Hougaard yearns for scrumhalf return
22 Nov 2012
Francois Hougaard says he is better suited to scrumhalf than wing and admits to feeling like he is stalling Lwazi Mvovo’s Test career.
In a refreshingly candid interview, Hougaard, who started the Test season as Heyneke Meyer’s first-choice scrumhalf but was later shifted to wing, spoke about his positional preference, his form and his feelings on Mvovo’s plight.
Hougaard shone for the Bulls in 2009 and 2010 on the wing, but struggled to make the transition back to scrumhalf (where he’d played most of his career) when Fourie du Preez moved on. This season was one of adjustment, painful at times, as Hougaard battled to come to terms with the tactical demands of the Bulls’ game plan, particularly the kicking disciplines.
Those struggles carried over into the Test arena, before he was finally replaced by Ruan Pienaar for the Rugby Championship. Yet Heyneke Meyer still placed high value on his game-breaking ability and accommodated him on the wing.
Asked to assess his season, Hougaard said: ‘I haven’t been happy with my form. I’m still learning a lot at scrumhalf, but I haven’t played much there. I still train there everyday, but you only get better if you play. I still think that’s my best position.
‘In the long run I’m a scrumhalf. I want to settle in one position or I run the risk of being an average wing and an average scrumhalf. I don’t want that to happen. I know I have so much to work on at scrumhalf, but I’d prefer to cover scrumhalf from the bench for the Springboks [in 2013] if it means I’m not thrown around positionally [scrumhalf at the Bulls and wing with the Springboks].’
With the reduced time and space on offer in Test rugby [compared to Super Rugby] and greater analysis available on him after his impressive cameos off the wood as a wing in 2011, Hougaard has yet to entrench himself in the position. There are mitigating factors, among them the Springboks’ inability to engineer opportunities for him. Hougaard, however, refused to look beyond himself for blame, and continued with a startling admission.
‘The coach plays me ahead of Lwazi on wing, but I feel for him. I would understand and support the decision to play him ahead of me,’ he said. ‘It feels unfair to me because I’m playing in his position and not doing that well. Its easy to tell the guys to keep themselves up on a three-week tour, where they sit on the bench or never play. It’s not nice and not easy, I’ve been there. But I’m here now and I have to take the chance. I’m working hard every day to improve.’
409 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 8 9 » Show All
22 Nov 2012, 21:44 pm
Brussow should never have started.. it was due to Brussow standing at Burgers shoulder who couldn’t protect the ball from being hacked clear by Elsom and Pocock gang tackling a vulnerable Burger at first receiver and Samo and Horwill cleaned up the losse ball and Aussie scored only try of the game..
If Louw had started Burger would have had protection, and Boks would probably not have conceded the try, but Brussow and Burger got swamped and cleaned out by Elsom, Pocock and Samo combined, and next it was Aussie try time which effectively lost the game.
Brussow was injured before kick off should never have been in the run on team.. not even on bench
22 Nov 2012, 21:45 pm
@skopdiekan-183:
Yeah Skoppie he has been playing Hougaard out of position now for too long
And yes Taute at 15 should have happenned some time ago when he came back
Hopefully Pienaar had his bad game V Scots
22 Nov 2012, 21:47 pm
@grant10-187:
Yeah I rate Kolisi ahead of Burger either at 6 or 7.. and as good as Fourie was at 6 I still say he should concentrate at hooker which is his first choice specialist discipline he rates himself.
22 Nov 2012, 21:47 pm
@skopdiekan-196:
Yes, he was ineffective as a ball carrier, but so was Danie Rossouw.
It the misconception that we are stronger, bigger and faster than all other countries.
His reluctance to pass irritates the hell out of me too, but I still have to give him credit for what he has achieved as a player and will always respect that.
I would agree with your post 191 where you mention the older brigade, but I believe if those players were on form we could have been the only side to potentially beat the All Blacks, solely for the fact that those players had beaten them and knew they could, and so did the AB’s.
Note I said potentially, as it is a moot point and I don’t want to start an argument with the AB supporters
22 Nov 2012, 21:47 pm
Bla blah rant rave vloek vloek. This angry little weasel knows it all.
22 Nov 2012, 21:48 pm
@skopdiekan-201:
I think it was a combination of things that lost us that game
The biggest for me was the blatant killing of the ball by pocock as the boks were about to score ( a couple of times)
Yellow card and penalty try maybe
22 Nov 2012, 21:53 pm
@katman-205: knows a damn sight more than little snot nosed fuckup runtcunts the likes of pissarse little feeble fuckwits such as you.. miserable little piece of trash cn’t
@nortierd-204: Burgers hogging of the first receiver ball as a strategy by Rassie Erasmus was a failure.. Burger was not nearly sufficiently capable in his own capacity to be the go to man that Rassie expected.. the entire strategy was a failure and Burger both lost ball in contact under our own posts and gave away a soft try.. and also failed to breach the advantage line once with all the possession he personally carried in that game.. plus failed to score when right in their red zone it was stolen from out of his hands.
