Fool's Gold Predicts Sharks to learn allot of lessons

Gold: Sharks are hurting2015-05-05 17:14POST A COMMENTSHARE THISGary Gold (Gallo Images)RELATED LINKS

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Lloyd Burnard, Sport24

Cape Town - Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold has ensured the franchise’s supporters that he and the players are "hurting" following what has been close to a dismal season so far.

The Sharks have won just four of their 11 matches this Super Rugby campaign and are now in danger of being overhauled by the Cheetahs and slipping into last place in the South African conference.

The latest disappointment came on Friday when a spirited Highlanders side pummelled the Durban outfit 48-15.

It doesn’t get much easier for the Sharks, who still have three matches (Hurricanes, Waratahs, Reds) left on their Australasian tour.

"It’s about gaining pride," said Gold.

"Letting the supporters realise that we are hurting in this matter; for us, this is far from what we expect.

"We have three games to go and nowhere to hide – no-one wants to hide – and it’s about showing some incredible courage," he said from New Zealand on Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s showdown against John Plumtree’s Hurricanes.

"We want to show, as players, and to the supporters, that we have a lot of fight still in us.

"In the next two weeks, we’re playing two of the top teams in the competition, so we have our work cut out for us, but that's what this sport does for us; it provides challenges that normal day-to-day life doesn’t.

"I have absolutely no doubt that we are going to learn a lot of lessons in the next few weeks and there are going to be some huge challenges awaiting us.

"From my point of view, this is a group that has to show that we want to fight for our pride and to show everyone what it means to us to be involved in the Sharks.”

Kick-off for Saturday's encounter in Wellington is scheduled for 09:35 (SA time).

Gary Gold was a horrible appointment for the sharks. It wasn't so much that losing Jake White was terrible, it was just that his replacement was god awful.

 The worst appointment by the Sharks was the assistants, can't really remember their names if I'm honest...

 It's just been terrible management all around, from the assistants up to John Smit for CEO.

 The worst appointment was the one responsible for appointing the coach and assistants AND getting rid of Jake after a few complaints by players. I'm no Jake the Snake fan, but you know you are in trouble when players are starting to call the shots. The directive to coaches to implement a more expansive game regardless of Venter's warning that it is not the proven way to win tournaments also did not help. In the end it was just too many changes at once. They were doomed from the get go. Although it irks me to say it, Keo has a case. From where I'm sitting JS seams to be the fly in the ointment.

The problem is that the Sharks are not as talented as they thought they were, and Jake knew that. At the Brumbies he had game-breakers all across the backline, and you saw them benefit from his territorial approach (the template for real modern rugby) by showcasing their lethal attacking abilities. The Sharks by contrast had only one test quality player in their backline, Frans. He was their best 10, 12, 13 and 15. Very unbalanced. 
However, all this started to unravel after their 2007 season, where Muir buried the dagger in Campese's back. Treachery clearly is a problem in the guppy tank. When you don't understand the value of your players and get caught up in the South African obsession that is carnival rugby - that which Eddie Jones said is only played on the moon - then you start to have problems. 
The Sharks deserve everything they get, and it frustrates me because with Jake they could have expanded this year. A wasted opportunity, again. Once their much vaunted and aging front row is gone, where will they be ? I don't see how this is going to turn around long term any time soon.

Letsal
 The fact is that letsal is dreaming again.  The Sharks had one backline player that buggered up the whole backline and that was Fransie Steyn.  Clueless when to kick balls and when to pass it - when passing the ball eliminating overlaps by making skip passes.When kicking balls made constant aimless kicks causing possession and territory losses for the team - he made 32 such losses in Super 15 last year.   His tackling stats was horrible with a missed tackle ratio of over 26% - ie he missed 1 in every 4 tackle attempts.
His attacking stats were worse - 2 line breaks all season beating in fact 8 tackles.
He was by a proverbial mile the worst center and flyhalf in Super 25 last year and you call him Springbok material.   That after Plumtree said he is no center and virtually everyone agrees he is no flyhalf either.
You absolutely thrive on mediocrity - don't you?           

