How to make Russell rock
17 Jan 2007
Brent Russell needs a coach who believes totally in his skills.
I thought Kobus van der Merwe would be the man to do so, but I fear the pre-season optimism has quickly been dashed after one trial game. Naas Olivier is a competent flyhalf, but he is in the Louis Koen mould. He’ll never let you down, but he won’t win you championships. Russell is a player who can be the difference in a competition like the Super 14.
The Aussies have always said that if Stephen Larkham was South African he would never have played test rugby. Equally, they’ve said if Brent Russell was Australian he’d have played 50 tests by now. Invariably because there are so many good players in this country in every position coaches are unwilling to coach a player when it comes to Super 14 or test level. They want the finished article and the investment in a player is minimal when you compare it to the likes of Australia, who have a limited supply of quality rugby union players.
Russell, in other countries, would be an asset because of what he can do and not a liability or potential weakness because he has vulnerabilities in his game.
Already the doubts have been allowed to creep in. The media questioned Russell’s first appearance and the coach felt obliged to concur that the player had struggled. What did he expect? Russell has played a handful of games at flyhalf in the last five years. Take the good in his attacking game and nurture it. Take the weaknesses and work on them.
Playing percentages rugby in the Super 14 has never won a team anything. So the Stormers looked more structured when Olivier played flyhalf in the second half against the Bulls. So what. Structure is not the key ingredient to winning the Super 14. The Stormers last year lacked a playmaker close to the scrum. The did not have that X-factor from broken play or when quick ball was recycled. They had solidity in Peter Grant and Olivier. Nothing more. Near misses remained just that.
Russell has the X-factor, but he is also a player who simply has to be boosted to get the best out of him. He has to be trusted to make an impact and I can only hope Van der Merwe has sat with him pre-season and told him he’s got the first 5 games to prove he is good enough. To judge him on every game individually will lead to failure. To unleash the beast, there has to be some massaging of the shoulders and there has to be a belief from the coach that playing Russell at flyhalf is not a gamble, but an investment.
Russell’s out of hand kicking game must improve and as a natural soccer player it is something that can be fixed. He is not a goalkicking option and to try and make him one will lead to frustration.
To allow Russell to prosper Van der Merwe should pick Grant at inside centre, shift Jean de Villiers one out to the number 13 jersey and give Grant the goalkicking duties.
If blue is the new black in Cape Town, then boldness must be the coach’s motivation. A year ago Van der Merwe suffered because of conservatism in his selections and because of a reluctance to back playmakers. Russell gives him the chance to change all that.
689 Comments
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18 Jan 2007, 10:39 am
I don’t know what the Stormers worries are about Fly Halves……. Luke plays that channel quite well!!
Hahahaha
18 Jan 2007, 10:41 am
194 Pa,
With you on your posts.
Currently i feel a mentorship approach to young players are needed. They must have a mentor and also to be accountable to him. But then again who want to be mentored by windie Vic. The reason Vic did’nt have a mentor, and so on, and so on…….
I’m not sure if you know that SA Rugby are in the proses (hush-hush)of getting older players to give feedback on there opinion of what’s happening currently. Not so mutch the status of play but the image of the game – they are a bit worried i think – and with reason.
Sorry spelling
18 Jan 2007, 10:43 am
More more
As ek reg onthou het Jantjies ook ‘n giftige voet op hom. Kan hy nie pale toe skop nie? Of wat van Luke, hy kan mos omtrent alles doen?
18 Jan 2007, 10:43 am
PA
Derick was good, but natural ability can get coached out of you, I am not biting the Bulls, but Smashmouth rugby, although it works for them, is bad for the players…
Too much structure can break a player…
Jean de Villiers, is only now recovering from structure…
18 Jan 2007, 10:44 am
GBS,
Sure Luke is looking good, but he is no Matfield yet. We can definately improve there.
Staal,
I know of the drive you speak off, and yes I think it is needed to bring some ‘culture’ (for a better word) back into SA rugby.
But yes, these kids really need hardened pro’s to show them the ropes.
Mark Andrews’ story on how he started out (and eventually became the most celebrated lock with test caps) in SA still sticks in my mind. He said he would never have made it if it wasnt for the old heads that helped him when he started out.
Look I do think that you will get the odd player who will be able to handle test pressure at a very young age, but they are few and far between.
18 Jan 2007, 10:46 am
Saint you know my take on JDV currently, please do not go there
18 Jan 2007, 10:47 am
Op ‘n ernstige noot….
WP / Stormers se probleem m.b.t. losskakel / skopper is die volgende:
Al die spelers wat julle daar het, Naas Olivier, Brent, Grant, Greeff, Jantjes…. almal goeie spelers maar in elkeen skort daar net daai een of 2 klein dingetjies wat hulle elkeen nie die regte en volmaakte kandidaad maak vir die job nie, almal is veelsydig maar nie absolute spesialiste nie!
