Labuschagne off to Japan

The following from Supersport Rugby:-
"The Vodacom Bulls are likely to be without their Currie Cup captain soon with news that flanker Lappies Labuschagne has signed for the Kubota Spears in Japan.

Labuschagne, who was the team's captain in last year's domestic competition, is currently recovering from an injury and is set to return to action within the next fortnight, but seems to be lost to the franchise at the conclusion of this year's Super Rugby season.

The deal, which according to sources has already been signed, will see Labuschagne earning "significantly" more than he has at the Bulls with the proviso that he does not return to play Super Rugby for a South African franchise.

The club seem to have made it financially worthwhile for the player to stay in Japan and not have to earn extra by playing in Sanzaar competitions, much like has happened with Springbok Heinrich Brussow, who only plies his trade in Japan for now and not locally in Super Rugby.

The Bulls may well also be without another stalwart as flanker Deon Stegmann's contract is also up for renewal and he faces a choice whether to retire or to head overseas for a swansong of rugby. At the moment it seems that Stegmann, who has been injury prone over the past few seasons and is currently recovering from an injury again and should be back in the next fortnight, may not have his contract renewed by the Bulls.

Labuschagne will be joined at the Kubota Spears by Lions flanker Jaco Kriel with the two being coached by the former Bulls coach Frans Ludeke.

Ludeke has also recruited former Springbok defence coach John McFarland, who was the Bulls defence coach under Ludeke and formerly under Heyneke Meyer, to join him in Japan on a four year contract.

The Spears boast an impressive roster, including Lions midfielder Lionel Mapoe, Sharks flanker Keegan Daniel and Bulls lock Grant Hattingh in their ranks.

They also have former All Black Isaia Toeava and former All Black 7s player Alando Soakai in their ranks, as well as former Sydney Roosters League star Matt Saunders.

The Bulls have already lost Springbok Marcel van der Merwe to French club Toulon at the end of the current Super Rugby season."

This is a major loss for SA Rugby - Labuschagne should have been in the Springbok team years ago instead of the fat, slow and useless Alberts.

It seems these guys just use Super Rugby to get international exposure. Then they leave and sign the best contract that comes there way.

I haven't bothered commenting on Liggies for a  while, it's been so obvious this was his path. A competent  provincial player without the X factor to function at test level. Good luck to him.

 Mozart
A civil question - did Alberts have the X-factor and if he did - why was he performance-wise the worst loosie we had in 20 years? 

Given Labs is effectively a 6 and Alberts a 7, I cant see how he should have been in the squad ahead of Alberts........completely different players. Alberts was great in his day but like many employed in our WC campaign, his good days were some time ago.
I rate Labs though, easily good enough to play test rugby......but we are blessed with many great loosies

 Yes Alberts had the X factor

 But he never performed satisfactorily as a loosie - how do you account for that?

Willem Alberts has been the Sharks’ most valuable player this season

MAY 4, 2011 BY MARTIN MYERS LEAVE A COMMENT

Willem Alberts has been the Sharks’ most valuable player this season, give or take Bismarck du Plessis and The Beast, and when he fronted at a press conference at the Shark Tank yesterday he was frank in his assessment of how the players aim to turn Newlands defeat into victory over the Brumbies at Kings Park on Saturday night (7.10pm).

“A small change in the team’s mindset can lead to a big result,” Albert said. “We must make an attitudinal shift. Against the Stormers we seemed to be there just to compete instead of playing for the win. So we know what went wrong and this week will get our attitude right, believe in each other and take the opportunity to put things right.”

Alberts, who has made more line carries and yardage than any other Shark, backs included (according to Super rugby statistics), admitted that as a player he felt himself in a Sharks cause going backwards against the aggressive Stormers

Alberts’ coach, John Plumtree, was sitting next to his in-form flank, and he said he backed his players to turn things around."

 Mozart
That story you quoted are from 2011 and that was already out of the window by 2013.   One cannot live on reputation alone and that reputation went sour years ago.  The above is hype and bad hype at that.  Alberts tackle count was atrociously low - he never ever did ball protection and recovery - too clumsy and low for that - and his ball carries were poor and ineffective.

Can you not find a later article than 2011 - that one reflects a good image - all subsequent data was a reflection of Alberts' performance deficiencies.        

 Player  rating in Paris 2013....get real Tokkie, a fit Willem Alberts was a dominating player:
7. Willem Alberts – 9 
Man of the Match. He has enjoyed his best tour with the Springboks and has been outstanding in every one of the Tests. Very physical again and very strong in the tackle. He also carried the ball well and contributed to the Boks' gainline advantage.

'Out of the window by 2013' vs 'Man of the Match' in Paris and 'outstanding in every one of the tests'
Tokkie you always create your own facts....wrong facts.

Your move.

 Sure.  I clearly remember that test.  He got the ball once in a line-out as a result of an overflow and managed to get to the flyhalf - who easily tackled him - and that was the sum-total of his strong carries.  He also attempted 12 tackles - 8 was successful - the other four he missed.  He got the MOM on what?   
The fact is that he was poor whenever he played for the Springboks and the Sharks and my abiding memory of that fat slob is the tackle he missed on Read in the 2013 AB test in Johannesburg and the fact that in that same test he fell over his own feet and missed an opportunity to make a turnover - thus preventing another AB try.    
I stay with my assessment - the worst loosie over the last 20 years who played for the Springboks.           

Well we'll take that assessment from where it comes.  

 You obviously will since in your book performance does not count - reputation does.

