Boks were well beaten
7 Sep 2009
Worse than the Springbok performance in Brisbane was the post match analysis on SuperSport, writes Keo in his weekly Business Day column.
Naas Botha blamed the referee Wayne Barnes for South Africa’s emphatic 21-6 defeat against Australia and to illustrate his point he laboured through a couple of debatable decisions at the breakdown. Then Botha spoke about the two Australian tries and the four times Australia’s players crossed South Africa’s line, only to be denied by stunning cover tackles. Not once did Botha show us a South African try or a South African try-scoring opportunity because there wasn’t a heck of a lot to show from a South African perspective.
Australia could have had six tries. South Africa, at best, were close to scoring once. That is how convincing this Australian win was. The Boks, three years ago, took a 49-0 drubbing at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and had everything gone Australia’s way on Saturday the result could have been of a similar nature.
The SunCorp Stadium has never been kind to the Springboks in matches against Australia, with the Boks having last scored a try at the venue against the Aussies in 1997. They scored plenty there against Samoa during the 2003 World Cup, but when it comes to playing the Wallabies in Brisbane the Boks have managed six, nine, zero and six points in the last decade, while the hosts have totaled 32, 29, 49 and 21.
History always favoured the Wallabies in Brisbane, where the only team to have won there in the last 10 years is New Zealand. Form was also decisive, as was Australia’s team selection, which was an improvement on who started in Perth seven days earlier.
A week ago I cautioned against writing off Australia and wrote that they were not half as bad as their media made out after the 32-25 defeat in Perth. I watched that match three times and the more I watched it the more worried I got about the prospect of Brisbane. It did not need hindsight to know that Brisbane would be very different to Perth.
In Perth Australia never recovered from a 12-point deficit, but they controlled the last 30 minutes of the Test and in particular they were impressive in the scrum. What they lacked was a lineout and physicality in the contact areas. In Brisbane the lineout still wobbled, but the physicality was greater than anything the Springboks have experienced in the Tri Nations this year and the Australian scrum was as good as it was in Cape Town and Perth.
Decisively, the Australians maintained this physical onslaught for the duration of the match and when a Bok team does not physically dictate they tend to struggle.
Anyone blaming Barnes’s officiating is insulting Australia’s performance.
As far a game plans go, South Africa got it wrong and Australia got it boringly right. The hosts played the percentages, kicked for territory and rarely attacked from within their half. Matt Giteau kicked a drop goal and James O’Connor scored from a kick and chase.
When South Africa did it in Cape Town, the criticism Down Under was they were boring. When Australia did it, they were just being clever. What is disappointing about Brisbane is that the Boks were suckered into playing a more expansive and risky game, which favoured the Australians, who in turn played risk-free rugby and got the rewards.
The Springboks, outstanding in the first four Tri Nations victories, will win the Tri Nations, regardless of the result in Hamilton because New Zealand does not have the capacity to score four tries against the Boks and four tries against the Wallabies a week later.
But the taste of championship victory will be soured if there is another defeat in Hamilton, and another set piece disaster will force the selectors to revisit their view on John Smit’s future as an international tighthead prop.
Smit, South Africa’s greatest captain and one of the finest hookers in the game, has taken a beating in the scrum against Australia this year. He should not be playing tighthead. If you play him, start him at hooker, which is his best position.
It won’t happen this weekend and Smit will again be a target, when not long ago he was a strength in the front row. With France waiting in Toulouse in November I can’t see the selectors playing two hookers in the front row, and if they do they should be the ones getting the chop.
266 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 » Show All
7 Sep 2009, 12:01 pm
Dragons – verseker waar!
7 Sep 2009, 12:06 pm
lol Staal, dink jy ook JS moet vervang word op vaskop?
7 Sep 2009, 12:09 pm
Exactly right…..any rugby fundi will tell you it srarts in the scrums…..go back there and its goodnite nurse…..at this level we are being exposed …
7 Sep 2009, 12:11 pm
#2 cab: To be honest Cab it should not really even be a debate point….if J Smit wants to go to WC 2011 he needs to do so as a Hooketr ….klaar!
