Patrick Lambie missed his opportunity to stake a claim for the Springbok No.10 jersey at Murrayfield at the weekend.
This was Lambie’s chance to shine. The wet European conditions had stayed away for the Springboks’ Edinburgh encounter against an ordinary Scottish outfit fresh off a 51-22 hiding from New Zealand.
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Their status as Six Nations wooden spoonists is a fair reflection of the quality of the current Scotland crop. Yet, despite their lowly ninth place on the IRB World Rankings (dropping to 10th after the weekend) and a six-day turn-around for the meeting with the Springboks, talk of another upset continued throughout the lead up to the match.
The conditions and the level of the opposition made for the ideal opportunity for the route one Boks to finally break the shackles and play a more enterprising brand of rugby.
They certainly attempted to play a more attacking game, in the first 50 minutes at least, as they adopted a ball-in-hand approach.
However, the offence hardly involved the outside backs with fleet-footed outside centre Juan de Jongh given just a solitary opportunity to showcase his elusive running in 80 minutes of Test rugby in dry conditions.
Instead, the focus remained on the forwards bashing over the gainline duly followed by Jean de Villiers continuing the go-forward with predictable straight running from No.12.
It was another ugly performance lacking creativity and consistency that left the Springboks still striving for an 80-minute performance as they head into the 12th and final Test of the year against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Lambie’s lackadaisical showing at No.10 topped the lengthy list of Murrayfield disappointments. For all his natural ability and flair, the 22-year-old exhibited none of those qualities against the Scots.
Dan Carter had bamboozled Greg Laidlaw to no end less than a week prior. Lambie, in turn, attacked the line on just two occasions.
How much of a license he had been given or how restricted he was by Heyneke Meyer’s instructions is uncertain, but the fact remains that Lambie’s showing was eerily Morne Steyn-like.
It wasn’t the worst of flyhalf displays, but in terms of Lambie’s prodigious talents, it was a major let down and could jeopardise his place in the starting line-up for the big clash against England.
It’s no secret that Meyer rates Steyn and after another stuttering attacking effort at the weekend, the Bok mentor might fall back on the Bulls flyhalf to steer the ship against the old enemy.
Doing so would be a great injustice to Lambie and would strengthen the case of provincialism against Meyer considering the faith he showed in a dreadfully out-of-sorts Steyn before he finally axed the Bulls veteran.
Dropping Lambie for the key clash of the end-of-year tour would undermine one of the primary goals of the European excursion – establishing whether or not Lambie’s Test future lies at flyhalf.
If retained, Lambie would have to deliver the goods against England, either by proving he can play a tactical kicking game or by slicing the English defence to shreds.
Given Meyer’s mentality, Lambie’s mission will be the former; to play according to a no-frills, territory-based strategy to give the Boks field position from where they’ll look to inflict damage with their driving maul and grinding pick-and-go style.
If he fails the Twickenham acid test, Lambie stands to lose his position in the pivot pecking order if not fall out of the flyhalf race completely. Given the opportunity, Lambie has to run with it. His role in the Bok composition depends on it.
29: ons wou vir Nienaber kry om ons te kom help met verdediging, maar julle capies is mos te suinig en wou hom nie vir ons leen nie. 😉
@ bdb:
There isn’t too many problems with the Boks’ defense. Must be the WP players.
Ongeag hoe die span in die toekoms gaan lyk en die kontroversie oor die gameplan, is die belangrikste vraag nou – om ‘n span te kies wat Saterdag kan wen. Daar kan nie meer proewe en kanse wees nie, deurlopenheid is belangrik.
Vir my, lyk die volgende posisies seker, en is daar eintlik nou net ‘n paar plekke waaroor gewonder word
15) Zane
14) JPP
13) ?
12) JDV
11) ?
10) ?
9) ?
8) Duane
7) Alberts
6) Flou
5) Juandre
4) Eben
3) Jannie
2) Strauss
1) ?
32: aikona, dit is die goeie Bul verdedigingsafrigter by die bokke, McFarland ?
@ Stormersboy:
😆 ya bloody stirrir
@ tight head:
Thats what i said last week, and I anit a scrum fundi like you, Rudi said very much the same thing.
@ bdb:
I think that Gurthro is a bit of a certainty at 1, even though he missed a few tackles on Saturday. 3 in fact, and only made 6. Disappointing by his standards.
