.....probably our best wing right now. What a change from the bumbling srumhalf displays....on the wing Hougaard is instinctive, aggressive and effective, three things you couldn't say about him at 9.
Bullshit, he is our best 9.......just typical SA losing out on an opportunity to have some clout at 9.....look no further than his tests against Oz and NZ.......given his current form, imagine how great he would be at 9, where he would be in the game all the time.
But in SA we don't have a clue.......and that is why we keep coming second
Ah so the Irish and Welsh exert more pressure than the Kiwi's and Aussies.......bwhaahaaaaa.
Wrong against NZ and Oz it was all about his crisp service that got his backs away.....the running in open play is a given.
He was hardly on against Wales.......and against Ireland in awful conditions he spilt all of 3 balls, having provided a crisp service of 50 odd passes for the rest.....that was the same game the classy Pollard was blamed for as well, when he too had a solid game.....confirming the ignorance of our coaches.........Hougaard is a 9.......but talented enough to play wing......sadly wasted on the wing.
The only issues that arise with Hougaard at 9 is when he is instructed to play the kicking game.......which coach in the modern era would want their 9 kicking away possession.....probably Meyer.......which will see us with du Preez and Pienaar as our WC - 9's and with it our WC chances.
He is good wherever he plays be it 9 or wing....for me 9 has always been his best spot......but sadly he plays under a bunch of verkrampte coaches who don't let him express himself as a 9.....he is pinned into playing the kicking game.
He was the new Joost, why on earth have we failed to invest in him.......faith counts for so much.
Oh what rubbish and taking a quick tap and kicking it out hardly defines a player......what crap.
Instinct and reactive is exactly what you want at 9, if you want an attacking 9......sounds about right for you with the architect.......that has du Preez and Pienaar written all over it......boring as shit.
Look at Smith for the Kiwi's......a Hougaard type 9......the best in the business......we have two others in Faf and Reinach.......all about instinct and reactive.......add Youngs of England, White and Genia of Oz......the best 9's about.....the winning formula
There can now no longer be questions around Francois Hougaard's best position. It is at wing, writes RYAN VREDE.
I hope the debate is settled, although there will probably be a section of the South African rugby fraternity that maintain Hougaard is best deployed as a scrumhalf. Indeed Hougaard himself may still feel this way. There would be no basis for that belief, should he hold it.
This, of course, is not a new assertion I'm making. Throughout last season I put forward this view as Hougaard stumbled from one mediocre performance in the No 9 shirt to another. I argued that we had seen enough of him in both positions to make an educated call on this issue. On the evidence presented, that position is undoubtedly wing.
He has scored five tries to date, placing him second on the try-scorers list. This is, and will always be, the primary measure of a winger. However, Hougaard's value transcends try scoring. His counter-attacking play is very good and has often been the catalyst for successful attacking maneuvers. His positional sense is sound, he is a strong and intelligent defender, his kicking game – inadequate at Super Rugby and Test levels – is strong for a winger, he is able to operate in tight spaces when required to, and his aerial ability is solid.
The Vodacom Bulls have benefited from all these qualities. Indeed there appears to have been a decision to make this his primary position. If so, it is an excellent, albeit long overdue, one.
The switch will also radically improve Hougaard's chance of making the Springboks' run-on side. I have long been perplexed by the selection loyalty to JP Pietersen given his try-scoring record for the Springboks – 18 in 59 Tests. What he offers in experience and other areas of the game fails to compensate for his now-chronic impotence, and replacing him with Hougaard would be a step forward in the Springboks' quest to be the best side in the world.
A back three of Willie le Roux, Bryan Habana and Hougaard is an exciting prospect and would give the Springboks an attacking edge they've failed to exhibit with any degree of consistency. The counter-argument is that that combination would be vulnerable to an aerial assault. They may well be, but it wouldn't hurt to explore the option. If the opposition kick poorly, the trio's broken-field potential is immense. Pietersen is too valuable to discard completely and having him in a match 23 offers some insurance against things going south. But fielding the trio discussed above is the type of avenue coach Heyneke Meyer has to venture down as he prepares for the World Cup.
After an indifferent couple of years, Hougaard seems to have committed to drastic improvement. His social media feeds offer us some insight into this commitment, with the 27-year-old regularly posting images of himself working towards physical and technical progression, whether it be in the gym or extra old-field sessions. The fruits of his labour are plain to see.
Hougaard's career is back on the rails thanks to a switch of mindset and position. That is something that should warm the hearts of all Bulls and Springboks supporters.
Yep and Perenara is another instinct and reactive player......just what you want from a 9.
Moz get your facts straight......Smith, White etc all get charged down.
Kicking is not Hougaards strength......but why would you want him kicking it is the question.
Hougaard is our best 9, followed by Reinach and Faf.
Because useless Meyer discarded JJ, suddenly you have been proven right......what a joke......that would carry weight if Meyer actually had a record to back his pathetic selections up.
Moz, I am with you on JJ's performance since then, the knock seems to have knocked him for 6......he looks far too passive these days. He would no longer make my Bok 23.
And you say I am not open to change.......de Allende or Kriel would be my 13
