Smit silences detractors
12 Sep 2009
Keo.co.za brings you the Springbok player ratings from the Test in Hamilton.
Ratings out of 10:
Frans Steyn- 8
His last Test before departing to Racing Metro and he sent a clear message to coach Peter de Villiers with his haul of nine points (points no one else in world rugby could have produced). A couple of massive 60m kicks to score the Boks’ first six points, his first an especially phenomenal effort at sea level on a damp pitch. One mistake in the air, but otherwise was so strong under the high ball. Coach De Villiers will be rightly celebrating the win, but after that will have to re-think his overseas policy for players such as Steyn and Jean de Villiers.
Odwa Ndungane – 6
Had a shaky start as he didn’t get in the air when receiving kicks, and will have to re-work his technique. Week in defence at times, and didn’t commit himself when Isaia Toeava ran at him for Sitiveni Sivivatu’s try, but did look more composed as the match went on.
Jaque Fourie - 6
The All Blacks adopted a high-ball strategy akin to the Boks, but Fourie and co were solid in the air. Also marshaled the defence well, although he did miss some tackles as the match loosened up.
Jean de Villiers – 8
Got over the advantage line every time in possession and got his customary intercept off a Dan Carter pass to stroll over under the poles. Coach De Villiers also has much to think about with him leaving to Munster. Jean has talked in depth how this could be his last Bok tour, there is no way it should be and everything must be done by the Bok management to ensure it isn’t.
Bryan Habana – 7
Took a late hit from Kieran Read as well as one in the air from Joe Rokocoko, both of which should have resulted in yellow cards, but continued to harass all night. Came into the match with a hamstring problem, but soldiered on bravely until two minutes remaining.
Morne Steyn – 7
Didn’t miss a kick all night, including a drop from the wrong side of the field which saw him claim 13 points. Also did some impressive covering work on defence.
Fourie du Preez – 8
Great up and under for his try which showed his game-breaking ability, and was so composed throughout. Why coach De Villiers brought Januarie on for his customary two minutes with the game still in the balance is a mystery.
Pierre Spies – 7
Some defensive work that goes unnoticed, one hit on Ma’a Nonu when the Blacks looked dangerous early in the second half was vital. Has also adapted his play to be more tight in Tests such as this. However, still lacks the composure at the back of the scrum at times with his handling.
Schalk Burger – 7
Was a late replacement for Juan Smith and worked hard throughout with controlled aggression. Off after 67 minutes and worked industriously throughout.
Heinrich Brussow – 7
Made some telling steals, especially one with the hosts on attack in the first half. Harassed Richie McCaw all night and was more productive than the previous two weeks in Australia in outplaying McCaw for three consecutive matches.
Victor Matfield – 8
His 20th Test against the old enemy and again disrupted the All Blacks’ lineout. Steve Hansen said he’s only human before the kick-off, might re-think that statement as the Blacks lost set-piece after set-piece.
Bakkies Botha – 8
The most outrageous pick up at full pace in the build-up to Du Preez’s try showed his extraordinary skill to go with the grunt. His usual self around the park.
John Smit – 9
Most of the focus was on the Bok captain before the Test and was clearly targeted by the All Blacks. However, it didn’t work as he claimed his first victory on Kiwi soil in an international to go along with the Tri-Nations title. Conceded the first six points against the Boks due to belligerent referee Nigel Owens for some interesting calls, but from there on silenced all of his detractors. Not that he would have thought about it before the match, but gained some revenge for Brad Thorn’s spike tackle last year in Wellington when he put in a monstrous hit to much appreciation from from his team-mates. His scrum effort on the hour-mark underneath the poles when the Blacks were coming back into the game was another act of greatness.
Bismarck du Plessis – 7
Missed some poor tackles when he went too high, but forced three telling turnovers in the second half to stop the constant Black attack.
Beast Mtawarira – 7
Also under scrutiny at scrum-time but negotiated Owen Frans with relative ease. Some brilliant cross-cover hits.