7 Sep 2009, 12:13 pm
As a team will be better but honestly….. we need a tighthead. We can argue till the cows come home…. we are 14 players and a captain……
what no-one seems to mention is the workrate of our cappie…. he is absolutely under performing….. have a look at the stats of him clearing rucks and mauls… and how late he gets to them….
he has been part of the team but he has not been “massive” as a player in his own right….
but still we will get people saying he is not struggling in the scrums, he is not as bad as we say he was… blah blah blah,rememeber a chain is as strong as ……….
if you wanna play Smittie….play him hooker…..BUT above Bissie?…. not so sure…..
What to do then…..Janie at tighthead is just as bad…. honestly there is no-one else……..
Maybe Januarie?
7 Sep 2009, 12:17 pm
Let’s see how Smitty do in Hamilton. I won’t call for his head just yet.
7 Sep 2009, 12:18 pm
#5 Staal: LOL….Staal wghat are the Bulls gonna do….surely they must ne looking overseas for a 3,,,,,cant see them retaining the super 14 with the problems being experienced currently in that scrum?
7 Sep 2009, 12:20 pm
These are the tough calls ….really should never have done this to Smit to begin with.
7 Sep 2009, 12:22 pm
#6 Wezwp:
yep, agree, lets see.
7 Sep 2009, 12:23 pm
Keo – nonsense.
“Australia could have had six tries. South Africa, at best, were close to scoring once.”
Watching the game a second time, there were at least 5 instances in the first half where we were on the attack, and dropped a pass etc.
As far as your views WRT to Naas’s post match review, which part was incorrect? He showed particular examples of how oz players came from the side and stopped the bok maul a few times in the oz 22, right in front of the ref. These should have been penalized without doubt. Whether this would have changed the outcome of the game, who knows, there were still only 6 points in it at that point.
7 Sep 2009, 12:23 pm
#7 grant10: What problems?
Eish….horrible…..
Bulls might even not make the CC semi’s this year.
#6 Wezwp: and that is the right way of going about it… drop no-one….
but the wrong way is to say Smittie is not as bad a “everyone says he is” or its all just “technical” from the refs….. nada…. ons cappie struggle nou al heeljaar of ons wen of nie.
but as stupid as it may seem i think we have now got a better chance of winning the Ab’s than if we had “walked” the Wallas last week.
hope so anyhow….
7 Sep 2009, 12:26 pm
#5 Staal: Hey Staal – I usually respect your opinion but I can’t agree with you on that one.
Do you perhaps have this stats you mention?
On the stats I saw he mad more tackles and hit more rucks than any other tight forward on Saturday. These stats may be from Fantasy Rugby, but they get all their info from the guys who does NZ’s analysis for the tests.
7 Sep 2009, 12:26 pm
Crikey, wonders never cease. Keo gets it spot on for once !
Surely Naasty Boota didnt blame Barnes ? Aus were, quite simply, better. There was not 1 decision by Barnes that affected the result.
The Boks simply cant lose this TriN. Noone expects this AB team, shorn of so much class by defections and injuries, to score 4 tries in 1 match let alone back-to-back against 2 of the 3 best teams in the World. Theyve struggled to catch a cold this season let alone a slip-pass. Certainly the best Im hoping for is a win, period.
And Smit wasnt the only problem in the frontrow this time around, both Bismarck & Beast were popping too. But its obvious Smit is not a TH and that Bismarck is the better player as hooker. So make the tough call and stick with it.
7 Sep 2009, 12:27 pm
#12 Kerneels:
thats the way i saw, so am also surprised staal says that.
7 Sep 2009, 12:27 pm
#11 Staal: I was at Newlands Sat and thought the teams had swopped jerseys!!! So used to WP being manhandled at scrum time….
