RWC 2015 - Damian De Allende vs Samoa

1st Half

03:00 - SA L/O; Boks set up maul deep inside Samoa half. B12 runs at outside shoulder of S10. He bounces off as S10 bails out and drives between S6 and S12. Initially S6 is going for the strip with S12 standing him up, but S6 falls to ground and S12 finishes with an attempt at stripping B12 of ball. B12 goes to ground with ball secure. B11 leads a three man clearout with B6 coming from the left and B13 coming in from the right. Samoa do not contest breakdown with more than one man. Boks are now in second phase in the middle of the field just outside Samoas 22.

03:20 - B9 takes ball from the base on second phase and take ball to the line, passing inside to B2 who cuts back inside. Boks pounding away at the middle of the field. S6 lands a big upper body hit on B2 who gains no ground. B12 who was the guard (A defender) on the blindside quickly moves to join ruck, offering B9 some protection. B9 gets ball out to Bok POD (7-5-8), again attacking the middle of the field.

03:29 - On fourth phase, Boks take the ball left where Samoa have fewer numbers and are spread out. B11 is pulling the opposite Samoan winger out along the touchline, isolating him. B15 is at first receiver, B13 is next in line with B12 outside him. B12 and B13 form a condensed staggered line of 3. B12 fans out as B13 cuts inside with quick interplay between B13 and B15. B13 is the decoy that is supposed to pull the defenders in, as B15 dummies and sends a chip over the top for B12 and B11 to attack deep in Samoa 22. The move fails as B15 chips into the back of B13 and the move dies. Boks would have had a 2v2 situation with the speed advantage. (Fif.1 & 2).
04:42 - Samoa scrum, deep in own half. B9 quickly snipes around scrum and brings down S8 well behind scrum. Samoa secure possession and quickly attack wide where Boks have flat line of three defenders spread apart (10-12-13). S12 attacks B10 with straight run, pulls out at last second and runs across the of the defence. B12 took a hasty step inside, in behind B10, which took him out of the equation and that allows S10 to create a potential 2v1 out of 2v3. Samoas S12 foolishly decides to run and stop in space inside B13 and S13 runs just a shade inside
B13. The result is that S13 is caught ball and all by B13 and B10. Had S12 run directly at B13 and S13 ran on the outside of B13, they would have force the defender to make a decision: move in on S12 and risk a breakout down the touchline, make a move on S13 and risk S12 darting inside. B12 was shadowing in behind, but he took himself out of the equation initially to allow Samoa the opportunity to isolate and exploit B13. He failed to support B10 on the inside. B10 held his channel and trusted his outside support to pick him up, especially given they had a numerical advantage.

06:31 - Samoa gaining momentum through the backs after a quick snipe around the fringes by S9 gets them behind the gainline. A few phases later they are just in front of the Bok 22. Boks have 4 man line (8-12-13-11). B8-B12 the interior stand flat, B13-B11 shoot out flat together and press the outside backs, effectively cutting off options for samoa. Samoa are running a staggered line of three who are marked by B13-B11 and have two runners flat in behind adding a second layer to their attack. Samoa have both second wave support run astride each shoulder of S6 who fixes B13, and passes inside to S11. S11 darts inside space between B12 and B13. B13 gets front contact of S11 as B12 grabs him but with no impact in the tackle. As ball goes to ground B12 takes up position quickly on the blindside as the guard. Samoa go the blindside and B12 darts out and takes S14 low strongly, B11 supports the tackle by taking S14 high and driving him backwards in the tackle. A nice, clean takedown by the duo. B12 is quick to get on his feet and contests ball, applying some pressure on S9. (fig.4)
12:15 - Bok Restart. B12 part of three man chase (12-13-11). They start wide and narrow in on target as ball descends, well organized restart. B12 takes the back of S15, S15 goes to ground. B12 fights on the inside for the ball, applies considerable pressure before two Samoans clean him out of the way.

