Sonny’s surpassed the hype
31 Jul 2012
JON CARDINELLI says Sonny Bill Williams has become a more rounded player and will trouble the Sharks’ depleted midfield in Saturday’s final.
2011 was the year of the Sonny Bill offload. Backyard games would have seen kids imitating that signature move, a back-of-the-hand pass that ensured the attacking team’s momentum didn’t die with the ball carrier. It was a move that brought Williams and the Crusaders tremendous success in their march towards the Super Rugby final. It was also a move that demanded an astronomical number of column inches in the press.
One year on, and Williams’ offload is no less effective. The difference this year is that his offload is sparingly used and rarely highlighted as the definitive strength of his game.
The Sonny Bill Williams of 2012 is a far more rounded player than the centre who debuted for the Crusaders in 2011. And it is the less glamorous and less imitable side of his game that could floor the Sharks in the upcoming final in Hamilton.
Credit must go to Chiefs coach Dave Rennie and the ethos he has installed since arriving at the franchise. Credit should go to the forwards for embracing that ethos and producing some dominant performances that have allowed the Chiefs backline a platform to excel.
And to say Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Aaron Cruden and Williams have excelled as a 9-10-12 combination is an understatement. Cruden has matured as decision maker, and has also played with a physical determination that has belied his size. Kerr-Barlow has been a threat on attack and defence, as has the robust Williams, who doesn’t get enough credit for the way he reads the game or the impact he makes in contact.
Williams was one of the standouts in last Friday’s semi-final battle against the Crusaders. There is always the possibility that he will unleash that trademark offload, but not enough is made of his strength in the tackle and how this compromises the opposition’s defence. He broke the line on just one occasion last Friday, and on the one occasion he unleashed an offload, the Chiefs went on to score.
The hype around the Sonny Bill offload may have died down in 2012, but the rugby fraternity’s obsession with the idea of offloading certainly hasn’t. Indeed, some have pointed to the Sharks’ offloading game as the reason they have surpassed every other South African team in this tournament.
What those people neglect to appreciate, however, is the fact that the Sharks have also dominated the collisions in the matches where their offload count has been high.
It reminds me of a conversation I had with Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer during the three-Test series against England. I asked him about Willem Alberts, who had just come off two strong performances in the first two Tests. It was clear that Alberts was offloading a lot more and thus perpetuating South Africa’s attacking momentum, and so I asked Meyer if it was something Alberts had worked on.
Meyer explained that Alberts was able to offload in those Tests because he had dominated the collisions. He added that players should not become obsessed with the idea of offloading, and that winning the collision should always be the first objective.
In Meyer’s mind, you can’t risk offloading if you aren’t in a strong position, ie well beyond the gainline, to do so.
There were times in 2011 where Williams was guilty of offloading unnecessarily. There were moments when he threw the ball back after he had lost the collision and had been driven backwards in the tackle. Many said the opposition had worked him out, while others accused him of overplaying the tactic.
2012 has witnessed a more powerful and circumspect display. Williams’ performance at the gainline has been a highlight of the Chiefs’ campaign, and his decision making has improved immensely. The Chiefs don’t waste attacking opportunities, and neither does Williams.
Some will call him a glamour boy who is chasing the big payday, or denounce him as an over-hyped player. But on the basis of his performances in the 2012 Super Rugby competition, Williams is already one of the best players in world, and there is as much substance to his game as there is a marketable style.
The odds are against a Sharks victory this weekend. The Chiefs have shown themselves to be an 80-minute team. The forwards will also be fresher than their Sharks counterparts, who recently made their third overseas journey in the space of as many weeks.
The Sharks’ defence will struggle to repel Kerr-Barlow, Cruden and Williams. They’re also down to their third-choice No 12, with Frans Steyn ineligible for selection and Tim Whitehead ruled out with a broken hand.
At the end of the league stage, Steyn showed why he is rated the best inside centre in South Africa. Whitehead has managed to provide a spark that’s been lacking in previous seasons. Those men will certainly be missed.
Meyer Bosman seems likely to fill the void, and while he has the talent and ability to play a Steyn-like game in midfield, he doesn’t have the form or confidence. It is surely something the Chiefs, and particularly that dangerous axis of Cruden and Williams, will look to exploit.
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329 Comments
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31 Jul 2012, 10:16 am
regarding last weeks semi – no insults intended… i heard this chirp..
Grant was the senior player who consoled the players on the field after the final whistle… he knows how, he’s had practice cause he’s been there before… a few times…
31 Jul 2012, 10:17 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-86: when have I ever found it amusing rock spider????? I just like to point it out when some of you start in about NZs own problems, and then people like you get all precious and twist the truth….
but what to expect from someone as racist and bigoted as yourself Gunther?
