Meyer must invest in Louw
18 Sep 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes the past two Tests have shown why South Africa needs a loose forward all-rounder like Francois Louw in the starting mix.
What do Louw, Richie McCaw and David Pocock all have in common? The answer is: Not one thing, but many.
They may differ in terms of the level of competency across the various facets of forward play, but the common denominator is that all three men are not out-and-out specialists. They’re not limited to a ball-stealing or ball-slowing role at the breakdown.
Forget the tag of fetcher, it’s a label that’s far too simplified. A modern-day openside must possess the necessary size and skill to be a good lineout option, ball-carrier, and momentum-stalling defender. Above and beyond that, he should have the ability to manipulate the flow of the game through his exploits at the breakdown.
Louw meets Heyneke Meyer’s loose forward criteria in that he is a ‘momentum gatherer as well as a momentum-stopper’. Meyer spoke of these criteria during the England series, but where the Bok coach got it wrong was in his back-row selections for those three Tests and much of the Rugby Championship.
Between Marcell Coetzee, Willem Alberts, Jacques Potgieter and Pierre Spies, there was not one player capable of playing that fetcher’s role, and thus there was no balance in the Boks’ approach. The absence of such a specialised skill was later exposed in games against Argentina and Australia.
Having a player like Louw in the starting line-up gives the Boks more options. He has the ability to play to the ball, and also meets Meyer’s criteria of what’s required of a Test loose forward. This was clear in last week’s Test in Dunedin, where Louw carried and defended powerfully, but also added that X-factor element at the breakdown.
Louw has long been considered an excellent fetcher, his performance in the 2010 Super 14 leading to his first Test cap. As the laws have changed and the responsibilities of an openside have changed, Louw has been forced to improve his game in other aspects of forward play. Louw can offer more than an out-and-out breakdown specialist like Heinrich Brüssow as a ball-carrier, physical defender, and lineout option.
In short, he’s the kind of player you need if you hope to enjoy sustained success against the All Blacks and Wallabies.
It took a string of loose-forward injuries for Louw to receive this opportunity, as Meyer has been reluctant to field players who are competing in overseas competitions. However, it has become increasingly evident over the past two years that there is no South African openside based locally or abroad that is in the same hybrid category.
The All Blacks have McCaw and the Wallabies have Pocock. Coaches build game plans around these players. It is something for Meyer to consider as he reassesses his playing strategy ahead of the home leg of the Rugby Championship, and the end-of-year tour.
It was unfair to expect great Test performances from Louw in Perth and Dunedin considering the last time he was involved was at the 2011 World Cup. And yet, the 27-year-old delivered when he started against the All Blacks. With more time to settle, with Meyer’s backing and assurance that he is more than just a stop-gap measure, Louw could become an important and game-shaping member of the Bok side.
I’m not suggesting that Meyer should completely dispense with promising youngsters like Coetzee. The 21-year-old flanker has impressed as an individual this season but that Bok back row has lacked balance whenever he has started.
There may come a time when Coetzee is ready to play a hybrid role and when he has fully developed the skill-set to do so, but at this point Louw is the complete package and must be backed.
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331 Comments
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18 Sep 2012, 10:44 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-142:
Fair comment !! Prior to the pro era our backs were magnificent and we were well known for our running rugby, since 1996 we have never reached those same heights in respect of backline play.
18 Sep 2012, 10:45 am
@Skeppie-149: maybe they have a deal with Adidas? the Gilbert ball was used in Mendoza and on the Gold Coast.
18 Sep 2012, 10:45 am
@Transformation-150: Just because we don’t doesn’t mean we should’nt. No point in having great players on the deck but compromising your set piece and running options.
18 Sep 2012, 10:46 am
@Skeppie-145: How can you state that other than having knowledge of speed times…
Never the less IMO Taute is certainly not the most “complete” 15 in SA… Not by a long shot.
18 Sep 2012, 10:47 am
@Transformation-89: a ban is hardly conclusive, all steroid cheats deny it to the hilt, they will make any excuse
18 Sep 2012, 10:49 am
@Heavens Game-154: Like I said HG it’s my opinion. If I had the speed stats then I suppose we could knock this on it’s head, I am just basing my opinion on what I see.
18 Sep 2012, 10:49 am
You watch, when Brussow eventualy makes it back into the team, these clowns will claim he go his groove back when infact he never lost it. I’m happy with Francois Louw being there, but Heinrich would be an even further improvement. Obviuosly there is no way of proving this until he makes the team again to showcase what he is made of. Definitely one of the 1st names I’ll jot down on the teamsheet. His omission being the biggest dissapointment in HM’s 1st squad announcement.
