Kobus hails “extraordinary” Watson
28 Jan 2006
Kobus van der Merwe battled for superlatives to describe Luke Watson’s performance in the 73-5 downing of the Spears in Wellington on Saturday.
Describing the rejuvenated flanker’s display as “extraordinary”, van der Merwe enthused about what he expects will be a devestating return to form in the Super 14.
“Luke Watson was extraordinary today,” Van der Merwe told the Cape media. “I said a few weeks back that he’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen, and that showed on the field. He had a huge impact on the game. Luke was very, very good tonight.”
Van der Merwe felt Watson’s display, allied with that of Schalk Burger operating as a specialist blindsider, highlighted the fact that the two complement each other well in the same back row.
“Schalk is a very good ball carrier, and today it was evident just how difficult he is to tackle. He has a fetching role on the blindside as well, and managed both comfortably. Luke and Schalk work together very well.”
The main concern from Saturday’s display, the performance of Peter Grant, did not alarm Van der Merwe. He stated the under-fire 10 will start against the Cats in a fortnight
“Peter has improved a lot from where he was at the beginning of last season. There’s still a lot of work to do, and he has to work exceptionally hard on his kicking game. He was a bit rusty, with two or three passes not going to hand, but we’ll go with Peter against the Cats. We back him to deliver.”
Ultimately Van der Merwe reflected on a performance he deemed satisfactory.
“The first 20 minutes were very frustrating, they just came to spoil. Today was a good example of building an innings. The lesson from today is how important it is not to make any mistakes against a side out to disrupt you, whilst maintaining the pressure all the time.
“Every time we kept the ball for longer then three phases we put points on the board. I was a bit worried after the first 20 minutes, I could see we were trying 50/50 offloads and there were one or two bad passes. Thankfully though after that we settled down and stuck to our structures. The Bulls showed last week that quality teams make it count in the last 20 minutes of games. That’s when you convert pressure into points.”
35 Comments
28 Jan 2006, 22:45 pm
I wonder how Luke is feeling about joining the Spears now, considering what a joke they are swiftly becoming.
Don’t get me wrong, I back the concept behind the Spears and giving them a franchise 100%, I just don’t think they are ready yet. If you rush them then they are going to have to poach other franchise’s players just to stay afloat in the super 12, which is silly when you consider that the franchise was produced to unearth promising black players from the region and give them a platform to perform on.
28 Jan 2006, 22:47 pm
Sorry. I meant the super 14.
28 Jan 2006, 23:48 pm
Peter Grant…who takes this guy seriously?? Only reason he’s there is cause there’s no-one else…if he’s the best in the W-Cape…I’m glad I won’t be there to see it!
29 Jan 2006, 07:19 am
Bonjour parisian . . . I have to agree with you, it seems WP/Stormers can never find a consistent flyhalf and IMHO that’s been one of the main reasons for their lack of achievement over the last few years, guys like Chris Rossouw have just not been consistent enough to compete at that level. It seems like Grant is another player in the mould, I hope he proves us all wrong, at least the other Naas is waiting on the bench to stake his claim if Grant screws up too badly.
Then all the Stormers will need is a “vaste vyf” that can “haal uit en wys”!!
29 Jan 2006, 10:32 am
I think I’d prefer Naas Olivier at flyhalf, he shone at a lousy union, whereas Peter Grant was dull in a major union. I wonder if Jaco will come after all, or if that is just another province pipe-dream. It seems to me that if Jaco did come back he’d probably play for the bulls, probably at fullback, since Heineke Meyer doesn’t seem that keen on him playing at pivot.
29 Jan 2006, 11:30 am
Poor old Spares — kinda started off real slow and then fizzled out altogether…
Thwe laughing stock of pro rugby right from Day One!
29 Jan 2006, 12:55 pm
I hate to bring the race card up, but I believe Dollie offer more then Grant. Why was WP/Stormers not prepared to give him a chance?
By all accounts he outplayed Grant yesterday. And he played behind a losing pack and in a team of 14.
