Jean still central to Bok cause
26 Sep 2011
JON CARDINELLI believes that Jean de Villiers will offer the Springboks more at No 12 in the play-offs and that Frans Steyn is best utilised at fullback.
Steyn has enjoyed a good World Cup to date. He was one of the standouts in a generally disappointing team performance against Wales, and shone in the subsequent matches against weaker opposition. He was moved to No 12 when De Villiers was unavailable and, predictably, was too much to handle for the weaker defences of Fiji and Namibia.
De Villiers has since recovered from a rib injury but will not displace Steyn in the starting side for Friday’s game against Samoa. Coach Peter de Villiers believes that Steyn offers more from a physical perspective following his aggressive performances against Fiji and Namibia, and is now likely to retain Steyn as his preferred No 12 until the end of the Boks’ World Cup campaign.
Steyn ran with what looked to be the starting team at Owen Delany Park in Taupo on Monday. De Villiers replaced Steyn towards the end of the session which suggests that the Stormers man will be deployed from the bench at the North Harbour Stadium.
It’s disconcerting that the Bok selectors would bench De Villiers, their chief defensive organiser among the backs, just because Steyn produced the goods against weak opposition. Against teams like the Wallabies and the All Blacks in the play-offs, they will need more than brute physicality to penetrate defences or stall attacking movements.
Jaque Fourie summed it up best after the Fiji match when he described De Villiers as a clever player. He didn’t go as far to say that De Villiers was a superior option at No 12, but he intimated that De Villiers’ contribution goes beyond aggression and power, and that his decision making is invaluable to the Boks’ success.
And to say that Steyn shouldn’t play No 12 is not a criticism of the player. He has done the job before at the 2007 World Cup, and he’s shown that he can still do the job against teams like Fiji and Namibia. But is it worth persisting with him at inside centre because of those two performances? Is it worth discarding De Villiers as a starting option?
Is it also worth moving Steyn away from the position of fullback? Earlier in the year, the Bok coach said that he wanted to get Steyn back in South Africa because fullback was a position where he believed South Africa were thin. Steyn’s formidable kicking game, he believed, would also prove key to the success of a Bok game plan that relies on territorial dominance and defensive pressure.
Pat Lambie has acquitted himself well in the position, and ran with the starting side again on Monday. While he can offer the Boks more from a attacking and counter-attacking perspective, he doesn’t have the big boot that’s capable of changing the momentum of the game. Steyn showcased this strength when the Boks played Wales in the first pool match.
Meanwhile, Morne Steyn looks set to continue at flyhalf. Butch James ran at training on Monday but took a break when the backs went through their kicking drills. While it didn’t seem to hamper his ability to run and take contact, that niggling hip injury prevented James from kicking a ball.
The Boks also look likely to use five forwards on their bench. Jean de Villiers and Francois Hougaard alternated with Frans Steyn and Fourie du Preez respectively during Monday’s practice. This would suggest that if James is not fit enough to feature in the match 22, Frans Steyn could provide flyhalf cover for his namesake.
James is the kind of flyhalf the Boks need for the coming clash, and indeed in the big play-off matches. His defensive presence would have been invaluable in the tighter matches, as would his attacking play.
No doubt his injury problems would have made the decision easier for Peter de Villiers and company, but if he manages to recover, he should be considered as the Boks’ preferred flyhalf. Alongside midfielders Jean de Villiers and Fourie, James will provide the Boks with the defensive stability they need to mount a serious challenge against teams like the Wallabies and All Blacks.
Probable Springboks to play Samoa – 15 Pat Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 John Smit, 17 Gurthro Steenkamp, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Jean de Villiers.
168 Comments
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26 Sep 2011, 15:17 pm
@madvillain(madvillain)-148: You have no clue man. Jean de Villiers instead of F Steyn at centre, Ruaan Pienaar ahead of Lambie. Nah weaker team by far
26 Sep 2011, 15:20 pm
@madvillain(madvillain)-148: No we dont have to have them both starting. Morne Steyn gets confidence from him and the 10/12 channel is much more secure with him there… Nothing wrong with Ice Lambie at FB… If anything he is probably calmer and more secure under high ball than Frans Steyn himself… Although he doesnt have a 60m boot, he is no slouch at finding touch.
26 Sep 2011, 15:26 pm
JC – take your head out from your rear *******. JdV is way over-rated. Frans Steyn is so much better! And Lambie adds an attacking dimension from the back which means that a Lambie and 15 and Steyn at 12 is a better option than a Steyn at 15 and JdV at 12. There is nothing wrong with our defence when Steyn is at 12!
26 Sep 2011, 15:46 pm
Not convinced JC.
I personally think Frans Steyn is better because his distribution is significantly better than JDVs. JDV’s distribution is not existent for me thus far, but let’s see after Friday …
26 Sep 2011, 16:32 pm
You’d have to go with Francois Steyn at 12 and Lambie at 15. Jdv doesn’t offer much, and the alleged best centre combo no longer exists, the new best test centre combo Steyn and Fourie is now born.
