Leave Habana on the wing
8 May 2006
Jake White is toying with the idea of Bryan Habana as a centre. NO JAKE. Leave him on the wing.
The Rapport newspaper, following an interview with White, speculated that a Habana move infield was on the cards to give the Bok backline more creativity. Hopefully White was throwing a bit of bait and isn’t serious. If ever we needed reminding of just who should be playing at No 13 for the Springboks Jaque Fourie reinforced the view that he is as good as any outside centre in the game.
When White played Jean de Villiers and Fourie as his test midfield combination, they were comfortably the best option we have seen in Bok rugby for some time.
There seems a reluctance to play our best players in their best positions. And it is ridiculous. The Cats wasted Fourie on the wing for much of the Super 14 and the Stormers also sent De Villiers back to the wing to accommodate De Wet Barry at inside centre.
De Villiers is our most creative inside back and it is time he is entrusted unreservedly with this role. Outside of him Fourie provides the perfect foil. Shifting Habana infield would negate his impact. He needs space and his strength is his finishing and not his creativity. To borrow from soccer to emphasise the point, we don’t need to turn one of the best strikers into a decent midfielder.
If Habana is to be moved from the wing, then the position to give him a run at is fullback. He has a good kicking game, he understands defence and his pace will be maximised and not stifled if wearing No 15.
Marius Joubert showed he is trading on yesterday’s headlines against the Sharks, while Barry was honest without ever being influential in the final 10 minute flurry when the Stormers could not create anything to break down the Sharks defence.
Of the other midfielders on display Ronnie Cooke is an exciting prospect at No 13, but he is not better than what’s there at the moment (read Fourie) and Brad Barrit has something special about his play as an inside centre option.
But to shift Habana now would be dangerous and White would be making the same mistake John Hart made when he moved Christian Cullen from fullback to wing and then to centre for the 1999 World Cup. Cullen was not bad at centre, but he would have been so much better at fullback. The same applies to Habana. He would never disappoint playing at No 13, but he would not be the factor he is at No 11.
Keep your best finisher on the wing Jake.
191 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] Show All
8 May 2006, 12:11 pm
Frazer,to be fair to Bigg Paulse is having zero impact in France. I’ve seen a couple games and he really is invisible on the field.
8 May 2006, 12:12 pm
Russel may be a great ball-player,exciting runner and try scorer/maker this I agree with. I have watched him play Vodacom Cup this season and Super 14.Not even a squash ball rebounds as quickly as Russell in a tackle.This is the weakest point in his game and he will be found wanting at international level.
8 May 2006, 12:13 pm
Londonshark – that’s not something I can comment on, because I haven’t watched him play there, but I can comment on him playing for the Boks, and I don’t think anyone can say that he lets the Boks down.
8 May 2006, 12:14 pm
LET ME ASK YOU ALL THIS??????
I AM NOT A BULLS FAN BUT I WAS SO UNBELIEVABLY FRUSTRATED WITH THEM ITS JUST NOT FUNNY. I AM A AFRIKANER, BUT FOR GOODNESS SAKE, NOW I REALISED WHY POEPLE CALL US THICK DUTCHMEN. ITS BECAUSE OF THE PLONKERS UP NORTH.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE (THE PUBLIC) SAID THAT ITS OBVIOUS THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE BALL IN HAND IN ORDER TO BEAT THE AUSIES AND NZ TEAMS???
I ASK AGAIN. HOW MANY TIMES???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
AND WHAT DID THE GENIOUSES UP NOTH DO ON FRIDAY??????? THEY KICKED EVERY SINGLE BALL BACK TO THE CRUSADERS.
WHATTA FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF??????
8 May 2006, 12:20 pm
Rasta,
Russel rebounds yes – and that is also his strength. He gets out of tackles like that also. I will have him in my team anyday as he makes life for the opposition very difficult by keeping them guessing all the time – just what we need in SA rugby. And is he any lighter/smaller that Paulse?
8 May 2006, 12:21 pm
hehehe brick… lmao
I am not going to say anything about afrikaners… you do have a valid point though. On Sat during the Sharks vs Poofters game the Moffies were behind 3-21 i think and Peter Grant decides to kick the ball to the opposition. Bolla also did it once but luckily AJ knocked on. I have no idea why saffa teams do this… The Sharks never kicked the ball that much… It is fine if you are way ahead and want to put the opposition under pressure by kicking to the corners but not when you are trailing and need to score tries…
8 May 2006, 12:21 pm
never heard of career ending injuries i presume.. but still involved in the rugby fraternity and i just love the game, frazer.. anyho, that left there, paulse served his creative and transformation role n the past and did a good job of that, but with lack of pace that he clearly demonstrates in france, he is not the wing he used to be…
8 May 2006, 12:22 pm
Brickwall – Caps lock – off –
But seriously, I hear you…
8 May 2006, 12:24 pm
Brickwall,
You better lock those security doors real well tonight … i see the Boeremag coming your way …
8 May 2006, 12:24 pm
big g, from articles i read Paulse actually did quite well in FRA. Scored a few good tries too.
