Jake fingers the issue last Saturday....Swiel

Mike and Dave, or is it Dave and Mike......these two are joined at the hip.....told us Swiel had a good game. I looked at the stats and it wasn't at all clear. Then I looked at the game and I saw a hesitant young chap, who made a pathetic tackle attempt on van de Walt try, kicked weakly out of hand and generally looked confused. Frans took over much of the non goal kicking and inserted himself more as the game went on.

When I told the two selectors that, I got the usual push back. But press accounts point ed out the risk of playing Swiel at Newlands....again heavy OOm/Sapp push back. But now Jake has spoken....Swiel heads for CC bench duty, Zeilinga is on the bench and Frans starts at 10.

Jake has unfortunately been reluctant to seize the opportunity of making Frans his flyhalf. If he had done this following Lambie's injury and not gone back and forth....the Sharlks would be in a better place. But this incredibly stupid SA view, strongly held in Durban, that Frans can't play 10 has cost Sharks and Bok rugby.

He is the ideal physical number 10. He just needs some belief from those around him

Saffec

Lastly - I also thought Ndungane may be used as full back - but have no sure feeling about that one.  However, you are wrong about Swiel - White enticed him to come to the Sharks with promise of game time in Super 15.   On the first occasion Lambie is not available - do you think White is going to break his promise to Swiel?   In any event Swiel is a much better flyhalf than Zeiinga..       

Beeno

Let me explain.  I wish that some of our fat, slow  and small backline players look at the way Swiel plays - and learn how to read games, run a speed, make passes anf off-load balls in tackle situation and say -

"If he can do it - so can we".   And then start to learn how to doi it.

The three coming nearest to Swiel are Lambie, Goosen and Jordaan.  Other than those three - ball sense and skills have vanished from our backline play. The present established  norm is we do not read games and apply ball skills at all - we do not pass and off-load balls effectively - we do not contribute to tries - we die with the ball - we do nothing a decent backline player should do  = and then wonder why our backlines are malfunctioning.

He certainly is too young for Super 15 - but will be a lot better than some of our other present players.   He should harden up a lot and in two years time he will be on the Springbok shortlist - I am sure the ball sense wiz kid will make it.

SB.....to be honest I think Swiel suprised Benjamin by actually trying something when he made that break, he had been so passive before that. He then offloaded to Frans, but at knee level, I reran the tape a few times.

The real issue is, he doesn't know what to do yet. He hasn't played enough non school boy rugby to be a decision maker.

Much is said about his potential, but there's a problem. He isn't strong enough in his upper body. Like so many SA young backs, Steppie being an example, he will likely bulk up. But after he has bulked up, will he still have the snap?

This is why a kid like Pollard is such a gift....he is strong enough before hitting the gym. So he may retain his quick feet.

Dof dose

I never said Fat Frans would not be in the team - I said he better produce the goods - otherwise he will be gone sooner rather than later.

Lambie will last longer than Morne Steyn will last as starter for Stade Francais.   He has a rugby brain - Morne is a robot.

Sloth will be subbed early - he will as per normal last to about half time and is likely to be on thin ice - since he will produce as per normal if last year is taken into account - the bare minimum.

Reputation and media hype will not help Steyn and Alberts - they better start showing that they belong through good performance.   We will soon enough see what happens on Saturday.  

Exactly Shark, Swiel had a good game......Moz sees these games through biased eyes.......Swiel is yet another young player he does not rate for some pathetic reason.......but mostly I suspect because I rate him.

His other angle is that he wants to see Frans at 10, when clearly Frans is not a 10's backside - he just does not have the feel for 10 and more importantly, his hand to foot is slow and has been exposed a good few times with charge downs......imagine relying on Frans under pressure to clear the line.

Bottom line is, Jake has started to lose the plot with his selections.....the same poor selections that see the Sharks slipping down the table.

Swiel had a good game, confirmed by most who saw the game and verbalised by the commentators on the day.

Instead of moving Frans back to 10 and playing Jordaan out of position at 12......faith should have been shown in the talented Swiel at 10, with Frans sticking to 12 where he belongs.

If you are not going to do that then at least have the decency to keep Swiel in the match 23 and not relegate him in favour of the average Zielinga

Jake is doing a pre WC - losing the plot - so much for him having learnt anything

Ran straight past him....the commentator remarked it was poor defense by Swiel. I checked it....he was in perfect position to make the tackle but ended up just flapping at him.

Lol

You oaks are funny

He never kicked badly, he was good with ball in hand, made a nice break and put people into space with some good passing.

Swiel had a good game and was easily one of the better Sharks on the field that day.

Missing a tackle hardly equates to a poor game, not that I recall the miss.

You told us he was going to be dropped - wow, great move by Jake, the coach who keeps losing these days.......good measure that