Heinke to get a taste of tighthead
5 Nov 2009
Heinke van der Merwe is hoping to learn the most from his tighthead experiment in match situations.
The Lions loosehead is on the bench for the Boks’ opening tour match against Leicester, but coach Peter de Villiers’ plans are for him to be transformed into a tighthead. Van der Merwe last played against the Reds in the Super 14 on 18 April, where he severely injured his knee.
He hasn’t been on a rugby pitch since, but ‘simulated tighthead conditions’ had been arranged for him during his rehabilitation.
‘I’ve basically completed my rehab in the last few weeks and worked on my strength in the gym,’ said Van der Merwe. ‘There’s been no practice for me. However, I’ve chatted with Marius Hurter and Leon Boshoff about the position.
‘But that’s it. I’m fully aware the best place to learn and get the work done is on the playing field. Training at tighthead isn’t going to do much…I know I need to play in the position before I get used to it. But I’m up for the challenge.’
Van der Merwe has rarely played on the tighthead side in the past, and has never concentrated on the complex position. De Villiers is confident however, that the work done in the gym will be sufficient.
‘Heinke’s very strong, mentally as well. Our conditioning coach Neels Liebel has been working with him for the last three months under simulated [tighthead] conditions. I’ve got confidence in Heinke.’
63 Comments
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5 Nov 2009, 14:33 pm
#50 Transformation: ahem …. Its getting a bit steamy in here. lol
5 Nov 2009, 14:45 pm
Heinke is probably the best scrummaging loosehead in the country at the moment, when fully fit, however, I think it is very unfair to expect him to come in cold after months of rehab and on top of this to play tighthead which is a totally different position.
WP Nel and Kevin Buys should have both been selected for this tour to see what they are made of. It is both a lack of foresight and a lost opportunity by the selectors.
We need to uncover and develop the tightheads that we have at our disposal and the only way to see what we have is to test them in these type tours.
5 Nov 2009, 14:47 pm
Kiwis tired of Welsh ‘trash talk’
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:50
The All Blacks have laid down the gauntlet for the Welsh Dragons, ahead of their one-off international at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
With the Welsh once again talking up a storm ahead of a game against New Zealand, a team they last beat more than 50 years ago, the Kiwis have decided it would be best to do their talking on the field.
From coach Warren Gatland to young wing Leigh Halfpenny, the All Blacks have had to endure a lot of ‘trash talk’ from the Welsh camp – with suggestions that the aura-less All Blacks are ripe for the picking.
All Black debutant Zac Guildford, who will mark his former age-group international foe Halfpenny on the left wing, suggested that the Welsh may rue all the pre-match banter.
“I don’t really get that. They do talk it up quite a bit, the Welsh, but I prefer to save our talking for the field which the All Blacks usually do,” Guildford told NZPA.
“I have a bit of a laugh about it when the opposition talks it up. You can do all the talking you want, but the real talking will happen on Saturday when the teams clash.
“I don’t make much of it, it just brushes over me. They can say what they want to say.”
The clear intention to talk themselves up and chip the All Blacks had slightly irked the tourists’ coaches, who refused to buy into it.
Graham Henry, a former Wales coach, was not biting at the cheerfully delivered question from the floor: “How’s your aura?”
“I don’t think that’s for me to describe, it’s for all you other people to do that. All we do is coach to the best of our ability and the guys try to play well,” Henry told a media gathering.
“The judgment around those mystical things is for other people, not for us.”
Assistant coach Steve Hansen, another former Wales coach, noted the Welsh players were “obviously pretty confident”, while captain Richie McCaw played the deadest of dead bats to any verbal jousting.
“To be honest I don’t read too much into it at all,” McCaw said.
“The guys that were here last year remember it as a tough Test match, probably the toughest on tour, and we realise it’s going to be the same on Saturday. What’s said before means absolutely nothing.”
Besides, McCaw has heard it all before.
“Every year it seems to be something round the traps… we don’t get too carried away with it.”
5 Nov 2009, 14:58 pm
#47 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR): He cant scrum.Klaar!
#49 Yetirat: Look forward to your informed opinion.Enjoy. I have mates from Durbs down for the weekend so its the pub , beers, pizza and big screen for me….Hope Heinke gets at least 40 minutes…
#50 Transformation: I wonder which 2 it is…well o know the 1…but the other not so sure…probably the same oke…jeez he must be bored!!
5 Nov 2009, 14:59 pm
#54 grant10: lol i know…
Steve: Joost is the antichrist
2009-11-05 11:10
Philip de Bruin
Cape Town – “Sorry mate. I know what you are going through. Call me if you are feeling ****. You will.”
This was the message send out by singer Steve Hofmeyr to Joost van der Westhuizen after the scandal of his *** video reached boiling point this week. Hofmeyr suffered the same fate earlier this year after his affair with
Janine van der Vyver was exposed. Shortly after this scandal his wife, Natasha, left him. They are currently in the process of getting a divorce.
The rest of Steve’s advice to Joost doesn’t paint a pretty picture. “You will be lucky if Amor stays with you. From now on the media won’t give you or your wife any time to sort things out.
“The bloodthirsty public will want answers, when in fact you only have to answer to your wife. “Men that are tired of masturbating will be judging you. They will be calling you immoral,” Hofmeyer wrote on his blog.
“Sadly you won’t be remembered as South Africa’s hero on the rugby field. Memories are short, but mistakes are never forgotten.
From now on you will never get any sympathy. You are the Antichrist.”
5 Nov 2009, 15:01 pm
#53 Transformation: Wales playing into kiwi hands….
Dont antagonise a Rottweiler….can only get bit on the butt!!
5 Nov 2009, 15:04 pm
#55 Transformation: Good heavens!!
LOL…These okes take themselves far too seriously….Amor s choice now….
Joost can do whatever he likes…but there are consequences….Great rugby player…as for the rest….Quite frankly i dont give a damn!!!
5 Nov 2009, 15:26 pm
#54 grant10: Well clearly then you don’t have to scrum well to win test matches?????
5 Nov 2009, 15:30 pm
#55 Transformation: irony
5 Nov 2009, 15:45 pm
#59 Big Hit: true story…
#57 grant10: ha ha ha i never liked joost anyway, nothing against the guy but just was never a fan…so it’s neither here nor there for me…it’s lank funny though…this twitter business is really serious hey, i heard sharkgirl quoting gary gold from his “tweet” about some scrumming issue…
5 Nov 2009, 19:52 pm
#52 iceman:
Did you mean FS Nel and GL Buys?
5 Nov 2009, 19:57 pm
#53 Transformation:
I doubt the English language of that Tattoo brigade called ABs is good enough to take notice of the alleged trash talks,
6 Nov 2009, 14:25 pm
#55 Transformation:
Lol.the antichrist?lol lol lol
I come from a polygamous family..
So this **** to me seems ridiculous
lol
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