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Johann Muller has apparently been cited for a high-tackle on Cheetahs hooker Richardt Strauss. If found guilty, he looks set to be banned for at least part of the end-of-year tour.
Now, I’d like to point out that despite speculation to the contrary, Muller did not flatten Strauss as retribution for the latter’s brother (Sharks centre Andries) being such a limited player. I for one was very pleased to see the hooker targeted (although I would never condone foul play) because it implied that the Sharks had done their homework and found a weak link in the Cheetahs squad. The Cheetahs had no reserve hooker on the bench and were forced to play number 8 Ashley Johnson in that position. Not that the Sharks gained any advantage in the final analysis, but that’s not the point.
Now, according to a typically speculative article on Voldy, Muller is (or was) earmarked to be (one of) the leader(s) of the Bok midweek team for the end of year tour. I cannot think of anything that would be less in the player’s interests right now and should he be handed a suspension, it would, to my mind, be a blessing in disguise.
Fact is, Muller has been average all season. He’s been playing like a guy whose heart just isn’t in it and who needs a break to get his mind and body right. His broken arm is clearly still bothering him, as could be seen from the lacklustre performance he put in against the Cheetahs this weekend and after five seasons of top rugby without a break, Muller is a man desperately in need of a holiday.
Apart from everything else, he is not currently anywhere near the top of the pile when it comes to locking options. At five, all of Victor Matfield, Andries Bekker and Anton van Zyl are in better form, whilst Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Steven Sykes and even David de Villiers look better options at four. A player like Sykes would benefit hugely from going on a Bok midweek tour. For Muller, there would be no benefit at all, as far as I can see.
Muller is going to have to really make a big push in 2010. Gerhardt Mostert has arrived in Durban and is already in training and if I were selecting a lock combination on current form, Sykes and Mostert would be the guys I’d choose. Muller will have a real battle on his hands making sure he stays in the run-on team and he needs rest, both physically and mentally, if he’s to be able to compete and do himself justice once the new season starts.
Hopefully – and I really mean this – he will be allowed to work on his own game without shouldering the additional burden of a captain’s armband that really should belong to John Smit.
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I agree.
Look what a forced holiday did to Schalk’s game…
@Morné (Comment 1) : we need Beast and Kanko to be sitting out as well… send both of them on a long holiday to find their fire again.
John just needs a break, full-stop, but there’s no way he’ll get it.
@robdylan (Comment 2) :
Yeah, it was a massive 2009 for a lot of senior guys – we need to take stock.
Yeah – we’re better off sending Sykes or one of the younger players…
I wonder if Rory will go on tour!!
Scrumhalf options for the EOYT:
FDP
Mechanic
Adams
Griquas scrummie
Vermaak is out injured and Rory is a THUG!!
@wpw (Comment 5) : what about Ruan?
@wpw (Comment 5) : i almost posted a question who is this mechanic
@robdylan (Comment 6) : Divvy will not play him at 9. Ruan would be better to stay at home for this one.
@rekinek (retreat -ing) (Comment 7) : I don’t think Ruan will make himself available to the Boks as a flyhalf…
@rekinek (retreat -ing) (Comment 7) :
I think his confidence has taken a real dip…
Where’s all the Shrinks…do we even have one?
@robdylan (Comment 8) :
Has he got a choice ? I mean it would be either you go in scrumhalf or you stay at home, wont it?
@GI Ice (Now its WAR!) (Comment 10) : that is the choice, yes. I think he will choose option 2, whatever the consequences
@GI Ice (Now its WAR!) (Comment 10) : you mean flyhalf?
@rekinek (retreat -ing) (Comment 12) :
yeah..
@GI Ice (Now its WAR!) (Comment 13) :
or he says…either I go at scrummie or I stay at home??
John, FdP, Matfield and Bakkies should not tour, Beast should be left at home as well, Bismark can tour….
And Bakkies’ elbow to the face????????????
citing commissioner must still have been on his way up from the bar and missed that?
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 15) : agree
How did Strauss get that beautiful shiner?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 16) : That was pretty blatent, or should I say Bakkiesh!!
Maybe the Sharks can swop Ruan for Sarel Pretorius. . .
Ruan will probably go on end of year tour though, and sit on the bench all tour, which is where he should`ve been saturday as well.
@Original Pierre (Comment 20) : and cheetahs would have been 1 try less and the sharks 2 tries less, because rory would not pass
@GI Ice (Now its WAR!) (Comment 18) : read the article, skat…
@rekinek (retreat -ing) (Comment 21) : Exactly that`s why McLeod should`ve started with Pienaar on the bench and Hernandez used for kicks. But why worry about it now . .. too little too late.
@robdylan (Comment 22) :
@Original Pierre (Comment 23) : I blame the forwards, not the backs
@KSA Shark © (Comment 16) :
And Danie Roussouws punch.
@robdylan (Comment 22) :
Skat, nowhere in the article does it answer my question…
Am I suppose to jump to conclusions…Mullers high tackle was responsible for the shiner? It looks more like a punch-up shiner to me – so should I conclude that Muller punched him whilst performing a high tackle??
You know what perceptions leads to, especially wrong ones..
@robdylan (Comment 25) : I agree at no stage did they dominate in any area of the game loose or tight, that is were the tight games are won.
Mullers case coming up next week.
ROB – you still have not answered me on the shiner thing..was it Muller? How?