Bok scrum expect AB onslaught
Springbok captain John Smit has highlighted the importance of outscrumming the All Blacks in the first Tri Nations Test in New Zealand.
It’s been a disappointing facet for the Boks, as they struggled in the first Test against Wales and then against a third-rate Italy front row. The man who lent them stability, BJ Botha, is not on tour while there is a possibility youngsters Brian Mujati and Beast Mtawarira could come up against Tony Woodcock and Greg Somerville.
Smit told Die Burger that this set-piece will present the most significant challenge of the 5 July fixture.
“The All Blacks have dominated their opponents in the scrums in every match they’ve played this season,” he said. “The All Blacks got the upper hand, despite England’s strong scrum. That’s a feather in their caps.”
The English didn’t provide much resistance for New Zealand, who scored comfortable victories in both of the two Tests. These were merely warm-ups for the upcoming clash against the World Champions.
“There are some Test matches that you know will be hard,” Smit said. “The All Blacks in New Zealand is one of those in which the physical aspect is non-negotiable.
“If you don’t stand up in that respect, you’re going to be on the back foot from the outset. We must not let ourselves down from a physical viewpoint.”
Smit said the absence of All Blacks captain of Richie McCaw won’t debilitate the hosts.
“The All Blacks would, of course, have liked Richie to be part of their team but there is no such thing as a weak All Blacks team. And they’re playing at home, which is a huge factor.”
The Bok captain also denounced the new laws. Saturday will be the first time he plays under the ELVs having spent the European season with French club Clermont.
“They never tried to reinvent the wheel before, so why do it now. There was nothing wrong with the old laws, and you couldn’t find an empty seat in stadiums in France.”
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
#147 JL1:
Could he be a crazy guy who drives well?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am
#143 sparticus: Three weeks? Congratulations man. Jittery days indeed, hey?
Mine should be here next Tuesday (ours is a controlled experiment) – so less than two weeks before lift off.
You having a boy or a girl?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:34 am
#145 shooter:
You got to remember that everytime we dont get the ball out of a ruck its a free kick to them and have the choice of a scrum. If they are dominating the scrums they willdeliberately put hands in at ruck time casue they will be ready to scrum. But in turn we can opt to take the free kick instead.
Interesting to see what the weather is going to do? If it is wet there will be more handling errors which means more scrums. So we cant just laugh off the scrums chap.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
#153 Boots: Isn’t it a penalty now as they are playing the full ELV’s – no longer the free kick?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
#152 katman:
Note to all dads-to-be:
Will be starting the Keo creche.
Personal babysitting service.
Mini tattoos for boys and cute ear-piercing for girls will be done at nap time.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
#155 Dawn: There are a few babies on this site as well! Maybe you could accommodate them too and tattoo their mouths!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:41 am
#154 Sniper:
Good point. Im not sure!!
If that is the case it will be a little easier on our scrum.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
Unrealistic expectations
Posted Fri, 27 Jun 2008
Jake White never did it in four years. Nick Mallett was the last guy to do it – 10 years ago. Expecting Springbok coach Peter de Villiers to beat the All Blacks in their own backyard – in consecutive weeks – is unrealistic, according to rugby365 columnist Robbie Fleck.
The Springboks jetted off to Australasia on Thursday night full of confidence ahead of three tough Test matches against New Zealand (twice) and Australia.
The Boks can be fairly happy with their performances in the June Tests and the selection of the squad indicates that Peter de Villiers was happy with most of the players used against Wales and Italy.
There will always be unlucky players when it comes to selection – squads just never seem big enough! – and at the moment, I guess Tonderai Chavhanga could feel a bit hard done by.
Chavhanga was in great form during the Super 14, but he is a confidence player and his hamstring injury in the closing stages of the tournament seemed to nip his progress in the bud. Hamstrings are never easy things to get over – especially in the case of a ‘race-horse’ like Tonderai Chavhanga – and it could have been playing on his mind against the Welsh.
It is a pity though, as I think Chavhanga deserved a better shot than just two Tests against a mediocre Welsh side and his pace would have been ideal against the speedy Kiwi wings Down Under. Hopefully he will regain some of his confidence in the Currie Cup against the likes of the Blue Bulls and the Sharks.
