Power and precision
11 May 2011
GAVIN RICH, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says Willem Alberts offers a lot more than physicality.
There is sometimes a tendency in South African rugby for the critics to overdo it in both directions when a new player comes on to the scene. As Nick Mallett once said, too often purple prose is wasted on praise when it is premature, and this can be more dangerous than the castigation that is a by-product of the passionate support the sport enjoys.
So it wasn’t surprising that when Willem Alberts burst on to the Springbok scene last season with two crucial tries in successive matches as a replacement, there were those who wanted to be cautious.
‘For heaven’s sake, improve your rugby knowledge, you can’t just select a guy for the starting team because he finished off two try-scoring movements,’ we said to those who were queueing up to elect the big Sharks flanker as South African rugby’s most important citizen. There was some merit in the caution, as the try against Scotland was the direct result of a poor opposition throw and all Alberts had to do was catch the ball and fall over the line.
It is true that Alberts still has it all to do as an international rugby player, and back then a healthy degree of scepticism was justified. Alberts owed his place in the Springbok match day squad to the absence of Schalk Burger, who was the target of a famous Alberts trademark thumping tackle in the Currie Cup final in Durban the week before the Boks’ departure.
Alberts may not even have been a first-choice player for the Sharks in those games were it not for the injury that ruled the impressive Jean Deysel out of the Currie Cup season and which has kept him sidelined for the past eight months.
But Alberts has followed up his end-of-year tour exploits by hitting this season running, and by round six of Super Rugby it would have been hard to name any other Sharks player – with the possible exception of Bismarck du Plessis – as the franchise’s most valuable player.
Statistics don’t tell you everything there is to know about a player, but in the loss to the Chiefs, when all about him were failing, the figures that were flashed up on the screen from Hamilton made for astounding reading – 55m covered as a ball-carrier and 17 tackles made. And that was when the game was only in its third quarter.
A studied look back at the Test against Wales, where Alberts made his international debut, will also give lie to any argument that he was fortunate to be in position to score his debut try. The reality is that the Springboks were being pounded mercilessly by the Welsh before Alberts came on to the field. It was no coincidence that there was a significant momentum shift at that point.
Alberts didn’t just feature in the try-scoring movement, he was there repeatedly as a ball-carrier, bursting seemingly from nowhere on occasions to take the pass as the Bok forward surges up-field overturned a half-time deficit and won the match.
Quiet and modest, Alberts tried to deflect attention to his team-mates after the game, and on other occasions when he was interviewed on that tour he came across as one of those humble players who doesn’t want the shouting about his exploits to reverberate across the valleys. But he did understand why he is so valuable to the Sharks.
‘The key to my game is my strength in getting over the advantage line, and getting that sort of momentum is a crucial part of the Sharks’ game plan,’ he told the media. ‘Everyone likes to carry the ball, but I’m fortunate in that my attributes make me the player who is given the role of taking the ball up. It fits into the game plan, and I’m more than happy to provide that go-forward to the team. That is my role.’
But Alberts is far more than just one of those lumbering big forwards whose only strength is his physicality. Listening to Sharks coach John Plumtree talk about him, it is possible to imagine that he is referring to a new flyhalf rather than a blindside flank, as ball-carrying ability and timing feature strongly in the Kiwi’s description of the loose forward.
‘Of course, the main reason we brought Willem to Durban was because we knew how important it was to our game plan to be able to develop momentum and go-forward,’ says Plumtree. ‘He stood out for the Lions as a physical presence, and we liked what we saw. He looked a very good ball-carrier.
‘But what impressed me the most was the skill set that he had to go along with his physical attributes. He was far more than just a freakishly big loosie; he was a provincial schools cricketer, so he has great ball skills. I felt he wasn’t reaching his potential at the Lions and I sensed that he could become a much better player with a bit of work.’
As it turned out, it wasn’t just ‘a bit of work’, it was quite a lot of work that was required, and Alberts readily admitted during the end-of-year tour that it was the work ethic of his new team-mates and the expertise of the Sharks’ conditioning staff that turned his career around and started him on the path to becoming a Springbok.
‘I didn’t realise how far behind the Lions were conditioning-wise until I moved to Durban. The Sharks’ fitness trainers Mark Steele and Jimmy Wright helped me a lot,’ he says. ‘It was also highly motivating to work with so many good players who had such a professional attitude and work ethic. Everything was positive whereas previously I had been in an environment where it was mostly negative. After that, once I had become fit, it was just about me getting an extended run so I could pick up momentum.’
