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JJ Harmse
So finally South Africans will be able to see what the whole deal with Sonny Bill Williams is when the Crusaders run out at Newlands on Saturday.
Much has been said and written about Williams to date, but the most impressive detail on his rugby career has been shown by the big midfielder himself.
He is big and strong and very skilful in offloading in the tackle. There cannot be any doubt that this match will present a massive challenge for him.
The home side has only conceded six tries in the competition this far, so has a proven defence. What's more, their midfield combination is the best in the country.
Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie have played in 22 Tests as a midfield combination since first combining more than five years ago and have admitted to developing a ‘sixth sense’ in what the other player will do.
They are also the two most capped centres in South Africa, with De Villiers (53) just ahead of Fourie (51) when it comes to caps as a centre.
They are also in a battling each other to become the midfielder with the most Test tries.
Neither is known as an awesome defender, although Fourie’s ability to organise defences is well respected.
I am sure they have made a plan to combat Williams this weekend (not to forget Robbie Fruean of course), but I thought some extra advice for the Stormers midfield couldn't hurt...
Seeing as New Zealanders know him best, I decided to take a page (literally) out of their book on SBW.
The well-respected weekly, Rugby News, recently had an article on the former league player and current heavyweight boxer.
In that article, Lee Stace, had a look at the pro’s and cons of Williams and I would like to share some of them with you.
Under the pro’s, SBW’s ability to offload tops the list.
“This is what defines him from other inside centres”, Stance wrote and stats prove that.
After Week 11 of Vodacom Super Rugby, Williams has made almost offloads (30), almost double the amount the next player in the competition.
“His ability to constantly ride the tackle, hold the ball in one hand and get his pass away is not only a joy to watch, but also lethal and gives the team he plays for an added attacking advantage,” Stace wrote.
Size was the next on his list and at 1.91m and 108kg, SBW certainly is big. But so is De Villiers (1.90m and 103kg) and Fourie (1.90m and 105kg) and Fruean (1.90m and 110kg) for that matter.
A third plus, according to Stace, is SBW’s image, but that is probably more relevant in New Zealand than South Africa.
More importantly for me were the weaknesses Stace identified, as I have not noticed that many since seeing Williams play for the first time.
Stace mentions three – professionalism, offloading and temperament.
With regards to professionalism, he mentions Williams’s boxing, believing that until he stops boxing, he will never be able to become the best rugby player he can be. Fair enough.
His offloading, because he only does that with his right arm and hand. This is something that has been picked up by other teams as well, but not yet used against the big man.
With all the experience De Villiers and Fourie have, one can expect them to exploit that.
With regards to Williams's temperament, Stace does not provide examples, but suggests that it will be tested once teams manage to close down his space and time. Which, I suppose, is exactly what the Stormers pair intend to do.
The question, of course, is how the Crusaders intend to use Williams on attack. Will they use his offloading in first phase or will he be used to attack Stormers flyhalf Lionel Cronjé? Or can we expect someone like Crusaders No 8 Kieran Reid to punch in the midfield first, allowing SBW more of a roaming role where he can attack where he sees fit?
A weakness for me, as we saw against both the Sharks and Bulls, is SBW's habit of using his shoulder and a swinging arm in defence. He almost decapitated Ryan Kankowski in London and Wynand Olivier certainly felt the full brunt of Williams's shoulder too, but in neither case was any action taken against what I believe, were illegal tackles.
We will have to wait and see what unfolds on Saturday. We shouldn't forget though, that this is a clash between two form teams that are top of the table because of many attributes, not only their respective midfields.
To me, the real test will be between flanks Richie McCaw and Francois Louw and to see which of the two can ‘con’ referee Chris Pollock the best!
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
So finally South Africans will be able to see what the whole deal with Sonny Bill Williams is when the Crusaders run out at Newlands on Saturday.
Much has been said and written about Williams to date, but the most impressive detail on his rugby career has been shown by the big midfielder himself.
He is big and strong and very skilful in offloading in the tackle. There cannot be any doubt that this match will present a massive challenge for him.
The home side has only conceded six tries in the competition this far, so has a proven defence. What's more, their midfield combination is the best in the country.
Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie have played in 22 Tests as a midfield combination since first combining more than five years ago and have admitted to developing a ‘sixth sense’ in what the other player will do.
They are also the two most capped centres in South Africa, with De Villiers (53) just ahead of Fourie (51) when it comes to caps as a centre.
They are also in a battling each other to become the midfielder with the most Test tries.
Neither is known as an awesome defender, although Fourie’s ability to organise defences is well respected.
I am sure they have made a plan to combat Williams this weekend (not to forget Robbie Fruean of course), but I thought some extra advice for the Stormers midfield couldn't hurt...
Seeing as New Zealanders know him best, I decided to take a page (literally) out of their book on SBW.
The well-respected weekly, Rugby News, recently had an article on the former league player and current heavyweight boxer.
In that article, Lee Stace, had a look at the pro’s and cons of Williams and I would like to share some of them with you.
Under the pro’s, SBW’s ability to offload tops the list.
“This is what defines him from other inside centres”, Stance wrote and stats prove that.
After Week 11 of Vodacom Super Rugby, Williams has made almost offloads (30), almost double the amount the next player in the competition.
“His ability to constantly ride the tackle, hold the ball in one hand and get his pass away is not only a joy to watch, but also lethal and gives the team he plays for an added attacking advantage,” Stace wrote.
Size was the next on his list and at 1.91m and 108kg, SBW certainly is big. But so is De Villiers (1.90m and 103kg) and Fourie (1.90m and 105kg) and Fruean (1.90m and 110kg) for that matter.
A third plus, according to Stace, is SBW’s image, but that is probably more relevant in New Zealand than South Africa.
More importantly for me were the weaknesses Stace identified, as I have not noticed that many since seeing Williams play for the first time.
Stace mentions three – professionalism, offloading and temperament.
With regards to professionalism, he mentions Williams’s boxing, believing that until he stops boxing, he will never be able to become the best rugby player he can be. Fair enough.
His offloading, because he only does that with his right arm and hand. This is something that has been picked up by other teams as well, but not yet used against the big man.
With all the experience De Villiers and Fourie have, one can expect them to exploit that.
With regards to Williams's temperament, Stace does not provide examples, but suggests that it will be tested once teams manage to close down his space and time. Which, I suppose, is exactly what the Stormers pair intend to do.
The question, of course, is how the Crusaders intend to use Williams on attack. Will they use his offloading in first phase or will he be used to attack Stormers flyhalf Lionel Cronjé? Or can we expect someone like Crusaders No 8 Kieran Reid to punch in the midfield first, allowing SBW more of a roaming role where he can attack where he sees fit?
A weakness for me, as we saw against both the Sharks and Bulls, is SBW's habit of using his shoulder and a swinging arm in defence. He almost decapitated Ryan Kankowski in London and Wynand Olivier certainly felt the full brunt of Williams's shoulder too, but in neither case was any action taken against what I believe, were illegal tackles.
We will have to wait and see what unfolds on Saturday. We shouldn't forget though, that this is a clash between two form teams that are top of the table because of many attributes, not only their respective midfields.
To me, the real test will be between flanks Richie McCaw and Francois Louw and to see which of the two can ‘con’ referee Chris Pollock the best!
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
