Willemse

Looks to me like he's the best option for skipper once Siya goes.

And I can't say I'm angry about it. 

Whether he's picked for skipper or not, he's gonna be the dominant personality in the backline for a good while. 

Another thing that I'm not angry about. Though, I do hope he has an aptitude for mentorship. 

Boys, if this Kiwi coach is allowed some freedom, we might see some deadly shit from the Boks in the coming years. Will Willemse be his general? Perhaps getting him in was a signal of where Rassie might wanna go. And it makes sense because he's kinda proved he can do it twice by dominating up front. 

Is he narcissistic enough to be thinking about his autobiography and being able to say that for the 3rd win, he wanted to show the Boks could do it with backline play? Haha I hope so.

Just saying, our backline is looking tasty. I mean, right!? The names on there would walk into most teams. 

For this to work we do need one creative player who sees the opportunity and creates tries rather than just showcasing his talent.

Somebody like du Pont, Mo’unga, Sexton, Finn Russell or Kerevi.

To me the closest thing is Esterhozen. Our other brilliant backs, seem to exploit space rather than create it.

Libbok sometimes looks like that player. Much is made of his cross kick in the French game, but with the overlap that existed, passing the ball was a much better option. Still he could blossom under Brown….as could Willemse who is another candidate for 12.

It’s not negotiable, if we don’t find that player, our attacking leader,  the hoped for transition will always be opportunistic rather than programmed.. 

Esterhozen may be the best offloading center in rugby….he was the player who made Twickenham happen.

Mozart

He is also the center with poor ball skills and more likely to lose balls in breakdowns - while the rest of his performance - defense and breakdown ball protection is inadequate.     He had ample opportunities to prove himself - but the best he could come up with is a fringe player. 

Willemse is the best future inside center we have and I said that years ago - while the rest of the site idiots claimed he is useless.    He definitely  is a thinking player and not as non-thinking as Esterhuizen is.      

I'm totally on board with AE at 12. 

Manie, Moodie, Willemse, and Arendse are all very opportunistic players. All quick, all with great hands, and all look to keep the momentum rolling on a break. A guy who can cause some chaos and get the odd offload away is exactly what those types of players need. 

The try Willemse created against England was exactly the type of try these guys score. They explode from relatively benign situations. Take Moodie's non-score against the ABs too. From nowhere suddenly the defence is scrambling to no effect. 

When you have guys that can explode like that, for me, you need someone that can light the fuse. And AE does tick that box.

Rugby these days are played more like rugby league, flat passes and deceptive and Obstructive running. Ireland seems to get a free pass on this. I hate the fact that you can pass behind players. 

Then, there are no space to attack much with ball in hand unless you are like the bulls that don't defend either. 

I do believe we have the players. But Willemse really frustrate me. Just watched a highlight real of him. He always tries to step players and then try to off load when he gets caught. Fantastic runner with ball in hand. But he doesn't ever show how to run deceptive lines, his passing game is really poor. Neither does he command the team.

Too many welterweights............ JordieB's about 6'5"

AE  for me

Moodie and Willemse are not small guys. But they can't carry the physical game. Arendse and Kolbe are midgets. So a large 12 is kinda non-negotiable.

I have to comment that all of the players of colour that Saffex has listed are merit players. I can't call a single one of those players a quota. Nor can I say whether a white player has been over looked. We have a great system and even better culture. Just hope it continues to prove that there is room for everyone. Just need to get rid of the ANC

There were instances in the early days where we sold ourselves short because of quotas. But we are way in positive territory now. The emergence of backline talent is awesome.