Ludeke praises his nines
7 Mar 2012
Frans Ludeke has lamented the loss of Francois Hougaard to suspension but expressed full confidence in his replacement Jano Vermaak.
Hougaard will miss the Bulls’ clash with the Blues on Saturday after being found guilty of executing a dangerous tackle on Cheetahs midfielder Robert Ebersohn at the weekend.
Hougaard is a significant loss in light of his form in the last fortnight and especially for a match against a side like the Blues, against whom he will have more time and space to operate, particularly in broken field. He showed his potency in this regard against the Cheetahs and Ludeke was deeply disappointed with his unavailability.
‘He really has settled in well. Honestly we thought it would take him a little longer to get the feel for playing scrumhalf again [Hougaard was deployed mostly as a wing since his arrival at the Bulls from Western Province in late 2007] but he has really impressed,’ Ludeke told keo.co.za.
‘His tactical versatility is good. He likes to run and snipe but his kicking game has come on nicely, he is really improving there. He had good momentum going so it’s difficult to lose him. That said Jano came here [from the Lions] because we saw a highly gifted scrumhalf who could compete for the No 9 shirt. He would start at most Super Rugby teams and that says just how good he is.’
Ludeke said he would not be prescriptive as to how Vermaak must play but explained that primarily he would have to fit into their base structures. ‘From there there is freedom to express yourself,’ he said. ‘Jano has a different skills set to Francois. He is probably better at a field position game but we saw in his time at the Lions that he has the ability to take on the defence. He is experienced and makes good decisions under pressure. We back him to assess the match situation and make the right choices.’
Vermaak is likely to play deputy to Hougaard for the foreseeable future but that hasn’t tempered his ambition for an international call-up. ‘To wear the No 9 jersey for the Bulls is a massive honour and responsibility. There were big names like Joost van der Westhuizen, Fourie du Preez and Hougie [Hougaard] who wore the jersey before me, so I have big shoes to fill. I’m looking forward to it and I’m a bit nervous. I hope to become a Bok here,’ he said.
Casting his vision wider to the decisive facets of play against the Blues, Ludeke said the accuracy of their tactical kicking and defence would be crucial in building pressure that forces the Blues into errors.
‘They are a side who aren’t afraid to attack you from deep in their territory and if your kicking game is off they will punish you from broken field,’ he explained. ‘It’s important that we don’t allow their runners the space to do their thing. The kicks must be spot on and the defensive line must be uniform and dominant. They are the type of side that is almost impossible to stop once they have momentum so we mustn’t give them any.’
Meanwhile Bulls forwards coach and technical adviser Johann van Graan highlighted a more pragmatic side of the Blues as a potential threat. ‘Their tactical kicking is excellent and everything doesn’t just go straight up,’ said Van Graan.
‘They’re also keen to kick along the ground via their outside backs to try and isolate their opponents and put them under pressure. Their kicking patterns are very much like that of the All Blacks. Besides, they’re also a team that can run you ragged and with Ma’a Nonu and Rene Ranger present we’ll have to be on our guard defensively. They can destroy you if you’re not at you best.’
By Ryan Vrede
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25 Comments
7 Mar 2012, 09:57 am
On the bright side a good opportunity for the Vermaak
Dragon!
7 Mar 2012, 10:09 am
Great to be spoilt for choice!! At least 2 or 3 good players in every position. With that type of debth the Bulls will go a long way to reaching the play-off stages. To think that most people wrote them off a month ago.
7 Mar 2012, 10:12 am
Vermaak is better than Hougaard in many areas.
So no real interruption, normal service to resume.
7 Mar 2012, 10:13 am
Ludekak for next bok coach…by then he will have 5 super rugby titles!
7 Mar 2012, 10:49 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-4:
this could actualy happen transie, this could actualy happen…
7 Mar 2012, 11:44 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-4:
If “Ludekak” does indeed win 5 S
7 Mar 2012, 11:47 am
If “Ludekak” does indeed win 5 Super-rugby titles, then surely he would deserve to be Bok coach!
Take him anyday before Allister “amper” Coetzee
7 Mar 2012, 12:11 pm
@Cordo(Cordo)-7:
‘Amper’
7 Mar 2012, 12:23 pm
Best Bok nines in order
Fourie, Hougaard, Vermaak
Before Fourie was Joost so Bulls have a serious history with quality 9s. Always crucial in a knock out game. Probably been the biggest problem for the Stormers in the last few seasons, Duvenage is average at best
7 Mar 2012, 12:44 pm
Vermaak forgot to mention Norman Jordaan, also a Bok 9 from the Bulls.
