BJ BOtha
Faan Ratenbachh

best around

Then you have to really be optimistic to think you are going to dominate all round so you must develop tactics to cope. If the AB’s thought they were going to be dominated by SA in the lineouts a few years ago they didn’t kick the ball out or took quick throw ins, Hardly negative.

But seriously, I take your point about technique. My hardy annual is that SA players lack super coaching, the front row is just another place where this is becoming glaringly obvious. I have very little criticism to make about the players – its the way they have been trained, drilled and used that is lacking. Oz makes this point year in and year out.

Not at all (I can hear you snorting at your monitor). I am saying that if some part of your game isn’t that strong, develop techniques to minimise or negate that weakness.

But maybe you’ve answered the question. The oz scrum was considered weak. Then along came this cheeky Kiwi who said that it needn’t be. Pretty much the same players, better techniques, maybe a few schemes and hey, the Oz scrum starts shoving the highly rated Poms around.

Can’t SA do this?

Surely your namesake is over-emphasised. Fewer scrums, limited opportunity to attack in the scrums due to diabolical refereeing and more emphasis on loose play for the front row. So, like Oz, can’t you just select a “competent” front row, on your ball; quick feed, hook so the ball rockets 10m out of the scrum and don’t contest opposition scrums, just hold and wait to defend. If under threat, collapse, re set, moan about oppositon not binding, ********, boring, slipping, not taking the pressure etc etc.

With the front row guys available, and those being selected, SA might have to learn a few Oz tricks.

Oh, and tjokvol out of skopshite Grant isn’t a 1000% better than Butch (maybe 10%? on a good day), Goyousillything, JS is hardly fat; I supect you couldn’t even outrun him. On second thoughts if you called him fat maybe you could, fear of death is a great incentive.

Johnson is worried about his own pack’s weaknesses after the Aussie game and has stated there will be ‘no holds barred’ in this area so I think he will target the scrums heavily. I think he may make a couple of changes to the pack too to make them more powerful.

It may sound strange given the Boks current situation but I think they have the upper hand all over the field.

London. – Springbok coach Peter de Villiers on Monday dismissed media criticism as an attempt to sell newspapers

Any chance the Bok mentor had of keeping a low profile in the English media were probably dashed by his comments. And he even brought the late Princess Diana into the argument presented at a press conference at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London.

“Criticism appears in newspapers everywhere. People don’t just want to hear that the world is good. They don’t like progress. People prefer to write about things that will sell newspapers,” said De Villiers.

“Some years ago Di died tragically. People made a big deal out of the rumours and never said ‘shame’.

“Everybody is worried about the weekend’s game. As a team we aren’t over the moon about our performance, but currently it’s two wins from two games on tour.”