Stormers v Tahs, round 8 2014

[Blue]

i got up early to watch this game. A fine win by the tahs! I was really impressed with the Physicality of the Tahs pack, something I'm hoping we can bring to the Wobs later this year. Douglas and Skelton werev very good.

Skelton should be in the Wobs squad this year if he continues this form. He played 66 minutes and stayed busy until the end.

I'd be delighted to see Skelton on the park against the Boks for 80 mins. He spends the last 50 of those walking between set pieces and he thinks that being an enforcer means you push and shove people at every ruck, sneer at the opposition, and dive into every ruck at 90 degrees whilst holding onto jerseys.

He is so far off a test level lock it's not even funny. Potential most definitely but no way you can start a test match against a tier one nation with him.

At this stage I's put him at about 3 where 0=any random flat track bully and 10=Etsebeth/Whitelock/Retallick.

 

[Blue]

Brilliant win tahs. Well some. Good to see. Those saffa commentators know how to whinge though. A team finally gets a neutral ref that has a pretty good game in South Africa and the commentators whinge. I isn't here then whinging when the blues, reds and other away teams have been shafted by bad refereeing.

They are both from Cape Town. Whinging comes natural.

 

[Blue]

PS Stormers just need to fire people. I don't know who but Gert Smal needs to walk in on Monday morning and jut point randomly and go "you're fired, you're fired, you're fired".

They are deservedly the worst team in the comp.

 

[Tomikin]

I'd be delighted to see Skelton on the park against the Boks for 80 mins. He spends the last 50 of those walking between set pieces and he thinks that being an enforcer means you push and shove people at every ruck, sneer at the opposition, and dive into every ruck at 90 degrees whilst holding onto jerseys.

He is so far off a test level lock it's not even funny. Potential most definitely but no way you can start a test match against a tier one nation with him.

At this stage I's put him at about 3 where 0=any random flat track bully and 10=Etsebeth/Whitelock/Retallick.

Thank you people saying he had a good game I couldnt believe he got pinged so much and mostly for being lazy.. im pretty sure one time he dived in a ruck from 90 degrees the stormers side.. totally stupid..

 

[cyclopath]

Thank you people saying he had a good game I couldnt believe he got pinged so much and mostly for being lazy.. im pretty sure one time he dived in a ruck from 90 degrees the stormers side.. totally stupid..

Just to clarify, but what exactly do you mean by lazy? This word gets chucked around at some players a fair bit, but I'm confused as to how it applies here. Coming in the side is inaccurate. Lazy would be to not even bother hitting rucks, but lolly-gag on the wing. Lazy would not be making any tackles (although hard to see why he'd be pinged for that), lazy would be not carrying the ball up, or pushing in the scrums.
Skelton was rightly pinged for inaccuracy at times.
Maybe "lazy" in this context means something else?

 

[Tomikin]

Just to clarify, but what exactly do you mean by lazy? This word gets chucked around at some players a fair bit, but I'm confused as to how it applies here. Coming in the side is inaccurate. Lazy would be to not even bother hitting rucks, but lolly-gag on the wing. Lazy would not be making any tackles (although hard to see why he'd be pinged for that), lazy would be not carrying the ball up, or pushing in the scrums.
Skelton was rightly pinged for inaccuracy at times.
Maybe "lazy" in this context means something else?

I was thinking more that it was lazy execution, lazy as he didnt bother even trying to do it properly or get back onside just hit it from where he was. I wouldnt call that inaccuracy..

Just my opinion

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[qwerty51]

Just to clarify, but what exactly do you mean by lazy? This word gets chucked around at some players a fair bit, but I'm confused as to how it applies here. Coming in the side is inaccurate. Lazy would be to not even bother hitting rucks, but lolly-gag on the wing. Lazy would not be making any tackles (although hard to see why he'd be pinged for that), lazy would be not carrying the ball up, or pushing in the scrums.
Skelton was rightly pinged for inaccuracy at times.
Maybe "lazy" in this context means something else?

I would also go as far to say it's the opposite of lazy, his inaccuracy at the breakdown is from over-eagerness to hit the ruck.

 

[Ruggo]

I think he is coming on nicely but not yet Wallaby material. For his size I think his work rate isn't bad at all. I would be taking Sam Carter over him personally. He is hard, accurate and versatile.

 

[cyclopath]

I would also go as far to say it's the opposite of lazy, his inaccuracy at the breakdown is from over-eagerness to hit the ruck.

Exactly. With Skelton I see a somewhat blunt instrument (a bit simplistic on my part) that needs precision, which comes more with experience. He's young, and used to being the biggest kid out there. He needs to learn that playing with, and beating, the big boys needs some finesse too. He doesn't seem to lack for trying, but with time might use that effort more efficiently.

 

[Lee Grant]

Exactly. With Skelton I see a somewhat blunt instrument (a bit simplistic on my part) that needs precision, which comes more with experience.