18 Sep 2012, 10:51 am
@Pot Blou Gevaar-133: As does Morne and Spies. Habana also needed it the last 3 years
18 Sep 2012, 10:52 am
@UptheGuts-157: Hmmm clowns….now you are being mean
18 Sep 2012, 10:56 am
@Big Hit-152: I can’t see why the ball should ever be an issue. Fck me! What does a Adidas matchball cost? NZ$50? Hell, buy 10! So when the kickers practice they have every ball used in internationals at their disposal. Blaming the ball is lame imo. There are always ways around things like that. Commonicity usualy takes care of most them.
18 Sep 2012, 10:57 am
@Skeppie-159: Don’t be so defensive mate! Wasn’t talking about you. Meant keo clowns!
18 Sep 2012, 11:00 am
@UptheGuts-157: Spot on, was a sign of things to come and the first time I doubted Meyer
18 Sep 2012, 11:06 am
@UptheGuts-160: not really the point though, any credible rugby tournament should have a regulation ball
18 Sep 2012, 11:10 am
@UptheGuts-160: The previous occassion ball issues came up was with Braam van Staaten in Aus, I think. Conjecture, I know but to me he was even deadlier than Morne. If that’s possible. Don’t what type of ball the Aussies used at the time but I think it was lame then and still think so today. A proffesional outfit should make sure they have all bases covered if they want to be successfull. Just buy evry fckn ball used. It realy is that simple.
18 Sep 2012, 11:14 am
@UptheGuts-161: Aww thanks, now I feel wanted. Seriously though, I may prefer Flo personally but it does not mean I do not rate Brussow, he is a very, very good rugby player
18 Sep 2012, 11:16 am
@Big Hit-163: So i take it you expect Cruden to kick at 30% in his next 2 games then, not using the Adidas ball? Didn’t think so. Morne lost form in all facets including goalkicking and that’s the jist of it. Which ball did they use on previous tours to NZ?
18 Sep 2012, 11:21 am
These are the best full backs / wings in the country
Willie Le Roux
Andries Coetsee
JPP
Aplon
F. Steyn
P. Lambie
Joe Pietersen
Jaco Taut
Ludik
Viljoen
Kirchner
Daniller
More or less in that order
Taute is being hailed as an immediate Springbok at 15 but he’s better utilized as another 13 / 14 option similar to JPP
However at 13 / 14 we have JPP, De Villiers, Mapoe, Serfontein, De Jongh, Jordaan, Sadie, Engelbrecht, JP Du Plessies, Habana, Aplon
SO if Bok coaches would take some NOTE
W. Le Roux and A. Coetsee make the most exciting and game breaking options at 15 and can double as 11 or 14 options while Taute, JPP, Mapoe, Jordaan, De Jongh, Rhule, Serfontein, Engelbrecht, JP Du Plessis should be fighting it out for outside center / wing berths.
Also in terms of straight line speed Taute is not nearly as quick as some would believe he is, he is strong and big, but in terms of quick he is middle of the road.
Make a better 13 / 14 than a full back imo.
18 Sep 2012, 11:24 am
Ug HM is saying all the wrong things ‘we got it 100% right’ & ‘it was the right gameplan’ . Sure the forwards dominated, but stating that the game plan worked is folly.
The SA rugby public dont want MS near a bok jersey ever again. He can remain with the bulls and who knows, one day perhaps Goosen and his new deputy (whoever that may be Lambie or Jantjies) will be out injured…
Then he can come back and prove a point.
A big blessing would be for MS to go abroad…
18 Sep 2012, 11:28 am
SA conservative cowardly coaches have destroyed SA traditional running rugby
starting with Ian Mack and progressing through Williams, Kitch, Maakgraaf, Streauli, White, PdV under Smit/Matfield/FdP alliance, and now Meyer these coaches have systematically all but destroyed ‘TRADITIONAL’ SA rugby legacy of the famous years gone by.
Only ones who kept a reasonable semblance of a balanced forwards / backs total rugby momentum was Mallet and Solomons, the others killed SA rugby stone dead and now they busy preparing the casket for the burial.
Its all just plainly down to fear based ideology, too afraid to lose so they don’t know how to win… that why this current moron is trying to resurrect Morne Steyn as his prime go to No.10 .. go f’ng figure we ain’t going anywhere in any kind of hurry under this idiot.
Johan Goosen will soon be turned into another Liefling same as they tried cloning FdP into Hougaard..
No hope in hell while SA rugby coaches read from the gospel according to the Ten Man rugby code.
18 Sep 2012, 11:30 am
@Heavens Game-44: Agreed
18 Sep 2012, 11:30 am
Did Brossouw play for Freestate on the weekend? Did anyone watch? Was he any good?
18 Sep 2012, 11:33 am
@fitz1ella-169: did you forget the names of the wp coaches because tries are not very common from wp of late?
