‘Emotional day for Smal’
Eddie Jones believes the technical nous of Ireland’s assistant coaches, Gert Smal and Alan Gaffney, will be a major factor at Croke Park on Saturday.
Smal is no stranger to the Boks, having been their forwards mentor until the end of 2007. He now fulfills the same role with the Irish, and after enjoying World Cup success with his home country, he’s carried that through with Ireland, who won the Six Nations this year.
Smal will come up against the Boks for the first time and his knowledge of one of their greatest assets – the lineout – could be a potential stumbling block for the visitors.
‘Gert’s a meticulous planner,’ Jones told keo.co.za.’ His analysis of the lineout is first class, and he’ll teach that to the Irish players. The Irish pack have always been physical, but he’s given them some added detail.
‘I know he’ll be emotional coaching against the Boks – he’s 100% committed to Ireland, but is a very Bok-orientated guy. He’s also a true professional, so he won’t tell the Irish anything about the Bok players that’s unwarranted.’
The Bok lineout needs to fire if they are to utilise that attacking platform, while Jones believes they should dominate at the breakdown and scrum-time.
‘[Australian fetcher] David Pocock exposed Ireland at the breakdown as he had a free-go. David Wallace, Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip are all ball-carriers, so that’s a potential advantage for Heinrich Brussow, as he won’t really have anyone against him.
‘BJ Botha is the Boks’ strongest tighthead scrummager, and Ireland have one of the weakest European scrums. But the Boks’ biggest Test will come around the paddock in terms of Ireland’s ball movement.’
The hosts rate their chances as they feel they hold sway in the backs. They have world class players in Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney and Tommy Bowe, and Jones believes Gaffney – who he worked with at Saracens – is a man who will know how to exploit any Bok weakness.
The limited Italian centres embarrassed Adi Jacobs for their only try, and O’Driscoll and co will relish going up against a player defending out of his favoured position.
‘They’re an extremely well-coached backline and are tactically sharp,’ said Jones. ‘If Adi plays, they’ll target his outside shoulder, and won’t go outside Jaque Fourie. They’ll be very pin-point in where they attack.
‘Against Australia, they picked out Quade Cooper and put two runners onto him, and O’Driscoll scored. In Ireland’s first-phase plays, the Boks mustn’t over-commit and rush up. They can allow them extra yardage off the first phase so they don’t make a clean break.
‘The whole team mustn’t over-commit to the breakdowns, which the Boks are usually good at. If O’Driscoll gets a sniff of a one on one, he’ll make you pay, so they must have numbers in the defensive line, and spacing must be even.
‘It’s going to be very tight, you can see the Boks are tired – that generally happens to sides after the mental and physical exertion of a Lions series. The Boks might sneak it by three or four points.’
By Grant Ball
November 24th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
@BuckT:
Actually the home team would actually change strip. I don’t think we have lost in white?
November 24th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
jake never agreed or condoned john smit being switched to tighthead, he believed it was direspectful to our captain.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I will remember Gert Smal for his tenacity in trying just about every single human being on the face of the earth at No 3 whilst at the Boks.
He even wanted to give me a go but I declined.
All this when the best tighthead in SA rugby was in his prime dominating most opponents in the UK. See props in their prime roughly 30-34 yrs.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Have to say this, get it off my chest.
Where were these greedy black men when Mandela spent 27 yrs in jail? Waiting in the wings?
These guys are making their predecessors look good here man!
November 24th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
@Sheriff: willem bantom, what greedy black men are you talking about? are you yourself not a black man?
November 24th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Best team to beat Ireland (given that Fransie and Jean not there):
Terblanche
Mapoe
Fourie
Grant
Habana
Steyn
du Preez
Watson
Burger
Brussow
Matfield (c)
J. Botha
B.J. Botha
B. du Plessis
W. du Preez
November 24th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Just came back from RSA…eish our country is a beautiful one! I’ll be seriously looking into moving back in the near future.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
@haribaldi: ur a nutcase mate.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
@Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke: hey crouchy good to see you back, hope you’re far much more relaxed now.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Deysel must start on Saturday. We need a hard nut flanker in the form of Juan Smith and Deysel fits this bill perfectly. BJ is another essential. Frans Steyn should also be called up as it doesn’t look like Kirchner will be fit to play. Not sure about who should play 8. Perhaps put Ashley Johnson there as he loves the physicality.
Not holding much hope for this game. The Boks are exhausted after a very long season and the Irish are going to up for it as they’re the ones eyeing this up as a grudge match. The cheap shots are going to come in thick and fast. Watch BOD attempt to injure Habana again. I can just imagine the sort of kak they’ll come out with if they win. The Irish will be claiming they’re the best in the world and the RWC counts for nothing. Typical NH reaction to one-off victories.
The Boks must murder the French when they tour next year. They’ve insulted our country with that anthem debacle and we should be eyeing each test as a grudge match. I also think that we should refuse to play the French anthem at every match as respite for being so disrespectful to South Africa.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@Pearl Rose: LOL I’ve always been relaxed Pearly boy! Don’t confuse passion with anger. I was pretty busy in RSA and didn’t have much access hence my absence. I was deep in KZN during the French match. Maputaland is such a stunning part of the country. Trying to decide if its worth visiting for 2010.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
@305 ye wha???? Aye we’re gonna claim we’re the best in the world if we win….aye, spot on big fella, spot on.
As for the Anthem debacle……the SA embassy in Paris picked that clown to sing the anthem, as is the tradition for visiting teams to France.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
“they’re the ones eyeing this up as a grudge match.”
