Lambie to play flyhalf at sharkies and Gert Smal to be Bok coach

JON CARDINELLI  of Keo writes the Springboks will reap the benefits of the Sharks’ decision to back Pat Lambie in the all-important flyhalf position.

While the speculation around the Bok coach position continues to escalate to hysterical proportions, keo.co.za’s information is that the position has been confirmed for some time. Gert Smal will be announced as Peter de Villiers’s successor next Friday, and among the many tasks he will be entrusted with will be the decision of who to select at flyhalf for the three-Test series against England in June.

Smal will finish his stint with the Ireland national side in early March, and will then turn his focus to Super Rugby and the composition of the Bok side. He will possess a good understanding of what has worked for South Africa in the past, and also what has not. There are many candidates both experienced and unestablished that will be pushing for that No 10 jersey this season, but what should please the Bok coach is that one of the strongest candidates will concentrate on one position for the majority of Super Rugby tournament.

Lambie has been used in several positions for both the Sharks and Boks. He started his career in Durban as a fullback in 2010 before shifting to centre and later flyhalf. It was in the latter position where he made the most impact, leading the Sharks to a resounding victory over Western Province in the 2010 Currie Cup final.

De Villiers experimented with Lambie as a flyhalf at international level, but was always going to favour one of Morne Steyn or Butch James for the 2011 World Cup. Steyn eventually got the nod despite his limitations on attack and defence, as De Villiers felt that a goal-kicking boot would be decisive. But the quarter-final was won by Australia thanks in large part to their brilliant defence. The All Blacks would later win the title in a similar manner, and the missed goal-kicks in that final against France didn’t end up costing them the cup.

That’s not to say that goal-kicking won’t be important going forward or that indeed Lambie doesn’t have the ability or the mettle to be a success. He showed during the early stages of the 2011 Super Rugby tournament just how much he’s progressed in this department. Given more opportunities, he will continue to develop and that can only benefit the Boks.

With Freddie Michalak targeting a move back to France in the near future, the Sharks have finally decided to hand Lambie the ultimate responsibility. Aside from goal-kicking, he will be tasked with organising the Sharks’ backs and controlling the game. His performance in the coming Super Rugby competition will be important in that it will show Smal and the Bok selectors whether he can be a sustained force in the position.

There will be other candidates for Smal to consider. Elton Jantjies will have plenty to prove after a dismal start to Super Rugby in 2011. He may have shone in the subsequent Currie Cup, but it is in the southern hemisphere’s premier regional tournament where potential internationals are measured.

After a successful Currie Cup, Lions coach John Mitchell will back Jantjies in that flyhalf role and this will allow him the platform to impress the Bok coach. Similarly, Lambie will now be granted an extended run at No 10.

Steyn is set to spearhead a new-look Bulls backline. His goal- and tactical-kicking remains among the best on the planet, but if he cannot improve his defence and attack then he has no place in the Bok side of 2012. It won’t be easy considering the Bulls have lost a whole host of established forwards, and Steyn has in the past battled to impose himself when his pack is going backward.

At this stage Lambie would appear to be the best option, but the coach is unlikely to make his decision until we are well into the Super Rugby competition. The important thing at this point is that Lambie will be given an extended opportunity, as will Jantjies and several others, to prove himself.

There are so many possibilities. Elton played very well last year. Fourie at OFS? Then who will play fullback. Taute or Frans Steyn. Will Frans move to12. This whole question needs to be looked at holistically from a BOk point o fview but probably wont be.

So it may be Gert and Rassie and some backline coach?  Get in Brendan Venter!!!

Morne is the best attacking 10 south Africa have. His distribution, decision making and all round game is far above any other 10 we have had, even more so than Naas. Lambie is a open highway on defence who is shy of contact, poor decision maker, erratic and error-prone, his tactical kicking is shocking, place kicking simply average. At 10 Lambie is worthless, as I ruthlessly exposed over the past two years.

Lambie is definitely not the best flyhalf in the country, but you make him out to be absolutely hopeless. open highway on defense? erratic and error prone? What a crock of bulldust!!! I have never read such crap in my whole life!!

Last year I went through those games frame-by-frame and documented what happened. Against Australia he made zero tackles, avoiding all contact on defence. The following week against New Zealand they plowed through his channel in what was a record defeat to New Zealand. He was quite literally an open highyway. Erratic he very much is at 10, he doesn't have any control in the position and makes very poor decisions. I posted a summary of that first Aussie test in the article here about Lambie, perhaps you should have a look.

As I say though, he is not a useless player, simply a useless 10. There is no aspect of flyhalf play that he performs adequately and even looks very poor at Super level. I'm not particularly interested in the CC as it is an inferior competition to super and test rugby. At 15, he looks natural, comfortable and makes very positive contributions. In short, he is a specialist 15 out of position. He may even be a good 12 too, but will never come close to Frans in that regard.

Smal orchestrated our demise against Ireland and he boosted them immensely. He was a very good coach under Jake too.

@Zaibatsu......its your opinion, which is fine. Mine is that Lambie has the ability to do very well at 10. At this stage, Morne is by far the no. 1, with the trio of Lambie, Janties and Goosen, bubbling under. The Super 15 will answer this question I'm sure.

Lambie is the real deal ! if you cant see it then you never will.  Juzzy i concure

To win me over, then you have got to first of all deal with he past disasters at 10 for the Boks. The 2010 EOYT and the 2011 TNs. I still have the stats and summary as well as the match footage to reference. He bombed every single game he was allowed to wear 10. That much is obvious, add his disastrous 2011 S15 campaign in and why could I ever have any faith in him as a flyhalf? There simply is nothing to support that view but blind faith. If you want to back him, then that's your right. But I have brought some hardline facts to back my stance.

So, it seems mr Bright Spark Cardinelli's information has been quite dodgy after all.

@Zaibatsu

hardline facts ? where ? the 2010 end of year tour lambie came on as more of a sub so i think you have missed a trick

You seem to really not have much of an outlook on potential and do you keep the facts of his good outings or are they overlooked ? Elton is my boy and i think he has real potential to be a great but he doesnt have Lambies calm cool outlook. and if he had it i would be jumping. Lambie will keep on growing and i look forward to hearing your assesment come then end of this season

can you provide your hard facts.