Louw unfairly dropped
Francois Louw’s omission from the Springbok squad is another mistake by the Bok selectors and coach Peter de Villiers, writes rugby365.com columnist Grant Ball.
After starting the season as the Boks’ first-choice openside flank with Heinrich Brüssow injured, Louw is now not deemed as one of the best nine loose forwards in the country.
Willem Alberts, Schalk Burger, Ashley Johnson, Juan Smith, Ryan Kankowski, Deon Stegmann, Dewald Potgieter, Pierre Spies, and Duane Vermeulen are in the 39-man squad, with seven-time capped Louw ignored by De Villiers, Peter Jooste and Ian McIntosh.
Louw’s form may have waned in the Currie Cup after being dropped from the Boks, but his consistent showings over the Super 14 and throughout his Test career mean he shouldn’t be disregarded in future. On debut against Wales, his fellow Boks named him their Man of the Match, while against France and Italy he got the official awards.
In the opening Test against New Zealand in Auckland he was exposed, but so were Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, John Smit and Spies (who’s been repeatedly poor throughout the season). To expect Louw to shine in his first Test against the All Blacks with so many senior Boks off cue mentally and physically, is unfair on the 25-year-old. For Louw to be the only player to get the chop for just one poor performance is also unjust.
Louw was much better against the Kiwis in Wellington, making the third most tackles and being the second most successful ball-carrier. Strangely he has not started a Test since, and is yet to face Australia.
In starts against Wales, France, and the two away losses to New Zealand, Louw’s stats read favourably. The two areas where the Boks have struggled this season have been defence and the breakdown, but Louw has been outstanding there, making 49 tackles in those four Tests and missing just five (a completion rate of 91%), while he’s been involved in 79 rucks on attack securing possession, and 67 in defence, slowing down ball. In those four Tests, he affected six steals.
Out of all the loose forwards in the squad, Stegmann’s sole strength is the breakdown, while Burger and Potgieter also play to the ball. The remainder, however, are largely ball-carrying and lineout options.
Smith and Burger are the most complete loose forwards in the group, but Louw also fits that mould, as the trio can be used at the line-out, as runners, are strong defensively and are proficient at the breakdown.
Why Louw hasn’t been considered ahead of one-trick ponies such as Kankowski, Johnson, Stegmann and Alberts is ludicrous, as he would be the perfect back-up for Brüssow at the World Cup, if the latter recovers from his knee injury. Suggestions that Alberts could also be used as a lock are strange. Standing at 1.92m and 119kg, physically he does not fit.
While Louw can rightfully feel unlucky not to be in the squad, a pair who must be surprised at their inclusions are Adi Jacobs and Gerhard Mostert. Jacobs is a De Villiers favourite and is on a national contract, but the Bok coach has always stated he’ll pick on form, and Jacobs is far from the top three midfielders in the country. Frighteningly, only him, Jean de Villiers, Juan de Jongh, and Wynand Olivier have been selected, which means Jacobs is set for game-time in Europe. Jacobs’ lack of pace and defensive frailties were badly exposed by Jean de Villiers in the last round of the Currie Cup, which meant he wasn’t even selected for the Sharks’ 22 for the semifinal. However, the Bok coach still believes he’s good enough for the Boks.
If form really was a criterion for selection, then why wasn’t a rejuvenated Waylon Murray picked instead of Jacobs?
Mostert is a walking injury and only played one Super 14 match, and made a fleeting showing against WP two weeks ago. That doesn’t prove he’s worthy of a Bok call-up ahead of other promising locks such as Juandre Kruger, but worryingly De Villiers and co. think so.
* Grant Ball writes for www.rugbyxv.co.za
