JP Pieterson for Bok outside centre, & remaining backline

JP offers more at outside centre than any of the other players in SA. 

Apparently he plays outside centre for his Japanese team, as well as past experience for the Boks and Sharks at 13. 

Hopefully he is given the outside centre position for the Sharks in 2015.

He is 106KG and fast for an outside center. 

His lazy running style makes him look slow, but he is still pretty fast. 

His positional play on defense will be tested, but he offers more attacking options at outside centre.

My backline for the World Cup and preparation games in 2015.  

Its a big backline that is able to make offensive tackles, also with lots of pace on attack. Their is a good balance of distribution play makers and finishers.

9. FDP - 

Reserve Pienaar. 

FDP brings a tactical kicking game, as does Pienaar. 

FDP takes the best options out of any SA 9, like when to pass or when to run. When to pass to the forwards or the backline. (none of the Hougaard stupidity of passing to Lood foot on the touchine).  

The tactical kicking of either of these scrumhalfs will make it possible to start Pollard. (If Pollards kicking game has not improved since then). 

10. Pollard-  100KG

Goosen, Lambie reserves. 

Pollard lacks the tactical kicking game at the moment and probably the only reason he was dropped for Lambie. FDP can help in that department. 

FDP will also give him more time and options to attack. 

12. Delande -105kg 

Never got to play his preferred position for the Boks). With Jean injured he will get lots of game time for the Stormers. 

He is the strongest centre is contact in SA rugby. Closest thing we have to Jamie Roberts. 

Is also a good offloader in the tackle and has a decent distribution game

13. JP-   106 KG 

Has an offloading game in the tackle, as well as good distribution. He is a playmaker, not just a finisher. He will be one of the biggest outside centres in world rugby and he still has the pace for an outside centre  which also has to cope with lots of traffic. 

14. Habana

Highest paid wing in world rugby. Still scoring tries. He is no longer the number 1 winger in world rugby now that Savea has taken that spot. 

He has experience for the Boks at 14 and played well. 

15.Willie  

Play maker and finisher. Decent territory kicking game. Will play better with front foot ball.

Cheslin Kolbe Reserve. A few kg lighter than Wilie and probably the better defender- positional play and tackling technique. Offers a similar kicking game from the back. 

11. Senetala

Outright pace. 

The Boks score allot of tries by suffocating the opposition into mistakes, which can result in turn overs. We need a finisher outwide in the mould of the 2007 Habana.  

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You need to decide what you want in a 13, whether you want Kurindrani or Conrad Smith.

It is that simple.

If you want Kurindrani then your answer lies in JJ Engelbrecht or Damien de Allande, if you want Conrad Smith, then your answer lies in a playmaker like Jordaan.  

No, that's not the correct backline......it should be

15. Willie 14. JP 13. JJ 12. Serfontein 11. Senatla 10. Pollard 9. Hougaard......with Reinach, Goosen/Lambie and de Allende on the bench.

Biltong, Jordaan is no playmaker, has average hands and not the rugby nous of Conrad Smith.......Jordaan is not physical enough for centre much like de Jongh is. Jordaan has been sorely exposed one on one at times. Fruean ran straight over him........its one thing to miss a tackle but not in that fashion.

If we want a Kurindrani or a Tuilagi at 13, then de Allende offers that and potentially moving man mountain Esterhuizen to 13.

If we are after a Fikato kind of 13 then the likes of JJ, Kobus v/Wyk and Jessie Kriel would offer that.

If we want a Jaque Fourie, then Stokkies Hanekom is your answer.

Our best bet is to have one of each in the squad and work with both JJ and de Allende at 13 but with an eye on the likes of Kriel, v/Wyk, Hanekom and Esterhuizen as 13 options.......there is plenty to work with.

Just watching the Oxford v Cambridge match yesterday, while a lower level, the benefit of an out and out speedster at 13 with a good step was so apparent. The Oxford 13 was a real threat with ball in hand.