Subs:
Chiliboy Ralepelle – Not enough time to be judged.
Jannie du Plessis – As above.
Danie Rossouw – 7
On after 71 minutes for an injured Bakkies Botha and put in some big hits around the fringes as well as some hulking runs.
Ryan Kankowski – 7
Late replacement as Burger was elevated to the starting XV and came on after 67 minutes for the injured flanker. Showed some nice hands and played tight, which was needed.
Ricky Januarie – Not enough time to be judged.
Adi Jacobs – Not enough time to be judged.
Ruan Pienaar – Didn’t come on.
By Grant Ball
103 Comments
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12 Sep 2009, 11:49 am
Grant, perhaps you should have a chat with JC. He reckons our scrum is still fragile.
12 Sep 2009, 11:49 am
I’d give Matfield more than 7. The fact that the ABs had almost no lineout ball to work with surely went a long way to determining the outcome of the match.
12 Sep 2009, 11:51 am
Yeah my favourite part of the game was Smits hit on Thorn. A bit of revenge.
12 Sep 2009, 11:53 am
The sad thing is that Paddy and the boys will probably reckon the match was a advertisement for rugby, overlooking the obvious weaknesses in the officiating system that gifted the AB’s 16 points and made a close game out of it
12 Sep 2009, 11:54 am
The sad thing is that Paddy and the boys will probably reckon the match was an advertisement for rugby, overlooking the obvious weaknesses in the officiating system that gifted the AB’s 16 points and made a close game of it
12 Sep 2009, 11:54 am
Legendary performance Smit.
12 Sep 2009, 11:55 am
Spies lost too much ball at the back of the scrum. Bismark I reckon needs to be given a premier Springbok contract now
12 Sep 2009, 11:56 am
I think that every blogger who was calling for his head should have the humility to praise the great leader and player that he is.
Well played John Smit.
I refer back to my posts (82 & 97) on the Bok v Kiwi preview to support my case.
12 Sep 2009, 11:56 am
#4 Big Hit: He was fantastic. Did he get man of the match? The work rate of the beast and smit is immense.
12 Sep 2009, 11:57 am
Awesome by the Boks, happy with that.
12 Sep 2009, 11:57 am
JC who?
So moopets like Grant10, Skopie etc who reckon Smit should retire where are?. Ready to chew a bit of used jockstrap humble pie. Just because you’ve made 100 000 comments on keow does not mean you know anything about rugby. Enjoy it.
12 Sep 2009, 12:09 pm
#9 husky: Spot on mate….no doubt they will find another reason to call for his head. Outstanding performance all round and easily one of the most exciting test matches I can remember watching. Leadership and bravery and skill under a barrage of media calls for his weaknesses and local bloggers all saying he should go..John Smit you are a legend. Not to mention the somewhat appalling calls by Nigel Owen…so glad we could win this despite his best efforts.
12 Sep 2009, 12:11 pm
Really can not blv this site the one BLACK player in the team gets critisedi I mean he hardly got ball to play with he also put in a big kick wen we were really under pressure looked solid under the high ball all night missed one tackle of which it was not even his man had to turn around to try tackle i just think black people are looked at differently on this site
12 Sep 2009, 12:13 pm
I really enjoyed Smit’s hit on Thorn, no malice just a plain “Howzit – Remember ME!?!”
Nice one John – you really are one of the best Boks ever.
12 Sep 2009, 12:14 pm
Brussow and Burger were an outstanding combination. I’d settle on these two as the permanent #6 and #7 and Spies at #8. Juan Smith has been a serial loafer and underperformer for a very long time and ought to be given the flick completely. Kankowsky is a much better loosie all round.
12 Sep 2009, 12:14 pm
#11 Fire:
Err.. there is more than one black player in the team. Why dont you leave race out of it and just celebrate the win?
