Smith braced for Burger battle
18 Mar 2010
Juan Smith says his match-up against Schalk Burger will be vital when the Cheetahs face the Stormers on Saturday.
Both teams have formidable loose trios this season, with the Stormers boasting Schalk Burger, Francios Louw and Duane Vermeulen while the Cheetahs field Juan Smith, Frans Viljoen and Hendro Scholtz. Furthermore they also have the quality of Pieter Louw and Kabamba Floors to call on off the wood.
The breakdown will be the focal point at Newlands, and the stand off between the in-form skippers, Smith and Burger, will be intriguing.
‘Schalk and I will battle at our best as we are the captains and we will lead by example. The fact that it will be a South African derby will also intensify the game,’ Smith told keo.co.za.
‘The new law interpretations call for a more physical and all-round loose forward, and Schalk has flourished because of this. I’m not saying fetchers don’t play a role anymore, but other qualities, like defence and ball carrying ability come into play. Schalk is the perfect fit in that regard.
‘We have played 30-odd Tests together as a flank combination for the Springboks, so we know everything there is to know about each other. So things should get interesting.’
Smith added the clash will be a showcase for the Bok selectors.
‘There are plenty of in-form loosies at the moment and a lot of them will be involved in this match. So it could be good for a player if he puts up his hand with a great performance.’
Assistant coach Hawies Fourie told this site on Wednesday how the Cheetahs will plan to break the Stormers’ defence, but Smith stressed that they will need to be defensively solid themselves.
‘The Stormers have been awesome in defence. Four tries in five games is unbelievable. We have our [attacking] game plan and we will play according to that, but we need to be good in defence,’ he said.
‘We showed against the Hurricanes that we are capable in defence. We just need to remain mentally strong by making those one-on-one tackles. We can’t afford to give the Stormers any momentum.’
By Gareth Duncan
33 Comments
18 Mar 2010, 08:35 am
Dragons
18 Mar 2010, 08:38 am
Schalk looked really good last Saturday, Juan has also been playing well….. it’s going to be titanic battle.
18 Mar 2010, 08:47 am
as a Stromers supporter i must say Schalla should leave Juan alone if he doesn’t want to get klapped….
18 Mar 2010, 08:51 am
Hmmm… gonna be a big tussle. Let’s hope both of them remain injury-free in this game.
18 Mar 2010, 08:53 am
Smith over Burger any day. Stormers to target the Bosman channel.
18 Mar 2010, 08:54 am
the best flanker at the moment in SA is definately F Louw hope the selectors are keeping an eye on him
18 Mar 2010, 08:57 am
@st.a.t.w: ok… your opinion but imo… Juan is the best 7 in the world today….
18 Mar 2010, 08:58 am
@Wikus van der Merwe: I agree.
18 Mar 2010, 09:05 am
@Wikus van der Merwe: hear hear!
18 Mar 2010, 09:05 am
*?*
18 Mar 2010, 09:08 am
Kingpins? Then what is Stegmannm en Spies?
18 Mar 2010, 09:12 am
@st.a.t.w:
Another “Flo” fanatic.
Every Stormer and his mate is being talked into the Bok team at the moment. Nice to know Snor is largely going to stick to his proven squad, as indicated on Superrugby by him on Monday night.
18 Mar 2010, 09:12 am
@Wikus van der Merwe:
in my opinion on present form louw’s better then smith
during his career over the last couple of years smith has been the best in the world from time to time but not presently
although i feel that louw is the best flanker in the country at the moment does’nt necessarily mean he should be playing ahead of guys like burger and smith but he should at least be brouhgt into the squad
18 Mar 2010, 09:14 am
@Tacitus:
how are you this morning tac, don’t worry i know how you feel
if he ain’t wearing light blue then he ain’t good enough
18 Mar 2010, 09:14 am
@st.a.t.w:
Aren’t you embarrassed by sharing that opinion on a public forum like this?
