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, 09:29 am
Don’t know really, past few weeks he’s looked pretty ordinary….no better or worse than any number of other loosies.
I see him competing with Danie Roussow as a bok squad member because there is the possibility he can cover lock. However, he hardly ever plays lock so quite risky.
Basically, just goes to show that a backrowers performance is very much dependent on what his front 5 is doing for him.
A bit of a concern that he can’t last the full 80 at full tilt.
11 May 2011, 09:30 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-39: Interesting he talks highly about the conditioning at the Sharks…
I wonder if there is a problem at the Cheetahs wrt this… Considering the seemingly constant injuries to their loosies…
Now if Ratel came to the Sharks imagine, like Alberts has, how much better a player he could become
11 May 2011, 09:31 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-45: problem is the 2 nd string team to say play the islanders have to be physical and abrasive.
No use going up against Samoa and Fiji with softies.
Remember plod will probably lead the 2 nd stringers….so we already a man down….throw in a softie like spies, kanko and we looking for trouble.
Physical haardebaarde may be the best option….vermeulen and F Louw fit that desription.
11 May 2011, 09:31 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-39: The man is a hard worker. Some years back I saw him at the gym with some other Lions players. He was working his a$$ off in that gym while the other oaks was ******** around on the circuit checking out the woman. I even had to do some spot work with the guy because some of his team mates were “too busy”. Also a very humble and decent man.
11 May 2011, 09:32 am
imo Butch and Morne will be the FH’s with Ruan a back up. (not my choice though)
11 May 2011, 09:33 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-51: Another loosie that no-one, at least on Keo, seems to talk about is Potgieter… An intelligent player… Would far prefer him being selected than many of the glamour boys that keep getting mentioned.
11 May 2011, 09:34 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-50: I am having serious reservations about Lambie….and I am a fan….but against Stormers and Brumbies I was dissapointed….he didnt do enough imo.
Butch…
Grant
and we all know who PDV wants at 10…..Ruan Pienaar
11 May 2011, 09:35 am
@grant10(grant10)-37: i think he does, the treatment he received from the media with that whole story of his dad “invading” a farm in zim and all that, “quota selections” and maybe the treatment by stormers team who made him aware he wasn’t the shiznit
11 May 2011, 09:36 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-56:
True, if he can nail down a bok squad spot I fancy him as a possible candidate to lead the boks post WC.
He seems to have the iq and likeable personality that I would say is mandatory to be bok captain these days. also, through s14, he will know all the refs, which sounds ridululous but also is very important these days.
11 May 2011, 09:36 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-52: Brussouw needs to come to the Stormers!
11 May 2011, 09:37 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-56: I agree 100%….Dewalt Potgieters problem is he is such a natural 8 imo but having to make way for the biggest show pony in SA rugby currently does him no good.
Dewalt would be a bloody brilliant 8 man…..
Class act….regretfully not in his natural position
11 May 2011, 09:38 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-52:
Yip, Mark Steele, great strength and conditioning coach.
Has done wonders at the Sharks.
11 May 2011, 09:38 am
@grant10(grant10)-53: Vermeulen and Flo… real v’kmaarvoort players… Nothing else… No outstanding technique…
Would rather use Rossouw and Schalk if you want to use that type of thinking … Even Steggman…
11 May 2011, 09:38 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-58: very sad to hear that….very sad….what a pity.
11 May 2011, 09:39 am
Just saw the new Bulls CC jerseys. Very nice. Puma and not Gilbert anymore..
11 May 2011, 09:40 am
a squad of 30 will make for an interesting selection process for the WC teams. balance between backs and forwards will be crucial.
11 May 2011, 09:40 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-58:
come on transie, sure, there is a greater emphasis on scrumming in the uk but generally all a prop does do over there is jog from one scrum to the next.
Would you say CJ is a better player now for instance?
Who was SA’s player of the year last season. Wasn’t Aplon in an award somewhere? Very much doubt he’d slot in somewhere on the uk mudpatches.