Overall, there are no real surprises in the squad. We all knew that Adi Jacobs would be De Villiers’s first-choice centre and it will be a serious test for the Sharks man. He has never started a Test match in New Zealand or Australia and it could make or break his Springbok career. I don’t think he is the best outside centre in the country, but with Jaque Fourie injured and Waylon Murray out of form, there isn’t really plenty to choose from in the No.13 position.
I’m glad Ryan Kankowski has retained his place in the squad – despite taking a big knock against the Azzurri – and in this case Danie Rossouw misses out.
There is no doubt that the Springboks have an opportunity to go over there now and finally win a Test in New Zealand. World Cup winners like John Smit, Victor Matfield, Butch James and Jean de Villiers have never won a Test match in NZ – they want to tick that box now and rightly so.
South African rugby is on a high, they have a new coach and a new philosophy, whilst the All Blacks seem to be in a bit of disarray at the minute. Word from New Zealand is that they are pretty worried over there. They seem to be losing players to Europe on a weekly basis and now Richie McCaw is out injured and Ali Williams is in doubt, too. They certainly don’t have the depth that we do right now.
So, yes, all in all the signs are there and the All Blacks are ripe for a beating.
Simple, right? Not quite I’m afraid…
Winning over there remains a massive mountain to climb – why else do you think we’ve never won there since 1998?! How many times should the Boks have won over there in the past and how many times did they lose there in the last minute under Jake White between 2004 and 2007?
In the past, the Springboks would go to New Zealand trying to dominate them up front and “squeeze the life of out of them”, but now, for the first time, we’re heading to the Land of the Long White Cloud trying to beat the Kiwis at their own game.
They don’t like it when we front up to them, but with De Villiers’s new philosophy we could leave ourselves exposed a bit. Remember, New Zealand have been playing like this for the last 20 years, we’ve been trying this ‘new game’ for two months.
New Zealand think they ‘owe us’ after the World Cup. They’re still moaning about losing to France in the quarterfinals and they would want to beat us to prove that they are the best team in the world. Remember how Sean Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks came to SA in 1996 – a year after the ‘95 World Cup – and beat us on our soil in a Test series?
Remember, too, all the history and traditions between the All Blacks and the Springboks. Like we raise ourselves when we play them, they also raise themselves when it comes to facing the Springboks – especially at home.
Australia, on the other hand, are more vulnerable. Like us, they have a new coach who is trying to impose a new way of thinking. For so long Australia played a structured game – first under Rod Macqueen and then under Eddie Jones – but now Deans is trying to get the players to think for themselves, like the Crusaders have done so successfully in Super Rugby.
By the end of the year, the Wallabies will be back amongst the top three nations in the world, but – and like with us – it will take time to refine their game and achieve the immediate results.
To expect the Springboks to simply fly off to New Zealand and beat the All Blacks on successive weekends is a very unfair expectation on Peter de Villiers. Nick Mallett won there just once in three years and Jake White didn’t win one match in New Zealand in eight starts. Why should De Villiers now, after three matches against Wales and Italy, pitch and beat the Kiwis in their own backyard in his first overseas Test? It’s ludicrous!
Yes, it is a great opportunity for the Springboks to win over there, but a loss to New Zealand should not be seen as a failure. What makes the current situation even more unrealistic is that the same people expecting De Villiers to win in NZ are the same people – both the media and the public – that initially condemned his appointment.
Instead of unreleastic expectations and wild predictions based on hearsay, people in South African rugby should rather understand that the 2008 Tri-Nations is just another stepping stone for De Villiers – judge him on a proper run as Springbok coach, not two Test matches in New Zealand against an All Blacks side with everything in the world to prove.
