The great Lions player head fake...

.....I think it's quite possible none of the Lions Super finalist players will be Boks 3 years from now at the WC. Probably not Mapoe, Jantjies, Faf, Redlinghuis, Mostert, Kleintjie Kriel or Whiteley. The best shots are Combrink, Marx and Janse. All three of those players have something real to offer and are not -hysically disqualified as so many of the others are at test level. Combrink took to test rugby well and has a useful boot. He is not explosive and more exciting options may emerge, but we dont seem to be producing good wings anymore....so he has a shot. Marx is the new Bismarck. Obviously his lineout throwing needs work, but more in the sense of getting used to the Bok calls and rythm. Barring injury he is the best shot. Rohan is a potent runner, with a good sense of the offload. Physically he is a modern 12. His weakness appears to be defence....according to the S15 stats. But it's not as evident as the problem Allende and Jesse Kriel have. Clearly the Bok coaches think they see an issue though....he will have to convince them.

Mopta aka Mozart a it again.   He cannot get any objectivity into his disorganized top storey - the sole braincell  still functioning does so at half-pace.
How many times has he repeated the story about the Lions team?  I lost count.  Has he nothing else to write about?
Yes he has - he wants the has-beens and never-has-beens back in the Springboks team and writes garbage to discredit other players.   The players may differ - the objective is a constant repeat of the same saga.
What he tries to come up with is often enough based on misrepresentations and one-sided comments - for instance he is always on about Kriel - named the fact that he missed two tackles - but never mentioned that he made 16 tackles.   He kept quiet about the defense of De Jongh and wrote a praise song about t he latter "organizing" the defense of the backline in the Aussie test - but never mentioned the tackles he missed in that test.   If Mozart is to be believed about the "organizing" fib - De Jongh must be an organizer neglecting to organize his own defense.
Nobody disagrees with him that Mapoe, Jantjies and Whiteley was disappointing and did not make the step up - the rest of those he claims are sub-standard,   is standard Mozart BS and misrepresentation.   
What the dunce never realizes is that the Lions and Cheetahs have a different playing style and that they find it difficult to fit in with the donkey rugby attached to Meyer and even more so to Coetzee.         
   

Faf is definitely gonna be in that team...probably along with Reinach and Van Zyl.
Out of question is Rudy Paige, of course.

Jantjes will be dropped, as soon as Pollard returns.

Mapoe will unfortunately take the fall (or not) when Van Rensburg is finally called up.

Kriel HAS to be there, nobody matches his workate.

 It would be nice if Faf succeeded, I really admire his guts. But I'm less convinced now. Afraid I have to disagree on Kriel. His long suit is open field defence, but if our backline was defending properly this need diminishes....and then you have the ineffective fetching, the inability to really clean away the opposition fetcher, the lack of strength in rucks and mauls....the lack of a lifting or jumping contribution to lineouts. One of the things which has distinguished our rugby is the availability of physically dominating loosies. With Kriel and Whiteley we have opted for small fast players who are dominated by our opponents. Perhaps this works for the Lions, I cant see it working for the Boks.

 I get what you're saying, SA is proud to always have a powerful backrow...I think the Springboks could manage having Kriel in the mix by having 2 "monsters" filling the other 2 positions. I still don't know exactly who, but people that could balance out Kriel's lack of weight. Vermeulen would be my first guess at number 8, but the other flanker is still a mistery...but it would have to be someone huge.

Do you know any other possible candidates to complete the backrow? It seems a bit thin the moment...but I may be wrong. The Bulls could provide the muscle perhaps.

Yep that could work......if you had Vermeulen, a Juan Smith clone and Kriel.... especially if Kriel ups his fetching game. The trick is not to do all the tackling but to feed off the tackle. A player like George Smith went in on the tackler's shoulder, phase after phase.....that's why he seemed to get into a fetching frenzy.

 The trick according to Mozart is not to do all the tackling - not to do ball protection and recovery and to play without the ball by kicking it away.   For that purpose the loosies can have less pace than the props and need not be able to handle balls,    Just stand around and do the work as extra props and locks.  
The above is all based on the BS theories specified by Mozart on this site.   What an idiot he is.   