Very poor form if his own teammates at wp were bagging him though. That’s rank ameteur.
11 May 2011, 09:41 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-59: Yeah, you’re right. He does seem to have leadership material… Will he take over from Matfield at the Bulls, I wonder?
11 May 2011, 09:41 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-56:
Problem with Pottie is that he is too small to be a Alberts, Rosoouw type 7 and not quick enough to be a Daniel type 6. Also doesnt have the fetching qualities of a Brussouw, flo or Stegmann.
Would like to see him at 8 instead of Spies at the Bulls though. Could be very effecticve for them there.
11 May 2011, 09:41 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-63: Flo is a very intelligent player imo….stormers will struggle to replace him.
Vermeulen has been knocking at the door for 2 seasons now….
Rossow and schalk in the slow conditions would work, but Rossow would be needed at lock in a 2 nd string team…
11 May 2011, 09:42 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-59: He is a very good player but the queue at loose forward for the Boks is packed full it will be tough for him to get a place.
11 May 2011, 09:43 am
@grant10(grant10)-61:
errm, isn’t there a saying that you are only as good as your last or even next game?
The show pony was pretty good against the chiefs, especially as Potgieter was out injured for that one.
I fancy the Bulls for 40+ points this weekend.
11 May 2011, 09:43 am
@grant10(grant10)-70: Stormers must replace him with Brussouw!!! And Replace Ricky with Sarel Pretorius. Stormers can make Brussouw the most paid player in S.A.
11 May 2011, 09:43 am
@John Galt(John Galt)-69: agree John….that Dewalt should be at 8…no doubts imo
11 May 2011, 09:44 am
Vermuelen will just be another addition to the fatboy/plod club. Thanks but no thanks.
11 May 2011, 09:44 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-68:
I think he will
11 May 2011, 09:45 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-39:
True.Had to lose a fair bit of excess weight and up his workrate/fitness.
Now he is reaping the reward.
Easily the best ball carrier in world rugby at present.
The one-two punch-Deysel & Alberts is an awesome weapon for the Sharks.Include Beast & Bismark its damn near unstoppable. Pity there is no variation by Plum gameplan & of course no midfield cut/thrust thus making it all obsolete.
With a better midfield Sharks would be championship contenders…They gave the outside backs.and decent halfbacks who can do the job.
MIDFIELD….how I miss Andries Strauss right about now..(never thought i’d say that)
11 May 2011, 09:45 am
@Hop Hop Spinnekop(Hop Hop Spinnekop)-65: Puma making moves in Rugby. You have a link?
11 May 2011, 09:45 am
@grant10(grant10)-24:
Pretty good choices. Intimidating lineup.
11 May 2011, 09:46 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-72: spies just lacks the ingredients to be a real factor in the slow conditions imo…..work rate is poor, tackles like a lady, and hands let him down too often…
no thanks
11 May 2011, 09:47 am
Flow has deft touches that contribute in a mactch immensely, and is perhaps the most streetwise loosie in the country.
11 May 2011, 09:47 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-73: according to that Sharks Lover a deal is already in place with sharks…for brussow that is
11 May 2011, 09:48 am
@grant10(grant10)-61: Yup, SA’s equivalent of Reade
11 May 2011, 09:48 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-52: this would mean there’s something wrong with conditioning at the sharks with jean deysel constantly being injured too.
11 May 2011, 09:48 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-78: Gimme one sec. I’ll upload.
11 May 2011, 09:49 am
The problem with looseforward selection is that you have to back class longterm, especially in SA where every season you have a new bok calibre looseforward making an appearance. Yes, sure, on occassions some non boks are outperforming the actual bok backrowers.
There are 3 very young looseforwards playing in the bulls vodacom side.Very highly rated,all junior internationals. Van Velze looks the business in particular.
the question is, when do you start to back a new generation longterm.?