Plumtree says that the need for Alberts to work hard was a big part of the discussion they had when he first met with the Sharks’ coaches to talk about a possible move.
‘He needed to understand that while we felt he had potential, he was still far from the finished product we were looking for. The problem was that before he came to us I don’t think he was even properly fit. We needed his buy-in before we would commit to him.
‘With his physical presence he has the ability to get the side across the gainline every time he touches the ball, and that makes him an amazing player to have in the team. But he needed to develop a work rate. Fortunately he delivered on his promise and worked damn hard. In Super Rugby at the moment he’s not only one of the top ball-carriers, he’s also one of the top tacklers.
‘I think that work ethic was always going to come once he moved to us because of the environment he was exposed to when he arrived. When you have other players like Bismarck du Plessis working so hard in pre-season they tend to pull the other guys along. It becomes impossible to shirk because you know if you do you will be letting your team-mates down.’
Plumtree, himself a flanker for the team that broke Natal’s Currie Cup drought back in the 1990s, is one of the foremost experts on loose-forward play in South Africa, so his opinion on what makes Alberts so effective is worth paying attention to.
‘Willem’s skill set comes from him having spent most of his early years playing flyhalf. He’ll tell you that he was a flyhalf up to about the age of 16. Those attributes that saw him play there haven’t left him.
‘But I think what is often the difference between the merely good loose forward and the great loose forward is the timing of the run on to the ball. If you are a player with good anticipation and have a natural knack for getting it right, and time your run on to the ball perfectly, then it makes you a damn difficult player for players to defend against.’
As Burger, who in many senses is the same animal when it comes to the love of physicality, discovered last October in the Currie Cup final, Alberts has something else that many of those players lauded for their skills don’t have.
‘He really likes hurting people; he puts in some massive tackles and it is great to have a player in your team with that physical edge,’ says Plumtree.
With Deysel due to return from his knee injury, it takes us back to a question that was asked before Alberts moved to Durban – why would the Sharks want a player in the Alberts mould when they already have one in Deysel? That question was partially answered by Deysel’s long absence through injury as it would probably have robbed the Sharks of any chance of winning the Currie Cup had Alberts not been on their books.
But as Plumtree explains, it was not just a case of Alberts coming to the Sharks so that he could be rotated with Deysel.
‘Jean is still struggling a bit with his knee and we aren’t expecting him back until after our first bye week [in mid-April], but when he does come back there’s nothing stopping us playing them both in the same loose trio.
‘It’s a long season and Ryan Kankowski can’t play in every game. Willem played much of his rugby for the Lions at No 8 and he likes that position. We have a nice balance to our loose forwards, with Jacques Botes and Keegan Daniel operating as the fetchers.
‘But Jean is a player who can also play in the fetcher role, he really likes attacking the ball and there could well be a role for him on the other flank in certain games.’
Regardless of where he fits in to the loose trio, or the make-up of the Sharks back row, Alberts has proved one of the most inspired buys made by the Sharks in recent years and don’t be surprised if he takes on a leadership role in the years to come.
‘He captained the Lions for a bit before he came to us and he does have natural leadership ability,’ says Plumtree. ‘We haven’t really used him in a leadership role as yet but he is one of those players who has natural onfield leading ability in that the other guys just naturally want to follow him. Bismarck is also like that, a player who sets an example that others want to follow.’
– This article first appeared in the May issue of SA Rugby magazine. The June issue will be on sale from Wednesday, 18 May.
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203 Comments
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11 May 2011, 06:09 am
He eats Schala for breakfast in fetching, defensice tackles and passing, even a dummy and a few deft inside passes.
How it took him so long to become a bok is a testament to the Old boois club. He was already good enough when he played at the LIONs.
11 May 2011, 06:13 am
Jaun, Alberts, Brussouw and Daniels. Saying that Alberts was not so great at 8. Bye bye Spies met plesies. Needs to get his body position right and learn to bend over an pick up a ball.
11 May 2011, 07:39 am
Very good player, hope he makes the WC squad.
I don’t see PDEV moving away from Schalk, Juan and Spies as loosies.
Personally I would play, Brussow at 6, Juan at 7(or Alberts if Juan can’t mak it ) and Vermeulen at 8.