16:54 - Boks steal lineout, B7 runs strongly right throw Samoan defence at the seam. This opens them up. B9 sends pass out to B10. B10 has three runners standing flat outside him with a fair bit of depth (12-13-15). He passes short to B12 who has ball in both hands and stutter steps right in front of defenders before darting in between S6 and S8. He breaks the tackle of S6 and in behind S8 and drives strongly forward. Turns as taken to ground, with back to Samoa and presents clean ball as B13-B2 cleanout ensuing ruck. A nice bit of play created from nothing, targeting forwards and attack space instead of bodies. (fig.5)

19:54 - Bok L/O. B7 charges in defenders, B12 comes in quickly to secure possession and seals of ball from S8.

21:26 - Samoa win turnover after scrum pressure. S12 runs at B12. B12 positions himself a little forward to discourage S12 from moving or passing out. S12 responds with a run attacking B12s inside shoulder. b12 takes S12 low and brings him down. B10 has a clean shot for the ball immediately. Good read on defence by B12.

22:30 - Bok L/O. Boks running of B7 off lineout. Lots of bodies inside of B7 condense Samoan defence as they have to respect the possibility of a charge by B7, or a pass inside. B12 emerges as primary runner off B7 just as B7 approaches defensive line. A three man defensive front is turned into a 1v1 for B12 as B7 ropes in two defenders. B12 seizes the opportunity and attacks inside shoulder of S10, with a pocket of space on the inside. B12 takes the contact of S10 and drives away from him, almost breaking the tackle. S10 hangs onto his ankle for dear life, but it's too late, B12 is well behind the gainline and the trifecta of B14-B2-B7 clear out ruck strongly. Boks have quick ball and quick release by B9 inside Samoa 22 as Samoa are left scrambling in disorder. (fig.6)

24:25 - Samoa restart. B12 comes in behind B7 to steady his descent and add some drive in behind, with the aid of B6 and B4 astride him. Boks secure possession.

25:40 - S14 runs a clearance downfield back from deep. B12 takes S14 low around the ankles and B4 drives him to ground. S14 offloads on ground to S10.

27:48 - Bok L/O. Boks maul, B5 comes around the back of maul and takes it, he feigns a move to the back - implying the Boks intend to continue maul - but breaks off the tail and passes short to B9. Samoa drifting out in a staggered line from out to in. They appear to have sealed B12 off from the outside and cramped the Bok attack, but B12 darts behind B9 and B5 to the inside and attacks the slower forwards who occupy that area as well as a huge gap between the nearest Samoan defender and the maul (seam). He rounds S7 easily steps outside S11. He is eventually brought down a couple of metres in front of Samoan 22. Boks have quick ball and the initiative. (fig.7)

29:56 - Samoa fail to find touch. B7 charges at defence and sends a long miss pass out to B12. Samoans condense line and drift out anticipating an attack out wide. Boks have a possible 3v3 turned 3v2 out wide, but B12 cuts back inside. S1 takes him high and falls off tackle, but S8 takes him down a short distance behind S1. Boks
with a scrappy cleanout.

33:28 - Boks surging deep into Samoan half. Boks align in box formation in middle of field just outside Samoan 22. Formation comprises 7-6 at the front and 2-12 at the back. B12 compresses inward, very close to B2 initially, thus disguising the look they are giving the defence and making him look unimportant. B10 passes to B7 who takes it right on the line, B6 runs a decoy line targeting the inside of his man. B12 fades out at last moment and B7 passes to B12 who is running behind B7 and attacking space outside of the defender B7 just fixed. This is classic move that has been run all year, the ploy is to get B12 free on the outside where he can attack the edge of the defence with some space to work with. The net result of this is that he is put in space and has a man right in front of him. B12 darts left instead and takes on S6, B12 is brought down soon after but the Boks are gaining ground and are encamped in the middle of the field inside the Samoan 22. (fig.8)

35:59 - B10 sends high ball into Samoa half, B14 taps it back and B12 gathers. S11 hits him hard upon his advance. B12 attempts to break tackle by driving out of it, but S11 has him in check. They move laterally before
going to ground.

