Sharks bruiser is Meyer’s man
28 May 2012
JON CARDINELLI says Willem Alberts’ strong performance against the Stormers bodes well for the three-Test series against England.
Alberts’ detractors will be snorting in disbelief. One dominant showing and he’s suddenly back, suddenly the answer to Heyneke Meyer’s blindside quandary? So much for a measured evaluation.
It’s an understandable reaction. Alberts has struggled with injuries over the past year, and when he has actually played he hasn’t been as effective at the gainline as before. He made a terrific impact in the first half of the 2011 Super Rugby tournament, but battled for form in the months that followed.
That was until last Saturday. Backed by John Plumtree in the most important match of the Sharks’ season, Alberts turned in a powerful performance. The Sharks forwards manhandled their Stormers counterparts, and Alberts was particularly effective in that ball-carrying role on attack, and that momentum-stalling role on defence.
It was an important performance in a Springbok context. When two of the strongest teams in a conference clash, the national coach is always going to be watching. If you can make an impact in this contest, you can stake your claim for national selection. If you can make inroads into the best defence in the Super Rugby competition, if you can outmuscle the most physical team in South Africa, you can make a massive statement.
What will help Alberts’ cause is that there aren’t many blindside flankers available at present, at least not the type of No 7s that Meyer is looking for. Juan Smith, Schalk Burger and Duane Vermeulen are all sidelined with injuries while Danie Rossouw has also told Meyer he is not available.
Who else but Alberts fits the job description, at least in terms of what Meyer values in a blindside? He ticks the boxes of experience and size, as the latter lends itself to the dual role of ball-carrying and defending, not to mention providing an extra option in the lineout.
And as he showed this past Saturday, he is coming back into form. He will have one more opportunity to gather momentum before the England series as the Sharks play the Lions this Saturday. While this will be useful for a man coming back from injury, he’s already shown what he is capable of against the Stormers. That performance against the Stormers showed how he could be an important figure for the Boks in that England series.
The Boks are favourites to win that series and some South African pundits have been as bold as to predict a 3-0 result in favour of the hosts. To realise that goal, however, they will need to outplay England at the set pieces, breakdowns and collisions.
Some may be taking the English lightly, and for good reason. They are in a period of rebuilding and will be touring South Africa without several key forwards.
But Meyer has never been a coach to underestimate his opponents, and will pick his strongest available side for the coming series. He will select players that best fit his game plan, which is one of the primary reasons Fourie du Preez will start at scrumhalf and lead the team.
It is also for this reason that Alberts, in the absence of heavy hitters like Smith, Burger and Vermeulen, should be entrusted with the No 7 responsibilities.
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384 Comments
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28 May 2012, 14:34 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-347: Of course I want to see the game… I want to see Pain and dreams of superiority die… on hallowed Kings Park turf… Again… Like on Saturday.
Pienk Drome Dynamited by Black and White….
BOOM!
28 May 2012, 14:34 pm
who is this warmongrel?
28 May 2012, 14:35 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-351:
siestog….”boom”
ophou daai boom rook ou seun
28 May 2012, 14:36 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-348: Yeah… a real good Chiliboy up their collective Greylings…
28 May 2012, 14:37 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-352:
The one and only, Stegmann.
Played with a broken arm until the team doc took him off, and still dove in under the rucks.
I recall Gurthro playing with a broken arm in 2010, and he pussyfooted around th erucks and tackles.
Few men wouldve continued like Steggies did.
28 May 2012, 14:37 pm
@willievz(willievz)-329: i don’t recall them being written off at all, they were called for under-performing….totally different.
28 May 2012, 14:39 pm
Cheers manne, sien later.
HG behave yourself now, niks meer aaptwak vir jou nie.
28 May 2012, 14:40 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-342: I hope for your sake Stegman doesn’t read keo. Because he won’t be too pleased with all this manlove for BJ.
28 May 2012, 14:40 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-355: Stegmann…? Lol… Dont make me larf so farken hard, man
Neon Deon is about as tough as Timotei on a bad hair day…
Steggman…FarkLOL
28 May 2012, 14:42 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-357: Cheers… Wait and see what BOOM I’m talking about come the King Park destiny for the Pienk… Raait?
28 May 2012, 14:44 pm
stegman
bwhahaha
28 May 2012, 16:17 pm
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-297: Buddy – the Saders will be gunning now for the no 1 spot – we have 3 home easy games and the Chiefs away – title is our s mother *******
28 May 2012, 16:31 pm
Why what do we have here? The Guppies are out in full force with their head cheerleader HG leading from the front with nipples all pointy and cameltoe exposed! It seems that the whole Sharks team should be in the Bok squad laugh-out-farking loud! What will the excuses be once they can only play and hope for a miracle wildcard? That their poor injury ravaged squad at the beginning of the season caused this? At least they’ll have a convenient excuse………….as they again won’t make the playoffs this year.
Pray for a miracle boys, on your knees with hands together and eyes closed. Pray as hard as you can……………as you have done for the last couple of years to no avail!
28 May 2012, 16:39 pm
If they don’t use Alberts they need there heads read
28 May 2012, 16:40 pm
Fern I see that you’re in the habit of talking to yourself, are you, cos it sure seems that no one’s listening to your irrelevant one liners.
28 May 2012, 16:42 pm
Watchin the highlights of the game on Sat – that canadian 8th man for the Stormers is shockin in defence – look at the hole he left for Kanko
28 May 2012, 16:44 pm
Beast will again be exposed when he packs down for the Boks for scrumming inward – minimal bind and yes- he’ll give away penalties too. Alberts must be conditioned or else he’s as useful as a bar of soap. We need a strong SB tight 5 to ensure he has go forward – without go forward he will be ineffective. Lambie my Bok 15.
