Jannie best bet for Twickers
Jannie du Plessis must start at Twickenham if the Springboks are to have any hope of besting the English scrum.
Multiple front-row injuries have cut short the John Smit-tighthead experiment, and now there is talk of Brian Mujati having a sore shoulder. Du Plessis was recently called to London as his brother Bismarck and prop Gurthro Steenkamp were simultaneously released from the Bok camp. Du Plessis is likely to face one of the world’s premier looseheads in Andrew Sheridan this Saturday, and from the vibe gathered at Monday’s press conference, the Boks are feeling confident about the match up.
A World Cup winner in 2007, Du Plessis was deemed surplus to Bok requirements in 2008. He received a recall against Australia for the Ellis Park Test when CJ van der Linde was suspended and BJ Botha had left for Ireland, and did a solid job. This was on the back of a strong showing with his new Super 14 franchise, the Sharks. Many felt he was an unfortunate omission when the Boks’ UK touring squad was announced given the nature of the game up north and how Du Plessis’s strengths would be valuable.
If the Bok management pick Du Plessis to start this Saturday, it’s a sure acknowledgment of his value in northern conditions. Mujati has battled for the better part of the year, and does not boast the technical experience that comes with winning three Currie Cups and a World Cup winners medal. Mujati may be more mobile than Du Plessis, but it is the latter who will make the greater impact at the tight-phases. Up north, you need to favour set-phase proficiency over athleticism. Jake White applied this logic when playing Danie Rossouw at No 8 in last year’s World Cup, and look what came from that decision.
The question will be raised that if Mujati is fit enough to warm the bench this weekend, why isn’t he fit enough to start? The troubling answer may also point to another question as to whether he deserved a squad place ahead of seasoned specialists like Van der Linde, Botha and Du Plessis.
The same applies for Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle. If your first-choice hooker is injured, surely you’d back your second choice to slot in. It’s become accepted that Smit fulfills the hooking duties in the event of injury as he did last week, but if Smit is really supposed to concentrating on prop and Ralepelle is truly the understudy to Bismarck du Plessis, then why shouldn’t Ralepelle start this weekend? Smit’s covering for Du Plessis is only supposed to be in emergencies, as his own development at 3 was a priority on this tour.
Ralepelle has had little game time in the past two years and won his place on this tour ahead of more deserving players such as Adriaan Strauss. Strauss joined the Bok side when Smit was ruled him out of the Tri-Nations, and started for the Boks when Bismarck broke down. How Ralepelle has leapfrogged him in the hooking queue is anybody’s guess.
While calling up Jannie du Plessis is the right short-term solution, it speaks volumes for De Villiers’s lack of confidence in Mujati and Ralepelle. It may also say something about the move of Smit to tighthead, a move De Villiers promised was a long-term initiative with a view to the British & Irish Lions series and the 2011 World Cup. Either play Ralepelle at No 2 with Smit at 3, or call up Strauss to fill the hooking void. That would suggest continuity and a long-term plan.
But it’s become clear there is no plan, or at least there is little confidence in the fringe players already in the squad. Du Plessis is the best bet to scrum against Sheridan this weekend, and the Boks have a realistic chance of winning this battle. If one remembers that Mujati and Ralepelle are likely to remain in the set-up come the Lions series, then one has to ask why they aren’t being pushed through in what will be the ultimate acid Test at Twickenham. The Boks may win this Saturday, but they won’t learn anything new.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
#446 justrugby: yes!! Good heavens that was shocking!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
#428 tjokvol:
OK, so you can ‘off the cuff’ come up with some names that you apparently ‘like’. Could I please speak to Skoppie then?
In your ramblings of the past years you pay scant respect to them but go on your little crusade about your favourites whom don’t necessarily include those that you mention. Continued hatred for JW and what he achieved is the basis of all your arguments which are under-written by your abject horor your little pets are not chosen.
Your condemn JW but your continued love afair with PdV, no matter what he does or the results he achieves, just shows how far you are from rationality in the face of reality.
I’m glad I’m far from the canning factory as otherwise I’d end up in can can like you and smell and sound decidedly fishy. But then again you are quite used to being ‘canned’ are you not?
