Missing link
13 Apr 2011
GAVIN RICH, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says Meyer Bosman has added a new dimension to the Sharks backline.
Up until last year the Sharks’ search for an inside back playmaker who could make decisions and create opportunities for the players around him was like England cricket’s fruitless search for a world-class batsman actually produced in that country.
At the start of last year’s Currie Cup season Sharks coach John Plumtree spoke about his mission to bolster his inside back resource base, but it wasn’t really necessary as the need was obvious.
The Sharks have always had enough brawn and brute force upfront, and in the professional era they’ve never lacked for physicality. The poorest Sharks teams of the past 15 years have, even in defeat, left their opponents gingerly nursing severely bruised bodies on the morning after the match.
But one of the most famous stories to come out of the 2000 Currie Cup final when the Sharks lost to Western Province summed up a problem that had developed. Legend has it that some of the Sharks celebrated the physical dominance they had exerted on the WP players; it seemed to have escaped them that they had lost the match.
So to sum it up, plenty of brawn but no brains, and even back then it should have been clear what the Sharks needed. Gaffie du Toit had been imported to solve the problem but it was obvious even by then that he wasn’t going to crack it at the highest level. What the Sharks required was a flyhalf or an inside centre, or preferably both, who could act as a seamless link between the forwards and backs.
Joel Stransky and Dick Muir, who filled the two positions making up the key decision-making axis at the start of the 1990s, were the perfect example of what was required. Henry Honiball and Muir also fitted the bill, as did Honiball and Thierry Lacroix.
Those combinations played together in the Sharks’ Currie Cup-winning years, and it wasn’t a coincidence that the Durban union experienced a sequence of lean seasons in the period between when those players left or retired and the Sharks re-emerged as genuine trophy contenders again in 2006.
Those who question why 2006 was so significant need reminding of what happened that year. It was the season the Sharks, under the coaching of Muir and with New Zealander Tony Brown helping nurture the promising young inside centre Brad Barritt, started to turn around a protracted barren period.
Brown’s stint at the Sharks only lasted a few months but it had an impact on Butch James, and it was with James in tandem with Barritt in the 10/12 axis that the Sharks topped the 2007 Super 14 log before eventually losing to a freak last-gasp Bryan Habana try in the final.
So what happened after that? James went to Bath, Barritt went to Saracens, Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn were never committed enough to flyhalf and inside centre respectively to make a proper fist of it, and even though Frédéric Michalak did help win a Currie Cup, he didn’t stick around.
The Sharks had the outside backs and the forwards – what they lacked was class in the decision-making positions, with a clutch of journeymen doing a solid job in the interim without ever really taking ownership.
It set the Sharks management on a search for recruits from outside the province who could fit that bill, and the switch to a more fast-paced and possession-based style of play at the start of the 2010 domestic season made the quest even more imperative. As luck would have it, they had a youngster in Pat Lambie who proved well suited to a switch from fullback to the pivot role, and with Jacques-Louis Potgieter and Meyer Bosman joining from the Bulls and Cheetahs respectively, suddenly the land of drought has become the land of plenty.
Lambie’s conversion was really a fruitful, happy accident. So the big fish, the man the Sharks pinpointed last season as the player who could bring the dynamic they were looking for, was Meyer Bosman.
‘We realised Meyer was a player who could bring what we wanted,’ says Sharks assistant coach Grant Bashford. ‘He was always the player who kept the Cheetahs backline together and who made life difficult for us when the Cheetahs played against us.
‘He has played at No 10 for the Springboks, he has a great rugby brain, a good kicking game, and most importantly his excellent distribution skills and decision-making suited the style of rugby we had decided we wanted to play. He really does have a great passing game and he is a player of great intelligence, so we decided to make a concerted effort to get him to move to Durban.’
Luckily for the Sharks they made this decision at the same time that Bosman was thinking he needed a new challenge in his career. He turns 26 this year, and Bosman knows that now is the time to make his move if he wants to fulfil his wish to get a regular taste of what he experienced only fleetingly as a 20-year-old.
More than five years have passed since he first hit the headlines as Jake White’s surprise flyhalf choice for two Springbok Tests against Wales and France.
‘Although I didn’t take my opportunity when it was offered I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed because there have been many highlights in my career,’ says Bosman. ‘But it’s still one of my goals to play for the Springboks again. That ambition didn’t play a direct role in prompting my move to the Sharks, but if you look at it logically it does make sense that if you excel for a team that does well in the Super 14, your chances of being selected improve considerably.
‘I like the way the Sharks play, I’ve always admired the professional environment here, and I reasoned it would be a place that would offer me great opportunities. I enjoyed my six years at the Cheetahs, but I had reached a stage in my career where I needed a new challenge. It’s not like I’ve sat down and decided I want to play for the Boks at the World Cup or even in 2012. It’s more a case of me wanting to be part of a team that has a good Super Rugby campaign and then to take it from there.’
