Mozart will dislike this tremendously

I saw on Boots and All the Cheetahs team doing field and  gym training and Coenie, Strauss and Labushagne looks like they are in massive physical form.   Labuschagne apparently put on 4 kgs in muscle and is now 109 kgs.  So what about the Mozart harping on him being physically a "weakling"

While Mozart constantly harped on how good Alberts is - I took at the try scoring of the two whilst they play provincial and Super 15 rugby:-

TRIES SCORED

Alberts 

Caps              -         148

Tries scored    -           23

Try average    -           1,6 tries per every 10 games

Labuschagne

Caps              -            61

Tries scored    -           12

Try average    -             2 tries per every 10 games

STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE STATS

Alberts

Games Played   -    7

Tries                    0

Try Assists           0

Ball carries        35

Distance  Carried    92

 Gain per carry   2,8 meters per carry

Ball turnovers    2

Ball turnovers per match    28,6%

Tackles made  -  42

Tackles average per games  played  -  6

Tackles missed -   9

Miss tackle Ratio   17,65% 

Line Out takes    0

Labuschagne

Games Played   -    15

Tries                      2

Try Assists           1

Ball carries        119

Distance  Carried    384

Gain per carry    3,23 meters per carry

Ball turnovers    14

Ball turnovers per match    93,3%

Tackles made  -  239

Tackles missed -   10

Tackles made per game  -- 15,9

Miss tackle Ratio  4% 

Line Out takes   43

There is none of the basic statistics where Alberts can even remotely compared to Labuschagne as a performer.   In cases where Alberts did not score zero in performance stats the percentages tells it all:-

Ball Carries -  Alberts           =  2,8 meters per carry 

                     Labuschagne  =  3,23 meters per carry

Tackles made per game played   Alberts = 6

                                               Labuschagne  15,9

Missed Tackle Ratio   Alberts          =   17,65%

                              Labuschagne  =  4%            

It is interesting to note that Alberts carried the ball 3 times for a meter gain of 52 meters in one game - namely against the Kings.  The other 32 carries produced a gain of 40 meters - not a very good distance of 1,25 meters per carry gain.

SUMMARY

The above info indicates that White will have to move a mountain to make Alberts an even remotely useful Super 15 player.   Will he succeed?

I would rather have Labuschagne in my Super 15 selections than the pedestrian Alberts.   Alberts is a low work rate player at best - also in tests.  

Mozart

Does performances actually make Alberts a test loosie?   He loafed through Super 15 last year and is a low work rate player at test level too.   One of the worst se;lections of Meyer - not supported by performances, but with a huge amount of hype from the media.

Your prejudice is rubbish - I rather believe Naka Drotske.   Alberts would never make any  team Naka coaches - because his work rate is too low.   

So Labuschagne is "the Kankowski type - but not as talented".  Why don't I believe you?  Because you condemned Labuschagne before you saw playing in one game.

Still avoiding answering why Alberts should not be classed as a "process player" in accordance with your own classification of players?   An answer would be appreciated and some supporting comments to support your comments.  

1. Judges players without watching them play, ever.

Mozart

This is interesting.  You said you saw Labuschagne play for the Cheetahs in 2012 - he only played 4 games for them in that year.   You must have been very observant to have noticed him in that year - there was no comment ever on him on this site at that time.  

What I do note is that after the Chiefs and Highlanders game last year - which you did not see (you yourself mentioned you did not see those) - you condemned him outright.   Does not sound really objective to me - you made up your mind in advance you do not like the player without any supporting reasons.

So a player only becomes a "process player"  if he does something in attacking and defending play.  If he does little in any Department of play - like Alberts - he is not a "process player".   That term is therefore used to discredit high work rate players and for no other reason whatsoever.

"One  who shows in the loose games and disappears into a process role in the tight ones. Not test material."

What on earth do you mean with the above statement.   Virtually all real rugby games I have watched have two components, namely -

*   tighter phases of play;  and

*   looser phase of play   

You do find the use of the words "tight game" as it pertains to the ultimate outcomes of games.   I suppose you are referring to tight phases of games.  In those phases the real test is how the tight five of the team functions as a unit - a phase where loosies are not the critical element - but they do play a supporting role.

It is virtually impossible to determine the rolls of individual loosies in the tight phases of games.   Loosies have a dual function - they must support the tight 5 in maul and line-out situations - in scrums their role is minimal.    So there is the catch - how do you or anyone else for that matter assess the performance of an individual loosie in that context?   How can you say that Alberts do produce the goods and Labuschagne does not?   Is it because of ball carries in traffic for instance?   Even in traffic Alberts is not a good example - his carries in traffic has minimal results and his line out contribution is near to zero.

The problem is that loosies have other functions as well,  These include -

*  defence in traffic and wider out;

*  breakdown ball recovery and breakdown ball protection; and

*  ball carries in looser phases of play and linking up with other forwards and m ore importantly with backline players.

The latter aspect is where statistics over a season indicates the work rate of players.  You use the "process player" etiquette to downplay the functioning of players who shows a high work rate in all phases - both in traffic and outside of it - when you can find no other way to discredit them.   

As to your assessment of Alberts - I know you have credited him in the past with nice-sounding phrases like mighty ball carries and bone crushing tackles - but when analysing games there are very few of those in evidence in all games he played in.   Since he virtually never passes balls to other players and his carries are rarely beyond two meters in territory gain - what makes him so good as a loosie?  And his tackle count remains low and good tackles few and far between - with a too high missed tackle ratio to boot?

If there is one player who have established a massive reputation in one season and has since then been milking that reputation beyond belief through a very low work rate - it is Alberts.  

White will not keep him in the team if he does not up his work rate by at least 100% and that is not very likely.   

 Mozart

Sure - Labuschagne did play a lot of CC games for the Cheetahs - but how many of those have you un fact watched on TV - since international coverage if CC games are very limited and you lived in the USA?  Be it as it may - you virtually admitted you start criticising him before you saw him playing a single game last year in Super 15 - so let that one be.

Then an escape mechanism is not too be used in this case.   We are not dealing here with the allegation that some members supported Watson's Springbok selection in the past.   What we are dealing here with is -

*  the performances of two specific players in Super 15 last year and the issues relating thereto;

*  your classification of players you do not like as "process players" to eliminate the candidacy of such players for Springbok selection: and

*  ultimately the role of loosies in games with specific reference to tighter and looser phases of play and performance assessment in those phases of play,   

So lets get away from the Watson bogeyman and down to real issues.

Mozart

I know that you can get games on the internet - but the question remains - have you really watched  the Cheetahs games on the internet - not being a Cheetahs supporter?   I will be amazed if you did. 

Secondly we are discussing the performances of Labuschagne and Alberts in Super 15 last year under this thread - and pertinent issues I raised are avoided by you like the plague.

Lets face facts - after you saw on this site some positive reporting on Labuschagne after away games in Australasia - you started your negative attacks on him after admitting you have not seen the games.  You constantly continued attacks - to the point where you implied that he is a weakling.  

Just one question - would you say Alberts' performances in Super 15 last year was good enough and is so - why?