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2015 Rugby World Cup: The Springboks' best fly-halves

Roar Guru
2nd February, 2015
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Johan Goosen should be picked ahead of Morne Steyn for the Springboks' World Cup squad. (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
Roar Guru
2nd February, 2015
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2422 Reads

Finals rugby during the Rugby World Cup is probably not the best example or advertisement for free and open running rugby. It is more often a war of attrition, and the team who makes the least mistakes walk away the victor.

Heyneke Meyer will refer to previous World Cup finals when he decides upon his first choice fly-half and the criteria will be simple – have a kicking accuracy of 80 per cent or above, be tactically astute when kicking and have the ability to execute consistently.

Regardless of the expectation that South African rugby must evolve and become less predictable on attack, the World Cup is not the time when Meyer will concern himself with creative play. Percentage rugby is what it is all about. Play in the right areas of the field, contest the breakdown, do not attack from within your own half, make the right decisions and be consistent.

The challenge for Meyer here is that Handre Pollard has only played six Test matches, and although successful on hard and fast grounds, failed against Ireland in wet conditions. However, can one dismiss Pollard after being given only one Test match in Europe in his first season?

The young man has oodles of potential, has the ability to break any defence, defends like a Trojan, and has an educated boot, his only downfall is experience, or should I say, the lack thereof.

Regardless of his experience at senior international level, Pollard has played New Zealand six times, four times as a Junior Springbok and twice as a senior, and his record is five wins and one loss. He knows what it takes to beat a New Zealand team.

Patrick Lambie may have 40 Test caps, but only 15 have been as a starting player and only 11 at fly-half. His record reads eight wins and three losses as a starting 10. Standing only 1.78 metres tall and weighing in at 87 kilograms, Lambie is not the most physical player, however in my view this young man is the least error prone of all the fly-halves South Africa has to choose from. He has the ability to hit the line, is defensively sound, can play from deep or flat, and has an educated boot.

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Lambie is a confidence player, and he needs his coach to believe in him. Give him the trust that he can do the job and he won’t let you down, but consistency in selection is necessary for him to settle if he is the chosen starter.

When it comes to Morne Steyn there are two distinct camps in South Africa, those for the inclusion of Steyn regardless of the fact that he cannot secure the starting berth at his French club Stade Francais, and those who believe Morne has reached the end of the line and should be sent out to pasture.

I fall in the latter category, I believe Steyn has lost all confidence. His decision making has suffered and his error rate in execution has been too high to include him in any future tournaments.

However Meyer is a big fan of Adrian Monk of the hit TV series Monk. There will be a back-up, and that back-up will be Morne Steyn. How Meyer is going to ensure Steyn regains his confidence and his form is the big challenge, and one I am happy to say it is not my problem.

It is of interest though that Meyer is considering Johan Goosen as a back-up for Willie le Roux at fullback, a decision that could oust Steyn completely from the World Cup squad as Goosen and Lambie provide Meyer the option of having three players at fullback and three players who are adept at fly-half.

Goosen is an exciting player, an all-out attacking 10 who loves to play with ball in hand and has the ability to engage his back line. The sheer number of tries the lowly Cheetahs have scored with him participating as the playmaker is testament to that. He possesses a huge and accurate boot, though there is perhaps a question mark over his frailty and the fact that he is injury prone. However he does not shy away from contact and commits hard to the defence.

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In summation, Handre Pollard and Patrick Lambie should be the clear selections for the World Cup, and when it comes down to Morne Steyn or Johan Goosen, Goosen provides the additional option of substituting Willie le Roux, so common sense would suggest Johan Goosen is the man. However the question is will common sense triumph over personal subjective beliefs?

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