No excuses for tired Boks
26 Nov 2009
Nine Springboks can’t use fatigue as an excuse for a sub-par performance against Ireland at Croke Park on Saturday.
The senior Boks have looked jaded on the tour, where they couldn’t handle the physicality of the French – which they knew was coming as it was all the Tricolores talked about in the build-up – and they also laboured to an unimpressive win over Italy.
They are coming off the back of arguably their toughest season, with a physically- and mentally-draining Lions series, as well as a six-match Tri-Nations, in addition to Super 14 and Currie Cup duty. Now they face a fired up Ireland who have the most to gain, with an Irish victory sure to evoke reaction that this was ‘proof’ that the Lions deserved to win the series in South Africa (what every northern hemisphere pundit believes).
Despite the above facts, nine of the Boks on tour will still run out for the Barbarians against the All Blacks at Twickenham next Saturday, raising questions whether they really are that concerned about fatigue. Bismarck du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira, Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger and Danie Rossouw are in the pack, while backs Jaque Fourie, Morne Steyn, Bryan Habana and Fourie du Preez have been selected.
There is no doubt the leading Boks require rest, and here the Bok management should have stepped in. Many Boks were always going to be approached by the Baa Baas, and Peter de Villiers should have planned ahead and said these are the players available, and these aren’t. De Villiers acknowledged individuals such as Matfield have played too much rugby this year, but they’re still allowed a final fling in December.
Admittedly Matfield, Mtawarira, Du Plessis, Steyn, and Fourie will be making their debuts for the club, and their inclusions are understandable as you wouldn’t want to deny them the chance the play for the Baa Baas. But what will Botha and Du Preez – who also played in last year’s fixture – gain from it?
Along with Matfield, Du Preez and Botha are in the most need of rest, with the latter pair also battling injury concerns earlier this week. Du Plessis and Burger couldn’t face Italy, but are now set to play for the Baa Baas.
The Boks are essentially victims of their own success, as their brilliant year has meant the Baa Baas gain the most in terms of marketing by having these quality players in the fixture. Being selected for the team is an honour, and although the build-up in the week will be relaxed, it won’t do any of the players any good from a rugby perspective.
Tim Noakes stated that 2010 will be the year the Boks’ results plunge due to fatigue, and another 80 minutes on the field is pointless when they should be lounging on a beach somewhere far away from London. It may be termed a ‘friendly’ or exhibition match, but last year’s encounter against Australia at Wembley showed it was anything but.
All this does is grant what is likely to be a second-string All Blacks team a chance to prove a point to coach Graham Henry. They’ll have an opportunity to get stuck into the leading Boks, and to possibly dent a players’ confidence, or worse injure them.
The Boks didn’t train on Monday ahead of the Ireland clash, in a similar fashion to the way the workload tapered off on last year’s tour. That ended with a physically dominant 42-6 annihilation of England, and Bok supporters will hope they have enough in the tank to turn out a similar performance once more. If nine of them have the gas to turn out at Twickenham a week later, they don’t have any excuses in Dublin.
By Grant Ball
111 Comments
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26 Nov 2009, 22:27 pm
@WakaNathan: Oh and PS, did you watch the Lions matches? EACH of those was the equivalent of about three normal test matches- they were FREAKING BRUTAL…
I can understand the Boks being tired.
27 Nov 2009, 01:18 am
Pet ******* grinding a barrel-organ produce a more varied and better output than that old pseud from UCT, forever rabbiting on about “burnout” — a concept he invented way back in the olden days when anyone could pretty well dive off the nearest rocks and gather a few decent sized crayfish for dinner.
27 Nov 2009, 01:28 am
@TheTackler:
Talking about rabbiting on……when last did you take a look in the mirror?
27 Nov 2009, 01:35 am
@TheTackler: talking to yourself again ou tackle-doos!
27 Nov 2009, 07:26 am
@TheTackler: Oh shut up. That “pseud” as you choose to call him klapped your *** not so long ago in an intellectual debate right here on Keo, so much so that you were depressed and ashamed and stopped blogging for a good few weeks or have you forgotten Bwahahahaha….
Tickles you’re a sad joke. How’s the plumbing business coming along by the way?
27 Nov 2009, 09:21 am
wanker nathan, you are tickles are funny fowls. Talking about RWC 2007, you know all about the Bok plans, JW talking rubbish (I mean what does he know about the team he coached compared to the great wanker nathan!) etc. Maybe tell us a little about the AB plan. How well did it work? Where did the AB’s finish in the RWC that year?
Tell us a little about how your AB 2nd team had to be rescued from a scrum drubbing in Italy by the supposedly neutral IRB referee chief one PoB with whom you just occassionally change places to service the great god mccaw, holder of how many RWC medals etc (well none actually but he tried his best).
27 Nov 2009, 15:51 pm
@husky:
Our 2nds beat Italy.
Which Test nation didnt your 2nd team beat ?
27 Nov 2009, 19:01 pm
@TheTackler: “… than that old pseud from UCT, forever rabbiting on about “burnout” — a concept he invented way back in the olden days … blah blah”
I think you’re confusing him with GH and his “conditioning” concept/program.
@husky: “…the great god mccaw, holder of how many RWC medals etc (well none actually but he tried his best)”
He’s a really good player btw … imagine how successful he’d have been and how many RWC medals he’d have in a decent team with a decent coach.
28 Nov 2009, 04:40 am
They wont use fatigue as an excuse.
By the way who is roped in to sing the national anthem?
28 Nov 2009, 06:24 am
@WakaNathan:
Ha ha, who gives a toss about 2nd treams really?? Our first team beat your first team…….. thats right 3 times this year! Your first team lost at home to the French 2nd team and yeah our first team lost to the French first team away. So whats the up shot?? Waka is a dooooooooooooos!
28 Nov 2009, 06:26 am
@wallabie.:
I heard Scotland were fatigued last week? What does that say about the wobblies?
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