On a serious note though it was not a pretty sight and i have concerns about Bok rugby going forward. We have been hurt at scrum time …its the wins that cloud the judgement…..no real hard men at 3 on the horison……Bulls should wave the chq book under those boys noses in Ireland….we need all the help we can get!
7 Sep 2009, 12:29 pm
I got a feeling John Smit will retire at the end of the Tri-Nations. He has given more than his all in service to SA rugby. He’ll be wise to leave at the top. A good man…but just a man. He is not a Tighthead and he is not the best hooker anymore. He’s done us very proud. He deserves to pass the baton on with his dignity in tact. He will always be held in high esteem in world rugby. He deserves at little R & R. To expect him to die for us SA fans until the end of RWC 2011 is a bit mean hearted. His captaincy skills are scary boots to fill but time moves on and SA rugby will in time find another diamond. It’s the Bokke way. TRUST!
7 Sep 2009, 12:30 pm
#13 BlackPanther: Yes….not just Smit that got walloped….Beast was as poor!!
7 Sep 2009, 12:32 pm
#16 Jinx: yeah….my contention that for a while now…..i actually thought he would have done so after the B and I Lions tour as Jake suggested to him….
Even better to exit after beating the kiwis in Hamilton and winning the tri nations….i agtee with Cab…i ecpect a massive onslaught from the Boks against the old enemy this weekend.
7 Sep 2009, 12:33 pm
The Boks were hammered, no doubt. They played the wrong game. It should have been up and unders and lineouts all day.
That however does not excuse Barnes performance. He missed quite a bit that happened right in front of his eyes.
It’s a pity Smit is being played at prop, but SA will have to stick to him in that position for the year. He’s too ‘big’ to play hooker.
Still, exactly what the Boks needed. I’d rather have them beat the Wallabies once and the ABs over erseas to take the trophy
7 Sep 2009, 12:33 pm
#12 Kerneels: rugbystats.com
have a look at that,
but even though i am not a true believer in stats only – i can honsetly say that i have been watching him since the start of this year and he seems to be struggling …..
7 Sep 2009, 12:36 pm
#18 grant10:
Nothing but full power commitment will do. The boys must fire at 1000%. To me this is a mini “world cup final”. The Boks must dig into places so deep within their spirits.
7 Sep 2009, 12:37 pm
The Springboks, outstanding in the first four Tri Nations victories, will win the Tri Nations, regardless of the result in Hamilton because New Zealand does not have the capacity to score four tries against the Boks and four tries against the Wallabies a week later.
dont write the all blacks off just keo i have a bad feeling we s. africans and bok supporters might be calling it the cry nations
7 Sep 2009, 12:38 pm
#13 BlackPanther: bp, did u read chris rattue’s piece in the nz herald on the boks? what do you make of his views?
7 Sep 2009, 12:39 pm
and the naysayers prattle on hoping that if they say it enough it will come true…
7 Sep 2009, 12:41 pm
#21 Jinx: They will Jinx….agree…the importance is huge….we have opened the door for the Kiwis and need to shut it firmly….and we will…
I wouldnt be surprised if J Smit plays like a man possessed….perhaps in the knowledge that it may very well be his last hurrah….in the 3 jersey anyway…..
7 Sep 2009, 12:41 pm
#20 Staal: Ja I’ll be the first to admit that he has struggled a bit with his added weight to play prop, but I really thought he had a good game on Saturday with the obvious exception of scrums – where all three the front rowers seemed to struggle.
I know most people will say that he is the weak link and therefore the front row struggles, but the fact of the matter is that the scrums have not been any better with Jannie on the field and in my opinion we do not have a TH of enough quality to take along to NZ in 2 year’s time.
A few of the young guys look promising (most notably Blaauw who had a stormer on Saturday) but in terms of international quality non of them are there yet with regards to experience. Smit is included in this crowd, but at least he brings a bit more in general terms…86 test sand all that.