Anyway, ppl who still call h wr dont know what they talking about. He has never ever let the Boks down. When i say that i mean he has never been the worst player on the field. Everyone has average games and i suppose he had 1 or 2 but was very consistent imo.
8 May 2006, 12:25 pm
what about bradley barrit ? the guy can tackle, he has good attacking capabilities aswell.
I agree with a whole bunch of you.. leave habana at wing. and leave paulse in france too.
8 May 2006, 12:28 pm
Post #159,
Rumour has it that its actually Stan, Jondood and Onlooker on their way …
8 May 2006, 12:34 pm
have to disagree on Paulse, we need different players. I think Barry is our 12 with Habana, JdV and Fourie our first choices at outside centre and wings. If Snyman hasn’t lost all his pace, he will be an invaulable backup. These guys are all big and fast and have done it at bok level.
Big g makes a good point about being able to contain powerful wingers like the aussies, kiwis and french have. in fact all of them have them noawadays including England, Ireland and Wales.
8 May 2006, 12:36 pm
leave the stormers players out they cant play they bottom of the log. nah put sharkies and bulls
8 May 2006, 12:36 pm
Frazer, you right. He has never let the Boks down but I think we need someone who is going to do more than ‘not let us down’.
8 May 2006, 12:37 pm
England have Cohen and Cueto. ireland have Horgan, Scotland have Lamont, France have the 2 big blonde wingers (Rougerie and ?), even Wales have that big no 14.
As for the aussies and kiwis, very powerful wings in Tuquiri, Sailor, Rathbone and Rocokoko, Vidiri and Gear.
8 May 2006, 12:38 pm
Cab
Good point about the big wingers…. and too true about snyman… he does bring experience to the table. i can definitly see this bok squad looking hot.
8 May 2006, 12:39 pm
scoob, yeah, size is not everything, but a good big guy will normally beat a good little guy. The sport is becoming more and more physical.
8 May 2006, 12:40 pm
londonshark
thatb is the most sensible line I have seen for a while we definitely need players that do more than just hold their own.
Brick
Dude go easy there bugger!!!
8 May 2006, 12:42 pm
Brick is not ironic that bar Kitch the best the Boks have done is under Mallett and White a pair of Souties???
8 May 2006, 12:43 pm
Fair enough big g – Sorry to hear it. Regarding Paulse. I haven’t been following him in France, but if he’s lost all his pace, why did they sign him?
8 May 2006, 12:47 pm
Funny that big is now the in thing. SA has always had the big boys and everybody was shouting that we should not be so obessed with size. What we lacked was intelligence to go with the size. If SA can get that right we will do well then.
If size matters at wing, then Pierre Spies should be moved back there.
8 May 2006, 12:47 pm
no doubt the fellow brings a lot of experience into the picture… same as tony b, although he played bloody well for the sharks, he wont make nz again, but he sure does add a hell of a lot with his experience and situation summaries..
8 May 2006, 12:48 pm
nothing wrong with pierre spes except that he plays for the bulls ha ha… seriously, he could bean answer on the wing if he just plays there for a season or two with his franchise…
8 May 2006, 12:49 pm
I hear you, Londonshark, maybe it is time to think about alternatives, but I just hate hearing people slate Paulse who has served the Boks very well over the years. He probably deserves a little more respect and recognition than he gets.
8 May 2006, 12:52 pm
katesensor,
no its more than size, it is athletic powerfully built wingers that are the biggest difference in the modern game. Mordt would have been perfect. Even that old little guy for France, is very powerful in breaking half-tackles and finishing off. These wings ask more questions outwide in a game with less space and better defences.
8 May 2006, 12:55 pm
Rasta,
Kitch was a Scot if I remember correctly (not Afrikaans).
I don’t want to go into this but Carel DuP lay’d the foundation for Mallett’s success and he’s defintely not a Soutie. Buurman van Zyl wasn’t a Soutie – and no-one beats him in my books. In Van Zyl’s time we didn’t compete internationally but if we had he would have made all Soutie coaches look like Souties.
8 May 2006, 13:05 pm
Frazer,yeah, he has been a brilliant Bok but I hate to say it, he simply fills a quota spot for Jake.