Michael, you don't understand enough about rugby to know when a pass is aimless or when a kick is aimless. You also don't understand where defensive lapses come from because you don't understand a players responsibility in a defensive scheme, because you do not understand defensive systems. You do not understand the value of a pass, because you do not understand the basic units of attacking movement. Furthermore you do not understand how teams play, or why, because you do not understand the strengths and weaknesses of any team' s roster. All you know is how to:

1.Lie
2.Run away when lie is exposed
3.Lie
4.Cut & paste numbers you provide no context for
5.Deny video evidence

Oh! And

6.Lie

 Lersal
Go and study Francois Steyn's stats for last year and come back with the findings.  Fact si he was sh!tpoor and he was an embarrassment for the team.  You yourself claim you know what an aimless kick is - but you are bloody clueless.  When a kick is made from outside the team 22 directly into touch - it is aimless and Fransie was a specialist in that.  When he kicks a turnover possession ball from the halfline into the in goal area and it is virtually in the hands of the opposing player to touch down for a 22 kick-in, it is aimless.   When a kick is too far ahead for effective follow-up and results in counter-attacks - it is aimless.  Those are the kicks Steyn specializes in.
On the other hand you fail to understand the issue of strategic kicks with an objective in mind - the objective is to place opposing players under pressure and gain an advantage for the team.  This is something Steyn has never cone in the past two years.
When a player makes inaccurate passes and when he makes skip passes when it is cutting out overlaps -  it is an abomination.  In that Steyn is also a specialist.
Steyn was guilty of all the above deficiencies and Plumtree saw it and realized the man is useless.  He made a public statement that Steyn is no center and I would rather believe an expert like him than a person like you would spout BS as a matter of routine.   he also dropped Steyn to the bench and uses him a couple of times as a full back coming from the bench.
If you looked at Steyn's performances in his first four Super 15 matches this year and could find anything positive in those games - you must be kidding yourself.
 Lets be realistic.  Even Meyer saw enough of the ego-trip Steyn not to include him in the May training camps.



 

"When a player makes inaccurate passes and when he makes skip passes when it is cutting out overlaps -  it is an abomination.  In that Steyn is also a specialist."

A skip pass is a quicker way to get the ball out wide! If you have an overlap, as you say, then the quickest route to the outside backs is to skip the player next to you. Usually the Sharks, like every other team, use the player(s) being skipped as decoys to hold the defensive line in check, or to condense it to create some space - take a look at the long range strike scored against the Bulls last year. It's called getting around the edge of the defense.

I'm really not interested in the opinions of Plumtree. His failed tenure has greatly diminished his esteem. 

 Not ehren it cuts out overlaps and allow defenders to drift out - you dolt.  Mallett severely criticized Steyn for that tactic in at least two matches.  
Steyn was a complete f#ck-up in 2013 and a worse one this year.  Plumtree was sacked because of Smit and it was the worst thing he could have done.  He went to Ireland and was a major part of the Irish coaching set-up when they won the 6 Nations.  He then went to the Hurricane and they are on top by a long way of the Super 15 log this year.    What he has forgotten about rugby as irrelevant - you will never learn
It is complete dunces like you who do not understand rugby and come up with BS.   What was the stats of Steyn in 2013 and what was it in 2014 and 2015.  The best way to understand that is to compare them with other 12's.  Steyn  beat 8 tackles in all the Super 15 games last year.  De Allende beat 8 tackles in one Super 15 game this year.   Understand the difference?
Look - I do think you are entitled to your ideas about players - but when you go overboard about abject failures as being class acts it makes me feel sad for you.  That leaves me with the impression that your knowledge of the game is equivalent to that of a fool - on par with Mozart and his co-idiot Ceradunce.   The common problem is one noticeable - you and Ceradunce dolt on Bulls players and Mozart on Stormers players.  All three has one thing in common - reputation counts and present performances counts for nothing.    It really is a sad state of affairs. 
     

