Openside hybrid non-negotiable for Boks
20 Nov 2012
RYAN VREDE, in London, reports Springbok defence coach John McFarland believes there isn’t room in Test rugby for an openside who isn’t equally competent at the breakdown as he is with ball in hand.
This echoes the view head coach Heyneke Meyer expressed in the early part of his tenure and explains why the likes of Heinrich Brussow are unlikely to come into the selection frame for the Springboks.
Indeed the world’s elite opensiders, Richie McCaw and David Pocock, fit the description of the type of player Meyer and McFarland believe to be most effective in the role. Wales’ Sam Warburton is similarly equipped.
The Springboks have benefited hugely from the emergence of Francois Louw as an openside of world-class standing and one that ticks all the boxes that seem to be a prerequisite for success in the position. Certainly a strong argument can be made for him as the pre-eminent player in his position in the world at present, such has been the calibre of his showings since his return to the side in the latter part of the Rugby Championship.
‘Its important to get the mix [in an openside]. The advantage Flo has is that he is 6ft and 112kg. There aren’t many opensiders with the ability to steal and hit guys backwards like he does. Then he brings the carrying aspect as well,’ McFarland said. ‘Flo has offered us massive positives because he has been here [in the northern hemisphere with Bath] so long. He has made a significant difference in our ability to make tackles and get turnovers.’
The Springboks have conceded an average of 1.2 tries per game this season and much of that has to do with Louw’s seeming omnipresence and potency at the breakdown. However, it would be grossly unfair not to commend the efforts of the collective in this regard, with particular emphasis on Louw’s back row partners Duane Vermeulen and Willem Alberts.
‘They work very well as a combination,’ McFarland said. ‘Willem whacks guys backwards. His first tackle on [Scotland's] Nick De Luca, where he drove him five or six metres backwards, really set the tone for the game. Duane reads things so well and consistently wins the team’s big hit award, while Flo make his turnovers and slows the ball down superbly. Then Marcell Coetzee comes on and gives us that massive work rate. So we’re really pleased there.’
Turning his attention to Saturday’s Test at Twickenham against England, McFarland said their ability to keep midfielders Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi in check would be central to their success.
‘We have to cut down their space and stop their momentum,’ he said, before highlighting another area of focus. ‘There is a big threat off quick-tap penalties from Danny Care, who tends to jump the whistle when advantage is called. So it is a matter of us being alert to that. If you look at their best bits of play against Australia, those came from quick taps and even though they didn’t get the three points they got massive momentum and create many scoring opportunities.’
105 Comments
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20 Nov 2012, 13:43 pm
Open side dragons
20 Nov 2012, 13:44 pm
great….lets broadcast our game strategy for Saturday!!!!!
20 Nov 2012, 13:46 pm
Brussow is very competent with ball in hand.
Deceptively strong ball carrier.
Did you see his try against the Bulls at Loftus this year?
20 Nov 2012, 13:51 pm
How will this bode for a fit Schalk and Juan?
20 Nov 2012, 13:51 pm
The real issue is that these dumbfcks didn’t even consider Flo until they were forced to select him. The fact fact that he was a good ball stealer was even a bonus and not why they selected him.
20 Nov 2012, 13:55 pm
Who’s Ryan Vrede? some Welsh reporter?
20 Nov 2012, 13:55 pm
@willievz-3:
Flo offers more than Brussouw at the moment.
20 Nov 2012, 14:00 pm
The bumbling babble goes on – they are focusing on small areas that went well – WAGT ABOUT THE GAMEPLAN !!!!!!!!!!!! The loose forwards never run off anyone’s shoulder/ no offloads/ no support running for the backs – this stuff can be practised – a game plan that relies on tackling & kick & chase will not work in the long run – Heyneke used to get 50% of his games at loftus where this skop & chase works cos’ of the altitude factor & “boere kraal” intimidation by the drunk fans !
20 Nov 2012, 14:01 pm
@TooMuchRugby-5: Flo is the exact kind of player we need, similar to Burger when he first started….big, strong, can carry and make offensive tackles but is also a real “fetcher”. I am amazed he slipped through the cracks, he is quality!
20 Nov 2012, 14:10 pm
yes mcfarland, the internstionsa l csareers of the like of michael hooper are doomed because his dimensions read 1,83m 93kg…
20 Nov 2012, 14:17 pm
@Transformation-10: My thoughts exactly!
Hooper was arguably Man of Match against England. Sometimes the biggest player is not the most effective. I’m not saying I’d pick Brussow ahead of Flo who is in a great patch of form at the moment. Just that Heinrich has showed many times that he is effective at Test level.
20 Nov 2012, 14:18 pm
@Skeppie-9: He was blamed (unfairly) for the losses against NZ, and that after he received 4 man of the match awards before that. P Divvy and co dropped him…I’m certain at the behest of those senior players who’s names we shall not mention.
