Mallett questions Bok selections
13 Jul 2006
Nick Mallett feels Jake White’s refusal to play an openside specialist against Australia could limit South Africa’s prospects of a win.
Mallett, who confirmed to Keo.co.za that he had officially withdrawn interest in the England Director of Rugby role, said he was surprised at White’s selections in opting for three ball-carrying loose-forwards against one of the game’s best open-side flankers.
“Like Richie McCaw, George Smith is an out and out fetcher. They play to the ball and they’re prepared to take every knock that goes with the job. I look at the three Bok loose-forwards and our two midfielders and ask whether mentally any one of those five have the game to combat the likes of Smith and Mortlock at the breakdown.
“All three our loose-forwards are great ball carriers. They all like to play with the ball and Van Niekerk has the pace to win the race to the breakdown, but mentally I question whether they want to be putting their hands on a ball to slow it down, knowing that they’re going to be smashed for doing it. McCaw, Smith, Luke Watson and Schalk Burger, when he plays there, have shown an appetite for that role. They know the territory and what comes with it. I don’t know whether Van Niekerk actually wants that role.”
Mallett said that Watson’s performance against the Bulls in the Absa Currie Cup was of such a nature that it would be difficult to ignore his claims for higher honours.
“You simply have to acknowledge how much his game has improved in the last year. He understands the role and none playing for the Boks on Saturday have this kind of appreciation.”
Mallett also said that Saturday would be a big test for CJ van der Linde.
“Eddie Andrews, as a tighthead, has been criticised regularly, but when you assess the French victory against the Boks, Marconnet handled Andrews and Van der Linde with equal comfort. Nothing improved when Van der Linde was scrumming at tighthead, so he has a lot to prove against Australia.”
The WP Director of Rugby also said that physically it was important South Africa got the upper hand against the Wallabies.
“I am one of those that believe the All Blacks were not 20 points better than Australia. I thought it was a high quality game and while the Wallabies were not going to win it, they played some very good rugby at times. They have the players and the game to beat the Boks, so we shouldn’t be influenced by the New Zealand result. It will be a huge game for the Boks.
“Our players psyche is such that if we do get some form of dominance at scrum time and if we can get the maul working and get intensity into our defence, then we get a lift. So that is why there is always this emphasis on the physical aspect of our game,” said Mallett. “It should be a fantastic match-up between teams with contrasting styles, but I get the feeling that a lack of a specialist open-sider will be as punishing to the Boks as it was against the French, when our loose-forwards also failed to slow down the French ball.”
227 Comments
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13 Jul 2006, 15:24 pm
jake
Haban is a better tighthead
13 Jul 2006, 15:24 pm
….
13 Jul 2006, 15:29 pm
hmmm
13 Jul 2006, 15:32 pm
There,
Now it looks like I also said something that needed moderation…..
13 Jul 2006, 15:32 pm
Yeh supa……
13 Jul 2006, 15:33 pm
Habana is a better tighthead than he is a wing…..
13 Jul 2006, 15:39 pm
hmmmm
13 Jul 2006, 16:23 pm
Ai, dis darrem maar seer om deur ‘n rugryer seer gemaak te word?
13 Jul 2006, 16:24 pm
OF hoe julle bullies???
13 Jul 2006, 16:39 pm
We can win this game tomorrow with all the bulls players in the springbok squad. yeah and all the wp okes out of it.
13 Jul 2006, 16:50 pm
Drunkmonkey …remember how the Bulls always smell their *** home and away against the Aussies and NZ teams …
so we can thus conclude its carrots for Boks … we should send some KY jelly to make it less painful …
13 Jul 2006, 16:53 pm
De Wet should not even be an option … We don’t have serious centres at present that we actually willing to consider … the style of play of our centres don’t encourage the flowing game … maybe look at the young guns that are showing their worth
13 Jul 2006, 17:14 pm
Bulls got pakslae last week cos they were playing like a bunch of “Drunkmonkeys” !
13 Jul 2006, 17:20 pm
I wonder if JW thinks he’s on the way down, he doesnt give a damn
let the Boks lose and give it to all the criticizing supporters, and if’s he’s going to be fired anyway, to the rugby bosses too …. JW shocking selections (Snyman from England – and then dropping him, talking about WvHeerden as future captain – then dropping him – blatantly disregarding the weakness in the flanker position, disregarding Watson, Cobus Visagie …Ruan Pienaar shouldve been there ..I dont think JW know what he’s doing
13 Jul 2006, 17:48 pm
2 days to go kakstampers, 2 days en dan begin die pyn weer.
Beledig ons ouers en familie, daar waar jy braaf agter jou jou rekenaar sit.
Die jaar is nog lank en ons sal jou daagliks herhinner….
13 Jul 2006, 17:56 pm
en nou verwys ek nie na manne met karakter soos wpforever nie…
13 Jul 2006, 18:38 pm
Mallet is of course correct about Watson and the front row.
White will have looked at his video tapes and his prozone stats and he’ll be thinking he can find another way of dealing with the problem, but I don’t think it’s going to work.
After we lose I have no doubt that he will defend his strategy,and claim that Joe did a great job, but the value of guys like Smith and Neil Back, etc… is often not easy to observe or to quote Serge Betsen, another great pain in the butt, in praise of Richard Hill, these guys ‘do alot of work in the shadows’ and you don’t see that stuff on the cameras or in the stats, just on the scoreboard at the end of the game.
13 Jul 2006, 18:47 pm
Dankie Stan
13 Jul 2006, 18:51 pm
Stan waar is jy nou in die wêreld?:-)
13 Jul 2006, 19:06 pm
Stan is jy seker jy is nie ‘n WP fan nie?
13 Jul 2006, 19:07 pm
We only have 1 specialist at no6 – Schalk Burger. But now we have more pace than the FAT Aussies!! Plus we have 5 lineout options !? I put my money on the BOKS to win and on Pierre Spies to have a blinder !!
13 Jul 2006, 19:13 pm
Yes i hope so too Blou Bok:I hope Spies breaks from the scrum and his speed leaves the Aussie centres and wings speechless
Can u imagine Spies on a one on one with Rattlebones:-)
13 Jul 2006, 20:06 pm
what a pathetic thread..
13 Jul 2006, 22:03 pm
what a pathetic comment..
13 Jul 2006, 22:03 pm
Mallet
13 Jul 2006, 22:03 pm
Mullet?
13 Jul 2006, 22:04 pm
what a waste of server space …..
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