40:07 - B7 taps back high ball and B12 catches it cleanly. Gives short pass to B10.

40:23 - Boks in another box formation (6-1;11-12). This time B12 is the interior deep lying support, effectively running as first receiver on this phase as he breaks away from the two decoys ahead of him. B12 takes it to the line after another stutter step, B11 holds his man which allows B12 to freely attack the outside shoulder of S3 and gets well behind him. S3 is hanging onto the ankle of B12 who is now taken to ground by S5. (fig.9)

2nd Half

45:03 - Bok L/O. Boks set up maul, B9 with quick cut pass out to B12. B12 and B14 are standing flat with B12 the exterior. B10 is moving outside B12 from behind, getting into position for the next phase. B12 crashes into S10 with B14 adding momentum and support from behind, and ready to act as cleaner at ruck. Boks gain significant ground and B12 presents quick ball. (fig.10)

46:17 - Bok L/O. B10 runs hard at space between S10-S12, moving outward. B12 very quick to clean ruck and secure ball right in front of try line. B9 snipes around fringe but is driven back to spot of prior ruck, B12 still on hand to secure ball.

46:33 - B12 now at first receiver, Boks have 4v4. B12 feigns move outside and steps inside S12, brought down by S2 right in front of try line. Boks score on next phase.

Watched the video, he went over the advantage line every time he got the ball! 

Fox you and I may disagree about the effectiveness of De Allende, but I can't fault your attention to detail on this thread. Good work on that front!   

Yawn  

 You may well say yawn Omelette....you don't have the attention span to study a serious piece of rugby an-alysis. 
And what happened then Bloo?

Then Moz, we had forward momentum, defense scrambling, gaps opening up.  

Actually not one try can be tied to any of those runs. They are similar to the runs typically made by an 8th man...except guys like Reid and Vermeulen offload more effectively.
All this attacking prowess, if it exists, has to be directed at space, not contact.

So far Allende has not contributed to a single Bok point....and his tackling is cream puff.  

Er Omelette...I dont know if I was a hell of a business man. But I was ranked as one of South Africa's five most distinguished overseas businessmen by the Sunday Times and I was awarded Gabelli Funds investor Man of the Year Award. And I was appointed to run a Fortune 500 company at 42. Others seemed to think so. 
Tell us about your legal awards.

Quite right Moz, his attacking ability is in space. He got a lot of space against Samoa and even more time as they defended very passively. But what about a defence that seizes the initiative and closes you down? Australia already saw through the Bok's little ploys to get Damian into space, ploys which were becoming exposed in the Super XV. Well, Michael insisted that Damian ran over everyone all day. Guess who was wrong again! And he insisted that Damian was very forceful on defence. Wrong there too.

So DumbFox are you saying that DA is not able to breach defences in contact situations? That he is not able impose himself physically? That he is only good in space?  

I don't lie Omelette... you raised the issue resulting in even more egg. As for Allende, he was dropped because his defence is feeble and unlike Kriel he wasn't able to turn his attacking opportunities into points.

Mostly though it's Allende's cream puff defence that is a huge concern going forward.

Damian plays like a back three player looking for space, but physically looks like a smaller rugby league player. He likes to beat you on the outside and doesn't have a lot of front on force, but through his strong leg drive he can destabilize a defender when he targets a weak shoulder and push through the tackle. That's his strength. He can't run good or effective lines and cannot therefore create space. He cannot generate play but requires that someone one else fulfills the role of a 12 for him to thrive. His best work is sniping around the edge of a POD from the middle channels (middle of the field). Just look at Sonny Bill and prime Nonu for a perfect example constructive and purposeful centre play. Especially how Sonny opens space up for support to play directly off him, the spacial awareness. Damian tucks it under his arm and goes it alone with tunnel vision so extreme he may as well be looking through straws. He has the mentality of a wing. I am not going to criticize his Samoan performance, but the signs were there that his game hasn't taken enough of a step forward. Playoff rugby is much tighter and he will have to be much stronger in the tackle and be able to do the hard yards ball in hand. Will his decision making expose itself again against a more competitive opponent? We will most likely see a repeat of that Aussie test where he got picked apart and conceded 3 (nearly 4) tries. He makes the game more difficult for his teammates. 

