Springbok outside centre . . .

Rooinek

My problem is that Meyer has to justify hiss selection of player like JP and Fourie in the media.   Both had very poor games on Saturday and if we look at the other foreign - based players who did not play in Super 15 this year - there was only  one who showed anything over the past year and that was Louw.   The rest were all disappointing.  

In essence I agree with you about foreign-based players.  They leave our shores - get fat and unfit - and end up like Francois Steyn and  most of the others.   Meyer already should have found out that in the main they flop as a result.    I was even shocked by the bulking stomach when I saw Bakkies on TV on Saturday.

It will take Meyer a while to cotton on that he is  wrong about the so-called legends playing in Europe and Japan - so the plague would remain with us for a while yet.

Rooi on what do you base your take on JJ being so poor defensively this year given his defensive stats read no better or worse than his centre partner Jean?

His defensive record against NZ in two tests was better than most.......so I don't really get what the issue is with his defence.

Chances are it was the two big misses in the year, his miss on Bosch and Barrett.......but in both instances he was the outside defender and the responsibility to make the tackle primarily lay with the inside defender.......so circumstances dictated that he was never in a good position to make the tackles.

Those tackles apart, when else has JJ failed in test matches. JJ offers so much more than any other prospect in SA and that is purely down to his pace and feet. Serfontein is our future at 13, he does not have the sheer pace which gives a 13 the edge.

Have to disagree with you on your take on JJ's defence, its blighted by two misses I suspect......but the stats tell us JJ has been solid all year

 I hate those lines of stats Mike loves to put up..They show fuck all! Watch the games/players with your eyes and you can see.

I have shown Dave all these pics before Sharkbok. To him though, seein means nothing and stats are to be believed.

He speaks about Barrett attacking space. Yeah Dave, because players always close their eyes, hug the ball and brace for contact in space..Clown!! The "space" was JJ.. Jean had nothing to do with the tackle. He went for the big play. If it paid off, he is under the posts and we win. If it doesn't, JJ tackles Barrett. Unfortunately it didnt come off and JJ didnt do his bit! Fair and square miss tackle by a player with shit technique..It will happen more and more to JJ..Just you watch...

Boklogic

I never base my arguments on stats - but what really happen in tests - and only use stats sometimes to confirm that what I said was correct.   I differ from Saffex about Engelbrecht and do not think he is that wonderful a 13 - neither in defence nor in attack.

After watching all games in Super 15 this year and the test on Saturday I am convinced that the position should in fact be still regarded as being wide open, provided that there is no place for two players in that position -

*   the disgustingly poor De Jongh - whose defence is the weakest I have seen from an outside center for any franchise team in SA; and

*  the touch rugby specialist Fourie - whose performance on Saturday was desperately poor and whose defence is worse than anything imaginable - even worse than he defence of Engelbrecht - and who has the pace of a slow carthorse. 

Lets hope that the answer is to be provided in Super 15 next year - at this stage we are dealing with comparing the hopeless with each other and still getting nowhere in finding a solution.      

Here he goes so high, he is about to sail over Jaws 

Beeno

That photo of the Leali'ifano tackle was not by Alberts - reason Alberts never wears a scrum cap.  It was likely by Kruger or Van der Merwe - but much more likely Kruger - since he always wears a white scrumcap.   

I am also critical of Engelbrecht about his tackling technique - but do not lose sight of his positives as well.   Fossil brain and his fossil brain companion (Mozart and Clean cut) saw the negatives in Engelbrecht - over-empohasized them - but do not see the ample deficiencies of their new champion Fourie in both defence and attacking play.   Those two really needs  brain surgeons - but it may be a futile  exercise, since they may not find the brain in their brain cavities  - a microscope may just be of help. 

Clean Cut

Sure I apologize to you by calling you a fossil brain - was not nice of me that one - since I basically do agree with you on the Engelbrecht case - and the nasty statement and  apology relates to the case under discussion only.

