Nick Mallett says Evan Roos has the talent to become a Springbok regular, but must sharpen his discipline and decision-making.
The Stormers No 8 has been handed a starting berth for Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld in what will be his ninth Test appearance.
Mallett said on the Talking Boks podcast that Roos already possesses the qualities needed to thrive at international level.
“What we need to get out of Evan Roos are all his good points. His athleticism, his carrying ability, his defence, his ability to turn ball over and his enthusiasm.
“But we’ve got to get rid of the stupidity of the mistakes he makes because of over-exuberance.”
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Mallett believes Roos has shown encouraging signs of growth by moving away from trying to dominate every physical contest.
“I think he’s got much better in terms of him trying to prove that he’s a big, physical guy who can beat up half the opposition.
“I think he’s turning away from those sorts of situations and I think that might be something Rassie [Erasmus] has spoken to him about. Certainly [Stormers coach] John Dobson talks to him about that.”
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However, the former Springbok coach pointed to Roos’ performance against Ulster in the Vodacom URC as an example of how lapses in discipline can undermine his influence.
“It was probably the worst game I’ve seen him play in the Stormers jersey.
“There were four occasions – two when the Stormers were in a position to score a try – where he got in the way, gave a penalty away, cleaned a guy out from the side out of over-enthusiasm and just poor handling mistakes at the wrong time.”
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Mallett said Roos must learn from other loose forwards in the group, who consistently stay on the right side of the referee.
“He needs to work on his discipline – not fighting – but discipline in not coming in from the side or not listening to the ref, kind of like Paul de Villiers or Kwagga Smith does.
“They’re clever enough not to give penalties away in those situations.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Mallett: Roos must cut out stupid mistakes appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Nick Mallett says Evan Roos has the talent to become a Springbok regular, but must sharpen his discipline and decision-making.
The post Mallett: Roos must cut out stupid mistakes appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