 Mozart called De Allende as doing "tractoring" and DF says he is physically weak.   Both have been going for De Allende all out for this year now - both think that Fransie should be in the squad and try to find reasons to condemn De Allende as a player.
When he has a longer run and ball carry, it is because he is incapable (not strong enough) to make a break to the inside - if he makes inside breaks he is "tractoring".  He cannot ever do anything that would silence those two detractors.
Initially Mozart could not find any real reason to go for De Allende for anything - and then jump on the issue of defense.  He ignored totally his performance in attacking play and posted some tackling stats in Super 15 condemning De Allende all out.. When I pointed out that Steyn's defensive stats was worse than those of De Allende he flipped a lid and started screaming about about "presence".   S\Desert Fox soon picked up the defense story and the best method was to lie about what happened  during matches and then present those lies as facts.       
De Allende is credited by his opponents and experts throughout the rugby world as a special player - the only inside center that this year played in 16 matches in Super 15 and in 9 of those rounds he was the best center selection at 12 and in 3 games he was "bubbling under".  
There favourite center - Steyn - never made it once to the top two in a round.  In the case of line breaks and defenders beaten the situation is as follows:-
Line Breaks - Steyn               =     1                  De Allende          =    27Defenders beaten - Steyn       =     9                           De Allende =   73
They are not interested - when I asked them what Steyn in the past four years achieved - they instigated a case of serious verbal diarrhea on the site - without mentioning one case where he did anything in practice.  Mozart even came up with a statement that Steyn scares opposing players.  The constant refrain is that he showed strength of character in the 2007 WC at the age of 20.   That sounds fine - but they cannot recognise the fact that for some reason or another his performance since then and especially since 2012 deteriorated and  his present performances are not up to international or even Super 15 standard.
This is a case of prejudice of unbelievable level and you can never ever expect anything different from those two characters.  
                   

Michael, in your mind this is Frans v Damian. In my mind it's "is Damian good enough or not?". What does he bring? Does he give Meyer options, or does Meyer need to work around him ala Flayed Blooper? Certainly Damian is not strong in the upper body. It's all there to be seen. Every word I have spoken has been true. Most people are catching on now, even to the Lambie myth. There is no prejudice whatsoever. Again, this is something that exists in your relativistic mind.

 Card, I did not watch the vidio, but your description of play was a nice read. DdA has lots to learn, but he only just finished one season at 12. The Ozz match was his first test at 12. I think he has got plenty for a coach to work with going forward. The only other young 12 with potential for the Boks is Pollard, but then we better find another 10 pronto. Damian now started at 12 in 4 tests. Meyer gave JJ 12 caps @13 before moving on....if Damian does not improve in his next 6 starts, I'm prepared to  start looking at alternatives. Fransie's ship has sailed and I won't  consider him at 12 going forward...stop gap bere and there, but nothing long term.

 PS, there is no other clear choice at 12.

 DF
You make it so obvious by your praise singing about Fransie being the choice, I frankly do not believe your latest standpoint about the most suitable candidate at center.  

 Well lets see where this bias took us.

Allende...questionable
Kriel...needs a S15 at 13
Jantjies...beginning to be functional against weaker S15 teams 
JJ ....probably won't be playing club rugby this year

Stepfontein...dropped, only there because Jean is out and he has familiarity
Taute...going nowhere
Reinach...dropped, not a test scrummie
And that's just a sample of the backs. In every case I was accused of bias when I raised legitimate concerns about weaknesses.
In rugby it's almost never black or white....every player has issues.Part of what this Board should provide is a reasonable way to debate these issues. Instead we get these childish insults and accusations of bias. It's so depressingly low.

