Cheetahs sign Sadie
24 Jul 2012
Cheetahs CEO Harold Verster has confirmed the signing of Johann Sadie from the Bulls.
Verster told Eye Witness News that Sadie has signed a two-year deal with the young midfielder, who will join them at the conclusion of the Currie Cup. Sadie was recruited from the Stormers in late 2011 but has failed to deliver on the expectation that accompanied his move north.
Keo.co.za understands that the Bulls coaches find him hard to manage, while there are also said to be family-related issues burdening him. Furthermore, Sadie has found it difficult to settle in Pretoria and struggled to overcome a shoulder injury sustained in the early part of the campaign.
He and JJ Engelbrecht were convinced to join the Bulls after a short meeting with the franchise’s then director of rugby Heyeneke Meyer and high performance manager Ian Schwartz. Meyer believed Sadie would soon be a Springbok, but his prospects in this regard now seem much less certain.
46 Comments
24 Jul 2012, 09:05 am
“Hard to manage”. Now it gets interesting
24 Jul 2012, 09:08 am
shame man.
24 Jul 2012, 09:12 am
Kinda makes one feel a little better that he left WP. Seems it was for once not a issue on the management side of WP and more the player ?
24 Jul 2012, 09:18 am
The Cheetahs have confirmed the signing of Johan Sadie from the Bulls. Will join the Bloemfontein side from 2013 on a 2 year deal. (via @EWNSport) I wonder who’s right. I know his family and i’ve heard nothing. I would like to see sources on these alligations before I will decide. . The cheetah’s gameplan of 2012 will be right up there how he plays. I say give it time. With Oliver moving and now Sadie I presume the next gen will arrive sooner than we think. Just my 2cents .
24 Jul 2012, 09:29 am
@groen-4:
alligations?
are there reptiles involved?
sordid.
24 Jul 2012, 09:35 am
The Cheetahs won’t put up with his **** for three years. He will be off to Oz next. He strikes me as a bit of a Giteau anyway …
24 Jul 2012, 09:47 am
hard to manage is codeword for….”not showing up to practice on time, not following diet and fitness regime…not toeing the line in general”
premature decision in my opinion anyway.
only reason he is unhappy is because he isn’t playing well enough to make the run on side at the moment and probably feeling the pressure from the juniors snapping at his heels with half the hype and twice the game.
24 Jul 2012, 09:59 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-7: he took the R1.4 bar and said he is in the “best condition of HIS LIFE”
now what?
24 Jul 2012, 10:09 am
kaksioek – Gits was one talented player this pooloka was a flash in the pan!!
24 Jul 2012, 10:13 am
This time the cheetahs outbid WP, but i say this might be his best option. Their running game will suit him, unlike the stootkar/ skop en jag/ kyknoordvokvoord k@k bools rugby.
24 Jul 2012, 10:16 am
must have been a paycut, so maybe he got to demand some special treatment in selection. Didn’t know the cheetahs had the cash to actually compete in the transfer market
24 Jul 2012, 10:17 am
@Slappes-10: Ja, I guess Sadie left WP because he was tired of watching Pop Gun Pete kick short-range penalties and would prefer to watch Morne kick long-range ones.
24 Jul 2012, 10:23 am
Where does this leave Ebersohn?
24 Jul 2012, 10:34 am
@>^..^< katman-13: Ja where does this leave Ebersohn – who I rate as SAs most skillfull back??
24 Jul 2012, 10:37 am
It will be interesting to see what happens. They both very talented players
24 Jul 2012, 10:41 am
Ebersohn is in my opinion a much better 12 anyway. Thats where he played at school, and with his excellent defensive organisation and decisionmaking skills it is where he will add most value. Will add a lot more creativity than Andries Strauss manages, and I wager Sadie will bloom outside him and Goosen. Philip Snyman and Barry Geel are the ones who will miss out.
Just a pity he is not available for this Currie Cup season yet.
24 Jul 2012, 10:42 am
Good move for him, I guess by mid next year we’ll know if the problem lay with him personally, or with a clash of cultures.
I’ve lived in Pta and it truly does blow.
24 Jul 2012, 10:42 am
@SAfan4life-14: Ebersohn at 12 and Sadie at 13 probably
24 Jul 2012, 10:53 am
Cheetahs should get Sadie on a defending 101 and a kicking 101 course and turn him into a fullback. He would be devastating running from the back with acres of space.
24 Jul 2012, 10:56 am
@JA-JA-19:
‘Cheetah’s’ and ‘defending 101′ in the same sentence?? hahahaha….
