Gary Gold has revealed that over the course of the season, a tally will be kept of the “special jersey recipients” in order to make end of season presentations to the player who has worn each one the most times. Paul Jordaan seems to have taken an unassailable lead in the race for the season pink jersey, having now won the award for best defender three weeks in a row.
Jean-Luc du Preez was elected man of the match for the Sharks against the Lions (yellow jersey), with Willie le Roux snapping up the green jersey for best work rate. Hyron Andrews, who came in and did an admirable job at lock at short notice (and under difficult circumstances) won the polka-dot jersey for best attitude.
Well done to all four players!
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It’s getting to the point where I don’t even need to check who our top tackler was when making my article.
Where did this come from? He is a beast on defence, the forwards should be ashamed.
Sad that Paul is known for best defender 3 weeks in a row. Although positive because he is defending well but sad state of Sharks rugby because it mean he is only defending and not creating tries. Time for change is now. No more whool over the eyes we demand better performance on the scoreboard not in talks.
Tollie the tackler! Lol! Nice one Rob! Fully deserved though.. guy tackles like a machine.
@ebenp (Comment 2) : I’m sorry, but I see this completely differently. Defence was always the one aspect of Paul’s game that was a glaring weakness and that made him completely unsuitable for test rugby. I’m really pleased to see the way he is improving and growing as a defender in the hardest defensive channel anywhere on the field.
It is not written anywhere that we have to always focus on the negative.
Those black GPSPORTS over-the-jersey thingies really make it look like the guys are wearing bras.
@robdylan (Comment 4) : Yeh fully agree- a lot of people have questioned his defense in recent past. The way the Sharks defend though im not surprised he makes the most tackles. The Sharks dont employ a rush defense which would see the inside guys and forwards make the most tackles…instead they opt for a hold and drift defense which means paul is often the last man and required to make the tackle or bundle the guy out. Whilst this defensive strategy can work well it can also catch a team short especially on turnovers as you dont have the numbers to shift enough.
@Bokhoring (Comment 5) : They are necessary for all those cool stats that people love 🙂
@SheldonK (Comment 6) : I hear you – that was an insightful comment that actually posed a question, rather than simple being negative for the sake of being negative.
Last year we kakked all over the Sharks because they couldn’t tackle for toffee. This year they are defending like men possessed, so we find something different to bitch about. Can we at least be consistent?
Am I a bit old school for believing a loss like the one against the Lions deserved no special jerseys?
@robdylan (Comment 4) : think Mr. Jordaan really likes the pink jersey!
Last year we were absolutely rubbish at every thing, this year defense is one thing less to complain about.
Let’s see if we can get our handling fixed by next year this time. 🙂
@FireTheLooser (Comment 9) : I could go either way on that one. I did also start off by thinking that they should only hand out the jerseys after a win, but a tackle is a tackle, right, regardless of the result.
I think we want to be careful of creating the sort of culture that says “if you lose a game you become worthless”….
@robdylan (Comment 8) : Agreed. The Sharks defense this year has been really great. If we added some more on our attack perhaps then we will realise how good our defense has actually been. I would still like to see us employ a rush defense especially in our own half. One good thing i only thought of now- we seem to have shorn up those holes in our defense around the rucks which were particularly bad last year.
@SheldonK (Comment 7) : An insight into the secret life of the modern rugby player 😀
@ebenp (Comment 2) : I think it was Brian O’Driscoll who insisted in an article a while back that centres should first be selected on the defensive capabilities before even considering their other abilities (he was critiquing Jesse Kriel’s selection at 13 in the Bok side).
Just to be clear, not saying defense is everything in that position but if your centre can’t defend properly, you may be in trouble.
@robdylan (Comment 12) : I don’t mind the tackle jersey, it’s the rest of the jerseys that seems to be handed out for the sake of it.
I’m sure we’re all very happy that our defense has improved over last year when we “forgot” to practice it. Seems like this year we “forgot” to train attack.
Is it really too much to ask for both in the same season? And I had such high hopes when I heard that Robert du Preez would be our backline coach.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 17) : Our attack would be hugely aided if we manage to catch the ball.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 18) : And retain it in the tackle – It seems to me we loose more ball in tackles than we do from missed passes.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 18) : @Bokhoring (Comment 19) : It’s the humidity… 🙄
@Bokhoring (Comment 19) : Which is probably why we rather kick the ball away….far less effort than ruuning yourself half dead, just to hand posession to the opposition in any case.
