Heading into a World Cup, does one opt for creativity or reliability?

In rugby, your more conservative coaches used to believe in a golden line. A line that went straight through the heart of any team, and in fact formed the beat of many a team.  The math was simple. You draw a straight line starting with the hooker, passing both the locks, running through the eightman, the scrumhalf, flyhalf and eventually ending up with the fullback. These were the positions that one would prefer your more experienced players, calming things down whenever the bounce of the ball seems to be bouncing in favour of the opposition.

John Smit, Sean Fitzpatrick, John Eales, Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Fourie du Preez, Johnny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Percy Montgomery and Andre Joubert are all perfect examples of

players illustrating what the Golden Line in rugby exemplifies. They are all match winners in own right but prefer the spotlight on the chap next to them, playing with an attitude of “ nothing flashy, just do the basics right”. 

Some coaches on the contrary, prefer not to believe in the Golden Line and fancy their playmakers in the exact same positions, and no example could be more suitable than Carlos Spencer, Quade Cooper, Zinzane Brooke and Isreal Felou. These are all game breakers who tend to steal the show and believe to be in exactly the right position to do so…

Following Springbok rugby quite closely, I sense that Heinike Meyer might be at a split road, especially regarding his first choice fullback. Over the last three seasons, Heinike Meyer has invested quite heavily in Willie Le Roux, the young boy that stole South African hearts by running at every opportunity he got. Le Roux played a major part on all levels of the game, and very quickly became one of the senior players in the Cheetah camp. Naka Drotsky unleashed Le Roux into Super rugby as a wing and to his delight Le Roux made a massive impact in their campaign. Although the Cheetahs were more often than not on the wrong side of the score board, Le Roux was instrumental in almost every counter attack and every try scored. 

In 2013 Le Roux made his Springbok debut and has since established himself as the number 1 contender for the nr 15 jumper. With Jean de Villiers and Bryan Habana entering the final phase of their careers, Le Roux has stepped up as the playmaker and the one sparking fire of unpredictability. He is undoubtedly the man with the X-factor in the Springbok backline and has the ability to generate 7 points from a stop-start.

Meanwhile in the shadow of a poor Super rugby campaign and a serious neck injury, HM still has the option of Patrick Lambie to consider. Lambie has proven himself on more than one occasion as Mr. reliable and a player loaded with big match temperament. The typical “nothing flashy” type of guy that does all the basics right, and making it look easy too. He always seems to be in full control and just has this calmness about him. This is the perfect candidate for any coach who still believes in the Golden line.

To chose between the two is a bit like choosing between BMW and Mercedes Benz in the late 80’s. The one is this incredible sporty ride with leather seats, while the other one is this ridiculously elegant drive with a touch of sportiness… in the end they were both equally quick and you will most certainly reach your destination in both, the only question was how you prefer getting there. I tend to opt with Patrick Lambie and here’s why.

Willie le Roux is a far better rugby player than he is a fullback, meaning that he has this raw type of talent that will excel in almost any position, as long as he is on the park. Spotting gaps and running angles at high speed comes naturally for this bloke and it’s not something that can be taught, but rather something that you are born with. Such skills can be developed but you either have it or you don’t. Playing from the back against ordinary opposition, Willie le Roux will tear you apart. Just the other day he ran in three tries against the World XV.

The flip side though, is that against real quality opposition like the All Blacks, he might be neutralized by them playing strategic footy. With proper analyzing they can starve le Roux of the ball and whenever he enters the line he will ultimately leave a void at the back. Because of this, I much rather prefer le Roux on the wing. It makes it so much easier for him to enter that first five eight channel and to fire out one of his trademark bullet passes to a speedster running flat and into a gap. It opens up the option of a little chip kick without leaving the back uncovered. Opposition is to be so much more aware of the blind side with Le Roux possibly in that channel. 

Its seriously much easier to cover a wing out of position, compared to covering a fullback on the deck and both wingers having to play towards their own goal line.

Patrick Lambie offers you quite the opposite, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With 40 test caps Lambie has this mature approach, creating a sense of security at the back. He is capable under the high ball, very seldom gets caught off guard or out of position and when touch is needed he makes sure that the ball crosses the white marker. Both South Africa’s WC winning teams consisted of a fullback rather opting for a calm, steady approach and ones who left the flashy stuff to the wingers and centers.

Being the motor fanatic that I am, I would leave my Beamers out on the wing to show off their speed and skill, while the Benz who epitomizes consistency, stability and reliability takes charges from the back and insures the Golden Line to stay intact.