The drift defense is designed to shift one man out as the ball is passed, targeting the inside shoulder of the attackers to push them towards the touchline. If you pass down the line the drift will simply shift out and corral your attack into touch or tackle you for minimal yardage. This is the type of rugby played under Plumtree, what I called "shuffle ball". If you have an overlap, you get the ball out as quickly as possibly EXACTLY as I stated in my previous post. The weakness of the drift is to inside balls. But you can't simply throw a few switches and expect to beat the best defenses, we are heading into the realm of blockers and sliders here, but that's far ahead of your current level Michael. 

 What does an overlap mean in rugby - dolt?  You do not necessarily pass balls out - you beat the number of defenders at some point - which could be on the outside or anywhere else in between.  The idea of skip passing under such circumstances automatically cancelled out the overlap situation - as was repeatedly pointed out by Mallett.   The fact is you talk about shuffle ball - what Steyn did was stuffed up ball.
How come Plumtree is doing so well as a coach after leaving the Sharks?    

 clevermike
 
Status: Hall Of Fame 
Posts: 16574RE: Fool's Gold Predicts Sharks to learn allot of lessons
May 06, 2015, 14:27:59 Not ehren it cuts out overlaps and allow defenders to drift out - you dolt.  Mallett severely criticized Steyn for that tactic in at least two matches.  
Steyn was a complete f#ck-up in 2013 and a worse one this year.  Plumtree was sacked because of Smit and it was the worst thing he could have done.  He went to Ireland and was a major part of the Irish coaching set-up when they won the 6 Nations.  He then went to the Hurricane and they are on top by a long way of the Super 15 log this year.    What he has forgotten about rugby as irrelevant - you will never learn

clevermike
 
Status: Hall Of Fame 
Posts: 1 6575Jake White confirmed as Director of Rugby of the Sharks
October 07, 2013, 12:43:54

It has been conformed that Jake White has been appointed as Director of Rugby by the Sharks as from 1 November 2013.

 

It now transpires that Venter had no contract with the Sharks - but the question remains what his role for the Sharks be in future.  A full statement on the issue would be dealt with today.   Venter may remain being involved with the Sharks, bit clarity on th issue is being awaited.

 

Now the Sharks will definitely be the winner of Super 15 next year - despite the rumblings of Sasue in respect of the Chiefs. 

 Another inappropriate extract from the past.  White turned out to be a serious flop so I have long ago changed my mind on him.  But the twits wants to live in the apst and that is all they can do.

Michael, you call Jake a flop after he has made every team he has ever coached significantly better than they were before he started. 

Now here's something to ponder. You have an overlap. What is the quickest way to get the ball out of the inner channels to your speedsters on the outside? You get a scooby-snack for the right answer (Just incentive to keep you on topic).

 You must be able to read games and decide when skip passes are called for and when not.  Steyn is incapable of reading games and his apsses in fact eliminate overlaps - especially if it is done continuously.  
I see Gold has brought in Steyn at 12 for the weekend.  Together with JP they make up the worst center pairing in Super 15 - so watch out for the joke to follow.

No scooby-snack for you Sir! You are way off the mark again.

 Well I amy be way of the mark - but I agree with Plumtree about Steyn.  You yet have to discover the mark - so have fun looking for it.  

What you just described is not even a remote reflective of real rugby. Your assessment of an overlap is actually quite embarrassing! I feel bad for you.

 What is my reflection of an overlap - I know what it is.  I asked you before when you write about "shuffling" what your idea about an overlap is - and got no response.  It is embarrassing that you do not realize what overlaps are and how the benefit of those should be optimized.  
When experts like Mallett and Naas Botha deal  with issues I am prepared to take heed of what they say.  The say that Steyn eliminate overlaps by constant skip passes - and that is a fact.   
However, one thing is for sure - and that is that the center pairing in the Hurricanes match this weekend will be no better than the BS displays of the Sharks centers since the start of Super 15 this year - matter of fact it is likely to be even worse.       