Ignoring the overseas based players for the moment – who would you have replace him?
7 Sep 2009, 12:42 pm
What has been asked of Smit is tantamount to a complete career change without the requisite experience or qualification.
It’s not fair to him and the criticism of him for performing badly should be directed at Snor and Gary Glitter
7 Sep 2009, 12:42 pm
#24 gunther: Hi G….Did you enjoy the North …sOuth derby sat….i was there…great crowd and atmosphere.
7 Sep 2009, 12:43 pm
FYI I agree with Keo – but I think the Aussies deserve most credit for the win on Saturday. In my opinion a team who can pick themselves up after 4 straight painful defeats to dominate the world no 1 team like that deserves all the praise we can heap on them.
Average age of 23…watch out for this team.
7 Sep 2009, 12:43 pm
#13 BlackPanther:
Naas wasnt blaming the ref, but pointing out a poor performance by the man.
He also acknowledged the great performance by the aussies, but with only 6 points in it, and one of the boks primary strength areas being badly officiated, it certainly again highlights how poor reffing has become of late.
Aussies were also confused at times about some of Barne’s calls, although when it came to bringing down our rolling maul, they transgressed right in front of Barnes, it almost seemed as if they knew they could get away with it, and this in their 22.
Maybe Deans had spoken to Barnes beforehand who said he wasn’t too concerned about that side of the maulling rules, who knows?
7 Sep 2009, 12:44 pm
#27 seamus: Exactly what a lot of ex boks are saying …
7 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm
#29 Kerneels:
agree with all your comments on this thread, and blaauw is one to watch, but will wait for S14, and another LH.
7 Sep 2009, 12:46 pm
John Smit struggling?
No ways it was only the refs interpretation 2 weeks ago.
No ways. it’s just an illusion. He was not pushed into the air and had no airial view of the pitch. It’s the negative remarks from wingers who makes us all believe it is happening…..
No whay’s man……let’s rather be possitive and say the BOKS were dominating the scrums. Ya…maye then everyone will believe…….
7 Sep 2009, 12:48 pm
#27 seamus:
actually it was john’s decision…
#28 grant10:
it made me ill….I almost had to leave the box at half time….
7 Sep 2009, 12:50 pm
Lets not panic just yet. While Smit was dominated on Saturday he didn’t do badly in the other matches. Think Phil Vickery, vastly experienced prop who was torn to pieces by the beast. I used to play tighthead and hooker incidentally. There are just some days when things just don’t go well. Again the best example if Vickery … Smit played well in the loose and has done just fine against all other teams.
7 Sep 2009, 12:50 pm
#26 Kerneels: Honestly – there is no-one to replace Smittie. The rest are even worse….
But what is more worrying is that we (Boks) keep blaming the refs for our scrum problems and we are not fixing it.
7 Sep 2009, 12:51 pm
I agree that we could have and should have played better, but surely the ref should take some flack for those dodgy call he made. No wonder we started loosing momentum and composure, we were blown at, at every turn. Can’t help but think that the Lions tour has something to do with it, getting us back the only way he knows how?
7 Sep 2009, 12:52 pm
#34 gunther: LOL….i attended with a few bloggers….thought of you choking back some tears when Brock and Blaauw did the pushover….and to sweeten the pot even more with Luke barging over!!LOL
On a serious note though it is not cool to see a bulls scrum in such poor form…doesent augur well for the super 14 next year….really hoping the bulle on a dspending spree top bring some props home…preferably those that play with 3 on there backs…
7 Sep 2009, 12:52 pm
#36 Wikus van der Merwe: Agreed wrt ref. Dominant scrums have few issues with the ref.
7 Sep 2009, 12:52 pm
#34 gunther: Why at half time…you guys were leading!!!
7 Sep 2009, 12:54 pm
#26 Kerneels: Kerneels, ek dink ook nie dis korrek om hom nou te drop nie. Kry iemand om hom hul te kom help – iemand soos Os wat dalk kan verduidelik waar die probleem is ASOOK die oplossing.
