Some need educating re Coenie Oosthuizen

Note (especially ou snaspter) how accurately this journo sums up the problem re Cenie.

I do hope snapster realises there is a problem - ignorance is bliss as the saying goes!

oenie Oosthuizen’s bit in the wilderness is over, with the Springbok prop likely to be a more permanent feature on the bench from now on.

While the tighthead position is still very much up for debate less than a year out from the Rugby World Cup, with only Jannie du Plessis really assured of his place at this moment, the Boks are likely to return Oosthuizen to the bench in the four tests they play overseas, even though he hasn’t been a success at tighthead.

The experiment to move him across to the other side of the scrum seemed to take a fatal blow when the highly-rated Lions front row demolished Oosthuizen in the Toyota Cheetahs’ final game of the Vodacom Super Rugby season, as he was left out of the squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.

Oosthuizen’s problems with his neck have also compounded matters and there were worries that his Bok career may be over, but Meyer seems to have thrown him a lifeline to play a massive impact role on the tour, something that Oosthuizen normally excels in.

With Frans Malherbe and Marcel van der Merwe both out with injury, the Boks are looking for a decent tighthead to back up Du Plessis, with newbie Julian Redelinghuys getting the nod to tour after some excellent performances this year.

Meyer’s main assertion is the lack of scrums in the last quarter of a game, meaning he could risk Oosthuizen in the set phase to benefit what he gets out of him in the loose.

“Just to come back to Coenie. I feel for him, he has struggled with his neck. I still believe his best position is loosehead but we are covered at loosehead,” Meyer said this week.

“I look at test rugby and Coenie was brilliant for us when he started against France. The thing about tightheads is that they only start coming through at 25 or 26, and he is only 24. A guy like Julian (Redelinghuys) is older than Coenie, and if you think about how much experience Coenie already has.

“I saw again at training that Coenie gives a lot more than just in the scrum. Having said that he must be able to scrum. I also did a lot of research that shows that in the last 20 minutes you need impact players, and if you look at that time, there are only one or two scrums. You have to weigh that up with what a guy brings to the bench.

“It has been a slow process going there but he is only 24. He can play both sides of the scrum and he can bring something different to the field. But at this stage he will cover tighthead as well.”

With this in mind, Oosthuizen’s ball-carrying ability and his strength in poaching ball at the ruck negates his weakness in the scrums, something the Boks are willing to risk at this moment.

If Oosthuizen can hold his own it will be fine, but the worry over his neck and his ability at tighthead haven’t gone away.

The Boks will be hoping both don’t return to bite them either on this tour or in the next year.

What we need to determine is how good is Redlinghuys while lamenting the disgraceful call to exclude Schalk van der M erwe on quota grounds 

... and those quota grounds are Guthro Steenkamp and Trevor Nyakane... both pretty useless.

I think HM has a logic here....ie there aren't many scrums in the last 15 minutes, so we can risk Coenie. But what happens if your starting tighthead is hurt in the first 10 minutes? HM himself says Coenie is better on the loosehead and that much is obvious.

The French test HM alludes to was the one time he has stood firm at tighthead in tests, but was that a real test and how about the further neck injuries. Certainly the evidence from this year's play isn't good, notably the Lions game. Going to the RWC we need three tightheads who are money when the chips are down, Coenie isn' t one of them. 

I am no expert, but the first issue I have with Coenie is the way he sets up for the scrum.

It almost seems as if he doesn't now what he wants to do, and where his legs should be, at times his legs are too far back, and by the time the bind comes he struggles to keep his body up and is penalised for hinging, other times his legs are too far forward, his back is not straight and he rolls in as soon as the pressure is applied.

When you look at his head, he doesn't present himself "heads up" which might be due to his neck injury, I don't know, but either way it provides dominance to his opposition prop.

He is also very slow on the bind and set, the prop that binds first gets the preference where to bind and therefor gains ascendancy.

Technically he is a very poor scrummager, and he gets it wrong 80% of the time. WHat I don't get is how did he manage to scrum so well in France last year, it was his standout scrumming performance of his career. Unfortunately I don't have the game recorded and cannot review what he did differently on that occasion.

I just think for whatever reason be it too much experimentation, technique or injury, but it has failed to impress.

Biltongbek, I think the France game you refer to is:

First halve.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK69qjqrV6A

and second halve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftj1m8KPO8g

 I you look at his first scrum, he is lazy on the bind, the French prop has already bound onto Coenie when Coenie brings up his arm, as the pressure comes on they both go inward.

The next reset I can't see his bind as there are bodies in the way, but he collapses and there is another rest.

The camera work is actually quite poor on the scrums, but the scrum collapses for a third time, this time it looks like the French front row is the cause.

Finally the scrum completes Coenie is pushing up and in Bismarck pushes on the loosehead and the scrum goes up with the French under severe pressure, not all that legal mind you.

The first Bok put in, Coenie is under severe pressure and buckles, he retreats and Pienaar clears the ball under duress.

Next scrum Coenie does well as the French loosehead goes in but manages to stay up.

The next scrum the same happens, but it is clear that Coenies' setup is not straight, he makes it easier for the looshead to scrum in by not being straight.

Next scrum Coenie does well inspite of not binding straight, he manages to split the loosehead from the scrum and drives through earning SA a penalty.

By the way, on the 28 minute mark Morne Steyn misses a kick to touch. The French counter from deep.

Next scrum Coenie scrums in, and is too low, scrum collapses.

It is hard to say exactly what is going on as the video isn't al that great and I can't slow mo the footage.

From what I can see is Coenie does have a tendency to scrum in and he isn't straightening his back, he got away with a few illegalities here, but so did the loosehead he scrummed against.

His natural power made a difference as the first half went on, and the ground conditions was very loose.

I think my first impressions of him not being straight enough is the major reason for him struggling. It start from his setup where his back isn't straight and he naturally leans into the scrum.

It looks like he is too hua nched.

It looks like he is too huanched."

This just do not work as well in English but a rugby coach, that I knew, used to say:

"My kop sê vir my dat as 'n stut so met 'n krom ruggie skrum gaan iemand sy kop vir hom in sy gat op druk"

 Great, thanks for all the info, you have just added a new toy for my already opinionated articles.

Cheers