Waugh a worry for Boks
29 Aug 2008
The Aussie breakdown threat remains constant despite Phil Waugh’s elevation to the starting line-up, says Gary Gold.
George Smith has been the form fetcher of the 2008 Tri-Nations and yet Australia coach Robbie Deans has opted for Waugh to start against the Boks this Saturday. The Boks have had few answers to the Aussie back row, and the switch between Smith and Waugh might not change the fact.
“It’s so difficult to play against either of them and to be honest I was hoping neither of them would play this weekend,” Gold told keo.co.za. “I actually have no idea why Robbie has not gone with George as he was in great form.
“Having said that, it hasn’t made a difference to our preparation. They are similar players who are both very hard on the ball and are especially good in those defensive situations.”
Gold said the Boks have been working at fine-tuning their breakdown approach after a mediocre showng in Durban.
“We’ve been looking at a few micro issues at the breakdown and focusing on presentation of the ball and also the attitude in the collision. It’s going to be another big contest.”
The onus is not only on the Bok loose forwards but on the tight five as well. Gold said the Aussies will miss Dan Vickerman who is out with injury. In this area, the Boks may have the edge.
“Dan is in the mould of Victor in that he’s great at the lineout. I was surprised they didn’t use Dean Mumm a bit more, but Hugh McMeniman and James Horwill are quality players.
“I was also surprised they didn’t go with Nathan Sharpe as he probably knows Victor the best.”
The Boks will start with two No 5s in their second row once again, a stop-gap measure that’s been necessary since the injury to Bakkies Botha. Gold believes the pair of Victor Matfield and Andries Bekker aren’t far off from finding that balance.
“Andries has worked very hard on the physical aspect of his game and I don’t think it’s unfair to say that in a year he will be one of the best locks in the world.
“But we do miss Bakkies terribly. He led from the front in Dunedin, he’s really the silent assassin.
“Bakkies hists his 15 rucks but he hits them hard. Even the quality opensiders will think twice when they know a guy like that is around.”
By Jon Cardinelli, in Johannesburg
265 Comments
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29 Aug 2008, 16:56 pm
#193 Big Hit: Why the surprise. In most other ball sports, possession is paramount. Rugby league, Australian Rules, Grid Iron. What is consistent with these sports? The lack of opportunity for the ball to be contested.
Rugby and soccer share a similarity. The team that controls the majority of possession does not automatically have the best chance of winning. Both sports require strong defences and an ability to counter attack. Many a time have we seen teams win on barely 30 or 40% possession because of strong defence.
Rugby is becoming a more risk averse sport. The ABs have played less risky rugby this year and have concentrated on their defence. I suggested after Cardiff 07 that the ABs may look to go back to the style of play that they became famous for. They appear to have done just that. It isn’t pretty at times, but it is effective and more often than not it wins you high pressure rugby matches.
There is still a place for attack minded rugby, but it gets smaller each year. Strong defence, territory and several individuals to create opportunities are what modern rugby is now all about. Sadly.
29 Aug 2008, 16:57 pm
#200 Big Hit: Its a lucky dip Biggles. When the trials are over and the feedback comes in we will have the same old game or the same old game with a few tweaks. Either way we still have the best game on earth as it is played in heaven.
29 Aug 2008, 16:59 pm
#201 stodders: Thats called structure, I thought SA liked that.
29 Aug 2008, 16:59 pm
#199 Big Hit: Intercepts forced by the Bok offensive defence.
England succumbed to the same offensive defence in the final. The Boks forced England to have the ball and challenged them to create. England would have much preferred the Boks to attack them I think. The Boks won the battle of wills, and it was the team with the most possession once again that lost.
29 Aug 2008, 17:00 pm
The All Blacks went back to the less risky rugby because they found they didn’t have the backs anymore to compete with Aus at the running game. They had no intention of going back to that style until that happened. i think they might play expansive in the NH, because they won’t be able to compete with the England pack playing a tight game.
29 Aug 2008, 17:00 pm
#203 RugbyRulz: When the ball is kicked under the ELVs, there is no structure. That’s why SA struggle IMO.
29 Aug 2008, 17:01 pm
#203 RugbyRulz: One of the reasons SA struggle I should have said.
29 Aug 2008, 17:01 pm
#205 Big Hit: how will they not be able to compete with the Eng pack ?? seriously … Somerville showed up Sheridan when he was here this year…
29 Aug 2008, 17:03 pm
#202 RugbyRulz: No doubt.
#204 stodders: I think England went into the game with the wrong mindset. They wrongly assumed the Bok forwards were better and that they themselves had to be the creative side. It wasn’t true however and trying to create cost them a penalty when Wilkinson tried to go wide to Matt Tait in his own half with Tait slipping. the lineout killed us though as did Vickery’s injury which meant no dominance in the scrums.
