In contention for 10
5 Jan 2012
JON CARDINELLI, writing in SA Rugby magazine, assesses the candidates who will be vying for the Springbok flyhalf jersey this year.
You’d read about it in a comic book or in a sport-meets-sci-fi short story. The powers that be respond to a World Cup failure by ordering their coaches and sport scientists to build the perfect player. Deep in the catacombs of the Newlands headquarters, the eggheads utilise advanced bio-technology to extract the strengths of each South African flyhalf and assemble a composite capable of spearheading a new breed of Springboks.
This hybrid possesses the boot of Morné Steyn, the vision of Ruan Pienaar, the cool composure of Pat Lambie and the innovation of Elton Jantjies. He has Butch James’s defensive belligerence, as well as Johan Goosen’s rare ability to nail long-range penalties. Rejoice all ye faithful South African supporters, for at long last we have manufactured the perfect 10.
It’s a fantastical scenario, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s going to take a laboratory experiment or even a radioactive spider bite to initiate South Africa’s flyhalf evolution. This country is blessed with an abundance of talent and yet the coaches continue to back limited players in the all-important position, or indeed fail to back those who have the potential to develop into something resembling the complete package.
In early 2008, Peter de Villiers expressed his desire to mould the Boks into a more threatening attacking unit. Ruan Pienaar was hailed as The Chosen One as the Boks embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom, and by the end of that three-match sojourn Pienaar had proved it was possible to strike a balance between running the ball and playing a more conservative, territory-oriented game.
In 2009, however, De Villiers lost faith in Pienaar as well as his own ambitious strive for duality. His selections, once made with the future good of the game in mind, became purely results driven. Pienaar was replaced by Steyn and while the selection brought the Boks short-term success, it proved to be a long-term decision that set South African rugby back four years. Predictably, the Boks stagnated in 2010 and 2011 and their subsequent World Cup quarter-final exit only underlined a pre-existing problem.
Most South African rugby supporters will want to forget about that disastrous campaign. They will want to read about the next Bok coach and the next group of players tasked with taking this nation forward. They have every right to feel enthused given that the well of talent in South Africa runs deep, but it would be foolish to ignore the failures of the past. The next Springbok coach has to take these harsh lessons into consideration when selecting his preferred flyhalf and formulating his game plan ahead of the 2012 season. What De Villiers’s tenure has provided is a blueprint of what not to do when it comes to managing key players and constructing playing patterns designed to win matches between and at big tournaments.
Steyn may have provided the Boks with goal-kicking security and a formidable tactical kicking game, but his weaknesses were mercilessly exposed by some of the better World Cup teams. Wales targeted his channel in South Africa’s opening game, while Samoa and Australia also enjoyed terrific momentum whenever they focused their attack on the limited No 10. With ball-in-hand, he played so deep in the pocket that he allowed opposition defences to negate South Africa’s attacking space. To paraphrase Eddie Jones, you just can’t afford to pick a flyhalf who plays in a dinner suit.
While the past few seasons have highlighted what is wrong with our rugby, they haven’t given us a definitive answer to the flyhalf question. If Steyn is unable to rectify his shortcomings, which after three international seasons looks to be the case, then the next Bok coach has to back someone new whether the goal is short-term success in 2012 or even long-term success in 2015.
Pat Lambie is a prime candidate. He was handed the flyhalf responsibility as a 20-year-old in the 2010 Currie Cup, and proved to be the difference in the final against Western Province. He was given limited opportunities on the Boks’ tour of the home nations, but honed his game in the 2011 Super Rugby tournament, particularly in the departments of tactical kicking and shooting for goal.
Lambie did an admirable job at fullback during the recent World Cup, but has the skill set to excel in a greater game-shaping role. After four seasons, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has now decided that it’s time to move the supremely talented James O’Connor to inside centre or flyhalf. After a two-season apprenticeship, perhaps it’s time that Lambie made a similar shift to the playmaking axis.
That he has the composure to perform in a high-pressure environment is not in question, and his value on defence and attack has been evident in previous Tests against the home nations as well as in this year’s Tri-Nations Test in Wellington. That latter display was especially significant as Lambie showed that he could impose himself on attack despite the lack of momentum up front.
