Smith absent but Boks look slick
12 Aug 2008
Juan Smith was a notable absentee from a training session on Tuesday afternoon where the Springboks continued to hone their attacking play.
Springbok communications manager Rayaan Adriaanse said Smith had returned to Bloemfontein “for personal reasons” but was unwilling to elaborate on that. He said that the flanker would rejoin the squad later in the week.
Meanwhile Frans Steyn spent the entire session on the sideline with an ice pack strapped to a thigh he injured playing for the Sharks against Western Province last Friday. There was no clear indication of when he would be able to resume training and he still looks in considerable pain when running.
Danie Rossouw, who was admitted to hospital on Saturday evening with an irregular heart rate, was a bit-part participant in the session. He’ll resume full training tomorrow.
The Springboks were welcomed to Florida Park in Ravesmead by close to 500 spectators, most of who were school kids from the community and its surrounds.
They started by focusing on set and phase plays before ending the session running through their patterns of play. The backline was particularly impressive in their execution of a number of elaborate set pieces, with scrumhalf Fourie du Preez a prominent distributor and wings JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana often moving off their flanks and receiving short off flyhalf Butch James.
While there was certainly still work to be done, the early signs are encouraging. They’ll get even more accurate in the coming days but whether they’ll translate their superb training ground form to performance in the heat of battle remains to be seen.
By Ryan Vrede
166 Comments
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12 Aug 2008, 21:17 pm
and the pack against the lions ; 8 spies 7 juan 6 schalk 5 matfield 4 bakkies 3 bj 2 smit 1 beast
12 Aug 2008, 21:19 pm
#97 skopskiet: i’m also very worried about the breakdown, mccaw is back and he is bad. ab’s are a different proposition with richie playing, remember we havent faced him yet this year
12 Aug 2008, 21:20 pm
I would have played Grant way back when, but thats all old hat by now, we onto the next cycle of the roundabout already, just waiting now for Butch’s last hurrays and then I guess it’ll be hail young Caesar the old Caesar is no more, nope I still wouldn’t play Steyn at 10, not unless its a Naas Botha show you all wanting to be witnessing again, and again, and again, and again.
12 Aug 2008, 21:23 pm
#100 grant10: dont know about bj. i’d rather see cj or jannie du plessis at tighthead
12 Aug 2008, 21:24 pm
#102 skopskiet: who should succeed butch?
12 Aug 2008, 21:24 pm
Would you mind not giving away and making public any of the Springbok training routines and new moves planned for Saturday?
I’m quite happy not knowing this if it means the opposition won’t know it.
12 Aug 2008, 21:24 pm
Black by 10
12 Aug 2008, 21:25 pm
I bet Cane is already telling his contacts back home…probably can’t believe what he’s just found!
12 Aug 2008, 21:25 pm
98 We seem to be in the minority jock 36! However you are correct about his passing, that is where a jean and fourie du preez need to keep him on his toes. I think he will flourish given the right company around him. Also, he must be given the kicking duties,if he can nail the 55m ones he can do the rest. I am all for players accepting responsibility and accountability. I hate this idea of sharing responsibility, breeds complacency!
12 Aug 2008, 21:26 pm
Could have been a better option to start with Joe or Watson and bring Spies on later, after they tired. When he’s fresh and while they still fresh its a war of attrition, Rodney and Richie will be keeping him pinned in their sights, later in the game maybe when there’s that little more latitude and maneuverability thats when his athletic prowess could have been brought to bear some fruit.
12 Aug 2008, 21:28 pm
102 skopskiet i can assure you Frans Steyn is a very different proposition to Naas Botha, in every way except similar match winning boots!
12 Aug 2008, 21:29 pm
109 i agree skopskiet, i would have started with joe at 8 and unleashed spies 50 min in!
12 Aug 2008, 21:31 pm
#108 grant10: i remember watching steyn play flyhalf for the sharks the year after he finished school, he was raw, but awesome. if given an extended run he will develop into a great flyhalf. before we know it he will be halfway through his career without knowing what position he plays. he is too good to be wasted like that
12 Aug 2008, 21:31 pm
Adam can’t come right now. He’s watching the womens 10m airgun qualifying rounds. Rivetting stuff. Load, aim …. you have 75 seconds …. shoot …… pop … pop ……. pop pop pop …. pop ……pop ………. pop. Lane 1 …. 8.5 (Crowd goes wild with excitement) Lane 2, 8.8 (Crowd goes mad and waves Chinese flags) Lane 3, 8.2 …. good grief! This is sport? It would only be vaguely interesting if they shot at each other. Almost up there with the 50km walk and womens weightlifting. I should be in charge of this lot. If it was me, the diving event wouldn’t be judged by little boards saying 5.5 or 7.2, it would be who was prepared to dive from the highest point. Screw the artistic stuff, have a dirty big crane there and the winner is the one who survives a dive from the greatest height. Fencing shmencing. Take off those silly tips on the swords and lose the protective gear. Stab the other guy! We want blood for crying out loud, not this poncy hands-on-your-hip mincing around. The shooting event should be quick draw with Colt 45s. Last man standing. Same with the archery. Stand 50m apart and take turns. The winner is the one who skewers the other guy with an arrow. And how lame is this equestrian rubbish? Walk. Good horsie. Now trot a bit then walk again. Clever horsie. What a load of crud! They should be jousting with great big sharp spears. Swimming? Who gives a toss. Let’s see who can stay underwater the longest. How bad do you really want the gold? Seriously now, would you prefer to watch this drivel or would you prefer to watch MY Olympic Games?