In the Alberts case - no apology is given.  It was never part of the item under discussion.  I differ from you on the player and I am not going to change my opinion on that one - you are entitled to you opinion as I am entitled  to mine - so lets agree we differ in that case.  No fossil brain issue in that case - just a difference in viewpoints.

I will not apologize to Mozart - like I did in the past - and then ended up with a most nasty attack on me by him - he is really  a fossil brain moron.        

 Clean Cut

Sorry about the difference of opinion on Alberts - in my book he remains a slow prop masquerading as a loosie - very good in defence in traffic, but outside of that not a loosie's ass.  

A contract by SARU is an exercise in futility and is meaningless - remember previous contracts with ninnies like De Jongh - shows you what their contracts really entail.  I may change my opinion on Alberts if he is offered a foreign contract - but the clubs know something about player evaluation and they will NEVER offer Alberts a contract.  However, in the case of Kruger and Morne they also miss the boat insofar as player evaluation is concerned - so their identification is at times flawed.   However, when they NEVER offer a contract - it really show some really major problems with the player concerned.

No apologies to Alberts and the contract will not change my mind - he will never get my contra ct in fantasy team selection. 

Cleancut

After looking at the contracts news item there is one thing in evidence - we all know of the BEE issue - which resulted in contracts being signed with certain players irrespective of merit -  but there seems to be another requirement as well.

That requirement is being illustrated by Francois Steyn and Willem Alberts,   The fatter and the slower you are - the more likely is a SARU contract,   Steyn never had a decent match for 18 months and Alberts plays a badly reduced role in loosie play by performing  only one of the functions of a loosie - but the contracts  are signed.  

 Mike, I may be missing something there but where do you see the "white scrum cap?" I see the predominantly white ball and the players head behind the attackers back.

Beeno..Sure, lets not give up on JJ. He can sort his defence out. Ok, his defence is grand now. What are we gona do about his attack and lack of vision now? You see in the death against NZL he makes a half break then gooi's the ball forward in a brain explosion to a player already miles ahead of him. His instincts on attack are reactionary and not natural. He is not a natural Nonu, Smith (x2) or Dagg. Flair and skill do not come naturally to him and at this level, these players need natural flair. Thats what makes them better at 100kg's than the other 100's of thousands of guys that play the game in the country of the same weight. They are just that much quicker and look like they have more time on the ball. JJ fits in with the club stuff. His pace has been the only thing keeping him treading water thus far.

His defence right now upsets me much less than his non-creative brain.

Boklogic

Sorry I apologize - my eyes  must have let me down.  However, I doubt whether it is in fact Alberts in any event - him tackling a backline player is rarer than hen's teeth.

Now lets get to Engelbrecht.   Here I have stated previously that Engelbrecht is devoid of ball sense.   Poor defence can be coached out of  players - but ball sense cannot be coached into one.  Lack of ball sense make him a one-dimensional player - relying only on speed - and that for any backline player is a problem.   Deficient ball sense entails instantaneous reading of the game and deciding on what to do that would be most beneficial for your team.     Engelbrecht just does not have that quality.

He is not the only backline player with that deficiency.   Morne is not a ball sense player either - he is robotic and play in accordance with instructions.  Take for instance the Ellis Park test.  Meyer told  Morne to stand flatter and pass the ball more frequently - basically aiming at the cases of turnovers and breakdown ball recovery.  The Boks got a turnover in their own 22 as the siren is about to go off.  Because it was a turnover he followed instructions to the T and passed the ball instead of making a relieving kick.   That type of thing shows lack of ability to read the game - and lack of ball sense.  As we know that lack of vision cost the Boks 7 points shortly after it happened.

Another ball sense deficient player is Francois Steyn.   His vision consists of one thing only - you try to run over you opponent using bodily strength and nothing else counts.

Although you would frequently found ball sense deficient players in international backlines - they will never be great international players - they will always be rated as average players.  A ball sense player uses his brain not his bodily strength to decide on best actions to do - and that is a more precious commodity in players.