Elton Jantjies’s match-winning efforts in this year’s Currie Cup final capped an incredible comeback for a player who had struggled in the preceding Super Rugby competition. That he had the goal-kicking ability and tactical-kicking prowess to be a success was never in doubt, but what marked his recent rise was a new confidence on attack and a willingness to take on the defence. Next year’s Super Rugby instalment will show just how far he’s come in this respect, and will also serve as an indicator of his defensive progress. If he can build on his Currie Cup form, he should be groomed for the ultimate responsibility at Test level.
There are more established options that the incoming Bok coach may want to consider. Steyn is a safe bet as long as the Boks aren’t playing a team that can outmuscle them in the forwards. If he wants to be viewed as more than goal-kicking insurance or a one-trick pony in general play, he will need to prove that he’s capable of a more balanced game in the coming Super Rugby tournament.
It’s a tough ask given the Bulls are at the beginning of a rebuilding process and the bulk of their forward veterans, namely Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Gary Botha and Gurthrö Steenkamp, have left the franchise. Unlike Lambie, Steyn has shown himself to be particularly susceptible when his pack is under pressure, and it would be a stretch to believe that he can develop while his forwards are losing the battle up front.
De Villiers abandoned the Pienaar experiment in 2009, and his successor is unlikely to reinstate the versatile player given all that has transpired over the past two seasons. Once open to the possibility of playing 10, Pienaar has declared himself a specialist scrumhalf since moving to Irish club Ulster in late 2010. His confidence has also been dented through the mismanagement of previous Bok coaches, and while it will remain one of the great tragedies that he wasn’t given a fair go at flyhalf, it’s a mistake the next coach won’t be able to rectify.
Peter Grant is another who has hurt his chances of a Bok recall by deciding to play at least half of each season abroad. After his first stint with the Kobe Steelers in Japan, he returned to the Stormers undercooked, and struggled to recapture his form as the 2011 Super Rugby competition progressed. While Grant’s general game has regressed since 2010, his line-kicking has been consistently underwhelming.
The Boks need more than a kicking flyhalf to be successful in 2012, but they also need a pivot who can play a territorial game when the situation demands it. Steyn doesn’t meet the requirement of a modern-day 10 because his attacking game and defence are substandard, and Pop-gun Pete is at the other end of the scale of flyhalves who lack a balanced game.
Apart from Lambie and Jantjies, there are several other youngsters who the Bok coach should be monitoring closely over the next year or so. Sias Ebersohn has flourished in the attack-minded Cheetahs set-up, while Lionel Cronjé has shown at times why Rassie Erasmus once touted him as the next Frans Steyn. Johan Goosen, a schoolboy prodigy who became a YouTube sensation thanks to his outrageous long-range penalty attempts, shouldn’t be spoken about in the national context just yet. What is clear at this point is that all three of these players have the raw potential to be something special.
Of the young prospects, Lambie has had the most opportunities with his franchise and the Boks, but needs to be managed carefully if he is going to be a driving force. Sharks incumbent Freddie Michalak enjoyed a good Currie Cup this year, but if the next Bok coach intends to use Lambie at flyhalf, the 21-year-old needs to be starting in that position for his franchise. That Michalak plans to return to France should also influence the Sharks coaches’ decision to start Lambie at No 10 sooner rather than later.
Lions coach John Mitchell publicly criticised Jantjies at the beginning of Super Rugby this year, but recognised the need to back the youngster towards the end of the tournament. Mitchell also stuck with Jantjies throughout the Currie Cup and preferred him ahead of Butch James when the Bok veteran returned from a failed World Cup campaign in late October. Mitchell should continue to play Jantjies in this key position in 2012. Jantjies’s performances in the 2011 Super Rugby tournament suggested he needed another season to develop, and the 2012 edition will show whether he’s made the necessary improvements to be considered a realistic candidate for Bok playmaker.
That the Boks need to start embracing all facets of the game and maximising their attacking potential is not up for debate, but as to who is worthy of that hallowed No 10 jersey will only be decided after several months of Super Rugby action. Providing the candidates receive sufficient opportunities to prove their worth, it promises to be an absorbing contest that will give the Bok coach something that his predecessors may have lacked: a number of balanced options.