@JD (Comment 10) :
Maybe he is secretly harbouring a desire to play for the Bulls?
I cannot accept the level of rugby we dish up for last 3 years. If you can then you should live with that. Dont drag us all down to that level @ Robdylan. Once we win trophys by defending well only then you can defend that logic… Excuse the pun
@ebenp (Comment 23) : I suspect that deep down, my sense of entitlement is less keenly developed than yours
A center that can only tackle is called a loosy. We have plenty of those…but they cannot even get the pink shirt. Thx to Paul for leading the way. By the way… My comments wan not against Paul. Rather against the Sharks mediocre playing
@robdylan (Comment 24) : Spoken like a Sharks supporter of many, many years. 😆
@Bokhoring (Comment 26) : I just don’t see the point in saying pointless things like “I cannot accept” bla bla ba.
What choice do we have? I hear lots of people come on here and moan about things they can’t and won’t accept, but I see very few practical and workable suggestions that are guaranteed to deliver the results they want in the time frame they want.
That the Sharks are a team coming off a very low base and need to rebuild is not up for debate. Anyone who feels differently is either deluded or stupid. Why is nobody prepared to be even a little patient as this process continues?
NEWS FLASH: We are not going to win Super Rugby this year. It was never gong to happen and the reasons for that are myriad and well documented. So why is everyone getting their panties in a twist? What did they think was going to happen?
@vanmartin (Comment 15) : Ok. So he got the jersey 3 weeks in a row. Great on Paul. 1 draw and 2 losses. Not Paul’s fault. So why did we loose the 2 games. Was it perhaps because the other teams got more penalties than us? And sadly the ref cost us the game. No sir! It was because the outscored us. Outplayed us. In every single facet of the game. So exactly what does defending get you if you are unable to score more points than the opposition
So many people claim to “love the Sharks” but in reality, I feel they love the idea of the Sharks winning every game, playing some kind of mythical Banana Boys rugby from the 80s.
Love, in a real life context, is actually a very different emotion because it implies some level of loyalty, patience, kindness and sticking together through times of hardship.
My contention is that many of us here don’t really love the Sharks.
@robdylan (Comment 27) : Agreed. For me just qualifying for the QF’s this year will be cherry on the cake.
@Bokhoring (Comment 30) : and that would be a really good result.
Now, let’s look at this sensibly and figure out how it can be achieved.
Issue number 1 is the draw. We’ve known since it first came out that the draw is going to make it virtually impossible for us to win our confrerence (regardless of losing home games). Just as an example, let’s look at us v the Lions:
Lions: 2 matches in NZ against Chiefs and Highlanders
Sharks: 3 matches in NZ against Chiefs, Highlander and Blues
Lions: away game against SunWolves (weakest team in league)
Sharks: home game against SunWolves
Lions: 8 home games in total
Sharks: 7 home games in total
Lions: home game against Stormers (strongest SA team)
Sharks: away game against Stormers
One further aspect is our nightmare run that sees virtually back-to-back trips to NZ and then Argentina over 5 weeks with a game at home in-between. Lions had a relatively benign 3 weeks, with Japan and then 2 games in NZ. Then a sustained run in SA before going to Argentina later.
Even if the two teams were more equal in ability (which they aren’t at this stage) that draw alone is worth, conservatively, 10 points for the Lions.
@robdylan (Comment 27) : At least we dont defend something which does not show progressing in the right direction. Nothing we say here will be implemented by any team. But we cannot come on here and sing kumbaya like we are on top of the world rugby. Stormer mentalities think defence can win you trophies. Will the Lions win the SR this year, probably not but who does not enjoy how they play.and at least they are inwith a chance. How many great players do they havr. How many youngsters are they fielding. I’m not giving my black and white jersey up for them though. Just asking that we do adapt that attitude.
@robdylan (Comment 31) : so if we assume that we cannot realistically finish top in our conference, then we need to look at the wildcard place that goes to the third-best SA team. We’re in a two-horse race with the Bulls for that one and to be honest, they are also far more likely to win it, again based on draw. So a QF place is a lofty ambition, but my honest feeling is that we’re not going to get even that.
