Learning from Leicester lesson
Intensity will be the watchword as the Springboks prepare to erase the Welford Road capitulation with a robust showing against France.
Bok skipper John Smit used the word liberally on the 2008 tour of the UK, and the recent debacle against Leicester would serve as a timely reminder that intensity is king on the heavier fields of Europe.
The Tigers went into the fixture as underdogs despite the SA XV’s lack of experience, but always looked the hungrier side at the collisions. After dominating at the tackle point, they had the kicking game needed to pin South Africa deep in their own territory.
It’s no exaggeration when I employ a cliche to contrast the Springboks and their midweek alter-egos. The Cheese got served last Friday, but we should expect a better showing from the Chalk when they play in Toulouse.
The Springboks have the best second-row and halfback pairing on the planet, and, as France coach Marc Lievremont pointed out recently, they are the most physical team in world rugby. They need to take this compliment to heart in preparation for Les Tricolores this Friday. They’ll need ever bit of grit and determination to deny the proud Frenchmen, who will also be anticipating a forward assault.
There has been concern over the fitness of top players like Fourie du Preez and Victor Matfield, who’ve endured a helluva lot of rugby in 2009. Smit, Bakkies Botha and Bismarck du Plessis have also been over-utilised, and Bryan Habana could also have done with a rest ahead of a busy 2010 season.
It’s a pointless debate with these players already picked and primed for a taxing European tour, but every player would do well to know this could be one of the tougher Tests in 2009. Playing at the end of their rugby season, the Boks will need to operate at an optimal level of intensity.
The SA XV lacked that intensity against Leicester and they were duly punished. There were other aspects that cost the tourists, namely the poor scrumming effort, wayward tactical kicking and suspect decision-making, but it was concerning to see a South African team beaten by a club side at the breakdown.
Australia also battled in the initial stages in their match against England on Saturday. The Poms turned the Wallabies over in promising positions because the visitors failed to protect the ball-carrier. When they adjusted in the second period, they prospered, and were thus able to play the game at a more familiar tempo.
Heinrich Brüssow and Schalk Burger are expected to start on the flanks against France, while Ryan Kankowski will fill in for the injured Pierre Spies. Brüssow and Burger worked well in tandem at the back end of the Tri-Nations, but it will be interesting to see how they respond to Friday’s challenge. Plenty will be expected from Kankowski in a ball-carrying capacity.
Nobody outbullies the Bulls when they bring their trademark physicality to the party, but as seen in this year’s Super 14, when the Bulls don’t front at the collisions, they are beatable. The lowly Highlanders outmuscled the Bulls in the league stage, and perhaps it served as a good reminder that physical dominance is something you need to work for in every single encounter.
Smit said it at the beginning of the 2008 tour; intensity is the team watchword when touring the northern hemisphere. The midweek side may be forgiven for not knowing this due to a lack of experience, but their failure should serve as a reminder to Smit’s men that nothing less than the Boks’ uncompromising brand will do in Toulouse.
It’s a tough ask at the end of a long season, and it’s fair to say that should the Boks return from their three-Test tour undefeated, they will have achieved more than just a 3-0 result.
By Jon Cardinelli
November 9th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
#197 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR): Life is a circle; sometimes you’re on top, and sometimes you’re at the bottom. Point being that every team out there will need to introduce youth at some stage and every team will go through a rebuilding phase. In a perfect world these rebuilding phases of each team would be at exactly the same time and we could then properly guage who is “the best”.
But while you’re out there comparing c*ck sizes, I just enjoy watching the rugby. You should try that sometime.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
#197 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR):
“the boks are back on top.”
Not for long Ratelsnake, if Leicester is any indication of your depth.
Enjoy the moment……….Normality, you will not like.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
#198 Oubaas2009: Ashley also covers 2… 4 hookers in the match 22!
November 9th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
#202 cane: The Tri-Nations might be a better indication of Springbok rugby….3-0 over the All Blacks. Normality is bliss.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
#204 Mutant: Cane is right though , a few injuries and SA will struggle to defend their title at the next WC
November 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
#205 stew: Truth be told, if the Boks lost John Smit before the next WC they’d be in trouble
November 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
#197 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR): i am a bok supporter mate but i don’t like it when people type bullshit blaming the all blacks superior record on quotas.if cheetah4 can’t beat tackler at his own game he should not not talk shit just to feel better.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
#199 Mutant: I really really hope I am wrong and we don’t go backwards. I know people have debated this at length and i don’t really want to go into it again but I do feel that our front row is not strong enough. They do, however, add so much in the lose that it is difficult to drop one of them. Oh well, that why PDV and them get paid the big bucks, to have to make these decisions and all of us giving them a lot of sh*t.
