Sloths - What can we learn frm them in Rugby

I recently watched a programme on Animal Planet on Sloths and their protection programme in Cos ta Rica.   Real family entertainment and very funny at times.  Sloths ar the slowest moving and most clumsy animals in the animal kingdom.  When moving they are flat on the earth and extremely slow.   When moving or falling they normally ed up flat on their faces.

Now anybody that can compare those creatures with rugby players need to see where there are comparisons.   I have seen rugby playes who are clumsy and fall over their own feet ending up flat on their faces and for m they are comparable to Sloths.

Looking at our national team the player nearest to sloths om the team is the most hyped player ever in any rugby team I had the pleasure to watch- namely  Alberts.  One has to look at his tackle attempt on Read in the Ellis Park test when he landed flat on his face to get the real picture.   Also in the same game as he fell over his own feet landing flat on the ground when he was supposed to try and recover he ball from  the  tackled   Aaron Smith before Messam's first try.

If those were unique cases - it would have not been so obvious - but in watching and analysing the performance of Alberts in the CC final the same thing happened 4 times in that game.  Even Tomas said the SA loosies are clumsy when it comes to breakdown ball recovery and none more so than the hyped Alberts so I am not the only person who noted the clumsiness and slowness. 

So Sloth Alberts he is and Sloth Alberts he remains. 

Sun-Tzu

Don't make laugh about "the many tackles that Alberts does make with brutal authority" during games.   I have done a number of studies on his tackle history and there is very little  factual support insofar as your quoted statement is concerned.

*   Sloth has a history of low tackle counts in Super 15 - probably unequalled by any other loosie.   In the whole of Super 15 - where he through injury missed half of the series - he made in total 29 tackles averaging 4 tackles per match.  In the match against the weak Force team he made 9 of the 29 tackles - against stronger teams he mmade no tackles at all.

*   In the CC final he made 3 tackles, assisted in making 4 other tackles - but missed 4 tackles altogether.

*   In the last test he made 9 tackles and missed 4 - largely because of slowness and clumsiness.   Missing 30% of all attempted tackles is totally unacceptable.

Alberts is hyped up about being a massive ball carrier and hard tackler - but if you watch both carefully you would find out that he is always tackled by the first defender - he never breaks a tackle- and his carries is less than 2 meters on average per carry.   He makes some tackles - but never strong enough to cause loss of possession of the ball by opposing players.   HYPE IS A WONDERFUL THING - AND HYPE IS WHAT KEEPS ALBERTS IN THE TEAM - PERFORMANCES IS OF NO ACCOUNT IN H IS CASE.   

 Arizona

Thanks for pointing out the typo - I have corrected it.   Idiot you are and idiot you will remain to be.  I rest my case.