If Rassie really wanted to unpick the all blacks he would use these guys, but you can’t have out and out X factor players.
How can you put all 3 players in the same team. This the same conundrum that Dobbo found himself and what happened is that his team imploded. There was a moment when all 3 did play,that was when Sasha came on as 20 year old sub in the final. Since then , it is like the don’t know how to link or get each other into space.
What’s your thoughts ?
@kingcorn Ja the boys are getting old. But Willemse is in his prime at the moment so i do not think we need to tinker with him or be looking to replace him. It's just that we've been so spoiled getting Moodie who was instantly good enough for Test rugby, then Sacha and Hooker. Those guys raised the bar and when you look at who will replace the likes of Cheslin, there aren't guys that stand out as clear favourites to take over as they did. I mean, there are some chaps at age group level, but it'll still be some years before we'll know if they're good enough.
I suppose the one back that really stood out massively this season was Quan Horn, not that he's a replacement for Cheslin. The Sharks are basically a wash, there is nobody there that i can think of who did enough to move up. So you're kinda left picking through the scraps of the Stormers, where there really isn't really anybody else holding their hands up. At the Lions and Bulls you one could perhaps look at at a couple of players in Seb De Klerk, Henco Van Wyk and maybe Erich Conje. At a push you could say that Jooste has a pro season under his belt now.
I dunno, there seems a big gap between the superstars and everybody else.
@Plum That Jooste kid from the Bulls is electric and only 18 or 19 and already have URC experience. Not sure about Siyaya or Guileme, they are both small, even smaller than Kolbe, Guileme only 170cm and less than 70kgs, I don't know how this kids make it into the team. Maybe better as a scrummy. Not every small person can play test rugby.
I watched a game where the Barbarians were playing South Africa at Wembley and we had the likes of Peterse, the small on and other few small coloured wingers got bounced by a giant Fijian winger and was like a bull running through a school yard full of 5 year old kids
So how would you configure this backline. There was a reason why Dobbo ended up with Du Plesis at 12 and New at 13. Hence why I was saying Dobbo doesn't know what to do with Willemse as he prefers Gelant at 15. However, in 2022, straight after Covid. The guys did play amazingly together and I was one of the loudest for all 3 to be in the bok team. But teams soon learned to snuff them out and they would cough up more ball than score tries.
Willemse could never settle at 12 and I argued what is he really good at other than a utility player. Jack of all trades, master of none. I still Willemse is to instinctive and creates more problems that solutions. His hair in the headlights approach is to see the player, jump in the air, try to step, and then if he doesn't break the line then off load to players and then it all falls apart.
This is true of all 3 players, it is like they lose there senses and their impulses take over
Can you think of a time that Willemse has been a defensive liability for the Boks?
It is not his defence, but what he does with ball in hand. Amazing runner, but struggle to find his outside backs when he is at 10 or 12. Wants to play too much and then breaks down any backline momentum. Modern rugby allow the ball to move left to right or which ever way the attacking team wants to manipulate the defensive structures so that they can find that opening, but with Willemse it breaks down after the first play. That is probably why Rassie put him at 15 and not 12
If you had other configure this backline what would it look like?
I moved Sasha to 15 as I think with his instinct to always want to take the ball up the line, or manipulate the backline, he could play off really well of libbok who has the best passing of the 3. Willemse can draw defenders to the inside or cause them to bite.
Sasha counter kicking game is right up there and he has all the skills, he can also swap with Libbok between 10 and 15, probably a better defender than Libbok at 10, so like they did in Australia when they had a weaker defensive 10 was to swap with the 15. Libbok has played 15 before and has the pace and step and kicking game.
The only player missing is at 13, but gone for Kriel as he is our best defensive back, but if we go out all out attack then Moodie probably better suited.
I hav equestions over Arendse, his form has dip over the past two seasons and I wonder whether the likes of Hooker and Moodie would serve us better as they both have the size, height and arial ability
My problem is playing the best guys out of position to accommodate worse guys in a position.
So to get Manie in, we shift Sacha and Willemse out of position.
Perhaps if I hadn't watch that clown Dobbo do it to Willemse this season and the terrible results that came from it, I might be more amenable to the idea.
For me, Sacha has to get as much ball as possible and Willemse needs to get plenty of chances to counter attack and pop up in the line.
In principle, and putting my own baggage aside, your backline does look like spicy.