 Moz, no one can argue by himself. You take the bait and do your fair share of baiting...as do we all from time to time. I haven't made up my mind on DdA, Malherbe, Kriel and PSDT yet, I want to see a bit more of them first. I think Lood has shown enough to be Victor's replacement in the short term. I agree with most of your concerns, but less so with the alternatives you propose, but I think the board provides for a reasonable platform for debate...and more, the problem is with our attitude at times.

 Mozart, I think he has small wrists & ankles - this may explain his defensive deficiencies & the "tractoring" .

You want to speak of bias? How about labelling Morne the worst SA 10 in history. He is the most successful and highly decorated 10 in SA history with World, Super Rugby and Bok records. He stands as the number two best accumulator of points per test. Is that not bias? 
And then Frans. I never dubbed Frans a wild stepper or speed merchant. I have openly stated that Frans cannot compete with Damians 1v1 ability on the outside or in space. However, the question I ask is who is the better FIT at 12? Does a wing work at 12? How much can you allow your 12 to feed off others out wide? Who will pick up the slack? What is a 12 anyway? When all is said and done inside centre is the position with the greatest potential for space creation. You need a hard nosed work-horse at 12 to open up the game for the rest of the backline. Michael's conclusion is that Damian's penchant for solo running makes him better, but all I saw all year was an overly lateral attack. Look no further than the Stormers; Nobody to straighten the attack. Frans runs a better unders line and occupies considerable attention from defenders and has a tremendous range of passes which allow the attack to spread out of they so choose. He has an immense kicking game which would actually support Pollard at 10, and add firepower to a Du Preez and Morne half-back pairing. When last did you see Frans on his back holding an attacker by the ankles? Heck, Serfonteins shirt exploded when he tried to take Frans on. A guy who ran over three All Black's (2 forwards) in succession in the Dunedin test of 2012 and has carried the Sharks on his back as their best 10, 12, 13, 15 and probably 14 too. A defender so dependable he can defend a POD on his own, or cover an entire blindside on his own. Damian can do none of these things. He is the perfect fit for the Boks and is the better 12. No successful 12 plays like Damian. He may be touted as being the South African Sonny Bill Williams, but the comparison is laughable. Sonny has limitations in his game too, but he actually looks like a centre. He actually looks like a rugby player, and most certainly isn't passive. They are nothing alike. 

Ah here we have Moffie speaking utter shit once again....biggest joke of all is that he somehow implies that our sad excuse of a coach is somehow the measure. Given his disgraceful recent record and the Jap loss to top it off....the only thing that is going to happen to Moffies hero Meyer post WC is that he is going to get dropped.
One would swear that because Meyer has dropped a player that that somehow constitutes a measure of that players credentials. Get real old fart.....Meyer is a joke along with his selections or discards. If the fool had some credibility your pathetic ignorance might just carry some weight.
Instead we can only laugh at de Allende being questionable, that Kriel needs a s15 at 13, that Mallett was wrong in saying Jantjies was our best 10 this S15,  that useless Jean is better than Serf or that pathetic Pienaar or nobody Paige are better than Reinach.
Moffie you are as clueless as our coach is...the same coach who has lost 8 of our last 13 major tests and then insulted Bok history with a loss to the Japs. Could you be more out of touch old man.
If only you had the record to back your crap we might then just have to take all your garbage seriously.  Until such time you will continue to be a laughing stock.

