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.
Follow JC on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter
384 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 8 » Show All
28 May 2012, 09:19 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-97: You reckon the Stormers will get 5 against the Cheetahs in Bloem?
28 May 2012, 09:20 am
Once you have overcome the Stormers pack you’re sure to win the game.
Our backs still have no fluency and these flashes of brilliance from the likes of Aplon and Joe (who didn’t play) just isn’t enough at the sharp end of the tournament.
28 May 2012, 09:21 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-95:
well if the pass hadn’t been forward it would have missed him neh?
because he timed his run wrong?
even the crusaders would have been ashamed of that one.
get over it now there’s a good lad.
28 May 2012, 09:23 am
And why is AC turning Eben into a mini Schalk Burger?
Every second ball we get from a ruck is heading to Eben even when he’s still halfway on the ground and the opposition can read it from a mile away.
28 May 2012, 09:25 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-95: Luckily this is one of those remarkably black and white issues: Was it a try or was it not a try?
Should we be praising a penalty attempt from well within the kicker’s own half that almost snuck inside the upright?
Should we glorify a great move in which the ball was almost grounded?
How many points do you get for a teeny-weeny knock-on over the line?
28 May 2012, 09:25 am
@Bokhoring(Bokhoring)-101:
actually, the more i think about it the more it seems a likely possibility.
if the cheetahs go for for free running it could be a try fest for both teams (which does happen with cheetahs games a lot).
or it will be reduced to a knock down drag it out low try scoring affair by the stormers.
question is whether the stormers will win it considering thier injury problems.
28 May 2012, 09:29 am
That Alister “kneelingfavours” Hargreaves is a Bok and Juandre Kruger aint is another oddly South African moment. Kruger is big, powerful, mobile, aggressive and a better lineout operator than Alberts. Alberts not a starter
28 May 2012, 09:30 am
My Bok 15 for England.
15: Lambie (it’s a shame he’s not a yard quicker but he reads the game brilliantly!)
14: JP
13: JDJ
12: Frans
11: Aplon (he has to play!!)
10: Morne (I would only play him because we need Lambie at 15)
9: FH
8: Alberts (but he needs to maintain his form)
7: Coetzee (give him a shot against the Poms before we starting thinking about 4N)
6: Brussow
5: Bekker (no contest)
4: Etzebeth
3: Jannie (but I am open to other options here)
2: Bismark
1: Beast
Options: Hougie could also move to 14, with JP playing 13.
JDV and Joe Pieterson could play off the bench. Hougie to 9 if FDP get’s injured.
28 May 2012, 09:32 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-108:
I’m relived that Donkey de Villiers is not there.
28 May 2012, 09:32 am
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-107:
I agree. AH never made the step up from u21. I was very suprised when he made the Bok squad a while back.
28 May 2012, 09:32 am
…relieved..
28 May 2012, 09:33 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-109:
Lol, yeah, I think is time is up. He would make my bench though.
28 May 2012, 09:33 am
Hougaard is not a proper scrummie. Too slow and predictable in that position.
28 May 2012, 09:34 am
Thank G0d for the 3 week test break.
We should have Kolisi, Burger, Duanne & Koster back when Super Rugby resumes which will ease the pressure on our underperforming backline.
28 May 2012, 09:34 am
@Bokhoring(Bokhoring)-101: Yes. Did you see how easily the Waratahs ran through the Cheetahs? Dont underestimate the Stormers. They will be much stronger after the June break.
28 May 2012, 09:34 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-112:
On the bench for the England games but not against the Kiwis and Aussies. Maybe against Argentina.
28 May 2012, 09:35 am
after all is said and done the sharks fams are just more classierthan the sormers fans.
fact
28 May 2012, 09:36 am
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-114:
Burger should be a welcome addition to the Stormers. Still has a lot to offer the team.
28 May 2012, 09:37 am
no brainer. form is temporary class is permanent and alberts return to form is welcome. a shoo in for the 7 jersey for sure!
28 May 2012, 09:37 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-105: True I agree with you. I was responding to someone who said the Stormers cant create anything and Aplon’s “try” was a perfect example of the Stormers backline creating something even though the pass was miles forward. The Stormers will still finish top of the log.