29 Aug 2008, 17:04 pm
#208 poppa69: he didn’t actually, the other guy (Afoa?) showed up Stevens. The Beast beat Somerville last time out. Btw, isn’t Somerville gone after this 3N?
29 Aug 2008, 17:06 pm
#210 Big Hit: not from my recollections, Sheridan was very ordinary when he was down here… I think Somerville may be gone (he is advancing in years) but to say the NZ forwards wont compete against the Emglish is just silly…. Our forwards have outplayed their Bok counterparts, even with the new blood…
29 Aug 2008, 17:07 pm
#211 poppa69: but then, we may send a development side …
29 Aug 2008, 17:08 pm
as a kid , the achievement of a grand slam over the 4 home unions was a big big thing, nowadays its common practice.. Thanks WC for that ….
29 Aug 2008, 17:09 pm
#211 poppa69: Sheridan only played one game, he was hyped up by your media and Graham Henry but he’s a prop at the end of the day, he’s not going to win you a game on his own. His side held up, he didn’t dominate his opposite number but he didn’t go backwards either. Stevens got owned tho.
29 Aug 2008, 17:10 pm
#212 poppa69: I don’t think so, not when nz are complaining at France for doing the same thing.
#213 poppa69: You should play France too then instead of organising a game with Munster
29 Aug 2008, 17:10 pm
#205 Big Hit: The Wallabies backline has more often than not always been better as a unit than the ABs.
The ABs have had better individuals during that time however.
Yes, the ABs reverted back to less risky rugby partly because they lost several highly skilled ball players from their backline (Mauger, McAllister), but I also think Henry got burned by trying to show that a world cup could be won by a team who saw attack as more important than defence.
The ABs have a highly combative forward pack, they have a mobile, powerful back row, in Cowan and Carter they have a halves partnership that kicks well and can control the game, the midfield is direct and solid on defence, and they have a functional back 3 that chase hard when the kick chase is employed.
It’s a throw back to the 60s, 70s and 80s. The flashy play has been replaced by pragmatism. How many 50/50 passes have you seen this year from the ABs since they have employed these tactics? I’ve not seen many. The last ones were in the defeat to Oz in Sydney. Since then, they have been brutal and efficient.
They won’t win any try of the year contests playing this way, but I don’t think Henry wants to take the risk at the moment. He wants to play winning rugby. They will probably get better and will probably begin playing a bit more expansively next year. At the moment, they are winning games by playing as a team, executing the basics better than the opposition and relying on the odd moment of brilliance from their stars to put the icing on top.
29 Aug 2008, 17:11 pm
#210 Big Hit: Tialata beat up Stevens. Sommerville propped against Sheridan and out scrummed him on points. I think the damage was being done on Stevens side though in fairness.
29 Aug 2008, 17:13 pm
#215 Big Hit: Playing Munster is a brilliant idea. It brings back some of the traditions of the old tours.
29 Aug 2008, 17:13 pm
#215 Big Hit: well, bout time we hurt the NH unions by sending substandard teams (sound familiar?? )… why play France, they were never included in a “grand slam” … see, the power that the clubs in the NH wield is quite alarming… France didnt send a strong side because of their club finals WTF .. isnt international rugby more important ? or is it only 6 weeks every 4 years that it matters ?? not going to attract new fans by having constant mismatches….
29 Aug 2008, 17:15 pm
#219 poppa69: Maybe NZ should play the top NH club teams and provinces?
29 Aug 2008, 17:19 pm
#218 stodders: Attempting the Six nations Grand Slam is an even better idea especially as Munster will be weak with players out.
#219 poppa69: the French season is ridiculous, they only finished their season a few weeks ago and now its starting again. They need to get i started.
29 Aug 2008, 17:19 pm
#221 Big Hit: *they need to get it sorted
29 Aug 2008, 17:25 pm
#220 stodders: harking back to the good old days I think stodders…
#221 Big Hit: but can you guarantee that the NH teams will have their top sides out ? thats the thing now, look at Scot in the WC, the games showpiece and they play a second string side… its this dilution that really irks me…
and agreed, the French really need to sort it , but will the club owners let them ?
29 Aug 2008, 17:32 pm
Our biggest concern is one Peter with the word ‘strategy’ on his back. Tough to figure out, even our own players and asst coaches struggle with it.
29 Aug 2008, 17:32 pm
#223 poppa69: NH teams almost always play their best available in the November tests.
It is their only chance to blood the players into the game plan in a match environment prior to the 6Nations next year, which for most is where their focus is on. The only time this wasn’t true was for England under Woodward, who saw the matches against the SH nations as the priority to instill a belief that England were as good, if not better, than the SH nations. It worked.
As for the Scots not playing their top stars, NZ didn’t either during the world cup. The thing that set Scotland and NZ apart is that NZ’s squad was strong throughout, whereas it was quite clear who Scotlan’s 1st XV were. When NZ rotated, little was lost in terms of playing ability. When Scotland rotated, alot was lost!
