Div takes a beating – again
27 Jul 2010
P Divvy’s honeymoon period with the overseas media is over. Where they once laughed with him, all they do now is mock the man leading the Springboks’ World Cup defence.
NZ Herald‘s Chris Rattue, in his weekly column, wrote that it was incredible the champions of the rugby world attributed such a lack of importance to who coached the team.
‘De Villiers is a faux test coach, a man who got his lines from a joke shop with a free Groucho moustache thrown in.
‘South Africa may feel the rest of the world is unduly harsh on de Villiers, but the rest of the rugby community can rightly feel miffed that the game’s leading team doesn’t take the job of head coach seriously enough.
‘Having been given a leg up to the very top, de Villiers should be made to earn his stripes, increase prowess and prove his ability in the Super 15 while a competent man takes charge of the world champions.’
Rattue added that the surprise was not at the Boks’ decline, but at how quickly it has all happened.
‘What is happening to the Springboks was inevitable under de Villiers, although the cracks have appeared a bit quicker than many of us expected.
‘Men far more qualified than de Villiers have fallen on hard times with apparently good teams, but those who have earned their stripes through the grades – such as Graham Henry – can fight their way clear.
‘Sports teams can function superbly when dominated and effectively run by legendary players, but only for a short time. They will self-destruct when age and fading form emerge and the old hands refuse to relinquish power or embrace new trends. Nothing exemplifies this more than the placing of the cumbersome Jean de Villiers on the wing.
‘Under the new rules, which encourage ball in hand over kicking, the new breed in South Africa must be given their chance to take over, players such as Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh.
‘But these gifted players, many of them black, will land in the middle of a dysfunctional team, a side run by old players, tight forwards at that, who will fall back on conservative ways.’
201 Comments
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27 Jul 2010, 13:53 pm
Co nomments – to this Dragon!
27 Jul 2010, 13:54 pm
Strange that the overseas media is eemingly so concerned with the well-being of the Springboks.
If anything, we should stop being stupid and see these reports for what they are: Thinly-veiled attempts to destabilise the team. Firing PDV now (notwithstanding his stellar record last year) would be a suicidal knee-jerk reaction.
27 Jul 2010, 13:55 pm
and i mean Rattua…..
27 Jul 2010, 13:55 pm
lashed dragon
27 Jul 2010, 13:57 pm
More bad new for De Villiers!
Brenden Nel
Rolland back to haunt Boks
Johannesburg – The Springboks will have to get over their dislike for Irish referee Alain Rolland’s refereeing very quickly – they have a return date with him in a few weeks time.
Rolland has been awarded the Tri-Nations Test at Loftus Versfeld against the Wallabies and will come face to face with the Boks for the first time since his inconsistent performance in Wellington where it was alleged that he gave the All Blacks – and their captain Richie McCaw in particular – special treatment.
The Springboks will have to overcome their concerns and adapt their play, as, along with Rolland, two other Northern Hemisphere referees have been given the whistles for the other two home Tri-Nations Tests in South Africa.
Wales’ Nigel Owens will take charge of the Soccer City humdinger against the All Blacks on August 21 with Rolland getting the Loftus Versfeld date against the Wallabies on August 28. England’s Wayne Barnes will officiate the Bloemfontein encounter between the Boks and Wallabies on September 4.
All three referees have been in the firing line over the past few years for the way they have handled Springbok Test matches, but any thought that the world champions have any sympathy for the Boks plight with officials will be washed away by the news that International Rugby Board referee boss Paddy O’Brien gave Rolland and Allan Lewis the thumbs up for their handling of the two Springbok v All Black Test matches in New Zealand earlier this month.
O’Brien told the New Zealand Herald he was “very satisfied” with the performances of the two Irish referees, even though the Boks were left fuming after both tests at the one-sided treatment they were dished out. In a remark that will irk the Bok players and management, an “astonished” O’Brien said both referees “had received favourable assessments” for their work in the Tests.
“As far as the Tri-Nations is concerned, people have to agree the product is better than this time last year and we are pleased with both referees in both games,” he told the Herald.
“Like everyone, they have areas to work on in their games but overall we have been very pleased with their attitude and delivery of performance.
