The "Utterly" Useless Nollis Marais - Where 2 Next?

Nollis Marais © Gallo ImagesPlayer of the week competitionMarais faces the toughest week of career Brenden Nel 27 March 2017, 07:15

Vodacom Bulls coach Nollis Marais faces one of his toughest tests of his career as his side prepares to face the Chiefs in Hamilton in their Vodacom Super Rugby clash on Saturday.

After their horrific 38-14 loss to the Blues in Albany on Saturday, Marais will need to find answers to what has happened to his side’s attacking game as well as their defence during a season that promised so much but has quickly turned into a nightmare for the Pretoria side.

Saddled with a horror draw – only one of their first six games was at the comfort of Loftus Versfeld – the Bulls now face one of the most talented sides in the competition this weekend knowing the hole they have dug for themselves is getting deeper by the minute.

After a promising pre-season – which included a big victory over the Chiefs in Brisbane – the Bulls looked set to build on their performance of last year and included several top players in their ranks, with others returning from long-term injury to have an impressive roster on paper, but one that has until now failed to perform on the field.

A patchy win over the Sunwolves at home – which was far too close for comfort – is all they have to show for their efforts so far as both attack and defence have massive questionmarks about it with early season expectations now a distant reality and a fight for survival on the cards.

And what was most concerning is not that the Bulls don’t make their own chances, it is that both their skills levels and execution have been so poor to this point in the competition that they have literally been their own worst enemies.

Two things have stood out for the Bulls in this year’s competition - a desire to play a more attacking brand of rugby and their consistent talk of fixing their own “problems” when things go wrong.

But as Saturday’s game showed, things have actually regressed, with players running into each other as running lines got blurred, and some of the poorer attacking options and handling skills letting them down when they did get it right.

To illustrate the point of Saturday’s problems, fullback Warrick Gelant made a miserable 12 metres on attack during the Blues game, Springbok centre Jan Serfontein could only manage 1. In fact Handre Pollard’s 28 metres was the most of any backline player, while five of the Blues backline and two of their forwards easily bettered that stat with lock Patrick Tuipulotu making 47 on his own, winger Melani Nanai 117 for his efforts.

It’s difficult to pinpoint where exactly the problems are at the moment, but it is hard not to argue that somehow it comes down to coaching. When international players overrun, or run in each others’ channels, it often means they are uncertain of their roles and where they need to be on attack. Once can be excused, but on Saturday it happened more than once and highlighted how low in confidence the Bulls’ attacking game is at the moment.

And then there was the defence. Marais admitted he was concerned about the defence after it leaked six tries against a Blues side – five in the second half as the Bulls were blown off the park in the last 40.

Match statistics point to 24 missed tackles in the Bulls defence – but it wasn’t so much the number as the attitude in defence, with the gang-tackle tactic backfiring on the team as players were unable to reset their lines against a quick Blues attack that exploited them too easily.

Some of the tackling was exceptionally poor and lacked commitment, and often was the reason why the Blues made so many metres.

With 124 tackles made, lock Lood de Jager and loose forward Ruan Steenkamp both stood out in their play and should be commended for their efforts. In all six players made 10 tackles or more, underlining just how on the back foot they were.

Marais has some tough questions to answer this week and some tough decisions to make that will determine his team’s hopes for the rest of the season.

The first start could be to get the selection right, as the loose trio continues to lack balance while halfback Piet van Zyl’s tactical kicking and work from the base was poor on the night.

Either way for all the talk of fixing their own problems – which started after the loss against the Stormers in Cape Town – the Bulls need to walk that talk now, or face a hiding in Hamilton.

• The Bulls were also dealt another setback on Monday when it was learnt that tighthead prop John-Roy Jenkinson would be returning home with a hamstring injury.

Jenkinson had just returned from injury and made his debut against the Blues, but will now return home to undergo treatment, leaving the Bulls to make provisions for his departure.

Jacobie Adriaanse is likely to fill the void in the short-term but no replacement has been called up to date.