Piertersen

2/0

10

9/44/66

344

5

10

12

5

58/16

0/0

4

0/0

Jordaan

He played for the Sharks six games at 13 and the stats was as follows:-

Jordaan

2/1

10

3/9/18

165

3

8

0

4

38/5

0/0

2

0/0

Evaluation

Although Jordaan played 4 gammes less than Pietersen he scored two tries - same as Pietersen - but in addition he also assisted in teh scoring of one try.

However the next column represents an importasnt aspect insofar as center play is concerned.   Pietersen handled hte ball 119 tmes dealing as follows with the ball.  He -

*   kicked the ball 7 times    =   5,88%;

*   passwed the ball 44 times   =  36,97%

*   carried the ball 66 times  himself    =  55,45%

Jordaan similar stats were as follows involving 30 carriies in the 6 games he played:-

*   kicked the ball 3 times    =   10%;

*   passed the ball  9  times   =   30% 

*   carried the ball himself    =  60%

However the column also indicated that  on average Pietersen handled the ball 11,7 times per game played and Jordaan 5 times per game played.   This apsect is imprtant since it reflects on the effectiveness of ball-ahndkling so lets look at the further aspects attached to performnce:-

Ball carries effectiveness

Pietersen  -  66  carries - meters gained  344  -   average gain - 5,21 meters per carry 

Jordaan   -  18  carries - meters gained  165  -   average gain - 9,17 meters per carry 

Jordaan is the more effective in this regard.

In 66 carries Pietersen made  5 line breaks beating 10 defenders

In 19 carries Jordaan made  3 line breaks beating 8 defenders 

Percentage - wise this also favours Jordaan heavily.

Defense 

Pietersen  74 attempted tackles

                58 successful

                16 missed

                Missed tackle ratio  - 21,62%

Jordaan     43 attempted tackles

                38 successful

                 5 missed

                Missed tackle ratio  - 11,63%

Pietersen was not an effective tackler at 13 - a missed tackle ratio of over 21% is totally unacceptable - since too many missed tackles in that position leads to opposition tries.   Jordaan's figure is what is really required in that regard.

Pietersens Test Performances at 13 

Despite what is written elsewhere Pietersen was not really successful at 13 - as is evidenced by the stats provided above.   To see whether there was really an improvement in the three tests he played at 13 this year I did a similar evaluation for the three test matches and the results were as follows"-

Piertersen

2/1

10

1/9/17

114

2

6

2

2

18/5

0/0

4

0/0

The problem with the evaluation is that the most positives occurred against the very weak Scottish side - where the try scored and the two try assists occurred.   However there are two elements to be borne in mind:-

*   There was a slight improvement in meter gains - ie from 5,21 to 6,7 meters per carry:

*   There was no improvment in his missed tackle ratio, which is way too high for a center at 13.

If the game against the Scots - where alkl players shone - is left out - the figures looks considerably worse.

CONCLUSION

In essense ther is from the above figures no indication that Jordaan is poor in ball handling.

However, Pietersen is not as effective a ball carrier at 13 as he is being touted on this site - and his defense can at best be classified as iffy - with a missed tackle ratio way too high for the team to be comfotable with.   The latter wa th problem in 2012 and was still the problem in 2014.

Incidentally Pietersen's ball carries in tests in 2014 was sunstantially below the ball carries of De Allende in his two tests against Argentina.    

The above is the reason why I have serious reservations about the performances of Pietersen at 13 and why I am not comfortable wih him in that position.

I am with Mike on this, I like JP Pietersen, I always have, but I think Sout African rugby need to change, and that requires players with the ability to be quick thinking, lighter on their feet and more pace.

Either your 12 or your 13 needs to be fleet of foot, quick thinking and pacier.

Late Ettienne Botha was like that,  the Bok backline needs three players that break the mould of what we have seen in the last decade of Springbok rugby, we have more well rounded fly halves now, and truth be told most of them can back Willie up at 15 as well. Now we need that same diversity in our midfield combination.

It is the only way we will break our predictable patterns.

Next we need more skilled forwards and a pacier backrow.