Baby-faced assassin
19 Apr 2011
South Africa’s great prodigy continues to exceed expectations.
In October 2010, SA Rugby magazine hailed the arrival of a special talent. Pat Lambie exhibited all the attributes of a match-winning flyhalf, although at the time of writing, he was yet to substantiate the speculation; he was yet to take control. That article was written about a promising teenager, and few could have predicted the accelerated metamorphosis he would undergo in the next five months.
Lambie has ascended; he has begun to spread his wings.
In the new issue of SA Rugby magazine, we speak with Lambie’s kicking coach, former Bok flyhalf Braam van Straaten, about the work they’ve put in to the youngster’s game. Sharks backline coach Grant Bashford also talks about Lambie’s progress in recent months and why he’s such a special player.
Also in the new issue:
– Willem Alberts‘ physicality allows him to get over the advantage line regularly and hurt players in the tackle, but he also has an impressive skill set
– Waylon Murray is rebuilding his life one game at a time
– Andries Bekker has taken his game to a whole new level
– Rookie Super Rugby coach Jamie Joseph has turned New Zealand’s weakest franchise into a competitive unit
– At the end of this season, Adam Ashley-Cooper will leave his ‘family’ in Canberra to join his girlfriend in Sydney
– South African Super Rugby franchises like the Sharks and Stormers should consider playing one home game at Twickenham every year
– Bunker Capital’s involvement with the SWD Eagles was supposed to transform the game in the region. SA Rugby magazine finds out what went wrong
– The Cheetahs’ Super Rugby future rests on Saru’s capacity to find a workable solution to a very complex problem
– The Vodacom Cup still has a very important role to play in South African rugby
– Former France tighthead prop Pieter de Villiers on coaching in Cape Town, the Bok front row and why the All Blacks scrum is the best
– The Baby Boks are selecting bigger players in a bid to win the Junior World Championship in June
– Former Sharks prop Eduard Coetzee has embraced Basque culture and made Biarritz his home
Click here to subscribe to print edition
Click here to subscribe to digital edition
Follow us on Twitter:
@SARugbymag
@mark_keohane
@SimonBorchardt
@jon_cardinelli
@Ryan_Vrede
@Gareth_Duncan
138 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All
19 Apr 2011, 11:05 am
Now that Lambie has become the poster boy for Keo Nazis, I will ensure that the lad get his fair share of my venom… I hate Nazis
Sad that the Keo Nazis have decided that Lambie’s success was dependent of the annialation of Elton Jantjies and every other black Flyhalf in the country
Sorry Pat old Chap… choose your backers or PR company wisely. Keo Nazi Inc is poison
19 Apr 2011, 11:06 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-17: Good post mate.
He is a real talent and is very level headed. Doubt very much this hype on a rugby mag will get him. Very calm and a humble youngster with impeccable manners. Pleased he will be back this week for Sharks. Now hope that finger is 100%. Also after having a lay off think he might not start, but come off the bench. My feeling. Well that is how I would bring him back after a injury. Just pleased we got our fh back. Keeping fingers crossed no more injuries.
19 Apr 2011, 11:09 am
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-100: Yip agree. Deysel doe a fair amount of fetching. The reason I would start him at 6 with Alberts at 7. For some games. Sometime soon Alberts will need a rest and Deysel will have to start at 7. But against the Stormers would have Deysel at 6. Though he is still only play VC this week. So even if Plum selects him for next week. He may only come off the bench. Just damn good to know he is on his way back.
19 Apr 2011, 11:09 am
@pokkel(pokkel)-96: the most idiotic statement i’ve seen on keo for a very long time.lambie is the andy murray of rugby and i can see why you are getting in the excuses in so early.
19 Apr 2011, 11:14 am
@pokkel(pokkel)-96: Very true Pokkel. PdV and his coaches ruined Lambies natural playing style. Plum stated they had to coach the bad habits out of players that were with the Boks.
19 Apr 2011, 11:21 am
@Tecumseh(Tecumseh)-104: Thanks for the compliment…..Lambie play direct rugby and likes to attack the game line. If you want your flyhalf to stand 20m behind the scrum and kick a high ball then Steyn is the man for the job….simple really.
19 Apr 2011, 11:28 am
@pokkel(pokkel)-106: well according to jake you don’t win wc’s with fairytale rugby and that’s probably one of the reasons why the legendary flyhalf ,naas botha, believes that peter grant should be the bok flyhalf at the wc.
19 Apr 2011, 11:31 am
@Tecumseh(Tecumseh)-107: I agree…defense will be crucial…so that excluded Steyn. I think Grant is probably a good pick if that is the way you want to play.
