Bok spotlight must be on Stegmann
8 Mar 2010
Heinrich Brüssow’s season-ending injury is lamentable but in Deon Stegmann there is a ready made replacement for the Springboks.
Brüssow tore knee ligaments in Saturday’s clash with the Hurricanes. The injury is severe enough to sideline him for at least six months, with scans on Monday expected to confirm that and possibly add weeks onto the recovery period.
Brüssow was a revelation in his rookie Test season in 2009, excelling in an unexpected opportunity in the first Test against the British & Irish Lions, then gradually improving to the point where convincing arguments where being made for him being the finest openside flank on the planet.
His consistent excellence reduced Schalk Burger, previously thought to be indispensable to the Springboks, to a bench role when he recovered from the injury that gave Brüssow the opportunity against the Lions, and he sustained that form into 2010 (prior to his injury), raising the question of whether Burger would spend another season watching Tests from an unfamiliar vantage point.
Brüssow’s loss is a massive one for the Cheetahs and Springboks. His technical skill has been discussed at length, while his deep resolve to ensure his side wins has driven him to feats bordering on the supernatural.
However, his loss does not present an insurmountable challenge. Stegmann is a natural successor who will offer the Springboks all the technical attributes Brüssow did, and shares his tactical intelligence and will to win.
In the last four seasons, two of which he has been a regular starter; Stegmann has proven his aptitude for Super Rugby. In fact, in the Bulls’ championship winning run in 2009, Stegmann routinely outplayed more vaunted opposition opensiders, and seemed to raise his performance further yet for the semi-final and final (before an injury ended his participation), suggesting a capacity to not only cope, but also excel in pressure situations.
He regularly leads the tackle count, turnover and work rate stats at the Bulls, registering numbers that are above average for players in his position.
The new breakdown law interpretations, which favour the attacking team (i.e. the team taking the ball into a ruck situation) have diluted the potency of some of the best fetchers in the business. Yet Stegmann has circumvented the challenge, with the aid of some astute tactics from the Bulls’ coaching staff, by only committing himself to the breakdown turnover after the third phase, where cleaners are in shorter supply.
Furthermore, he is also a capable ball carrier, and given that the aforementioned law interpretations demand that your openside flank be adept in this regard, where previously they were primarily deployed as defensive weapons who sought to slow the ruck recycle or turn over possession, makes him invaluable to Bulls, and this should be his appeal to the Springbok selectors.
Stegmann was at the heart of the Bulls’ success in 2009. Provided he stays fit and in form, he must be given an opportunity to add similar value to the Springboks.
By Ryan Vrede
124 Comments
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8 Mar 2010, 10:33 am
@ Tacticus: Flo is defnitely up there with the best in SA, but just giving away too many penalties, but he is slowly adapting to the new rules. Would love to see Schalle, Pieter and Dwayne together
8 Mar 2010, 10:34 am
Tact …Lawrence said there was nothing in it … blown out of proportion ….if it was matfield, you would’ve said the same, be honest
8 Mar 2010, 10:35 am
@Storm outta hell: 50
Burger has a history of ‘trying to get the ref’s attention’. If he had good verbal skills and wanted someones attentions he would not have to slap the guy Neanderthal style.
8 Mar 2010, 10:36 am
@XhosaKid:
Ja, I think they read this blog after the first two weeks, and made an effort to give the Bulls their due. Very different tune to the one they were singing in the previous couple of shows.
8 Mar 2010, 10:39 am
@RedLion: He is a neanderthal…the only style he knows.
8 Mar 2010, 10:39 am
I wish old Schalk can moer some of those Aussie refs … cheaters
8 Mar 2010, 10:40 am
for the record….i thought turned in his best performance for ages.
8 Mar 2010, 10:44 am
@ Brigadier: I must agree with you, Schalla was brilliant this weekend, lost some pace through the years (chasing the kick) though, but played his heart out
Fourie was disappointed
8 Mar 2010, 10:46 am
Team P W D L BP Pts
Bulls 3 3 0 0 3 15
Chiefs 4 3 0 1 3 15
Stormers 4 3 0 1 2 14
Crusaders 4 3 0 1 2 14
RL’s prediction
Here are the 4 teams that will contest the playoffs, the convicts will just make up the numbers … again.