Until next week,
Fleckie
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
#157 Boots: I am only asking as they now award a full arm penalty in the Currie Cup for this offence! Can someone confirm if this is correctc?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
shooter – Who in their right mind would put an untested front row in front of the ABs in front of their own crowd? A mad man.. Am not saying that Steenkamp, Smit and CJ won’t be weak but they are not going to be as good as BJ, Smit, CJ was in last years RWC. Plus we have the added surprise of Mujati and Beast maybe coming on later as CJ and Steenkamp are both not 60 minute front rowers.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:46 am
Sniper , believe it or not 3rd one , I know sucker for punishment. Still the excitement is like the first one , I guess its like when a veteran bokke runs out and says its like his first test cap !!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
#153 Boots: Ok, if they choose scrums fine. I’ still think we will be competitive enough. The Stormers did ok in the S14 with what was also supposed to be the most unrated frontrow scrummers in the comp. ..If the weather is bad the scrums will be closer. As far as hands go, they will eventually get a yellow card for something like that. So, yes scrumming will be important, but we’ve played these guys before in S14 and they are only so good really.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
#161 sparticus: I know the feeling – have two of my own – thankfully big girls now! Boy or Girl!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:49 am
#162 shooter: Is hands in a short arm or full penalty under the full ELV’s?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
#160 grunt: we will still find out who the frontrow is, but mostly any of those 5 guys you mentioned plus Smith, will do their job. I think mentally we will be ready.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:53 am
Sniper..I don’t know. under full elv’s penalty yes, bother, how full are the rules we playing?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 am
#166 shooter: Are we not playing the full ELV’s in Tri-Nations?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:57 am
#162 shooter:
I agree with you as per my post on the Ollie thread, we making this to be a bigger problem than it really is.
Dont like saying this but I agree with Ollie.
We wont dominate the scrums and will hold our own against the AB’s while at times they might put our ball under pressure. While I appreciate it is an important part of the game I think we reading too much into this and making a huge deal out of it, Gthro Smit and CJ are a huge front row all with WC champs medals and possibly a 130 odd test caps between them, they street wise and know what the are in for.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
#158 madvillain:
“Why should De Villiers now”
Because he is in charge of the World Champion, World Cup winning, number 1 ranked side in the world
You cant have it both ways
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
shooter – Lets just hope PDV doesn’t do a Maarkgraaf on us. Maarkgraaf had the entire RWC95 team and was playing on home soil but still managed to loose a home series by chopping and changing players from week to week.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
Sniper/Katman – have one boy and one girl , next one is a bot also , looking forward to it like u wont believe. Mine is coming 28th also planned (first one had to be unfortunately so the rest also). Katman holding thumbs for u bru , if Schalk scored the winning try will u name him Klein Schalk ? Be happy that Tonderai is not playing cos I would have loved to hear u explain to your wife that name
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
#168 Boots: Our Front Row will be OK! What is the weather predictions for Saturday?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
This scrum debate is a lot of ****. We had the same frontrow debate last season and the Boks came home with the RWC.
Now a days a scrum is a way to restart the game without the tight 5 and with the ELVs there are 10m for the backs to work with.
So when we think scrums don’t think old school i.e. 5 changes to reset and shorten an ou’s neck or win a tighthead, no the ref give 2 resets and penalies, rightly or wrongly.
So when we think scrums forget the front row, think attack or defend in the backline.
Mentally the Bokke lose when they lose the scrums/ forward battle because they think that the be all and end all of rugby. Just because we have a lot of big ******** don’t make that right.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
#151 Dawn: Let me guess, the helmet is a turn on
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
We playing full elves as in S14 elves plus additional 2 rules , one is that no limits in lineouts and second is collapsing of mauls allowed , Thats why I could not understand the bokks trying the maul so much in the test against Italy , in the trinations the maul is not that effective.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
#172 Sniper:
Not sure but at this time of year the Kiwis dont normally start the game untill its pissing with rain and gale force winds are blowing.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
#175 sparticus: Thanks. So that means no hands in the ruck allowed? (or will that rule still come into play latertime?)
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
#144 Sniper:
well said, mine is 2 weeks old and it’s been a while since i have had some descent nap time,but with that being said becoming a dad is probebly the best feeling in the world
hopefully he’ll play tighthead for the boks one day if the problem is’n sorted out by then
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
#175 sparticus: The oppos must still get it right to pull down a maul, not collapsing
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
#168 Boots: Yes, I’m hoping that we can do/find some constructive attacking wiff the backline!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
luckily ollie says that the scrums doesnt really matter
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
howdy all.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
“An open letter to scantily clad ladiesIf you’re female, and for some reason or other you don’t want to be raped right now, I hope you’re dressed appropriately. I mention this because a new survey, recently conducted by TNS Research, reveals that nearly a quarter of South African men agree with the statement, “women who dress in revealing clothes are asking to be raped”.