24 Jul 2012, 11:03 am
@pokkel-20: Almost as funny as ‘Stormers’ and ‘scoring tries’…
24 Jul 2012, 11:16 am
24 Jul 2012, 11:18 am
Well, Robert E should have been an inside center to start with. Fourie and Drotske decided he should be playing outside center, but he was wasted there. With all his handling skills and tricks really taken out of the game.
Perhaps they made the smart decision to move him to his correct position with Sadie running his lines from the outside.
Goosen, Ebersohn, Sadie. Could be a brilliant midfield! Let’s see.
24 Jul 2012, 11:23 am
We all knew Sadie left the Stormers because he didn’t like their negative-play style of rugby. We also knew he was stupid making the move to the Bulls where their style is 10-man rugby. Any of the other 3 teams would have suited him better.
24 Jul 2012, 11:30 am
@Bouts-24: He left the Stormers because AC couldn’t promise him a starting place in the S15. The Bulls however promised him a starting place – but as a lot of people (around Cape Town) predicted, his game went downwards after joining the Bulls. Maybe there are other factors but I would like to know what they are. I guess his agent was too embarrassed to negotiate with Western Province again. He must have accepted a huge pay-cut to sign with the Cheetahs!
24 Jul 2012, 11:42 am
i read somewhere that he will also be joining the Bok Sevens… and between them and cheetahs they will make up the salary he is earning with the bulls…
the strange thing for me is why the bulls aren’t releasing him immediately and he’s only joining the cheetahs after the CC…
he’s not going to get game time (or significant game time) at the bulls so why not let him go straight away…
or are the bulls trying to inhibit the cheetahs cc campaign…?
24 Jul 2012, 11:53 am
@ufo-26:
the bulls have no inhibitions.
we are very broadminded.
24 Jul 2012, 12:04 pm
Great coup for the cheetahs to get some gifted players back. There back line will be really hard to handle next year. Perhaps this is the best move for Sadie. Stormers won’t need him for the next two years at least and they still have JP Du Plesis which I rate higher than Sadie. Also, the bulls have young Serfontein who will soon replace Olivier. Best go where you are needed.
Possible Cheetah Backline
9 Sarel Pretorius
10 Goosen
11 Wille Le Roux
12 Ebersohn
13 Sadie
14 Benjamin
15 Daniller
24 Jul 2012, 12:07 pm
Great move for Sadie. Bloem women are also hotter and Pretoria women are still stuck in the perm era.
Piet Van Zyl, Goosen, ?*?, Ebersohn, Sadie, Le Roux and Daniller.
Not to bad at all.
24 Jul 2012, 12:14 pm
Best move for all concerned.
24 Jul 2012, 12:27 pm
@kingcorn-28: That’s an awesome backline, although I am not convinced of Benjamin’s quality.
24 Jul 2012, 12:28 pm
I don’t know what to make of this signing, but I don’t think he is necessary entitled to game time at the Cheetahs.
The proposed Ebersohn 12 Sadie 13 combination is not one I will go with personally.
I believe the Cheetahs are in need of a strong ball carrying 12 that can get them over the advantage line and set up quick second phase ball to allow more space for the dangerous men like Ebersohn and Le Roux.
Sadie will certainly strengthen the match-22, though.
24 Jul 2012, 12:59 pm
@willievz-32: I see the point about a strong no 12, but I think a no 12 can get across the advantage line on of two ways, either by force or by quick feet. In Ebersohn you have the original hot stepper, with ofloading and distribution skills to boot, hence he will also fulfill the criteria of getting through the half gap and having Sadie run off him. So I do not think that should be a huge issue.
Alternatively of course there is always the option of starting Sadie on the wing, with Snyman/Ebersohn the centres…
24 Jul 2012, 13:19 pm
@Feline-33: Yes.
But I believe you need to consider the type of backline players in a team when deciding on the appropriate type of 12.
Let me explain. The difference between the two types of 12s you mentioned is as follows:
The strong carrying 12 can stay upright in contact for a bit longer. This can potentially suck in an additional defender around the fringes, which can create an overlap on offense. So with the recycle, you want speed in your outside backs to take advantage of the defensive mismatch. The Cheetahs have this (Ebersohn).
The quick-feeted 12 can attack the weaker shoulder of the immediate defender more frequently than a carrying 12, but to get over the advantage line effectively he needs to go to ground earlier. This type of 12 will not force an additional defender to enter the collision – hence no overap will be created – but this type of attack forces the defensive line to take a quick step backwards to ensure they are behind the last feet. This can allow a strong 13 to attack a retreating backline on the next phase ball.
