The Lions shock

I can see now why  -

*   Erasmus is not interested in the Lions center combination;

*   Jantjies and Mostert should not anywhere near the Springbok team; and

*   none of the Lions props make the grade.

The Lions played stupid rugby - orchestrated by Jantjies and that useless new scrummie of theirs and then we had Van Rensburg - who should also struggle to get 10% in the rugby examination.   Totally ineffective and slow not only in thinking - but in physicality as well.   I am wondering who was the disruptive player - it is close between Jantjies and Van Rensburg.  

Moooooo ou maaaaikie is all at sea! Hahhahahahahahahaha

But lets get some perspective here lest ou mooooo la la la gets the matter all wrong again!

it was a brave fightback from the Lions but it was too little too late and perhaps the way they played in the second half would have frustrated their supporters more as it showed what could have been achieved had they been switched on from the kick-off and not conceded early points to the Reds through soft moments.

The first half was easily the worst 40 minutes from the Lions this season (they were also shocking in the second half of their loss to the Blues but that was more like for 25 minutes than a full 40) and while the Reds were significantly better than they have been, from the kick-off it looked like the men from Johannesburg were off their game.

Complacency was the problem Moooooo

I did - but the fools lost the game by poor play and stupidity,  Instead of p assing balls - every player suffers from White - line disease.     

I did - but the fools lost the game by poor play and stupidity,  Instead of assing balls - every player suffers from White - line disease.     

Beeno

I think that players under pressure show up their real colours and what they showed in this case was not pretty,   

Jantjies was horrible in that regard - his conversion of tries was seriously defective,    His attacking play was sub-par as well and his pop passes totally ineffective, while his defense a seriously defective joke.   Back to where he was in the Springbok team in 2017 and in the Stormers team in 2013.

Mostert was not too bad - but he too  was totally ineffective.  His defense was a shocker even though his tackle rate was low - 9 tackle attempts in the whole match of which he missed 3,  Not.. good enough.

Both the center combination and the wings were ineffective as well.

Their standout players were Marx and Kwagga Smith - for the rest they were all poor.        

Marx is a freak. What a player he is. Reminds me a bit of Bismark Du Pleesi. 

Mozart

You are the really funny guy on site.   You attack De Allende all out and support Van Rensburg - so lets look at the stats of the tow players for the games this round and see what comes up:-

                                      De Allende                  Van Rensburg

Try                                           1                                       0

Ball Passed                              7                                        4

Ball Carried                           12                                        9

Meters Gained                       46                                        35

 Clean Breaks                           2                                        0

Defenders Beaten                     6                                        6

Off-loads                                  2                                        1

Turnovers conceded                  1                                            3

Tackles made                           5                                        3

Tackles missed                         0                                        0

Penalties                                  0                                         0

Still maintaining that Van Rensburg was te better center and explain why,

I did not support Vorster's selection the past year - what I did say he was better than Van Rensburg as he was starting center for the Lions..   However, you were supporting he d ud De Jongh  and the bigger dud Fat Fransie when I said Vorster was better than those two 

Mozart

No person can ever debate anything lopgical with you.   You ignore some  real differences (like the clean breaks and the scoring of a try and possession  losses) in your silly evaluation above. 

This was only the second starting game for Van Rensburg this year - for the rest he was on the bench and played about a third of games,   That result in serious question marks as to his suit ability in the team,

Mozart

No person can ever debate anything lopgical with you.   You ignore some  real differences (like the clean breaks and the scoring of a try and possession  losses) in your silly evaluation above. 

This was only the second starting game for Van Rensburg this year - for the rest he was on the bench and played about a third of games,   That result in serious question marks as to his suability in the team,

By the way both Van Rensburg and Vorster was not invited to the  Camps of Rassie.   By  top class performances he can perhaps force his way back in - nut there was not enough evidence of tat today,.  

Debate is a discussion of facts between logical s nd knowledgeable people,   That can never apply to you - since iro of rugby you are anything but.   

Mozart

Unlike you I expect performance of players before I support them - if performance requirements are not met then I do not support their selection.

A few months ago was too early to really make an assessment and I waited to see who proves to be the best Performing players,  

I also do not try and invent  reasons to run players down for silly reasons.    It is always laughable to see to what extent you are prepared to go with that.    

The Lions played well - Unlucky for the intercept

Maybe the Lions was too clever for their own good.   It is a fact that jet lag has a more serious effect in the second  game played after their arrival and they only arrived in Sydney on the Wednesday before the Waratahs game.  

They probably knew what was going on and thought that despite the jet lag factor they  believe that it would still be possible for them to beat the Reds despite it, especially since the Reds is such a poor team.  

Mozart

So centers like De Jongh and Fat Fransie were not inherently flawed?   Was it n ot Plumtree who said Fat Fransie is not a center at all.

Must you always be lying?  I said Pollard was in the process of a Morne clone with dunce coaches like Meyer, Ludeke and Marais getting at him destroying his potential with their non-existent  game plans.   With the dunce coaches gone he is becoming the player he used to be as a junior.

Talking of Meyer - remember how he made Burger the stand-in flyhalf in the 2015 WC - that says it all insofar as he is concerned.