29 Aug 2008, 17:34 pm
Looks like the Proteas are determinedly following in the Boks footsteps with the ODIs.
29 Aug 2008, 17:34 pm
#223 poppa69: Yeah, they’d have a good team out at home in the Autumn international window, its just the end of year tours that get treated with disrespect for some reason.
I’m not sure if the club owners will let it happen. i think a lot of the clubs are part owned and financed by the local councils in France tho
29 Aug 2008, 17:39 pm
#227 Big Hit: Big hit – how are the folks taking EJ’s speech re ELV’s? Could this be the push the NH needed to really give IRB the finger, and refuse that route? If I was IRB, I would consider scrapping the term ELV, take 2-3 rules that all will likely agree to and implement, then walk away from anything remotely sounding like experimental. Unite rugby again, then make sure to implement SOMETHING to ensure refs are on the same page. Of course the intepretation of the 2-3 rules have to be clearly spelt out..
29 Aug 2008, 17:40 pm
#227 Big Hit: ok thought the French clubs were privately owned, my mistake…
#225 stodders: wasnt having a dig at Scot there Stodders, but understand the point you make..
Therefore i think the IRB need to make points available for every “test” match, and have this as a way of qualifying to make the WC… surely if each sanctioned test or series had another aspect to it (i.e 2 points given to the winning side, top 20 sides qualify) , think this would stop the practice of sending weakened teams, and that can only be a good thing …
29 Aug 2008, 17:40 pm
#225 stodders: yeah, they blooded Barclay v New Zealand, a great prospect but goes to show the strenght of the outfit they sent out.
29 Aug 2008, 17:46 pm
#229 poppa69: for example, the 3Ns this year , the 3rd test each country plays against each other could be worth the 2 points… would add a little more spice to tomorrows game as well, knowing qualification points were on the line…
29 Aug 2008, 17:47 pm
#228 Expatinus: Its all over the papers, but I think people will judge on the rugby. I agree with your idea, everyone should just agree on the good ones, they’re pretty obvious at this point anyway.
29 Aug 2008, 17:54 pm
One law I would like to see is that kicking for goal is only allowed for penalties inside the 25, and then in front of the post as in soccer. This will, at least, allow the refs more leeway to penalise without giving away 3 points and also hit the defending team for cynical transgressions Which, I may add, the ABs have been masters at for years.
29 Aug 2008, 17:56 pm
#233 David: but then you negate Engs style of play as well
as for the AB’s , they are masters at playing to the limit of the law.. 
29 Aug 2008, 17:57 pm
I see McCain has chosen a rather gorgeous looking lady as running mate. I’d vote for her.
29 Aug 2008, 17:58 pm
#234 poppa69:
That should read “exploiting” the limits of the law.
29 Aug 2008, 17:59 pm
#235 David: whats her name , will have to google it … ?
29 Aug 2008, 17:59 pm
#236 David: you call it exploiting , I call it “understanding” lmao
29 Aug 2008, 18:01 pm
#237 poppa69:
Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska
29 Aug 2008, 18:02 pm
#233 David: As have England tbh, but I like long range penalties. They’re exciting imo
29 Aug 2008, 18:02 pm
#237 poppa69:
Check the bbc news site. There’s a pic of her there.
29 Aug 2008, 18:03 pm
#241 David: will do..
29 Aug 2008, 18:04 pm
Boucher clean bowled, 114/5
29 Aug 2008, 18:05 pm
#238 poppa69:
I’m referring to deliberately conceding a penalty, especially out wide, rather than a try. Very few refs are prepared to blow a professional foul for at least 4 or 5 occurences.
29 Aug 2008, 18:07 pm
#244 David: seems it has to be within a possible try scoring move (ala barnes) before they will take any action….
and she isnt too bad for a 45 year old woman…
29 Aug 2008, 18:34 pm
The Aussies had the Boks for main course last weekend
This weekend its time for dessert – And guess whats on the menu ??
Custard
29 Aug 2008, 18:40 pm
#246 vindicated: Vinnnie I think it could go the other way tomorrow.
29 Aug 2008, 18:49 pm
#247 AB: well maybe if they forgot to have starters it might
But dessert normally follows the main meal
29 Aug 2008, 18:51 pm
Fascinating discussion with some good educated comments, vindi excluded but that’s not new. I wonder if the evermore complex and open to interpretation laws being introduced into rugby won’t do it damage at the lower levels. This is at school or club where a ref that knows all the variations simply cannot be found, so we’ll play soccer instead. Already rugby, even more than cricket, is a big fish in small pond thing (hence NZ’s dominance he he). I don’t see complicated rule changes widening its appeal. Certainly for me the gaining grounds kicking and abominable refs makes me want to go and ride my mountain bike or dirt bike.
29 Aug 2008, 18:51 pm
#248 vindicated: I think I am more of a heart man on this issue and hope for just one little surprise’ not too much to ask wouldnt you say?
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