@ebenp (Comment 28) : ref and assistants have an influence on the results .the impact just varies from game to game.like i tried to highlight in a comment last night.beast has to play no9 when matcell was tackled short.why?well looking at the replay of the move,reinach was clearly pulled back twice,not once,but twice,trying to get up off the ground.should have been a sharks penalty.but more so:if reinach was not held back,he would have been up with play at the breakdown.there was space to attack on the right hand side.could have gone for it.or passed to beast running at the space .would have taken some stopping with a few metres out.momentum moments in a game.
@robdylan (Comment 31) : And don’t forget that our main competitor (Bulls) for the wildcard is playing no Kiwi team at this stage, and with most of their Australasian opponents languishing in the bottom half of their group.
@ebenp (Comment 28) : I’m not interested in being dragged into whatever argument you’re trying to have. My point was that a person that knows a lot more about centre play than I do and has played at the highest levels believes that a centre should be picked on his defensive capabilities first. I found that interesting and worth considering.
@robdylan (Comment 29) :
Very good post and so true.
But it’s not just applicable to the Sharks, you can almost compare it to most sides.
The reality is both the Sharks and the Stormers have had some seriously good sides in the past, filled with world class players, and yet even then we failed to win a competition like SR.
I can’t understand then why supporters feel that either side has a chance of winning it with our current teams?
Yes, we all like to believe we have great players and our teams are awesome, but there are opposition teams that are miles better than most SA sides.
I have long ago stopped hoping or believing my side can win a competition of this nature, so I have long ago stopped stressing about the outcome of the weekend’s match. I’m happy if we win, will be upset if we lose to teams that most will deem as weaker and not surprised if we lose to teams that are evidently superior in skills, players and game plan.
@ebenp (Comment 32) : but 3 years ago the Lions were relegated from Super Rugby and have had to build a team from scratch? How happy do you think their fans were in year 1 of that process? I can guarantee you that they weren’t winning matches against the Stormers at Newlands….
@vanmartin (Comment 36) : the thing is someone can now go and google the internet to a standstill 😀 and maybe find other centres (playing or former) with a different view.
It took natal 100 years to win the cc.supporters kept supporting without any titles won.some lean years results wise.played a few years in the b-league during the 80s.but the supporters kept aupporting.
@50shadesofshark (Comment 39) : yes, but at least that would mean they’re doing some research….
@50shadesofshark (Comment 39) : and that’s the great thing about views, there are a whole lot of different ones out there and we can learn something from a lot of them. Thing is, I’m not trying to prove a point, I’m sharing an interesting point of view. Honestly though, I can’t be bothered to converse with or debate anyone on SW who has some or other chip on their shoulder and wants to take it out on someone the internet. That’s why Facebook was created.
@vanmartin (Comment 36) : Sorry. I know what your point was. And I do agree. But wanted to make a point. Once again I have no problem with any player getting defence pink jersey. I have a problem with when that is all you base your rugby dreams on as fans. And defending that on forums as Robdylan is. When we know it does not get you trophys. Yes its part of it. But you cannot after a season and in 20years from now be remembered for the best defensive team of 2016. Man…. They dont even remember the runner up.
@vanmartin (Comment 42) : 😀
@ebenp (Comment 43) : the supporters will remember who the runner-up was (1994,1996,2001,2007,2012).so the sharks have never won superrugby.there were natal supporters who supported natal without them even winning one cc.
@ebenp (Comment 43) : No problem although you’ll be disappointed to know that I wholeheartedly agree with the majority of the points Rob has made in this thread. For the record, I can’t ever remember Rob insisting that defense will win you trophies. The point I have seen him make time and again is that defense is a non-negotiable foundation on which winning teams build towards success. And that the ‘building towards’ part takes time with a lot of hits and misses along the way.
Rugby and all of rugby should be practiced in every outing. The inability to do that tells me your attitude is wrong. Your aim is not to succeed. But to work on single elements. Wake up and smell the coffee. We are not learning rugby. All those players know how to tackle and to defend. They’ve been doing it since young boys. Yes its a new level. But come on. 3 seasons… Why not spend that time on attacking skills and go and score more tries than opponents. Yes Lions was relegated. But that was politics. Yes they had some bad times. But why should we repeat it. I have now wasted enough of my time in convincing you lot. I dont drop my team. I do not love the Sharks. But 1 thing is for sure… I’m behind them.
