Former Springbok and Sharks lock Mark Andrews is worried about current Bok second rower Eben Etzebeth’s commitment at the breakdown area.
Sport24
While acknowledging that Etzebeth has performed well this season, Andrews feels the 21-year-old isn’t ticking all the boxes a second row forward at the highest level should.
“I would have loved to see Eben Etzebeth play with someone like Bakkies Botha or Victor Matfield,” Andrews told Sports Illustrated Radio on Wednesday.
“He has an incredible talent. The maturity he has been showing in the lineouts has been fantastic and he has a huge amount of confidence in carrying the ball up.
“However, I think that he may be set up by the media, the public and maybe the coaches for a fall later in his career if not sooner in the sense of that he isn’t really doing the job that he should be doing.
“Every single effective pack in world rugby – from international down to club rugby – has one of the second rows who has the ability to bring a physical presence to the game and normally that comes down to ruck time. What’s lacking with the Springboks at the moment is we have quite a few players who think they are ball carriers and Etzebeth has been put in that position at Western Province where he has to be a ball carrier.
“However, I think at the Springboks the situation should be different. It worries me that someone like Willem Alberts is hitting more rucks than anyone else in the team, when he is one of our most effective ball carriers.
“Now we have a guy like Etzebeth standing out a lot of the time waiting to carry the ball up and it has happened a few times already when he’s lost the ball when he’s close to the tryline. I think his role should be to hit rucks and the Springboks need someone like him to own the breakdown. The All Blacks have always believed in owning the breakdown, but at the moment – and I have probably watched him more than most because it’s a position I played in – I don’t see him hitting rucks,” Andrews, who played 77 Tests for the Springboks between 1994 and 2001, said.
The former Sharks enforcer feels Etzebeth has the ability to become world class but needs someone to tell him what is lacking.
“He got away with it in the Currie Cup and in Super Rugby where a very physical Stormers pack has allowed him to play a looser game, but at the Springboks it is going to be critical going forward to have a guy like Etzebeth, who ticks all the boxes, to hit the rucks. He actually runs away from breakdowns instead of running towards them.”
Etzebeth, who won the SARU Young Player of the Year award, will pack down alongside Juandré Kruger when the Boks face Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.
@ superBul:
Pieter Stef Du Toit.
Anyway I’m out, spent some quality time with the family.
Have a good evening all, catch ya later.
Sharks_forever wrote:
dis dan nog n laaitie, fark wat is die hype. Hoeveel talent het dit nooit regtig gemaak nie, nee wat nie eers worth a mention nie.
@ superBul:
Pieter Steph du Toit, vir Junior Bokkies gespeel vanjaar. Moosa goed.
Moet tog nie praat van ongelukke nie, lees hier boontoe….ek van gister af amper n paar keer al kisboude oppie pad.
94 @ Pietman:
Jou goed is gestuur… kyk weer jou Mail
@ Stormersboy:
Sien jou Stormer, cheers.
Ek gaan ook waai, kos soek….nou so honger ek kan n dooie kameel van sy gatkant af opeet.
Gooi mielies julle, tjorts!
@ grootblousmile:
Ok.
Full name
Pieter Stephanus du Toit
Date of birth 20 August 1992 (age 20)
Place of birth
Cape Town, South Africa
Height
2.00 m (6 ft 9 in)
Weight
114 kg (17 st 13 lb)
School Swartland
@ superBul:
93 @ superBul:
Doe mense rave oor hierdie Pieter Step du Toit… maar hy’s nog ‘n kinders… hy sal eers oor 2 jaar groot wees.
@ grootblousmile
@95 Gekry thx, sal more al daai goete doen.
Wat tik en vandag so bold?
Nee wag, laat ek gaan eet duik vir die pisvel, kyk al oormekaar hier.
Tjeers almal.
101 @ Pietman:
Tjorts
@ grootblousmile:
het my mail deurgekom?
