Jacques Fourie cuts opposition apart

This week we are taking a look at the possible centre selections for the up and coming B&I Lions series.

South Africa is in quite a handy position at the moment with the amount of talented centres we currently have in the mix.

Inside centre, 2nd five eighth, wherever you are, whatever you want to call it. My choice at number 12 picks himself. Arguably one of the most respected centres in world rugby, I feel Jean De Villiers is still the man for the job. He brings a steadiness to the backline, is a good leader and an excellent defensive organiser. With his deft running,  I wish they would use him more effectively in the backline, as he is often used as a strike runner, taking up the crashball. I would like to see De Villiers offload more in the tackle as he often wraps the ball up in contact. It would also be great to see him working on his short kicking game, adding another dimension on attack.

Another contender for the number 12 jersey at the moment is Wynand Olivier. Alot of people feel he should be selected in the Bok 12 jersey based on his form thus far in the Super 14. I’ve always been a fan of Wynand Olivier ever since I saw him playing at varsity level. Olivier is also one of the best ball distributors in the country. My problem with entrusting Olivier with the number 12 jumper though, is that I feel something happens to him when he pulls the green and gold over his head, his brain explodes and with it, his game goes out the window. Olivier also has a bad habit of tackling inwards when the pressure is on, opening gaps for the opposition to stroll through.

A few weeks ago, we were chatting about the fullback spot, I said I wanted to keep Francois Steyn in the bag for later on. This is where I’d like to use him. Frans Steyn has one of the biggest boots in world rugby. With that boot at number 12, he’d take alot of pressure off the flyhalf. There’s no arguing that Steyn is one of the most talented young players around. I can’t help but to imagine what would have happened in the recent Sharks VS Bulls game had Steyn been on the field to take a few long range drop-goal attempts like the one below:

I feel Steyn brings a whole new dimension to the game in the number 12 channel. A great example of this being his left footed grubber during the Chiefs game, puting his teammate through for the try. Steyn is my backup 12. Hopefully if all goes well he will be back to full fitness before the first test.

Outside centre has two really strong contenders for the much talked about position, namely Jacques Fourie and Adrian Jacobs.

Jacques Fourie is undoubtedly the best outside centre in the world when he’s firing. Great on defense and cuts the line, scoring tries on offense, before opposition players even know hes through. His awkward running style is often deceiving, but make no mistake, he’s no slouch, backing himself for pace with the best of them. Jacques Fourie’s experience, and his longstanding partnership with Jean De Villiers gets him in my starting XV.

Adrian Jacobs really put his hand up in last years Tri Nations, silencing his critics on his supposed lack of defense. Jacobs was probably the best backline player in the Springbok team last year. With Jacobs’ ability to round his opposite number, he draws the outside defender, opening space for his wings to trot in for the try. Jacobs is talented enough to make just about any international starting line up. I feel Jacobs can be best utilized from the bench though, injecting that spark when we need it most. Jacobs is a game breaker, and a talented one at that.

An out of the box idea I’d like to see would be the selection of Marius Joubert in the squad. I’ve always been a huge fan of Joubert. He is probably one my favourite Springbok players ever. Apparently Joubert is playing some of the best rugby of his career at the moment too. With the amount of talent we have in this country at the moment, there just isn’t place for him though.

My choices: (starting/understudy)

12. Jean De Villiers/Francois Steyn

13. Jacques Fourie/Adi Jacobs