Dollie & Delport would have been a better half back combination. But Dollie is too small. Joe Petersen too, but Mr Mallett invested in hima nd allowed him to go shadow Mehrtens. Why was Dollie not given that chance? Petersen is not even a fly half.
In WP rugby blacks are not entrusted in decision making positions. And this is not my view, but that of a WP Rugby official.
29 Jan 2006, 13:00 pm
We better start looking after that Spencer Wakeling oak, otherwise he will be a great talent lost for SA rugby !!!
29 Jan 2006, 14:22 pm
G-man,
Are you in fact Spencer Wakeling himself?
29 Jan 2006, 15:18 pm
Happy New year to all of you suckers out there…like i said a million times before Luke Watson is the MAN and for all you suckers out there that where saying last season that he is no good may all of you have dreadful Super 14 and Luke may this be the first of many great displays to come this year and get you in the BOK team.YOu go boy
Your biggest fan
G-Boy
29 Jan 2006, 17:14 pm
capeflatsboy,
You may well be right about WP being biased against black people in decision making positions but I doubt it, and the facts you present do nothing to convince me. You are cheerfully mixing up the cases of Grant and Pietersen versus Dollie. That confuses the issue. Let’s separate them for a bit.
Dollie, Grant and Benade all had their “chance” that you refer to in the Vodacom cup. At the stsrt of the Currie Cup, the new management decided that Grant offered the best potential, initially as backup to Kleintjips and Gaffie. That may be influenced by his superior size, as you say. Whatever, that’s the kind of big call that coaches are asked to make to earn their money. While Grant’s shocking game aginst the Cheetahs is the one that is remembered, he had many good games as well, that his detractors don’t mention. All things considered, I’d be inclined to agree with the coach in ranking Grant ahead of Dollie.
Not that he is rated as a superstar, not at all. Why do you think WP have approached Hougaard, Pretorius and Humphreys and are currently after Jaco?
Dollie was the one offered a place at the Spears, not Pietersen, Benade or any other flyhalf from Province. That just emphasises that he is seen as better than the others, so everyone agrees with you on that, and he is now in a great position to play Super 14 next year. Best of luck to him. I hope he proves that small guys with talent have a place in top class rugby. He’s certainly not being denied a “chance”.
As for Pietersen, firstly he is smaller than Grant, but still bigger than Dollie or Rose. Secondly, the decision to convert him from a wing/fullback to a flyhalf, only happened after Dollie went to the Spears. The shadowing of Mehrtens only happened because he is being converted, why would they have done the same for Dollie (or Grant)? It appears from yesterday that he is still a wing/fullback for now anyway. He and Dollie have never been in competition for a place, and Dollie’s leaving probably means that they won’t be, so you can’t say that Pietersen is being favoured over Dollie.
29 Jan 2006, 17:23 pm
Back on topic, I’m delighted that Burger is playing blindside. South Africans have never quite got to grips with the fetcher/carrier and open/blind combination.
Schalk has played openside for the Springboks largely because he is better than any alternative, in the absence of a South African McCaw or Back. His size really counts against him being a Hoover on the ground. It shows how good the guy is that he’s still one of the world’s best in that position. If Luke can become the new McCaw, then finally the Stormers (and the Boks?) will have a properly balanced loose trio.
29 Jan 2006, 18:07 pm
Derek,
Don’t agree wrt to Burger playing blindside for the boks. If that was to happen you would have to drop Juan Smith who was probably our best loosie last year. You would also lose another line-out option.
Also, I still don’t believe that Jake White sees Schalk as a blinside.
29 Jan 2006, 18:25 pm
I agree with your rating of Juan Smith, I happen to believe that Schalk could be even better. He’s a good lineout option too. Only 3 cm shorter. Nice position to be in, we also have AJ or Danie Rossouw (who might both play lock) or Wannenburg.
Yes, it seems Jake sees Schalk as an openside, but did you notice that vs. France, Juan and Schalk played left and right? I must check the tapes of the Argie and Wales games too.
