Will simply recapturing his metronomic best place-kicking standards against Argentina at Newlands on Saturday be enough to cement Morne Steyn’s ongoing place in the Springbok side?
Sport24
That is a million-dollar question on the lips of many observers, and obviously best answered at some point by the man who has shown undying faith in the Bulls No 10 for several years, Bok coach Heyneke Meyer.
It was an area of Steyn’s game – undoubtedly his strongest suit by reputation — that went unusually absent without leave in the recent series against England, where his place-kicking record dropped to below 60 percent.
And if Steyn is missing his shots at the posts, the argument goes, how else does he justify retention by the national team?
So the 28-year-old is probably under at least a certain amount of dual pressure in the opening Bok assignment of the Castle Rugby Championship: get his mojo off the tee back quickly and also demonstrate that he does have the broader attributes to bother the very best the southern hemisphere has to offer as the tournament roster only gets more daunting for the Boks.
Officially, at present, Steyn is unsurprisingly not feeling any special flak.
At a media briefing on Sunday, backline coach Ricardo Louscher only uttered routinely: “He’s been a professional for a long time … he will know what he needs to work on.”
Loubscher also repeated what captain Jean de Villiers had said a few days previously: that the clean-cut flyhalf had played his part in some of the tries the Boks scored against England.
Such statements may carry a ring of truth, when you replay video evidence of the three-Test series, but there’s also a case for saying you would expect your No 10 to be reasonably central to various attacking plays anyway, given his positional stationing on the park.
Interestingly, at least two critics in New Zealand, home of World Cup champions the All Blacks, chose at the weekend to pinpoint Steyn as some sort of restrictive handbrake to consistent Bok success.
Columnist and former Test bad-boy front-ranker Richard Loe said in the New Zealand Herald: “(South Africa’s) biggest selection question is over first five-eighth (flyhalf).
“If they select Morne Steyn, that will slow down their attacking play. They need a (flyhalf) who runs on to the ball and can get their backline away; they have some interesting characters in that backline … such as Frans Steyn in midfield alongside Jean de Villiers.
“That gives them some real crunch going forward and on defence – (but) having someone like Steyn at 10 also tends to rob them of the spark that can come from (scrumhalf) Francois Hougaard.”
Loe suggested, nevertheless, that the Boks still posed the biggest threat to the All Blacks in the new, four-nation event.
“As ever, South Africa will be a danger to all teams at home – even the All Blacks, I’d suggest. Because of their forwards’ shortcomings, I think the Wallabies will struggle to win either of the two Tests against the Boks.”
Similar views were expressed in the same paper by scribe Gregor Paul: “It is hard to see it being anything but a two-horse race (between the All Blacks and Boks).
“There is significant playmaking talent in the Bok squad. Pat Lambie has vision, Elton Jantjies can run and pull strings and even Frans Steyn can slip into No 10 and get the backline moving.
“SA coach Meyer is a big believer in Morne Steyn, though. Steyn is a brilliant goal-kicker, great punter and an excellent but limited tactical navigator. He delivers the basic game the Boks revel in but they will never really hurt teams with him running the show.”
That is the sort of backdrop of public scrutiny, both here and abroad, against which Morne Steyn starts the Castle Rugby Championship on Saturday.
In fairness, he has allayed fears around his general footballing finesse and vision before, and there have certainly been good periods when the Bulls have not struggled for tries in Super Rugby with him in their flyhalf slot.
But if the Boks look unacceptably sterile as an attacking force even in victory against the Pumas this weekend, you can bet Steyn’s detractors will only crank it up like never before…
August 13th, 2012 at 13:08 SAST
Rightfully so… the heat heaping on Morné…
But then again, it’s only his kicking to posts, I think his general play has in fact improved, is attacking the gain line well and distributing well.
Looking at the alternatives, each one of those has an achilles heal as well… Jantjies’ defence is suspect, Lambie is off form and to my mind a better fullback, Johan Goosen is injured and very young… the rest, well they bring up the rear anyway, by a long margin as well.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:13 SAST
Put Jantjies on 2nd half at the latest, and let’s run at them!