Duanne made 16 and missed 2, by contrast.
Coetzee made 10 and missed 1 which is great for the time he was on the pitch (26 mins). Made a real impact.
de jong lambi vermaak hougaard van der merwe
@bdb
@ Sharks_forever: I try.
@ Stormersboy:
Marcel is vreeslik besig op die veld,maar dis asof hy die balans van die loosies half versteur….of meyer moet nie hom en nog n speler gelyk op stuur nie.
36: daarom dat ek dink Guthro sal dalk beter van die bank wees met Heinke wat begin.
37: vermaak en lambie kan dalk net werk, of pienaar moet vinniger speel, hy moet ophou om so ulster stadig te wees by die losskrums.
Dink HM gaan die span netso hou, dalk vir Pat in CJ se plek hopelik kies.
HM kan ook nie nou bekostig om vir Lambie te drop nie, sal lei tot Durban se onafhanklikheids wording en afstigting van die res van SA. Puma en Lambie Forever gaan hom hof toe sleep vir onwettige lambie-slagting. 😉
Ek sou sê: begin met Lambie …. en as hy na 10 minute nog nie 3 drieë gedruk het nie, en 4 skepskoppe oorgesit het nie, en 15 ouens geduik het nie ….. drop hom summier, ‘n mens kan die ou net soveel kanse gee ?
39: stem saam, hulle hardloop dan in mekaar vas en verloor dan balans.
Sal graag vir Marcel in Duane se plek wil sien (vir meer spoed in die lostrio), met Duane en Arno wat na 55 minute opkom.
@ smallies:
I said this last week too, instead of 3 backline players on the bench put Arno and Marcel
@ bdb:
😆 FO parra lmfao
, ok hou op om my gedagtes te lees, want dis wat ek wesig is om te tik 😆 @ bdb:
Volgende jaar is die volgende losvoorspelers ook weer beskikbaar, saam met die wat reeds daar is
Sharks: Kanko
Stormers: Burger, Koalisie
Staat: Brussow en dalk Juan
Bulle: Spies
Sal moet sien wie HM dan gaan kies ?
Eish, my twee grootste teleurstellings hierdie jaar:
pienk truie
cj stander wat oorsee gaan speel het
Also, the only person who hit less rucks than Gurthro was Zane Kirschner.
But at least Gurthro made 3 meters in running. That should make it all better.
Honestly the more I look at it the more useless his performance becomes.
If i was coaching this team i would select the Following from the players that are there.
15 Taute
14 JDV
13 JPP
12 JDJ
11 Mvovo/Rhule
10 Lambie (play his natural game)
09 Pienaar (instruct him to play a fast open gamewhere possible)
08 Coetzee
07 Alberts
06 Flouw
05 Jandre (I would rather have Bakkies or MOstert)
04 Etzebeth
03 Jannie
02 strauss
01 Heinke
16 Brits
17 Cilliers
18 Gurthro
19 Flip (I would rather have Jandre on the bench if Bakkies could play)
20 Vermeulen
21 Arno
22 Hougaard
23 Jantjes
The other option is the play Lambie at 12 and bring Jantjes on at 10,
15 Taute
14 JPP
13 JDJ
12 Lambie
11 Mvovo/Rhule
10 Jantjes
09 Pienaar
Bench Hougaard and JDV
@ bdb:
Cj Stander moes in die Bok groep gewees het
I think Heinke van der Merwe is the man who should start at loosehead against the Bleekbene…
Pat Cilliers should be on the bench to relieve a tired Doc Jannie with about 30 minutes to go… and Gurthro should be on the bench to relieve Heinke with about 15 minutes to go.
Locks are sorted, loosies I’m happy with.
Scrumhalf and flyhalf is a conundrum… and left wing I feel should go to Mvovo or Rhule… not Hougie
My team;
1. Heinke
2. Strauss
3. Jannie
4. Ysterbeth
5. Kruger
6. FLO
7. Alberts
8. Duanne
9. Hougaard
10. Lambie
11. Mvovo
12. JDV
13. JDJ
14. JPP
15. Zane
16. Gurthro
17. Britz
18. Cilliers
19. Flip
20. Coetzee
21. Pienaar
22. Elton
23. Taute.
50 @ Stormersboy:
I could easily live with the side you have penned down… yip, give Bambie a 3rd run… and replace him with Elton Jantjies with 30 minutes or so to go…. measure and compare the two’s performances & attacking and tactical ability… and stick with the better one going forward in addition to Johan Goosen who should be fine next year for and in Super Rugby (providing he stays injury free then).
