Close, but no cigar for Wallabies
9 Sep 2006
Wallaby coach John Connolly felt his team did enough to win the Vodacom Tri-Nations clash with the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Wallabies were level 3-3 at the break, but were then outscored in the second 40 minutes as the Boks turned up the heat and ran out comfortable 24-16 winners. Second half tries by Fourie du Preez and super-sub Breyton Paulse helped give the Boks a deserved win.
The Wallabies only managed a solitary try by flyhalf Stephen Larkham. The Wallabies though never gave up, but in reality were always playing catch-up. “I guess we are really disappointed with the result,†Connolly said afterwards. “Our execution let us down. We had a few borderline calls, but we trained very well this week and gave ourselves the best chance possible.â€
Connolly did find some positives from the game. “Positives are our lineout competed well and there was no lack of effort, but we just didn’t gel. We are, however, delighted with our progress in the Tri-Nations. We can take quite a bit from the competition.â€
Connolly felt the Boks competed much better than the two previous encounters this year, especially in defence. “We probably played a bit flat and they put us under pressure. We gave away too much ball at the back of the lineout, but we have no excuses and it just shows that South Africa are difficult to beat here especially at altitude.â€
Wallaby captain George Gregan though felt it was on attack that the Boks were much improved: “They had a bit more direction in their attack and found good field position with some excellent tactical kicking. They started the second half very well and that counted in the end.â€
By Andrew Hollely, at Ellis Park Stadium
29 Comments
9 Sep 2006, 18:31 pm
Andrew you have the best bloody job in the world, going to watch the boks all the time.
9 Sep 2006, 18:31 pm
well done boks steve hofmeyer will be so proud
9 Sep 2006, 18:38 pm
nope klippies,stevie hoff is still chunking because they have renamed fortress loftus….loftus verloorsveld!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hehe
9 Sep 2006, 18:57 pm
Careful, someone may say AP played OK.
9 Sep 2006, 19:11 pm
Giteau has not featured at all this 3N, maybe in the Brisbane test against the Boks, but in all others he has not done anything to warrant his reputation.
9 Sep 2006, 19:32 pm
Just goes to show how lowly they think of the boks if they reckon that pathetic effort was enough to deserve to win
9 Sep 2006, 21:52 pm
How much has Mortlock done this season CSI?
It’s Connolly’s fault, not the players, as the Aussie game plan is too predictable. What’s the point of having quality players if the opposition know what you are going to do all the time?
Knuckles has to get away from the Knuckles game and play to his side’s strengths.
9 Sep 2006, 22:09 pm
i cant believe these okes beat up 49-0 (if that was the score, cant remember, supressed that memory).
9 Sep 2006, 23:02 pm
john connolly,please refrain from chewing on smiths dreads,you were never in the game china!
if the boks lost the game today it would have been through there own stupidity…again!
by adding some turbo charge to there already meaty V12 engine the boks could actually be unstoppable!
skinstad back for next years rwc,schalla returns after a well earned rest and wattie and joe enter th fray ,replacing those 2 donkeys from pretoooooria,cronje and wanneburg and hey presto!
lets not forget the V12 engine im eluding to includes a fit bakkies too.lets not forget steenkamp and add brits fro some much needed pazzazz.
rassie should get the nod as coach,strueli can be given the job as baggage handler and kobus “knock em dead” wiese be appointed team “security”
10 Sep 2006, 01:54 am
I guess he’s got to trot out that twaddle, but Aus were well beaten yesterday, the scoreline could have been more in favour of SA. Backs in particular, along with the props, vey disappointing.
10 Sep 2006, 04:50 am
This is part of why I hate the shackledraggers and prefer to tolerate the sheepshaggers.
Last week Henry was gracious in defeat and spoke of the great job that the Boks did of denying them the game.
This inbred goes on about how good his team are and never bothered to mention that his band of convicts and imports were outplayed by a superior team on the day.
10 Sep 2006, 05:38 am
The Wallabies DID, however, win two of three against the Boks and come second in the 3N and not a stone-last third. Which is an improvement from where they were a year ago.
And they DID rewrite the record-books with that humiliating 49-0 snotting in Brisbane.
10 Sep 2006, 05:48 am
#12 And they DID get drilled, well and truly drilled, by the Boks at Ellis Park. That’s all these guys are saying, Tackler…Connolly is talking ****. Full Stop.