At the time Flo’s agent said if he wasn’t going to play for the Boks again, he was going to take the offer Bath made him, and that’s how it worked out…and why he left SA.
Then injury got him a World Cup call up for what it was worth.
And this year, injury once more bagged him another. Now I want to see them try and oust him
20 Nov 2012, 14:21 pm
@umfolozi-11: Heinrich and Flo should be the 6s in the mix.
People in England said the same sort of thing before Neil Black broke down the door.
The comments, attitude and playing style of our Bok management remind me of England circa 1995. It’s not traditional Bok rugby.
20 Nov 2012, 14:24 pm
“The advantage Flo has is that he is 6ft and 112kg.”
When are we going to hear that a player is good cos he’s smart or he knows how to read the game on when to contest a ruck or when to slow down the ball.
It’s so typical of our rugby coaches, that we judge our players on how much they weigh and how far they can kick the ball.
20 Nov 2012, 14:31 pm
@umfolozi-11: against the Boks in Perth Hooper carried the ball more metres than our 3 loosies combined…so ek weet nie.
20 Nov 2012, 14:45 pm
@Transformation-10: But transie surely a 110kg player with the same ability and speed as a 90kg player is going to have the upper hand in tests? It’s physics really. I have no issue with a great smaller player playing ahead of a good bigger one but when they essentially offer the same the bigger guy is going to add more value most of the time.
20 Nov 2012, 14:48 pm
Yet another Blue Bulls player accused for murder,read on news 24!if they’re not killing they’re doing cocaine..strange bunch!
20 Nov 2012, 14:53 pm
@Jatman-17:
This happened almost 2 years ago, so not a new story.
Can’t in fairness call him a Bulls player, don’t recall to many actually hearing of him, let alone seeing him play
20 Nov 2012, 14:55 pm
@pakslae-14: Amen.
20 Nov 2012, 14:56 pm
@Skeppie-16:
How about a dumb 110kg player with the same ability as a clever 90kg player. Example, Daniel Carter vs Frans Steyn?
20 Nov 2012, 14:59 pm
@Jatman-17: No man this is old news, happened over a year ago, and he was known then. He is just appearing in court now.
20 Nov 2012, 15:00 pm
Let’s stop the lorry for a moment.
I would like to know why people think Brussow is not considered a “hybrid”, or “versatile” player.
20 Nov 2012, 15:06 pm
*** Stormersboy I know,but still,not the first time.
20 Nov 2012, 15:13 pm
@Jatman-23: This is true.
20 Nov 2012, 15:14 pm
@pakslae-20: Who’s who in your example?
Coz Carter weighs in at 93 kgs and Fransie at 100.
20 Nov 2012, 15:14 pm
Brussow….brilliant opensider…
Flo….brilliant opensider….
Always start with 1 of them and Bobs your aunt….
Always!
Dont and see the havoc the Mc Caws and Hoopers and Popocks and Warburtons, et al will bring to bear on this Bok team….
Fire with fire…..pitbull vs pitbull…..
Dont take a Great Dane to a Pitbull slugfest……
The Great Dane will be farken chowed and spat out 6 love 6 love goodnite nurse…..
Ask the Spies….J Smith and Schalk combo who gave the aussies and kiwis so many free lunches in the past….
20 Nov 2012, 15:14 pm
More narrow minded bs from narrow minded coaches who end up giving us narrow minded rugby.
You would swear the HM coaching team missed a step in the evolutionairy process.
20 Nov 2012, 15:32 pm
@willievz-22: he is NOT percieved as a premier ball- carrier or an agressive tackler who drives opponents backwards on top of his fetching prowess.
20 Nov 2012, 15:35 pm
Now if only Flo had the speed of Hooper and Pocock who both equal the Brumbies record over 10 metres from a standing start… it would improve the rather sluggish back-row dynamic…
For the record… Brussouw’s linking game is under-rated… but then the guy has been injured for quite some time this year…
20 Nov 2012, 15:43 pm
If both are inform and on top of their game, I’d definitely, most certainly want to see Brussouw & Flo in the same combination, whether from the bench or as a start.
20 Nov 2012, 15:51 pm
@Taahirah-25:
Frans Steyn is easily 110kg, especially with the conditioning he’s in.
I’m trying to challenge the idea that so many have that size is everything and that if you have two players of the same ability or skill set, that the heavier player will always come up on top. Our coaches are showing a total disregard to player intellect, in fact they are coaching it out of our players. They’re playing like programmed robots on the field.
If you look at all the best players of the past and present, you’ll find that all of them are/were cleverer than their peers. And it’s in all sports, not just rugby. We’re the only nation obsessed with size.
20 Nov 2012, 15:54 pm
Flo and Brussouw both brilliant fetchers.
Would love to see Arno Botha try his hand at fetching too… He has one helluva pair of arms on him.
We also have Deon Fourie who is a great fetcher whether at hooker or flank.