12 Aug 2008, 21:37 pm
Guys we can debate who should be playing against the Lions till we are blue in the face , it is fun , but in reality we do not know what the playing personnel will look like, injuries , moving overseas, loss of form , political intervention etc will all play a role as to the make up, the above aside Grant 10 your side looks good, only changes I would make is Steyn at 15 and Morne Steyn or Grant at 10. Would like to see Heinke coming in to the quation as well !! Don’t want to lose that boy to England !!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:37 pm
112 jock 36 Yes, he ioozes class. Have to say though that Sharks need to give him an extended run in the 10 jumper.Leave the frenchis alone and then you wont lose the Barritts of the world? A sharks backline of ruan pienaar, frans steyn, barritt,murray, jp, odwa and terblanche would have been an awesome prospect. Kockott and a couple of other youngsters adding the depth. Pity about Barritt!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:39 pm
Spill the beans – You ok there boet ??
12 Aug 2008, 21:40 pm
114 yes, at least we capped him!! Dont think many British passports in that cupboard my man!! LOL . Would love that Heinke with the Stormers, without doubt the strongest loosehead in the scrums!!!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:42 pm
#105 jock36:
They missed a huge trick, because now nobody knows, should it be Grant, or Steyn, or Morne Steyn, or Ruan Pienaar, or Burton Francis, or Robert Ebehrson or his brother, or Jean Louis Potgieter.
I like(d) Grants no nonsense to the ball, to the gainline, crash ball style, I prefer it to Nasty booter type rugby any day of any week, (anybody here vaguely remember a fellow by the name of Henry Honiball, well he was no master class nifty 70 mt punter or drop kick merchant ala Jannie de Beer, yet he was the deal, the one that Mallet and Teichman ran a 17 win campaign around), so yeah thats the kind of gutsy to the wall to the breaches fly half I would play, and let him offload into the tackle or just before the tackle to our next crashball maestro JdV, before popping it up to some fuid and fluent strike type runners like Jacobs, Habana, Steyn, JPP, Jantjes, Kirchner.
So its no secret, that would be my game plan.
Others like you, you like big booting wonderkinds that win games single handedly, I don’t get a rush out of that, drop kick wins are like kissing your sister, even 3 point penalties, just a vague diluted necessity to keep the opposition honest, f’ck that, thats not what I get all primed and excited about rugby for.
Steyn and Pienaar plenty class and potential, where to play them, Pienaar at 10, Steyn 12 or 13 – klaar.
And one to have on the back burner and off the bench in rhe wings, Morne Steyn – Mr. sure footed, sure fire Dependable, when the going gets rough and some no nonsense stability and dictating kicking game needs to come into play.
So like I have said ad infinitum on here already
January/FdP, Grant/M.Steyn/R.Pienaar, JdV/F.Steyn, Jacobs/Fourie, Habana/JP/Kirchner, Jantjes
Thats my backline squad for next year. (outside chances for Nokwe and Chavanga.
12 Aug 2008, 21:42 pm
113 spill the beans, watch the cooking channel boet? Less stressfull?
12 Aug 2008, 21:43 pm
117- Grant 10 – A van Der Merwe playing for England would certainly give me sleepless nights !!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:45 pm
#116 justrugby: Actually no, I haven’t taken my pills this evening. Well, I took some of them but not the red-and-yellow one …… the one the neurologist said I HAVE to take! There’s this loud ringing noise in my head and I can feel this irrational rage building up inside me. I think I should find the pills!
12 Aug 2008, 21:45 pm
118 Skopskiet are you convinced Frans Steyn cant play on the advantage line ala Honiball??
12 Aug 2008, 21:45 pm
This week the bench, hopefully next week home!
12 Aug 2008, 21:48 pm
118 – Skop – LOL you have certainly covered all options !!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:49 pm
I’m not surprised the run on 15 looked slick, everyone deserved to be there…….
12 Aug 2008, 21:50 pm
Sill the beans – I suggest you find them quickly !!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:55 pm
#123 blhoo:
I agree, Steven Sykes from the Sharks would have been a better choice for the bench.