31 Jul 2012, 10:18 am
@David-100: Thanks David..I was looking at a ball-park figure.
31 Jul 2012, 10:21 am
@grant10-95:
Idiot
@Golden Boy-98:
I truly hope you are not trying to justify violence.
31 Jul 2012, 10:22 am
@Golden Boy-103:
Pleasure.
31 Jul 2012, 10:24 am
Hi keo friends in Cape Town
I need a bit of help with directions: how would you drive in peak hour traffic from Pinelands to Rondebosch – say Campground Road
Your objective would be get there as soon as possible
Don’t drive out there now, I’m not there – I will be there on a future date
31 Jul 2012, 10:27 am
@Mr Black-104: That deserves a WTF!?!?!?!?
Where did I come across as justifying violence? If I did then I am sorry. I was pointing out that when one grows up in a violent society then it becomes part of you. This is even more so when you witness violence first hand on a daily basis. No justifying anything there. Just pointing out what studies have shown for years now.
31 Jul 2012, 10:28 am
From what I can see on a map:
Drive down Forest Drive which becomes Raapenberg
Then at the T-junction turn right into Klipfontein/Durban Road
Then 1st left into Liesbeek Park Road which becomes Campground…
Will that do the trick?
31 Jul 2012, 10:31 am
@Sheriff-108:
Forest Drive yes…it crosses n2. If that does not work then take the offramp to Cape Town and then the 2nd offramp which will take you to Liesbeek Park. Stay on that road for 5 minutes…
31 Jul 2012, 10:34 am
@Hurricane-99: We do a lot of blaming in this country (instead of working out what the real causes are). We would SMOKE your Kiwi asses if there was a Blame Championship Cup in the offering.
We aren’t good at taking responsibility here in SA, but feck me, we are the undisputed world champs in blaming others and passing the buck.
It’s Apartheids fault. No, it’s the ANC’s fault. No, it’s Anglo Boer war’s fault. No, it’s Jake White’s fault.
And all of those shifting blame, are probably breast feeding the next generation of sociopaths as they go about their blaming…
31 Jul 2012, 10:35 am
@Golden Boy-107:
Ok, cool.
31 Jul 2012, 10:39 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-92:
Who can say why.
He finds Aids, Rape and Vilienve towards children hilarious.
He used to call himself Pooper69 but now he ha predictably morphed in sarugbyiskak.
He doesn’t really need a name though, his poisoned mind makes him stand out like a chinese swimmers lap times.
I blame the parents.
31 Jul 2012, 10:43 am
@Sheriff-108: @Sheriff-108: If you carry on with Klipfontein / Durban, you’ll get to a strange looking T-junction / fork in the road: you join at a 45 degree angle -carry on to your right and you’ll eventually reach Liesbeek rd where you should turn left.
31 Jul 2012, 10:47 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-112: Eina. One without empathy is a Dahmer by any other name.
Maybe this fellow is a troll though, and would never be able to unite his persona on here, with his real life persona. It happens.
31 Jul 2012, 10:52 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-114:
Poops has had more breakdowns here than a 1972 Lancia.
He’s apologised, wept, ranted and says that this blog has changed who he is.
However he’s made more comebacks than Barry Manilow.
He is a poster boy for the maladjusted and pathologically psychotic.
31 Jul 2012, 10:55 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-115:
HEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHE..I love his breadowns!!!!! Right up there with Skops rants and the Groot Trek of a few years ago
31 Jul 2012, 10:58 am
Hurricane – There are actually about 44 murders/rapes a day in SA. Many of them don’t even get mentioned in the newspaper.
I would say it is obviously an apartheid hangeover coupled with ANC spin doctoring. The ANC promised all sorts of things to their people once they got in power, which they knew they never would be able to make good on.
It is common knowledge that people/workers from Zimbabwe and further afield are very hard working, but alot of the people/workers in SA are lazy becoz the ANC drilled into them loads of FREE promises and pay backs etc.
31 Jul 2012, 11:00 am
@Golden Boy-116:
It’s like watching a car accident in slow motion where only the drunk driver gets hurt.
31 Jul 2012, 11:03 am
The disgusting violence which many South Africans have to endure has very little, if anything to do with apartheid. It has to do with the fact that we have some of the most aggressive, psycho tribes in Africa living here. They were doing this stuff to each other before any europeans arrived in Africa. They were quick to embrace slavery and sell their own to the first europeans that did get here. Violence breeds violence. The more that it is around, the more it is accepted as the norm.
31 Jul 2012, 11:06 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-115: @Golden Boy-116: Ok, I obviously don’t have the luxury of the the full picture here. But I do know that some of the inappropriate and offensive kak dribbled out on blogs and forums would never make an appearance in the non-interweb world
Sadly, I also know that a lot of the inappropriate and offensive kak dribbled out on blogs and forums is a very real reflection of the shattered and warped personalities of some….