Ek weet nie waar ek myne gaan kry nie, stuur een asb
103 @ superBul:
Ja, en ek het teruggeantwoord… kyk gou
http://ad.z5x.net/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=300×250&site=1409699§ion_code=50032&pub_url=${PUB_URL}
sorry wrong one…. above. have a look at this:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=299954886772181&set=a.185367014897636.29317.185296111571393&type=1&theater
106 @ Sharks_forever:
Bwaahahaha. Sorry to our Lion Friends here, but that was brilliant! 🙂
Jeez looking at that, I really feel for the Lions that they are out of SR next year.
Ja it’s a shame, political interference holds us back at least 10% in this country.
109 @ Stormersboy:
Very true bud.
@ Stormersboy:
Sadly so, and it will only get worse, specially down your side of the country as these bastards are now causing hell on the farms there to try destroy the DA
Emails proving this to be true, wtf
Just looking at the weather for Edinburgh and it still showing sun with some cloud, no rain forecast.
Come on Boks have a go man, let us keep ball in hand and play some decent rugby the supporters want to see.
108 @ Puma:
Yes Puma have said before always feel sorry for the fans of the Lions in all this, especially the drawn out way in which it came about but to be honest they were struggling for a very long time in Super rugby as well as with all sorts of internal problems themselves, so maybe its time they made way for someone else for a change.
112 @ Puma:
Looks like there will be some rain overnight in Edinburgh and then a dry bright morning, maybe bit cloudier and quite cold during the game but should stay dry. Not sure how well the ground drains but hopefully some morning sun and a bit of a breeze will help dry it out, otherwise the ball may still be a bit slippery at times.
Morning all RT’s!
@ Puma:
Let’s hope.
Time to shine for Heyneke and the Boks.
Except for a few brilliant moments from the likes of Habana,JPP and Etzebeth here and there, they have been pretty mediocre so far, not even near the dop dogs (ABs), though we are 2nd on the log.
Can you imagine last Saturday had Brian O’D and Paul O’Connell been in the Irish set-up?
@ Sharks_forever:
@111 They must stop that nonsense, or the Cape will be out of wine soon! And then we will all suffer….
113 @ Bullscot:
I know they were struggling, but Lions were slowly getting it right under Mitchell. If they had not had so many injuries this year I very much doubt they would have ended last. Great pity that their team is now spread around the country, it will be starting from scratch again and that is a pity.
I don’t think Kings will do any better either, they too are set up to fail. So really both teams lose out to be honest. How can Kings get up and ready in one year? Never will happen, they have to play a regulation game in their first year. Saru is to blame here, should have waited to bring Kings in after 2015 when we surely will have a new format in Super Rugby. Look Rebels never had to play a regulation game after their first year and now they are building nicely, sure slowly but they getting there. Kings have no such luxury. Lions lose all their players and no continuity from where they were. Two teams will lose on this very daft move by saru to bring in Kings before they were ready. Kings should have played CC for the next 2 years and once they in Super Rugby should never have to play a regulation game in the first year, they will need at least 3 years to build. Next year Kings face: Sharks/Chiefs and Saders one after the other. EISH!!! I feel they in for a rude awakening. Not the Kings but saru to see what they have done. Idiots the lot of them.
@ Sharks_forever:
Yes, the whole Make the Cape Ungovernable campaign had started, in earnest.
116 @ Pietman:
No wine would be a worry, can’t have that! 🙂
115 @ Pietman:
It is our gameplan Piet. We have the players to play a really good expansive game, but we just sticking to the old tried and tested rugby. We are falling behind playing that type of rugby.
I am with Mallett on this as well, he said last night like all of us here and everywhere, if you have the type of flyhalf like Lambie there why the heck make him kick up and unders? He really does not play that type of rugby for Sharks. Meyer had Goosen and Elton do the same thing. All these 3 flyhalves love to keep ball in hand and play what is in front of them, putting players into space. Again agree with Mallett and we have all said it as well, if he wants to play the kick and chase thing, then play Morne. Don’t waste our 3 very talented flyhalves by playing that dribble. Mallett had said as much as we have that he would have had Taute at fb with Mvovo on the wing, especially that we have Juan starting with Lambie and let us go out there and play some attacking rugby, as he said let them go and play some rugby dammit.
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