Mik...
You say "thy have 2 top class centers able to think on their feet Mills and Van Wyk"
What evidence is there of this?
I know Mills personally. And I went to watch the Lions against Ulster. But I saw zero evidence of this.
I see a willingness and eagerness at the moment. But thats about it.
Because Mike hates Esterhuizen, he sees Mills as competition for Esterhuizen, so Mills needs to be talked up.
Mills being talked up after 4 games is a big call Mike.
How many balls did Mills carry and how many meters made. He amde his trackles and has a good step in eh process,
Esterhuizen is not a centers arse and I t hink the last two matches has shown that vey clearly. We saw how the foerwards dominate otally in both matchs - yet the backline produced zero of subnstance in both matches, I thought the Sharks would easily beat the bottom team on the log easily - yet they did not despite the domination of the Sharks fowards,
How does it happen that the Lions beat Ultste by 19 ponts and the glorious Ulster backline that overran the Sharks and play thinking rugby still managed to win the game. The anwer is the flyhalf is the pivot to decide whether to attack or make hopelully strategic kicks - it is the function of the 12 to draw in defenders - thus to create space for the other four players to run into = with Esterhuizen just do not met that requirement. In both matches he just pass balls to players who were in a worse position than he is, And the backline sttacks die and the team loses matches,
Th Sharks forwards are real top class players - the backs lose matches for them. 4 losses in 5 games playe must surely tell you something is amiss in that team. Theya re toothless and poor in defense as well,
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Remove the silliness from the site…no Mike don’t resign
Chippo
I am not talking up Mills - I am just pointing out how he made a good contribution to t he Lions backline - while the Bulls and Sharks have no attacking force in their backline so far in the series.
Mozart
Why don't you tell us how the Sharks forwards wjo had total controll over Ulster and even scored 2 push-over penaltry tries - yet the Sharks lost the match.
What went wrong other than the bqckline buggered up royally and in the process lost their matches.
Then a fuirther question why did the Sharks lost 4 of the 5 URC matches they palyed this season, While the other franchises are far better on the log,
| PosTeamPWDLPDPts | ||||||||
| 1 |  | Stormers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +118 | 23 |
| 2 |  | Munster | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +36 | 23 |
| 3 |  | Glasgow Warriors | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +97 | 20 |
| 4 |  | Cardiff Rugby | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +24 | 20 |
| 5 |  | Ulster | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +32 | 16 |
| 6 |  | Bulls | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 14 |
| 7 |  | Leinster | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -10 | 11 |
| 8 |  | Lions | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -12 | 11 |
| 9 |  | Zebre | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -61 | 10 |
| 10 |  | Benetton Rugby | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -41 | 9 |
| 11 |  | Edinburgh | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +38 | 9 |
| 12 |  | Connacht | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +2 | 9 |
| 13 |  | Sharks | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -40 | 8 |
| 14 |  | Ospreys | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -30 | 7 |
| 15 |  | Dragons | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -77 | 5 |
| 16 |  | Llanelli Scarlets | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -68 | 0 |
Mike
inam a mills fan. But he never made any meters on the weekend.
he did make his tackles and was solid. But hardly worthy of much higher honours at the moment.
Mike
inam a mills fan. But he never made any meters on the weekend.
he did make his tackles and was solid. But hardly worthy of much higher honours at the moment.
I like the look of Bronson Mills at 12 - he looks a good prospect
Was very good at U21 level - stood out
Then a fuirther question why did the Sharks lost 4 of the 5 URC matches they palyed this season,
You are unaware of how poorly coached they are? Still? Even after all of the last URC season when they played like headless chickens? No surprise, I guess.
Oh wait, that's not the answer you wanted. The answer you want is "because Esterhuizen buggers up the backline".
Dave you just wanna knob his bum hole.
settle down.
He is a very good looking young man - I bet he does not go short on a night out
He’s not that good looking !
Pakie
You are talking your normal shit, No coach can coach uncoachable players. Even if Plumtree is replaced the same shit performances will continue in a talentless backline team way past their sell-by date - bar for 2 good payers who never see th e balls during matches or even when receiving it has no space to attack in,
I wish Plumtree leave them and replaced by VERMEULEN. He would kno how to force players to play as a eam and not as individuals, Erasmus himself would not put up with the shit the S harks are dishing out when it comes to backline performanmces,
Tell us again how conme in matches where the Sharks forwards have total domination over opponents do they lose matches? Why does the Sharks have -30 point difference in 5 matches they played in. Why the losses under given circumstances.
Forget about the coaches - you do get shot coaching - but better coaches hacve game plans the players have to play and get trained to play and lose matches, I give you one question wh in the hrd try scored by carlets were two palyers dead on their feet and the ball carrier ran threw them while two defenders 10 and 12 not even took a step to stop it,
Looking forward to your response on the above, It would be another oke like your post regularly are.
By the way shitspreader - the Bulls ended up with a malfunctioning backline under White as well, They ahve the talent - but the backline is killed by the 10 and the 12 - t he same as happened in the case of the Sharks,
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So you think Williams / Masuku or Smith / Esterhuizen / Juju / Hooker / Edwill / Jordan is an uncoachable backline? What utter nonsense. Even Dave will tell you that. They do need a decent flyhalf - Smith was passable against Scarlets.
Left to right: Jordan Mills (8th man - Lions and a club in Italy which I cannot remember), father John (good friend of the late James Small), Bronson Mills (Center - Lions), Kalvin Mills (Flyhalf / Center - Lions, Bristol).
All 3 sons played for KES. Jordan captained.
Kalvin was the most naturally talented. Wonderful player to watch, but he didnt want to carry on playing after he played for Bristol.
