Cape Town - Nick Mallett says question marks remain over whether Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen can play a tactical game.
The Cheetahs were thumped 33-0 by the Stormers at a rainy Newlands over the weekend.
The men from Bloemfontein looked all at sea in wet conditions and it was particularly the performance of their halfbacks - Shaun Venter and Johan Goosen - which didn't impress the former Springbok coach.
Mallett, speaking as an analyst on SuperSport, said Goosen struggled in the slippery conditions.
"What worried me, I didn't think (Johan) Goosen controlled the game well at 10. In those conditions a flyhalf has got to kick, and kick it intelligently and accurately, which he didn't do. They tried their wide game, their handling was poor."
Mallett also praised the Stormers defence and said they outplayed the Cheetahs in every department.
"I don't think the Cheetahs are a bad team, they've just beaten the Brumbies last week at home. They just got caught on a day when things went really badly for them and the Stormers were so much more determined today (Saturday). There seemed a lot more intensity in their play. The Cheetahs were trying to play rugby, but with no real conviction in the ball carrying and aggression in contact, they were losing most of the contact situations, they were going backwards.
"You need your halfbacks to vary the play in those conditions, to put the ball behind that Stormers defensive line and neither (Shaun) Venter nor Goosen did that today. Question marks remain over whether Goosen can play a tactical game, when you need to actually kick the ball and keep it in front of your forwards," concluded Mallett.
The Stormers tackle the Sharks in Durban this weekend, while the Cheetahs have a bye.
The Cheetahs were thumped 33-0 by the Stormers at a rainy Newlands over the weekend.
The men from Bloemfontein looked all at sea in wet conditions and it was particularly the performance of their halfbacks - Shaun Venter and Johan Goosen - which didn't impress the former Springbok coach.
Mallett, speaking as an analyst on SuperSport, said Goosen struggled in the slippery conditions.
"What worried me, I didn't think (Johan) Goosen controlled the game well at 10. In those conditions a flyhalf has got to kick, and kick it intelligently and accurately, which he didn't do. They tried their wide game, their handling was poor."
Mallett also praised the Stormers defence and said they outplayed the Cheetahs in every department.
"I don't think the Cheetahs are a bad team, they've just beaten the Brumbies last week at home. They just got caught on a day when things went really badly for them and the Stormers were so much more determined today (Saturday). There seemed a lot more intensity in their play. The Cheetahs were trying to play rugby, but with no real conviction in the ball carrying and aggression in contact, they were losing most of the contact situations, they were going backwards.
"You need your halfbacks to vary the play in those conditions, to put the ball behind that Stormers defensive line and neither (Shaun) Venter nor Goosen did that today. Question marks remain over whether Goosen can play a tactical game, when you need to actually kick the ball and keep it in front of your forwards," concluded Mallett.
The Stormers tackle the Sharks in Durban this weekend, while the Cheetahs have a bye.