28 May 2012, 09:38 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-105:
I’m with you. A few guys over the weekend told me ‘Aplon did so well the try was deserved’. It’s a comment that makes no sense. Aplon never timed his run.
28 May 2012, 09:40 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-115: Depends how the Stormers play. If they actually try and use the outside backs, yes
28 May 2012, 09:42 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-103: Yes you are probably right but the fact stands that the Stormers still created something with their backline, contrary to popular believe on here. I was dissapointed on Saturday night but the Sharks were just a better team and you could see the Stormers were fatigued. Those rolling mauls also inspired confidence. A nice three week break for most of the Stormers pack and the return of Burger, Koster and Vermeulen will see the Stormers take the comp by the scruff of the neck and win 3 from 3.
28 May 2012, 09:44 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-108:
Rugby is a 22man 85min game…
28 May 2012, 09:45 am
@Bokhoring(Bokhoring)-122: I think they will. I think this game against the Sharks was a big wake up call for them. If their pack fails they need a plan B. This is only the 2nd time this season that their pack let them down. @CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-121: Yes you are right he timed his run wrong forcing JDV to toss it a bit forward. That being said it was encouraging to see them do that. I think everyone is writing off the Stormers to soon.
28 May 2012, 09:49 am
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-121: But you’re losing sight of the fact that these are Exceptional Circumstances for the Stormers. Their injury list presents a crisis the likes of which the Cape has not seen since Nivea changed it’s Men’s range packaging. In light of this, it would be heartless and cruel not to grant them the odd try off a forward pass, or to bend the rules on player eligibility for the play-offs. What is it about Exceptional Circumstances that people just don’t get?
28 May 2012, 09:55 am
was good to see alberts fully functional and operating at his belligerent best…
good for him, the sharks and great for the boks…!
28 May 2012, 09:57 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-124:
very good point…
something it seems all the saffa teams have yet to learn…
28 May 2012, 09:58 am
@ufo(ufo)-127: Bad for the Stormers. He was excellent.
Bok backrow trio will be
6. Brussouw
7. Alberts
8. Spies
19. Coetzee?
28 May 2012, 09:59 am
@ufo(ufo)-127:
i’m a little uneasy wrt alberts though.
he’s more than capable bashing at every team other than nz, oz.
and thats the problem.
28 May 2012, 10:05 am
WP Stormers bok @ 100.
At last.Some objectivity.Tx.
Trouens,.I wonder what happened to the Bosman=JdeV personal
turnstile theory.
28 May 2012, 10:06 am
My man of the match on Saturday was Keegan Daniel,he lead from the front and it is his instinct for the gap that puts the Sharks on the front foot.
I have had doubts about him before ,but when Alberts and Coetzee are firing it leaves him free to play his own game and he was massive against the much vaunted best defence in the world.
He will never get a look in in Meyer’s team because he is English and plays for the Sharks,kind of reminds me of the Tommy Bedford saga,but hey this is the country we choose to live in
28 May 2012, 10:12 am
1. Beast, 2. Bismarck. 3. Jannie, 4. Etsebet, 5. Kruger, 6. Brussouw, 7. Coetzee, 8. Alberts, 9. Pienaar, 10. Steyn, 11. Mvovu, 12. F. Steyn, 13. Hougaard, 14. JPP, 15. Lambie
Brussouw purely on reputation, Morne in place of Goosen.
If hougaard can play scrumhalf and wing, centre won’t be a problem.
Matfield, Du Preez, Rossouw too old, Spies too kark. Bekker clearly injured.
Wille le Roux and that fullback from Lions in the squad.
Bench:
Cilliers, Strauss, Bekker, Daniel, Eberson, Joe P, Aplon
28 May 2012, 10:14 am
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-130:
evidence…?
to be fair he’s been recovering from a long-term injury… if he plays like he did on saturday… and there’s no reason to believe he can’t do so… he’ll give the ABs and Aus their money’s worth… imo…
should get a good warm-up against the poms…
28 May 2012, 10:17 am
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-82: eish boet dont act doff now, ur better then that,
The Sharks recently thumped the Cheetahs and got a bonus point in Bloem , why wouldnt thet do it in Durban??
the Sharks have 45 and can still get a possible 19?? how does that equate to AT BEST 62?? maths not your strong point huh?? 45+19= 64
28 May 2012, 10:17 am
The Stormers have looked pretty shakey the last three weeks, two scratchy wins against also ran sides, Cheetahs and Warratahs, then basically a never look like winning game against a on the rise Sharks side.
