Pollard still crocked and out of Championship

Looks like Pollard will not participate in the rugby championship. Instead, we are now left with Jantjies, Libbok and Willemse. 

I still can't believe the poor selections from last year. Instead of casting the net wide and ensuring that we have enough backup in the system, the wisdom of the bok coaches let us to select players that are not going to the World Cup. 

Frans Steyn took up a lot of minutes as well as Willemse. Willemse is not even th 10 at the stormers. 

Then, we had Jantjies, who prior to his wholeful performance against Wales only played 30 min of rugby the entire year. Then, thanks to his antics, let the team down and lost his contract in Japan. Now playing D2 and couldn't even get the team to promotion. 

Libbok we all know is talented, but he lacks BMT. When the field is dry and hard he can really run the show, but on wet fields and tighter more physical games, he tends to implode. 

We do have the option of calling in Robert Du Preez, yes he bombed but he has since then developed into a decent player and even better goal kicker. 

Not to mention we have Goosen, although not on form but would benefit from being in the bok training camp environment. 

Neither of these two player may get a cap, but with 3 weeks of training, could have helped these guys get ready. 

Yet, Nienaber stated that Willemse will be fit for the Australia game, which looks like he might be the first choice 10

We have 5 scrum halves, all in camp, but we can't get a decent back up 10

Uh-oh.

I see our RWC hopes going down the drain here.

I'm not saying Pollard is our best player but he's probably our most important player given the dearth of alternatives.

Agree 100% with your sentiments kingcorn. An adventurous coach would have groomed a youngster in the last season or two rather than plug away with the likes of Elton Jantjies and Frans Steyn.

I do think Manie Libbok has the talent but like you say, his temperament is in question, especially when it comes to kicking off the tee.

I'm one of a small minority who actually prefers Damian Willemse at flyhalf but his lack of game time in that position is a worry. Also, he's a hopeless place kicker so we'd need Faf or Cheslin taking the kicks.

I reckon Rassie will go with Jantjies. I don't think Elton is as bad as many believe and at least he has proven temperament when it comes to the clutch kicks . . . but I don't think he's in Pollard's class and I question whether we can win this RWC if Pollard doesn't recover in time to play at least a few games before we meet the likes of Scotland and Ireland.

I think we have a problem here and that has nothing to do with the coaches.   Pollard played for the Under 20WC in 2012 at the ag of 17 and played for the Springboks in 2014 and 2015 - then were virtually out of playing rugby in 2016 and 2017 due to injuries.  He got through the WC - went to Montpellier and there his injury problems start again so Montpellier released him to play for Leicester because hey could rarely used him due to injury problems.   He was injury plagued since 2019.

In other words did he start his career playing high level rugby at too young an age and his body took too many knock in the process?

We really need a new flyhalf and I have serious doubts about the alternatives,   Willemse, Jantjies and Libbok have been tried - but they are not international material.    For more than 2 decades SA had one-dimensional flyhalfs that brought nothing to the game.   The preference always was on kicking flyhalfs neutralizing backline attacks  and by 2014 Meyer was forced to call up Pollard.    In his first two tests Pollard was excellent as an all-round flyhalf and then deterioration set in - Meyer nearly destroyed him by trying to turn him into a kicking dummy.

When he went overseas he was expected to play a different game and that is when he injury problems started.    When he returned to play for the Springboks - he was asked for his own ideas as to flyhalf performances and was then allowed to play his natural game and was brilliant in that regard for the whole of 2018 and 2019 - after which he played club rugby in France and England and his injury problems returned.

In essence SA coaches do not allow for flyhalfs to play comprehensive rugby - the exception being Dobson - so that is where we are stuck at present.  In that regard White given a huge budget - was in a position where he could help in developing flyhalfs  and all he could come up with was the totally problematic Steyn and the dull Smit,   The Sharks played Bosch at flyhalf and he was not considered as a usable flyhalf on test level and the Lions used Jantjies.   

So where can the Springbok coaching set-up turn to when it comes to flyhalf play?

SA is in deep “doodoo” if Pollard is not on the park. Along with the mid-field, these are particularly weak positions for the Boks at present and a major stumbling block for the RC and RWC. I haven’t seen anyone yet who could remotely fit in seamlessly and have never rated DDA as a true international player, let alone any possible replacement.

Well we've the RC to see what the backup boys bring to the table ............. rather now than September. 

I've never been a fan of Jantjies, good provincial isall.  Willemse's array of skills should see him on the bench so Libbok probably deserves first crack at 10.

Well, Rassie messed up last year big time. SA like their flyhalves to be physical and Pollard is big player that hits the gain line. He can bust open tackles. Where as a player like smit is more nimble and dances around player. George ford is another player who is small but take less contact. 

We need Robert Du Preez. His is versatile and have been playing consistently well and injury free. 

Then, I agree that the bulls have not developed any decent 10s. Neither has the sharks, flyhalf is a position where experience counts. Eddie Jones is right, a flyhalf only gets better in their 30s. Johnny Sexton is evidence of this. Morne Steyn probably played his best rugby in the last few years and maybe should be considered for the World Cup only. 

Rassie stuffed up not selecting a specialist 10 and inform players last year 

KC

You are talking  BS.   How can Erasmus produce anything other than players who play on provincial and overseas club level to come to the fore?   That is not sensible at all - must Erasmus pick people not playing for Provnces and foreign clubs and use them on test level?   

The production line of Provincial and international level is not produced by the Springbok select committee.    So what are you going on about? 

Then you talk about Robert du Preez who was given a chance in one test - panicked and lost the test for SA.   And a repeat of the failures of Morne Steyn over the last decade is also ignored.   If there is one player who never attacked the gain line in tests it is Morne Steyn - the most predictable poor defender at 10 in SA rugby.

What total garbage!!!!!      

Manie should have played in atleast all the tests last year and started in 2 of those minimum...

Forward play and back play are dovetailed in the modern game; they cannot be separated. In 2019 we played poor rugby all the way through the WC, until the final. Although, there were some fine margins. We were just about able to take advantage of the most fortuitous schedule possible. It would seem that karma has redressed the balance this time around. We have runners, only one or two distributors. Our primary tacklers and carriers are powder puffs. The general theme since last year has been to strip the backs of as much physicality, power, defensive prowess, tactical awareness, aerial dominance, and skill as possible... for track runners. The Boks haven't shown physical superiority on the gainline since Australia 2019. Let that sink in. Not a single test. 

If Libbok plays, the Bok style would need to change significantly….the price of  our major club teams playing a different game to our national team, which is stuck playing 1960s Bools’ rugby.

Libbok will be swallowed whole by a strong defensive front. These types need to play dar from the gainline. These types like the flat run towards the touchline with an angled runner cutting back. For the Boks this always lead to even more lateral play and loss of space. We don't have intelligent runners who can create those types of angles to play off of that style of 10, and we'd need to combine that intelligent running with power to punch into the line. Then there's the matter of defence. We could end up with a midfield that cannot defend reliably one-on-one. That's not a recipe for overcoming the challenges we are going to face at the world cup. Last year was a very poor year of rugby all around, but we've seen our biggest challenges improve. We have simply got to take a step up ourselves. We cannot rely on the 16th man this time around, or hope our opponents play to our level and we sneak a result.