 So who are the players that Mozart backs and keep on backing:-
De Jongh -  a player that was never international quality - went AWOL in his last two tests and is not even the best 13 on Super 15 level,  Huw Jones have been consistently better than him.  
Fransie Steyn - last tests in 2012 were all flops - in 2013 his coach says he is no center, has not played in tests since 2012.   
Morne Steyn - the player whom in his last test (in Perth) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.  No test since then.  Best known as the Stade Francais bench flyhalf,
Willem Alberts - the worst loosie n SA 

Victor Matfield - a sad reflection of the player he used to be - repeatedly showed up as deficient by the superior display by younger players in every match they play.   
Jannie du Plessis - your "national treasure" - the player who failed against Japan and who was the only flop in the game against Samoa last week.
Any player selected by Meyer is supported by you - the top drone on this site.

The players you criticized are often enough better as Springboks than the duds you support.
Like your fellow Village idiot are you also predicting a loss by the Springboks in the game on Saturday?  
     

    

Juan de Jongh was a work horse for the Stormers and provided Damian with a lot of space. He was good on attack in his own right and was solid on defence, often being isolated as a result of Damian, but still stood strong. Was part of the effective duo with Damian that cleaned out rucks for the Stormers. Had a fantastic EOYT in 2012 in which he solidified the defense. Has yet to be surpasses by those that came after him.
Morne did alot in that Perth test. He did something Lambie has yet to do: release his outside backs and get tries. His only errors being a passive defending of Folau after a kick downfield in which he allowed Folau to run across the face of him amd attack the space between him and the next defender outside him. The other was pushing for distance on the last kick of the game and failing to find touch. But the most critical errors in that game came from Serfontein and Lambie, both fluffing crucial tackles that allowed Australia to move deep into our half and then score a try. Australia played a more traditional Aussie game, by spreading out their attack to force the defenders to spread out. They were attacking spaces more than looking for direct confrontation with defenders. Naturally the space between 10 and 12 was strategically important. Were you to evaluate tackles in context instead of via numbers you would know where you have erred. However, you are too dishonest! 
Frans has carried the Sharks on his back. He has been by far the best back over the past three years for the Sharks. Frans has never had a "flop" test. Ever. 
Alberts has been one of only two loose forwards that the Boks can build around. Such are his contributions that for a time the entire gameplan was predicated upon his unmatched ability to generate momentum. In his absence the Boks have struggled to get anything going up front. This speaks volumes about his ability. 
Victor has outplayed every pretender before and since his return. Last year he ended as Super rugby's premier lock. He has added mobility, experience and sureness to the team. Before him our lineouts and other set pieces were a tragedy, often conceding penalties and robbing us of a solid platform to work from. His work on defence and at rucks has been immense. One of the hardest workers in the team.
Jannie has been our only go to tighthead, which makes him valuable! 
Michael, it amazes me how much one man can get it so wrong. I hope you never get an itch for gambling because trust me... this just isn't your thing. 

I think De Allende had a good game against Samoa, you put a lot of work into this thread DF, nice one. 

It would be foolish to suggest De Allende is the finished project at 12, like Draad said he's only just finished his first season at 12.

But, in my opinion, he's showed the best potential of any 12 in South Africa for a long time, Someone like Serfontein is a solid 12 but not someone who I think will ever be top class, whereas with De Allende I see someone who could. 

I just think he has all the tools to make it, he's got a good step, an eye for a gap, good speed, I know DF disagrees but he's got good strength and he's a big lad for a centre which is good.

There's weaknesses there, his defence needs work and his distribution game could aswell. 

But the potential is there and we should persist with him, it could sort out our 12 spot for the next few years now that Jean is gone. 

And, fingers crossed, if all goes to plan in terms of potential, we'll have a centre combo who'll play a lot together in the next 4 years and be flying by 2019 (De Allende/Kriel)

I don't think anybody is disputing the potential...more than Step, more than JJ. What we were saying leading up to the WC was they were a risk at this stage...so a combination of either with Jean was likely to be more solid. Now we don't have that option and have little choice giving them the responsibility, and hopefully some good coaching. After al who wants Steppie?

Yeah, that's fair enough Moz. At thy very least, this World Cup is give De Allende/Kriel some great experience. As I've said before, I'd love Frans to be there to provide some current experience, but obviously that ship seems to have sailed, it's crazy to think he's only 28 still.

