like the nonsense you've been spouting these last few years over PS Du Toit. It has nothing to do with the player. It's always been against those in support of that player.

The Board? Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha!! Would that be the same "Board" that promoted Alberts, Matfield, Morne and Fransie Steyn?

Thought so.

Heaven help us if De Allende and Kriel make the squad.

Well 2 plus years ago ex-Bok centre legend Pieter Muller's opinion about DA and J Kriel was something different...VIDEO: New midfield will give us edge we need - Pieter Muller | Sport24

What's happened a couple of years later...players as young as these two should improve...if they were promising then and I certainly would back Pieters opinion to any of the "experts" here.../lol

I put this down to incompetent coaching of HM and AC...by incompetent I mean these 2 could not bring the potential of young players to the fore...first of all by the strategy of "reputation" veteran players in the former coaching and clueless coaching with no strategy and game plan by the latter.

The potentional was side tracked and as the momentum was hindered these 2 are not the players they promised to be...I wonder what performance they would be playing today with a NZ coach.

If Rassie is any good he might be able to change it.

CC

I know you are really a thinking person and there   is much truth in what you wrote above.   I would consequently make a number   of observation about aspects that have a bearing  on the issues raised by you.

Mozart’s  comments about pace deficiency

Mozart has a number of pet hate players in respect of whom he will always find  fault.   One of the issues he used when he cannot  find  fault with specific players,  is pace deficiency.   He will lways conjure up some incident  that according to him prove his point.

The list of SA pace deficient players he identified is long and include not only Gelant .   According to him  there is not a center in SA which is not pace deficient  - but at the same time you would not hear a word about the pace-deficient Fat Fransi – slower than any of the SA centers playing in Super Rugby.     But he also adore pace-deficient  centers  like Kerevi, Kuridrane  and  Basteraud

The other fault he always concentrate on is defense before he gets to pace –deficiency – the latter is the las desperate effort to discredit players  if all other options to be used  fail.

All I can add is beware  of Mozart’s descriptions of match incidents .

The Basic Problem  in backline play of the Lions

The backline did very well over the last two years in both attack and defensive play – so why the sudden deterioration.

I think the issue of attacking play must first be addressed first.   I think the problem starts with the half-backs .   Cronje is not really a thinking player -  he makes too many mistakes  in exercising options and his kicking game is questionable.

However, the main problem is Jantjies.   Jantjies has what I always believe a manufactured  game – he is not a natural talent and that represents a problem .   He sometimes make serious mistakes as to the options he takes.   He makes hospital passes  at times  - when  he should go down in a tackle and make sure the ball is retained – or often enough skip passes when they should not happen.

Jantjies main problem is he cannot handle pressure .   That is why he is a failure as a Springbok flyhalf – the opposing teams put him under pressure and  his performance becomes a  nightmare of unpredictability.   Be it as it mat opposing tams have worked him out and now finds it easy to neutralize him.

Be it as it may – he is one of the main problems affecting the performances  of

The Poor Defense scenario     

There is a serious problem with defense in the channel  that effects the no 12 badly,   With Whiteley and Kriel  out – the defense of the loosies allowing for attacks through the channel is totally inadequate.   I like Kwagga – but he is not a tower of strength  in the present loosie combination when it comes to defense.

The result is that the opposition attacks through  the channel  and since both Cronje and Jantjies are seriously defective in defense and that puts pressure on the inside center in particular,

Be it as it may – I would think  that outside a flyhalf like Willemse both Rohan and Vorster would be vastly better players,       

Who said the quotas must be 50%?. Is that in Rassie's contract?