Morne’s mediocrity fuels flyhalf debate
23 Mar 2011
JON CARDINELLI says that a question mark over Morne Steyn’s goal-kicking means a question mark over his value at the 2011 World Cup.
After maintaining an unbeaten record at Loftus for two years, the Bulls are in a position where they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats. While it is too early to write them off as play-off contenders, the reputation of the team, and indeed several Springboks, has been significantly dented.
The forwards have been disappointing, and this has in turn limited the opportunities of the back division. But to highlight Morne Steyn’s shortcomings, you need to look at his performances in 2010 and 2011. For both the Boks and the Bulls, the flyhalf has offered little variation and innovation on attack, and while he rarely misses a tackle, he concedes a lot of ground on defence.
The top point-scorer in the 2010 Super 14, Steyn carried his goal-kicking form through to the Test stage. Unfortunately, it was his only redeeming contribution. He kicked 42 consecutive goals, but could not inspire the Boks to anything better than a 1 from 6 Tri-Nations record.
2011 has witnessed a more complete letdown. Steyn has averaged just 68% in front of goal and missed a total of eight goal-attempts. His most inaccurate showing was in the high-profile derby against the Stormers, where he missed three from six. If he had nailed some of those high pressure kicks, the Bulls may have sneaked a win.
Because of his reputation as a match-winning goal-kicker, a large proportion of the South African rugby community, Springbok management included, are willing to overlook his limitations in other areas of his game. But if he no longer boasts the goal-kicking accuracy of a match-winner, then what good is he to a side that hopes to win the World Cup?
Peter de Villiers backed Butch James in the early days of his tenure, and when it became evident that James had no intention of leaving English club Bath, he tried to convert Ruan Pienaar into a flyhalf. The move enjoyed some success, although there was a concern regarding Pienaar’s goal-kicking.
When Pienaar missed a few kicks in the opening Test of the 2009 Tri-Nations, De Villiers dropped him for Steyn. Steyn had come off the bench to kick two important penalties in the second Test against the Lions, penalties that had proved decisive to the final scoreline. De Villiers felt that if the Boks wanted to win matches, they needed an accurate goal-kicker, and that they would just have to make sacrifices in other departments.
But the 2010 Test season showed why goal-kicking is not the be-all and end-all. Steyn maintained his fantastic kicking record, but the Boks lost five of their six Tri-Nations matches. They were also the worst attacking and defensive team in the competition.
Dan Carter was the best flyhalf in that tournament, although his goal-kicking wasn’t as impressive as the other aspects of his game. In the early rounds of the 2011 Super Rugby tournament, Carter has produced similar form for the Crusaders: sparking some fantastic tries on attack but struggling to deliver a consistent goal-kicking performance.
Steyn, in comparison, has disappointed across all facets. And if he continues to struggle for kicking consistency, no argument can be made for his inclusion in the World Cup group.
The Bok selectors should already be considering an experienced head like James to spearhead the Bok backline at the World Cup, and Pienaar and Pat Lambie as alternatives. James boasts an 83% goal-kicking record in Tests, while Pienaar has won some important games for the Sharks and most recently Ulster with his accurate boot. They have the other qualities that will make the Boks competitive, but they aren’t, as so many believe, goal-kicking liabilities.
Lambie is the new golden boy of South African rugby, but it is not yet time for him to hog the spotlight. The Boks should still take him to the World Cup, as he will certainly benefit from the experience. He is the future of the Springboks.
Lambie helped the Sharks to a Currie Cup title in 2010, and has been in good form this season. Apart from his contributions in general play, his goal-kicking has also been a highlight. After five matches, he tops the points table and boasts a goal-kicking percentage of 78%.
It’s encouraging that South Africa have several flyhalf options in a World Cup year, but it will come down to what options are backed at the tournament itself. Steyn is already behind the other major contenders in crucial areas like attack and defence, and unless he improves his goal-kicking, even a conservative Bok selection panel will be reluctant to back him in New Zealand.