I have no idea who the ref is, hopefully not an aussie or kiwi. (i just remembered that rumour about how the kiwi and aussie refs emailed each other to “get the japies” or something like that)
November 9th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
#205 stew: If the whole team gets injured, maybe. But one or two outsiders can easily fit in – look at Brussow and Morne Steyn this year, who got their chancec thanks to injuries. We’re not trying to put out the best reserve team in the world, our first choice Test side is what must be judged.
So cane is wrong. This is all heresay. The only fact is that the Boks won 5 of 6 TN games, and beat the blacks 3 times, in home and away games.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
#209 Mutant: Congrats, want another trophy?
November 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
#205 stew:
Injuries to Carter and Mccaw and AB’s sit with same problem, really a mute point !!
November 9th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
#211 justrugby: Dunno about McCaw; hasn’t really done much this season
November 9th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
#210 Richie_7: No thanks, cabinet bulging – no space.
Hey, we’ve got to celebrate when they come as it’s not too often. My point is that the Leicester result means so little in the greater scheme of things, yet all the AB supporters love going on about it. But I guess cling on to whatever small weakness you can find.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
#203 Mutant: Joost would like that.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Money on France to win – assuming Jean de Villiers and Francois are not part of the team (which I’m pretty sure they won’t be) – money on France to win because of the absence of these two players; all overconfidence on Springbok physicality is overstated against a French team rated by Brad Thorne as the more physical of the two; madness not to play Steyn and de Villiers – sheer stubborn-headed madness and we will pay the price; it’s an almost-certainty – I strongly favour France to win this game and it is very unusual for me to say something like that.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
#214 Oubaas2009: LOL! And imagine the books he could write then.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
#212 Richie_7: He’s still about a quarter of the team – blacks struggle lots without him.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
The forwards bench selection is what interests me. Will we go for a full front row and Rossouw as the only lock with Potgieter as the loosie or pick CJ and Strauss with both Danie and Andries plus Potgieter? I doubt whether Deysel will walk straight into the Bok squad as Pottie was probably the designated replacement for Spies.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
#213 Mutant: I agree completely. It was an experiment that didn’t go to plan. Anyways, it was good to give the second stringers a run; didn’t do their confidence much good but hopefully they’ll take lessons from the loss and it will aid their maturity as players.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
#213 Mutant: when the irish beat an experimental bok team in dublin before the world cup they were so cocky and proud(no problem with proud)that they actually mentioned winning the world cup but we all now know what happened to them.kiwis are always cocky and proud since 1987 believing that they will win every world cup but we all know that is just a fantasy ,they just don’t know it yet.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
#215 J.B. Cowper: Thorn had no impact against SA, he was motm against France. It doesn’t make sense that he found the latter to be more physical.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
#216 Mutant: The problem with our scrum is simple. We only ever have 2 people scrumming in the front row. The hooker is always at Joosts place
November 9th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
#220 Valkyrie: hey, before we all start pushing out our chests and having a “mines-bigger-that-yours” contest, let’s look at this properly. Even after the Boks won the WC they themselves admitted to wanting to measure themselves up to the AB’s the following trinations. Now if the players themselves from the two respective teams can respect each other so highly, why can’t we do the same as supporters?
November 9th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
#223 Richie_7: agree. boks vs all blacks is still the greatest rivalry in the sport.
November 9th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
#223 Richie_7: what part don’t you like?the fantasy part?lol
November 9th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
yeah thorne is very good, but bakkies had his number, no doubt.
kankofski needs to mentally prepare himself for a scrap if he’s to by any good and the boks dont win as much of the ball as they hope too.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
#223 Richie_7: don’t be so sensitive!when the all blacks win their second world cup all jokes will have to come to an end but in the meantime you will have to live with it just like i have to do with jokes about my beloved proteas.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
#225 Valkyrie: Two WC’s and still behind on the overall win ratio. Must eat you LOL
November 9th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
in all likelyhood, our scrum will sort itself out by Friday. Get your heads right, and the rest will follow.And, we have some pretty good quality on the bench as well if needed.
