If Rassie really wanted to unpick the all blacks he would use these guys, but you can’t have out and out X factor players.
How can you put all 3 players in the same team. This the same conundrum that Dobbo found himself and what happened is that his team imploded. There was a moment when all 3 did play,that was when Sasha came on as 20 year old sub in the final. Since then , it is like the don’t know how to link or get each other into space.
What’s your thoughts ?
Manie's problem is that he can't play anywhere else but at 12 because he's both small and poor defensively. And he's competing with a multi generational talent. So as long as you have him among that list of names it becomes an unsolvable problem.
But if you replace Manie's name with Hooker then the problem pretty much solves itself.
9Williams, 10 Sacha, 11Arendse, 12Hooker, 13Moodie, 14Cheslin, 15 Willemse
So how would you configure this backline. There was a reason why Dobbo ended up with Du Plesis at 12 and New at 13. Hence why I was saying Dobbo doesn't know what to do with Willemse as he prefers Gelant at 15. However, in 2022, straight after Covid. The guys did play amazingly together and I was one of the loudest for all 3 to be in the bok team. But teams soon learned to snuff them out and they would cough up more ball than score tries.
Willemse could never settle at 12 and I argued what is he really good at other than a utility player. Jack of all trades, master of none. I still Willemse is to instinctive and creates more problems that solutions. His hair in the headlights approach is to see the player, jump in the air, try to step, and then if he doesn't break the line then off load to players and then it all falls apart.
This is true of all 3 players, it is like they lose there senses and their impulses take over
Can you think of a time that Willemse has been a defensive liability for the Boks?