You'll find them all on Youtube.
Pakie
I tated learly thatn Hooker and Van der Merwe are top calss players - who is not is the fyhalf and inside center, - without those two palyers being coachable an playing hinkin g rugby the rest fo the backline cannot finmction.
The fact is no amount of coaching will turn the present 10 and 12 into usable players. As far back as 2014 White tried to turn Esterhuien as a lossie - since h e is too dumb to play at center, Erasmus apaprently think the same - he repeatedly sed him as a bench loosie, this year,
Interesting enough the Bulls has the same malady of shit in those two position. Int eh one match Pollard played for the Bulls he was a total disaster.
By the way I think that Pollard is fast playing himself out of the Springbok team. I was worried about having adequate cover at flyhalf - but Matthee of the Stormers showed sonme class and has an accurate goal kicking record as well. Matthee - unlike the other franchise flyhalves is a player with top class potential.
I can undestand Ackerman's problems this year. He found that White contracting Polard and Serfontein at 10 and 12 is causing a major problem for the Bulls, It neutralizess the Bulls whole backline and it would take time for the Bullls to fill those two positions through proper contracting
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Pakie
Plumtree can be blamed for th e poor performancs of the Sharks backline - but if the backline performed po/orly a fter match after match the players cannot be blamed on poor coac hing - it is absically de to deficent backline players.
That is why the Sharks owners moved Plumtree to a differnt function in the squad coaching set-up and did not fire him - like happened in the case of White, Even Erasmus would be unable to coach the shit of the 10's and 12's playing for the Bulls and the Sharks.
St Estrhuizen is both deficient as a backline player because he is pace deficient and a poor reader of games and I do not hate him - I jsut see with open eyes what he is capable of,during matches - end of story.
Glad you see with open eyes what Andre is capable of Mike. Your support of his skill and value this past week have been tremendous. One of the all time turnarounds on this board.
I think Esterhuien has ability to play at loosie - at center he is a total waste of space.
56,476 posts
Background
Round 4 poved that if one look at results were totally misled by what actually happened in the Sharks-Ulster match, After winning in two both two matches they have played - he third onew as postpone because of extree weaitehercondioons in Edinburgh. Themy came here unbeaten adn in vei of the atrocious record of the Sharks in the third three rounds.I was not surprised by Ulster beating the Sharks,
So what happened in Round 5 - it was indicating that in Round 4 the piss-poor Sharks were beaten by the poor Ulster side, The Sharks should have on that match since their forwards totally dominated in the match and despite that the Sharks lost, The Sharks played against Scarlets and made heavy weather in the Match and beat the weakest team in URC this season. Again the forwards dominated up front again. but the winning margin is way blow what it was expected.
Backline perfornmances
So why would it happen that they must be regarded as the Worst SA team in URC ths year. Looking at what actual h happened in tehtwo Rounds - the Sharks has the worst abckline in SA, Fct si that the team only have 2 real thinkng players in the basckline thatn can be regarded as Top Class namely Hooker and Van der Merwe - t he rest are seria dolts who have a very poor idea but backline play and were in some cases way past their sell-by date.
Th Bukks backlibne is also misfiring at times and here lassst two losses does not make them lookin g very good either - but they have he capacity to improve, There is ver little chance it would happen.
Coaching
Easy to blame Plumtree for the disaster of the am performances - but looking at it objectively I do belleve that most of the playes believe they are a coach all on their own and each think they must play in their own make-believe world when it comes to game plans,
I think that the rpoblem is best understood when lookin g at team gatherings on the field during matches
,and one realized that he appointed captain never talks much if at all during those discussions. In the case of the forwards the discussions are ed by Nche and Nbonmbi - a situation where the captian as a forward should elad th e discussions. In the backline the most dim backline center in SA lead the discussions. He did the talking - nobody else,
The result is that the forwards play top clas riugby and the backs non=exostent attacking rugby without regard to any discernablle plan whatsoever and the backline can no much progress is shown in matches.
Looking a the team .I remember a team discussion Erasmus had with the players in 2018. When playrs become S Springboks they often think their balls are bigger than New Jersey and that destroy thei career. The reason is they are uncoachable and ignore whatnever he told them to do they ignore, It i clear they ignore Plumtree sincr all of hem think they know more about rugby than the coach does, A disasers recipe for anny team to go.
My oter comments are as follows:-
The Bulls
Of he backline players Willie is the best - but as good as he can be during matches as bad he became in the same matches. In he long run he is not really a ral propect as such. They have good scrummies and wings - the rest are just not up to standard, But will Pollard makes a difference when eh comesback t play for the Bulls - I dount it vey much.
The Lions
They are competitive in the forwards and have not the best of flyhalfs - but thy have 2 top class centers able to think on their feet Mills and Van Wyk, The have thinking ability and pace a well. Those two players create opportunities for abckline attacks,
The Stormers
I wa svery unhappy about the alck of interest the tam shows and they kick way to much from which opponts counter-atntacks, However, wiinning 5 out of 5 played and be on top of teh log with a point difference of 118 points after 5 matches - one should not complain about their eprformances,
There is just one playe I would like to emntion and th at is Matthee. Int ehirst match he did not look very good - but h e scored a vey good try in their match against Leinster, However, in every match he pakyed ui he was getting better and better, ON Satirday he wa brilliand and for me he is better than any of he other flyhalfs in the URI and his goal kickin g is vey good as well.
I am always rather worried about our flyhalf stock - but if pollad does not show he s sill top calss the much younger Matthee would defenitely be under thread if the S pring boks need a hird flyhalf,
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