@ebenp (Comment 47) : how many different coaches have they had in those 3 seasons?
@ebenp (Comment 47) : yes,we should only always be supporters,and not find our identity in something like a sports team.my opinion.it is nice to discuss tactics,game plans.we should be wary we dont become vindictive.or launch personal attacks on players and coaches.
@robdylan (Comment 48) : Succession planning is just not a done thing in SA – not at player level, and especially not at coaching level.
@robdylan (Comment 48) : Lets not go to management at the Sharks. That I refuse to discuss.
One thing’s for sure – it was a lot easier and more fun to support Natal before we won the Currie Cup. Even against the Mielieboere, when we played B-Section, King’s Park used to have more spectators than what we’ve seen in a long time for ANY Super Rugby match.
If I could only see light at the end of the tunnel with the knowledge that there is a great feeder system to embed a winning culture in our rugby, but that doesn’t look likely with the junior teams’ performances.
Anyone just saw the try by Canes?? That guys are rugby.
And then defending their line like their life depends on it… Guess what… All in one minute. Not 3 games or 3 seasons
@ebenp (Comment 54) : In SA it takes 3 seasons to learn that.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 55) : Optomistic
@robdylan (Comment 29) : sies boet!!! You will find me wearing my Sharks shirts/jerseys at least 4 times a week.
It’s like being married to my wife, no matter what happens I can’t see myself feeling the same way about another!!! Sharks4Life
In rugby I’ve learned. From u/9 level up to international level. Speed is king. Defense gets you far. Skill can be tought. Applying all 3 in every situation is a requirement.
@JD (Comment 57) :@robdylan (Comment 29) : just please don’t tell her I compared our marriage to the Sharks!
Just to add to the fire here. Of the last 3 season how many of our current starting 15 played in the 1st season? I’d count Beast, Lewies (briefly), Marcell, Reinarch, Jordaan (I think), Mvovo and JP. So 50% of the team are playing together for the first or second season. That affects cohesion I’d say.
As for the teams performances, I’d like to see better but considering the last 3 seasons I’d say we are seeing exactly where we can expect our team to be.
@ebenp (Comment 58) : not sure I’d agree with you 100%. Yes speed is essential for 11, 13, 14 and even maybe 15 but for the rest it’s more of a “nice to have” with skills and technique being more important
Just to add another bit of potentially interesting context to Pauls stats.
I took the top 10 tacklers and ran their tackles vs missed tackles %.
Paul and CJ Velleman are tied with the same stats and both hold the best tackle percentage at 93.85. The only other player with an above 90% ratio is Luke Jones with 91.94%.
@JD (Comment 61) : Prop running full speed is better than prop standing still. Rule still applies????
Honestly, I’m really impressed with Jordaan’s commitment to defensive excellence. He is one of the few players who I think is really fighting for his position and winning outright. That being said, I wish he was pushing for the same level of quality on attack.
@David12246 (Comment 64) : Exactly my point. Sorry if you had to read all the comments. I wish I used your wording when I commented 1st lol.
@Hulk (Comment 60) : Exactly, just take a look back at the huricanes / Higlanders / Chiefs, they were not always the dominant forces they are now, they have not always played the type of rugby they are playing now, go and see also how many of them have been part of their squad set up’s over the last 3 seasons, 80%+, I have had a look this morning on the in and out transfers on all the teams just over the last season, the only two teams that basically had more than the Sharks are the Sunwolves and the Jaguares, so that already says a lot
the Lions have had the bulk of their currenbt sqaud playing for them 3 years ago when they were relegated and so as you say cohesion is also a huge factor there
the Sharks are my passion and my pride, win or loose, it is something that comes from deep down, win or loose as per @JD (Comment 57) : you can’t leave your wife is she does not “win” anything for you at the end of the day it is a two way street, they must know that we back them irrespective of what happens, you can not cheer for these guys only when they win,
the fact that we turned around our defence is huge, attack will come with confidence, and at this point I really feel that the guys must just go out and enjoy themselves, win or loose, but it is a catch 22 as most fans will the start turning away, but that will be the way to get our guys to be the best team that they can be
How do you grow attacking skill if all you do is kick ball away and defend. There is no guarantee to have same personnel next season. Yo got to do with what you have hence the reference to building is just an excuse. After week 6 you must have done enough trying things. Joel had something like 16 Bok caps. But he did not nead 3 seasons to win us a world cup.