And the highly under-rated Ashley Johnson.
20 Nov 2012, 15:54 pm
i bet liam messam clocks a faster time than both hooper & pocock…
20 Nov 2012, 15:57 pm
@pakslae-31:
Well said, I couldn’t agree more.
I think there are actually times when a smaller player is better…. They can run through smaller holes in defence…. We have too many big lumps in our backline and not enough nippy players. Hence we have no balance and our backline looks very impotent.
20 Nov 2012, 16:01 pm
Flo is playing top rugby at present; notwithstanding (imo) he is not yet as proficient as was Brussow in his heyday.
Another thing, I wish we (fans & scribes) would stop this (Premature Ej…) habit of hailing Springboks that string together a sequence of, say, a mere 4-5 exceptional performances as Best in the World in their respective positions. Purple Patches come and go. To be regarded best of breed one needs to consistently deliver performances second to none for an extended period… Flo is still working on the “extended period” bit.
I’m both a Brussow & Flo fan – & I agree with certain others that BOTH should be in a Bok squad.
Re: ” there isn’t room in Test rugby for an openside who isn’t equally competent at the breakdown as he is with ball in hand” :
I’ll respectfully disagree, & venture that one should always select your best fetcher, irrespective also of physical attributes … and at the moment that player IS Flo (but who knows, next year or some time thereafter Brussow may reclaim his position of Leader of SA Opensiders.
Also, I think these public comments from the Bok coaching team are disrespectful of the great on field achievements & contribution that Brussow made to Bok rugby – and that’s in poor taste.
20 Nov 2012, 16:03 pm
@Angostura-35: good post
20 Nov 2012, 16:03 pm
Hilarious.
If Mcfarland had said Flo was NOT great, the Stormersader fans would have been flaying him alive.
Now that he HAS said Flo is great, the Stormersader fans are flaying him alive for saying it.
At least we know those commenting on his statements are perfectly reasonable folk.
20 Nov 2012, 16:04 pm
Just read Wynand Olivier back for Bulls in next years superrugby
20 Nov 2012, 16:05 pm
Is Louw really that good a ball carrier ? I haven’t seen him make many yards…
He is one of our little wonder boys from the cape , that’s why after a handful of games he is world class, gotta love my peers!
Brussow IS world class and is a more prolific fetch than Louw any day of the week. However to say he hasn’t been impressive versus some of the inferior sides would be a lie.
20 Nov 2012, 16:06 pm
@pakslae-31:
” Our coaches are showing a total disregard to player intellect”
That’s because they are retards themselves
20 Nov 2012, 16:10 pm
@Tacitus-37:
We have something in common, me and you, neither of us know wtf you are talking about.
The fact of the matter is, they were forced to select Flo and know they sing his praises. If it wasn’t for a lucky break the Boks would still be playing without a fetcher.
And the gripe of most commenters here is the fact that they cannot see the value Brussouw would add to the side.
20 Nov 2012, 16:10 pm
Louw has been awesome since he got back in the team – much better than past performances had led me to expect – and it’s great that he is being recognised for that.
20 Nov 2012, 16:10 pm
@Tacitus-37: What movie are you watching??
Stormersader fans?
Who is saying it?
Or is it all just in your head?
20 Nov 2012, 16:16 pm
Ryan is on his one man (one Province) crusade for Flo yet again.
Flo has been good but he has had NH refs only thus far.
In the RWC he was blown off the park and was very poor – that was just one year back.
When it comes to playing SH rugby with SH refs Flo will once more be average.
Can’t figure out why Vermeulen hasn’t been hitting the Keo headlines.
Maybe because they don’t want to draw attention to ‘The Slug’ and hope none will notice how bad he is …
20 Nov 2012, 16:23 pm
@OCO-44: Pollsmoor manshaming victim? Can’t afford to live in CT? Chick ran away with a WP player?
You’re amongst friends – you can tell us.
20 Nov 2012, 16:23 pm
Flo is playing up to his 2010 Super rugby form! when he debuted against Wales that year he was playing like this…the ONLY thing that got in his way is Schalk insistence that he owns the 6 jersey!
why do people say Louw failed vs ABs in 2010 when he was playing blindside & schalk at openside? schalk got schooled & Flo got dropped instead. i would leave too!
20 Nov 2012, 16:24 pm
@grant10-38:
He’s on a similar deal as Peter Grant.
Super rugby then back to sushi
20 Nov 2012, 16:26 pm
@TooMuchRugby-40:
20 Nov 2012, 16:32 pm
@OCO-44:
On Saturday Vermeulen made the most runs in the Bok team (6) and the most tackles (16) of anyone on the field.
I rest my case
20 Nov 2012, 16:37 pm
@Tacitus-37: Is De Jongh still too small for you?
Our only backline player to make a linebreak. With the ONE opportunity he got a quick ball.
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