The emergence of Lambie as an astute playmaker has suited Bosman as he has been happy to ease himself into the Sharks system. He has been reluctant to come in and take charge of the backline communication, something often expected of an inside centre.
‘Not only do I have Pat on the inside making decisions, I also have the experience of Stefan Terblanche on my outside. So there hasn’t been pressure for me to take any kind of leadership role or to be too prominent as a decision-maker or communicator,’ he says. ‘I’m not being pressurised to force anything. I see my main role as providing continuity as a link between the flyhalf and the outside backs, just to ensure that everything functions smoothly for the Sharks.’
In the early rounds of this Super Rugby season Bosman may be happy to be an almost inconspicuous link in a smooth functioning Sharks chain, but Bashford doesn’t see it staying like that.
‘The leadership role will come and his playmaking abilities and communicative skills will start coming through in time; I have no doubt that he has that ability,’ says Bashford.
‘At the moment he is just using the fact that he has Pat and Stefan around him to his advantage so that he can settle in. He doesn’t want to be seen as a guy who comes in and calls the shots straight away. Once he becomes more comfortable in the environment and with our plays you’ll see him starting to come more into his own as a leader and communicator at No 12.’
Bashford has been impressed by the work ethic that Bosman has brought with him from the Cheetahs.
‘He was honest with us and admitted that his defence had let him down a bit when he was with the Cheetahs. He has worked really hard on his defensive game.
‘His pre-season was hindered a bit by a groin injury when he first arrived in November, but since he joined up with the squad he has done really well. We were pleased with the way he fitted into the team in the pre- season games.
‘What we want from him is the dynamic playmaking at inside centre that he provided for the Cheetahs. We see him as a player who will make the right decisions, who helps the flyhalf control the game and who is the creative presence that can make opportunities for the players around him.’
Bosman says that although he made his international debut at No 10, inside centre is the position he feels is tailored for him.
‘Obviously it helps that I have played flyhalf as it means I know what a No 10 expects from a No 12. To some extent I think the positions are interchangeable,’ he says. ‘But I also think the two positions require different skills and attributes. The inside centre has to get involved in play a lot further away and whereas the No 10’s main role is to make decisions and be a director of operations, a No 12 has to get stuck into the rucks a lot more.’
Apart from his distribution skills and rugby brain, the other boon that Bosman brings to the Sharks is his ability as a goal-kicker. He didn’t take the long kicks during the pre-season as he didn’t want to aggravate his groin. However, he did start kicking again at training in late February.
‘That is a big bonus for us as it takes a bit of pressure off Pat and gives us more options,’ says Bashford.
Options are something the Sharks have plenty of now that Bosman has joined them. With Potgieter also there to back up Lambie, it’s hard to imagine the Sharks needing to push Bosman to flyhalf, but he has plenty of experience there and as long as he is at 12 he will take a heck of a lot of pressure off whoever is wearing No 10. The Sharks suddenly have plenty of what they lacked before – the search for brain and creative ability looks like it’s over.
– This article first appeared in the April issue of SA Rugby magazine.
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52 Comments
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13 Apr 2011, 06:29 am
I suspect he’ll hit true form in the Currie Cup. This kid still has plenty to prove and he will given space to develop his game.
13 Apr 2011, 06:39 am
He really isn’t the missing link. He has gone missing without Lambie, and has been shown up on a number of occasions.
The Sharks could really do with Strauss this season, who hit form last year, and had carried on well until his injury.
Same with JLP – a player with talent, but he can’t direct. Far to up and down.
13 Apr 2011, 07:28 am
Compared to SBW this guy is not in the same league – are we now going to see articles on the prowess of Louis Koen next – please
13 Apr 2011, 07:30 am
Or is this a propaganda sharks website , telling all the sharkies that their backline has no problems and the Saders where lucky to win at Twickers ?
13 Apr 2011, 07:36 am
Bosman will always miss a crucial tackle or 2.
13 Apr 2011, 07:36 am
Wouldnt even make it into the Rebels starting 15!
13 Apr 2011, 07:38 am
Was this article written before the start of the season?
13 Apr 2011, 07:47 am
I like Bosmans distribution skills, and share the opinion of the author of the above article that once he has properly settled at the Sharks he will become an important cog in their backline, he does have the skills, physicality and the intelligence to command the no12 position.
He does however need to start delivering !!
13 Apr 2011, 07:51 am
just how big is the talent difference between bosman, strauss & swanepoel?
Meyer has no pace, no side step, hardly ever breaks the line to put defences under pressure, doesn’t off-load off the tackle & as mentioned misses crucial tackles. Meyer Bosman is a journeyman don’t know what separates him from those gavin rich said they were plodders!