Holy ****. Really? I never would have guessed. And I doubt I’m the only one, so I’m taking the opportunity to announce this new information – partly as a service to single women who might want to rush home and change into something less dowdy immediately, but also as an RSVP to FHM magazine models and scantily clad women of all shapes and sizes everywhere. I’d just like to say thank you, and I humbly accept your generous invitation.
But first, I must apologise for the tardiness of my response. I had no idea, you see. All this time I thought that those of you who wore tight, low-cut sweaters did so for your own personal reasons. It simply didn’t cross my mind that your choice of clothing was an attempt to communicate with little old me. Honestly, if I’d known for a second you were requesting a decisive sexual assault on my part, I would have complied without a moment’s hesitation. I may be out of touch, but I am nothing if not a gentleman.
In my defence, how was I to know? It’s hard to imagine anyone – let alone a woman in revealing clothing – desiring an unannounced carnal violation from a complete stranger. In fact, doesn’t the very definition of rape rest on the fact that it’s unsolicited? Once requested, it should be called something else.
Perhaps this is what provocatively attired women are really asking for: not so much rape, but rather, sudden, unprovoked lovemaking, quite possibly at gunpoint. Now I don’t want to seem like a pedant, or anything, but if we’re going to be expressing our levels of illicit lust through items of clothing, I think it best we at least try to be as precise as possible.
“Perhaps this is what provocatively attired women are really asking for: not so much rape, but rather, sudden, unprovoked lovemaking”And after a passionate round of “surprise-love”, as I like to call it, who knows where the evening could take us? Perhaps I could take you out to see a movie against your will. Then maybe we could get a late, non-consensual dinner. Do you like pizza? Or would you prefer a knuckle sandwich? Whatever you don’t want – the choice is mine.
Now I’ve got to remind you, this isn’t an offer you’ll get every day. Remember, nearly three quarters of the men in this country don’t even know what you girls are saying when you’re wearing an ensemble so sparing it could fit into a cigarette box. They don’t hear your request. You know what most men are like: they just don’t listen. Thankfully, there are still a few sensitive new-age guys out there who know what you’re saying when you put on those high heel pumps. Nothing says “take me in the most illegal and traumatising way possible!” better than a pair of shoes that make it impossible for you to run away.
But sometimes it’s possible to get your lines crossed. A well-meaning guy might spot a woman who he thinks is provocatively dressed, but it’s just a very hot day and she’s trying to keep cool. Nobody’s fault, of course, but it’s always possible to get the wrong message, resulting in considerable embarrassment for both parties concerned. So perhaps men should take extra measures to ensure that the scantily clad lady in question is, in fact, saying what they think she’s saying before taking action.
Believe me, nothing comes close to the interminable embarrassment of finding yourself standing in a darkened alleyway with your pants down, a roll of duct tape in one hand and a chloroform-soaked rag in the other while the object of your affection runs away screaming. You don’t need me to tell you that the evening can only go downhill from there.
So guys, before taking action, maybe you should first ask, just to be safe. If the answer is yes, it’s time for crime! If no… well, there are plenty of provocatively dressed fish in the sea and you know exactly what they want.
