Malcolm Marx continues to be wasted

We saw again against the Lions what a potent force Marx can be at the breakdown. Vermeulen and Marx are our best fetchers now that Louw is retired. The man is almost immovable over the ball on the ground. And his power in the rucks, offloads, scrummaging and deft lineout service make him a potential great. 

It’s hard to imagine losing any scrumming battle with Marx as the foundation of the front row. Koch is credited with our improved second half scrumming yesterday…but I’m betting Marx for Dweba was also a big factor. .

But will we see him starting against the Lions or will he once again be sacrificed for ‘team balance’. 

He kind of lost his way heading into 2019. On form, he is probably the best Bok on the field. We don't have a lot of breakdown power right now. I was alarmed at how the Boks were monstered in contact by the Georgians at times, both meeting the ball carrier on the gainline and moving us at the breakdown. A Marx could be what lifts the team. His lineout throwing was a particular weakness that needed addressing. 

Well, Bongi had to isolate, good scrummager and line out thrower, good at mauls and breaking off the back. Not bad on the ground either and make his tackles. 

Dwebe had to be tested, he has fantastic speed, solid thrower and seem to get over the advantage line as a ball carrier. 

But for me Marx is still our best, he did miss a few throws and struggled to get into the game, but he is a player that can play at the same level through out the entire game. 

For me it is a no brainer who our front row should be and how we should play. 

I think the Lions will front up to our bomb squad and our 6/2 split can  back  fire. 

I would  have Kitshoff,  Marx and Malherbe or Koch as our starters. But  Nyakane is not a guy to anchor the scrum. He is solid, but will create a lot of pressure on our own scrum. 

But  also remember that trever is border  line quota and we have Koch, Louw, Malherbe who are all great tight heads and better than trevor

I watched Wilco Louw powering over for a score in the NH semi a few weeks back. He looked awesomely powerful in the scrums as well. Lost in the shuffle after a poor patch.

Marx list the fire in the belly he had when he started.

Bongi is now the better and more mobile hooker. 

Trouble is kolisi is no fetcher and Vermuelen will not start first test. 

Nieaber has a difficult çall to make. 

Coenie should be ditched immediately he simply can't scrum. 

I'd have him at 8 with Akker as Bongi's replacement...if Bongi HAS TO start.

Think most people will agree that Marx is the better player in general play but Bongi's throwing and scrummaging have improved to the extent that he's now the better hooker in terms of the basics.

I have no idea how Akker is doing for Sale Sharks but let's pretend he was included in the squad and came onto the field in one of the tests, would that be the first time that brothers have opposed each other in a British Lions test match? I'm pretty sure it would be a first.

I think that Rassie has  always used his  front row to rotate and keep the big boys fresh. I remember him doing it at the cheetahs where  some once said it was like watching planes land and take off. He  constantly rotated them throughout the game to keep them as fresh as possible. 

Also, there seems to be a lot of scrum penalties, so if you bring the likes of Malherbe, Marx and Kitshoff on then you know you are going to dominant the scrum when it counts towards the end, 

But I still  think  it  is foolish  as  your props should last all game when it  needs  to. 

Look what  happened to England when Sinclair  got injured in the first 5 minutes,  but cudos for the bloke that  came on.  He gave  it  his all.

But he  is playing the  numbers game here, i wouldn't select them as believe  we are better off with Koch, Thomas  the  Tank or even Louw than Trevor and Ox  that has never really  proven  themselves

Marx has not been at his best since 2018 when he was arguably the best forward in world rugby. He is still playing very well, but currently not as good as before.

Bongi does appear to throw the ball in lineouts better. Marx is more mobile, so having him on the second half has advantages. 

I for one wish we would stop listening to the cANCer government  and allow coaches to select the best players and stop  being  outcome focus. 

They can't even control their own  people, why on earth do we give them so much power. 

There are a low players on merit, but no one sh ould ever feel that they are being excluded. 

Why do you think we have so many players abroad, it is not just money

Yes, we all wish that we could pick our team strictly on merit but we also all know that's not possible, so let's deal with the reality. The reality is that guys like Bongani, Trevor and Ox are pretty close to being the best we have so we should appreciate them.  

"Yes, we all wish that we could pick our team strictly on merit but we also all know that's not possible"

Because we accept it so graciously, it's not going to change anytime soon...gonna get worse...until all the players,  black (especially them) and white says" NO more. We had enough, merit is the only way.

IMO, Bongi is close to being the best 2 in the world...Beast was the best LH, Kolbe is one of the best backline players in the world, never mind just wing. Mapimpi is right up there too...Am is probably the best 13 in South Africa...Even Kolisi deserves his spot...I know most won't agree with this, but IMO, 2nd best Van Staden isn't close...Elstadt is a different player, but not really a replacement for him either...

Apartheid fucked up a lot of things...the fight against the perceived legacy of Apartheid fcs up society even more. Most rugby fans want the Boks to win, regardless of how dark/light the team is.

In a  situation where every player is given a fair chance to succeed I see no reason why we should ‘appreciate’ a player who is clearly not as good. I appreciated the Beast. 

Am is definitely the best 13 in South Africa. The next best is Mapoe, then Serfontein, then Frans, then Kriel. Am has clearly been the best 13 since 2018. 

Kolisi is a quota, offers nothing. He has absolutely no presence at the breakdown. He is a big bag masquerading as a loose forward. Should have been a big wing instead. Van Staden is a lot better. Kwagga is even better. Kwagga is much stronger carrying into traffic than all our other options. He was very good against Georgia, an opponent that manhandled the Boks, especially in the second half.

Bongi is excellent, absolutely world class and has been better than Marx for the majority of the Josè reign. I feel that maybe Marx was played into the ground. Bongi is not quite as strong and offers very little as a turnover threat. 

Kolisi is a hybrid player, playing six...not a typical 6, but where else do you play him - 8?...His clean breaks and defenders beaten, etc...a match winner if used correctly...he takes way too much flack on here, especially because there's no one clearly better.

Kolisi is no hybrid player. As for his "clean breaks"? How far and few between are they? Very occasionally he beats a man out wide, usually on the seam off a lineout. What advantage does he give you? You call him a hybrid because Josè needs to separate him from those physical channels. He is easily overpowered as a ball carrier, defender, ruck cleaner or anything else you can think of. He goes most games without any kind of contribution. Flatline. There are many players better than him. They don't even need to be good on the ground. Like Steph, this is another myth pushed on us for reasons other than rugby. He is not a good player. Take any test you want and I will show you exactly how poor he is. It should be obvious by now that if I push a point, it's because I've done my homework first. You won't find any adequate production from this myth, just like Steph. You can applaud him all you want, yet you have nothing tangible to point to.