673 Comments
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23 Mar 2011, 22:52 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-648: la med didn’t exist in my day. It was preceded by the Clifton Hotel which used to rock on saturday afternoons and sunday nights. Bands called Ballyhoo and Morning Glory. Probably in frail care by now.
23 Mar 2011, 22:54 pm
Ballyhoo?
The oldest muso I ever met was Robin Auld.
23 Mar 2011, 22:56 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-652:
He was a local at the Kalk Bay Reef (surfing)- very popular amongst the girls too – tried to make in America as a muso but I think he is back in SA now.
23 Mar 2011, 23:00 pm
Indeed.
Zen surfing in the third world.
He was very funny.
I was a dj at a club he was playing at and I cleared the dancefloor.
Afterwards we were having a drink and someone abused me.
Robin Auld told me not to worry, he’d cleared bigger dancefloors than that.
I’ll never forget it.
23 Mar 2011, 23:01 pm
@skopiskoobidoo(ilanjo)-646: its all a matter of timing Skop. Try it some time. *** during your duck au vin is not quite the same as shared with a great cab I can assure you. Maybe after the meal the cab might struggle to compete.
23 Mar 2011, 23:03 pm
wine does not come anywhere close to *** come on, anyone equating getting slashed on wine to *** has gotta be from another specie, they are not even remotely comparable on any level whatsoever, else you guys been drinking some sh’t from some other planet.
Perfect *** is still the ultimate sensual experience that any sensually sensitive creature can get close to elation or heightened ecstatic awareness at this mundane human level, that’s the only intoxication that’s worth getting drunk on, the intoxication of love, every other feeble impostor don’t come anywhere vaguely or remotely close.
23 Mar 2011, 23:05 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-653: quite correct Rob. Still around that neighbourhood when I last heard.
23 Mar 2011, 23:06 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-654:
Cool dude, blokes never used to “drop in” on his waves – not because he was aggro or anything like that- only because he had “presence”.
A bit of an local Jack Johnson of that era.
23 Mar 2011, 23:07 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-654: still have that CD downstairs in the collection somewhere. I’ll dig it out for the trip to work tomorrow.
23 Mar 2011, 23:07 pm
Robin Auld is living a nice quiet suburban life down the drag in Muizenberg, talented country joe muso that dude, nice voice and can rip on lead if he has to.
23 Mar 2011, 23:09 pm
@skopiskoobidoo(ilanjo)-656: cummon Skop get over it. It’s a figure of speech boet. Don’t get literal on us now. I’m hitting the pit. Cheers all.
23 Mar 2011, 23:13 pm
Tassies
Do that man.
Go to work with a smile on your face.
Robzim
Presence?
You mean like John Smit?
Anyway I must hit the hay.
Slop talking about the ultimate sensual experience is going to give me nightmares.
Zen surfing in the third world
Spend some time spend some time
Zen surfing in the third world
Life my life.
Something like that.
Look nobody said he was Bobby D.
Night fellas.
23 Mar 2011, 23:27 pm
ok I take your word for it Tassies but you coulda fooled me
*** still tops all human sensual exploration, no drug induced experience, whether alcoholic or otherwise induced chemical influence in the brain comes anywhere close to such elation because that’s the closest one human comes to losing him or herself in the throes of sublime surrender or loss of self identity to another, its not purely physical or selfish and hence the emotional exhilaration. The greater the giving the greater the reward and the heightened experience of love making is possibly the strongest sensation driving human emotion towards what any of this human experience is all about.
24 Mar 2011, 00:15 am
@skopiskoobidoo(ilanjo)-660: The dude’s website (robinauld dot coza) says otherwise:
Currently based in the UK, he’s performed and recorded in New York, London, Nashville and played events like Womad, the SA National Arts Festival, Belladrum Tartan Hearts and Cambridge Folk Festival.