22 Nov 2012, 21:53 pm
@CoachPete-202: Howdy coach.Happy Thanksgiving for you okes in the USA .
22 Nov 2012, 21:55 pm
@Brendope-197: not nice at all
22 Nov 2012, 21:55 pm
@wnbb-208:
Thank you very much How are things
22 Nov 2012, 21:57 pm
@CoachPete-206:
we failed to adapt to the situation.. Alberts, Hougaard and Bismark should have started along with Louw ahead of Brussow and we would have walked that game.. the entire strategy was wrong and we tried to play Burger as the ball carrier front line first receiver.. which basically failed..
FdP, Spies and Smit alongside Roussow also didn’t contribute to a proactive front foot game..
We would have won if we played it right.. our selections and our strategy played straight into Aussie hands.. Bryce or no Bryce.. we mostly beat ourselves with the wrong game plan and wrong front line personnel.
22 Nov 2012, 21:57 pm
@skopdiekan-207:
They should have cleared it at 10
I dont like this one phase crash ball near the line
Turn over leads to tries more often than not
Too risky
Oh thats right it happened Vs Oz
22 Nov 2012, 21:58 pm
@skopdiekan-207: @skopdiekan-207:
Those are the facts, but it’s a cancer that has spread through all our franchises.
From kickoff, scrum or line out in our 22 they all want to crash the ball up
22 Nov 2012, 21:59 pm
@Brendope-197: There is an unwritten
rule on this site that we will not denigrate peoples families.Otherwise quite
enjoy your posts
22 Nov 2012, 21:59 pm
@Brendope-197:
That just plain sucks.
Not good
22 Nov 2012, 22:00 pm
you cknow players always trot out the cliche that “they will play wherever the coach wants me”, because “i just want to be in teh team”. I honestly feel that so many players have had their skill sstuffed up by being played out of position, that players should outright refuse to be played out of position (out of a need to to look after their own career). ultimately, by playing a player out of position, the coach is not making that position as specialised as it could be, and is doing the team a disservice. Yes some guys are game breakers, but then use them as impact players or something. But why weaken the team to have a game breaker in it?
22 Nov 2012, 22:01 pm
@skopdiekan-211:
yes if you are talking about before the game and selections game plan etc
But as game unfolded with the team on the field there were 4-5 situations which if played (or reffed ) right would have resulted in a bok win
22 Nov 2012, 22:01 pm
Pienaar is slowing down the Boks attack. He needs to sharpen his recycle.
22 Nov 2012, 22:01 pm
You’re delusional, old man. You talk as though you know everything about everything and no one else knows anything. But that’s because you have something wrong in your head. You have a condition, and it makes you a truly nasty piece of work. Sorry to be so blunt, but you’re unwell.
22 Nov 2012, 22:02 pm
@nortierd-213:
Possibly to give the 10 a better angle to kick a longer touch
But has backfired all to often as you say
22 Nov 2012, 22:03 pm
@katman-219: Who, me?
22 Nov 2012, 22:04 pm
@SIumtown-218:
Or play the ball quicker He has caught the N hemisphere bad habit of slowing ruck ball down (for whatever reason I dont know)
22 Nov 2012, 22:04 pm
@skopdiekan-207:
Agree with you Skop about having Burger at first receiver every fricken time…doesn’t work cause its so easy to read. Burger was either going to pass without the variety or run straight at the opposition.
22 Nov 2012, 22:05 pm
@ryecatcher-214: that is a little piece of delinquent garbage and you enjoy its posts.. just goes to show what and who people actually enjoy round here
22 Nov 2012, 22:05 pm
@CoachPete-222: He’s always played that way at scrumhalf. Look back to 2010.
22 Nov 2012, 22:05 pm
@SIumtown-221: No, the Vishoek flea market hippy.
22 Nov 2012, 22:06 pm
@katman-219: Hi Katman,.Hope you are well.Gird yourself against the inevitable assault.
22 Nov 2012, 22:06 pm
@CoachPete-222: Always flapping his arms about at the ref.
22 Nov 2012, 22:08 pm
@ryecatcher-227: Hi, Mr Caulfield. I’m not going to stick around for his regurgitations. It’s the same old same old anyway.
22 Nov 2012, 22:08 pm
@Te Rangatira-223:
When i was coaching we had a kiwi come and give his advice
He told the forwards never run over the defender try run around him and bump him off
I laughed and said ” hey these guys are all Tongans your wasting your breath”
22 Nov 2012, 22:09 pm
@SIumtown-228:
Exactly taking another 2 seconds of slower ball
22 Nov 2012, 22:11 pm
@SIumtown-225:
When he had a chance to play there when not been shunted around at 10 and 15
22 Nov 2012, 22:15 pm
@CoachPete-232: I agree with skop. He should have stayed at flyhalf. Would have been reaaly good there (just needed to sort his kicking out).