@ grootblousmile:
I would like to give Elton some time, and he would have been my first choice at the start of the internationals, but i think I would give Lambie some more game time. I think he struggled partly due to bad service from Ruan, and I’d like to see what he can do with quick service and good forward domination (which we have had).
Could it be that Lambie misunderstood HM’s instructions? But he definitely did not play his usual game. Or maybe he has confidence in his outside backs?
Springbok injury update from London
November 19, 2012
Experienced wing JP Pietersen has a mild groin strain and will be medically managed this week as the Springboks prepare for Saturday’s Test against England at Twickenham.
Pietersen picked up the injury in last weekend’s 21-10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield and is the only major injury concern this week. A final decision on his fitness will only be made later in the week.
“JP has a mild groin strain and will not train on Monday, but we will see how he progresses this week before we make a final call on his availability to face England later in the week,” said Springbok team doctor, Craig Roberts.
“Apart from JP, we have the usual number of bumps and bruises from the Test and we’ll manage each player individually.
“We were very happy with the way Jannie (du Plessis) came through after we managed his ankle last week. Jean also played a full 80 minutes after he had been in bed with flu for a few days last week.”
Note: An edited recording of Monday’s Springbok Media Conference in London, with Springbok head coach Heyneke Meyer and team doctor Craig Roberts, is now available online.
To listen to this recording, copy this link: http://www.sarugby.co.za/content.aspx?contentid=108291
Scotland’s loosehead prop Allan Jacobsen at agea of 34 has announced he is retiring after 10 years playing for Scotland – he earned 65. A very popular man with the fans – all the best for the future Chunk!
@ Bullscot:
Nice. All the best for him in his future. 65 caps is a great achievement.
Think this is a poor article and one of the examples one can hold up of poor journalism in that it takes certain facts and then the author uses that and his opinion to try and make his point ie. in this case to slam Lambie. Yes Scotland were 6 nations wooden spoonists after a poor tournament no denying that, and we also suffered big disappointment of not getting to knockout rounds of World Cup but that was done to a few individual errors and the smallest of margians and we could have (yes I know could have should have etc) England and should have beaten Argentina, so I wonder how much of the 6 nations performance flowed from the disappointment of the World Cup, plus a few stalwarts retired after the World Cup. Then this quote is unacceptable to me : “The conditions and the level of the opposition made for the ideal opportunity for the route one Boks to finally break the shackles and play a more enterprising brand of rugby.” and shows to me ignorance on behalf of the author – in the build up to the game many of the local ‘pundits’ thought that Scotland should/would come out and make life as uncomfortable as possibe for the Boks try to disrupt their rythm and niggle etc… also no mention by the author of the big improvement Scotland made on end of year tour, the fact that we now have two wily Aussie coaches to help Robinson, the fact that we were the only team in ages to score 3 tries against the All Blacks this season and no praise that in spite of taking such a big beating to All Blacks Scotland defence was so much better againts the Boks.
Will repeat the point made early yesterday morning in comment on another article, was surprised that with the glaring statistic of only one third possesion for the Boks that Lambie would be singled out for criticism, and now since then don’t seem to see much harsh words for Boks forwards performance in 2nd half, how did they not secure more 2nd half ball – I mean it was only lowly Scotland
Was also surprised to see the stat that Lambie had so few offloads and wondered if that was possible as first receiver surely one should pass more but have since read that it seems like he wasn’t first receiver on many occasions, do remember seeing Jean de Villiers take the ball up on occasion but this is one aspect of play I missed at the game. To my eyes live at the game, and not getting the benefit of hearing the commentating and loads of different angles of analysis and not having ‘veldore’ it looked to me that Lambie had an ‘ok’ game not brilliant but not too shabby, granted his kicking out of hand didn’t get as much distance as you would expect but I thought at least many times when he did kick it went out for the lineout, to me it looked like he was quite keen and brave making some line breaks and taking on the defence (who were lying very flat and limiting the Boks space – to me looked borderline offside a lot of the time) and I thought I saw him put in quite a few good tackles. So there you go my perception of Lambie differs a bit from the one portrayed here – some support coming from a Blue Bulls fan for a Sharkie 
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