Jake questions Bok lineouts- Eztebeth and Flip are too heavy as number5 jumpers

Cape Town - Jake White has questioned the absence of a lineout specialist in the Springbok side picked by coach Heyneke Meyer yesterday for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane.

Meyer opted to drop No 5 lock and lineout organiser Juandré Kruger in favour of Bulls No 4 Flip van der Merwe to partner Eben Etzebeth in the second row at Suncorp Stadium. The Bok coach explained yesterday that “what you lose in the lineout, you gain in other areas”, referring to how Van der Merwe hits the rucks and mauls and is physical in defence.

Former Bok boss and current Brumbies coach White is in South Africa on holiday, and was present at the Western Province practice at Newlands yesterday. Four of his Brumbies forwards – the loose trio of Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy, as well as hooker Stephen Moore – were included by coach Ewen McKenzie in the Wallabies team yesterday, with Mowen and Fardy two of the lineout jumpers alongside Reds locks James Horwill and Rob Simmons.

“It’s not a case of whether Juandré Kruger should play or not. The point is you’ve got to find someone in your pack of forwards that can run a lineout.

“I’ve always been the kind of guy who likes to pick at least two guys in the lineout that can jump – that’s why Juan Smith played, Victor played, Spies played. One thing about set-pieces is that more tries are scored from lineouts, because the backs are 20 yards apart.

“If you’ve got two guys like Etzebeth and Flippie, they are hard to pick up and hard to move on the ground. Etzebeth is a good lineout forward, but he’s not a five lock.

To play Australia with four guys like Mowen, Simmons, Horwill and Fardy, it’s going to be quite tough for him to run a lineout.

“If they don’t kick it out, then they are going to play into the hands of Folau, who is really a great rugby player. James O’Connor, even though he hasn’t played his best rugby, can actually counter-attack.

“They are two supposed threats if the Boks don’t kick it out, and if you do kick it out, then you haven’t picked a forward pack that can contest the lineout or win it on your terms. You can get it at two, no problem, but you can’t play rugby from two ball. You can maul and that, but not from the halfway line. That aspect does worry me.”

White also gave some insight into how the Boks can overcome the threat of Wallabies fetcher flank Hooper. “No different to how you neutralise McCaw, David Pocock, Schalk Burger or Heinrich Brüssow – you’ve just got to get there early. You’ve got to make sure that you cover the ball quickly before he can actually leave the window open,” he said.

“The second thing is that sometimes you go to him first so that he makes the tackle, because the problem is that when he gets there second or third, he has a great feeling for when he gets on to the ball. Making the first tackle will force him to get off the ground, which takes him out of the next two phases.” - Cape Times

 I saw in a recent report that Juandre Kruger finished the SuperXV2013 season as the top lineout forward in terms of percentage of lineouts won. 

He has his critics but he is solid in the lineout and makes some contribution around the park. 

With 2 beasts in Flip and Eztebeth the driving mauls should be good if possesion can be retained at the lineout.

It may be a case as with against Argentina,where Argentina just never kicked the ball out to ensure that lineouts were kept to a minimum.

reading mozter say its the most powerful Bok pack i was like, say whaaat, what u talkin bout willis??? o_O
but then looking back at the team, im like jeez, mozter has a good point, that is a powerful freaking pack prob the most powerful Bok pack ive seen in my life time.

i agree with minkey though, its totally void of mobility, hoopers going to be like sonic the hedgehog on those 8 dr robotniks.

i dont agree that the backrow dont add value to the scrum, cos they do, even the flanke rs have a more significant role then in recent years gone past with the new scrummaging laws, hte whole 8 must play thier part even the backrow for the intial 2nd push in order to get every bit of an edge u can, its how the All Blacks did it when they made the wallabies scrum look like candy floss under a blow torch.

i can see jakes point of view in regards to the heavy locks, but if those lifters cant play do their job and a basic fundamnetal of their game, then give them a blind fold and a cigerette, cos theyre not good for anything else.

i also dont get the critisicm of jundre kruger, he may not be the most physical lock, but hes a valuable member of the Boks team.
IMO hes their best lineout jumper in the Boks, and im not surprised about those lineout stats if they are true. in the bulls lineout against the brumbies, they looked significantly useless compared to most of the season.
the kruger/lady elizabeth locking combo is the best in SA with bekker out of the equation.

i expect the wallabies to get right rodgering from the Bok pack come scrum time.

the wallabies will hold their own in the lineouts though, they were useless against the All Blacks despite the hieght advantage, but those problems are very easily solved compared to the scrummaging problems.

Boks will be competitive at the breakdown for the first 50 mins, but once they tire, they better be in the lead or else theyre fudged.
meyer needs to make good use of the bench, i would empty the entire forward bench round about the 45-50 min mark.

if the Boks pay heed to my sharingan tactics, they stand a good chance for an upset, if not, wallabies by 15.

good luck to both teams, :o)

  5:55

WTF? Another successful international coach disagreeing with the posters here? What is this world coming to?

 TTIOH you are clearly a ss mole would you care to identify yourself?

This is going to be an interesting test. contrating styles - which will impose itself. This pack can be tweaked and Meyer will takes his notes. 

As for the lineouts - provided we get our own ball we are okay. In additionEtzebeth to steal a few? W have 4 lineout go to players so I dont expect problems

Although we all know this loose trio is not that mobile its not as bad as Mike is saying. They also have their own strengths as the Wobblies will find out.

Someone will need to thump fowl ou early lest he gets uppity

 TTIOH you are clearly a ss mole would you care to identify yourself?

What are you on about? You are the second poster alleging this. Initially I thought the SS was a Nazi site "schutzstaffel", because of the race related posts Saffex made, but it was you yourself that said it was in fact something like a "supersporty" or something like that site. I've seen you saying a lot of others are "moles", but why me now?

Just because HM and Jake White differs in opinion from most of the South African posters? Make no sense!

Next thing you are probably going to allege that the Australian and New Zealand posters on here are "moles" too? You seem really paranoid!

 TIT the chances that you are an ss mole are exremely high. Given the posters you had a go at and given your stupidity - they have some very dumbassess there and some fine guys as well. However we three you mention are the center of their world. Mike has been mocked extensively there by Ceradyne etc. I have been banned 6 times I think it is by now and Saffex departed there in disgust but I am sure is missed by many there. Nevertheless you, in your stupidity chose exactly the three the attack pack focus their attention on.

You gave yourself away!!! Man you are dumber than ou windpomp!!

Register under another nick and we can start again.

Bwahahahahahahhahahahaha

Ah sorry, it wasn't you who told me about that site. It was "Eukenuba" or something like that.

And it was not supersporty, but supersupporter. So sorry, mistaken identity.

But you are still paranoid!

Hey fuckoff you lot, every thread is some bitch bitching about some wetdream. Jesus grow some rugby brain you lot.

Jake White was a fine coach. 

Jake White won a world cup.

Jake White wrote a book burning bridges and slandering many a fine person.  He had personal issues with players and used his position to slander and belittle them - his credibility took a knock.

Jake Whit cries himself to sleep because he did not get the job again - after he crapped on his own stoep.

Jake White moet sy papbek styf toe hou, he should concern himself with his adopted country.

Jake, some advice.  Hou jou smoel, jyt fokkol hie velore.

Thats why the Beast is there. He can lift a jumbo jet if he needs to 

Thats why the Beast is there. He can lift a jumbo jet if he needs to 

Exactly that is pure Durban roids running through those veins.