You just cannot make this sh1t up (Please note the term in bold and  underlined):

Tokkie: "But he never performed satisfactorily as a loosie....."

Moz: (after a game in 2011): "Willem Alberts has been the Sharks’ most valuable player this season....."

Tokkie: "That story [singular] you quoted are [really?] from 2011 and that was already out of the window by 2013."

The year 2011 was obviously excluded by those who freamt up the term "never".

Ou Tokkie are having some difficulty, by the looks of it.

 I have no difficulty - there never was a worse loosie playing for SA during the past 20 years.  Never capable of ball protection and recovery - making a minimal number of tackles per match and missing way too many tackles - his ball carries gained an average of less than 2 meters per carry.    That was Alberts and the deficiencies caused whatever team he played for losses.  Those are the facts - in any way he was piss-poor whomsoever he played for.
Howev er, it is no use discussing rugby with clueless people who refuses to recognize a dud when he hits them in the face.       

Mike what is it with your fixation on weight? You have a long list of players you don’t like or want in the Bok set up (I can respect this as we all have an opinion) but you describe a lot of them as fat slob or fat and unfit or fat Fourie or fat Fransie.... Why the need for these

personal insults directed at players who have achieved fantastic things over the years. Now if you were a Bok who had 10 or 20 caps it would be a different story as you would have some credibility . I am not saying 

weight is not an issue but it should be discussed in terms of performance without the rather juvenile  personal attacks.  

 For the record Puke is head and shoulders above all others as the worst in the Bok set up  in the past 20y 

Klop.  

 I dislike Puke as a person - but at least he was a loosie and not like Alberts - a prop pretending to be a loosie and in doing so not being any of the two.   
I know why my friend Mozart just loves Alberts - he said so in the past.   His hero Matfield was never a contributor to Tight 5 play - so he needs a replacement to do that component of the Tight 5 work and that is where Alberts fits into his theory.  He consequently did want Matfield a loosie pretending to be a lock and Alberts a prop pretending to be a loosie.   Over the past two years neither of the two was up to standard in what they pretended to be - so both actually flop badly.    

Actually once again I have to torpedo your theory. In 2013 I wrote this about Alberts to none other than you:
RE: How did the Samoa and Alberts calls work out for you......
June 22, 2013, 22:28:37

For your convenience I add the Alberts assessment.....which pretty much sums up what I told you he'd provide....um ....before the game. 

- 

7 Willem Alberts What a difference he made not only to the loose trio but the team as a whole. His uncanny ability to crash over the gainline is invaluable and a big reason behind the backline’s enterprising play. Similarly, his bone crunching hits and unrivalled workrate (15 tackles) on defence inspired his teammates. 8/10

And in 2013 you may recall Matfield was retired. So my appreciation of what Alberts provides is scarcely based on shoring up the excellent  Victor Matfield.

A theory a minute Tokkie and scarcely a credible one. This year you are going to get your wish, a much younger Bok team. Let's see how they do.....the proof is in the pudding.

 Sometimes us (all of us) couch-annalists of both game and player are hilarious in the summations we make about players etc.
Take for instance SBW.  Hahaha - many an "annalist" hates the guy and makes him off as a show-pony and this or that.  The guy is a legend already.  His personal issues with hopping from one code to the next does not make him a bad player.  SBW is the father of the modern "offload" which very few backline players are capable of.  
Alberts like any other player has had his off-day(s) - but by and large I blame coaches and team management for players who are "pushed" to play with injuries or to play before fully recovered.  Looking at Albert's bad games this is quite evident.
I like the "old" combination of loosies - where you had the stronger, maybe slower one flank and the other a Brussouw type of bull-terrier - with a mobile * who can think and read the game.  Sadly some coaches have lost the plot and like the Snake want 15 2.8 metre tall fast players on the field - the balance in many teams is just totally distorted and speed, nimbleness and talent is compromised..  

 Mozart
It is not my theory about Matfield and Alberts - it is what you actually wrote about the two and how they complement each other in the team.   However, the problem is they did not complement each other and that is where you went wrong in this case.  That in fact started with Juandre Kruger in 2013 and carried on with Victoria Matfield.
When both Kruger and Alberts flop against the AB's it showed up your theory is absolute crap.      

Absolutely nothing wrong with having a tall mobile 5 lock and a power runner at blindside. It is in fact the standard set up. Nor does it mean my appreciation for Alberts was limited to matches where we played a mobile lock. In the YE tour match against France which I cited above....our locks were Flip and Etzebeth. 

So let me summarize all the things you got wrong in this string:
1 Alberts is not a poor loosie, he was the Mom in many S15 matches and tests.

2 Alberts never stopped performing in 2011....he was our best loosie of 2013 YE tour
3 I don't like Alberts solely because he complements Matfield
4 Alberts won his MOM against France when we had two power locks on the park, he isn't  limited to matches where we play a mobile 5
Every Rube Goldberg like theory shot down with ease. But of course you won't learn a thing and just come back with the same nonsense as if this has never happened. Boring Tokkie, lift your game.....ffs come up with something new.

Mozart
It may be nothing wrong in your book - but in fact it is the biggest load of junk I have ever read from a person who claims he knows something about rugby.
In theory it may wiork - but if either of the two players doi not perform their basic functions - like happened in the case of Kruger and Matfield coupled to a non-performer like Alberts - it amounts to what I wrote.
The hype about the best line -out jumper in the world and the bone-collector was not applicable four the past three years and was the biggest failure Meyer collected in the WC squad - and it cost him his job.