- Chris McEvoy
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am
The funniest thing I read all week.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
#183 Dawn: 25% fukwits.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
Hello GBS, is Barcelona’s nog aan vanaand?! Sien jul daar. Jy weet mos wie’s wie in Pretoria, so ek skat ek die usual suspects gaan ook daar wees. Sherrif, sien jou daar?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 am
#184 Dawn: I do not violence against women is funny, it is a sad country that you live in if you look at these stats per capita of rapes:
Rank Countries Amount (top to bottom)
#1 South Africa: 1.19538 per 1,000 people
#2 Seychelles: 0.788294 per 1,000 people
#3 Australia: 0.777999 per 1,000 people
#4 Montserrat: 0.749384 per 1,000 people
#5 Canada: 0.733089 per 1,000 people
#6 Jamaica: 0.476608 per 1,000 people
#7 Zimbabwe: 0.457775 per 1,000 people
#8 Dominica: 0.34768 per 1,000 people
#9 United States: 0.301318 per 1,000 people
#10 Iceland: 0.246009 per 1,000 people
#11 Papua New Guinea: 0.233544 per 1,000 people
#12 New Zealand: 0.213383 per 1,000 people
#13 United Kingdom: 0.142172 per 1,000 people
#14 Spain: 0.140403 per 1,000 people
#15 France: 0.139442 per 1,000 people
#16 Korea, South: 0.12621 per 1,000 people
#17 Mexico: 0.122981 per 1,000 people
#18 Norway: 0.120836 per 1,000 people
#19 Costa Rica: 0.118277 per 1,000 people
#20 Venezuela: 0.115507 per 1,000 people
#21 Finland: 0.110856 per 1,000 people
#22 Netherlands: 0.100445 per 1,000 people
#23 Denmark: 0.0914948 per 1,000 people
#24 Germany: 0.0909731 per 1,000 people
#25 Bulgaria: 0.0795973 per 1,000 people
#26 Chile: 0.0782179 per 1,000 people
#27 Thailand: 0.0626305 per 1,000 people
#28 Kyrgyzstan: 0.0623785 per 1,000 people
#29 Poland: 0.062218 per 1,000 people
#30 Sri Lanka: 0.0599053 per 1,000 people
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
#187 JL1: I do not condone violence against women
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
#68 eight ball:
Has he really promised to pick 7 players of colour? On merit…..?
Some of my favourite Bok players and up and coming youngsters are players of colour but man im a BOK fan, I just want the best 15 Bokkies on that field so we can wipe these ABs like we should! I have serious concerns over Mujati and our scrum in general and starting with Adi at centre would be suicide, you cant slip tackles against a running side like NZ. Id prefer Percy at fullback to Jantjes as I really think we need the experienced heads around when things get chilly and vicious in Welly. Does our team now HAVE to contain 7 players of colour? How I dearly dearly wish that we could field the strongest team that we’re capable of and that nobody would talk about the make-up of the side. Look at the kind of quality that is coming through why rush that transformation IS happening! Dammit we can win away to the ABs with our best side, the first time in 10 years that we’ve got a brilliant shot at it, dont lets screw that up!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
#178 st.a.t.w: Will be looking out for him in a couple of years time! You right nothing better than fatherhood – and if you have girls like me – they wrap around their fingers!!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
JL1 – Godbless you brother. Rape is not a thing to make fun of
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 am
#185 rangerman: Howdy mate! Looking forward to the game on Saturday! What’s the gut feeling about this one?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
#192 Sniper: howdy sniper.
i think we will pillage the islands.
our time is now!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 am
#190 Sniper:
i know the feeling i’ve got a 6 year od girl also!
hard to say no to her
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
#193 rangerman:
Mmmm my heart says one thing the ‘kop’ another! 
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 am
The All Blacks are famous for selecting horses-for-coarses.
I clearly remember a few years back how they came up with a plan to counter- react the brutal scrumaging power of great “Os” Du Randt.
Carl Heymens was the incumbent at the time but because they felt Os would battled against a shorter tighthead they selected Greg Sommerville and they achieved their objectives. We did not dominate as was expected.
Here we are again, in the same predicament with two tall looseheads, Gurthu Steenkamp and the Beast. So what they do is select a nice short tighthead who can get under either one of them and they will once again dominate in the srums. We just never seem to learn from our mistakes. They will try and milk penalties out of us and we could get someone sent off if things go really wrong.
If we had BJ there this would negated their tactics to a certain extent and would give us a fighting chance in the scrums. On top of this we have two very inexperienced props as back-up.
I think we will have to face the music this weekend come scrum time!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
#194 st.a.t.w: Mine are a lot older – one graduated and the other first year! My goodness they are high maintenance!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
#187 JL1:
Read the column and put your tongue in your cheek!
It’s a send-up!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
#196 iceman: good post.
but if the aussies can manage then so can we!
i am getting a little frazzled by the long wait for this game.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:37 am
#191 grunt: I think you’re missing the point of the piece. It’s only funny in order to highlight the absurdity of a situation where a quarter of the poll reckon it’s justified. There’s no doubting his sentiments.