19 Apr 2011, 11:34 am
@Tecumseh(Tecumseh)-107: Only thing that concerns me about Grant is that he has the Bok centres on his outside and still the Stormers are struggling to score tries.
19 Apr 2011, 11:43 am
@pokkel(pokkel)-109: pokkel here is a fact
grant is a very very good FLYHALF but he does not handle pressure well , go watch the reds game again
this has been grants 1 weakness , other then that he has matured as a player and his kicking is much better
19 Apr 2011, 11:45 am
@pokkel(pokkel)-109: and no point arguing with this oke tecumseh , its the old capo , go to the other threads and see his typical sharks hatred and insults
19 Apr 2011, 11:47 am
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-111: I’m not arguing…just stating some facts….he can do with it as he pleases.
19 Apr 2011, 12:13 pm
Poaching suspect: Court lowers bail
2011-04-19
Musina – The Musina Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo has lowered the amount of the bail granted to rhino poaching accused Dawie Groenewald from R1 million to R100 000, Beeld newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Groenewald, a game farmer, posted bail in September. He brought an application on Monday to lower the bail amount. His lawyer, Thomas Grobler, told Beeld that the court lowered his bail to R100 000.
Groenewald, 42, who owns the farm, Prachtig, outside Musina, was arrested last year with several other people, including his wife and two veterinarians, on charges related to rhino poaching.
(news24)
Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that some people wanted us to believe that it was only “the Sipho’s” of this world who did the poaching?
19 Apr 2011, 13:01 pm
@nama1(nama1)-113: These people are scum, whether they’re called Dawie or Sipho. And weren’t they arrested last year already? So, whoever said a few weeks ago it was only “the Siphos” of this world who were involved in poaching can’t read, or they don’t want to.
19 Apr 2011, 13:15 pm
@nama1(nama1)-113:
Ironic name for his farm innit!
19 Apr 2011, 13:16 pm
@oscarthedawg(oscarthedawg)-114:
Amen to that.
19 Apr 2011, 13:23 pm
nama:113. It was our friend Predawn: The Great White Shark
19 Apr 2011, 13:34 pm
All this unwanted, not needed, unwarranted MEDIA hype the young Lambie can certainly do without. This is too much in the national and international glare and all he truly wants is to concentrate on progressing his team and further develope his play and skills in the S15 and thereafter to a lesser extent in the TNs.
Unlike most here may feel and intimate, this RWC 2011 is likely to be a very good one to miss and after it all the younger, in form, hopefuls can develope with little pressure to deal with in copetitons like the CC, S15, TNs and the eoyts that leads up to RWC 2015.
This awful MEDIA glare is totally different from supporters punting his abilities and skills in the CC and now S15.
19 Apr 2011, 13:37 pm
Jeez this is getting tiresome. Lambie is an extremely gifted youngster, can we just acknowledge that and let him get on with playing some great rugby and growing as a player?
Why as South Africans must we always go for extremes? On the one hand Lambie is walking on rugby water and the saviour of our rugby, and on the other he is too young, not good enough, haven’t been tested against quality opposition yet (remember he played super 14 last year albeit not at flyhalf).
We either build them up as world beaters or knock them down completely. Look at Australia, look at the time they gave Cooper to develop and make mistakes. I can still remember some of the howlers he had when he started off.
19 Apr 2011, 13:50 pm
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-115:
It sure is.
19 Apr 2011, 13:57 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-117:
Thanks. I knew it was a Shark supporter but could not remember which one. That’s why I refrained from naming somebody.
19 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
@John Galt(John Galt)-68:
would you ?!?
I know some people think Wilko walks on water but at the moment he cant get Test minutes for England because he has a Flood in the way.
19 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
@nama1(nama1)-121: my money was on sharkslover but i guess there is no difference between greatwhite and sharkslover in any case.
19 Apr 2011, 14:57 pm
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-81:
twist and fold all you like, Origami, but that excerpt in no way shape or form supports the ‘kissing cousins’ paranoia-theories.
That was merely Devils Spawn, aka ‘John O’Neil’, kissing his own butt repeatedly. Because thats what he does best.
And he’s probably not too far wrong, unfortunately – Aussie rugby is on the right performance curve leading in to the Big One.
19 Apr 2011, 15:15 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-124: twist and fold
19 Apr 2011, 15:24 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-124: Boks to come in as underdogs which will be an advantage for us.
19 Apr 2011, 15:45 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-6: Rob the Stormer hype machine that is SA Rugby Magazine love to hype up players to the status of rugby gods so they can smash them down again and rip them to pieces when they reveal their humanity by making a mistake. They especially love to do this with Sharks players.
