Fourie laments tactical tangle
Jaque Fourie conceded the Springboks’ approach was predictable and lacked purpose.
Notwithstanding excellent defence from the British and Irish Lions, the Springboks were utterly rudderless in their attempts to break their opponents down. It was shades of their worst performances of the 2008 Tri-Nations, and was characterised by impatience, a lack of appreciation for possession and infuriating individualism.
The coaching staff were tactically naïve and arrogant to think that they could run the Lions off the track. Where they’d played the percentages in the preceding two Tests, they traded that successful game plan for a cavalier one that got them thumped at a ground they view as a fortress.
Fourie acknowledged their shortcomings, but refused to blame the coaching staff, saying, ‘We spoke about not wanting to change our game plan, but that’s what happened,’ he told keo.co.za.
‘I won’t blame the coaches. The key to the success of any game plan is good decision making by the players, and today I don’t think we made good decisions.
‘I thought we did well on defence, particularly our defence in the inside channels, but they took the chances they had and that was the difference today.’
Fourie added that the root of their struggles on attack was that they were being dominated at the breakdown.
‘We just couldn’t get phases together and as a result we had minimal attacking opportunities.’
Lock Johann Muller concurred with Fourie’s view.
‘We were our own worst enemies, we conceded too many turnovers, 10 or 12 I think in good positions, and that killed us,’ he said.
‘They benefited from having a true fetcher [Martyn Williams] who made a massive difference. They took the chances they created from turnover ball, and they must be given credit for how clinical they were in that regard.
‘Our cleaners weren’t good today and we have to take responsibility for that.’
Fourie did, however, intimate that the Lions were consistently breaching the offside line.
‘Ugo Monye was basically in our line before the ball was passed,’ he said referring to the winger’s intercept try, ‘so that’s something we’re not pleased with, but have to live with.
‘But it wasn’t the reason we lost. We had chances to win the game – when Zane [Kirchner] knocked on in the first half, if Monye hadn’t intercepted Zane was over in the corner, and the one at the end when Odwa [Ndugane] was denied a try.
‘That’s potentially 21 points and that would have been the difference between winning and losing. But credit to them, they took their chances and we didn’t.’
By Ryan Vrede, at Ellis Park
July 4th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Series winning Dragons..
July 4th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Is Jaque whinging here?
July 4th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Fourie showing the bad looser lions how to do a post match interview. Looking at the negatives and positives BUT ultimately congratulating the opposition on their win – this type of sportmanship is something the whinging lions have lacked this tour!
July 4th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
‘Ugo Monye was basically in our line before the ball was passed,’ he said refering to the winger’s intercept try, ‘so that’s something we’re not pleased with, but have to live with.
Sounds like a whinge to me
July 4th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
#4 jonnymain:
More like fact. We complain when there is fact involved in wrong doing. We admit out own mistakes and dont try to blame everyone else.
You missed his last few words: but have to live with. That shows that they are moving on and wont call 911 after the game for an inquiry into this!
July 4th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Three tries to zip and Fourie thinks the defence was good…
July 4th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
#5 mellowyellow: Not fact. His (wrong) opinion. Lighten the f**k up will you, I’m just having a bit of a laugh!
July 4th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
#5 mellowyellow:
I wonder if someone can tell us the stats on how many intercept tries have been scored against the boks and how many many by the boks?
I cannot for the life of me remember when the last time one was scored against the boks. Some victories the boks have had have had a hollow feel because the other side dominated the whole match and Mr Habana steals one and apparently that is part of the “game plan”.
Take it on the chin Jaque, we have done it hundreds of times to other sides.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Give Jacque a break, he gives credit to the opposition (twice, in this interview – twice more than the Lions have said about their opponents this tour) and is one of our best players. He doesn’t whinge, he just points out that the Boks weren’t as bad as it appears on the scoreboard
July 4th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Oi oi oi guys its a night to celebrate, we took the series 2-1, we got a perfect wake up call and the DOOS called Tackler is trying to spoil our party.