11 May 2011, 07:49 am
Would be a much better option at 8 than Spies – remember he is playin 7 because of Kanko at the Sharks – he can play 8 and will definately give go forward ball
11 May 2011, 07:50 am
Vermeulen has still a long way to go – he was completely over shadowed by Read last weekend – a good measuring stick
11 May 2011, 07:58 am
@stew(stew)-5:
Measuring based on one game is not a true yardstick, Vermuelen has been a standout the entire season, delivering each week, he has played every minute of every game, the previous one being an especially physical one against the Sharks. Read has had the benefit of plenty of rest.
Also I think “completely overshadowed” is stretching it , I was at the game and Vermuelen did a lot of very good things, defensively he was superb and carried the ball up well.
11 May 2011, 08:00 am
Whats the point of buying the mag if all the articles are posted on Keo?
11 May 2011, 08:05 am
Skulk is a Goneburger.
11 May 2011, 08:05 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-6: Do you want to measure him against average No 8 or the best in the world ? At the end of the day the Read is still a better player , but this does not mean he will not develop in the next couple of seasons …..
11 May 2011, 08:10 am
Horses for courses.
WC will be played in ‘slow’ conditions.
No Spies and Kanko. Please PDV !
Lets pray J Smith fit….if so take the following five loosies imo
Brussow
juan Smith
W Alberts
Schalk Burger
Vermeulen
Bobs your aunt.
Kiwis will sit up and take notice.
Play Plod and Spies in big games its all over rover …goodnite nurse ….6 love…6 love
11 May 2011, 08:12 am
“Willem played much of his rugby for the Lions at No 8 and he likes that position.”
So Plum with Deysel back Kanko can warm the bench for now because he is not really firing like we know he can. Also PDV read this and send Spies to catch and tackle school. Alberts will do the biz for you.
11 May 2011, 08:14 am
@grant10(grant10)-10: i reckon Burger must not go. youknowme Flo is streets ahead of him. Brussow and Flo should be chosen for openside flank.
11 May 2011, 08:28 am
@SHARKattack(mabu)-12: very , very good point….my five only had the 1 opensider, well called….yes…F Louw will give that five chosen more balance…..good call
11 May 2011, 08:33 am
Burger will go, he will go as a utilty loose forward back up, being able to cover all 3 positions, unfortunately Vermuelen will be the one to lose out !!
11 May 2011, 08:34 am
An integral part of The Sharks. He has surprising speed for a big lad and his workrate is exactly what you would expect for a forward. Deysel and Alberts should keep the Bools combo of Bakkies and Spies busy next weekend.
I’d be interested to see if Bakkies gives him any flack in the loose. Clash of the giants.
11 May 2011, 08:34 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-14:
Having said that, as I stated earlier I am convinced PDEV will go with Burger, Juan and Spies, unfortunately !!!
11 May 2011, 08:37 am
Its all about combinations – if PDivvy has half a brain ( much debated) he must try out different combinations during the Tri Nations ….. debating combinations on paper is useless
11 May 2011, 08:40 am
Quite a choice on the loose forward front.
Alberts is one of the guys I would take though.
I fear when it comes down to combos and style of play, it becomes an Ablets vs Vermeulen choice, given that they play (mostly) similar roles in a team.
If Juan is fit then one will definitely stay at home.
11 May 2011, 08:42 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-14: I am afraid you will be right there
11 May 2011, 08:47 am
@At least Os will still wear green (but no gold)(stormersboy)-18: yes….I agree
11 May 2011, 08:48 am
Alberts is a great player, and in SA we are blessed with big athletic loosies!!
Ideal!
Brussow is the man at 6
Juan (if fit) 7 added lineout option
Alberts 8
Schalk can cover all three
Josh Strauss also useful in lineouts can play 7 & 8
Vermeulen 7 & 8
Deysel
Daniles
11 May 2011, 08:51 am
in reterospect….and if i was selector.
Brussow…F Louw
J SMITH / Schalk……Alberts
Vermeulen
With Steggmann on standby if any injuries to either F Louw or Brussow.
And Dewalt Potgieter on standby for any injuries to the blindside flanks.
And kanko on standby for 8 th man.
Spies can go do tv ads for the duration of the WC
11 May 2011, 08:52 am
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-21: that starting loose trio of yours is also my starting trio
11 May 2011, 08:54 am
a bok starting pack of
8 alberts
7 j smith
6 brussow
5 matfield
4 Bekker / bakkies
3 jannie
2 bissy
1 beast
will not be bullied by any team…
11 May 2011, 08:56 am
when choosing a squad of 30….it is customary to choose 5 loosies ….3 hookers and 3 scrummies….