31 Jul 2012, 11:09 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-114: The saddest thing is the dumb twat doesn’t even realize how offensive it is when he gleefully cuts and pastes crime statistics or newspaper stories of rape and murder on here….it doesn’t cross his mind that a lot of people on here may have experienced violent crime or had it happen to friends or family, and that those statistics are actually real people. He’s just a sick twisted freak who gets off on getting a rise out of people, now matter how low he has to stoop….and then ironically enough he acts the martyr when people give him his own medicine back.
I wouldn’t p*ss on him if he was running down the road on fire.
31 Jul 2012, 11:09 am
poops is an angry man.
very angry.
and he is devoid of filters.
an angry filterless man.
i would never have a beer with him because the occasion would alternate between extreme anger and then cry-on-your-shoulder remorse.
as fun as it sounds, its a little disturbing too
31 Jul 2012, 11:10 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-120: so here you go, a glimpse into Poops
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-114: ok, before you try pyscho-analyse popps, stop righ there.
poppa started out decent (well the all blacks were klapping the boks year-on-year & the blues were competitive) then 2009 came and the all blacks lost in bloemfontein – poppa’s dark side emerged that day. the boks won the tri-nations having whitewashed the all blacks, saffas were crowing and poppa lost his s.hit and decided to embark on a “jihad” referred to on keo as “returning serve”
“returning serve” entails mocking any and everything about SA eg violence, aids, rape etc
he has tried his hand at faux remorse and even “leaving the blog” but it is always shortlived – note the dates of the post below.
16.poppa69: Reply to this comment
12 Jul 2011, 07:26 am
this will be my final post on this blog..
the very sagacious Puma made a valid point a week or two ago, and having had time to consider it I believe he is 100% correct. The longer I stay here the more I am moving away from my true nature.
So I offer a heartfelt, sincere and unconditional apology for anything Ive ever said that has been offensive or worse. It was only ever to rile and elicit reaction.
I wish you all future success in whatever endeavour you may choose, and hope that you all continue to enjoy rugby because it is the best game going..
Hei Konei Ra
Poppa.
116.poppa69:
28 Sep 2011, 09:21 am @WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-85:
look, Ive been projecting my anger due to personal reasons onto you guys and realise its been completely abhorrent, disgusting, inflammatory and wrong… I wish I could take things back but I cant, its something Im definitely not proud of and I will have to live with it… for that I truly am sorry..
31 Jul 2012, 11:11 am
@Atreides-121: he is simply returning serve though bud (he says).
its like hating everyone who is black/white/different because of a bad experience with a few members of that demographic.
personally i blame kobus kitty for mind-k no bb ing poops.
31 Jul 2012, 11:13 am
@Hurricane-99: Hey bud. When saffers say Africa’s not for sissies, it’s not just machismo!
It’s a constant worry, especially when you have a family and small kids.
I’d personally have little worry about them breaking in and stealing some stuff, but it’s the horrific and senseless violence inflicted on women, kids and the elderly that gets to me.
31 Jul 2012, 11:14 am
@rangerman-124: What did he do to him?
31 Jul 2012, 11:15 am
If people simply ignore him he will be chatting to himself and go away in silence.
The more you reply the bigger his ego gets
31 Jul 2012, 11:16 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-120:
He is a bit of a sad case really. As you can see by the comments, not many here like him. Personally I think he is just a troubled teen who needs a bit of love. His hands must be full of callouses by now.
31 Jul 2012, 11:16 am
@Transformation-123: And of course, this being the interweb, he is baited constantly. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the emotional intelligence to deal with it and goes postal. Every. Single. Time.
31 Jul 2012, 11:17 am
@rangerman-124: ja, kobus kitty and whatever are the catalysts of this nutjob we have, fark me they were relentless in ’09
31 Jul 2012, 11:20 am
rangerman – Well what name is poops using now? Was he formerley poppa69?
31 Jul 2012, 11:20 am
WOW! Ok, so he is just a harmless chap, giving back some of what he gets? I think Hitler, Molosevic and George W Bush all said the same at some stage.
31 Jul 2012, 11:21 am
SBW to run over the little lamb this weekend.
31 Jul 2012, 11:21 am
@rangerman-124:
He violated him one time.
Reminiscent of a Cougar on crack.
It was like bad 80′s porn.
31 Jul 2012, 11:24 am
@NZINCHINA-133: Think we will have Bosman starting there. SBW was taken care of in Durbs with Bosman at inside centre.
Now if we could have had Fransie….. It would be SBW who?????
