Thumbs up or thumbs down for Spencer?

I heard an interesting thing the other day from one of my mates who is one of the more knowledgable and sensible armchair rugby fans I know.

As he is one of the last six remaining Lions supporters in South Africa I never miss an opportunity to put the boot in and remind him how his team has done and how poorly they have done in the transfer market.

I never miss a chance to remind him how the Stormers unloaded Earl Rose to them and more recently I’ve been pointing out what a kak season Carlos Spencer has been having.

Spencer (in my opinion) has been indifferent and in fact has probably cost the Lions more than he has added. When Burton Francis or even Herkie Kruger has played the Lions seemed to have benefited from their “keep it simple stupid” flyhalf play.

I said Spencer was passed his prime and his tricks are creating havoc for an unsettled backline and it would make far more sense for the ball to simply travel 9-10-12 and off to the wings.

My mate argued that Spencer was still a quality rugby player but was “too advanced” for the Lions team but was still a good acquisition.

So what’s the verdict – Spencer added value or been a costly blunder for the Lions this year?

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10 and 15 for the Boks explored

After 7 rounds of the Super 14 we’ve had quite a lot of time to look at some of the form players in the South African contingent.

The key area for most people are around flyhalf and full-back which are two positions likely to be up for consideration in the Bok setup later this year.

Flyhalf
Morne Steyn (Bulls) – No question he has been the best South African flyhalf on display and barring an injury he will be the one who wears the Number 10 jersey. The big question is who will be his backup.

Peter Grant (Stormers) – Grant has been solid, consistent and importantly he has shown a desire to attack the gain line. He’s striking up a good relationship with Juan de Jongh and Jaque Fourie. Personally I think he is a little underrated as a goalkicker but I’m in the minority.

Burton Francis (Lions) – Don’t underestimate the performance of Francis who is quickly showing up Carlos Spencer in the Lions number 10 jersey. Nothing has gone right for the Lions this season and yet commentators have remarked about the performance of Francis. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a surprise inclusion in some of the Bok training squads this year.

Naas Olivier (Cheetahs) – The Cheetahs haven’t had it easy and have been on the backfoot for a lot of the tournament. Olivier has actually surprised this year and put in a pretty handy performance. I actually thought that Olivier and Meyer Bosman have been a good combination at 10 / 12 but while the latter might be in with a shout for the Boks, Olivier will not likely to step up beyond the Super 14.

Ruan Pienaar (Sharks) – The reluctant flyhalf. He does it because he and the Sharks are desperate for a decent number 10. Pienaar will always be there or there-abouts for the Boks because of his versatility but he just doesn’t seem to have “clicked” as the number 10.

Fullback
Zane Kirchner (Bulls) – We know Kirchner is good and must be the favourite to wear the number 15 jersey this year. However the Bulls defence has been leaky at times and not always the best organised. They’ve had no problems on attack but it doesn’t help if you’re letting in opposition runners.

Joe Pietersen (Stormers) – Having a golden season this year. Good with the boot, fantastic on attack. Kirchener may have the inside track but Pietersen has shown he can mix it with the best of them.

No representative (Lions) – there has been a bit of a revolving door at the Lions and nobody can seriously be considered in the running here.

Hennie Daniller (Cheetahs) – With that square jaw, Daniller is the poster boy of Free State rugby. Another under-rated player but one can’t see him fitting the mould of a Bok this year.

Patrick Lambie (Sharks) – While Stefan Terblanche would probably be the first choice fullback, Lambie appears to be an interesting prospect… earlier days yet.

Wow!

It has been ages since I posted on this blog but with the Super 14 now getting nearer and some interesting announcements coming out, I've decided to up my contributions again.

I was very impressed with the news out of the Lions camp that it had secured the services of Carlos Spencer for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Spencer is a hard player and probably the right kind of guy that is needed in the Lions setup at the moment.

A young player like Burton Francis needs to be mentored by somebody who has been through a lot of the scraps that Spencer has been through and I think he could have a very positive influence on a Lions side which was just starting to show some fire toward the end of last year.

Roll on Super 14!

Promising young players

I am not a Bulls fan but for me the most under-rated (under talked about?) young player in South African rugby is Gerhard Van den Heever (pictured).

For a 19 year old he has got Super 14 experience - and rightly so. He is big, he's damn fast, he scores tries and (for me) most importantly he just has a cool head on his shoulders.

He doesn't seem to get wrapped up in off the ball incidents or do weird and wonderful things when he is under pressure. He puts his head down and he does what a winger is supposed to do - goes for the line.

I like him - think he has some serious potential.

On the Western Province side, one of the most talked about players is Morgan Newman. He also seems to have stepped up in the last few weeks and seems to be a pretty solid choice in midfield - but that Juan de Jongh kid who came on late in the second half in the game against the Sharks looks like he could be a real handful.

(he reminds me a bit of a Brent Russel type)

Apart from the Ebersohn brothers - any other youngsters catch the eye this weekend? Didn't think that the new Sharks flyhalf did the business I'm afraid - hopefully he improves a bit. Burton Francis over at The Bulls also blew very cold on the weekend.