Is the rot setting in for Stormers? They certainly are jaded and their gameplan of granite defence is slowly being chipped away.This weekends game against the Bulls may see that wall like D come crumbling down around them. Time for a contingency plan I think, coaches need to earn their salaries for this game.
28 May 2012, 10:20 am
@ufo(ufo)-134: GM mate,
i Got old Jeremy Fredericks here having Breakfast at the mo, he not happy with province right now lol
28 May 2012, 10:22 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-126:
katman classical
28 May 2012, 10:22 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-117: You say fact as though you mean it? Here is my fact for the day: Lang-Oor Lambie is too slow to ever be a legendary 15. So where next do we ‘find’ a position for him because he ‘has’ to be on the field.
28 May 2012, 10:24 am
Bekker is definately carrying a back injury and should never have played on Saturday,I was watching him in the warm up and he was already moaning and holding his back.
Alistar Coetzee is a **** for playing him because that back injury could finish him.
He has the potential to be the best lock ever,and he is being sacrificed,for another man’s ego.
Stormer’s team management is abysmal,they have had an extra rest day than the Sharks a much easier tour and a the best draw in the competition,yet they are tired and depleted.
Look at how Plumtree nursed Albert’s back into the side,that is team management.
28 May 2012, 10:25 am
@mad eye(mad eye)-140: mal ogie, maybe Bekker just aint in good form, yes he is a good lock , but all players go the form dips
28 May 2012, 10:27 am
kaplan to ref bulls/stormers…??
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-137:
hey bud…
yeah… many stormers fans not happy this morning…
i’m not unhappy with the players though… they played badly for sure… but ac needs to start coaching ‘clever’…
28 May 2012, 10:28 am
@coma(coma)-133: lions fullback? the one pocock flung around like a ragdoll?
the guy is a carthorse, couldn’t get away from chasers with about a metre headstart. don’t know what everyone sees in this kid, he is nowhere.
28 May 2012, 10:28 am
Firstly, congrats to the Sharks on a great game. They deserved to wein that one. I think the stormers were lucky to get a bonuspoint out of it. Hopefully they are not under any illusions that the game was close and that it serves as a wake up call.
My take on the Game:
The way Lambie could catch Gio Aplon after Apples clearly not even going to 4th gear is a concern for lambie as a 15.
The stormers forwards looked tired and not interested in this game. Kitshoff has played every single game this year! AC need to start thinking of using resources better.
The canandian did not help our cause at all.. he knocks from kick offs and is useless behind a scrum… had a big impact on the rest of the packs performance.
Fleck need to be Fired!! No spark in a bok laden backline, and FFS Fleck coach the backline players to catch ball being kicked by both teams…. everytime a ball is kicked it is regathered by the other side.. almost always the stormers players stand and wait for someone else to gather and then just tackle…
28 May 2012, 10:30 am
@munkiboi(munkiboi)-119:
I can think of many adjectives to describe Alberts, but class isn’t one that comes to mind.
28 May 2012, 10:30 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-143: I take it you are in agreement with the rest then?
28 May 2012, 10:30 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-129:
will be interesting to see who HM picks for the loosies…
alberts has certainly put his hand up though… so i expect him to be there… who will join him…? that’s a tough one… but reckon spies and coetzee or brussow as you say…
hopefully spies at the bok training camp this week can shed some light…
28 May 2012, 10:31 am
No he is injured,he hardly jumped and never pushed in the scrums thats why Brok tasted the inside if his ring,and Paul Tito’s red headed ******* ate mouth fulls of Kings park.
I am a huge Bekker fan,that guy could win us the next world cup,but not if he is being played injured.
He should miss the rest of the Super 15 and the Lions tests.
28 May 2012, 10:32 am
should be lambie could NOT catch aplon…
28 May 2012, 10:35 am
the stormers are n turno reverse
Pages: « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 8 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.