Lambie turns back the clock

Patrick Lambie after an abysmal S15 and bench ridden RC, finally came good today with a classy flyhalf performance. He looked much more like the player who was instrumental in our YE sweep last year. Perhaps the Sharks coaching change will breath confidence back into the young man.

It was ironical that Labuschagne was the man he punished for the try that turned the game. I was wrong about Labuschagne disappearing for this game....he appeared for the first 10 minutes, then disappeared.

I can't say the Cheetahs without Willie looked like the same team, which shows how much he contributes to freeing up the attack....for the Boks as well.

Vaunted players like Coenie , who was badly mauled by Herbst a few times, and Lood really were non factors. Nyakane was under the cosh. Van der Walt was probably their most effective player, along with the maligned Rhule. Goosen looked a bit rusty but healthy....he missed one sitter, but then so did Lambie when the pressure was still on.

I'd say the hooker battle was even, except for Bismarck's brainless yellow. What a self indulgent act.

For the Sharks I have to say SP looked good again, sorry Draad. And Fransie had a decent game. Reinach was steadier than van Zyl, who made lots of silly mistakes.

In the pack Stefanie had a fine game and took up a lot of the hard work when Deysel left.

It should be a very even contest next week 

Mozart

Is lying really your stock in trade - when you hate a player?   Labuchagne never disappeared - and you must really be blind if you do not see the number of ball carries he had where it took two or three defenders to bring him down - as well as his high tackle ratio.   You must have hated it to see the try he scored.  Incidentally you are creating another smokescreen about the Lambie try - but then you are a habitual liar about players you dislike in any event.   Lambie got the ball and ran towards a gap between Labuschagne and a prop on the outside.  He ducked away from Labuschagne who was not at  all near enough to tackle him towards the prop and the prop missed the tackle.   Not much different from the situation involving Morne Steyn and Barrett - except that Morne Steyn was nearer to Barrett and actually slapped him on the back to wish him well on  his way to score the try and Labuschagne was at least two meters further away from Lambie than Steyn was from Barrett.

What did Fransie do for the full half he was on?   He was absent from the game for the first 15 minutes - not active at all.  In the remainder of the time he handled the ball four times, where -

* he ran straight at the first defender and got tackled - nothing further to report:

* ran behind some players - and then got squashed by Labuschagne - nothing further to report;

*  and made two aimless kicks.

He made in total two good tackles.   It is clear he is not matchfit at all and he remains very slow in speed.  During the interview he looked as if he is still overweight.   What else did he do that makes you say "And Fransie had a decent game"?  

You never saw the first half and Then you comment on a player.   Mow lets get back to that try of Lambie and think back a bit to the Barrett try in the Ellis Park test.  The uinside man in the case of Barrett was Morne Steyn - who was near enough to pat Barrett on his back.   The outside man is JJ Engelbrecht - who missed the tackle.

In the case of the Lambie try  - the inside man was Labuschagne - the outside man a Cheeetahs prop.  Labuschagne was about two to three meters away from Lambie as a result of the duck - so he could not get near enough to tackle.

Now the Mozart Logic.   Steyn is completely exonerated for his defence in the Ellis Park test and Engelbrecht is totally blamed for the try.   Now Labuschagne could have made an effort to get nearer when Lambie stepped to the outside - he did not.  Now comes the Mozart Logic - Labuschagne is doomed for life because he did not make the tackle.

Steyn did squat during the whole first half - I may have missed him getting the better of Ebersohn - because I did not see at all - but I am right about the rest of the Steyn contribution.   He showed zilch during the game and was still what  he was before -  slow and seemingly overweight.   Must really worry you because he is definitely not ready to take over from Engelbrecht.   He has a long way to go - and he may come right in Super 15 next year - but taking into account his speed and contribution today - there are huge question marks about that one.      

Mozart

Similar to Steyn having being bamboozled by Barrett?   That one according to your comment was the match loosing moment at Ellis Park.   So are you ready to accept that in view of the similarity of the cases Steyn made as bad a blunder as Labuschagne?  Still exonerating Morne completely and blaming Engelbrecht 100% for the Barrett try?   Since there are serious similarities in the case where Morne in fact was nearer to Barrett than Labuschagne was to Lambie - why is it that you exonerate Steyn and crucify Labuschagne?    

Mozart

And you think at 30 Alberts is a test flank?  

Mozart

Slow and useless as Alberts is with limited capacity and so only performing 10% of the functions of a loosie - admirable flat earth thinking.

By the way the best loosie we have in protecting balls at breakdowns is Labuschagne - do you miss it every time when he stands over a tackled player and protect him so as to allow him to place the ball without interference?   You have never seen it?   Just one thing - tell me - how do you watch games?  I really want to hear how a person is able to see one thing of  every ten things that happen on the field of play and then make value-assessment on that basis. 

Shezza

I am always discussing players with Mozart.  There is one absolute that no factual information would change - if he likes or prefers a player that player can do no wrong - if he dislikes a player he would criticize him endlessly with no factual basis.

I tried to clarify one thing by referring to the similarities between the Barrett and Lambie tries  and asked him how he can exonerate Steyn and blame Labuschagne.   He has been writing books about how Steyn is blameless and when queried did not comment on the Steyn issue - but still went on blaming Labuschagne.   That is typical Mozart and illustrate his approach to players 100%. 

Facts and stats count for nothing with Mozart - if he cannot find a real reason for criticising a player he would come up with something like Labuschagne is 25 next year - he is too old - but Alberts is 30 next year and he is not.       

Mozart

What I cannot understand you is the Alberts situation - he has no speed and his hard yards is limited to about 2 meters per carry - two carries per match.  That is hardly a recommendation for hard yards.   He is also a very low ratio tackler around the fringes - nothing wider out and his tackles are bog ordinary and not "bone-crushing as you would make anyone believe.   Miss tackles on a lot of players where tries have been scored because they are two fast for him to get to - examples to tries in the Samoa test and the Reid case in Ellis Park.   is a complete no-no in breakdown ball recovery.  What makes him such a strong candidate?

You also make reference to big Joe and Juan Smith - both were at their peak many years ago and is no candidate for the present.  World class players at their time - but the issue is - are their any big Joes and Smiths around these days in the SA Rugby set up?   Since they are both past tense - what use is them being used as an argument in a present rugby discussion?  I know you love some past players - but that makes for nothing at present.

I mean I can also say Honiball was better than Morne Steyn - mind you virtually everybody was except for Braam van Straaten who was on par with what he is at present - but of what use is that argument in the discussion of the present rugby environment?           

Moz as per usual your take is slanted against the young players you do not rate or like for some unknown reason.

For a start Lambie never had a bad S15, he had a solid one playing in a Sharks side that was poor. Lambie showed in that semi exactly what we have missed at 10 for the Boks and why it is so important to have a pivot who ignites those outside him. Labascagne was not the man who missed Lambie.

The scrums were poorly reffed, neither Coenie nor Nkanyane were dominated, much like Herbst and Chadwick weren't. There was nothing in the scrums, other than the ref failing to ping Chadwick for scrumming in as the commentators observed at one point, the ref penalising Nkanyane for slipping when Chadwick was hinging.

In fact in the second half the Cheetahs scrum started to dominate if anything. The scrums were generally poorly policed by the ref.

Lood had yet another good game as he always does, plenty of line out takes and carries.

PSDT was very good, that hit he put into Lood and was it Ebersohn........much like the one big hit Frans put it