The problem is he thinks he’s a scrumhalf and he simply isnt.
Skop, can I get an Amen?
22 Nov 2012, 22:18 pm
@SIumtown-233:
Kicking is a huge part of the 10s game for the boks ( way too much )
And yes he had a problem with his kicking, and that had a result on him settling there at 10
22 Nov 2012, 22:18 pm
@katman-219: what you think you know about anyone is zero and zilch.. your snot nosed highfalutin opinion of your own intoxicated assumption makes you the utmost self righteous little piece of trash punk ever to classify himself as the know all of other peoples personality or level of sanity. Who the fck you pisswilly little scum faced runt think you are? You know absolutely nothing and your presumptuous assumption that you are in ANY position to classify any body with any so called condition from your non knowledgeable vantage point?
You are the one who is sick you miserable little fanny faced punk and the sickness eating at the core of your soul is your outright filthy snot nosed trash arrogance and self righteous ego you pissarse feeble piece of garbage non knowing punk. You need to be put straight and right to your snot nosed little self righteous ego rampant nose you feeble piece of trash punk.
22 Nov 2012, 22:22 pm
@CoachPete-230:
Hi Coach……yep, sometimes you have to play to your strengths, especially if its working…
22 Nov 2012, 22:22 pm
@CoachPete-234:
Happy Thanks Giving by the way.
Just saw on a previous post that you are in the States
22 Nov 2012, 22:22 pm
@skopdiekan-224: Not all of his posts are as bad as your,s are.One good line followed by a lengnthy paragraph of insults.Not for you to tell me what I may or may not enjoy.
As I told you in a previous post,whilst I may not agree wih a post, but if it is well put,
then I will tell the poster.Do not enjoy the personal stuff,particulalrly
those which you direct against Katman.You,by sneering at academics,give out
that you are not as qualified as them.But your University of Life experience
has made you very wise.So no need for the chip on your shoulder. Or to insult.
I will cooment where and how I like.Do not need you as an arbiter.And really no need for your obvious inferiority complex.
Wind me up and I can go on forever in this vein.As I also told you,your]
posts diminish you as a person in my eyes. eyes
22 Nov 2012, 22:23 pm
@SIumtown-237:
Yes thanks
22 Nov 2012, 22:23 pm
@katman-226: yeah get lost self righteous little garbage fuckwit.. you are the epitome of intoxicated self entitled arrogance and its garbage filth the likes of you that need sorting out in this society of inbred self righteousness you think you occupy. I have seldom come across worse case of intoxicated filthy arrogance as yours you feeble little snot nosed punk.. and its scum like you that need to get sorted out for the sake of those who can see what is what in the real aspect of where ego meets its stark reality face on.
22 Nov 2012, 22:24 pm
@Te Rangatira-236:
Yes i would they like to run not point trying to change them rather build on it
RUCK AND RUN RUGBY
22 Nov 2012, 22:25 pm
@skopdiekan-235: Please rephrase this in understandable, simple English.
22 Nov 2012, 22:28 pm
Lol, maybe I was a bit harsh, sorry wnbb. I’d prefer to talk rugby, but some posters on keo ruin genuine rugby discussion or push an agenda. In those cases I’m pretty comfortable delivering a spanking.
In this case I was a bit heavy handed on the ol banter shotgun, prob uncalled for.
22 Nov 2012, 22:29 pm
It should really have been directed at skopdiekan.
22 Nov 2012, 22:30 pm
@CoachPete-230: Yes.But are your loins
girded?Goodnight all.
22 Nov 2012, 22:32 pm
@CoachPete-239: Sorry.Meant for
KATMAN
22 Nov 2012, 22:32 pm
@ryecatcher-245:
Please explain ?
22 Nov 2012, 22:33 pm
@ryecatcher-246:
Oh ok no problem
My loins are always guarded
22 Nov 2012, 22:34 pm
@ryecatcher-238: keep commenting and keep sucking up to the garbage that you hold so dear to.. that feeble little rat is what it is, the pity is you unable to see it… you are blind that is your loss.. you looking for a pseudo champion to fight your war of irrational causes for what you think represents your assumption of sanity.. like that frivolous little piece of trash punk eyed prat who reckons it is in a position to declare with its self intoxicated arrogance who is who in its own ratified fuckup zoo..
The real lack and pity here is you are unable to recognize what is filthy self righteous arrogance and what is not.. better you open your eyes up before its too late and see where reality cuts from intoxicated self righteous garbage..
22 Nov 2012, 22:37 pm
@ryecatcher-245: Post 245 should
have been for Katma n.Apologies
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 8 9 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.