Kriel can absolutely make it at test level,We need a bruiser at 7 and 8 which we just simply do not have at the moment. We have a competent #8 in Whiteley who's not short of passion and heart but sadly short of punch. Moz is right, we need a Juan clone or a Fat Alberts type that actually does the job required of him. Don't stress Mike, Alberts isn't that player, at least not now and hasn't been for a long time.  I don't claim to know the back rowers available is SA, but in my opinion those that I am familiar with, the candidates are extremely scarce.

Mike you sad Poof. Where did I say ball protection and recovery is 'not to do'. I actually make the point that the key for Kriel is to improve his fetching. Keep it real clown.

 oops

 Haaaaaahahahahaha!!!
It's so funny when you get an ignorant fool who's determined to speak on a subject he knows nothing about. He tries so hard to sound knowledgeable ... and it can't be easy ... with his foot in his mouth. 
The openside flanker is usually a little shorter than the other two. It stands to reason as his tasks are different from theirs. He plays to the ground.  
The openside flanker is rarely targeted as a lineout option as his tasks is yet again a little different to the other two. He is however still part of the set piece and therefore can be called upon from time to time.
It's called being tactical.
Jaco Kriel is often used as a lineout option by the Lions. He in fact is a good line out jumper and many first phase attacking options have come from his skill in the air. 
An out and out "fetcher" in the true sense of the word would be a guy like Heinrich Brussouw. He is short and has very powerful hands. His ground work is top of the line ... best I've seen for many a year. I rate him as a better "fetcher" than Jaco Kriel ... however he too has has short comings that Jaco Kriel doesn't. 
No one is perfect.  
Where Jaco makes up for his slight lack of ground work is in the loose ... as a ball carrier ... getting go forward by using his upper body strength and amazing pace to spark an attack from nothing. He is also very solid on defence and has a work rate second to none. 
He has incredible hands and runs deceptive lines and he does this at pace. He is deceptively quick across the field and can turn a match on it's head in an instant. Much like the All Blacks hooker.
I would slot him in the starting 15 without a second thought and leave him to settle. 
Anyone who disagrees with me ... please produce an alternative ... and give me a reason why you prefer him to Kriel.

 sorry.

 Mozart
Remember the famous Willem Alberts discussions of previous occasions when it was pointed out that Alberts never does ball protection and recovery because he was pace-deficient.   That is when you defended him and came up with the above classic about ball protection and recovery. 
The problem is that the loosie combination used by Coetzee was totally dysfunctional and you were too stupid to realize it.
  

 Mozart
Remember the famous Willem Alberts discussions of previous occasions when it was pointed out that Alberts never does ball protection and recovery because he was pace-deficient.   That is when you defended him and came up with the above classic about ball protection and recovery. 
The problem is that the loosie combination used by Coetzee was totally dysfunctional and you were too stupid to realize it.
  

Rubbish.....what I said was counter rucking often negates fetching. Keep it real pOOf.

Oh do stop talking rubbish Dane, all Kriel did in the tests he played was tackle. I doubt he made one clean steal on the ground by himself. And up North he is going to be Vunipola's doormat.

 Counter rcking is only possible when the loosie get to breakdown points timeously -n something Alberts is incapable of.   However, over the past two years there was much written about ball protection and recovery and you constantly downplayed that as a function of loosies.  
There is no way that the lack of ball protection and recovery - as well as the aimless kicking that you also supports - caused the lack of ball possession by the Springboks in tests this year.  

Tokkie I told you....lose Bismarck, Schalk, Victor, Jannie and Vermeulen and the Boks are lost. So it was predicted, so it transpired. Where are all your fresh young talents ou Tokkie....being run over by Rettallik.

 Mozart
There is no way that your latest statement is not  utter BS,   Bismarck was a loss, Vermeulen is still in contention - he was injured.  The rest pf the players mentioned by you were over-the- hill and so poor they contributed to a disastrous 2015 - so they were no losses. Remember Japan. 
You refer to Du Toit - but what about the BS caused by Matfield?   I would rather have Du Toit in the team than Matfield - who was physically deficient and absolutely useless as a lock.   You specializes in lies and BS - so I should not have commented on the rubbish you write constantly on this site.         

