Keep an eye on Cronje
25 Jan 2010
Lionel Cronje has the potential to become something the Stormers and Western Province desperately need – an all-round flyhalf.
The Stormers need to face the facts. Willem de Waal’s never going to dominate on attack. On the flipside, Peter Grant’ s never going to dominate with the boot. Think Matt Giteau or Dan Carter. When was the last time the Stormers, or indeed South Africa, had an all-rounder capable of dominating across all facets?
While De Waal’s inaccuracies were partly to blame for the tactical failure in 2009, Grant just doesn’t have it in him to be a better kicker than he already is. From a goal-kicking perspective, he’s the third best at his franchise, and when it comes to line-kicking, he can’t kick the ball far enough for the opposition to be troubled.
Think about the hybrid. Think Carter or Giteau. Giteau with that linebreaking knack, that awesome pass and that powerful yet pin-point kicking game. Carter’s left foot demoralises opposing forward packs, and when it comes to distribution, there isn’t a better flyhalf in the global game.
These are old assertions rehashed to make a point. Rassie Erasmus made a new assertion when he signed Lionel Cronje at the end of last year. He said the 20-year-old, with his bulk, slick handling and cannon for a boot, reminded him of Frans Steyn. It was a big statement, but last Saturday’s performance confirmed that we should all keep an eye on a very bright prospect.
Cronje was underplayed in the weekend’s warm-ups, playing 20 minutes in the WP XV match and 20 minutes for the Stormers against the Force. He replaced Conrad Hoffmann in the first game and immediately the backline was galvanised. You couldn’t compare Hoffmann’s line-kicking to that of Cronje. While Hoffmann’s clearances and downfield probes from inside his own 22 rarely troubled the opposition, Cronje’s booming punts turned the Maties’ defence around. To showcase his versatility, he took the ball flat later on and found Stokkies Hanekom running an undefendabale line.
At the end of Force match, Cronje again impressed with his distribution, slipping a pass to JJ Engelbrecht for an emphatic score. There are a number of reasons to dismiss this cameo, such as the quality of the opposition and the flagging endurance of the opposition in the final quarter. But the 18 000 people who were at Newlands would be able to tell you about the youngster that sparked the Stormers backline. In a year or two, the kid’s going to be big.
The Stormers are searching for that missing piece of the puzzle, but in De Waal and Grant, they have two halves of the missing piece. De Waal will return for the final warm-up match against Boland and be favoured as the first-choice this season. He has the potential to dominate with his boot, but he’ll be under pressure to perform after last year’s inconsistency.
Grant doesn’t receive the plaudits he deserves, but he’s playing out of position. No 12 is where he’s effective, and the latter stages of the Currie Cup (where Matt To’omua ran at 10) and again last Saturday showed why. He’s a good option as a secondary kicker, a no-nonsense defender and a good distributor. The Stormers will field a quality centre-pairing whether Jaque Fourie or Juan de Jongh play 13.
For now, Erasmus and Allister Coetzee will persist with De Waal, but already they have to be thinking about what comes next. It’s unfair to keep shifting Grant to 10 because he doesn’t belong there. It’s also unfair to ask Hoffmann, an exceptional scrumhalf, to play 10. Like Grant, he”s able to do a job, but he’ll never excel at it. Giteau played scrumhalf for the Wallabies back in 2006 and didn’t do badly. But he never excelled, and that is the point.
Hoffmann’s had a bad run with injury, but back in 2007 he was tipped as the next big thing at No 9. His goal-kicking is seen as a bonus when you consider he has all the attributes of a top scrumhalf – great kicking game, a fine pass, pace, vision and physicality. The move to 10 hasn’t really worked, just as the shift didn’t work for Ruan Pienaar.
In Cronje, Hoffmann and De Jongh the Stormers have some exciting young talent, but if they’re to derive the best from these players, they need to play them in their preferred positions.
By Jon Cardinelli
57 Comments
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25 Jan 2010, 13:57 pm
@wpw: with the veteran Andrew Aitken!!, those were good days
25 Jan 2010, 13:59 pm
@wpw:
I remember the one year when I watched at loftus……Percy kept on nailing them with huge return kicks and the bulls supporters would boo him for getting the ball…..and then curse him for kicking it back so far!!!
25 Jan 2010, 18:25 pm
The Pre season hype and all that talks created unrealistic expectations among most supporters in the Cape.
It usually ends up with a thump when the harsh reality surfaces.
There haven’t been much talks from the Bulls, the Cheetahs and the Sharks camps, nor great ‘discoveries’ of exciting new talents there, I like that undertone.
25 Jan 2010, 18:39 pm
@David:
Now I am puzzled
If he’s such a talent, why didn’t the Cheatahs secured his services? after all they are desperate for a Flyhalf?, with Potgieter gone, Naas Olivier injured and Rossouw a history, the Cheetahs could surly make do with such an exciting FH?
I would imagine
26 Jan 2010, 10:23 am
Another Grey boytjie !!!
Well done Grey !
Pity Cheetahs couldn’t keep him !!
26 Jan 2010, 13:14 pm
@CHEETAHFS: Sorry Cheetah, but as far as I know he’s an old Queenian.
26 Jan 2010, 17:27 pm
@XhosaKid: Don’t comment much here. But do read articles, as and when time allows. Agree with your sentiments, XhosaKid 100%, wrt bias towards anything or anyone concerning Dale, Queens or Selborne. And that bias is based on my grandfathers’, who went to Dale and Selborne respectively. My father and I Queens, and my son is now at Selborne. My father always joked and said his father saw the light, and sent him to Queen’s. @CHEETAHFS: Cheetahhfs. Lionel is an Old Queenian.
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