12 Aug 2008, 21:55 pm
Peter Grant is a fine rugby player, i am not convinced he will get into the league of a Giteau or a Carter. Frans Steyn, on the other hand, and in my opinion, will be as good if not better given the chance to specialise at 10.
12 Aug 2008, 21:58 pm
thats me outa here, goodnight all
12 Aug 2008, 21:59 pm
#127 Robzim:
Hi Rob, touche!!!
12 Aug 2008, 21:59 pm
Robzim – Sykes from the bench ??? while I do not doubt that he is a talented lock , you surely do not believe that he has done enough to be part of the Bok squad ????
12 Aug 2008, 22:01 pm
#128 grant10:
I think Steyn does not have the agility to become a top class international flyhalf. As a big man e also seems to take a fraction of a second too long to clear the ball, therefore all the chargedowns. At the top level they will target him because of that.
He does have all the attributes to become a great fullback though.
12 Aug 2008, 22:02 pm
#131 justrugby:
Rob wouldn’t take my bait…….
12 Aug 2008, 22:05 pm
Enjoyed reading the last few hours. Time to sleep.
12 Aug 2008, 22:06 pm
#131 justrugby:
As blhoo said I was just dodging him. In a year or two’s time Sykes might push for the team though.
12 Aug 2008, 22:07 pm
The thudding in my head has stopped
Anger fades, my pulse has dropped
No more urge to take a life
I drop the shiny butcher’s knife
The spinning’s stopped, the world is still
Spill the Beans has found his pill.
12 Aug 2008, 22:10 pm
Sykes, Fondse, Skeate, Alberts, even Pieterse, anyone better than Roussouw and definitely Muller.
12 Aug 2008, 22:14 pm
#128 grant10: grant is a better 10 than steyn..
12 Aug 2008, 22:16 pm
Spill the beans – LOL -Good news, I will sleep beter tonight knowing you have found those pills !!!
12 Aug 2008, 22:30 pm
#118 skopskiet: you are not wrong skopskiet, and i am also not in favour of a flyhalf dominating play with his boot, but i think steyn can do what you want a flyhalf to do and more. surely if he can play 12 or 13 then he should be able to play the role of an attcking flyhalf as well. now i’m not saying any 12 or 13 will be a good flyhalf, but steyn has the talent.
the problem is we have too many highly talented versatile backs like f steyn and r pienaar in sa. we are spoilt for choice. if these guys were from oz they would start every game
12 Aug 2008, 22:39 pm
Bekker and Matfield will be perfect. bekker looks like he has built up some more muscle. He will be very fine with his speed. I was really impressed witgh bekker.
12 Aug 2008, 23:40 pm
#11 grant10: What about one of teh Lions players at 7 – Willem Alberts? What about Baywatch at 6 back up?
12 Aug 2008, 23:41 pm
#141 Tbozknows: I thought bekker was better thanBakkies to e hnest – better carryng up the ball, better lineout work, better ruck cleanouts, and less niggle.
13 Aug 2008, 02:36 am
interesting article on NZ’s rugbyheaven site regarding ricky being benched…
http://www.rugbyheaven.co.nz/4654377a22363.html
13 Aug 2008, 02:47 am
#55 grant10: nice confidence Grant , but , you best us at Dunedin granted, but we had a novice locking combo (3 tests total) and our backrow were all playing out of position, and then you only beat us by a moment of brilliance from Januarie (last minutes of the match)…
This game, we have our backrow playing in their correct positions with the best fetcher in the world back, our locks return to the experienced pair of Williams and Thorn, we also have a much better scrumhalf, with crisper service resulting in more time for Carter…
Then factor in the better record we have at Newlands (5 wins from 8 games)… Still, I admire your confidence in your team, but I think AB’s by 12…
13 Aug 2008, 04:23 am
#144 poppa69: But we have fourie du Preez, so Boks by 12.
And expect Thorn to get spear tackled in the first minute of the game.
13 Aug 2008, 04:27 am
#145 SjamBok: yeah, but dropping thorn on his head is futile
he wont feel it …
Always worries me a player coming back from injury, hope Fourie lasts…
13 Aug 2008, 04:27 am
looks like PDV is in trouble for dropping januarie…NZ’s rugbyheaven site seem to be loving the fact that he’s on the bench…
13 Aug 2008, 04:43 am
Don’t worry Saffas it won’t matter who you pick to go up against McCaw, he’ll make your forwards look like school boy level. Its not just his skill at the break down its also his leadership, he leads by example and the rest just follow. Bakkis in my book was the one player who could have made a difference, Kind of like Elsom for us, he is a huge loss. My prediction is that the AB’s are going to give you guys a hiding so keep debating team selections if you think its going to help.
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