Obviously early days in their careers so don't want to say too much, but centres like Odendaal and Vorster are also showing good potential. 

It will be interesting to see out DA, Kriel, Vorster and Odendaal, who really kicks on the most and makes 2019 their own. 

APD 
Look - lets face facts.  De Allende at the start of this tournament has been selected as a 12 for the Springboks in only five tests.  He started in 2 tests at 13 and came from the bench for a short while when Jean was injured in the Wales test and never once saw any ball in that game.   That is his full test record thus far.
That is not enough to form a fixed opinion on.  In all the tests he played in he was good in attacking play - but showed some deficiencies in some tests only in defense.  In fact it happened in two of the nine tests when he showed problems - one against Argentina and the Aussie test this year.
Mozart has never once during the past year said anything positive about De Allende - and his comment now is also not really positive.  Matter of fact his attacks was mostly extremely negative.  
As to Vorster and Odendaal one has to rate their potential on the basis how they perform in games opposing recognized international centers like Nonu, Conrad Smith and SB Williams.  Of the two Vorster showed the most potential.  He has played at 12 and at 13 - but was better at 13.   Even though he only started playing Super Rugby in March this year - he ended up as being rated one of the top 8 centers in Super 15. Odendaal has had less Super 15 games than Vorster and also showed sine real potential.   
Looking at the center situation as from next year I think that the center players of the future based on rather sketchy experience in matches thus far in the case of two players are De Allende, Serfontein, Kriel, Vorster and Odendaal.
                   
   
      
 

Mozart has said several times that Damian was our best attacking threat during the Super XV alone. Michael, your mouth is your own worst enemy every time you open it.
You are lying about Damian's record on attack in his tests, and form a contradiction in the process. Five tests is not enough to form an opinion of him, but you proceed to make a statement thereafter. Damian has shown no capacity to create or carry the ball up with any meaningful purpose, especially in tight, competitive tests. His defence has revealed major vulnerabilities throughout his senior career. I will give him the Samoa test as laying down a statement in so far as his positioning was much better and he made better reads, but that was against an attack with under 35% possession who were pounded up front and lost the battle for field position - they were striking from deep. 
One of the biggest problems with our next-gen centres is that they are too soft. They excel most in a faster, structureless game where they can run freely into space with scant consideration for decision making, especially when defences are passive. This affords them more time to think and they may pick and choose their points of contact.  In tight games they are physically over-powered and look devoid of ideas in breaking down defences. Worse still is that their inability to create any movement or generate momentum on attack stifles the rest of our gameplan. It concerns me greatly that SA is encouraging 13s to be reckless, even glamorizing sloppy play. Defending is critical there, but it's an after thought in SA. The next year is going to be highly problematic, but wins against lesser opponents may help mask these frailties as they usually do. However, don't expect to be as competitive if Meyer is indeed relieved of his duties!

And then we have the very same person saying that our present centers are too soft -  so lets ask him about the center he constantly support - Fat Fransie.  He has shown zero capacity to create or carry the ball up with any meaningful purpose,  His defence has shown major vulnerabilities throughout all matches played since 2012. Worse still is that his inability to create any movement or generate momentum on attack is pathetic.
I asked you elsewhere - you implied that the Springboks are going to lose on Saturday because of De Allende - to make a prediction on the match outcome on Saturday.  L ets have that one. 

 "He has shown zero capacity to create or carry the ball up with any meaningful purpose,  His defence has shown major vulnerabilities throughout all matches played since 2012."

Are you a parrot? I am being serious, you just repackage my comments like a damn parrot and spew them back in a less than perfect form. LOL!

"I asked you elsewhere - you implied that the Springboks are going to lose on Saturday because of De Allende - to make a prediction on the match outcome on Saturday.  Lets have that one."

I didn't predict a loss last week either with him at 12. I implied no such thing, but now we have Kriel... that is a very big test for both of them.