– This article appeared in the December issue of SA Rugby magazine. The January-February issue is on sale now.
362 Comments
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5 Jan 2012, 13:19 pm
Jantjies or Steyn Dragon.
Lambie to fight for 15.
5 Jan 2012, 13:24 pm
FSteyn should be FB, therefore Lambie should be 12 or 10. Janties then at 10 would provide both the forementioned the right platform.
5 Jan 2012, 14:12 pm
With Viljoen and Ludik fighting for the 15 jersey at the Sharks and FM returning to Frogland, Plum will start Lambie in the 10 jersey this year.
Really looking forward to the Mcleod/Lambie combo again. They were awesome in 2010.
Itll be between Lambie, Steyn and Jaintjies for the Boks.
5 Jan 2012, 14:17 pm
Please Plum, don’t mess Lambie around. Make him 1st choice no10. Michelack to cover from the bench.
5 Jan 2012, 14:28 pm
Jaco Taute will be the Bok 15 in the future, he is a proper fullback and IMO. He offers more than Frans Steyn. He’s more creative, runs better into space, better at joining the line and can kick them over from almost 60m as well.
One more season and I think Taute will have no equal in SA.
5 Jan 2012, 14:30 pm
Frans Steyn should be 12 and Lambie and Jantjies should fight for 10.
10: Jantjies / Lambie
12: F. Steyn
15: Taute
5 Jan 2012, 14:31 pm
@goyougoodthing2-2: F Steyn proved categorically during the RWC that he should play at 12. taute can play 15, Lambie or Jantjies (depending on 2012 Super Rugby and subsequent Test form) at 10.
5 Jan 2012, 14:31 pm
@JA-JA-6: Snap.
5 Jan 2012, 14:32 pm
@kaksioek-7: I like the way you think
5 Jan 2012, 14:33 pm
@JA-JA-9: So it’s agreed then. Now we just need to let SARU know.
5 Jan 2012, 14:39 pm
the question is whether the new coach will be expected to beat oz, nz at home as non-negotiables and maybe an away win in his first season 4nations.
i think a #10 choice wil be made geared towards this demand and if so then it will probably be morne steyn.
5 Jan 2012, 14:50 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-11: Lambie and Jantjies are pretty reliable kickers. But if F Steyn plays, I would try letting him take all of the kicks. He is so accurate with the long kicks – who is to say he wouldn’t be even better with the shorter ones?
5 Jan 2012, 14:50 pm
much as i rate him, i don’t think you can pen taute’s name into the boks team sheet…
let’s see how he and the lions handle the s15 first… but i have little doubt taut will be the the bok fullback in a year or few…
right now i’d go with 15 aplon, 12 frans and 10 lambie…
people are saying apron is too old… wtf…? we don’t want to go into another building for the next world cup cycle all over again… aplon is our most dangerous runner from the back and has a great boot from the back too… and his defense is good…
lambie is a cool thinker and can vary the play and guide the team from 10… i really don’t believe he is in any way lesser than michalak other than for age… plumtree is really messing up this kid’s future big-time… really irritates me… if they won’t play lambie at 10… where he said he prefers to play… let him come and play for the stormers… he’d be guaranteed the 10 jersey… play michalak at 9… as none of the sharks 9s are worth getting too excited over…
also wouldn’t be using ink when mentioning elton jantjies in the boks… sure he has talent and has lots of potential… but again, let’s see how things turn out in the s15 first… to leapfrog him over lambie would be grossly unfair and very premature…
5 Jan 2012, 14:51 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-11: Also, we have far more chance of beating Aus and NZ at home and away if we run the ball.
5 Jan 2012, 14:55 pm
@John Galt-3:
wasn’t it announced a week or so ago that michalak would be staying at the sharks…?
there was talk of him playing his way back into french contention… but he’s not in their 6 nations squad…
5 Jan 2012, 14:57 pm
@ufo-15: Yes.