Its damn hard to do ….try it !
There are going to be huge tears….
Some great players are going to be watching the WC from the comfort of there lounges at home
11 May 2011, 09:00 am
6. Ratel
7. Juan
8. Alberts
Springbok loosies. Full Stop.
If Juan not available
6. Ratel
7. Rossouw
8. Alberts
11 May 2011, 09:02 am
@grant10(grant10)-24: Good pack. I am coming round to the thinking of Bekker at 4… with Matfield at 5. Why the hell not.
11 May 2011, 09:07 am
@grant10(grant10)-25: which is why its going Danie Rossouw is definitely going again. he covers lock and can play all positions in the back three of the scrum. so, i think Schalks only bet would be Juan not recovering.
otherwise this dude does not deserve to be there.
11 May 2011, 09:08 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-27: bloody good pack…..kiwis will sit up and take notice. I am always wary of players out of position, but Bekker has made a concerted effort to tighten up.
The advantage we have over the kiwis is our lineouts, that is why J Smith is so crucial to our campaign imo. We need to exploit the kiwis there, as we did in 2009….
Bekker, Matfield, Juan , Alberts will be a very competetive lineout.
I would play bakkies against the Islanders , together with players like Butch, etc….horses for courses…..F Louw , Vermeulen….use against the Islanders….
Against Wales and from the quarters I would use the above pack…Bakkies from bench
11 May 2011, 09:11 am
excuse the elongated post i’m on my mobile…
Brian Mujati
About two weeks ago, I checked my twitter
account and I had all these mentions from
people congratulating me on my
“nomination”. My first impression was:
‘Okay, here we go, another twitter prank is
on and this time I’m the victim’.
So I started weighing up the likely culprits in
the back of my head. If there’s one thing I
learnt since coming to Northampton it’s this:
always expect the abuse. Seriously, all 40 or
so of the boys in this team live for intricate
pranks such as this.
After a cheeky ‘self Google’, I eventually
discovered that this was actually a real
award for player of the year … And I was
actually nominated. Naturally, I had to
assume there was some sort of angle they
were trying to push here.
But, then again, this isn’t South Africa.
Phrases like ‘quota selection’ or BEE don’t
really exist here. This was a real award and
all the other nominees are really good
players (in my eyes at least,) and somehow
I had snuck in, straight through the back
door!
I spent a few minutes trying to weigh up
how I felt about the whole thing. After
much thought, I had to conclude that I
didn’t really feel anything. I wasn’t happy
or sad; I wasn’t excited; I was just the same.
I thought about all the other nominees for a
moment and wondered how they felt. You
have to assume they were all probably
quietly happy with themselves. I wasn’t.
You see, once upon a time I played in a
team full of superstars; it was called the
Stormers. When I arrived in Cape Town, I
made the mistake of assuming that just
because I played with these lads I was one
of them. The prop equivalent of a Luke
Watson, a Jean de Villiers, a Conrad Jantjies
or an Andries Bekker … Haha.
Considering
the trouble Rassie Erasmus went through to
get me into that team, I had to assume that I
was the sh*t too…
Haha… looking back and typing these
stories is hilarious for me. It’s funny
because it’s true. Well, that’s not entirely
accurate … the only thing which is true is
that I actually seriously thought that. Oh the
bliss of ignorance!
It was just an unfortunate period in my life
when delusion had once again defeated
reality. They say assumption is the mother
of all… you know the rest.
Even though
there were good patches here and there,
some cheering and, of course, some booing,
I was eventually brought back down to
earth with a loud bang that almost killed me.
I soon coined my own saying (comedic
patent pending…):”What doesn’t kill you,
sometimes makes you wish it had”
Melodramatic bullsh*t and jokes aside, I’ve
come to a few conclusions. I’m not in the
same league as any of the guys I’ve been
nominated with. The nomination is really
an acknowledgement of the forward pack
that the Saints coaching staff have put
together.
Having my name said in the same
breath as any of these guys is humbling
enough. The dinner is tonight and I don’t
even own a black tux. Finding one in my
size at such short notice is going to be a
ballache!
Funny things have been happening in my
life in recent times. Finally, a bit of good
news my way. As I said earlier, the
nomination was enough. I’m not going to
waste a moment holding my breath. Brian
Mujati … who would’ve thought.