Stem julle met my saam??
18 Jan 2007, 10:47 am
PA you are mistaken there, Matfield is not a flyhalve, he is a 2nd 5/8
18 Jan 2007, 10:49 am
PA
#206
Just fishing
18 Jan 2007, 10:51 am
Stormers se grootse probleem is nie ‘n losskakel nie, maar ‘n pak voories wat hul man kan staan. Dit sal wonderlik wees om te sien hoe die span sal speel met Bakkies en Rossouw op slot en dalk Guthro op voorry. Dan het ons ook die laaste paar jaar iemand gekort om ons uit ons eie gebied te kry met moerse lyn skoppe. Hopenlik kan Conrad daai rol vervul.
18 Jan 2007, 10:53 am
GBS,
Firstly we need a flyhalf that understands his own field positioning which is something we lack in SA in general.
This means knowing where to stand when on attack and how to organise your backline according to that, based on the opposition you are playing, their dangermen, and the field position you are in.
Secondly, almost all flyhalf’s still catch the ball on their wrong foot (foot positioning) which shuts down their lateral vision (to where the ball will move to on attack) by about 30% of what it should be.
Thirdly, almsot all of them pass of the wrong foot as-well which influences their balance and the accuracy and speed of the pass.
But most importantly, flyhalf’s do not communicate effectively with their outside backs and this results with no-one having a f-ing clue what he is doing especially of 2nd or multi phased ball in open play!!!
I am a believer that a flyhalf should ALWAYS be the first receiver but then you need a flyhalf that can think, and the last one we had was Lem.
18 Jan 2007, 10:56 am
Kingpaul
Voordat die skrums uncontested geraak het, was die Stormers baas in die Vaste fasette teen die Bulls…
18 Jan 2007, 10:58 am
#211
Which is why I cannot understand why Naas Botha is not involved in White’s coaching staff?
18 Jan 2007, 11:00 am
#212
Ek het so verstaan, maar nogsteeds het die bulls ons in die vastelos ore aangesit(ok, hulle het vier losvoorspelers op die veld gehad) Ek voel net daar kort ‘n yster of twee daar voor in die oond. Veral met al die jong manne soos Skeate en Van der Merwe en Ferreira in die span.
18 Jan 2007, 11:00 am
PA – 211 – agreed – if one has them go and have a look at the 49-0 drubbing from last year. Larkham gives a masterful performance in how to change the angle of attack from first receiver.
18 Jan 2007, 11:00 am
Ja nee Saint if I was Naas I would cringe everytime I saw our flyhalfs play.
18 Jan 2007, 11:01 am
Ek het nie vir Meyer Bosman baie gesien op 10 nie.
Is hy nie dalk ook iemand warna ons kan kyk nie. Ek is bietjie onseker oor AP en Butch.
18 Jan 2007, 11:02 am
How did Naas motivate his players before a big game.
“Ouens, vandag gaan ek tackle”
18 Jan 2007, 11:03 am
#216
Grant could become a total flyhalve under Naas’s tutorship I believe, Naas himself called him the future of 10′s in SA…
Even Russel could make a 180 turnaround under the great bull…
#214
Van der Merwe and Skeate was on the bench…
18 Jan 2007, 11:04 am
Ig exactly.
This is also why I keep on harping on the fact that there is a huge difference between a game-breaker and a play-maker.
It is also why I believe the roles of 10′s and 12′s has changed over the last 10 years somewhat and why I have always said that JDV as a play-maker should not be playing 12, which is why we haven’t seen **** when it comes to his abilities and ‘promise’ he apparently shows as a play-maker.
18 Jan 2007, 11:05 am
#217
Bosman is ‘n binnesenter, hy het my nog nooit eers halfpad oortuig dat hy ‘n 10 was nie…
18 Jan 2007, 11:06 am
#221 hoe het jy hom getoets daarin?
18 Jan 2007, 11:06 am
Saint,
Bosman het die Sharks oordonner op 10 op n nat Bloem veld.
Smaak my al die jong 10′s floreer op nat velde…
18 Jan 2007, 11:09 am
i think Butch also has some of the qualities that make up a a good 10. his thinking on his feet sets him apart, he reminds of Spencer in that way sometimes. i know he doesnt always come off, but i just feel better when he runs onto the field in the green and gold 10.