8 Mar 2010, 10:46 am
Tac…
go and count the number of times WP Nel and Heinke et al are pinged for scrum infringements and/or collapsing the scrum…
count how many times Brok gets pinged…?? you ‘ll be surprised at the answers…
but even that won’t open your eyes because you never let the facts get in the way of knocking the Stormers and their players…
last week people (can’t remember if it was you or not) were saying the huge Highlanders forwards would put it over the Stormers… well… that didn’t happen…
as for Brok’s long pass and intercept… with minutes to go the Stormers had to run it from everywhere… pity the ball came to Harris with only 2 and 7 on his outside… it should have gone the other way… but he could not go to ground as they had to attack… he couldn’t kick and give them possession… all he could do was pass… Tian was up for it and had it come off we WOULD have won the game…
so George intercepted and scored… that one pass doesn’t negate all the good stuff Brok Harris and the Stormers front row and tight five are doing…
and like he’s the first guy to through an intercept…? even the great FdP has thrown a few… you don’t crucify him for it… but you choose to hammer old Brok for his…
go figure…
I’ll be waiting for you go on for weeks next time one of the Bulls throws an intercept…!!
8 Mar 2010, 10:46 am
@Tacitus:
Jacques Fourie het mos gese dat gatvoldaarvoor is om elke week “to play out of his skin” by die Lions wat so sukkel.
2 dinge:
-Dalk bietjie lui of moet aanpas in die kaap saam met sy bruid.
-Moeilik in daai agterlyn met De Jongh EN Habana wat probeer impress en self werk soek…nie natuurlike omstandighede vir ou Jacques.
8 Mar 2010, 10:49 am
I think McCaws move to blind side should give a pretty good indication to where the game is going in this regard. If anything 2 fetchers are better than 1. I rate stegman highly and to be honest he gets over the gain line more often than burger so the theory of size and power is really moot.
Burger carried the ball up 11 times this year crossing the gainline roughly 44% of the time. Stegman has carried the ball up 6 times and crossed the advantage line 100% of those. No contest if you ask me.
8 Mar 2010, 10:50 am
@XhosaKid:i think TJ & JP read keo & took note od Tac’s lamentations & conclusions that kiwis hate afrikaners, hence the change in tone
@Tacitus: yes Mujati also got into trouble
8 Mar 2010, 10:56 am
@Tacitus: We all know that you go to sleep at night dreaming of an all Blue Bulls Springbok team, but we all know that won’t happen.
Unfortunately your complete one-sided view of all things Blue is good, whilst all things Stormers is bad, even to the point of complaining about how many Stormers threads there are vs how many Bulls threads, loses you all credibility when occasionally you actually have something of value to add.
8 Mar 2010, 10:59 am
considering the way the breakdown is heavily in favour of the attacking team this season if ever there was a time when we could afford to lose brussow it would be this year….methinks he’d give away more penalties than effect turnovers this season for the boks. what’s required is a more physical backrow adept at preventing opposition crossing the advantage line
8 Mar 2010, 11:02 am
@stormersboy: It’s all going to come down to the last game in the fixtures…and I have great faith the Stormers are gonna make the Bulls eat humble pie…they’ll probably choke on it but it will be interesting to see the comments
8 Mar 2010, 11:02 am
Stegmann is overrated. No way does he leapfrog Schalk in the pecking order.
8 Mar 2010, 11:03 am
Schalk is still the man for the big occasion, no doubt in my mind there. Stegman is quality though.
Lets see form wise at the end of the S15, no use looking for answers now at the end of week 4.
8 Mar 2010, 11:03 am
Incredible. South African rugby has finally woken up to the value of specialist openside and blindside flank positions. For the last 30 years most of the rest of the world have had openside and blindside flanks whereas SAFFA coaches were suspicious of this and just wanted three tall brutish loose forwards who all offered the same skills.
Brussouw has changed all of this.
8 Mar 2010, 11:06 am
@ufo:
Your crusade for Brok Harris as a possible Bok candidate is commendable.He has improved over the past 12-15 months.
But I honestly dont see him playing for Boks anytime soon.
The emergence of the like of Werner Kruger and WP Nel in the same time period of Harris improvement are sure to overshadow this.Plus the former are more destructive a ruck and tackle time.Plus mobility wise are decent but so is Brock-granted.Kevin Buys is also making massive strides at the Lions and his massive frame,ball carrying ability and physicality at ruck time is bound to be in the minds of selectors in yrs to come.
The return of BJ Botha is also imminent.
Brock Harris is a decent pro-as mentioned before deserves praise for massive improvements he has made but sadly I dont see him wearing Bok colours.He is also restricted by the fact that he is only competent at 3 only(lacks versatility).He is in the same mould/space as Cheetahs loosehead Du Preez(who has an unofficial cap vs Barbarians but no Test Bok and unlikely to be neither).