We all know that Jake loves big players (Paulse is tiny), Jake has also said how we lack pure pace outwide (Paulse has lost his afterburners) so we must conclude that Jake has other reasons for picking him.
The guy deserves repect and has alot to offer the Boks as a second stringer and has even more to give to the Currie Cup/Super14.
8 May 2006, 13:06 pm
Kats
I tend to agree on Carel and if Kitch is a Scot all the better for my theory.Regarding the days of yore I am not familiar enough to comment.It was however a toungue in cheek statement and not meant to offend.Ek is n “detribalised ********” n afrikaanse seuntjie wat n engelse skool bygewoon het.
8 May 2006, 13:21 pm
Edwill 26,
Habana did not make his name at centre, everybody was amassed by his inclusion in the Springbok team. Jorrie Muller was the Lions leading try scorer the year BH entered the fray (& exited from the Lions) in less games.
And most of his try’s were scored wide emphasising his finishing abilities or from a typical AP bullet pass into a gap that the just run through with all his pace (which he clearly has). These try’s can still be scored if he is 11 (ala Rathbone and Tiquiri, don’t think he is physically as a strong runner as them though)
Habana is not a bad tackler but a useless defender, he might actually do well at fullback where he can use his pace in defence. He might just even loose the ‘intercept is the best defence’ mentality when at 15. This is not my opinion as his line has openly been targeted by many teams the last 2 years. With him and JdV next to each other the midfield will be one big gap.
He is not creative and has never shown any sign of creating opportunities, what he does do often (not nearly consistently enough looking at the Springbok games as people might argue lack of opportunity with the Bulls) is exploit a opportunity or even a half opportunity created for him.
8 May 2006, 13:22 pm
Rasta,
I took it as such don’t worry. I could have added Heineke Meyer to that list too. HM needs a good backline coach (Carel ?) to get the Bulls to fire on all cylinders.
8 May 2006, 13:32 pm
LS – Maybe you’re right. But even so, I would still keep him in the Bok mix as an old head with lots of experience. Maybe he could teach Habana to go look for work more and generally be a positive influence on the Bok starters?
8 May 2006, 13:37 pm
Edwill,
Why did he model his position on Bo’D, cause the ‘useless’ Lions management said they will only be interested in him as a midfielder. However they need to know if he is committed to make the move. They then tasked him to write a 5000 word essay on who he thinks is the best midfielder and why. This was only 3/4 or so years ago and he has not been tested at a higher level.
Could argue that needs to be tried before cut out, if it was up to me I will insist an improvement in his defence before considering the move.
8 May 2006, 14:45 pm
Frazer, yep, Paulse has a great work rate, something Habana needs to work on.
8 May 2006, 15:45 pm
Habana will not last long at centre, it will bring a brilliant Test career to an abrupt end.
If JW does contemplate that move, it must be seen in the context of adding another quota player to the Boks back line by creating the vacancy on the wing
8 May 2006, 15:48 pm
Just a quick note.
I may not have seen much S14 (thanks Sky!), but the last game I saw, JDV was running sideways against France & cutting off all the space for his outside backs.
Lets face it he has only performed on the wing so far. He may have the skills but he has not shown them when its counted.
12 is the problem we need a playmaker to put his hand up.
Wrt Habanna – the problem is that with all his speed, he does not do anything else, he is not the complete winger, but he does seem to have a good awareness and can spot a gap, so maybe a 13 run would be fine. Should depend on form, between Jaques & him – will be nice to have some competition for the jersey.
If JW wants a bit more creativity – perhaps he should look at his backline coach & flyhalf / scrum half & tell them to unleash the backs & stop kicking (this would mean Fourie D Preez would need to be excluded from all games where we plan to play running rugby – but that does not seem too much of a loss!
8 May 2006, 16:10 pm
The poor boks don’t have a backline coach
8 May 2006, 19:09 pm
Brian Habana is just too farking lazy to be a centre.
8 May 2006, 19:57 pm
JW needs some ‘reality check’ as the Yanks say, well, by all means, go play Habana at centre, January or Bolla at scrumhalf, Andrews, Sephaka and Shimanga at the front row and perhaps Dlulane or Solly at loose forward, and why not?
As long as you don’t pretend those are merit Boks, it’s fine by me, we can live with it.
8 May 2006, 20:35 pm
katsesnor rules!!!!
9 May 2006, 01:30 am
While the Bok coach desperately ponders remote possibilities and wonders about trying weird options, the All Black coach has already actually put THREE separate test teams to the genuine blowtorch of an end-of-year player-burnouted Grand Slam tour and has seen all three his test team return home undefeated.
Now that’s what I call proper planning.
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.