I agree with Mike, Pollard was an outstanding player as a junior but was introduced into forms of play and coaching that were foreign to him and inhibited his style...that has happened to a few talented flyhalves in SA, probably Pat Lambie as well...I think Mitch is using him correctly.

I'm convinced that both Lambie and Goozen and even perhaps Jantjies to a lesser degree were victims, although EJ does not have the mental strength for test rugby and goes to pieces in international games sadly.

It's rather like putting a square peg into a round hole or perhaps more aptly... a round peg into square hole

Lions played hard and well in the last quarter but were just not in the game in the first quarter/half. Congrats to the Reds!

Mozart

You apparently think in closed cells.   The test you refer to was played before Meyer started to change him into a drone.  Meyer did virtually no coaching of him before that game and the same can be said of Ludeke.   

After that Pollard was done for,   His performances on the end of year tour was clearly based on Meyer's ideas about rugby and he was in and out of the team.

The final insult came when Meyer decided in the 2015 WC that Burger should be the flyhalf and Pollard the kicking dummy.

Mozart

You have to go back to 2012 when Pollard was a 17 year old  school kid to find something I said about him in his first Under 20WC and come up with your normal BS.   Look dunce - we are discussing the present scenario and what happened to him wen he started to play tests in 2014.  

Can anyone believe whatever you come up with dunce?   

As per normal this dim one gets personal - being an Under-Secretary in a Government Department (one of the youngest ever to reach that rank)  - at that stage the third highest rank in the Public Service - suddenly becomes a lower rank person.    

This idiot quotes me in 2012 when Pollard was a 1year old kid and then again as a 19 year old and made some very selected remarks I made when Ludeke was already at him to lay dunce rugby for the Bulls.   Fortunately the Under 20 WC coaches worked on him and in 2014 and he came ut firing in his first test in June 2014.  

It was no wonder that he did well in his first two tests and then under Meyer's influence collapsed towards the end of 2014 and was used as a kicking dummy in the 2015 WC and the stand-in flyhalf was Schalk Burger.  

Under a proper coach with a proper game plan Pollard would by now have been recognized as a top flyhalf in World Rugby.   I am very happy about what Mitchell is bringing out in the guy - the first real coach he had virtually since his selection as a Springbok in 2014.

Was it not you dunce who compared Morne with Carter insofar as flyhalf performance is concerned - one of your most stupid comments ever?      

Mozart

You stupid dunce - you quoted a 2012 statement and not what I said subsequently about Pollard.   That was stupid and not what is applicable now.

What about calling me a liar - that is your privilege on site having being caught out countless times and then trying to side-step the issues raised.  

It was not me who dropped Pollard in the end of year tour and making him the bench player until the Japan disaster - it was your hero Meyer.  Even in the games subsequent to the Japan test Pollard was never properly utilized at flyhalf for the rest of the series - the actual first receiver was Burger not Pollard.

Pollard played virtually no rugby in 2016 and 2017 and the issue about him was discussed in detail earlier this year when it was clearly stated that in the Meyer era he was nearly destroyed as a player and have to prove that he will be a worthy  selection.   Thanks to Mitchell he showed some great improvement in the games he played in this year and is proving to be a worthy flyhalf

How many players have been destroyed by Meyer and Ludeke - I think he huge number and not only players like Pollard.             

Mozart

6 Years ago and then 4 years ago - can't you not find anything this year.   We all know you live in the past and not the present - so get some life BSter.   

Mozart

You are indeed a nut case and a dofdoos.   By the time you mentioned Potgieter was the Bulls flyhalf with Pollard on the bench and rarely getting playing time.   Not surprised that I rated him higher than  Fat Fransie though - but I did rate Steyn  too high by rating him higher than Grant. 

However,, despite the Ludeke game plan or lack thereof how must I rate a bench player higher than the starting flyhalf?   I know you are nuts enough ot do that kind of th ing - but not all of us are as stupid as you are.  

Please dofdoos - get to 2018 and quote that for a change.            

Ag foeitog the second dofdoos is back.  Try some luck doffies the Steyn I referred to was fat Fransie - you stupid f#cking c#nt.   What has the input got to do with Super 15 flyhalfs dim c#nt?

Your mate in arms became dofdoos  and have taken over the no 1 dofdoos position from you.  Please keep on posting - you could easily beat him in that case.   In any event that old story was a case of reading something beyond your understanding.   

Pollard has caught and overtaken Jantjies now for me. On recent form anyway.

Looks to be reading the game nicely. Made some good defensive and attacking reads on Saturday.

Looks like it'll be Pollard/Jantjes in June.

Not that Willemse and Dups don't have the potential to wear the Jersey. Let's see how they go the rest of the year.

Is Bambie totally out of the race now? Not that it matters. All four guys mentioned above are better IMO.

Kriel had another shocker. Crazy, late outright poor passing. Pollard made the try Kriel scored. It was a set move though.

If the Bulls had a Whitely type guy hitting the line at an angle when close to oppo in goal area then they'd have won. Snyman has the pace and skills to take on that role I think. 

Still haven't want he'd the Lions game. Can't bare to :(