12 Sep 2009, 12:15 pm
#13 TheTackler:
Yeah I agree with that. I think Ice had his best test for the AB’s. About time he steps up. He has so much talent he just needs belief.
12 Sep 2009, 12:15 pm
#11 Fire: Don’t read too much into it, Grant is hardly at the cutting edge of sports journalism and his writing is pretty poor at the best of times. Odwa had a very solid all-round game, like he always does.
12 Sep 2009, 12:17 pm
#11 Fire: Sibulele. Accusing someone of racism is a big call, drop it
12 Sep 2009, 12:18 pm
#13 TheTackler: Think you’re mistaken there, Smith has been an absolutely outstanding player this entire 3N tournament – to get rid of him in place of a roofie like Kankowski is quite silly.
12 Sep 2009, 12:24 pm
Grant i did not say u are a racist but the boks missed so many tackles today which is ok it happens at times but i just cant understand how u can pin that on one player. poor oke
12 Sep 2009, 12:28 pm
#19 Fire:
Dude, he gave both Fourie and Ndguane 6 out of 10. I dont see how he signaling ndguane out.
12 Sep 2009, 12:34 pm
I don’t see how you give Habana 7 and JDV 8. Did you see how many tackles Habana made and how many steals or penalties he won!
12 Sep 2009, 12:36 pm
#18 Esoteric: Agree 100% with this. Juan Smith has been one of the stand out players this tri-nations…honestly, what did schalk do today that juan couldn’t? Apart from giving John Smit a nice bang on the nose!
12 Sep 2009, 12:37 pm
#20 Sonito: The point is that many players missed tackles. Grant chose to summarise each players’ performance without being specific about where they made mistakes. When it came to Odwa he suddenly is very specific in pointing out where he made a mistake. For instance he could have pointed out how Steyn dropped a ball under no pressure at all, but he didn’t do this
12 Sep 2009, 12:39 pm
#13 TheTackler: Say, aren’t you the guy who posted something like “Easy win for the All Blacks” before today’s test?
12 Sep 2009, 12:40 pm
Lets face it Smit is a legend! I feel vindicated. however I have to praise Francois Steyn. I have been one of his biggest critics, but I think at 15 he has found his niche. Best game in a bok jersey. JF had a forgettable night. Ratel played like a legend, agree Spies behind the scrum wasn’t great but his cover defence was good. Odwa was solid but we miss JPP chasing. Well done boks you beat a kiwi side playing with an extra player!!!!
12 Sep 2009, 12:41 pm
While we are at it, how about a rating for the coach Grant?
12 Sep 2009, 12:42 pm
#18 Esoteric: You shouldn’t pay too much attention to his recommendations. He supports the All Blacks and has no interest whatsoever in the Boks fielding their strongest XV.
He would also like the Boks to lose so that he can justify his racist perspective.
12 Sep 2009, 12:42 pm
Must say glad to see Smittie prove a few people wrong…he was awesome against the Lions at tighthead and the whole world praised him, then one bad game against Oz and people want him sacked??! How fickle some supporters are…
12 Sep 2009, 12:43 pm
#26 digger: How about a rating for the ref?
12 Sep 2009, 12:43 pm
Everybody should get 8 or above, except JF – 6; Odwa – 7; Spies -7 and Burger – 7
12 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm
#29 Windhoek.Lager: Depends on whose side you rate him. For SA – 3; for NZ – 9!!!
12 Sep 2009, 12:45 pm
#23 digger:
Ummm, he said fourie missed tackles also. He is mentioning it because it lead to a try. You guys are way to sensitive and really have no case.
12 Sep 2009, 12:48 pm
Well done the Boks!! Good stuff! Made us proud!
Particularly well done to John and Frans! Showed all their doubters on this site (writers and bloggers…) and around the world just why you’re both in the Bok team and why the Boks are Number 1!!!
Awesome stuff!!
