CC
I agree with you on most issues and think and hope that I am objective.
However, I for years had doubts about Kolisi and said so in the past - was never really a fan of his and that came out in my repetitive criticism of our defective loosies over a lengthy period of times.
As to Mostert I was not impressed with his performance as a 7, Matter of fact is the media hype was overwhelming and not in line with a fairly low work rate - both iro ball carries and tackles made.
I m not at all favouring Wiese at this stage. There is no doubt he was top class against the Crusaders - he did three times as much then Mostert did on Saturday - hence his Sanzaar designating him as Super Rugby Player of the Week, He also took balls in the line-outs on Saturday and also previously for the Stormers, Insofar as line-outs are concerned in the case of loosies they are there as alternative jumpers - their other work is to my mind of more importance.
However, in the case of both Mostert and Wiese I would like to see much more of them playing at 7 before I really would form a firm opinion on the two of them.
As to the other players I differ from you only iro De Jager. He was outstanding for the Cheetahs and his form and up to the semi-finals of the WC in 2015 when he was considered as a possible player of the Tournament. When he moved to the Bulls his performances took a dive when playing for the Bulls and for the Springboks, That could perhaps be accounted for as the result of the dud coaches he had to contend with. In the game against the Hurricanes he was top class - much like he was in the past. I also took note that up to this stage he was the highest point scorer in Foxsport - that being based on actual performances - nothing else. However, my norm remains - one has to always see consistency in performance and have to watch out what happens from here onwards,
As to backline players none - even Pollard - had a snowballs hope in hell playing successfully under Meyer and Coetzee - so I do think we should follow them under new management in future and see whether they can perform in future. That is why I am going to look at the performances of players in the Super Rugby series and comment on those in three categories - top class, good and above average.
It would be very good if other members could join in the process and suggest changes. I will do the first three rounds first and will follow that up on a weekly basis afterwards. I will concentrate mainly on the loosies, halfbacks and centers - dealing with other positions only in exceptional circumstances. Your participation in this type of thread will be enlightening and sincerely appreciated.
We can then also come up with a progressive team up to that stage of the tournament on a weekly basis for inputs by all members.