Why would the Irish players be eyeing it up as a grudge match? The only people who have a grudge are keo.co.za commenters – nobody else has a problem.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
@Smiffywan:
actually you are wrong – the french asked the sa embassy for a list of sa artists who would be in france at the …. he was the only one so they passed his name along. the french decided to use him… thus he was not “picked” by the sa embassy at all…
November 24th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
@Pearl Rose:
Just read the newspapers Pil.
Its all there.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
@Smiffywan:aye smiffy don’t come here & be chop mate, the french rugby union were given a list of south african musician who live in paris & they decided to choose the weed head.
@Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke: it’s lekker that you came home, i hope you got laid too, you know those kzn women are los!
November 24th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Pil Im back here quickly.
I did not answer your other question. The “black” one.
Pil, Im afraid that if we show them a pic of me and ask them the word “black” would be the furthest thing from their minds.
So no, Im not black.
So am I white? No, Im not white.
One would have expected whites to say something about Apartheid, yet very very few did.
Same today. Very few blacks are prepared to talk about the corruption, greed and racism of the largely black govt.
Ironically if you do they say “he’s a racist”; see they want to manipulate us with this “political correctness”
It is for that reason that NR Mandela said when still in office, we need a moral regeneration. I just hope and pray the old man does not read the newspapers every day as he used to.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
@Sheriff: why would you insist on calling me Pil when you know what my nic is Sherrif?
November 24th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
@Pearl Rose:
Because.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
@Sheriff: have you been to IOL, News24 & Timeslive? Black people are certainly talking about the corruption on those websites because i would assume it affects them directly when someone decides to help themselves to money allocated for services. Have you not read about service delivery protests that often turn violent in this country? Who is protesting there, is it not black men?
What exactly do you want them so say, that will appease you specifically?
Are you after personal acknowledgement?
November 24th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
@Pearl Rose:
Yeah, concerns are raised, here and there.
Its almost like this when a average coach takes over from a bad coach. People keep thinking “at least its not the bad one”
More must be done tho.
Xenophobia and violent protests a direct result of the govt lack of delivery.
These impatient greedy racists must learn that there are no shortcuts in life. If you want to be sustainable you have to do things properly.
November 24th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
@Sheriff:
sheriff for president!!!
November 24th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
@Sheriff: i thought you said very few black men are prepared to talk about the corruption etc, where do these protesting masses come from? Or are you referring to your own black friends?
November 24th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
@Pearl Rose: Lol Pearl actually I know a chick in Durban who wanted me to come see her but I only had a day in Durbs…sucks only being allowed 2 weeks off work…next time round
November 24th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
@Sheriff: Yeh these protests and backlash against immigrants will continue as long as the govt ignore the dire need to improve service delivery but its also the fault of companies that exploit the desperation of immigrants for work and pay them less than local South Africans. No smoke without fire…
November 24th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
@Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke: crouchy, sherrif has no interest in the real reasons or factors that cause these problems, all he wants is that his middle class black friends & colleagues admit & conceed that the anc government is corrupt, racist etc and only then will he be happy.
The fact that there are black “whistle-blowers” that expose graft at the landbank and in other departments is irrelevant to him.
As far as he is concerned the concept of “moral regeneration” was conceptualised by nelson mandela.
November 24th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
@Pearl Rose: Its no different from the apartheid government which was also corrupt, racist and morally degenerate but at least now every race can vote and move freely throughout the country.
Once we can get to a point where democracy in South Africa is truly competitive i.e. ANC are not guaranteed a victory then we would’ve made huge progress.
To label the entire ANC as racist is a bit much. Zuma clearly isn’t a racist but why he chooses to court a jumped-up little upstart like Malema is beyond me.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
@charo:
November 24th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
@Pearl Rose:
Pill, were talking passed each other.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
@Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke:
You make it sound like I dont understand the mind of the oppressors.
Trust me, I understand it better than what Im prepared to elaborate on this blog.
But I feel for the black man. They must learn from J*ws and simply get better than the rest. Thats the only leigitimate response to when being oppressed. This greedy bunch is playing straight into their hands of their former oppressors.
They are being given rope to hand themselves.
The temptation is big to want to go from 0 to 100. But they must build incrementally. Make sacrifices, invest in education, infrastructure and the like. Reward performance.
The basics.
Maybe Nelson Mandela fought in vain. The freedom is too much, too quickly.
if we apply these principles in sport then it will not be necessary for Chili to find himself in that position. Chili will simply become the No 1 hooker and even captain.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
@Pearl Rose:
SA needs a cullert president.
It seems that we are the only ones naive enough to believe in the future of SA.
1st thing I’ll do is to invest millions into expanding the Kaapse Klopse
November 24th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Can anyone help? I need to buy tickets to a one of St.Eve Hofmeyr’s concerts.
Take it eezy fellas.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:54 am
@BALLER canREADY:
What do you know?
You couldn’t last 3 seconds in my world.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Ag not this race kak again – wot does Zuma think about JS at tighthead? Should Breyten Paulse stand for Parly and would he be left wing or right wing?
Further back – CAB is the voice of reason. I do not believe that SA has no tightheads so please don’t push for some weepee lighty (gwant10) as SA’s saviour at tighthead. he will get murdered as we are getting done by hype, illegal tactics (French & Eyeties – boring and wheeling etc etc), mediocre coaching and kak refereeing. NOT THE PLAYERS!
The forking answer is straightforward. Intensive scrum coaching (not half an hour with Pieter de villiers – employ him full time & Os too; this is an emergency). Counter the hype – do an AB with selective overhead camera shots of the Frogs & Eyeties and the kak refereeing. Use SA’s world position to get power in the IRB; throw out biased twats like Paddy the AB bumchum. Get a decent press officer/secretary/liaison whatever to present the SA side.
Will any of these happen; maybe 1 out of 10, sadly.