August 13th, 2012 at 14:15 SAST
Or move Frans to fullback, Lambie to flyhalf, JdJ inside centre, early 2hd half, imo.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:19 SAST
Steyn’s general play has improved, from shit to just plain kak.
If he can’t kick the goals he add’s no value at all to any team.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:20 SAST
3 @ Pietman:
Howzit Piet, How you doing boet?
I somehow doubt Jantjies will be on the bench. It will be Lambie as he covers 3 positions. If Morne is not cracking it then we should bring in Lambie after the half at fh and see how he goes there.
We should be trying out new things playing against Arg. I feel we will be too strong for them. Then again who knows they may surprise us. First get a big enough lead then bring in some players and see how they go.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:21 SAST
@ Pietman:
2
agree, i would love to see Jantjes with a full Springbok backline still in tact, dont bring the guy up when the whole back line is replaced and disrupted.
3
That is the type of disruption i talk off in my first sentence. To many changes.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:28 SAST
Think Meyer will start with this team:
1. Beast
2. Bissie
3. Jannie
4. Eben
5. Bekker
6. Coetzee
7. Alberts
8. Spies
9. Hougaard
10. Morne
11. Mvovo
12. Fransie
13. Jean (capt)
14. Habs
15. Zane
With the players in the squad I would have liked to have seen Alberts 8 Coetzee 7 Kolisi 6 or Keegan 8 Alberts 7 Coetzee 6. Just don’t rate Spies. He actually did play not bad against England but once back at the Bulls he was not great. Such a pity Kanko is not there. Also don’t rate Zane much but Lambie is out of sorts from now playing hardly any rugby since the England test. His best position is fh though. So I would have him come in there. Just that there is no cover for fb. Ludik should have been selected. Huge pity he was outstanding for Sharks in the last 5 games. I would have Lambie start at fh or bring him in later and see how he goes.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:30 SAST
@ Puma:
I know you really believe in Lambie and will trust your house on him but tell me in all honesty . If you had Dan Carter to pick from and Lambie , who would you pick?
I know it is impossible for me to mention Morne and Dan in the same sentence but who in SA can currently play that role, the Carter role. Sadly i feel he is light years ahead of all we have to offer. The work Carlos did with Jantjes makes me happier, BUT i dont know if our Springbok coaching staff can play a game plan to suit his best qualities. We needed a Eddie Jones type coach amongst our staff. Carlos is now available , maybe someone near Heynecke must suggest him as a consultant at least.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:36 SAST
Back to work, chat later…
August 13th, 2012 at 14:38 SAST
@ Puma:
What about Pienaar?
I don’t fancy Hougie as scrummie, we might just as well call up Ricky Januarie then!
August 13th, 2012 at 14:39 SAST
8 @ superBul:
Well that is easy. Carter. But like TJ on Reunion says Lambie is our closest to Carter. He said that during the S15. He rated Lambie better than Freddie at the time. He is a magnificent fh. Just that he was injured and Fred took over. When Lambie came back he was undercooked for fb. Last game he played was with the Boks and just 40min for Sharks. His best position is fh NOT fb like Meyer wants us to believe. They messing with the youngster shifting him all over. Lambie will play fh for Sharks next year like he did this year until he got injured and then Plum only played him at fb to accommodate Fred and Lambie to both be on the field.
Morne was not great this year Super. Not for the Boks or Bulls.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:41 SAST
10 @ Pietman:
Piet…. bwaaaaahahahaha. Ricky???? bwaahaha.
Ja bru, I don’t rate Hougie as sh either. I do rate Hougie though at a wing. Would rather start with Pienaar. I really like that Cheetah scrummie. Maybe he gets a chance eoyt.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:41 SAST
@ superBul:
Wou nog hello se toe waai jy al weer…..jy kom soek altyd net vinnig moeilikheid en dan verkas jy!