13 Apr 2011, 08:26 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-8: Agreed. I’ve always thought he’s a good player.
13 Apr 2011, 08:41 am
Do me a favour, have you been watching the same Sharks team that I have? I am a staunch Sharks supporter and the turning point in the Lions game over the weekend was when this clown went off. Jacobs showed Bosman up big time. All of a sudden the back line were getting over the gainline. Everytime Bosman gets the ball one has to hold their breathe. He is absolute dog sh*t, has always been. Would love to know how much the Sharks would pay to get the likes of Brad Barritt or Andries Strauss back!
13 Apr 2011, 08:57 am
@stew(stew)-4: Stew, whaddaya make of this:
Sydney – Rugby World Cup organisers are advising New Zealanders not to become too obsessed with the All Blacks in the coming tournament, to forget the one-eyed attitude and instead concentrate on being hospitable hosts.
New Zealand Rugby World Cup chief executive Martin Snedden on Tuesday said the expectation within the host nation that the tournament favourites would this year end a 24-year World Cup drought was ”overwhelming”.
Are you gonna be less “one-eyed”?
13 Apr 2011, 09:01 am
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-12: This might be the most unwelcoming World Cup yet.
13 Apr 2011, 09:07 am
I recon the visiting teams need to take their own supply of bottled water and powdered meal replacements with them.
13 Apr 2011, 09:07 am
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-12: I am blind already !!!! LOL !!! Come on you cant blame us 1987 was along time ago !!!
13 Apr 2011, 09:09 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-14: If you are coming , i would advise a fishing trip – NZ has the best tasting fish in the world – genuine
13 Apr 2011, 09:09 am
@stew(stew)-15: hehehe
This will be some World Cup.
13 Apr 2011, 09:09 am
@stew(stew)-16: best trout fishing in the world too.
13 Apr 2011, 09:10 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-13: We will welcome you with open arms – on the field is a different matter !
13 Apr 2011, 09:12 am
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-17: Cant wait – back to see the family in Tauranga , surfing from the Mount , fishing , good beer and WC rugby – can anyone ask for more ???
13 Apr 2011, 09:16 am
@ShaunMichaels(ShaunMichaels)-11: I don’t understand why you’d buy and JLP and Bosman. They are both uncreative bench warmers that don’t add much value. They are multi-skilled, but have no special talents that let them stand out. They are more like place fillers when injuries strike. Jacobs is better, but they really should try and get Steyn back.
13 Apr 2011, 09:17 am
@stew(stew)-19: Thanks Stew.
13 Apr 2011, 09:21 am
@stew(stew)-16: True. For outdoors activities, NZ ranks up there with the best!
13 Apr 2011, 09:21 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-9: Don’t you just love it when Gavin Rich offers his ‘informed’ opinion. It’s like he watched Meyer Bosman like a hawk all season and decided to provide an exact opposite opinion to what his performances are.
I’d offer this. Meyer Bosman has been OK for the Sharks. At 12 he’s not been the player they were hoping he’d be. In all honesty, he’s probably been a bit better @ 10.
13 Apr 2011, 09:32 am
Bossie can be hot and cold. He is no exceptional player but he is way better than WO. Great distribution, reads the game well and kicks out of hand.
His defence is good but sometimes lacks some pace and lets players on his inside.
13 Apr 2011, 09:33 am
i like meyer bosman, pretty much the only 12 in the country that passes the most, and he has about the best pass as well,in my opinion.
13 Apr 2011, 09:35 am
@pompies2(pompies2)-24: He was seriously exposed against SBW and the Crusaders who may be the midfield come September.
13 Apr 2011, 09:39 am
@lapoftherugbygods(lapoftherugbygods)-27: Even SBW aside. has he ‘brought the spark’ the article is referring to, when we constantly hear on the forum how toothless the Sharks midfield is?
13 Apr 2011, 10:02 am
@lapoftherugbygods(lapoftherugbygods)-27: Would really like to see Freuen and SBW as the centre combination for the Tri Nations – NZ have had a problem at centre since Mauger left
13 Apr 2011, 11:05 am
well the sharks are right up there in the try scoring stakes this year.
they have also had a few bonus pt wins as opposed to previous seasons.
so i am happy.
tbho though, meyer hasnt shone yet but i think he may just need time to settle.
i have always rated his distribution skills.
13 Apr 2011, 11:08 am
@stew(stew)-20:
“…..can anyone ask for more ???”
No, all one can ask is if its so perfect why you dont live there, genuine question, not a dig.
13 Apr 2011, 15:13 pm
BS article
Wayne julies was twice the player Bosman was,yet we never saw articles like this about him.So was Gcobani Bobo.