Seriously though wish we could get back up if we have injured players. Such a daft rule not to be allowed too.
31 Jul 2012, 11:25 am
@Atreides-125: You know how bad things have got when people are relieved that ATM bombings are picking up. Why? Because at least “no people were harmed in the bombing of this ATM”.
Bloody sad.
@rangerman-124: I did congratulate you on your teams fine win over the weekend. (in case you missed it…)
31 Jul 2012, 11:27 am
@Tacitus-57:
Ja, you have a point- the Stormers probably performed above themselves taking into consideration the quality of the individual players who were available for selection for most of the season.
For the sake of the argument the starting 15 on Saturday can be categorized as follows :
Superstar –
World class – Jean, Habana, Bekker
Nearly world class – Etzebeth
Above average super 15 – Kolisi, Elstadt. Kitschoff
Average super 15: – de Jongh, Joe P, Aplon
Below average: – Grant, Duvenhage, Brok, Fourie, Liebenberg
They were therefore probably just not good enough to win a super 15 specially taking into consideration that they had below average players in positions as important as halfbacks and the front row. The Sharks for example will be more top heavy with one superstar and 4 or 5 world class players.
Hats off then to the coaching staff (and fighting spirit of the players) who managed to get them to win 14/17 this season.
31 Jul 2012, 11:32 am
@Puma-135:
Hi Puma, two teams peaking at the right time its going to be a superb contest. I suppose the rule is to stop wealthy teams buying star players for just a few games if they make the finals. Conrgats to your Sharks I was on record as saying I thought they would have folded by now as they have done in previous seasons, it will be a fantastic achievement if they can get up for this one.
31 Jul 2012, 11:41 am
@rangerman-124:
Knobus Kitty was a plague on here. A poster that i had little time for.
Lier to boot and the fact he called Spies the best #8 in the world showed how much he knew about the game.
31 Jul 2012, 11:42 am
@NZINCHINA-138: Thanks bud. Very proud of my team.
Should be a great game Saturday.
Yes I do understand the rule they can’t just bring in player, but really if a team has both centres out injured then there is a time that rule can be relaxed to allow for that team to bring in a player. NOT a overseas based player that is unfair, only another player that is already signed in your union. Then yes, they should be allowed too. If a Bok player gets injured we allowed to replace him with another. Anyhow it will not happen. We done well with Bosman there the last time we played the Chiefs.
31 Jul 2012, 11:44 am
@Robzim-137: I would add Etzebeth to world class Rob. He is a magnificent player.
31 Jul 2012, 11:44 am
Two things: Pooper69 is low class scum, and not even the Kiwis here will deny this.
And Sunni Bin is not all that, as will be seen against a fired up Sharks. His good press vs actual accomplishments is even more lopsided than Richie McCheat’s.
31 Jul 2012, 11:50 am
@Atreides-125:
hey mate.
Yeah, South Africa seems to be the place where you have to be on guard.
Hard to live like that i think but suppose if you have been bought up in it,really not that hard.
31 Jul 2012, 11:53 am
@>^..^< katman-142:
Poppa was given cr@p on here a number of times. Dont go down the road of he asked for it.
Dont want to hear but he started it. Some poeple on here have no respect at all.
As for SBW, we shall see. And if he runs though the Sharks, well you come back and eat that post?
31 Jul 2012, 11:54 am
Mate of mine staying in Hamilton says the office has already been celebrating the Chiefs as Superugby champs… Even the pub etc… Sharks love being the underdogs…
31 Jul 2012, 11:57 am
@Hurricane-144: Mate, you don’t have to stand up for him just because he’s a Kiwi. He’s scum, and you don’t want that sht rubbing off on you. Just step away – no one will judge you for it.
31 Jul 2012, 11:58 am
@Robzim-137:
Estebeth is world class Bekker not.
31 Jul 2012, 11:58 am
@Puma-140:
Yip good luck mate
@>^..^< katman-142:
yes we know you don’t like him it wouldn’t matter what he did it wouldn’t be good enough for you now would it ,now is this the part where you come back and say i’m not fit to deliver logs to your house or I could drive you around if I was a taxi driver?
31 Jul 2012, 12:04 pm
@SA rugby is k@k-38:
can we agree the judiciary has made nothing of the incident?
can we agree this sort of thing happens ‘rather coincidentally’ all to often when kiwi players and judicial officers, commisioners, administrators are concerned?
why is this the case?
@Hurricane-39:
my rant was about a ‘certain’ white card incident and an unpunished and conveniently covered up instance of a sharks player being bottled by a blues supporter.
what are you on about?
31 Jul 2012, 12:07 pm
@NZINCHINA-148: Are those riddles? You got me.
And he’s scum, regardless of whether I like him or not. And I don’t.
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