Goosen needs the full-backing of coach Meyer
WINNING every Test is the obvious goal for the Springboks, but coach Heyneke Meyer also has to use this November to find some answers in certain positions, particularly with regards to depth ahead of next year’s World Cup.
And one spot where there are still serious question marks, is at fullback. IRB Player-of-the-Year nominee Willie le Roux is the undoubted first-choice, and he showed his magical touch once more against England when he drew two defenders and offloaded at the last possible moment to put Cobus Reinach away for his first Test try.
But there has been an almost over-reliance on the Cheetahs man on attack. So, if he is injured, it could have a serious impact on the Boks’ ability to break down defenses.
Well, Le Roux is in doubt for Saturday’s Test against Italy after taking a knock to his cheek in the England Test when making that offload to Reinach. Bok team doctor Craig Roberts said yesterday that Le Roux would undergo a scan last night to determine the extent of the injury.
If the 25-year-old’s cheekbone is fractured, he will be ruled out for the rest of the tour. But even if Le Roux is passed fit, the Italy match presents Meyer with an ideal chance to assess Johan Goosen at fullback.
That is where the former Cheetahs flyhalf has been playing for his French club Racing Metro, and Bok backline coach Ricardo Loubscher said yesterday that he has been impressed by what he has seen from the 22-year-old.
“From what I’ve seen in the last few weeks in training, he’s been good and putting in the hard yards. We worked with him on Friday with the ‘dirties’ (non-playing squad), and I thought if you look at his commitment in training, ja, he’s looking good,” said Loubscher, a former Springbok fullback himself.
“Obviously, a very attacking player, and we know in terms of his kicking game what he can do. The most important thing for him is to get to know the systems, especially on defence. We’ve been working hard on that in the last week or two, so hopefully if he gets the chance, he can do the job for us.”
Loubscher did confirm that Patrick Lambie, who started at flyhalf against England, is another viable option at No 15. “Ja, definitely. Last year, Pat played fullback against Wales, and he was re- ally solid for us there,” he said.
“We’ve had this discussion (about Lambie) in the past, and Patty is a versatile and a world-class player, he can slot in anywhere. In training, he is looking good and that showed in his performance on Saturday. So, we are quite happy with him.”
But while Lambie has played at fullback in 19 out of his 38 Test matches, and has done reasonably well when asked to play there, he is a far better flyhalf. Also, it would be a “safe” selection from Meyer, as he knows what he has in Lambie as a fullback. The Bok coach would gain much more out of giving Goosen a run.
It is already know that Goosen has a good turn of speed, he has vision to spot a gap and he has a massive boot. His biggest challenges at fullback would probably be fielding up-and-unders, and his positional play on defence.
The fact that he is originally a No 10 could also see him operate in the flyhalf channel at times when Lambie is caught up in a ruck or out of position.
And if the Goosen experiment works out, he could be a trump card off the bench if Le Roux is injured in future.
Tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis has already been ruled out of the Italy Test with knee and hamstring injuries, which has seen Lions No 3 Ruan Dreyer called up to the squad as cover.
Duane Vermeulen, Marcell Coetzee, Tendai Mtawarira and Warren Whiteley all sat out of training yesterday with “bumps and bruises”, but will be available for selection this week.