28 May 2012, 16:49 pm
366 @ Stew
Jebb is even more hopeless than Spies!
28 May 2012, 16:53 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-363:
Oh my, are you saying that HG is a girl?
I shall send her a friend request, maybe she will go out with me.
And here I was thinking she was a bro. There’s been a breach in the brocode.
I was going to say to HG that we’ve been talking sterretjiesterretjiesterretjie here since 2009 or whatever, building quite an innings.
I should have a dop with HG and put my money where my mouth is and put my fist where his mouth is, but it seems that in the light of this new information I may need to substitute my fist for something else.
Anyways, Herman, looking at the rest of the fixtures I would rather worry about the WP praying for a wildcard if I were you.
I do agree that Alberts needs conditioning and Beast is a bit..well..yeah.
28 May 2012, 17:06 pm
369 @ Agile
Nah even if Stormers lose to Bulls they have an easier run in after the break. The Bulls have to play the Sharks and Stormers coming off two physical games in NZ.
HG loves CPT, especially a certain club in Green Point. He’ll be at Kings Park as he had word that the Bulls will be playing in pink. Pink makes him all fuzzy. Think he has a thing for black guys though. Beast makes him soil his undies.
28 May 2012, 17:20 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-370:
The Stormers barely survived the Cheetahs at NL, they’re going down at Bloem boet, Bokke are gonna disrupt the Stormers and fatigue them for 3 weeks prior, not the Cheetahs.
Shark are our last game- Bulls are strong finishers.
Methinks it’ll be Bulls and Sharks are going through, Sharks have a bye too.
28 May 2012, 17:23 pm
@Pee Wee(Pee Wee)-363: Well the f# ck ers blame the ref, EVEN when they win so anything is possible. Hor-moan is still whinging about the Sharks injuries in the opening rounds……..
28 May 2012, 17:26 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-371: The Boks will be disrupting the Bulls and Sharks more. How many Stormer forwards are in the Bok reckoning? Eben and Andries – that’s it (both injured in any event it seems). We do have the pleasure of resting Kolisi, Elstadt, whole front row, and getting Schalk, Duane and Koster back…….just in time for all the fun stuff….
28 May 2012, 17:28 pm
By the way, the Stormers should be below the Bulls on the log by 1 point:
BULLS vs STORMERS: Craig Joubert giving them an incorrect penalty giving them an unfair win.
STORMERS vs SHARKS: Peyper ignoring a forward pass on purpose to give Stormers a bonus point.
Stormers are there on luck.
28 May 2012, 17:30 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-374:
incorrect scrum penalty after time within range, even the commentators saw that immediately.
Makes me think the refs are bought. Things always go that way for WP..ja, Rupert, Im looking at you, or whoever looks like you.
28 May 2012, 17:32 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-373:
there is a backline too, and the Bulls are just going to moer the Sharks, besides that they are going to cruise, both of them.
Sorry Stormers, try next year, it cant be too hard to weerprobeer, you’ve had 11 years practice now.
28 May 2012, 17:39 pm
People really fear the Stormers hey! That is all they can talk about.
I only worry about my team. The other teams should only worry about theirs. Strange how obsessed some are…
28 May 2012, 17:41 pm
The saying goes… you will always find fault with those who are a threat…
28 May 2012, 17:44 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-378:
Who’s the most hated team on all the forums, in all the lands? Bulls.
Who’s the only SA team to win a SR title (3 in 4 years)? Bulls
Nice, I see what you did there Bill. Definitely the biggests threat.
Finding major problems with the Bulls myself this year. Man, threats all round
28 May 2012, 18:01 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-374: Luck schmuck -we are where we are. Your ranting doesn’t change that does it? Or do you have connections, like old HG from the Sharks who will be ‘arranging’ a bonus point for the Sharks from their BYE weekend. Damn you folk are more connected than we are. PS: By your reasoning, the Bulls are also lucky to be where they are currently? Brumbiessssssssssss mean anything?
28 May 2012, 18:18 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-380:
A brumby is a feral Australian horse.
“Brumbies” is the plural.
Sheesh, you should know that by now.
28 May 2012, 18:49 pm
If the Stormers are currently ahead of the Bulls and more so the Sharks, how can the Stormers be in more danger of not making the semis? People are assuming that the Stormers will lose to the Bulls and possibly Cheetahs and the Bulls and Sharks winning all their remaining games. The Bulls are fresh off a demanding tour.
They scraped through against the Tahs and Rebels and got their just reward against the Landers and Chiefs. They now have to play the Stormers and lastly the Sharks and we have to believe that they’re in a better space than the Stormers? If the Stormers lose to the Bulls with a BP and the Bulls don’t get a winning BP the Pinkies will lead the Stormers by one………..with the Sharks still to come. The Sharks have no choice but to win all their games. Stormers can afford to lose to Bulls and still be ahead of Bulls and Sharks – not that we want them to – but t hats the reality of it all.
Natural order will be restored shortly with the Sharks, fresh from coming close but ultimately missing the playoffs again, praying for a Stormers loss in the semis and final……………………and we’ll all live happily ever after
28 May 2012, 20:09 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-375: funny that you’re moaning about refs yet fail to mention the blatant steyn KNOCK-ON that jonker ignored to your benefit.
28 May 2012, 22:16 pm
Agile
You seem to be the only person around here to think that Beast’s magic trick was nothing but a fluke.Well for once Im going to agree with you.I mean the best magic trick I’ve ever seen is Stegmann’s disappearing act that he pulls in every Test.
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