I thought Gary Gold was the most pathetic coach in recent years- although Marias has no understanding. I am starting to think that it would be better to have left him at the Airport.

 
To have soo much talent available and end up playing like that ... match in, match out ... ??

Unacceptable!!

 What sayest thou then of the clowns who appointed him and are steadfastly hanging onto him when every man and his puppy knows that Marais is dogs balls.
See, this is the thing we tend to ignore when we crit our national teams....years of lost potential gone down the gurgler because our franchises support Pretenders.  

I thought that the biggest improvement for year s was the Bulls getting rid of Ludeke - but Marais as replacement was even worse.   The man is utterly clueless as was proven again on Saturday.   He is the main reason why Pollard and the backline players are on the scrapheap.
The other major problem is in the back row.  The loss of Labuschagne was massive and Kirsten - much hyped last year - is fairly useless and did not make the starting line-up on Saturday.   There was no ball protection and recovery noticeable and for that the loosies are largely to blame.    
Anytime a lock makes more tackles than backline players is a sign something is seriously amiss.
A coach like Rennie or Plumtree would turn that lot around totally - the present coach is largely to blame for the shambles they are in.  The bugger should be fired asap.

 They were competitive in the first half but ran out of puff thereafter ....... they were well & truly stuffed .......vokked .

 Last year was described as our 'annus horribilis' but it looks like we're going to have some 'annuses horrors' for a lot longer .

They were huffing and puffing after 30 minutes.  Creatine Fatties spending too much time in the gym, and no skills or stamina training

If you take the Bulls team on Saturday I think the problem is with some players in particular showing zero in performance.   Those are not easy to identify.   However, I think the problem is with the Loosies and to a substantial extent with the usage of the backline players.  
Van Zyl was poor - Pollard at best average.  Kriel was a no-no and the wings utterly useless.   There was no real organizing of the backline.   They were a shambles and that is an issue which needs urgent attention.  
You cannot play rugby with an uncoached or under-coached useless backline as was the Bulls case thus far in the series.   Sad to say - but the Bulls will continue to be horrible while Marais is around and Pollard in particular will not improve leaving the backline without a proper pivot.           

Considering how heavily we rely on the Bulls for a quota of Springboks each year, the national selectors have a little problem on their hands.

For my money there are a few guys at he Bulls, who under a better coach would be kicking the door down for Springbok selection come May.

As it stands guys like Galant, RG Snyman, Pollard, Jessie Kriel, Lood De Jager, Kirsten, Potgieter and Liebenberg could all make a claim were it not for the horrible season they are having under Marais.

So, back to square one again as far as selection goes.

We have to pick players on reputation because their performances in SR don't nearly warrant them wearing a Bok Jersey against France.

On form, the Bok team would have to be selected from the Stormers and Lions .

But my guess is that three quarters of the team will be made up players who we will be expecting to find form in test games. And then we'll be so utterly surprised when it fails again, like it did last year.

 Plum
We can now clearly see what has happened with poor coaches in charge.   The Bulls since 2013 was constantly going backwards and showed no sign of improving.   Meyer opted out of coaching but kept directly involvement until his appointment as Springbok coach.  This was proven since in his first year as coach 14 Bulls were either starting or on the bench in tests.   He selected players he was acquainted with as a start 
He was followed by Ludeke who send the team on a downward spiral and now we have Marais who is carrying on with Ludeke efforts regardless.   The problem is that the Bulls is not playing rugby - they are just coachless by a person who has "lost the dressing room".   There is very little team spirit in evidence in the team.  
That means that players like Pollard is not developing further and we have a serious problem with dead backline play.   And Pollard needs decent coaching after succumbing t the disastrous game prescribed by Ludeke on franchise level and Meyer as national coach.   The latter resulted in the role of the first receiver being passed to a loosie and the flyhalf only required to kick balls in the 2015 WC.  
In a way I am sorry for Pollard.  If he has had decent coaching he may have recovered his mojo already  - at present he shows very little real form and no real improvement after his long injury absence and longer subjection to ruinous coaching.