August 13th, 2012 at 14:44 SAST
8 @ superBul:
Lambie has bigger bmt than Jantjies. His defence is better too and so is his kicking game. Jantjies kicking game is not great. Kicking at poles he is very good though. Lambie is a better fh than Jantjies.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:47 SAST
@ Puma:
Sarel Pretorius, yes! Good call Puma.
Pity he wasted his time down under, but it’s great to see him back.
Watch him and The Goose later this year…
August 13th, 2012 at 14:48 SAST
If we looking for a sh to cover Ruan it should be the Cheetahs scrummie. Not sure why he is not there. Superb sh. He can come to the Sharks anytime…….hahaha. Only joking cheetah4eva..hehe. Great sh though.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:51 SAST
15 @ Pietman:
Not Sarel Piet. Van Zyl that played for the Cheetahs this year. He is superb. Sarel is top class too but he has fallen back by going to the Tahs. Sarel was superb last year only has to work on his defence. Still prefer Van Zyl. He is also young. Think Sarel is now 30 years old.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:52 SAST
15 @ Pietman:
Piet,
Sarel will be on the bench and Van Zyl will start for Cheetahs. Van Zyl should be with the Boks to cover Ruan.
August 13th, 2012 at 14:55 SAST
@ Puma:
Oh ok, Piet.
Played very well at centre for Boland two seasons ago, speed to burn that oke, very versatile as well.
(Piet van Zyl, hehehehe, pity Bryce Lawrence retired…he would have shat his pants if he heard that name!)
August 13th, 2012 at 14:57 SAST
This is where the ABs have one over us, I reckon Aaaron Cruden is just as good as Carter on current form so Carter starts and Cruden comes on if Carter has an off day, in my opinion the two best fhs in world rugby today, however as far as I know SBW is not available, so maybe that evens things out a bit. Everyone knows Dan Carter, but any thoughts out there on Aaaron Cruden?
August 13th, 2012 at 14:58 SAST
@ Puma:
Laters bru, time for a glass of homebrew and my Ramadaan power nap
August 13th, 2012 at 15:04 SAST
@ cat66:
Ohhhh sure, AB’s a totally different story!
Heyneke’s acid test
This is going to be one mother of a contest, as you say, Cruden just as good.
Pity about SBW, I wanted him up against Frans Steyn…..
August 13th, 2012 at 15:14 SAST
The weather at Newlands, Cape Town should be bad again (like this past weekend) if the weather indications for Newlands (predicting wet and wild under the mountain) on Saturday is correct.
It seems that would be why Zane Kirchner (as out and out fullback) would be chosen, not that it would be my choice. I would have Lambie at fullback.
I’m also starting to think Hougie is simply more effective on the left wing, his conversion back to scrummie has not inspired me all that much. Ruan Pienaar… well I personally don’t like him all that much, but he’s been OK when on at scrummie against the Poms.
Seeing as the weather will be wet, maybe I’d give Morné Steyn a final go at Newlands… but he’d better improve his kicking to posts, I’m getting rather upset that he has not turned things around yet. I would far rather play him than Jantjies though, but that’s my personal opinion for now.
August 13th, 2012 at 15:16 SAST
Sonny Bill Williams IS AVAILABLE for the All Blacks, I have put an Article up to THAT effect earlier…. he’s available at least for the 2 Wallaby Tests… then might be further available depending on Conrad Smith’s injury recovery.
August 13th, 2012 at 15:24 SAST
OK, my mistake, I thought the Reunion guys said he was going to Japan right after the Super 15, must have heard wrong. Be nice to see him against Frans though
August 13th, 2012 at 15:29 SAST
19 @ Pietman:
Sorry Piet to answer this late. Just had dash out quick. Ja have to laugh forgot that P. Van Zyl has the same name as that other Piet that tackled that ref at the Tank that time. Brycie would have not liked to have heard that name for sure….hehe.