18 Mar 2010, 09:27 am
@Tacitus:
judging on the comments you make 90% of the time, no
18 Mar 2010, 09:50 am
Since Schaulk returned from injury his performances have been exceptional and it has coincided with the Stormers playing their best rugby for many years. Juan has been very consistent for a long time and always plays to such a high standard, but I’m not sure if his best is as good as Schaulk’s best. Its going to be a great contest to watch no matter what and I predict a much closer score line then the last two games.
18 Mar 2010, 09:51 am
@Tacitus:Hoekom is jy altyd de moer in?
18 Mar 2010, 09:56 am
louw better than juan smith?
in what world?
18 Mar 2010, 09:56 am
@5t0rmer54eva:
Daardie vraag is net soos om vir jou te vra: “Slaan jy nog jou vrou?”
Dit neem iets as vanselfsprekend aan wat dalk glad nie die geval mag wees nie.
18 Mar 2010, 09:57 am
Lets hope they remember they play for the same country and save the klappe for those that count.
Unlike do#s Danie Rossouw with his late shoulder charge on Riaan Viljoen.
This is going to be a big one. No to sure who to support.
18 Mar 2010, 10:16 am
@Wikus van der Merwe: amen brother
18 Mar 2010, 10:29 am
@Wikus van der Merwe: too true.
Even the NZ commentators think he is the best and it takes a lot for them to boost one of the SA guys ahead of their players
18 Mar 2010, 10:51 am
do do
do do do do do do
AAAAAHHHHHH!
18 Mar 2010, 10:52 am
@Bouts: good point, we all bay for opponents blood especially in the derbies but i want all the local guys to be fit for the overseas based teams games.
but even with that said….STOOOOOOOOORMEEEERRRRRRRRSSSSS>
18 Mar 2010, 11:11 am
Great battle looming. Never mind Tacitus. I’m sure there’ll be another bulls thread soon….
And BTW, I agree that Juan is the best 7 at the moment. But Potgieter is certainly not next in line. After Burger (who is really a 7 at the mo), Louw and then maybe Potgieter. If Deysel doesn’t get back into form….
I’d even be tempted to pick Vermeulen ahead of Potgieter at 7 at the moment.
Before you start foaming at the mouth, it’s not because he plays for the Bulls. It’s because he still has to play himself back into contention over the next several games. The bulls have many other players who would be the first choice in any SA side for me, and in fact even in a world side.
See what I just did there? I gave a compliment to a team that is not the one that I support. Give it a try sometime. You’ll be a more credible blogger for it.
18 Mar 2010, 11:17 am
@stormersboy: Also he wears girlie ‘rekkies’ in his hair….must be a helluva conflict going on in the Dutchie’s hearts to support him
18 Mar 2010, 11:20 am
Bekker…Getting so much better all the time…
It’s music to my ears
18 Mar 2010, 14:32 pm
Smith and Burger are complementary pieces of the Bok puzzle. Fire and ice. Smooth and rough. Polished and rough. Sleek versus battering.
My money’s on Burger this week. His hair is on fire. Brand hom laat hy p0ep.
18 Mar 2010, 19:38 pm
The two best Flankers in the world, right now.
Good to see them both in form and looking to seeing them side by side.
In last year’s TriNations we were playing without grunt and cleanout at ruck time.
Their form and the current interpretations will benefit the Boks in a big way.
18 Mar 2010, 19:51 pm
Both of these guys are amazing players and we are blessed to have them playing next to each other at the same time. A throw back to the erasmus/ venter days.
By the way is it just me or is Schalk getting noticeably bald?
19 Mar 2010, 08:29 am
Juan has been the form 7 for the last few years, these new rules and the pace of the game mean we have to use him wisely.
For me its down to consistency, shalk seems to hit veins of form but falls off them as quickly. He is now a senior “squad” player and needs to be used as such.
First choice is still Brussow, Juan and Spies. Backed up by Stegman, Shalk and …… (?)Kanko has lost it, maybe Vermulen if he can control his temper.
Great news about Bekker, we are still short of a 4 like Bakkies though !
19 Mar 2010, 08:30 am
@schalla: Its all the testosterone ! Thats how I cheer myself up anyhow …
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