24 Mar 2011, 00:49 am
It seems clear that too many ‘wine fundis’ are merely reciting what they have heard in their drunken states from their drunken ‘high flying’ friend-for-an-hour ‘experts’.
For wines there are no rules but there are silly human conventions which like all conventions die quietly eventually, unfortunately for you smart-a r s es.
Thus some like it young(new reality) for the acetone taste while much more like the woody, smoky, earthy flavour of the age.That is why a friend and I bought boxes of the stuff when visiting a wine route estate.
This deep red fruity wine with its mix of bramble, earthy,smoky, woody, oaky flavours sometimes is frowned upon because of the volatile acid esters(acetone, isoamyl acetate) it produces giving it a sweet pungent odour especially when young .
” In winemaking, controlling the coarseness of the grape and the isoamyl acetate character are two important considerations. Volatile acidity is another potential wine fault that can cause Pinotage to taste like raspberry vinegar.[19] Since the 1990s, more winemakers have used long and cool fermentation periods to minimize the volatile esters as well as exposure to French and American oak.[11] ”
This simply mean when young you get more of the acetone taste than when more mature.
” Pinotage vines were planted at the Kanonkop Estate, the wines of which have later risen to great fame and can mature up to 25 years, so that this estate has even been called “a formidable leader of Cape’s red wine. ”
Pinotage can be accessible early but particularly well as age.
YOU IGNORAMIC smart-a r ses note the 25 YEARS and please try not to make yourselves so often look and come across as utter fools.
It is getting quite tiring educating you.
Only Mr. Tassies came out of this looking smart relative to you sorry lot of pathetic, useless, usuals, namely Goebels, Ka kman and Stormerboytjie.
You end up with egg, more egg always egg!!
24 Mar 2011, 01:09 am
The way I see it if M Steyn is off form with his kicking there is no way he should start
If he is on form and playing decent rugby then thats different.
Otherwise you start Butch or Lambie with butch you need a back up kicker
24 Mar 2011, 02:03 am
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-561:
Difficult to tell
It depends on the Boks’ game plan, something which under PvD ‘leadership’ does not exists, so the ‘safe’ option would be Styen in the eyes of the so called ‘selectors’
Under Erasmus or Meyers, Butch and FdP are the automatic choice with Pienaar covers both positions.
Lambie is a must off the bench, however, there is something called ‘Quota’ in this country so don’t be surprised if Januarie/Jacobs/Jntjies will make the bench rather,,,
24 Mar 2011, 02:08 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-666:
With Spies and FdP in the line up, about 60% of quality ball intended to the FH is wasted by those guys!
To make butch effective, you need to bring Michael Claassen, the two work miracles together as a combo
24 Mar 2011, 02:14 am
@Hondo(Hondo)-668:
Claassens with Butch you mean?
Yeah but you know Fdp is the man penciled in for # 9
Yeah well you know my opinion about Spies
You know many champion teams not only have good players, there are the things like team and player chemistry and overall confidence.
24 Mar 2011, 02:22 am
World cup rugby MUST have a good kicker
This is usually a flyhalf As J Stransky pointed out flyhalves have won most world cups.
I very good team with good defense and great kicker, could win it.
This is why ABs must be huge favourties
Are we going to select and play players from past experiances or the best team
We have the talent no doubt but need to select form players regardless of what they have done in the past and their service to the bok
24 Mar 2011, 02:42 am
@Hondo(Hondo)-668:
Yes Classens is on that long SH list I think Mcload is up there
24 Mar 2011, 13:53 pm
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-670: You are talking the truth broer. One of the Kiwi issues though at WC’s is ability to slot drop kicks. Morne will be esential to the Bok campaign. All these anti Morne sentiments in terms of him playing at the WC is laughable. He has more MMT than most playing in SA at the moment.
24 Mar 2011, 21:34 pm
Steyn will surely start at the World Cup, at very least a place on the bench beckons. Matches will be tight and his boot will be key for SA.
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