18 Jan 2007, 11:09 am
#220
Who is talking about JdV now?…hehe
18 Jan 2007, 11:12 am
Hmmm
To be fair, I think I saw him play at 10 5 or 6 times, and apart from the Sharks game (were the game was so slow) that PA mentioned, he was just the guy passing the ball to the inside centre…
PA
On that wet game against the Sharks I’d rather say, the sharks were so sh@t that they made him look better…
The sharks always look **** against the Cheetahs…
18 Jan 2007, 11:13 am
224,
i’m a bit of a Butch fan myself and can’t stop smiling when i remember the tackle he made on Mortlock last year. Brilliant – stoped him dead.
But his game has it’s ups and downs.
18 Jan 2007, 11:14 am
ek dink dis great dat ons soveel goeie jong potensiele 10′s het, maar ek dink ons moet hulle nie te vroeg vir die wolwe gooi nie.
ek sou n gesonde Butch enige dag voor enige van die jongklomp in my Bokspan vir die WC sit.
hulle is goed nou, maar oor n jaar of wat kan hulle briljant wees..
18 Jan 2007, 11:15 am
#224
It takes only one tackle to dislodge Spencer unfortunately…
In fact Spencer is exactly like Russel, only a slightly better tactical boot…
18 Jan 2007, 11:16 am
his tackling is great , but he is also very sneaky and unconventional on attack. that little grubber on the line this year was magnificent.
his chink would be kicking at posts, but a semi decent 15 would nullify that problem.
18 Jan 2007, 11:17 am
#230
Had that grubber not come off, everyone would be shouting “WHAT THE F#CK WAS HE THINKING?”
Fickle thing, a rugby supporter…
18 Jan 2007, 11:18 am
Is PA gone or is he writing a thesis on flyhalve play again…hehe
18 Jan 2007, 11:20 am
saint,
if you are talking about that tackle in the S14 by Gerber(?) a few years ago, then i say that sort of tackle would dislodge a charging rhino.
butchie is made of sterner stuff than that soft kiwi anyway.
18 Jan 2007, 11:21 am
more almal
18 Jan 2007, 11:23 am
hallo wp_boytjie,
jy’s nie dalk n goeie flyhalf nie?
18 Jan 2007, 11:23 am
morning okes, we’re back to power failures here in the cape again.
have to agree that i would have butch in the 10 jumber for the boks before anyone else.
18 Jan 2007, 11:24 am
Hendrik Gerber’s tackle on Spencer , set the tone. Stormers went to thrash that Blues team in Auckland. one of the best SA super 12/14 games ever. I remember marius joubert putting a grubber through and tonderai chavanga outsprinting Joe Rococo to it
18 Jan 2007, 11:26 am
#233
Yet no Springbok coach ever really rated Gerber…
18 Jan 2007, 11:29 am
#237
The memories bring tears to my eyes…
Just like the come from behind game against the Waratahs, when Neil de Kock sprinted from Try-line to Try-line to complete a 32 point Blitzkrieg
18 Jan 2007, 11:30 am
Saint
As die stormers die bulls gedomineer het Saterdag het dit wragtig nie so gelyk van die kant af nie!
18 Jan 2007, 11:32 am
Russell Rocks!
South Africa have always picked the safe & dependable players, and where has it got us – most of the time no where!
Koen, Van Straaten etc where players that had excellent boots, very safe in defense etc, but they are associated with some of South Africa’s darkest Rugby moments. I think the least we can do is let Russell have a fair crack at no.10. If he fails, then at least SA rugby and it’s coaches cannot be accused of wasting away a talent completely.
The Stormers can’t perform any worse than they did in last year Super 14, & with Russell at 10, maybe we might jst pull of a few upsets along the way.
18 Jan 2007, 11:35 am
Supa, jy wil nou net week kom staan en K@K praat, omdat klein Kruppel Kuun nie kan skrum nie…
18 Jan 2007, 11:36 am
pete agree, but as a fan i cannot take anymore ridicule from the bulls supporters here. i say play it safe and beat the bulls
18 Jan 2007, 11:36 am
saint,
that is true of so many incidents. and its not just supporters, coaches, commentators all do the same thing. and it happens in all sports.
it also happens in business. so we might as well get used to it..
18 Jan 2007, 11:37 am
Saint
Ek sien net jy praat k@k hier terwyl jy glad nie eers by die game was nie!!!
18 Jan 2007, 11:38 am
saint, you’re waisting your time, these bulls supporters have never seen their team win a game overseas, they cannot relate hehe
18 Jan 2007, 11:42 am
Supa
Ek volg die advies van JULLE eie Mnr. JJ Harmse wat ook by die game was…
18 Jan 2007, 11:42 am
Martin
But what we have seen is our team thrashing your team on Newlands!
18 Jan 2007, 11:44 am
Stormers won 2.5 out of 4 last season, but we sucked at Newlands…
18 Jan 2007, 11:45 am
Morning Saint, Supa and the rest….
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