8 Mar 2010, 11:08 am
8. Vermeulen
7. Burger
6. Potgieter
Spies groomed now for 11 with Habana at 14
8 Mar 2010, 11:11 am
Sorry
Look at form and decide between Smith and Burger at nr 7
same for Potgieter/Stegmann
8 Mar 2010, 11:13 am
If we listen carefully to what the coaches are saying this year, the differences in strategies in the successful teams (of which the Stormers are certainly one) tells a story, both in personel and in approach:
Last year the first tackle turnover was king. FDP would put the ball up onto the back three and Brian would chase them down, with Brussow stealing the ball. The turnover would typically happen in the first few phases.
This year the change is this, and its alluded to above in that the defensive team will use a number of players as turnover specialists, and somtimes only affect the turnover after several phases of opposition ball. Yes, Stegmann does do this well. He’s not the only one though. In order to succeed with this strategy you need power at the tackle to put pressure on the ball carrier and the first suppoting players, but also someone who can attack the ball if the opportunity presents itself. Players like Francois Louw represent this type of player very well. He plays a blindside flank’s role, but also gets his turnovers. The new Schalk will fit in well here too as does Pieter Louw. That’s one of the reasons that the Stormers are such an effective defensive unit. They all hunt, tackle and attack the ball well. vermuelen does an amazing job as well, brining great physicality to the tight stuff.
Stegmann is a good player for sure and may well be rewarded with a springbok cap this year, but it’s teamwork that will lead to turnovers this year. The days of the lone ranger is over.
8 Mar 2010, 11:16 am
@mshiniwami:
Mshini…
I never meant it to be anytime soon… I’d be happy if he got a look in AFTER 2011…!!
but great that you’ve seen the improvement…
personally I don’t believe a No 3 should be a jack of all trades.. just being a good dependable tighthead is enough…
Harris’s versatility in on the field… he is really good at scrum time… and in the loose, tight loose and does have great handling skills… those are more valid IMO than covering for another position… if SA can’t produce props who can make one jersey their own then we’re in trouble…
I have to laugh at how often the commentators mention his name and how surprised they are…!! He gets about the park and does a lot of stuff…
8 Mar 2010, 11:19 am
Anyone notice Supersport’s stat on Duane Vermeulen’s weight? They list him as 90kg. I’m 90kg and I don’t look like that. Last year they kept on listing WP Nel as 92kg. Even when they calculated the Free State front row, they used this fictitious 92kg. Now maybe I’m being petty here, but surely this is the one thing you proofread (and counter-reference if you’re suspicious). I mean, why post these kinds of stats at all if you’re going to fck them up and not employ the kind of people who might pick this up?
8 Mar 2010, 11:19 am
@stormersboy: The most effective way to effect a turnover from what Ive seen is the counter ruck.
8 Mar 2010, 11:22 am
@katman:
I know.Last time Duanne Vermuelen weighed anywhere near 92 kg was at the Lions at u19 level.
Even in 2007 when was playing great rugby for Cheetahs he was around 103-105 kg
Looks around the 108/9kg mark now.Big fella.
8 Mar 2010, 11:23 am
@katman: Yeah. I’m over 100kg’s and I don’t look like that. I’d say he’s close to 110, given his height.
8 Mar 2010, 11:24 am
@katman:
Katman, the Supersport stats are a complete farce. I can prove it.
Pedrie Wannenburg was on live chat on the Bulls website a couple of weeks ago. In response to a question, he stated that he had lost a few kilos and was now weighing 111kgs.
The very next weekend, Supersport had him listed on 99kg’s or something ridiculous like that.
And then they had some scrawny guy listed as 109kgs.
I reckon the apprentice producer is tasked before each game to randomly enter some numbers into the player weight category. Either that, or they get a computer program to randomly generate the numbers for them.
It’s baloney.
8 Mar 2010, 11:25 am
@mshiniwami: One mistake there. Du Preez has one test behind his name against Italy last year.
8 Mar 2010, 11:26 am
@bok1906: Yes, and timing is everything. You don’t want to commit too many players to the wrong ruck phase. You need to spot the weak one in the series of carries, and drive them off that one. The opportunities always appear, you need to have enough players to take advantage when it happens.
