Mallett speaks out about Schalk

Old Tokkie's favourite authority blows up his tedious Schalk at flyhalf nonsense. Funny stuff when your most quoted source blows up your mostly deeply held beliefs....an irresistible force ploughs into an immovable turd.

'Schalk Burger has developed his game immensely. I know people talk about him taking up the flyhalf position, but clearly he has got good ball skills. He is passing and making sure that other players are getting the ball on the outside and he hasn’t lost his physicality in the tackle. He is an extraordinary player, who has done wonderful things for South African rugby and I wouldn’t wish for anything more than the Stormers to win their quarter-final at Newlands so he can finish his career here on a high note.

 Schalk is a player who always had good ball sense - but his recent interference in backline play is not acceptable.   Yesterday was a topical example - the players won a turnover ball and Burger got the brilliant idea to make a kick.    Instead of kicking the ball he dropped it and the result is a scrum with an opposition feed.   He also routinely crashballed - which is not always to the benefit of the team when possession is lost as a result.  However, he remains an acceptable loosie - even though his perfiormances is not up to the standard it used to be.   By the way I often mentioned comments by Mallett - you only do so when his comments are favourable to your ideas - otherwise he is in your book a fool.  

 Schalk is a player who always had good ball sense - but his recent interference in backline play is not acceptable.   Yesterday was a topical example - the players won a turnover ball and Burger got the brilliant idea to make a kick.    Instead of kicking the ball he dropped it and the result is a scrum with an opposition feed.   He also routinely crashballed - which is not always to the benefit of the team when possession is lost as a result.  However, he remains an acceptable loosie - even though his perfiormances is not up to the standard it used to be.   By the way I often mentioned comments by Mallett - you only do so when his comments are favourable to your ideas - otherwise he is in your book a fool.  

 Either Mallett your swami is wrong or you are wrong....which is it?

So when you differ from Mallett -  he is wrong.    When I differ from him I am wrong.  What a load of BS from Mozart - the birdbrain - aga in

Oh I don't rate Mallett much, but you do. You have used his utterances to justify all sorts of Tokkie nonsense....so now he clearly rates Schalk even in his offloading role. And I ask a simple question who is right ...you or your swami.

 Don't  make idiotic assumptions - I do quote from commentators as to after games-discussions.   However - to get the answer straight - Burger is not up to the standard he used to be and he fouls up backline play more than he adds value to it.  So I differ from Mallett in this case.   

Noted.

 @Mike. That's a but unfair. He dropped that ball because he was tackled. Had it come off it'd have put them under big pressure. For me it was a good call but just never came off. Then you guys all see pretty intelligent and sometimes I can't help but think that you intentionally confuse issues just to create a discussion. Here, I'll clarify via two examples. A) Schalk at fly half and told never to pass. B) Schalk at fly half and told to off load/make plays. I don't need to go into any more detail since it's pretty obvious that one of those is viable and the other not. It just seems silly that none of you make any distinction between what he was told to do at the WC and what he is doing for the Stormers. Cumon guys.

 I'm a huge Scalla fan, but his form was a bit off earlier in the season. He added value with leadership and was much better in the last 3 games.

Schalk is a very secure ball carrier, with brilliant hands. He is not a power runner, nor is he an open field runner. Play him in the right role and he is still a significant contributor......I think that's the point.

That doesn't mean he is the right choice for the Boks given the need to rebuild the team for the next four years. That is very different from saying he is no longer test level....which he certainly is.

Big loss for the Stormers I reckon. Will really miss seeing him play - the enthusiasm, the skill and the obvious respect he commands from his teammates . Schalk re-invented himself as he got older. Our best linking forward, by a mile. We are not only losing experienced leadership, but a ton of rugby IQ.
The player drain continues.
If we thought this years S18 was rough for the Saffa teams, next year will be even worse. 

 The usual steaming pile of dung from Matey.
"Schalk re-invented himself as he got older. Our best linking forward, by a mile."
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
Burger was once a great player ... now he's an ineffective old man, busy with a whole lot of nothing on the field.
He's lost all of that which he once had. He no longer forces his way through the collision ... instead he goes to ground at contact.
There are so many things wrong with him it's difficult to know where to begin. 
Years of poor technique has cost him dear. He's a shell of his former self and one of the biggest contributors to our world cup humiliation last year.  
Personally I think that the only reason he's been selected is because of pity. 
He's served his country well ... 5 years + ago ... retirement is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overdue.