18 Sep 2012, 11:33 am
@Big Hit-146:
yes, but in instances where it is not then our kicking coach needs to be awake to these facts. i can only wonder whether they had morne training with both types of balls here in sa.
also whether they took any consideration of the success ratio for all kicks taken at the stadium, studied a few tapes of the ones that are successful and factored this into how he should attempt his kicks.
18 Sep 2012, 11:35 am
under Ian Mac the sharks were a try scoring MACHINE!
he installed honiball at 10, possibly the no. 1 running flyhalf the boks have had since readmission.
Ian Mac, now there is a legend.
18 Sep 2012, 11:36 am
Home series
15. Kirchner (JPP in the future). Lambie should get some game time at the Sharks first, had very little since his return. Should be competiting for 10 or 12 IMO
14. Habana (Still not convinced yet, great try though)
13. Jean (Wow that was an interesting performance on Sat!)
12. Frans
11. Hougie
10. Elton (Goosen with 30min or to start, dont mind)
9. Pienaar (Less kicking please – Fourie needs an SOS call)
8. Vermeulen
7. Flo/ Alberts
6. Brussow
5. Kruger
4. Etsebeth/Bekker
3. Very surprised at SAs lack of tight heads over the years – Send and SOS abroad
2. Strauss (Liebenberg deserves 30min)
1. Beast (Guthro as backup)
18 Sep 2012, 11:37 am
sheesh, the sharks were awesome in those days under Mac.
players like james small, honiball, jouba, jeremy thomson, **** muir, pieter muller had us in raptures at the tank.
of course we were natal back then, men of black and white.
dynamite.
18 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
@blik-171: He did, played quite well. The main thing about Brussow is that hes a BMT player and takes it up quite a few notches when playing for the Boks
18 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
@Skeppie-165: You know what I find most frustrating about this whole saga? 2/3 of the season gone and I’m no closer in feeling confident HM will take our game to greater heights. Our gameplan is very much the same since ’04, selection issues galore. Everyone who knows him seems to think he is this great student of the game. An astute rugbybrain. So why stick to this kick chase game. Why are all our plays off the lineout the same, time and time again? Why don’t he know that variation is key, especially with the Boks. Don’t get me wrong, by no means am I trying to profess I know more than him but the abovementioned was clear for all to see 2 years ago. Has he noticed that our breakdown technique is way under-par? These are the kind of things I wanted to see being worked on. Admittedly somethings take longer than others to sort out but I don’t think enough has been done to allay any fears I had. And to top it, the changes for the better imo to come out of this year so far has all been thrushed upon him. His statements in the media shows that much. Student of the game my ***!!!!
18 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
@UptheGuts-166: It’s not about Steyn or Cruden, it’s that there should be one regulation ball for any professional rugby tournament or series, that should be a given.
18 Sep 2012, 11:39 am
@rangerman-176: Ah, James Small. Another Lions fullback poached by the Shoks. Then came Ludik. And now you want Taute.
If we stuck Casper De Vries in the 15 jersey, you lot would buy him too.
18 Sep 2012, 11:40 am
the flat lying flyhalf championed by Mac at that time is exactly what people are screaming for right now.
now lets see, which provinces currently have such an approach?
the bulls? no
wp? no
fs and the lions for sure and the mighty mighty sharkies too.
18 Sep 2012, 11:40 am
Ian Mack was a kak Bok coach who lost more often than he won against international competition and developed the forward style game that White and Streauli bought into
who the fck is talking about provincial coaches here, we are talking national coaches and ONLY Mallet and Solomons with Carel Du Plessis ACTUALLY the architect of that blue print did ANY justice to a complete total rugby philosophy.. PdV wanted to install a total rugby ideal but we all know how that turned out, John Smit and his stooges overruled him emphatically and PdV became the puppet coach of the JW play without the ball kick and chase hail Mary arsecreeps.
18 Sep 2012, 11:41 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-173: SA had no real option but to take the kicks as they were so terrible at finishing tries, imho that should be the coach’s primary concern.
18 Sep 2012, 11:41 am
Some Boks released for Absa Currie Cup duty
——————————————————————————–
18 September 2012, 11:33
Five members of the Springbok squad that returned from New Zealand on Monday have been released to their provinces to play in the Absa Currie Cup this weekend.
The released players were all part of the 28-man squad that played Australia and New Zealand on consecutive weekends in The Castle Rugby Championship, but were not part of the match 22 that faced the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday.
They are Craig Burden (The Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Western Province), Jacques Potgieter (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Jano Vermaak (Vodacom Blue Bulls) and Lwazi Mvovo (The Sharks).
The sixth player that was not part of the match 22 in Dunedin, Pat Cilliers (MTN Golden Lions), is currently injured and not available for selection this weekend.
A Springbok squad of 30 players for the final two tests in The Castle Rugby Championship – on September 29 against Australia at Loftus Versfeld and on October 6 against New Zealand at Soccer City – will be announced at the conclusion of round seven of the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division on Saturday evening.