Michalak to play Super Rugby
24 Dec 2011
Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal confirmed that Sharks halfback Frederic Michalak has made a verbal agreement with the French club, but only from July 2012.
Michalak expressed his desire to return to home shortly after the Currie Cup as he wishes to play his way back into French national squad under new coach Philippe Saint-Andre. Michalak last played for Le Bleus in 2010.
But it seems that move will only happen at the start of the next European season as Boudjellal said Toulon have verbally agreed a three-year deal with the 29-year-old. This means Michalak will feature for the Sharks in 2012?s Super Rugby campaign, which kicks off in February.
‘Nothing has been signed but there is a verbal agreement on a contract for three years,’ said Boudjellal.
‘I think he will be a Toulon player next season. He has been impressed by the chance to play with Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau. We need four to five players of a very high level and, if he signs, Fred will be the start of that.
‘He will come and play at scrumhalf [and] he knows that. His age and experience will help him in this position.’
5 Jan 2012, 14:58 pm
fark M Steyn man….get your asss out the laager aur evoir
5 Jan 2012, 15:01 pm
What? Almost 2000 words on the Bok flyhalf on keo.co.za, and no punt for Butch James? Outrageously unheard of.
I can only imagine that his stocking-filler biography went down like a pair of concrete boots this Christmas season, and this is keo punishing him.
5 Jan 2012, 15:02 pm
@kaksioek-16:
thanks bud…
“He will come and play at scrumhalf [and] he knows that. His age and experience will help him in this position.”
will some sharks fan please make sure than plumtree sees this and stops picking michalak at 10…
5 Jan 2012, 15:06 pm
Taute and Lambie to fight it out for 15. Lambie’s goalkicking not up to international standard. Goosen, jantjies and m steyn for 10. Start goosen at wing for first season if we are scared he will get exposed. He has got the goalkicking stats that m steyn got after 4 years of superrugby. F steyn to start at 12, with a couple of promising youngsters to fight out the backup spot. We should rather start to focus on our lock combo as bekker will get a long term injury in the super season.
5 Jan 2012, 15:10 pm
Lambie is the man….with that Free State laaitie on the “fast track” we will have enough depth. I’ll wait and see what Jantjies does this year…he has yet to display consistent form….we can’t have a stop start player as Bok flyhalf. Steyn must maar go to Japan.
5 Jan 2012, 15:11 pm
@ufo-15:
He’s going back in June.
Apparently has a verbal agreement with Toulon. (doesnt sound that watertight.)
Not complaining, Lambie would have learnt a bit from this old frog and it is my hope that Plum plays him at 10 with Michalak as backup.
I cant see Plum building the backline around Fred only to see him leave and then have to rebuild the backline again in June. I dont think he is that stupid.
Although, he did do some pretty stupid things last season.
5 Jan 2012, 15:14 pm
@Horings-20: I hope you’re wrong about that last part – we need Bekker desperately.
5 Jan 2012, 15:15 pm
I’m liking this “dilemma” the Boks will find themselves in this year and next.
2012:
10: Jantjes vs Lambie
15: Lambie vs Taute
2013
10: Jantjies vs Goosen vs Lambie
15: Lambie vs Taute
Steyn (Frans) must play at 12.
5 Jan 2012, 15:17 pm
@>^..^< katman-18: I got several books this Christmas.
Victor’s book
Tim Noakes’ book.
Bear Gryl’s book
Clarkson’s latest
and some book by John Bishop with a collection of “anecdotes’ about sport by various writers.
No Butch.
I’m devastated.
Maybe I’ll pick one up at the exclusive book sale in Feb. Should be a fair amount available, at a real bargain.
5 Jan 2012, 15:17 pm
Lambie has no calm at 10, Ruan has poor decision making at 10. Morne on the other hand has the boot, has the decision making and is the most composed 10 at test level. He is the complete 10. We saw exactly what he could do when he actually had a real 12 outside him for the first time in his test career (Frans). 12 always was the real issue, but you Keo, and your little yes men, have campaigned hard to get rid of him for inferior players. Yes, it was Grant, then Butch, then Pienaar, then Lambie (what an absolute clanger!). Who will it be this year? Just accept the obvious, without Morne, there isn’t going to be any success in a no.10 jersey. How often does Morne offload the ball to a player in a worse position? He doesn’t. He works well with what is available to him. He was a key figure in the Bulls 2010 triumph, the best attacking performance by any team in Super rugby history! Yes, that’s right, Morne was central to that. I only hope we don’t see any of the lies and hidden agendas like we saw over the last three years, but that is asking far too much.