7 Mar 2012, 13:45 pm
Hougie will be missed. He was stand out against the Cheetahs and kept the momentum going forward for the Bulls. I could easily see Hougie and Vermaak as Bok 9′s. Who esle is there?
7 Mar 2012, 13:57 pm
Well Sarel Pretorius should be in the mix for Bok honours this year, but unfortunately he will be wearing puke yellow in the not too distant future!
Dis uiters poef
7 Mar 2012, 14:02 pm
While the South Africans and Kiwis are who is in the tougher conference, it is notable that the Australians have kept remarkably quiet on the subject.
Ellis admitted “you’ve got to wonder” if the Australian conference have it a little easier, and last year’s winners the Reds had the luxury of “getting to play the Force and the Rebels” twice.
The South Africa conference had “a couple of weaker sides”, which meant the top teams might “get a bit of time off”, he said. “Certainly, the New Zealand conference is by far the strongest. We’re playing the toughest rugby week-in, week-out.”
7 Mar 2012, 14:10 pm
@Cordo(Cordo)-12: I am a big fan of Sarel’s, but I can’t see any Bok coach picking a scrumhalf whose strengths are his unpredictability and whose defense is not great. If he does play for Aus he will have to qualify and he is already in his late 20′s I think.
7 Mar 2012, 14:15 pm
Jano is die tweede beste skrumskakel in die land, agter Hougie so dit is nie n probleem nie.
7 Mar 2012, 14:31 pm
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-14:
Young Sarel turns 28 this year, still enough time to pull on that golden piss jersey.
I agree that he might not have had much of a shout for the Bok XV, but it would of been awesome to add hes unpredictablity to Hougaards explosiveness for some variety in the national set-up:)
7 Mar 2012, 14:33 pm
@Cordo(Cordo)-16: I think he has to live there for 3 years first.
7 Mar 2012, 14:37 pm
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-14: His poor defense again.
A perceived issue. Yes, his man-on-man defense has let him down last year. Yes, I know he missed the most tackles in last year’s tourny.
But how many cover defensive tackles does he make? And how many tackles missed this year so far?
The Aussies have picked Quade Cooper, whose defense is not great, but otherwise a 10 that complements their game perfectly. In fact, he can be world-class if viewed as a package.
In SA we keep on finding excuses not to select a particular player, hammering on the weak points instead of embracing the brilliant ones.
If McCleod can be a Bok, so can Sarel.
7 Mar 2012, 14:55 pm
@willievz(willievz)-18: Agree with you about McCleod. Like I said I am a big fan of Sarel’s and would have loved to see him go to the RWC last year we might have found a way past the Wallabies with him in the team, but I can’t see any Bok coach picking him. They like their square pegs to fit their square holes.
7 Mar 2012, 15:12 pm
The difference between Jano and Hougie is their defense. Hougie is a great little defender & Jano leaks like a sive. Jano is also prone to the occasional brain ****. On the upside he is always looking to create opportunities as does Hougie. You bet Ludeke’s dissappointed and will be telling Jano to do as he is told.
7 Mar 2012, 15:48 pm
Sarel has the weekest pass Ive ever seen for a scrumhalf
7 Mar 2012, 16:53 pm
@Bok fan(Bok fan)-21: I presume you are referring to the occasional ‘loop’ in his pass. I agree that he needs to sort it out, I don’t know how that has crept into his game.
This is partly offset by his ability to arrive at the ruck quickly and to get the ball out of the ruck quickly. Despite the occasional loop, the Cheetahs (and the Tahs) scored tries aplenty with him at 9.
I can think of other teams who feature 9s with better passes that look less threatening on attack than the ones Sarel has featured for to date.
7 Mar 2012, 23:05 pm
The first priority for a number 9 is his or her pass.Too many halfs in Nz look-up take a step then pass, not good enough. The lad from Highlanders has the best pass in Nz and he is one of the reasons why that franchise is doing well.
8 Mar 2012, 03:53 am
The main reason for a loop pass is when a player is off balance. With Sarel arriving at breakdown so quickly, and clearing so quickly, one can argue that this could be why. By slowing down a bit at times we might see this aspect improve. Definitely a player the Bols could use in last 20
8 Mar 2012, 03:55 am
Bols = Boks
Eish!
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