This is partly why I would switch JDJ and JDV at the Stormers. JDV does fit into the strong carrying mould, but he goes to ground too easily to be effective at 12.
24 Jul 2012, 13:29 pm
@willievz-34:
Maybe the answer is to have JDJ and JDV switch positions on attack occasionally, enabling them to play both scenarios you sketched and keep the opponents guessing.
24 Jul 2012, 13:30 pm
@TooMuchRugby-35: Sure.
Bear in mind, I was arguing their alignment from a set piece position, and assumed the 12 will collide with the defense.
24 Jul 2012, 13:57 pm
@willievz-34: Your whole comment is based on the assumption that the opposition 12 or 10 will be unable to handle a big 12. I personally tend to prefer a more skilled 12, like Aaron Mauger for instance, or even Nonu, deceptive feet and a wicked pass gets your team over the advantage line and the tryline more often than just bashing it up. With the state of fetching these days, a bashing no. 12 is also more vulnerable, as he can more easily lose the ball in contact or on the ground, seeing as we are talking about 1st phase ball, and he will not always have forwards cleaning out effectively…
24 Jul 2012, 14:03 pm
His second step backwards in as many seasons.
24 Jul 2012, 14:05 pm
@thesaint-37: If your set piece ball is clean, a big 12 is likely to draw in another defender if he stays upright in the collision. Certainly at S15 level.
Drawing in another defender is different than dominating the collision point per se. Of course, the effective strong 12s do both.
I think JDV goes to ground too quickly, and often isolated from support too. He does get over the advantage line though, but not effective enough to ensure a quick clean ruck ball on the next phase.
24 Jul 2012, 14:20 pm
So he’s finding the culture difference in Pretoria difficult to adjust to and decided to move to the vibrant and exciting metropolis of Bloemfontein.
24 Jul 2012, 14:56 pm
Cheetahs need locks.
They should do their utmost to sign those youngsters Willemse and Botha from the Lions.
And as for Sarel Pretorius – come home ffsakes!
24 Jul 2012, 16:40 pm
I think we are all getting carried away (as SA rugby fans are wont to do).
Beginning of this year – most of SA didnt even know about Sadie
A few brilliant games for Stormers, everyone loves him
HM mentions him and says he could be a future Bok, SA goes crazy.
Some Muppits call for Sadie as Bok center vs England.
Massive pressure and spotlight on Sadie
Sadie moves to Bulls – WP fans crying
Sadie injures himself it rushed back to Bulls team, doesnt play well, injury niggles
JJ covers 13 very well in Sadie’s absence
Now SA fans are ridiculing Sadie and calling him a has-been and flash in the pan??!
Come on okes – just like he has had a fairly poor season, he can have a BRILLIANT season in the CC or next year’s S15! (And then SA fans will all go crazy about him again?)
Give the young guy a chance, he has awesome talent and HM is not often wrong about talent – think Matfield, Bakkies, Du Preez and Hougaard as a few examples.
24 Jul 2012, 18:31 pm
This guy needs to do his talking on the field. Lots of talk from a youngster is never healthy unless he justifies it.
Last year the Stormers had a few talented backline options , JJ Engelbrecht , Whitehead , but Sadie was the one who got the chances off the bench and the odd start. The two that didn’t get their chances have gone on to be more successful in their moves away. Stop the talk and start the walk Sadie
25 Jul 2012, 01:49 am
@wp_boytjie-43:
Only talking I hear are from armchair critics having a go at the youngster. End of the day his future WILL be based on what happens on the field so you don’t have to worry.
25 Jul 2012, 01:52 am
@willievz-39:
Great discussions guys but…Willa, we have a problem! How many of those strong and able #12 do we have in SA? I can think of only one real good one and he only played a few games towards the back end of the season…
25 Jul 2012, 08:06 am
Jumping from one province to the other because he wants more game time exposes a bit of his character. He wants to take the fast way to the top, not willing to fight for his place and prove his worth. This would have seriously damaged his image with Heineke, who values character more than talent.
But the strong attack, weak defence Cheetahs game plan might suite Sadies game more than that of the Bulls. His problem is the Boks play less like the Cheetahs and more like the Bulls. I think he will really have to make a big impression at the Cheetahs to even be considered for the Boks. He’s starting place at the Cheetahs is not guaranteed and I am sure the talented Cheetahs youngsters will put up a fight.
Chances are better of seeing Sadie in a Southern Kings jersey next year than a Bok jersey!
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