Bosman was once compared to henry honiball…..by jake White.
nuff said
13 Apr 2011, 15:32 pm
Bosman has never impressed me. He has a ‘crisp’ pass a decent kick out of hand, but that’s about it. As others have said above, he doesn’t trouble defenses and nor does he strike feat into opposing offenses with huge defense. He’s just another average player that doesn’t offer anything special. I hope the Sharks didn’t spend much on him – surely they could have unearthed some younger talent coming through the ranks?
Mshiniwami – loved Bobo and Julies. Those guys were robbed by cruel injury plagued careers though. Julies made players around him look much better than they really were, while he didn’t get much credit. It’s no coincidence that De wet Barry and Marius Joubert both became Springboks after playing outside him. He was a bit slow but had a fantastic ability to put players in space like I’ve rarely seen. His defense was solid too. You wouldn’t see him get bumped off tackles like you would Bosman.
13 Apr 2011, 15:34 pm
I said “feat” above…sorry, that should have read “fear” …into opposing offenses
13 Apr 2011, 15:39 pm
Anyone know when Lambie is back? And Deysel?
13 Apr 2011, 15:42 pm
WTF is this article on about, the missing link???
13 Apr 2011, 15:42 pm
Good article.
Good player.
Bosman is Lem Jr.
A player for the rugby connoisseur, not the facebook generation with an attention span as long as a premature ejaculation….
Bosman outplayed Donkey De Villiers in the Sharks vs Stormers match.
Bosman is a big factor in more tries being scored by the Sharks along with Lambie.
13 Apr 2011, 15:42 pm
@Juggernaught(Juggernaught)-35: should be after the bye
13 Apr 2011, 15:48 pm
hahahaha.
Bosman has been Lem junior since 2005.
What has he done other than make a good catch in the 2005 Currie Cup Final??
Guys like Brad Barrit ,Doppies Le Grange deserved Springbok selection more than this guy.
13 Apr 2011, 15:49 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-38: The bye this weekend will do the Sharks good.
13 Apr 2011, 16:00 pm
Some stats: Bosman vs Donkey De Villiers (Sharks vs Stormers)
Tackles made:
Bosman 13 Donkey 8
Tackles Missed:
Bosman 3 Donkey 3
Ball Carries:
Bosman 10 Donkey 6
Line Breaks
Bosman 2 Donkey 0
Metres Gained
Bosman 109 Donkey 62
Handle Count
Bosman 19 Donkey 17
Total Kicks
Bosman 2 Donkey 2
Kicking Metres
Bosman 57 Donkey 20
Source Ruggastats… Not ideal… But anyone got any better info.
13 Apr 2011, 16:14 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-37:
WTF???
You’re deluded mate.Not matter how you try spin it from the “Allister Campbell book of BS”,mediocre is still mediocre.Facebook generation or not the S.O.S clickboard & typewriter arent the most convenient ways to post on keo arent they?
And while your assertion that Bosman is Lem Jr is even more ludicrous the more I reach back into my memory banks about the player who i watched my enitre childhood at KingsPark massacre opposition backs & loosies while having the ever so effective slight of hand to put the likes of Cabous,Joos Joubert,Jeremy thompson etc through gaps/over tryline, I have to say thats like committing blasphemy…..
13 Apr 2011, 16:22 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-42: It gets clearer by the post that you are quite unclear about centre play….
More to 12 play than scintillating breaks.
Never mind though… Stick to what you think you know….
Maybe you need to offer your services to Plum as Sharks backline specialist… It seems Bash has no clue compared to you….
13 Apr 2011, 16:35 pm
Jeez the way people on here incessantly criticise players on here you’d swear they’ve spent years themselves playing top flight rugby.
Are there any decent players in SA or are they all total hondkak?! I mean you see someone say Alberts is good then someone else will say no he’s weak and Elstadt is far superior. Then someone will say Basson looking good value then someone else will say he’s too slow. Honestly are there any decent players left in SA or are McCaw, Carter, SBW and Freuan the only players worthy of mention on this site?
13 Apr 2011, 16:36 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-43: Everyone on here is a an armchair coach.
13 Apr 2011, 16:38 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-45: Yes… But there is a difference between enthusiasm and just plain stupidity.
13 Apr 2011, 16:42 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-44:
don’t need to play top tier rugby to be an expert, just visit keo.co.za once a day and collect your I-know-it-all badge at the end of the season.
take a look at skopskiet for instance.
the more you visit and the longer your posts are …..the greater the expert you are.
13 Apr 2011, 16:57 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-47: Lol!
13 Apr 2011, 19:31 pm
What the Sharks really need is a quicker outside centre.
13 Apr 2011, 20:06 pm
@AlphaTango(AlphaTango)-49: Hundred Percent strike runner… Please
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