12 Sep 2009, 12:50 pm
#32 Sonito: Please man, Grant reckons JF marshalled the defence well?? Nonu ran through our defence at will and I thought our backline looked pretty porous. JF missed many tackles. Still don’t dwell on the bad, all in all a great Springbok performance against 16 men.
12 Sep 2009, 12:53 pm
#32 Sonito: You know I am not originally from SA and used to think that maybe the black guys here were making a big deal of nothing. But it’s subtle just like in Grants text. Read how he described Odwa’s game. He went as far as to say Odwa will have to rework his technique!!! Who the hell is Grant to have such authority to tell test playing winger about technique. I thought Grant was a report who should just be relaying the information. No where else does he make such suggestions …
12 Sep 2009, 12:54 pm
#34 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR):
So whats your point? They are accusing Grant of signaling out ndugane because he is black. Clearly he has not done that. Thats all I am arguing!
12 Sep 2009, 12:57 pm
#35 digger:
Dude, you are talking absolute **** now. I can understand it if he gave ndguane a 5 or 4 out of 10 but he gave him a 6 out 10 which is not that bad considering he was not heavily involved in the game.
12 Sep 2009, 13:07 pm
#36 Sonito: No, I don’t think Grant is being racist, but it is just funny how this site has its favourites. If Adi Jacobs had played as poorly as JF it would be interesting to see the reporters stance. And many bloggers. JF was defensively poor, worse than any defensive frailties I have seen Jacobs guilty of in a Bok jersey. Still lets try focus on the positives, there are many. Don’t think it is a race issue, some players are just favoured over other ones and it comes acroos in the reporting. My opinion, Odwa solid, but nowhere near JPP and Bryan. He’s too slow, but I would have given him a 7.
12 Sep 2009, 13:08 pm
Grant10 eating loads of humble pie ! Great performance by J Smit….what a player and what character,,the best rugby union captain of all time….no doubt.
Some wobbly scrums but more than made up for by some monster scrums too…..I now believe he can make a succesful conversion….perhaps horses for courses…BJ and CJ for the Aussies, etc….also a scrum guru …lets never rest on our laurels….
But today about a celebration …all hail the Tri Nation and World Champions….
And spare a thought for PDV…..perhaps he will become….like JS…the greatest Bok Coach of all time.
My pride runneth over…..
Now for a WP and Sharks clean sweep….
Gunther…i am now officially off your back!!!
12 Sep 2009, 13:08 pm
I love to win.
12 Sep 2009, 13:08 pm
Grant10 where are you you muppet?
Your ignorance shown through, calling for Smit to retire. Get your head read. he was amazing today, scrumming was excellent too!
Hope the humble pie tastes good! Bam.
12 Sep 2009, 13:10 pm
#11 Fire: it must be remembered that these player ratings are just one person’s opinion, it could be you or I writing up player ratings, for what it’s worth I rate Odwa 7/10, Habana 8/10. Good and very good.
12 Sep 2009, 13:10 pm
#41 WP_: Humble pie is as good as the beer is sweet…that was brilliant by J Smit…a WARRIOR!!
12 Sep 2009, 13:11 pm
John Smit had his way with Brad Thorn, Revenge.
12 Sep 2009, 13:11 pm
#41 WP_: Mate, you won. Enjoy it.
Grant had an opinion. He vouiced it. That’s what this place is about. There’s no need to bang him round the head for it. If SMit bombs in the next game, i hope he won’t do likewise.
12 Sep 2009, 13:13 pm
#39 grant10: I did say performance in the tight/loose comes above all but Smit did well in scrums too, monumental performance. Enjoy the win m8
12 Sep 2009, 13:13 pm
Frans Steyn was almost singularly the difference between this weeks team and last week and playing the combo we should have been since 2006 Burger at 7 and Brussow (fetcher) at 6.
These the fundamentalk differences between this weeks win and last weeks loss. And Smit standing up in the scrum and battling all odds like a man.
12 Sep 2009, 13:13 pm
#44 Kobus Kitty: yes, sweet moment
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