But if you’re keen to dredge up old stats to support your argument, here’s one for the piple…
The Boks have won their last two games…something the other two haven’t done.
10 Sep 2006, 08:40 am
BWell played BOKKE, thanks fr restoring some pride and also hope for the tour of England and Ireland. I’ll be there to watch in Ireland and if my contacts come good I will be at one game at Twickenham.
Can you boys imagine Pierre Spies and Schalk Burger playing on each side of the scrum?? Either way the ball goes the opposition are going to have a bloody handful containing these two.
How is Schalk getting along?
10 Sep 2006, 09:03 am
What exactly is your point Tackler you cretin. Boet you must have one sad, lonely, obsolete life if you feel the need to come to this website just to try and get a few reactions hey?
SAD, LONELY AND MISERABLE.
You go allllllll the way to NZ, undoubtedly, because you are were a cowardly, twisted, lonely, bitter little man, only to find that you are now in the same position over there? It must be hard to have nobody like you? Maybe a bit of work on your people skills instead of bleating out the same **** here every day will bear some fruit, but until you remove that almighty chip from your shoulder, my guess is you will continue to be a sad, lonely little man.
10 Sep 2006, 10:10 am
Well, Vetkoek, I prefer having the silverware.
10 Sep 2006, 10:38 am
You must be particularly stoked that you have NEVER managed to get the only silverware that counts in 20 years then Tackler?
4 more years…
10 Sep 2006, 11:44 am
The missing silverware is on the shopping list.
10 Sep 2006, 11:46 am
In the meantime, NZ will seek to acquire each and every other bit of silverware on offer. The womens’ woorld cup is the next one to be slurped up.
10 Sep 2006, 11:50 am
Its scary to think not to long ago the boks got beaten 49 something to this **** team. Are we really supposed to be happy and forget all of jake’s **** after these 2 wins.There is still a lot wrong with the boks game plan when we dominate the tight and set phases,yet still end up tackling for more than half the match.How does jake justify picking olivier ahead of paulse(the legend) or russel.
10 Sep 2006, 12:17 pm
PA (post 17).
We have a little corner of the Trophy Cabinet at NZRFU HQ saved for the WWE Cup, should the Gods smile upon us.
The Cabinet at SARU HQ is looking a little grim I should imagine.
10 Sep 2006, 12:20 pm
Actually TT, our Womens Team could put the fear of God into a lot of Mens teams.
10 Sep 2006, 12:30 pm
joke wit should be fired as soon as poss!
10 Sep 2006, 15:32 pm
Cane,
Right about that.
Look you deserve it too, I am not a fan of the World Cup personally – to me, a system like they use in test cricket and having the top 2 nations slug it out in a 5 test match series once every 2 or 3 years is the way to go.
But then you must understand, when I say you deserve it, that excludes Tackler, so take it from where it comes, and more specifically, where or who it is aimed at.
10 Sep 2006, 15:40 pm
Ollie had one.
10 Sep 2006, 19:20 pm
Tackler,
That just makes you even more sad my man. That your life is so empty that all you have to cling to is the achievements of a group of people who would probably be ashamed to have you as a supporter?
Point is dude- if you haven’t got anything useful to say, rather don’t say anything at all. Guys log on here to discuss rugger, but you just log on to try and antagonise. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you as an unwanted, bitter doos though… maybe this is the only human contact you have?
11 Sep 2006, 05:51 am
Thank God, the agony of this years 3n has finally come to an uninspiring end. Well what have learnt that we didnt all ready know. Nothing much really. The AB’s continue to dominate, as in 05. The lineout is still a shambles. The Boks continue to go from one crisis to another, in yet somehow, they still manage to stay afloat.The Aussies continue to get ahead of themselves in terms of ability, but really, at the end of the day, their progress has only been minimal. So what does this say about SH at this moment in time? Not much really…. we wont know that answer until after the end of year NH tours.
11 Sep 2006, 06:17 am
My usual unreliable source tells me that SARU have chopped up their trophy cabinet for braai-wood as there’s really no more use for it.
They don’t even have that “Joost se Groot Breinpoep Cup” that he “awarded” them while under the influence of one of those regular mental cramps!
11 Sep 2006, 09:08 am
Tackler (16)
Exactly what silverware do YOU have?
And no, your bedpan doesn’t count.
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