I’m sure there are some good (non-white) shrinks you can go to. Give it a try. I’m sure they can do something about the split personality and paranoia you suffer from and maybe they can remove the green shade in your skin that comes from jealousy which I think might well be the root cause of your maladjustment.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
#441 grant10: Adi’s tackle saved the Boks. Last minutes. Terrific tackle & turn, Frans cleaned up. Adi made the tackle.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
#448 grant10:
And then the players still want to play for the Ba Baas
November 17th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
#447 SodaJoe: Do we play ourselves or shall we get the stars in?
I have great faith in your money making abilities BTW! Could be an interesting diversion.
The first Keo movie, will he want to write the screenplay?
November 17th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
#450 SodaJoe: well soda i hope so…problem is both previous games last 15 minutes we run on empty…somehow lift it and get through…is there enough gas in the tank??? Perhaps…if we select correctly!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
#452 SodaJoe:
Adi did great defensive work the whole game…..in fact since he has been brought back, i have seen him miss very few tackles !!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
#440 justrugby: but who then? Whenever these discussions arise, my simple mind always returns to the Steven Larkham story. I respect your judgement but I’d give it time to develop and then we can judge. On saturday he was placed under huge pressure behind a beaten pack and, most importantly, on only his second outing in a 10 jersey. I’d kak myself in similiar circumstances, no matter how good I thought I was or could be. Carter has had similair experiences against us, one down here a Newlands a few years back.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
#453 justrugby: Percy confesses he hasn’t been training for 2 months! Hope he can last the full 80mins of the Babarians match or I will be VERY UPSET!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
#451 OCO: Also too long for a good T Shirt. But approaching Skopticism for long winded never ever changing meandering rambling muse.
Skopticism brought us good fortune in the RWC I hope yours does for Saturday.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
#453 SodaJoe: Adi has been a revelation this year…brilliant player…would not drop him on current form
November 17th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
#454 carol: The movies Grant makes are all starrring roles.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
#456 justrugby: Clearly you don’t watch properly. Adi Jacobs makes tackles but falls off them. He is great on attack but he needs to learn to hold onto his tackles. Watch the game again !
November 17th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
#454 justrugby: crazy but such an honour….difficult one that boet!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
#455 grant10: Enough there to win. More than 1 less than 7.
Or …….
Remember Australia.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
#455 grant10:
I got a good feeling that the boys will lift themselves for the England game, this is the one they all want !!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
#458 TASSIES: lol…i used to k k myself at 10 even when my pack was going forward…LOL
November 17th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
#456 justrugby: #460 grant10: Agreed.
#462 Nemesis: Rubbish.
Actually at the moment I wish the whole bloody team would tackle like Jacobs. First time tackles big weakness in both games.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
#467 SodaJoe: I believe the stats show Jacobs missed 5 of the 20 odd tackles missed by the Boks – as I said I suggest you watch the game again
November 17th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
#462 SodaJoe: i dont even have a photo of an ex ….left them in the fridges!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
#462 Nemesis:
I have and I stand by my earlier statement, he has pulled off some great tackles, if we look to knit pick I am sure we can find tackles that he slipped….but then again I can do the same for just about everybody.
He came into the side with the critics stating he would be a defensive weakness, I do not believe this to be the case.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
#466 justrugby: we will be in the trenches again together my man…mike just called to confirm 15h30 at his place,,,,bring and braai thingy…pool, etc…maybe make a movie…LOL
November 17th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
#451 OCO:
Jake White is a fool, and on the face of it I’m not quite sure who is a bigger one, you or him, from the looks of it from this last post of yours, like I said already you certainly appear to take the cake.
You are actually dumb, I thought you were somewhat educated, but now I’m beginning to have serious doubts.
In fact discussing anything with you is becoming a severe waste of time, so rather hob nob with your black and white shaded mates, you all talk **** anyway.