In all the years I watched Victor play I never saw his opponent run through him like Rettallik ran through Stephanie.....twice!

Normal BS.  They played against the Stormers in 2014 and the scrummie bumped him off in a tackle attempt.     He more or less always  ended up being manhandled by physically stronger players.  

Still I have never seen a NZ lock use a Bok lock as a doormat so embarrassingly. Where is this huge Stephanie contribution, he was bog ordinary after starting.

 And your alternative? I presume it's the tired and elderly Louw is for the 6 jersey ... or is it Schalk?
And from all your rantings about PSDT, I take it he isn't good enough to make your match 23?
Funny how that changes every week. Then he's good enough ... then he's a "door mat".
Face it, Faggot ... you know nothing about the sport. You are here to appose whatever's said ... making a twat of yourself as far as you go.  

 YMozart
Please stop your lies.  Being bumped off by players in 2014 and 2015 was Matfield's stock in trade.   A scrummie bumping him off was the worse - but there were oodles of others.     Just take a look at the 2014 Wellington test where it happened 3 times.
Your problem is you prefer not to see continuous deficiencies in your favourite players and over dramatize the occasional deficiencies of players you try to find fault with.   It is normal with you - a player missed one tackle and you lied by turning into two missed tackles.   
In the Ellis park that year Whitelock just outjumped Matfield in a crucial line out and that nearly lost the test for the Springboks.   Matfield was physically too weak to compete.
Watch also the driving mauls where Matfield routinely was just pushed out of mauls and routinely landed on his backside outside of the drives.    You never saw that because you did not want to see it.    

Forgive me if I dont think Stephanie is in the dame league as RWC double MOM winner Victor.....once for the Bronze medal and once for the Gold medal.

 Excuse me - but Matfield was good enough in 2007 - he was absolutely useless in 20 14 and 2015.   I never said Matfield was not up to standard earlier in his career - I said he was useless in the years in question.   That bronze medal against the Pumas "B" team was a sham - end of story.    

No the useless guy was Lomp, with his Stephanie like tackle gifting the ABs a crucial try. You sure know how to pick 'em hahaha.

 Once again Mozart avoids the question. 
He has much to say til pressed. Then it's the inevitable dive.
Perhaps all the questions I've asked him are a little beyond him.
Never mind ... I'm getting used to him tucking tail. 
Mozart's run on side probably looks like this.
1. Beast
2. Adriaan
3. Jannie
4. Eben
5. Victor
6. Louw
7. Alberts
8. Vermeulen
9. Pienaar
10. Morne Steyn
11. Habana
12. Fat Fransie
13. Jaque Fourie
14. JP Pietersen
15. Willie Le Roux
I'll have to consult the latest archives to see what his bench would look like.
Be back in a mo!!

 Matfield was actually turned upside down by wee James O'Connor, in 2010...that's not something to be proud as a forward!

 Still he was never used as a doormat.....twice....by a NZ lock. Nor was he left on the deck in a key WC knockout, after being wiped out for a try...like the other flavour of the day Lomp. Instead he ripped Mathew Tait off the Bok goal line with one arm to preserve our WC winning lead in 2007. World Cup legend vs Currie Cup legends and test non entities.

 Mozart
Stop your lies.  Everyone knows that Du Toit missed one tackle on Retallick - you lied about the twice. 
Matfield made a try saving tackle on Tait in the WC while moonlighting in the ba ckline - the only thing h was conspicuous in.   He was always a weak forward.   By the way the try-saving tackle followed on a missed tackle - one of four - by Francois Steyn, your other hero on this site.  
Matfield was indeed a doormat - the opposition just pushed him with eease in mauls and he routinely landed on his backside next to the mauls.    
Matfield did a neck wrench job and a penalty was turned around - that was the final nail in the coffin of the Springboks.   That was after he lost a line-out ball as well.   Mind you - you tried to find an excuse for the neck job by Matfield - claiming that the penalty turn-around was not justified.     That is typical of you - when you cannot get out of something - you invented a lie to cover the  deficiencies of your favourites .