Publications
Partners
Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - The value of the high-class specialist fetcher - coupled with the damaging consequences of not fielding one - has only been underlined in the early stages of this World Cup.
The two open-siders among leading nations to show richest effectiveness after two outings each thus far have arguably been South Africa’s Heinrich Brüssow, who could be reverently branded a cross between a whippet and a “Staffie” if he were some sort of canine creation, and Wales captain Sam Warburton.
The latter came as close as any other Welshman to masterminding a minor upset victory over the defending champions in the first Pool D hit-out for each side, but Brüssow well-nigh matching his work-rate and hunger for their opponents instead played a key role in the Boks just getting off the hook in Wellington.
It was an epic one-on-one battle, perhaps deserving of thrilling stalemate on the judges’ scorecards, to borrow boxing parlance.
Warburton was industrious and destructive again as the Six Nations side put the Bok heartbreak behind them to importantly knock over Samoa in a bruising, forward-dominated battle at the weekend and probably pave the way for their passage alongside South Africa beyond the pool.
Nor was there any let-up from Brüssow as the tenacious little Free Stater sparkled once more in a massively improved Bok dismantling of Fiji - his quick-thinking dink to facilitate a try for Frans Steyn has hogged many headlines in the aftermath, only confirming a few additional qualities to his known repertoire.
Meanwhile in Auckland, Ireland fired an unexpected shot across the very tournament’s bows - one that looks like hugely altering the north/south geographical dynamic of the knockout-phase draw - by disposing of Australia in Pool C.
In the aftermath, much has been ruefully made, especially in a critical Australian press, of the absence from the Wallaby ranks on the day of Zimbabwean-born David Pocock, their own top-rated fetcher from the Western Force franchise.
Indeed, even before the crunch encounter, when Pocock started to look doubtful with his back complaint, The Australian newspaper, as if gripped by a powerful premonition, noted: “If there was one rank gamble Robbie Deans and co-selectors took in naming the (World Cup) squad, it was not including a shadow No 7.”
Of course in South Africa the open-sider more traditionally wears No 6, but it is reassuring to know that, in a reasonably inspired last-minute development as the Boks named their own travelling party, Bath-bound Francois Louw was herded through the gate to offer good-calibre cover.
The Boks must not be caught fatally cold like the Wallabies were against Ireland: they must maximize his presence by giving him a solid run, ideally from the outset, against Namibia on Thursday.
There is nothing especially to gain by giving the main ace in their ball-pilfering pack, Brüssow, another start against minnows who surely will be knocked over with ease even without his presence.
No, Brüssow should be cotton-wooled for this encounter, which is a quick-turnaround affair considering that South Africa last played as recently as Saturday against the Fijians. They must guard as strongly as they can against the possibility that one of their still battle-scarred vital customers is exposed to the possibility of untimely breakdown against the “biltongboere”.
Louw is desperately short of game-time after quitting the South African landscape at the end of the Stormers’ Super Rugby season and if, heaven forbid, some new injury fate suddenly eliminated Brüssow from the equation, he needs to be ready to deputise swiftly and smoothly.
It makes great sense in bigger-picture terms, I think, to give “Flo” a place in the run-on XV at North Harbour Stadium.
Let’s not get caught with our pants down, a la the Aussies …
Cape Town - The value of the high-class specialist fetcher - coupled with the damaging consequences of not fielding one - has only been underlined in the early stages of this World Cup.
The two open-siders among leading nations to show richest effectiveness after two outings each thus far have arguably been South Africa’s Heinrich Brüssow, who could be reverently branded a cross between a whippet and a “Staffie” if he were some sort of canine creation, and Wales captain Sam Warburton.
The latter came as close as any other Welshman to masterminding a minor upset victory over the defending champions in the first Pool D hit-out for each side, but Brüssow well-nigh matching his work-rate and hunger for their opponents instead played a key role in the Boks just getting off the hook in Wellington.
It was an epic one-on-one battle, perhaps deserving of thrilling stalemate on the judges’ scorecards, to borrow boxing parlance.
Warburton was industrious and destructive again as the Six Nations side put the Bok heartbreak behind them to importantly knock over Samoa in a bruising, forward-dominated battle at the weekend and probably pave the way for their passage alongside South Africa beyond the pool.
Nor was there any let-up from Brüssow as the tenacious little Free Stater sparkled once more in a massively improved Bok dismantling of Fiji - his quick-thinking dink to facilitate a try for Frans Steyn has hogged many headlines in the aftermath, only confirming a few additional qualities to his known repertoire.
Meanwhile in Auckland, Ireland fired an unexpected shot across the very tournament’s bows - one that looks like hugely altering the north/south geographical dynamic of the knockout-phase draw - by disposing of Australia in Pool C.
In the aftermath, much has been ruefully made, especially in a critical Australian press, of the absence from the Wallaby ranks on the day of Zimbabwean-born David Pocock, their own top-rated fetcher from the Western Force franchise.
Indeed, even before the crunch encounter, when Pocock started to look doubtful with his back complaint, The Australian newspaper, as if gripped by a powerful premonition, noted: “If there was one rank gamble Robbie Deans and co-selectors took in naming the (World Cup) squad, it was not including a shadow No 7.”
Of course in South Africa the open-sider more traditionally wears No 6, but it is reassuring to know that, in a reasonably inspired last-minute development as the Boks named their own travelling party, Bath-bound Francois Louw was herded through the gate to offer good-calibre cover.
The Boks must not be caught fatally cold like the Wallabies were against Ireland: they must maximize his presence by giving him a solid run, ideally from the outset, against Namibia on Thursday.
There is nothing especially to gain by giving the main ace in their ball-pilfering pack, Brüssow, another start against minnows who surely will be knocked over with ease even without his presence.
No, Brüssow should be cotton-wooled for this encounter, which is a quick-turnaround affair considering that South Africa last played as recently as Saturday against the Fijians. They must guard as strongly as they can against the possibility that one of their still battle-scarred vital customers is exposed to the possibility of untimely breakdown against the “biltongboere”.
Louw is desperately short of game-time after quitting the South African landscape at the end of the Stormers’ Super Rugby season and if, heaven forbid, some new injury fate suddenly eliminated Brüssow from the equation, he needs to be ready to deputise swiftly and smoothly.
It makes great sense in bigger-picture terms, I think, to give “Flo” a place in the run-on XV at North Harbour Stadium.
Let’s not get caught with our pants down, a la the Aussies …