I’ve put together a couple of stats here. Looking at the last 3.5 campaigns for the Sharks (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) and then comparing the teams (starting XV) in the first and last game of the season.
Really just trying to figure out if the turnover of players is as high as we think it is. It is actually quite staggering.
On average, of the Sharks team that starts a particular campaign, only 6 of those players are likely to finish that campaign. Likewise, roughly about 6 of the same players from that final game are likely to be in the starting lineup when the next campaign kicks off. That means,as a rough average, we are changing 2/3 of the team about every six months.
The major exception here was the start of the 2014 campaign (Jake’s one) where he managed to keep 10 players from the final game of the 2013 tournament in his first 2014 lineup.
The position with the best continuity (up until the start of this year) was tighthead prop and explains why the loss of Jannie du Plessis is having such a big effect on our scrums. Position with worst continuity is arguably lock.
Here we go. Draw your own conclusions from this:
1st game 2013 v Cheetahs
Tendai Mtawarira
Craig Burden
Jannie du Plessis
Anton Bresler
Franco van der Merwe
Jacques Botes
Marcell Coetzee
Ryan Kankowski
Cobus Reinach
Patrick Lambie
Lwazi Mvovo
Francois Steyn (Captain)
Paul Jordaan
JP Pietersen
Louis Ludik
Last game 2013 v Kings
Tendai Mtawarira
Bismarck du Plessis
Jannie du Plessis
Edwin Hewitt
Franco van der Merwe
Marcell Coetzee
Jean Deysel
Keegan Daniel (Captain)
Charl McLeod
Riaan Viljoen
Lwazi Mvovo
Meyer Bosman
Louis Ludik
JP Pietersen
Odwa Ndungane
First game 2014 v Bulls
Tendai Mtawarira
Bismarck du Plessis (Captain)
Jannie du Plessis
Anton Bresler
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Marcell Coetzee
Willem Alberts
Ryan Kankowski
Cobus Reinach
Patrick Lambie
Lwazi Mvovo
Francois Steyn
Paul Jordaan
Odwa Ndungane
SP Marais
Last game 2014 v Crusaders
Thomas du Toit
Bismarck du Plessis (Captain)
Jannie du Plessis
Willem Alberts
Stephan Lewies
Marcell Coetzee
Jean Deysel
Ryan Kankowski
Cobus Reinach
Patrick Lambie
Lwazi Mvovo
Francois Steyn
Paul Jordaan
JP Pietersen
SP Marais
1st game 2015 v Cheetahs
Tendai Mtawarira
Kyle Cooper
Jannie du Plessis
Mouritz Botha
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Marcell Coetzee
Renaldo Bothma
Lubabalo Mtembu
Cobus Reinach
Patrick Lambie (Captain)
Lwazi Mvovo
Heimar Williams
Waylon Murray
Sibusiso Sithole
SP Marais
Last game 2015 v Stormers
Tendai Mtawarira
Bismarck du Plessis
Jannie du Plessis
Etienne Oosthuizen
Marco Wentzel (Captain)
Marcell Coetzee
Willem Alberts
Renaldo Bothma
Stefan Ungerer
Lionel Cronje
Sibusiso Sithole
Andre Esterhuizen
JP Pietersen
Odwa Ndungane
Lwazi Mvovo
1st game 2016 v Kings
Tendai Mtawarira (Captain)
Franco Marais
Coenie Oosthuizen
Etienne Oosthuizen
Hyron Andrews
Marcell Coetzee
Jean-Luc du Preez
Daniel du Preez
Cobus Reinach
Joe Pietersen
Lwazi Mvovo
Andre Esterhuizen
Paul Jordaan
Odwa Ndungane
Willie Le Roux
2014 was also the only campaign in the last 3.5 years that we’ve managed to keep the same captain throughout.
@robdylan (Comment 68) : It is those stats that make the “this is a rebuilding year” argument, completely irrelevant in my opinion. This year is no different to any other. It’s nothing more than an excuse to be mediocre.
@Nostraseth (Comment 70) : no, it’s exactly those stats that explain why all the arguments that “we’ve been rebuilding for the last 3 years” make no sense. We are starting now with year 1 of a process of building a team that is hopefully going to stay together and achieve great things in the 3 years to come.
@robdylan (Comment 71) : And yet there are several players leaving at the end of the season already, do we start again next year?