7 Sep 2009, 13:01 pm
#36 Wikus van der Merwe: In fairness it is the media (well, some of them) who are blaming the ref – Smittie said in his post-match interview ‘excuses are for losers’. I couldn’t agree more.
#41 Staal: Stem saam – met all respek vir Gary Gold ek dink hulle moet ‘n skrum spesialis kry om te help. Balie Swart, Os of een van daardie ouens. Miskien selfs vir Kobus Visagie wie nou help met die scrums by Saracens. Scrums en spesifiek voorry is nou maar net een posisie waar jy iemand nodig het wat daar gespeel het (en redelik onlangs) om te verstaan en af te rig.
7 Sep 2009, 13:05 pm
Verskonings, verskonings. Kan die Bokke nie maar net hul pak vat soos ‘n man nie. Op die dag was die Aussies beter en klaar. Die All Blacks kan maklik twee bonus punt wenne inryg, dan kom die Bokke tweede. Dis nie rerig die einde vd wereld nie.
7 Sep 2009, 13:06 pm
Not convinced.. oh mygodwhoonearthwouldblamewaynebarnesforanythingheistheprodigoussaviourofSA’srugbysWCvictory,imagineifhehadallowedtheAB’stowinagainstFrancetheycouldhavewontheWC….nowhe’stobalmefortheirlosstoAustralia..:-D
7 Sep 2009, 13:07 pm
Bokke het bietjie groot geraak vir hulle boots. Dis tyd om terug te gaan na die drawing board. Die verloor was nodig om weer terug te kom aarde toe.
7 Sep 2009, 13:09 pm
#45 zef: hmmmmm – ek dink daar’s nogal waarhe4id in wat jy sê….. slegte nuus vir die A4Y’s want nou gaat ons lekker gatvol wees as ons hul aanvat!
7 Sep 2009, 13:11 pm
ek’s nie in n goeie bui nie…..
en dit het niks met rugby te doen nie!
7 Sep 2009, 13:15 pm
Re: 46 Staal: laat ons so hoop Staal, laat ons so hoop. As die ouens eers beneuk raak gaan die ABs aftjop. Ek hoop Schalk speel.
7 Sep 2009, 13:17 pm
Why is no-one blaming the coach?
7 Sep 2009, 13:20 pm
#23 superbowljoel:
I did. Rattue is often a little too desperate to flying in to the breeze, not with it, but he often strikes a real chord. I like that he ruffles feathers in NZ, whether its right or wrong. NZ, like SA, can be a bit insular esp about rugby and this doesnt develop character and NZ has suffered horrendously under a leftwing pinky Uncle Helen Prime Minister for so long that PC attitudes brought NZ to its knees. We were a nation that ‘called a spade a spade’, which encouraged opinion, not dampened it, so people were happy to call it a gardening utensil instead for fear of annoying the neighbours. You have idiots there like Murray Deaker who are stubborn 1-eyed f*wits and give Kiwis a bad name. So Rattue is a breath of fresh air as far as Im concerned.
The good thing about Rattue is that he’s also man enough to admit when he’s wrong. For eg he was GHs biggest critic post-RWC and continuing this year. But still had the common grace to admit that GH had done good things this year when the Bledisloe was won. You have to be a Kiwi to know what it means to us.
So when Rattue said stuff about the Boks and Blacks, its the thought-provoking stuff I like. He loves Robbie Deans so of course he pumps him up (because its consistent eith his anti-GH stance). He said PdV was selected for non-rugby issues, which is what Hoskins said, what Dowd para-phrased, and has elements of truth. But not the whole story either. But he was careful not to delve too deep there because he knows SA is a complex society and NZs less so.
I like Rattue, but its doesnt mean I agree with everything he says. Which is exactly why I do, it makes me think. Im more suspicious about strangers bearing gifts. Aye BH.
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.