29 Jan 2006, 18:37 pm
Derek Noble your argument is difficult to accept when you consider WP did not offer Dollie a contract. He was on a junior contract last season. Now that the age buffer is gone for him, he was not offered a senior contract. Fortunately for him Peter de Villiers recognised his talent.
Why was Naas Olivier drafted?
But I do not want to labour the point. For me as a cape flats boy and WP supporter this is very disheartening. Just find out the reason why Oasis decided to sposor the Bulls and not WP. Why is a black club playing in the WP premier division now a feeder club for the Bulls?
Once you have the answers to those questions, like I have you will soon realise what I’m talking about. But I am still a Stormers and WP supporter.
30 Jan 2006, 07:38 am
Clobbering and mocking the absolute stuffing out of the funniest so-called “professional” rugby team in the whole wide world —- the Southern Spares — hey, I mean, how hard can it REALLY be?
30 Jan 2006, 08:31 am
Finally you Japies have woken up to the need for SPECIALIST openside and blindside flankers.
Did you know the rest of the world started using them in the mid-seventies.
But conservative and stubborn SA coaches (i.e. most of them) still prefer left and right flankers, meaning most SA flankers are ‘jacks of all trade, masters of none.’ Most SA coaches think the BIGGER the flanker the better, ignoring the fact that smallish but SUPERFIT and SUPERFAST no.7′s such as Neil Back, George Smith, Phil Waugh and Josh Kronfeld have dominated the game for MORE THAN A DECADE.
Even SA’s best coach Nick Mallet recently stated that specialist flankers are not necessary. That’s Sa’s best coach trapped in DINOSAUR thinking. And we wonder why SA teams have not won a S12 and only 2 tri-nations in 10 years of trying???
30 Jan 2006, 08:53 am
Tackler = ex pat & CHICKEN RUN.
30 Jan 2006, 09:03 am
Snoop,
Tackler = 1 sad person
Is it that difficult to have a blinder against a lowly team with 14 men?
30 Jan 2006, 09:06 am
It does seem to make sense with Watson playing openside because of his speed and scavenging ability, and schalk playing blindside also with his (slightly slower) speed and scavenging ability, as well as cover defence. I think if Juan Smith was played at 8, that would be an amazing back three…
Other options at 8 – Wannenburg, Cronje, or even Pierre Spies (who I believe had a great game, and is an ex winger with all the skills?)
However, keep in mind that Watson was playing the Spears, not Auckland, so lets not get carried away with his abilities quite yet – a bit of cosistency at this stage would be valuable to him.
Perhaps two sets of back three? How about:
6)Watson
7)Burger
8)Wannenburg
6) Spies/Burger (how do you ustify leaving him out?)
7) AJ
8) Cronje
6) Mokoena
7) Dlulane
8) Rossouw
Who else would fit in there?
Any comments?
30 Jan 2006, 10:03 am
www:
What about Solly?
30 Jan 2006, 10:03 am
Snoop & RedCard:
Don’t feed the *******.
30 Jan 2006, 10:24 am
Dollie was great on Saturday. He played twice as good as Grant, and that behind a losing pack of forwards. Spencer Wakeling also looked good. If Pieter de Villiers sticks with these guys for the next couple of years i think exciting things will be happening in the Eastern Cape.
But the star on the day was indeed Luke Watson. He was brilliant!!
30 Jan 2006, 11:07 am
urgh … ummm … yeah ….
30 Jan 2006, 12:26 pm
Cape Flats Boy,
You’re right. I asked the question about Joe Pietersen last year. Wondered if Jody Rose would have received the same opportunities. All WP moans about is poaching of players. They invested in Dollie, yet no contract offered. Why did they let him play the whole season for the U/21 team and offering him a senior contract. I wonder if Pieter Louw is also on a junior contract. WP is not for players other than white.
30 Jan 2006, 12:42 pm
Sorry sthvh, you are 100% correct.
