Even Sonny Bill can’t run without his legs
IT’S no surprise that Sonny Bill Williams leads the way in offloads in the tackle after the first four weeks of Super Rugby. Or the fact that he is second on the list of try assists.
The Chiefs inside centre is a master in getting his arms through the tackle and offloading with beautiful soft hands. It’s sort of become his trademark, and teams tend to focus more on preventing him from passing than actually putting him on the floor.
But “SBW” is also a fearsome strike-runner with the ability to break the line with pace and power. His offloads might be pretty, but at 1.94 metres and 108kg he is a beast of a man who can power his way through the defenders.
It’s a potent cocktail which makes Williams one of the biggest draw cards in rugby, and he is likely to put another 5 000 backsides on the red seats of Newlands this Saturday when the Stormers take on the Chiefs (kickoff 3pm).
So how do you stop Williams? How do you contain a player with so much pace, power and skill?
Allister Coetzee’s plans include “chopping off his legs”. Not literally, of course, but the Stormers coach feels that by taking him to ground earlier he will kill two birds with one stone.
“You got to tackle the guy, nobody can run without legs,” Coetzee said yesterday. “He is really an unbelievable player, make no mistake about it, he has been unbelievable for the Chiefs up until now.
“The way their game is structured, they ask a lot of questions and play off Sonny Bill. It’s going to be so important to work harder in our system, and not just focus on Sonny Bill, but the guys running off him.
“The thing is, the offload comes when you dominate the collision. You cannot dominate the collision when you are on
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It seems like aggression is the Stormers’ buzz word. A half-hearted attempt to go high around the arms to prevent the offload or low to get him to ground could be futile because of Williams’s power.
“The guys are going to be doing what they have been doing,” Coetzee said.
“If you go high, Sonny Bill can bounce you off and run over you. It’s the simple thing, if you chop his legs, he will only have one way of offloading – off the ground.
“It’s easier to monitor the other runner when the guy with the ball is on the ground.”
Williams is going to come up against the form inside centre in South Africa in Damian de Allende. The Stormers No 12 is a similar sort of player, a big, strong guy who can also offload in the collisions.
De Allende’s biggest strength is getting over the advantage line and getting the team moving forward. He is also a strong defender, and can use his power to knock opposition players back in the tackle.
So the clash between the Williams and De Allende could be worth the admission fee alone. “I think the big thing for Damian is to maintain that level and bring a level of consistency to his game. And then the rest (Springbok selection) will take care of itself,” Coetzee said of Allende.
“We all know he has got a good skill set, he is a physical player and has got a great pass to create width for the team as well. When the time is right to do it, he can kick as well. Damian is a kind of player you can’t box in, because you are going to frustrate him because of his skill set.”
A few players sat out the Stormers’ practice session yesterday in Bellville following Saturday’s physical game against the Sharks.
Hooker Scarra Ntubeni suffered a knock to the shoulder on Saturday, but it doesn’t look serious. His rival for the No 2 jersey, Bongi Mbonambi trained yesterday after missing the Sharks clash with a AC joint injury.
Lock Eben Etzebeth is probably the biggest concern after hurting his shoulder against the Sharks, and a call will be made today. However, Ruan Botha and Jurie van Vuuren are fit again and will help bolster the second row stocks.
Wing Kobus van Wyk is also in the mix to play against the Chiefs, but it’s going to be a tough call to drop Johnny Kotze after a few top displays.
Cheslin Kolbe also sat out of training yesterday. He bore the brunt of a few heavy hits by Frans Steyn in particular, but he is as tough as old boots and should be fine to start on Saturday.
“Cheslin is a player with a big heart and he doesn’t lose the ball in contact and he makes his tackles. From a physical point of view he is doing really well,” Coetzee said.
Coetzee was also chuffed with Schalk Burger’s cameo off the bench following his return to the team. “He had a good outing. With his little offloads, he gave us nice width to our attack. I’m sure he will be pleased with his game,” Coetzee said.
“And when last did he experience a welcome like that at Newlands?”