11 May 2011, 09:11 am
The key remains the game plan and who the FH to carry it out will be !!!!
11 May 2011, 09:14 am
@SHARKattack(mabu)-28: ja…i think Danie will be 1 of the 4 locks….Flippie will miss out….as will Hargreaves.
The locks will be …imo….bakkies…bekker….danie….victor
11 May 2011, 09:15 am
@grant10(grant10)-25: True
11 May 2011, 09:16 am
I’d be amazed if Schalk isn’t named in the WC squad. He’s one of the first names they write down. And it’s not like he’s done anything this year to change that view.
He’s been consistantly good this year. Many will say not good enough to play for the boks, but if he was good enough last year and the year before, then he’s good enough now. Nothing has changed in terms of his standard of play, and to be fair to the guy, he has played some blinders this year.
Opinion will vary as to his Bok contribution, but he is very highly rated by the Bok management, and at the end of the day that’s what counts.
11 May 2011, 09:17 am
@grant10(grant10)-29: that said, the kiwis to ok us to the cleaners last year at the lineout…brad thorn & tom donnelly ably assisted by sam whitelock out-thought matfield, bakkies & rossouw
11 May 2011, 09:18 am
PDv may throw a curve ball and pick a guy like Elstadt who had had a fantastic year so far and can cover 7 as well, like Danie.
Just a thought. IMO he;s shone brighter than Flip this year, who admittedly hasn’t had nearly the same amount of game time.
11 May 2011, 09:18 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-30: jeepers….i wonder what Mujati is alluding to Transie…..I would love to have that oke back in SA….does he have an axe to grind with Stormers and SA rugby?
I dont really know the background here
11 May 2011, 09:19 am
@grant10(grant10)-32: Correct. We have some great depth at lock. Loosies? 5 you say? Brussouw, Burger, Smith(if fit), Alberts, Vermeulen. Scrummies Du Preez, Pienaar, Hougaard.
11 May 2011, 09:19 am
Alberts had Bok written all over him 3 years ago already.
Just glad to see a guy who showed the potential living up to it.
No substitute for hard work.
11 May 2011, 09:20 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-31: I hope Butch and Grant….Ruan can make squad as utility back for the 5…2 split in bigger games imo
M Steyn can also go do an ad or 2 with Spies
11 May 2011, 09:23 am
@At least Os will still wear green (but no gold)(stormersboy)-34: Schalk is a trooper.
11 May 2011, 09:23 am
@At least Os will still wear green (but no gold)(stormersboy)-34: true….he will be there..
11 May 2011, 09:24 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-35: yip….for me Bekker is a must ….
11 May 2011, 09:25 am
Loosies playing well this year:
Schalk (yes)
Alberts
Kanko
Brussow
Flo
Duanne
Keegan
Extras
Pierre
Juan
Most likely in PDV mind: (IMO)
Juan
Schalk
Pierre
Heinrich
Willem
Kanko
The rest may be deserving, but are likely to be unlucky.
11 May 2011, 09:25 am
@grant10(grant10)-29: I dont think Flo and Vermeulen should be there. Serious. My opinion though. I get your thinking about horses for courses but there are better horses for that course.
But Bekker could be the next step in lineout evolution… An enforcer/lineout specialist hybrid… Why not… With the players you mention the Boks could have an unbeatable lineout.
Bakkies… Have lost faith in that guy… Not all his fault, but I reckon he has a rep with the refs now. Other teams will target him too… and I suspect quite successfully… Better to take him out of the equation all together…
@justrugby(justrugby)-31: Yeah, you are right.
11 May 2011, 09:25 am
@grant10(grant10)-40:
Agree !!! But I think PDEV will take Morne, Grant to lose out !!! again unfortunately !
11 May 2011, 09:25 am
@At least Os will still wear green (but no gold)(stormersboy)-36: That will be a big pick. Not sure if he is ready for international rugby. Maybe next year.
11 May 2011, 09:26 am
still fascinated with the Mujati thing….transie whats the story there?
11 May 2011, 09:27 am
@grant10(grant10)-40: Butch and Grant…? You are now talking twak… We will see by the end of Super rugby…
11 May 2011, 09:28 am
@grant10(grant10)-40: What about Lambie? It will be a tough pick for the flyhalf berth. With M.Steyn, Butch, Grant, Lambie all possible candidates.
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