30 Jan 2006, 12:45 pm
I won’t be that harsh but WP definitely do not trust black players in decision making positions. But then again WP is not alone in this regard. All the SA teams are guilty of this.
The Stormers do have the highest number of black players in their squad and will not just field 2 black wingers like the Bulls.
But it saddens me when people like Peter Grant are invested in, when it is quite apparent that he will not make it. On Saturday I watched him before the game. He does not even mix with the other players. He stands on the side all alone. A flyhalf must call the shots. If Peter Grant can’t even mix with his own teammates, how is he going to call the shots on the filed.
30 Jan 2006, 12:53 pm
not a big watson fan, says some strange things, but sounds like he has done everything they have asked, i.e. conditioning and a fetcher role.
If he does do this, he has all the mental attributes to make a world-class fetcher, huge self-belief and determination, and by being able to compete physically could make all the difference. Also he does need to covert as a specialist fetcher; he is simply too light for WP and the boks to entertain any thoughts of being an effective ball-carrier.
30 Jan 2006, 14:18 pm
Cape Flats Boy,
Unfortunately I was not at the park. Did Jerome Paarwater do any calling. I’ve watched at Newlands last year during warm-ups, he stands on the side. I toutet on this site that with the appointment of Kobus and Gary, it is evident that Jerome is a token. Because of his relationship with Dougie Dyers, WP is forced to hold on to him. Where in the world do you have two fwd coaches. Only in WP with Jerome and Gary. I blame the guys with the suits and ties. They are supposed to be the custodian of our (fans) interest, but they just there for the travel and to get free tickets for family and friends. Jerome has been with WP for 5yrs and he is not good enough to be head coach, import Kobus and Gary. Why? They are white and a non-white cannot make decisions. Imagine Jerome dropping Grant for Dollie?
30 Jan 2006, 14:27 pm
Btown
You are spot on. Jerome is on the gravy train. I don’t recall seeing him. But he does not have any input in team matters.
Cassiem Jabaar spoke up recently about what’s going on in the WP Union. Not sure if he’s prepared to go all the way. AFter all the Brother must protect his job.
In the curtain raiser between the Vodacom Cup sides, I saw a black front ranker don’t know his name. He needs to be looked after. The guy is awesome. He can go a long way if WP is prepared to develop him.
Maybe one of the other guys on the site knows his name. I was told he plays for UCT
30 Jan 2006, 14:52 pm
I recommend this front ranker gets to shadow someone in New-Zealand like Joe Pietersen did. Wishful thinking. Perhaps I still believe in the “tandemuis”. It is time for ex-players such as Jabaar, Toefy brothers, Salie Fredericks, Julian Smith, Faiek Davids, Randy Marinus, Clive Thomas, etc. to speak out. Piet Jooste is there, but it seems his only interest is Tygerberg. Stanley Raubenheimer is there, but I’ve followed his career and think he is overrated as a coach. Deon Davids is doing much better with less at Boland.
30 Jan 2006, 15:09 pm
None of the guys you mentioned will ever speak out. Faiek Davids? Bro that was an overrated rugby player. Banggat.
Salie Fredericks works for Oasis they are pissed off with the WP Union and now sponsor the Bulls. Peter Jooste is a Bok selector and will maybe talk one day when his son Morne is given a raw deal and he decide to go to the Bulls.
Look at old Jeff Crowster, he is such a clown. I had respect for him in the days of Cities. Where is he now? Last I heard he was coaching the WP woman. Where is Wayne Mckay? A man I respected. Same for Dickie Galant. That might be people who would have said something.
30 Jan 2006, 15:20 pm
The frontrankers name is Vakai Hove. He is from Zimbabwe
30 Jan 2006, 15:21 pm
Sad, sad story.
21 Jun 2009, 12:11 pm
reinhart i dont think spencer is gman himself..spencer has recently ended his career with a serious injury.
if this doesnt make you wince..
http://www.rolling-maul.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1047
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