The Lions have a great team and they could have won this series 3 zip, but they did not. We have the trophy. so enjoy it , next game in 2 or 3 weeks, enough time to get the bodies fresh and ready.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
With PDV there, were gonna get our asses handed to us on a silver platter by the Aussies and Kiwi’s.
NZ will win their first test “series” in SA since 1996.
Who the hell puts Spies on wing?
July 4th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
well said J Fourie – a sportsman 4 sure!
July 4th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Snor… proven doos
July 5th, 2009 at 12:10 am
#4 jonnymain: there’s no offside in open play, Ugo can stand where he wants as long as the ruck is over.
Jacobs would’ve been better than Fourie today, much more creative in an open game.
July 5th, 2009 at 12:19 am
#14 Big Hit: I think that our 2 centers are taking a hammering a little unfairly.
This win was built on a platform of rogering the Bok front row, which they well and truly did.
Muller, Kankowski, Knock-onwe were predictably poor to pathetic.
If any one has watched the tour at all this Lions win was predictable (although the margin was disappointing).
Well done bud.
Piet Snor has lots to think about.
Smit for one. Kruger, Van Der Linde
Chili not close to being ready. So who backs up Bismark?
Vermulen and Potgieter way ahead of Kankowski.
Ruan is still in my opinion better than Morne – although Morne off the bench is a great option.
Who backs up FdP? Fatty must retire now.
Lock back up is Rossouw or Sykes (and I like Fondse).
I really really wish Guthro was a hooker.
July 5th, 2009 at 12:19 am
I appears to me that one can only get into a “tactical tangle” if one actually had a tactic to start with?
July 5th, 2009 at 12:20 am
#16 cyberscamp: LOL. No ball or good ball means scrambling means no tactics.
July 5th, 2009 at 12:25 am
#14 Big Hit:
yip but will the fools ever admit it, never in your life
July 5th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Muller is always full of excuses- he reminds me of a Lion supporter/player. We lost beacause he does F#%$ALL effectively at ruck time, and makes damn few tackles. When Shaw was sent off, it actually evened out the number of effective forwards on the field, it didn’t give us an advantage. Jeez I hope that he never gets used in the 3N…
If I was Snor, I would have had Sykes on in the first half already.
July 5th, 2009 at 3:20 am
#19 SjamBok: The Boks intensity at teh breakdown was as frustrating as the Sharks inetnsity at teh breakdown this season. Is there a damn coach in that system that can coach the Boks to clean the breakdowns and protect their ball to recycle it quickly please? Because Snor, Gold and Muir have no clue.
Even stupid things like the props doing the right thing to start a maul – they did not bind up to the lock immediately after the lock caught the ball. Instead they allowed opposing forwards to get inbetween the lock and support and break the maul up. Shocking!! That is schoolboy stuff man!!
July 5th, 2009 at 3:40 am
Why is there not a Saffa systme whereby we have a long string of forwards running in a closed ciruit, hitting the line hard supported by one or two, popped to another with similar support? You only need three people to support and clean, and the big guys (Bakkies, rossouw and Spies) to catch the ball at speed to hit the line and take support with them, lay the ball down and set up the next line hit. Instead, all go into one ruck, and the next guy goes in with no support.
PS did anyone else find the Boks to be so inaccurate in their cleaning today- moronic diving into the rucks, with no looking even to see where the ball was, and if the dive was even in the right place? We had forwards hitting the ruck at the left side, while the ball was lying on the right hand side, in danger of it being adjudged as out of the ruck. and yet not one freaking forward even bothered to LOOK to protect it. Surely the heart of accuracy must lie in them LOOKING and approaching the ruck HEADS UP? Awful play man…
July 5th, 2009 at 4:54 am
“‘We spoke about not wanting to change our game plan, but that’s what happened,’ he told keo.co.za.”
Yep… you went from playing Jake White rugby to Piet Helium rugby!
