CAPE TOWN - Stormers coach Robbie Fleck will have a number of options and combinations available in the loose trio this season. And with Fleck being a creative kind of chappie, I’m hoping that he won’t hold back on creativity in that area.
Fleck spoke a lot about “balancing the loose trio” last year, and that balance is vital in any top loose-forward trio.
I mean, obviously it’s no good having three fetchers who can’t win a lineout, having three towering forwards who are second to every ruck, or having three bruisers who have the skill levels of a five-month-old juggling marshmallows in his walking ring.
But, and this is a big but, the emphasis South African rugby has placed on the inclusion of an all brawn and bulk blindside flank in the back row as an absolute must, is the kind of outdated thinking that belongs with used-car salesmen.
I believe the value of this kind of player is downright over-rated.
Yes, there is a place for a real bruiser, a player who can deliver in the physical department and dominate collisions, but that doesn’t mean that players who offer more, players who are physical but also know their way around defenders and not just right over them, can’t be an even greater package.
And the Stormers certainly don’t lack in that department.
The Cape side have good link men and ball-carriers. Look at a guy like Nizaam Carr. His 100-plus kilogram frame brings high-intensity action, but I don’t agree that he is a walkover when it comes to collisions either.
Carr has never made a secret of the fact that his preferred position is No 8 - where he has played some of his best rugby - and having him play off the back of the scrum and attack like we know he can, definitely provides a boost to the Stormers’ attacking game.
But he has also performed well at No 6, which is a good thing for Fleck’s side, who have been struggling to fill that openside gap.
And then there’s Siya Kolisi, who is probably more capable of disrupting the opposition’s ball than stealing it.
He possesses skill, an all-action style and the ability to run with ball-in-hand. And, again, you won’t swing him around like a feather when it comes to collisions.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe is another example of the skilful kind of loose forward. This elusive, spring-heeled loosie can make gains in ground with ball in hand better than most.
He can slip through defences at close quarters and use his leg-drive to produce powerful bursts in loose play.
And that right there, the qualities these three men bring is what a team like the Stormers need, especially as they are keen on advancing their expansive game.
Notshe, for example, is no natural stealer, and he isn’t a bruising blindsider either. In fact, none of these three men are known specifically for their all-physical, grinding games.
And that’s okay. In fact, it’s great, because you don’t need a Willem Alberts-type bruiser to form part of the loose trio mix. You can just as easily have an enforcer at lock, as Eben Etzebeth will be quick to tell you.
The problem is that coaches, rather, choose to include at least one bulk package in the back row.
But what is the point of all that superhero-like strength if such a player gains the occasional metre and makes the occasional tackle that has his victim gasping for air if he doesn’t or can’t contribute otherwise?
There’s no need for that. And I’m certain that playing Carr, Kolisi and Notshe won’t mean that the opposition will have the upper hand at the breakdowns or in the physical battle.
Carr can play at No 6. Kolisi can play at No 7. And Notshe can be the perfect link-man at No 8. And they can play together.
With all those skills at that high intensity, with all that ball-carrying ability and with all that power to disrupt breakdowns, compete at the collisions and break through defences, why do you need a smashing bruiser?
The game has changed. The Stormers want to change. And if there is one man who can help that process with modern and creative thinking, it’s Fleck.
And all he needs to do is experiment. With Carr, Kolisi and Notshe together, of course.