And whats worse you all suffer from this similar malady called superiority fixation based on dermatological pigmentation, you people are quite sadly putrefied solid in your indoctrinations, so from where I sit, rather you talk to someone else, unless its some real education you are seeking.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
#470 justrugby: I never said he didn’t pull off some good tackles….I said he falls off too many tackles. If you fall off tackles in midfield you can be in big trouble.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
#456 justrugby: to my mind Adi stays put. JF can play wing and, as we witnessed for the umpteenth time, he’s a matchwinner of note. Habs is ***** right now. A complete liability so I’d play Jacques there where he can score the tries Habs used to be able to do. FdP is the missing link and were he there, I’d rate our backline for sat bigtime. But he’s not, so we’re in trouble.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
#458 carol:
For your sake I hope so to …lol
November 17th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
#466 grant10: that’s why I didn’t play there. No, perhaps skill or lack thereof played a small role.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
#471 justrugby: 100%..anyone slating Adi either knows a helleva lot about the game or very little…my limited knowledge says the man has been fantastic…slipped tackles…mmmm i can point out a few boks long before Adi!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
#477 grant10: I’ll accept the compliment…thanks !
November 17th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
#475 TASSIES: is FDP out??
November 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
#477 grant10: Actually … am not really slating him….just suggesting he needs to hold onto his tackles better.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
#474 TASSIES:
I heard that Fourie was doing cycling and came through ok, they will make a call later in the week.
Have you got confirmation that he is out because I agree that will be a massive blow.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
#477 TASSIES: always some loosie wanting to take your head off!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
#461 SodaJoe: Casting would be difficult if he has lost all the photos anyway! Imagine the fights on set between all the fridge takers!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Duncan fletcher has been appointed as a consultant to the Proteas….good news !!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
#479 Nemesis: #481 Nemesis: All good my man…i only call what i see…not an expert at the defending thing…preferred kicking the leather off the ball…
November 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
#483 carol:
I can assure you…. it will be ugly !!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
#472 tjokvol: woah Skop. Temper temper. Down boy.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
#465 justrugby: Me too. Last game of the season. End on a high note. Go mal afterwards. Head home for the beach and a few weeks hols.
More than 1 Less than 7. To us.
Bud someone told me that you were a Leeds fan?
November 17th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
#440 justrugby:
He’s a far better FH than a scrumhalf, I may know somewhat from what I see, I played both, he is not a great scrum half, he can become a very good FH.
Steyn I doubt will ever be a great FH, his position is 12, he’s a Nonu with a boot.
Grant is a very good flyhalf in the Honiball model and if used for those purposes of crashing it up and closing down the inside channel we would have had a damn sight more go forward than we’ve had this year with Butch or Pienaar or Steyn at 10
The people looking for a kicking 10 are barking up the wrong tree, play a kicking 12 if you have to ala Mauger and Catt, but bring the action closer to the pivot point and bust those defenses, suck in the loosies and the oppo lines and then probe the spaces.
Butch couldn’t do it, he tried once in Wellington it nearly came off with Habana breaking off him and they fumbled it, otherwise they have all reverted back to the big boot first, and it has cost us a whole year of regression because of that single conservative fear, big f’ng boot the ball to kingdom come and lose possession and the game.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
#472 tjokvol: Whooa boet. Slowly does it. Breathe deeply.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
#484 carol: i went to my old mans funeral …4 exs there….justrugby was with me….talk about 4 weddings and a funeral…the old man would have loved it!!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Mujati sucks. Period!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
#485 justrugby: great news,,,,must sort out those Aussies!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
#475 justrugby: Well he can hang his white boots up after that match. Do you think if I asked nicely I could get to keep them after the match?
November 17th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
#481 justrugby: You’re more up to date than I then. Happily as it turns out. Up north, Ricky doesn’t do it for me. If Fourie plays, I believe we’ll see a lot more of those breaks, a small sample of which we witnessed against the Taffs. Hell it’s beautiful to watch. Does it so well. The man glides like an ice-scater, past groping hands.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
#490 tjokvol: Grant does the flat on the advantage line and offload thing very well…but he has a peashooter boot skop…and slow my man!!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
#468 Nemesis: If you can show me anyon who hasn’t missed tackles in the alst 2 games I will let you give Skoppies his injection.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
472 tjokvol: hey,jake white is hardly a fool..very bold statement mate..don’t think a fool has ever been asked to coach baba’s! Are there any other lions players that you rate besides heinkie or wepener..its the team you left out!what about alberts and ludick etc
November 17th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
#495 TASSIES: One word: DUNEDIN.