21 @ Pietman:
That was bloody funny Piet……hahahahaha. Enjoy the homebrew bru….hehehe.
Ramadaan power nap! bwaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
August 13th, 2012 at 15:30 SAST
Nothing indicating that Sonny Bil will be available after the 2 Wallaby Tests yet (in other words when Conrad Smith returns from injury)…. somehow I’d rather play against him than against the wily and underrated Conrad Smith.
Sonny Bill has been largely worked out and effectively neutralised by the stronger sides and international opponents, even his off-loads in the tackle has been stemmed to a large degree… still freekishly dangerous though.
As I understand it, he went to Japan, but was now released by his Japanese Club, considering Conrad Smith’s injury… so if Smith is back, there would be no such excuse and they might not release him for the remainder of The Rugby Championship.
August 13th, 2012 at 15:30 SAST
25 @ cat66:
SBW is only available for ABs against their two games against Oz. Then he heads off to Japan. Pity would have enjoyed to have seen him up against Fransie.
August 13th, 2012 at 15:43 SAST
20 @ cat66:
Cruden is just as good as Carter right now. So they really do have one up on us there having one great fh to start and the other probably to cover on the bench well. Though think no matter how Morne plays we will have Morne until Goosen comes back from injury. Pity as we could have Lambie getting game time there and with Goosen and Lambie we will be sorted at fh too. But Meyer sees Lambie as a fb and will play him there. I feel he is a little wasted at fb to be honest. Would get more out of him at fh.
August 13th, 2012 at 16:11 SAST
To be honest, our no 10 depth is looking very good. We have MS, who is not everyone’s favourite, but the best candidate for HM’s game plan. PL is a good bet, but he does not have the same game breaking ability as EJ, but EJ lacks the line kicking ability of PL. However, we also have BJ showing some good form in this weekend’s CC.
Then we have JG on the injury list, and when he has recovered, a real prospect to surpass the Carters and Mehrtens of this world. I believe that if he stays injury free for long enough, he would surpass even the great Hugo Porta.
August 13th, 2012 at 16:38 SAST
Morne Syeyn’s main job is kicking to posts and that is where the he and the Boks will fail or succeed. In other words if he succeeds at posts, the Boks stand a chance, but if he fails, the Boks will have no chance against the Blacks.
The ole toppies here will remember and I’m sure still be bitter about the Boks loss to the Lions in 1997. We had the world’s best defensive flyhalf who was not bad at attack and distributing either, called “Lem”. However, he was terribly inconsistent at kicking for goal. The Lions had a pathetic flyhalf called Neil Jenkins but he was a dead eye kicker. The Boks scored 3 tries but Lem missed all his kicks that day – 3 conversions and 3 penalties, while Jenkins kicked 5 out of 5 penalties to continuously keep the Lions within reach and then to draw level with the Boks, where Jeremy Guscott managed to win the match with a drop!
It was so painful seeing a superior Bok team losing because our kicker was shyte! And Lem was not a bad fly half! In fact he had a good game…. except for kicking to posts.
August 13th, 2012 at 16:51 SAST
@ grootblousmile:
This is what my main problem is against HM. Steyn is not on form. He has been struggling all season with his kicking to posts. Everyone knows it, also his defenders like you. Yet HM persisted with letting him take the kicks at the cost of the third test to England. Yes, HM’s stubbornness cost us that test to England and that I will always remember. Anyone can make a mistake, but when you repeatedly persist with the same strategy expecting and hoping for things to change, that’s unforgivable. Choose the player who is the in form kicker or give the kicking duties to some one else. But no, for three tests he persisted and persisted and persisted so that even the SA crowd at the test in PE was booing Morne. The player didn’t deserve it. He doesn’t pick himself.
If Morne comes right and finds form in the next tests, HM will just be lucky. You are judged on how you handle adversity, not when things go your way.