Agree—I wrote something similar in the discussion area of my blog of the game here:

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/review-stormers-v-waratahs/
.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Just watching this now - i do like Skinstad but he was having a real whinge this morning: funnily enough mostly about the Tahs

 

[I like to watch]

I'd be delighted to see Skelton on the park against the Boks for 80 mins. He spends the last 50 of those walking between set pieces and he thinks that being an enforcer means you push and shove people at every ruck, sneer at the opposition, and dive into every ruck at 90 degrees whilst holding onto jerseys.

You just described how an overwhelming number of South African players behave!
Are you being ironic,and I missed it?

 

[Blue]

You just described how an overwhelming number of South African players behave!
Are you being ironic,and I missed it?

Whatever. But that's still in my opinion.

Why do you have to turn every conversation into an us vs them twisted Saffer / Aus bullshit argument or do you take everything said by a South African as some sort of personal insult? It's getting old.

I've lived here for twelve years. The Tahs are my second team. I comment on them as someone with a genuine vested interest in Australian rugby.

 

[Tahspark]

To borrow Phipps' post Sharks match analogy, this win was more baseball bat than violin and although the aesthetics were largely missing the Tahs showed plenty of smarts.

Phipps exhibited a bit of both and McKibbin did too in his limited showing. However, it was Potgieter, Skelton, Douglas & Hooper who deserved most credit in my book.

They've come a long way from the "ball in hand at all times philosophy" that saw the close but no cigar losses such as against the Crusaders in 2013. The importance of an away win, even against a low on confidence and injury plagued Stormers can't be underestimated.

We have been rightly concerned about goal kicking and it wasn't good enough against the Sharks. However, 6 from 6 at Newlands, including Beales's two long range efforts are not to be sneezed at & could ultimately be conference, if not championship defining.

The Force clash will be a beauty. After the baseball bats need replacing, Beale's/Folau's combination could be the difference.

 

[BDA]

I'd be delighted to see Skelton on the park against the Boks for 80 mins. He spends the last 50 of those walking between set pieces and he thinks that being an enforcer means you push and shove people at every ruck, sneer at the opposition, and dive into every ruck at 90 degrees whilst holding onto jerseys.

He is so far off a test level lock it's not even funny. Potential most definitely but no way you can start a test match against a tier one nation with him.

At this stage I's put him at about 3 where 0=any random flat track bully and 10=Etsebeth/Whitelock/Retallick.

I wasn't suggesting we should start him and play him for 80 minutes. I agree that would be beyond him at test level. He is a work in progress. But i do think he should be in the squad for development purposes. Arguably he's already shown more upside than Timani, who proved to be a handy bench option but nothing more. I think Skelton probably fits the same mold. If they develop him properly over the next 18 months, he could get there by 2015.

Last year Skelton was so raw and was a bench option for the tahs at best. I wasn't that impressed. He's already looking much better than last year. and fitter. By the end of the Super season he will be better again.

Unfortunately we don't allow overseas based players to play for the wobs (like the Boks do) so we cant use guys like Timani / Pyle / MMM. We need to blood a new lock, who will play a bench roll at the world cup. Skelton seems like a prime candidate. Lots of potential but lots of work required to get him there.

 

[Tomikin]

I wasn't suggesting we should start him and play him for 80 minutes. I agree that would be beyond him at test level. He is a work in progress. But i do think he should be in the squad for development purposes. Arguably he's already shown more upside than Timani, who proved to be a handy bench option but nothing more. I think Skelton probably fits the same mold. If they develop him properly over the next 18 months, he could get there by 2015.

Last year Skelton was so raw and was a bench option for the tahs at best. I wasn't that impressed. He's already looking much better than last year. and fitter. By the end of the Super season he will be better again.

Unfortunately we don't allow overseas based players to play for the wobs (like the Boks do) so we cant use guys like Timani / Pyle / MMM. We need to blood a new lock, who will play a bench roll at the world cup. Skelton seems like a prime candidate. Lots of potential but lots of work required to get him there.

Or you could go with Douglas, Simmions, Horwill, Fardy, Carter, Jones who can all jump read a lineout and work hard. . .

My thoughts at the moment for roughies are Carter and Jones..both work there tits off can jump, tackle...... and in my thoughts Jones could be the complete package.. Carter is the hardest working lock in super rugby. .

 

[qwerty51]

Nah Brodie Retallick.

 

[Tomikin]

Nah Brodie Retallick.

Carter has the most tackles and as . his no Retllick .. but Sam puts in an impressive shift and states I heard his up there at the top..



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[Pfitzy]

Alright fuckers - I was off mountaineering with a couple of cute burds so rather than trying to sew all your opinions together into a morass of half-truths I'll just state what I've read/seen so far:

Defense oriented, Stormers fairly poo, us solid in defence and a win's a fucking win.

Yes?

 

[cyclopath]

Alright fuckers - I was off mountaineering with a couple of cute burds so rather than trying to sew all your opinions together into a morass of half-truths I'll just state what I've read/seen so far:

Defense oriented, Stormers fairly poo, us solid in defence and a win's a fucking win.

Yes?

Pithy, @Pfitzy.
That's about it.