NZ were a new team, missing players, and unpolished at the beginning of their intn season. England need to aspire a little higher than that I’d have thought.

World Champions, Ranked No 1, World Cup winners

The result shouldnt even be in doubt

Tricky bastards those Kiwis.

Tricky bastards those Kiwis.

I have known some very nice ducks’ arses and some of them were nearly as big as Big Hit’s

I have known some very nice ducks’ arses and some of them were nearly as big as Hit’s

I agree with you that bobes probably would have been a better option that adi going on super 14 for (bobes was the best inside centre in s.a. s14-wise). at least i think you said that in one of your posts!? I also agree that many posters (and s.africans) have double standards when it comes to black players- perhaps the second guessing could be interpreted as a long, shrill cry for help-anyways thats not the point of this post. i also see some posters would prefer to have brad barritt there for his defense and distribution skills, but nobody has mentioned barritts very noticeable lack of pace. i would be interested to see a foot-race between barritt and bobo- bobo probably has better accelleration, and i dont see barritt catching him over 50. bobes defense has also been watertight this year, and his passing skills have always been outstanding (except when the no-look pass doesnt come off!) adi has greater pace and accelleration than either of them, and he is unpredictable (often in a good way). though i would prefer to see bobo partner jean, with steyn up as a possible sub, (i’d prefer him at flyhalf once he realises you actually have to pass a few times before anyone buys the dummy) i am happy to see adi get a chance to show what hes got against the best in the world. go bokbokkies!

That was a huge mistake. Folding under pressure Jacobs spilled the ball in the tackle for the first try. On defense he was generally missing. I think the Sharks would have been much better off with 9. Pienaar, 10. Barritt, 12. Steyn and 13. Murray.

I have explained to you that Jacobs is a bench player because his defense is poor and therefore his stats looks good. Frans Steyn you claim played off the bench and I have showed you that his stats at S14 and RWC where he played most games at 12 are very similar. You didn’t explain yet why you think Muir has been playing him off the bench for the past three seasons.

“Also, weren’t the games against the Cheetahs and Chiefs the Sharks two best showings of the season?’

Against the weakest opposition, ffs. Cheetahs ended at 13 and a week before the Sharks/Chiefs game the Lions last on the log smashed that very same Chiefs team. That is the problem with the Sharks supporters – the only time they ever looked good this season was at home against a piss-poor Chiefs team. And now they are struggling to beat Boland at home.

“The thing Kling doesn’t point out is that Steyn wasn’t a regular starter last year either…he backed up Butch and Monty most of the season, and he didn’t play one minute of last years S14 in midfield. Coming on at fullback is a little easier defensively, than coming on at centre, even if it is at the end of the game.”

Please – Steyn was the Boks best defensive player in the RWC last year too. His defensive stats are 34/2. Compare that to James 31/8, Fourie 29/4 and Habana 25/5.

Steyn made 34 tackles and missed 2 in 7 matches.

He did not start him in most games this year.

Despite injuries to Michalak and Barritt and the poor form of players like Murray and Pieteren, Muir only started Jacobs from game no. 13. Dick preferred to play Steyn against the NZ teams and gave Jacobs a chance against the Cheetahs and a pisspoor Chiefs team. As I have said – Jacobs disappeared in the semi-final.