To me he looked out of shape when he played this year. Definitely not the lean mean machine that he'd been.
To me he looked out of shape when he played this year. Definitely not the lean mean machine that he'd been.
Blasphemy, I know...but I have never rated Am as highly as some here.
He's good, and he's made some nice tries, including being involved in 2 scores in the 2019 WC final, but I've never considered him great.
I rate Arendse, Kolbe, Fassi, Willemse, Faf and Pollard as some of our best ever, but somehow I don't see Am in the same vein.
Perhaps it's because he's always beside the biggest black hole of a player in history, maybe it's the Rassie gameplan, or maybe both.
I know David is gonna be all over this one haha
His defensive work was terrific, I think I've highlighted it with examples in the past. Brilliant in shutting down attacks with rushes and spot tackles. Yes, understated on attack due to the way the Boks played during most of the time he was in the team, but he did show some glimpses of brilliance when he got the chance.
Jesse was better the last 2 years...
Am at his best was probably our best 13 after Danie and that was mostly down to his rugby IQ, great vision, great hands.
Master at putting others into space
But since his long lay off he has only shown glimpses.
Id still take him over Jessie Kriel - I just prefer players with skill and brains
Danie Gerber takes it hands down in all eras, but Jacque Fourie was way better than Am. I don't think Am can get close to him. His defense was immense, had real speed, which you need of a 13. Then don't forget his tries. Between, Jean De Villiers, Fourie and Habana we had some of the best backs in the world at the time.
Where Am stands out is his artistic play and has great subtle passing skills..
I have been pleasantly surprised with Jessica drastic improvement these past two years
Danie played inside center with a 13 on his back more than he played outside...it was his number regardlessof where he played...an anomaly of 80's rugga in SA...Danie could play anywhere outside flyhalf, but his best matches were at inside center.
He was pretty handy at 14 for WP in his twilight years as well.
The boks back then actually had really big backs. The likes of Ray Morst, Carel Du Plesis and Danie Gerber were all over 6 foot and close to 100kg.
But for some reason in the 90s our backs got a lot smaller and the SA teams struggled to play against the Kiwi teams who had these big islanders playing. The amount of times our backline players got bounced.
But I think that team from 80s were probably one our best teams ever.
It was just Naas that was smaller but if you look at how he played. He had some real gas and fantastic hands. Then there was his kicking that was next level and I don't think any flyhalf came close to him.He was always known for his kicking because of all the drop kicks at lotus.
When you watch those guys play, they had some amazing handling skills.
It is a myth that the boks couldn't do any backline play and that they were just a forward dominant team.
Noooo Jaque Fourie was nowhere near better than Am, he was good but Am is a far more complete player and far better rugby brain than Fourie
Am at his best was better than Fourie at his best
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It is have been a few seasons now that Am has featured. He barely made it to the last world cup and struggled with injury, his form has dipped drastically. The he appeared at 12 a few times for the boks last hear but he didn't set the worl alight.
Then this season Am played a handful of games for the the sharks but did nothing meaningful to my mind.
Is Am done?
He was rated the best 13 in the game not too long ago but wondering if he will fade.
On the other hand, Re Allende and Kriel seem to be playing their best rugby ever.
Am is only 30. So it is a surprise that he is not tearing the field