26 Sep 2011, 17:39 pm
How about this?:
JPP @ fullback: he’s played there before is big, fast, can kick and is solid on defence
F.Steyn @ 12: Even if his last few games have been against weak opponents he is in form, showing creativity and hunger – things JDV has not shown in years…
Aplon or Hougard @ 14: Probably 1 starts and plays full game while the other is a sub for Habana.
15. JPP
14. Hougard
13. Fourie
12. Steyn
11. Habana/aplon
10. M. steyn
9. FDP
Pace, power, creativity and solid defense and no real weak links
On Lambie: I’m definitely not convinced… his composure is good as most have commented but I don’t think he will ever be a world class player…
He’s not fast
He’s on the smallish size
His boot is consistent but unspectacular
His defense is not amazing
He comes across as a solid average player with a clever mind. The fact that he is young is what makes most S Africans think he is amazing but be honest and compare him to a player like James O’Connor… no comparison imo.
26 Sep 2011, 18:10 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-152: agreed about Lambie, people seem to be unsure of him but i’m confident he’ll do the job just fine. and he seems to rise to the occasion, his performance at the business end of the CC last year made a good case for his BMT
26 Sep 2011, 18:16 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-157: Yeah, we’ll see during the Samoa game… It will be a good test for both… Steyn vs Mapasua and various Samoans on the run up that 10/12 channel, and Lambie as last line of D and under any high ball with Tuilagi bearing down on him… That should sort out any arguments.
26 Sep 2011, 18:37 pm
@WPeeeeee(WPeeeeee)-156: Pat’s defence is one of his strong points. So don’t agree with you. He also weighs 92kg. He is not a light weight at all. Very good under the high ball. So far has had a solid game at fb. Has not let the team down and will get better.
JPP played fb in PE when Lambie went off injured and he was not great there at all. JPP best position is wing. He was superb against Fiji at 14. Leave him there.
With Fransie playing inside centre and Pat at fb Morne’s is playing far better at fh as well.
No need to mess with what is working. We need momentum now.
26 Sep 2011, 18:38 pm
@Puma(Puma)-159: Sorry JPP was superb at 11 against Fiji. But either side he is a great wing.
26 Sep 2011, 23:48 pm
@WPeeeeee(WPeeeeee)-156: I think thats a good call…
26 Sep 2011, 23:51 pm
@Puma(Puma)-159: … but as you say…. don’t mess with what is working.
I still think (for some reason) Lambie is going to get taken out. I’m not sure he’s 100% physically.
27 Sep 2011, 00:51 am
@Puma(Puma)-159: Lambie has not outplayed JP at 15. Lambie is very weak in contact, I have never seen him make a single authoritative tackle at any level. He is very hesitant and lacks any kind of accuracy. Another myth that was created by Keo. Why? Because he cannot stand Morne! Another myth created for reasons that have nothing to do with rugby. Lambie has never shown that he deserves to play for the Boks, having very poor performances throughout the EOYT last year and was heavily expose in the TNs. So far, at 15? Nothing. He hasn’t done anything special. He is just an average kid that doesn’t even have the guts to try and make a statement. That’s where Frans was so good as a kid, he had the ballz to go for it. Much like Hougaard. Lambie, average ability and zero BMT. He’s a bottler, just like Pienaar! There can be no more debate about him. Tried, tested, found wanting.
27 Sep 2011, 03:07 am
@Alucard. 163. Worst analysis of Lambie I have ever read. He has tons of BMT. He is technically way ahead of the other options at fb. He is brilliant under the high ball and an excellent tackler. That tackle on the Fijian where he spun him in the air like a Catherine wheel was the highlight of the game for me. This kid has all the raw materials and will only become a polished gem eith more experience.
27 Sep 2011, 03:08 am
@Alucard. 163. Worst analysis of Lambie I have ever read. He has tons of BMT. He is technically way ahead of the other options at fb. He is brilliant under the high ball and an excellent tackler. That tackle on the Fijian where he spun him in the air like a Catherine wheel was the highlight of the game for me. This kid has all the raw materials and will only become a polished gem with more experience.
27 Sep 2011, 04:16 am
For knockouts
F.Steyn to 15. JPP 14, Fourie 13, JdV 12, Aplon 11, M.Steyn 10, Hougaard 9
You wanna play F.Steyn at 12 then JPP to 15. Aplon 14, JdV and de Jongh to bench with Pienaar or FdP. Hougaard to start at 9 every time. No place for little Lambiekins
27 Sep 2011, 07:20 am
@Alucard(Alucard)-163: Lambie totally shut down Nonu this year
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-166: JDV is/was the roadblock in your backline skop, he is the reason they never got the ball. Lord knows Mike Tindall is not the complete centre but even he passes more than JDV.
27 Sep 2011, 07:21 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-167: that should read ‘he is the reason they never got the ball to their wings’
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