First ever ‘game-plan’ to break the Aussie RSA hoodoo record, first ever nil point loss at home to NZ, first southern hemisphere team to lose against the BILS in 9 years…
Snor… stick to talking kak in the media and leave Smit and Muir to run the Boks… and you’ll be collecting your inflated pay cheque for a lot longer…
July 5th, 2009 at 5:02 am
Mossie is right.
Go check the clip on rugbydumpdotcom.
It is all there, the instances he mentioned….
July 5th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Juat think how good the Boks mught be with a coach, hooker [no Joost a Bismark type hooker], tighthead, 8thman and 2 wings.
July 5th, 2009 at 8:10 am
It has to be said, given the chance to ‘coach’ Snor manages to royaly score 100% in the complete mess up awards.
No gameplan, no structure, no compete at the breakdown. Weird positional changes – Spies? The wrong bench, the wrong front row – can all the pro-Chillis now have a glass of shut your mouth thanks.
Kirchener kicks too much possession away. Are we playing Ruan and flyhalf or scrum half or anywhere we see fit, what about replacement hooker?
As for the armbands, absolutely pathetic. The coaching staff should have refused there. Springbok rugby used to be about pride, honour and taking wins and defeats like men. The armband showed them up for the children they are.
An embarrassment all around.
July 5th, 2009 at 9:02 am
We were simply outbullied at the breakdown, we lacked any physical presence there.
When we did not try and bullie the Lions and play rugby, we were outplayed there too by a team that executed 100% better than the Boks
July 5th, 2009 at 9:06 am
But then I certainly did not expect flawless execution from a team that made 10 changes…
July 5th, 2009 at 11:03 am
#14 Big Hit:
Fourie got the ball twice in a backline move, Meisiekind thought it good to skip him every single time.
Fourie turned over 6 balls at the ruck and his defense was immense.
Jacobs is not in Fourie’s league.
Strange thing is that the WHOLE ENTIRE RUGBY WORLD – AND NOT ONLY US APPARENT WHITE RACISTS believe Fourie to be better and PDV to be a freakin joke.
Watch REunion, watch Wrap from down under – read the English and UK papers – everybody is saying that PDV is a joke as a coach and the he has no clue.
Does that mean that the whole planet are racists? Or is it maybe just because the PDV supporters will support their coach to the end – no matter what? Throughout this series – the Boks have managed to put together 70 minutes of good rugby out of 240.
I see a very lean Tri-nations for us. Porbably the wooden spoon for the second time in his second year. With great players.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am
#27 PissAnt:
and the Lions made 7?
July 5th, 2009 at 11:19 am
#29 WilladieLeeu:
Forced vs. tactical.
The Lions did not have a choice, we conciously picked a team that we knew was undercooked.
It is a blight on the series and does no favours to the players, who can only play themselves out of contention.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:54 am
#30 PissAnt:
I know, but what I meant was they made 7 changes and the played bloody good rugby.
What’s our excuse?
July 5th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
#31 WilladieLeeu:
These guys have been together for close to 2 months, playing every week.
The majority of our changes have not played since the Super 14 apart from a minute here and there.
The Lions was hell-bent on being the first team not to lose 3-0 for the first time in SA.
The Boks, well they were ‘building for the 3N’ and distracted by the whole Bakkies thing.
I dont think we learned much, I do not think it served any purpose in the way it was done also.
In no way could the players have given PDV any idea on how to approach the 3N or with what team as it was unfair to expect them to be clinical having played so little rugby.
Every single combination yesterday was a new combination.
You dont do that at this level.
There are ways to assess players, this was not one of them.
July 5th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
#32 PissAnt:
Agreed.
My biggest concern is on PDV being hellbent on playing different game plans.
When I saw Matfield in the backline in the 7th minute yesterday I knew it was tickets. I’m afraid that his stubborness might be our downfall. We also have less than two years before 2011. And at the moment we have no idea what our game plan is, or in what direction were heading.
We have the players and the depth (except lock and prop) but we have no idea what he wants to do or where he wants to take this team.
Time is running out.