I watched the game carefully and like to post some brief comments. The standout player for the ASharks to my mind was Jordaan - both in attack and defence. This guy has a place registered for him in the future Springbok team. Another future Springbok in that set up is Coetzee.
I was impressed with Jordaan's pace, he needs seasoning though. Coetzee is tough and smart, not a mega talent physically, he reads the game brilliantly.
3 SA teams now seriously in the hunt for the the final 6........The Sharks are only a click away from challenging seriously the top teams Im excited.....If I am reading the draw it would appear to me that our SA teams have the best possible draw for the remainder of the comp....The best thing we can hope for is for the Cheetahs/Lions to cut down a few Ozzies and Kiwis so that it improves further our chances and simply for the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks to maintain there form.
The Chiefs and the Crusaders and probably whoever wins between the Brumbies and the Reds will be the top 6 for me?
Thast will see two home semis and in all likelihoods a home final....hope I aint gettimg ahead of myself...but to be faor the last couple of weeks have been positive for our top 3 teams and though the Bulls went down it really was hard to ask them to back up in Dunedin....However I think they have the game to break down the Chiefs next week and then they are home......Go the Bulle!!!!!!
Wasnt Bryce Lawerence a pain to watch I hate even hearing his cock accent sheesh I do worry that he may have an impact on our chances if he adjudicates any of our games
Jordaan is a great talent and those clowns who keep telling us Mvovo is passive need their eyesights checked......the man is pure pace and a certainty along with JP as the Bok wings. I love JP's power and the way he always breaks tackles......very good in close quarters. Bismark was huge, as was Adrian Strauss.
Coetzee is a classy player, has enough brawn to impose himself, but I like the attacking attribute he brings to the 7 role. Beast was good again as was Coenie.
Smit at 10 looked like he belonged at S15 level. That matched showed why Ebersohn can never be considered for the Bok 13 spot, was owned by JP who ran right over him and at one point on attack, got smashed back with interest. There is no place in test rugby for these little centres, much like de Jongh who fails to make an impression week after week.
SAFFEX - After studying the form this week - I have to say that the most impreesive youngsters have been the following:-
Pieterse - top full back in SA at present
Mvovo - Has an excellent chance to be elected - probably in place of Pietersen - who was aroun, but did very little to impress.
Jordaan at 13 - equally with Taute - put Taute in better company and he would shine as well.
Smit at flyhalf - one of the under 23's for the future, much better at his age than Morne was or ever will be.
Etzebeth - No competition at lock - the best in SA at present.
Coetzee - I believe he would develop at no 8 - where we have a problem at present. Spies had a slightly better game over the weekend - but he remains an under-performer and unless Meyer can do something about that - we desp[erately need a relaible performing no 8.
I am beginning to see what our best team would be within the next year - when all injuries have been cleared up:-
1 The Beast
2 Bismark Du Plessis
3 Not sure about this one - Oosthuizen may ahve the best chance of the youngsters. Malherbe?
4 Etzebeth
5 Bekker
6 Burger
7 Elstadt
8 Vermeulen - longer term Coetzee
9 Hougaard
10 Goosen
11 Habana
12 Steyn - question mark aboiut his speed and performances against inernational competition
13 Jordaan - Taute (leading the field)
14 Mvovo or Ndungane
15 Lambie
By end 2013 De Villiers and Habana will be replaced by youngsters - essential if we want to go to the next WC as a top contender. Of the 2011 WC players - I think all the older ones over 28 has no chance to go to the next WC so the above team could be the one for the future. The main contenders should be developed over the next three years - I believe. Some of the others to go would be Bekker, the Beast, and the Du Plessis brothers - and we will have to see who comes through over the enxt three years. Oosthuizen and Malherbe seems the best up and coming props. The youngsters would probably become the bench players in the shorter term - to give them exposure. If anything happen to Goosen - Lambie is the definite flyhalf - we have enough full back talent to replace him there. Lambie could also come in as no 12 - if Steyn does not meet international requirements due to loss of speed and other performance criteria - that would eb an excellent performance criterium.
I would really love to see the following attacking back line in operation:-
Pieterse
Mvovo
Jordaan
Lambie
Engelbrecht
Goosen
Hougaard
They certainly would be a handful - speed on attack and strength in defence - with a huge amount of ball sense.
Mvovo is not a certainty along with JP. My guess is Meyer will pick Habana and he'd be right. Today Mvovo had one impressive run, but those were forwards he beat. He also dropped Bosman's brilliant pass with the line open, and failed to move back to the blindside to prevent Strauss'try....he didn't read the game. Where Habana by contrast saw the risk in Barnes' dangerous kick, covered ground to get there and put in a perfect kick. Can you imagine Mvovo handling that wicked bounce Habana dived to cover? I can't.
Mvovo is a fine runner, but no better than Aplon. He doesn't in fact tackle as well as Aplon.....nor is he a bit of use under the high ball. In a test he wont only showcase his running he'll have to be a complete wing....which he isn't.
Mozart - although it should in reality not be a consideration - the issue is that the team would have to cater for Black representation to put it bluntly. There are at present only a limited number of such possibilities and those are Mvovo, Ndungane, the Beast and Chilliboy. At least two of those will have to be catered for in the starting line up or bench The issue of racial selection is a problem - but it would have to be taken into account. Best bet at the moment is the Beast - with one of the other three on the bench.
In the longer term I believe that Mvovo would HAVE TO BE IN THE STARTING LINE UP - HENCE MY COMMENTS ABOVE.
Clevermike, where is it written that there has to be black players in the Bok 22? Your post sounds like these guys can't be Boks on merit. Beast walks the no 1 spot and Chilliboy and Mvovo would be in the reserves on merit in my opinion. Why do we South Africans have to put everything on colour...I hate it!
Green - I agree with you whole-heartedly - especially as to merit selection. I hate and despise racism as most people do and feel that the Beast walks it at present on merit and Ndungane and Mvovo would not let any SA team down - again on merit. However, the selectors are wary about selection and where there are competing players more or less on the same level of competence - the selection would automatically go to players other than Whites. Have no problem with that concept either and recently nothing was said by the new Minister on the said issue. However, in the past it was a hot political potato and I do not think that much will change in future
Mvovo was great on the day, Habana was poor end of story.
Mike there is no way in hell Schalk in the modern game should ever be seleted at 6, he is a 7 and has to compete for 7
Jannie will be our 3 for now with Malherbe as the up and coming and maybe Coenie if he makes the transition.
The Bulls have 2 good young tightheads in Frik Kirsten and Rossouw de Klerk, de Klerk has just come back from injury.
Hopefully Oliver Kebble sticks at tighthead as well as this is where we need him
Saffex
Please provide a bit of information here - do you put on a special set of blinkers before every game? Now lets get back to performance - Habana played a good - as against outstanding - game yesterday. Mvovo the same. Both made mistakes as well - maybe the knock on with a line open in front of him - stood out a bit in the cas of Mvovo. Of the two all things considered the better was Habana - with all things I mean defence and attack.
Unlike many previous coaches, I think Meyer's biggest problem is who does he leave out - and not who he chooses. Nice position to be in - not feeding off scraps of players - there is so much talent around.
Habana made one mistake yesterday....when he got caught in possession trying to run the ball back. For the rest he did a huge amount of work. Dave only sees the attacking half of the game, which is why his instincts are pretty much always wrong.
Nope Habana has had some good games this S15, this weekends was poor - I can live with that. I had him pencilled as one of the Bok wings, but starting to doubt that again. I have JP and Mvovo as my Bok wings