5 Jan 2012, 15:18 pm
Johan Goossen is worth more than a mention. In 4 games, this kid has shown he can outclass most players senior to him. A boot that’s bigger than that of Frans Steyn (and much more accurate) and he showed he is incredible at the running game. Big, strong and controls the line with precision passing. And guess what!! He can tackle!!
This guy is a phenomenon! Usually I’d say we should give a player more time, but some of the most amazing players (eg Johny Wilkonson) showed that they have a short life-span before the injuries kick in. I’d say get him in there while he’s still standing!
5 Jan 2012, 15:21 pm
@John Galt-22:
hope you’re right about lambie starting 10… i don’t think lambie has a long enough boot to be an international 15… but it is accurate and clever enough to dictate play at 10…
i see him and goosen as our long-term 10s…
let’s hope… but plums a strange kiwifruit for sure…
5 Jan 2012, 15:21 pm
@Kietzphat-24: Lambie is no 10. He had a shakey start at 15 against New Zealand and looked nervy against Fiji, but since that test he did look very good there. The problem is that he could only ever a be a retread 10, and these experiments have never worked for us. Just look at Percy, Gaffie, Adi and many others, who have been shifted around to see that. Lambie is our 15 for now, though I prefer Aplon in most ways. Frans our 12, Morne far and away our best 10, and you have some stability and test quality to work with. Our real dilemma is at 13. Thankfully though 9 should take care of itself with Hougaard. Any attempt to deviate from the above will fail, mark my words. If Smal comes in we will hav hope, but Coetzee or Rassie? Ouch!!!
5 Jan 2012, 15:22 pm
@ufo-28: Lambie does not have it in him to play 10 at test level. He was tried there and failed spectacularly every time. The complete opposite is true, he has started to excel at 15, his first real contribution to the Boks has been and is exclusively there.
5 Jan 2012, 15:25 pm
@Alucard-26: @Alucard-29:
Dude
A “complete 10″ can pass, tackle, kick and run. Morne only ticks one of those boxes. And it sure as hell is not tackling or running.
I’ll take my chances without him at 10 thank you very much.
Lambie and Jantjes both produced man of the match performances in Currie Cup Finals 2010 and 2011 respectively.
5 Jan 2012, 15:26 pm
@stormersboy-25:
why wait for the sale…?
pick one up free…
i hear they’re using them as doorstops at the print shop… and they have been spotted in cape town being used as chocks for cars with busted handbreaks…
5 Jan 2012, 15:29 pm
@Alucard-30:
“He was tried there and failed spectacularly every time.”
how many times has he stared at 10 for the boks…?
5 Jan 2012, 15:29 pm
After a nice holiday break – which isn’t over yet – it really strikes me how bloody opinionated these clueless Keo journalists are.
Personally, I don’t know who the best bet for Bok flyhalf will be going forward, but I know a much, and probably more, about rugby than Cardinelli and co, and I find it impossible to give suce a strong opinion on ANY of the flyhalf candidates.
Steyn is not perfect, but he is not a tenth as bad as Cardinelli makes him out to be, while Jantjies and Lambie have lots of potential, yet aren’t close to the legends in waiting that Cardinelli describes them as.
In conclusion, we have a lot of decent flyhalf candidates with different strengths and weaknesses, but Cardinelli’s opinion is no less a personal wishlist than that of any common blogger on this site.
Like Katman, I am just surprised that superman Butch wasn’t punted more enthusiastically in this article. Maybe he has outlived his usefulness to this crowd..
5 Jan 2012, 15:32 pm
@Kietzphat-31: Morne can run, kick, pass and tackle. Granted he is not a dominant tackler, but more than good enough. Much better than the no show Lambie put up against Australia in the first test last year, and the complete open highway the following week against New Zealand. He is a proven class player who never ever was only a kicker. He statistically kicks less than Carter, and is a very slick distributor. End of story.