8 Mar 2010, 11:30 am
Burger
F.Louw
Potgieiter
vs
Brussouw
Stegmann
Daniel
Floors
(Ok, Daniel and Floors is a bit of a stretch but lets just keep the fantasy alive so my hypothesis can stay together).
The 2 different camps of Opensiders (yes yes some play blindside at the moment).
From the limited Super 14 we have seen, I think that the top group are more suited to the current law interpretations – they bring bulk (momentum at the ruck) and a ball running game which isn’t impeded much by their reduced ability to pilfer (now far more uncommon). I think teams would do well to start with these opensiders and bring the smaller guys on later, when people are arriving at the 3rd/4th ruck (where Pilfers can still occur) a lot slower towards the end of the game.
8 Mar 2010, 11:30 am
@Bouts:
Really? Forgot about that one.
8 Mar 2010, 11:33 am
Hmmm… the new ‘interpretations’… will it still be used in the Tri-Nations? Or at least the strict use of it. The current interpretations are supposed to be only for the S14.
8 Mar 2010, 11:45 am
Stegmann is overated! Should go and fetch some Castle from the fridge for Schalla, Richie, Pocock, Waugh!
8 Mar 2010, 12:36 pm
@pierre: You mean Schalk who got banned in the RWC and raked a Lions player in the eyeballs? That Schalk?
But, to be honest, I would rather play Schalk above Stegman at the moment. Schalk is hardly playing rubbish rugby at the moment and he can hurt opponents good.
Steggies will get his chance. I would prefer him to earn a few more stripes in the S14, maybe add him after 2011 RWC.
8 Mar 2010, 12:45 pm
@BlueBlood:
Only after 5 seasons of super rugby? Nee wat,some players are identified after one season. Stegmann has earned his stripes. At least he doesn’t lose his temper on the field, he never complains and never blames and never hangs his head. Schalla het n reputasie vir luigatgeid in die gym etc. Ek sou hom nie naby my span toelaat met so n attitude (die afgelope 2 jaar). Bumped in Steggies at LC de Villiers last month, put on somegood muscle.
8 Mar 2010, 12:54 pm
@Agile ***-Tyrant: Actually, yes, but I didnt want to sound like I was a one-eyed Blue Bulls supporter. I obviously failed, so stuff it, Steggies must be a Bok this year!
8 Mar 2010, 12:55 pm
LOLOLOLOL
8 Mar 2010, 12:58 pm
LET ME TELL YOU PEOPLE SOMETHING !!
Ol Pieter Louw is underrated. We call him n diamant in die ruwe. He can be better than any of the other players if he does a bit of gym work. i can tell you now he has more passion to play then any other player in South Africa. Even more than Victor.
8 Mar 2010, 13:06 pm
@BlueBlood: For all Schalk physicality, he sure is hesitant to stick his head in the bee hive, focuses the clean and sticks. Brussow and Stegmann have a low center of gravity and they squat all day long. Both have mastered stealing on their tip toes, and prehaps more importantly hard AND intelligent tackling- masters in turning carriers on their way to ground.
Every player knows/is taught this, but they lack core strength/delt anterior strength/guts to do it properly.
8 Mar 2010, 13:07 pm
Do the new interpretations of the laws this season makes Heinrich Brussouw less effective than last year … and Schalk Burger more effective? Don’t get me wrong, he is still a very good player.
IMO, even without his injury the better combination would be Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Pierre Spies.
8 Mar 2010, 13:13 pm
@spiaro:
No, elvs won’t instantly change a players mindset, they don’t have such a great effect asis made out. Yes you have to poach quicker now, so getting the balance right with gainline and tackle line is more sensitive. Besides, Brussow is ever-present in support, attendance will bring you opportunities, we need these mobile, agile loosies.
8 Mar 2010, 13:14 pm
Under what laws is the Tri Nations?
And under what laws is the World Cup?
8 Mar 2010, 13:18 pm
Steggman is overrated
I’d play D Potgieter, S Burger, F Louw, P Louw ahead of that midget.
8 Mar 2010, 13:19 pm
Selle as laas
8 Mar 2010, 13:20 pm
@WP_:
Stegmann is overrated as Pieter Louw is overrated.
8 Mar 2010, 14:34 pm
Groom Spies now to play # 11 @ RWC – Move Vermeulen in at 8
6&7 can be a fight between Burger – Brussouw – Smith and Stegmann
8 Mar 2010, 14:38 pm
@dr dre:
Spies is the prime ball carrier. How many forwards do you think he’ll draw at 11?
8 Mar 2010, 14:50 pm
100!
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