Meyer warms to Lambie
23 Oct 2012
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has confirmed Pat Lambie will be considered as a 10 option for the Boks’ end of year tour.
Meyer told Keo.co.za he had been impressed with Lambie’s performances for the Sharks in recent weeks and that the player gives him options at flyhalf and fullback.
Meyer initially saw Lambie more as a specialist fullback, but said that the player had worked hard at certain aspects of his game when with the Bok set-up and that he had translated that into performance in the Currie Cup.
‘I told Pat to work on his tactical kicking. He has really improved in that area and we will look at him as a 10 as well,’ said Meyer, who also confirmed he will assess the form of European-based South Africans playing in the Heineken and European Shield competitions.
‘We showed during the Rugby Championship that if we believe an overseas-based SA player would add value to the strength and depth of the national squad we would include him,’ said Meyer, in reference to the selections of Ruan Pienaar and Francois Louw, both of whom completed the competition as starting options.
‘The tour will provide a last opportunity in the year to assess form and value of players, with short and long term goals in mind. In 2013 I’d like to have the core of the squad settled as we work towards being successful in every Test and fine tune a squad capable of success at the World Cup in 2015.’
Meyer said injury to Andries Bekker was unfortunate and an emphasis would be on the depth at No 5 lock. He singled out the form of Eben Etzebeth and Flip van der Merwe and added that he would turn to an overseas-based SA option only if he believed there was not a player(s) of similar quality in South Africa in said positions.
‘If two players are of similar pedigree I will always first go with the guy in South Africa. The guy playing overseas has to be decidedly better to what is available at the time of selection.’
Meyer is meeting with the selectors of Thursday and confirmed much of the week has been spent working through footage of Heineken Cup games involving potential tour candidates.
‘The core of the Rugby Championship squad will travel if fit, but we are not going to look past a player who is overseas if his form is outstanding and we believe he would be an asset to the national squad.’
Veteran Springbok and former Bulls lock Bakkies Botha has been in good form for Toulon and he could be one of a select few South Africans abroad to make the squad.
Schalk Brits has been a standout performer for Saracens but his is not a name Meyer bandies about and injuries to South African-based props could see the Bok coach look north for tour replacements.
Louw (Bath) and Pienaar (Ulster) will make the squad again.
204 Comments
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23 Oct 2012, 21:51 pm
polluters anonymous
24 Oct 2012, 00:03 am
We was banned
24 Oct 2012, 10:14 am
@106.Horings exactly, you are looking at only 3 losses, but tahts still only a 44% win ratio. And a draw is a loss. When my kids and grand kids look at the books, they are going to read that out of the 9 matches played by the Bokke in 2012, only 4 were won, they are not going to look at the draws or losses. when you google wining stats, it comes up mainly with win ratio, not draw and loss ratio (give or take a few pessimistic sites. And me being a South African, I want the Bokke to be the best, so a draw is a loss to me, that is a 56%lose ratio. Look how much a draw meant with the final Bledisloe Cup, it meant that NZ 17/17 match winning streak came to an end, whether it was due to a loss or a draw, it still ended a WINING streak. So I’m sorry boet but you are wrong on this one.
@108.Liewe Luiperd exactly, games won is what matters.
@ 111.Horings: yes, please draw a graph because I are not verstanding you on this point. WINS is what matters, not losses/Draws. Would you rather win the CC or share it? no you would want to win it, cos as everyone knows, sharing the CC is like kissing your sister.
@112.Horings: yes here is the counter, if your stats of 55% are correct, then PDV still had a better reckord in 2011 than HM has in 2012 because HM is 11% less than PDV (even though he had 4 years to “break” the team down as you are suggesting.
@ 116.Horings: neither bru!!! For goodness sake, read my first statement. Lambie was a brilliant tactical kicker long before he became a Bok.
@ 117.BokkeYouBeauties Thank you!!!
24 Oct 2012, 13:58 pm
Elton Jantjies sliding further down the pecking order afa Meyer is concerned.
It is probably now:
1. Goosen
2. Steyn
3. Lambie
4. Jantjies
A few good performances by Pollard next year in senior rugby and Jantjies may just find him at no. 5 by the end of next year.
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