I told you in detail how to get the ball out wide. IN DETAIL. I have given you sufficient information . 

Mallett is the dunder head that had no idea how to coach modern test rugby as it changed in 1999. He tried to copy the Brumbie's but ended up with a frantic recycling mess. 

 This is amazing - how can anyone has as big an ago that Letsal have.  Everyone is wrong - he is right.  That is the joke of the year - so it is no further use to deal with him as a logical person.   Incidentally what you told me is as dumb as Steyn is as a player - so we have an ego-centric twit supporting another ego-centric twit.    

Everyone wrong? No. I listen to real coaches and people with informed opinions. People who excel at their positions. I learned a lot talking to people who coach in Australia, not from South Africans with a track record of failure in any endeavour. Mallett's Boks could not adapt to modern rugby as it changed in 1999 and has never showed that he has any clout on attacking rugby, period. Like I said, to play Italy's premier flank at 9 was a disgrace. A player that couldn't pass , because he was a "playmaker". You are embarrassing yourself Michael. Significantly.

 When Plumtree at present regarded as a top coach in New Zealand and ireland says Steyn is not a center - you attack him as being an idiot.  When Naas and Mallett says Fransie is not a flyhalf because of his deficient passing game - you attack them.  The whole show is that nobody may criticize a player you have without any foundation built in your besotted mind into a super-player - then they are deficient in rugby knowledge.
Steyn is a flop and the reason he is one is he developed an ego on par with yours.  He thinks he is God's give to rugby and he thus became a drawback for any team he plays in, because he tries to lord it over other players and destroy the team spirit required in any team sport.
In any event another flop against the Hurricanes is inevitable - so work on it to find excuses from now onward.  

 I'm not picking sides here, but an overlap can only result in a try if each carrier draws his defender successfully until the last attack er can run through unopposed. And it only helps to get the ball out wide quick if the defence is weaker out wide. Nothing wrong with a skip pass if done well and in the right context. It depends on the decision making of the player. Fransie is a very good 12 and for a certain gameplan an exceptional 15. He has done OK to very good at 10 for the Sharks. 2013 was a poor year from him though. Injuries and weight issues hampered his performances a bit. Last year was a good year for him. This year he had some disciplinary problems, but a depleted Sharks side can only gain with him in the team.

 ou are correct Draad. I can quote Kirchner's try in 2012 against Australia in SA. The Boks had an overlap in the Wallaby 22, Goosen only had to fix his man and Kirchner would have gone in untouched. As it was, Goosen crabbed before passing which left Kirchner with a lot of work to do in scoring a try that nearly never happened! The success behind the Willie phenomenon is that he will run at defenders and fix them before passing. He creates the space that our centres don't know how to create. Frans is a very good distributing 12, he always has been, and his option taking is very good. That doesn't mean he isn't going to make mistakes, but to exaggerate any errors to create the impression that they form the entire complexion of his game is rather dishonest. Not only is he a good passer in the face of the defence, but very good offloader in contact. Whether or not that is utilized is another story, but he offers that ability. He presented such a physical threat last year that teams were marking him as heavily as they would Alberts, Spies or Duane! 
Jake made use of this with some nice moves that had other backs coming in off his shoulder and using Frans as a decoy. Most of those skip passes were the result of the Sharks doing what Meyer did in 2013, using those big ball carriers as decoys and unleashing the outside backs with a bit of space. Michael just doesn't want to understand what really happened because he hates Frans. I am not a fan of Lambie, but even I credited him for being stable in the opener few games. He did a good job in that long strike Bulls try with Frans playing the hard running decoy. Michael won't accept anything positive about Frans, Alberts, Matfield et al. And if he cannot find a fault, he will fabricate something.