19 Apr 2011, 15:53 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-127: shame
19 Apr 2011, 15:56 pm
@Couchcoach(GI POT)-50: Comparing Lambie with Carter is completely unfair as the lad is only starting his career while Carter is 9 years older than him and has been playing pro rugby since 2002. Its about time people laid off Lambie and give him a chance to show us what he can do before proclaiming him as the ‘saviour’ or writing him off in equal measure.
It seems to me that supporters in this country prefer everything to be negative and depressing. They want something moan about. They want someone to hate and to b!tch at. That’s the South African way. We were taught to hate each other and that sentiment is still being proliferated by hate mongerers like Malema and the AWB. Some things will never change.
19 Apr 2011, 16:00 pm
@Craven(Craven)-119: Absolutely on the money boet!! We never give our young players a chance to develop and mature. Lambie is a promising prospect and I hope all coaches alike don’t buy into the Stormer hype machine and start expecting sublime magical performances every time he takes to the field. He exhibits extraordinary maturity that belies his age and is good at reading the game but he’s still very young. He’s the perfect age to be moulded into an incredible player but that takes time and also its dependent on coaching. Looking at how PdV has destroyed the current crop of Boks perhaps being selected for the RWC might be Lambie’s downfall.
19 Apr 2011, 17:51 pm
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-126:
the reigning Champs, 1 of the 2-3 clear favourites, as ‘Underdog’ ?
~chortle~
19 Apr 2011, 17:54 pm
@ET.(ET.)-118: You are right ET. Gives me pause to consider.
19 Apr 2011, 19:51 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-130: You speak wise words there buddy. But I for one don’t ever think if Pat is selected for this world cup that it will be his downfall. This youngster is mature beyond his years. He will carry the experience into the next world cup, where I see his worth and leadership even more than this world cup, our chances will be much better come 2015.
Remember Pat was Head Prefect of Michael House. They don’t select a HP that don’t have those extra special qualities of leadership at that school, one of the finest schools we have in this country. Lambie has those in bucket loads. Lambie is one of a very special bred. BMT does not come very easily at his age. He has plenty of it. He will be around for years to come. That is if we keep him here in the SH. I have read the French clubs are after him already.
Not only does Pat have exeptional talent on the rugby field, he has leadership written all over him. Hope we never lose this talent to NH before we see the best he has to offer. He has buckets loads still to show us.
Good luck Pat. Hope others sees in you what I do. The South African Rugby Supporters are brutal. Unlike the Aussies that allowed Cooper to become a great in his country. Hope we have the same patience for a truely outstanding talent in Pat.
I know us here in KZN will support you. Hope the rest of the country do as well. We have a gem of a player if we do.
19 Apr 2011, 23:20 pm
@Puma(Puma)-133: Geez Puma, how old are you? Head prefect means squat in the real world.
Butch at 10 and Frans Steyn at 15 for the world cup, experienced with an attacking kicking game. Steyn, Lambie, Grant etc. can go as squad members.
20 Apr 2011, 00:58 am
# 29.poppa69 in his great love to improve South Africa Rubgy ask this:
SA sides dont seem to win too many of their first up games when they go overseas
well, considering the Cheetahs only had their first win overseas THIS year, and the lions havent won one overseas since heaven knows when… lets analyse the 3 “good” SA sides.. we’ll start from 2006 season…
Sharks –
5 April 2008 Hurricanes 13 – 13 Sharks Rd. 8
26 February 2010 Crusaders 35 – 6 Sharks Rd.3
25 February 2006 Crusaders 22 – 20 Sharks Rd 3.
Stormers-
24 February 2007 Highlanders 35 – 24 Stormers Rd 4.
8 March 2008 Reds 16 – 34 Stormers Rd 4.
28 March 2009 Crusaders 11 – 7 Stormers Rd 7.
02 April 2010 Western Force 16 – 15 Stormers Rd 8.
losing 4 from 5
Bulls
15 March 2008 Reds 40 – 8 Bulls rd 5.
1 from 5, so only really the Bulls on the positive side of the ledger huh? but then again, one can make statistics say whatever they want..
poppa69: So why are SA teams so kak useless?
20 Apr 2011, 02:09 am
@KevinRack(KevinRack)-135: where did I say they were kak useless? all I did was point out originally that by playing a game at Twickers EACH year they will have to endure more travel, not what SA fans want, correct?
20 Apr 2011, 05:34 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-136: thats what its like taking only a little bit out of a person comment and not the whole comment.
Same thing really.
5 May 2011, 18:32 pm
Butch James on the cover last month was great, it showed his want to be back as the prime no.10, however Peter Grant has been much better than both of them this year so surely he should be on the cover and not lambie again?
Pat Lambie was already on the cover in October 2010 (only 7 months ago) so why not put someone like Andries Bekker, Peter Grant, Willem Alberts or Duane Vermeulen on the cover for some fresh faces.
Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.