Having been stymied on all their pet theories the dumb three have concluded Victor and Bakkies were causing our scrum problems? However what they fail to mention is Flip Flop a massively strong fella was on from minute 50.. And this was the result.
Here are some facts:
1) If Coenie was really solid at tighthead he would be picked on Saturday. Jannie badly needs a break and Coenie is superb in the tightloose. The fact is he is a weak scrummager....the number one point for a tighthead.
2) Flip made no difference to our scrumming....which proves:
a) Bakkies was as effective as Flip...or
b) Coenie was worse than Jannie
....take your pick.
This disgusting liar will just ignore the whole thing now. He built a whole case on Victor scrumming behind the tighthead....poor dumb plank.
The good news is we can now talk on this string without his silly contributions.
A final word on Coenie Oosthuizen at tighthead … The man did well, especially in that one power Bok scrum that splintered the French completely, and bloody good on him for that.
Not yet able to dominate on his own ball, or disrupt on opposition ball, but certainly able to do a job, and perhaps that is what you want from your backup tighthead, especially if he offers so much around the park – like Oosthuizen does.
His technique was simple, and relatively effective on the day – Stick to Bismarck like glue. Based on the premise that two people are stronger than one, it did mean that he went in on the angle on occasion, and will be blown for “Not offering a shoulder” to the loosehead should it become his primary scrumming method.
It leaves the loosehead with two options – either to follow the tighthead in and risk being penalised for scrumming in (should the ref not spot the tighthead doing it first), or splinter with your hooker and risk your pack being dominated like in the one big scrum the Boks got going.
Penalised for collapsing, and short armed twice for going early, together with the pitch playing it’s part as it forced both sides to scrum high, I am yet to be 100% convinced re Coenie being a tighthead, but I am certainly willing to call the jury together again.
He now needs to start at 3 for the Cheetahs during Super Rugby, and see how he goes without the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Bakkies Botha behind him. Question is, will Saturday’s 74 minutes have convinced Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske enough to risk it?
Tank's thoughts prior to the World XV Test
Jannie du Plessis has started every single Super Rugby game this year, yet here he is again, starting for the Boks in this exhibition game, together with the misfiring project that sees Coenie Oosthuizen as his backup at tighthead. Why not give the man a break and let Marcel van der Merwe, who was brilliant for the Bulls in a rare start against the Lions, have a run?
The same could be said for Beast Mtawarira, who is also massively overplayed. And with so much loosehead talent in the country, why are we calling up Gurthro Steenkamp from France as Beast’s backup? Why not give Trevor Nyakane or Morne Mellett a run with Beast on the bench?
In the battle of the van der Merwes ....Schalk prevailed over Marcel, who was subbed at minute 53 for Wobbling Werner. Not a big vote of confidence. Marcel....like Coenie...was brilliant ball in hand, not in the scrums.
As for Coenie he did well in the French test. But clearly the Worlds had him figured out....and he has had another neck episode since then. This is not a long term answer.
All these "obvious" choices are not so obvious.