Selecting a new 25/26 year old looseforward who has never featured before is very much short term thinking in my opinion.
11 May 2011, 09:49 am
@grant10(grant10)-57:
Another season of Super Rugby before he realises his potential. The kid needs time to adapt and stay in one position.
Plum must not move him around like he has done with many other great talents in past seasons.
11 May 2011, 09:51 am
@John Galt(John Galt)-69: So what you’re saying is that he is an all rounder… I see him as a good link man…
Talking about Alberts, the guy has the 2nd highest tackle count in the entire S15 so far… (1 off the top). The only other Saffa in the top 10 is Whitely…
11 May 2011, 09:52 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-84:
Food for thought. One wonders if they take time to understand why a player keeps picking up certain injuries and working specifically on strengthening that area.
This is where the Aussies are good.
11 May 2011, 09:53 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-87: I wonder how that hand injury is affecting Lambie…..he has not looked to hit the advantage line for 2 games in a row now….maybe it is still ‘ eina’ ?
11 May 2011, 09:53 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-78: Here you go.
Bulls CC jersey.
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?4a2a1d9d32.jpg
11 May 2011, 09:53 am
@grant10(grant10)-70: 2nd string? I tell you what, if the Boks go playing a 2nd string against Samoa and Fiji in New Zealand then they are in for a big shock.
11 May 2011, 09:54 am
things to do
cheers …till later
outta here
11 May 2011, 09:54 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-77: i miss Barrit and Murray.
11 May 2011, 09:55 am
@John Galt(John Galt)-69:
but why are you comparing Potgieter to Albert or Daniels?
Potgieter has been good enough to pick up 2 supertrophys in a backrow combo that nobody rates? I very much doubt the sharks will win it this year, I thought they had a chance at the beginning of the season but not sure now.
The question is, are daniels and alberts dynamic and intelligent enough to be a Potgieter in my opinion?
11 May 2011, 09:57 am
@grant10(grant10)-74:
Problem with Dewalt is that he is undersized. he has no outstanding characteristics to his game barring “leadership” weve been hearing for years. The isnt a bruising ball carrier,isnt a superbly skilled link man,isnt a real breakdown pilferer, not a out and out lineout exponent,not a real athlete neither. He a diluted version of Schalk Burger without the size/physicality. He does a lot of things pretty well but not outstanding in any or combination of any.He has a huge workrate as he gets around but thats a bit of a luxury when impact isnt outright.
Good player just dont think he commands a Bok place even in a 30 man squad.
and at 8,Kanko-Vermuelen are better players there.Add Willem Alberts who can cover 8.Where does he fit in? Dont think he is good enough/physical enough to play 7(blindside)-much like Adam Thompson for NZ. At 6-Brussow,Flo,Daniel are better suited.
So where does he fit in?
11 May 2011, 09:57 am
@Hop Hop Spinnekop(Hop Hop Spinnekop)-91: nice jersey, pitty about the colours, Lol.
11 May 2011, 09:57 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-67: have you been watching Mujati @ Northhampton this season?
11 May 2011, 09:59 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-45: The enforcer/lineout allrounder is not that new a concept.
I can already think of guys like Dan Vickerman (at his peak), Paul O’Connell and back to Martin Johnson, that all filled that role.
To be honest, it’s only really when I started discussing with SA fans that the concept of 4 being the mandatory ‘enforcer’ and 5 being the lineout leader, in that order, ever came up.
11 May 2011, 10:01 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-73:
jeez, the stormers are buying more than the sharks these days with nought to show for it.
who exactly came through the “structures” at newlands.anybody at all.
I still maintain that one of the bulls secrets of recent years has been the number of players who were schooled in pretoria, near surrounds and even affies,just across the road from loftus. Almost a worship like respect for the jumper.
Am sure wp would be that much stronger if more players from bosch,wynberg,bishops and sacs ended up in the stripes.Regrettably, the junior power of rugby in the cape comes from paarl and stellies.
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