A shortage of options at fullback mean that Sharks pivot Patrick Lambie ended up running in the number 15 jersey for the Boks during practice yesterday. Can Heyneke Meyer seriously be considering moving the youngster yet again?
Let’s just cast our minds back to last year, when Lambie’s obvious claims for inclusion at flyhalf ahead of the struggling Morne Steyn and Elton Jantjies were ignored by Meyer, on the grounds that he “had played primarily fullback” for the Sharks during the Super Rugby season. The reality of the situation was that Lambie, initially preferred at flyhalf, had given up the Sharks’ 10 jersey to Fred Michalak through injury, with the latter then holding it through the sort of performances that would have made dropping him near impossible. When Lambie was finally entrusted with that jersey, on the Boks’ end of year tour, he delivered three solid performances and was perhaps one of the most impressive – and certainly most consistent – of the players on display for the South African side throughout that unbeaten trip.
Now we all know that Pat has unfortunately not been able to escape the malaise that has affected the Sharks team this year, with his standard of play in Super Rugby 2013 certainly far below his impressive best. Calls have been made, quite openly, for Meyer to turn once more to Morne Steyn for the Bok 10 jersey and only those few die-hards who remember what Pat is capable of in the right setting continue to back the 22-year-old Shark’s claim for national honours.
Surely, a move back to fullback now would be about the worst possible thing that could be done for Lambie, though? After spending all of last year being told that he had to play at flyhalf to be considered at flyhalf, how can he now be picked at fullback having played no rugby there this year? It’s time, I feel, for the Bok management to be consistent in the messages they send to this player; let Lambie be weighed as a flyhalf on his play at flyhalf alone. If he’s good enough, pick him. If he isn’t, don’t, but for goodness sake, let’s not confuse him even further with this continual positional switching.
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Lambie at 15 will see Heyneke Meyer vying with Beyonce for the title of Culling Song’s Most Disliked Public Personae
But on the topic of positional switches, most everybody on this site have issues with the fact that Lambie is not attacking the line enough (I haven’t watched enough – read any – Sharks games to comment). So what about swopping him around with Bosman, and instructing him that his job is to attack and straighten the line. I don’t see this as a full-time thing, just for the next three games to hone that aspect of his play.
Opinions?
The writing’s on the wall, Morne Steyn is Meyer’s first choice. In that case I’d rather have Lambie on the field than not, especially in the place of Zane Kirchner. I think the majority of backline players in SA aren’t mature enough to handle postional switches. I think Lambie is one of the few exceptions to that rule.
@Culling Song (Comment 1) : I’d be interested to see what transpires. I’ve always liked Bosman at 10.
Ag sheesh man, the current state of Sharks rugby and with that politician HM at the Springbok helm, I might as well drop my Dstv subscription. 👿
We spend so much energy debating something which we have no control over. With the debates surrounding player selection and coach controversy, match day seems to have become the by-product of that boardroom game called rugby. 🙄
@vanmartin (Comment 3) : I also want bosman at 10
@Culling Song (Comment 1) : I would like to see that. I think it would work well for his game. Plum will never do it though.
If the opening sentence of the article is correct, then its the logical option to play Pat at 15, and that would even be the case if his flyhalf play was up a notch or 2 at the moment.
Seems that Habana also trained at 13.
Should use Basson at 15.
15 should suit Willie le Roux to the T – he can join the line where ever he wants on attack and create havoc. Won’t fit with Heyneke’s idea of a 15 though
@Bokhoring (Comment 10) : Agreed
@JD (Comment 9) : Should use Basson at 1500; that’s more or less how close I would like to see him to a Bok jersey…
@Pokkel (Comment 8) : As long as de Villiers is fit, Habana won’t play there.
I dont think we will see much of Le Roux ,Lappies ,Aplon ,Catrikillis or other fan favorites Meyer has chosen. Its clear he chose them to appease the rugby public in SA .
I would love to see this team :
1.Beast /Coenie
2.Bismarck /Strauss
3.Jannie/Herbst
4.Bakkies
5.Etzebeth/Du Toit
6.Lappies
7.Alberts
8.?Kankowski?
9.Van Zyl/Hougaard
10.Lambie
11.JPP
12.Ebersohn
13.Fourie(we need him back)
14.JJE
15.Le Roux
Talent don’t think playing Bakkies and Fourie is correct, Bokke must get some youngsters like PSDT and JJ to be ready for 2015.
With all the recent injuries, I have changed my mind about the team I would play against Italy.
1. Beast
2. Strauss
3. du Plessis
4. du Toit
5. Etzebeth
6. Brussow
7. Alberts
8. Spies
9. Hougaard
10. Lambie
11. Mvovo
12. Ebersohn
13. de Villiers
14. Habana
15. Pienaar
16. du Plessis
17. Oosthuizen
18. Herbst
19. Botha
20. Kankowski
21. Steyn
22. Serfontein
23. le Roux
@David12246 (Comment 16) :
Hougaaard as your scrummie? Pienaar your fullback? You sure?
What use is playing Pienaar at fullback and leaving Le Roux on the bench? That is some backward thinking!
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 17) : I really really don’t think le Roux is ready for a start. Pienaar is the only fit and capable fullback we have at the moment other than Lambie, and for the sake of consistency leading into the Championship, Lambie should play flyhalf.
@David12246 (Comment 18) : Pienaar has not played fullback in years, and the last time the Boks tried him there he was awful.
@David12246 (Comment 18) :
Lambie is not the only fit fullback we have, seeing as he is not actually a fullback?!
There are far better options than him, even if you do not want to start with le Roux. There is Pietersen from the Stormers, Daniller from the Cheetahs, Visser from the Bulls, even Riaan Viljoen from the Sharks. Hell, I’d prefer SP Marais to Lambie at fullback, seeing as the above players have actullay played there this year.
As for the Rugby Championship – as far as I know – nothing is ruling Steyn out from taking part…
My wife is really loving the Sharks and HM at the moment. By this time during the year, she’s normally a rugby widow but with the poor form of the Sharks and the great idiot in charge of the Boks she gets to see me a hell of a lot more.
HM can switch Lambie around as he sees fit simply because he is great and mighty HM, the only coach to ever bore the living hell out of the general rugby public.
I can understand that he doesn’t want to hand out Bok caps willy nilly but let’s be honest messing around a player just so that he doesn’t have to give someone else a single Bok cap is the stupidest type of thinking.
@Butchie34 (Comment 21) : My wife is happy as well!! Why not call Riaan Viljoen or Joe Pieterson in to cover fullback? Louis Ludik would have been a shoe in @ 15 if he was fit. I know logical & HM don’t fit into the same sentence, but look at the fit & experienced players left. Why hasn’t he looked at those 2 yet? What does a Springbok cap mean if it is not been earned on merit? Rhetorical questions those. Kankowski should be considered and so should Meyer Bosman (believe it or not). 😯 Anybody got an inkling of whether Plumtree has had his contract extended?
You cant ignore Le Roux .
I have a bad feeling about him playing under Meyer ,the two are like oil and water ,or more aptly crude oil and ocean water(like a ripped tanker destroying anything natural).
Le Roux will be given his shot ,perhaps, and Meyer will tell him to play a certain way ,which wont suit his style of play.
Lambie is a bloody 10 ,and the best in the country. Meyer is a blind idiot if he cannot see this. Play Steyn and lets wait for the comedy show to role in: the missed overlaps ,skip passes ,missed tackles and worst of all -the static sit in the pocket deep play…