Adi Jacobs at 12 is the biggest gamble this weekend.
Especially as it looks increasingly likely that there will be only 2 backs on the bench.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
#228 Richie_7:
errm no.
…all those wins and still can’t win the ones that count?
November 9th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
#228 Richie_7: if it makes you happy you can believe it but all i know is that i had two big fukkin parties and hangovers afterwards in 1995 and 2007.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
#231 Valkyrie: 22 years since the AB’s could party, hard times. But as long as their backup players look good against club sides I suppose who would complain. Richie7, practise what you preach (post 223)
But Bored is right, AB’s-Boks is the biggest game in rugby. They’ve even just made a movie about it!
November 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
#231 Valkyrie: Kinda like we’ve felt every year (barring a few) after every super 14 and trinations. ‘95 the Boks won at home so no big surprise, and 2007 we never made the party so well done to ya
November 9th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
#233 Richie_7: Forced to party on the scraps below the VIP area
November 9th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
#234 Mutant: I’ve left for another thread, but if I keep feeding you scraps here I bet you’ll stay puppy
November 9th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
#233 Richie_7: lol.i feel your pain bro.since 1987 kiwi world cup rugby has gone into recession and had to give up on the finer things in life like the william webb ellis trophy just like poor iceland are now forced to give up on their mcdonalds stores.fukkin recession!
November 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
#234 Mutant: thats where they keep the sheep so its great for them
just joking kiwi’s!
November 9th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
#235 Richie_7: You’re right. But it seems to work both ways…always puppy with the big dog lifting Bill
November 9th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
How could these guys lack intensity? This was their chance to show they belong at the big table and most of them were missing in action. Johnson showed the kind of gees and tenacity of someone who wanted to take his chance with both hands. Rose showed glimpses of the talent we all know he has, but seems reluctant to show on a consistent basis. De Jongh used his chances manfully and Danie threw himself into everything. But the front row didn’t have a clue, Devon was nowhere to be seen and Ruan proved what a lot have known for some time, great scrumhalf, poor flyhalf. He was the biggest disappointment, given his experience and talent. He has fallen way behind Morne to the extent that we need to consider another player for the role of backup flyhalf. ruan is just missing something. It may be BMT, it may be a deepseated reluctance to play 10. Whatever it is, lets face facts and groom someone like Brummer or Francis for the role.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
#239 stormer in a teacup:
yes Johnson and Potgieter were good selections, but raubenheimer, maku, rallapelle, ndungane, jan dup – were not.
November 9th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I think Keo rests deep up Jake’s Winning arse (around 40%) and spends too much time moaning about PdV’s 73% win record.
Nobody agrees with all the selections- they’re certainly not all merit but the coach has his favourites (like Jake did)
I really hope the next Bok coach is white so we dont have to listen to morons like keo, rich, vrede and every other hill billy moan all the time even though Peter won everything there was to win.
What more do South Africans want. To beat the Leicester Tigers? Grow up, the match was an experiment!
November 9th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
#241 The Dude: all good and well if it was an experiment why put the bok tag on them, that was a fkn stupid move.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
#157 Ratel Brussow (MSIUR):
Thank you Ratel for highlighting Grant10’s flawed logic!
November 9th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Unfortunately, to be the WOPRLD’s BEST side, every single player must have all the skils, the size, the power and the attitude AND X-factor. There are simply no spaces for also rans.
for players like
J du Plessis,
Kanko,
Rose (but can learn skills and has X factor)
Gurthro
Muller
Heinie Adams (no X- factor – like Genia for example)
They have nebver shown that they have all of this. Some ave the X-factor but need time in gym, others jsut dont have attitude.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:43 am
cRAP selections fullstop. Way too many oldies, hangers on and quotas.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:19 am
#244 SjamBok: Stop commenting now before you make a tit of yourself. Shizen, you already have.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
The imitation Bok 15 did as well as they should have. Welcome to the real world chinas. Yes this isn’t the Currie Cup..
November 11th, 2009 at 10:02 am
#242 byoboy: byoboy The fixtures were drawn way before the match. I think if the Boks would have suffered a 2009 like Australia, England and New Zealand did
then we would have seen a different South Africa against Leicester Tigers. So next year should read:
Saracens Vs The has-beens joined by the transformers in an experiment XV.
I think I’ll banner that… No… Autotune