August 13th, 2012 at 16:53 SAST
@ The_Young_Turk:
Would be so much better if our No 10 could kick for points as well as run the ball. We have that in Goosen, Jantjies and Lambie. Steyn when on song is deadly. Sure he can run the ball and has an eye for the gap, but is not as good the 3 youngsters. But, he does have a lot more experience, and that will count in pressure situations. When Goosen is back, I think he should start for SA. When he plays for the Cheetahs, they are a different side. Some work for the statistitions out there: What is the Cheetah’s win/loss ratio with Goosen starting, and when he is not in the side?
August 13th, 2012 at 16:58 SAST
The whole reason that Morne Steyn got into the Bok side in the first place was that Ruan Pienaar was an inconsistent kicker who failed at the big moments. Then Morne came along and he had awesome BMT and never failed! If our kicker is not doing the job we need another kicker. Simple as that.
August 13th, 2012 at 17:02 SAST
@ Lion4ever:
I am not even discussing all the other facets of fly half play. I agree with you obviously that it would be even better if we could have a complete fly half like Goosen seems to be. Unfortunately he was injured and so couldn’t be in the picture against England and will first need to recover to be considered.
August 13th, 2012 at 17:06 SAST
I dont know the stats offhand, but I do remember the game where Goosen got injured, before the injury the Cheetahs were looking great, after he went off they looked like a totally different side with no confidence and things just started to go wrong from there on. Maybe just coincidence but I dont think so, I think he gives the side a massive mental boost.
August 13th, 2012 at 18:44 SAST
35 @ The_Young_Turk:
Johan Goosen is an unknown quantity or quality at present, had half a dozen or so Super Rugby matches, and in the process injured first his one shoulder and then the other. So there are lagging questions surrounding him… can he come back great, is he a perrenial injury concern, will his form continue or will opposition teams find weak spots in his armoury?
He has possibilities, marvelous ones, and I’m desperately hoping he shapes well coming back from injury… because that might just alleviate our whole SA flyhalf conundrum.
At the moment we sit with a given situation AND we sit with foul weather to consider for Saturday…. so it’s either Morné Steyn or Lambie or Elton Jantjies… each with their flawed situations.
If you argue from a Sharks supporter’s perspective, the choice would be Lambie at flyhalf… even though he had a shocker in the Super Rugby Final and was injured before that.
If you argue from a Bulls perspective, the choice would be the man in the saddle, Morné Steyn, despite his kicking woes… we know his potential as a dead-eye-Dick.
If you argue Elton Jantjies’ case, there would be those like me who deems him suspect on defence and often enough suspect from the kicking tee too.
So, each to his own, I say… and the coach has to make a decision… and I believe we have to accept and stand by that decision for now, notwithstanding the fact that even I am getting concerned about it.
Other positions are much more clearcut for me, barring injuries to other players and unavailability of others – Spies would not have been there… and maybe he should’nt be there now anyway. Scrumhalf is another pivotal position and we have our views about that too, all of us.
I think what we generally agree on though, a common ground, is that the Springboks (and the Blue Bulls as well as the Western Province for that matter) needs some game plan changes and changes in overall strategy… and for me the possession game with much less of a kick-at-all-costs strategy needs to be implimented at the Springboks, the Blue Bulls and WP. The Bokke actually looked good and superior with ball in hand during the England Tests… 2nd Half 1st Test, 1st Half 2Nd Test.
August 13th, 2012 at 20:52 SAST
Puma wrote:
Puma wrote:
All i can say about Reunion is dont TRUST them
August 14th, 2012 at 00:17 SAST
@ The_Young_Turk:
34
true
August 14th, 2012 at 00:27 SAST
@ grootblousmile:
37
great points you made here, i could even say that i could not have said it better.
Jantjes will score you more tries, but if the better players around him(if he plays the Bok starting line up) might just plug enough holes.
My opinion about the Stormers fail this year is well known, they simply did not score enough points(especially tries) their defense was absolute brilliant.
One try , converted means you need at least 3 penalties to pass, simple as that.