The squad will convene in Johannesburg on Sunday evening to start preparations for the tests against Australia and New
18 Sep 2012, 11:42 am
@rangerman-174: I wish Ian M would start challenging Meyer a bit more when it comes to Bok selections…..show us what a real legend he is
(Jooste included in that selection trinity)
18 Sep 2012, 11:42 am
@katman-180:
james played wing at the lions didnt he?
he certainly did for natal and the boks.
personally i dont want taute or elton to come to the sharks. they will battle to make the starting line up and might cause unhappiness in the squad too. let them go to the kings or the wp.
18 Sep 2012, 11:44 am
@fitz1ella-182: Mac didnt have say over selections when he was bok coach and was given less time than meyer has had.
he was royally screwed by luyt the cabbage eater.
point is he was a proponent of running rugby so your rant is a load of poo as usual
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-185: i am not that unhappy about the bok squad actually.
Mac is as usual doing a fine job.
18 Sep 2012, 11:44 am
@rangerman-186: He started off at fullback. I remember going to see his very first game at Ellis Park. He was 19, I think, and hailed as a wunderkind. He then switched between fullback and wing for a while, before settling on the right wing.
18 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
@Bok fan-177: Did he play 80 min? If selected, will he be matchfit for the game against Aus?
18 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
@katman-188: ok.
he was a wunderkind.
a troubled flippen genius.
hell i rated small when he was in his prime. at the sharks
18 Sep 2012, 11:48 am
Interesting that Lambie not being weekend off to play CC rugby….
I think he will start against Aussies at 15
18 Sep 2012, 11:52 am
@blik-189: Yes I think he played the full 80, def match fit now
18 Sep 2012, 11:52 am
@fitz1ella-182: You’re wasting time fighting here while you could be typing your CV and mailing it to SARU. I’ve started one for you:
1958 – 1961: Completed standard 8.
1962 – Turned vegetarian after a bad experience that combined strong LSD with a rancid sosatie.
1968 – 1971: Played rhythm guitar in prog-folk ensamble, Decoupage Days.
1972 – present: Owner/manager of Outhouse Extraordinaire: because a longdrop isn’t just a longdrop.
1996 – Voted most likely in his family to become a rugby coach.
18 Sep 2012, 11:52 am
lambie should have been released to play cc.
the lad has had barely any gametime over the last few months and will probably not be match sharp at all.
18 Sep 2012, 11:54 am
James Small was from Jeppe probably got taught by JW at school.. but he eventually settled in Cape Town where nearly ALL disgruntled bananaboys hang out.. same as disgruntled ex Jo,burgers..
James was destroyed by a woman.. poor dude I kinda felt for him when Christina ripped his heart apart. Good dude back at the ranch.. genuine kinda guy.. Boks could do with a little more of that genuine rebel without a cause attitude.. under Heyneke Meyer I kinda doubt it.. they all have to be singing from the same hail Mary hymn sheet in Heyneke’s cause.
18 Sep 2012, 11:57 am
@grant10-191: They should have sent de Jongh back as well. He and Lambie need to be playing rugby somewhere…..
Lambie is one of the true victims of Meyer’s insanity. The poor kid looks so damn unhappy, and it’s justifiable 100%. The poor fellow must be about as ‘match fit’ and ‘match sharp’ as what I am…..
If Meyer throws him in next week at 15? At least Duane and Goosen had about 50 minutes of Currie Cup….what does Lambie have?
No, he should have released him, even if he wants to start him next week – in fact ESPECIALLY if he wants to start him next week.
18 Sep 2012, 11:58 am
@katman-193: what you doing here pseudo boer who thinks he’s white.. or english .. or something quite as confused as that? You orchestrating new anglicized ditty’s to go with your latest Boy George collection?
Saru could do a lot worse than employ some proper rugby brains for a change.. seems they not nearly inclined to consider common sense as an option, the more boer bevok they are the better.. till they lose 49-0 and the rest then the sky starts falling on their dumbfck boer bevokte heads.
18 Sep 2012, 11:58 am
At best Coetzee plays 8 or 7, putting him into a fetcher role is like expecting M Steyn to light up the backline!!!
Our best fetcher options ar Brussouw and Flouw!
18 Sep 2012, 11:59 am
@fitz1ella-197: Get typing then, little weasel. Have your people contact their people. Set your PR machine in motion. I can’t wait to see your first interview. Want to test it on this audience?
18 Sep 2012, 12:02 pm
@Big Hit-179: Fact is, that’s not the case. As it stands now, Unions can use any make of ball that probably adhere to certain specifications. That would be my guess. Did Jean or Morne have a chat to Jurie Roux to have a single make matchball across the comp? If not, did they acquire all the balls used for goalkickers to practice with to give them the best chance at success? To cry foul after the fact is just so lame and totaly unprofessional. Imho
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