5 Jan 2012, 15:32 pm
@kaksioek-14:
last year we ran the ball against oz and nz four times (two each) with diff #10′s and lost.
the one time we kicked the ball (fifth game) we won.
of course i’m not saying kicking rugby is the way, but i am saying that ideas about a good kicker with the temperament and maturity for playing against the two toughest teams in rugby (and be expected to see out two must win home games) is probably going to be what informs the new coach’s thinking wrt the 4nations tests.
thats all.
helluva pressure to put on those kids if theres expectations to win.
consider, even the all blacks and ozzies groom and work their incumbents in over a period of time. think of carter as an example or cooper… they did not just rock up into the 1st choice slot.
there is only three tests against the english (given the quality what will they offer as preperation) before they play the argies in the 4nations (also can be preperation) and then the real kak starts.
just because you throw a laaitie into the kak early or give him a canoe and send him up kak creek does not guarantee he will sommer be able to swim or paddle his way out.
besides, why do this to them when we have a capable player in morne who did run the ball in the quarters (which we should have won save for the fixing) and who can be replaced by any of the laaities if the games are going well.
@grant10-17:
no grant, i want us to run it and kick it as when and where needs be. i support total rugby, so does heyneke.
@>^..^< katman-18:
business is as they say, business, after all…
5 Jan 2012, 15:34 pm
@ufo-33: He has played many tests at 10. In each and every one he has failed to maintain momentum or generate it. He cannot dictate a game nor can he ignite it. He can’t even do that at the Sharks.
5 Jan 2012, 15:37 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-36:
even the all blacks and ozzies groom and work their incumbents in over a period of time. think of carter as an example or cooper…
and colin slade…?
5 Jan 2012, 15:38 pm
Lambie, Jantjies and Goosen is my choice going forward @10.
Jantjies and Goosen needs good Super rugby tournaments to show they belong with the big boys, Lambie has done that allready imo.
5 Jan 2012, 15:39 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-36: There is a lot of truth to what you are saying, especially about the RWC QF, but I think it’s time to move beyond the safe option. Lambie wouldn’t be coming from nowhere either – he has 11 Bok caps.
On the other hand, to be fair, we need to wait and see what Morne’s form is like this year.
5 Jan 2012, 15:40 pm
@Horings-20:
@Alucard-26:
agreed on steyn.
he will feature no doubt.
whether its smal or meyer as coach.
5 Jan 2012, 15:42 pm
@Alucard-37:
i repeat my question…
how many games has lambie started at 10 for the boks…?
He can’t even do that at the Sharks.
well he’s hardly playing 10 for the sharks now so harsh to crit him on that… but… as many sharks fans will remind you… he famously put schalk on his bum and many would say lambie ignited the sharks in that game…
5 Jan 2012, 15:43 pm
@ufo-38:
this is one instance that was not by design
you know that.
its the exeptions that prove the general rule.
5 Jan 2012, 15:44 pm
@Alucard-37:
You are clueless buddy, and everyone can see this as clear as daylight.
5 Jan 2012, 15:44 pm
@kaksioek-40:
there we go, i can agree with that one hundered percent, thank you very much.
5 Jan 2012, 15:45 pm
I don’t know how many Tests Lambie has started, but he has played 5 at flyhalf, 5 at fullback and 1 on the wing.
5 Jan 2012, 15:53 pm
Are there any alternatives to Hougaard at scrumhalf?
He’s my first choice if there are no other real contenders, but jeez I liked the look of him on the wing.
He’s a dangerous runner in open space. I especially liked how him and Lambie at 15 combined, running off Steyn at 12.
5 Jan 2012, 15:55 pm
@Kietzphat-47: Sarel Pretorius.
5 Jan 2012, 15:57 pm
@Kietzphat-47:
ruan pienaar..?..
5 Jan 2012, 15:57 pm
@kaksioek-48:
Did cross my mind. Question marks over his defence?
Be interesting to see how he performs for the Tahs this year.
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