@Nostraseth (Comment 70) : It is the first time that we have had the same coach for consecutive seasons since Plum, along being ravaged by players movements and injury to key members in recent years. I for one am thankful that we are rebuilding with the draw we have had this year.
@Nostraseth (Comment 72) : if we can keep the core of the team (like 10 players?) as well as the coaching staff, then no. Otherwise yes.
But we must keep the right people accountable for the right things. Blame the people who do player recruitment and retention if we end up losing half our bloody team every year.
@robdylan (Comment 74) : Our recruiters however have an avalanche of Euros, Pounds and Yen to compete against.
Not sure how this battle is winnable?
Confirmed departures thus far are jpp and marcell.in negotiations with joe pietersen.if the sharks recruit rhyno smith,ew viljoen/sergeal pietersen(2 backs for 1 because think the money will be there for both) and cloete i would be happy.the talk on here seems to be about signing lood but i would prefer the sharks try and get tighthead prop wilco louw from the stormers.
If it stays at only 2,or even 3,departures,that is massive for continuity.agree,the 2 players leaving are boks and big losses imo.
@50shadesofshark (Comment 77) : It won’t.
@robdylan (Comment 68) : that’s really bad! And just add to that the turnover of coaching staff then it’s a really sad story!!!
@50shadesofshark (Comment 76) : yes must say a solid proven tight head will be really nice!!!!
@50shadesofshark (Comment 77) : @Nostraseth (Comment 78) : must say I do think it’s the quality of the player that leaves that will determine the effect on the team. A guy like Marcell is a much bigge loss than JPP. Nothimg against JPP he’s a top player but he could be replaced by a nearly similar quality player whereas Marcell is currently (in SA) in a class of his own.
I think what the successful teams (e.g. All Blacks, Crusaders, Brumbies, Bulls of 2007 – 2010) have done is to build a playing / coaching culture (system / style) that works for them. So even when new players are introduced, they slot into the system and knows what is expected from them. Coaches have more confidence to rotate players into the squad / team as needed – as they trust that the younger player can comfortably fit into the team.
They also mostly recruit young players that show promise (to add to the home grown pool), and very few stars from other franchises.
For these teams losing a number of star players each year is not such a big disruption. Major losses will hit them for sure, but they always seem to recover.
New coaches are also groomed within this environment, and succession of head coaches never seem to be such a huge problem.
I rest my case your honour. Stop talking and do with what you have. And do it all… All of the time and hopefully by game 6 you become better and stand a chance.
@robdylan (Comment 69) : the 2007 team also lost players for the 2008 season.no2 smit no3 bj botha 10 butch 15 percy.sharks still made semi-finals but away to the tahs and had to work hard to get there.ckermann reitired but did play some games.actually disappointing that the sharks could not find a coaching spot for ackermann.definitely put his hand up and showed commitmnent to the team.the impact of his 2-and-a-bit seasons at the sharks was massive.just the work he did in the scrums.with smit and bj botha in the frontrow and ackermann at no4,the sharks had an impressive scrum.
@robdylan (Comment 27) : Hear, hear…I’ll climb over to the patience side of the fence if there is space for me…
@JD (Comment 81) :
That’s the big problem, the overseas clubs aren’t interested in the run of the mill player. They target the big name draw cards and that’s why they pay them the big bucks.
With the exception of the Lions, we, the Bulls and Sharks will struggle to build a team that will stay together for a length of time needed to truly be a force in SR due to the high turnover of our better players.
And once the Lion players start getting called into the national setup and get capped, they too will get the offers they can’t refuse.
@Bokhoring (Comment 82) :
Isn’t that why our teams struggle so much?
It’s all good and well to have had success with a certain game plan, but it’s difficult when coaches want to force a successful game plan onto players that don’t fit the mould.
We saw that with HM trying to replicate his Bulls game almost 10 years later, we see it at the Bulls. The current team or players can’t be expected to play like Bakkies, Matfield, FdP, Rossouw etc. those players together were a once in a lifetime group together at the right time.
Logic is clearly comes at a premium, I see… 😆
@nortie (Comment 86) : I am not talking so much of a game plan (in my mind those should be adapted as needed), but more the playing system, e.g. the basics of the game, e.g. attacking breakdown (presenting the ball, clean-out), defensive breakdown, support play, etc.