“The referees who do the Tri-Nations are our top referees, they have all been round the block. It is only natural that a team losing is not going to be happy so our referees have to get above that and we believe they do,” O’Brien said.
With that in mind, the Boks will need to quickly adapt to the Northern Hemisphere interpretations of the breakdown, and ensure that they make their own luck in the three Tests.
The Boks have good win ratios under all three referees, but have had problems with interpretations before. Barnes was in charge when the Boks were bullied by France in Toulouse and last year’s loss in Brisbane against Australia, both games where the Bok scrum was repeatedly penalised.
Owens, who the Boks have a 75 percent success record under his officiating, was in charge when Ireland beat the Springboks last year but also reffed their win in Hamilton in last year’s Tri Nations. Rolland was ironically also the referee at the 2007 World Cup final where the Boks beat England 15-6.
Appointments for the South African Tri Nations games:
August 21: South Africa v New Zealand in Johannesburg
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
August 28: South Africa v Australia in Pretoria
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
September 4: South Africa v Australia in Bloemfontein
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
27 Jul 2010, 13:58 pm
@Staal(Staal)-3:
What are you on about?
27 Jul 2010, 13:58 pm
@mxhosa(mxhosa)-5:
bad news
27 Jul 2010, 13:59 pm
they must be racist…. haha
show dem… show dem… show dem divvy show dem
27 Jul 2010, 13:59 pm
World cup mind games just like last time! White and the dirty boks blah blah
I wish you get some new material
27 Jul 2010, 14:00 pm
this is still mild compared to the caning jake got in ’06…okay, pdv hasn’t lost by 49-0 he has created this furore with his own stupid utterances! He gave the media all the canon fodder they needed, now he must man up! He is back in the media trenches a la British & Irish Lions time…
if you wanna run with the big (international hacks) you better lift a leg Pdv! Talk is cheap & wins buy you massive dollops of humble pie to feed the hacks…
Buck up!
27 Jul 2010, 14:01 pm
@Cyborg(Cyborg)-2: The overseas media have a lot of respect for the Springboks and the way they performed last year. The Kiwis and Aussies love Matfield, Smit and Smith for example, and they come across as being honestly surprised and a little disappointed at how the Boks have fallen apart this year.
They are also shocked at the craziness of de Villiers – he is absolutely barmy, and this was hidden by the onfield success of last year, however it has been reflected in the performances this season.
27 Jul 2010, 14:02 pm
Look i dont think Div is the best coach out there, but I also dont think he is as bad as what some people think. Perhaps he is putting too much trust in his senior players? Perhaps he needs to get rid of the assistant coach who was also the coach of the worst team in Super Rugby history. I dont think that particular coach can spell the word backline.
But as for Div, his time to prove people wrong is now, it’s time to make some big calls and show he has the cahuna’s for this job.
27 Jul 2010, 14:02 pm
Maybe Chris Rattue wants to remind us how Henry did when coaching Wales with all the help and money he needed – and all their WC games at home. Not to mention his Lions tour. Or his WC go with the All Blacks.
Even Snor can coach the AB’s to TN titles every year – the AB’s are that good. What they lack is in the head – and Henry has shown he can’t give that when it really matters.
27 Jul 2010, 14:03 pm
49 – 0 isn’t far away …
27 Jul 2010, 14:03 pm
Who cares about the Springboks anyways! It is a political tool used to belittle anybody that opposes the racist ANC Regime.
On the other hand it is used by the likes of Supersport to lick *** of the racist ANC regime by turning rugby matches into political media spectacles.
They can loose 100 – 0 & I would not feel any better or worse.
I am not interested in the political brain washing that has lashed onto South African rugby.
Only the very daft believe that Peter De Villiers is an coach!
27 Jul 2010, 14:03 pm
@mxhosa(mxhosa)-5: yoh, kuyafiwa mos kule Tri-nations!
27 Jul 2010, 14:05 pm
@gecko(gecko)-13: And Snor can take the players from the top 2 Super 14 teams, add the best players from the other 3 teams, and make them also rans at international level.
That is impressive.
27 Jul 2010, 14:05 pm
there goes the neighbourhood….
27 Jul 2010, 14:08 pm
Coaches have been fired for less! I say fire him and strip Smit of captaincy for their attacks on the refs!! Despicable!
Defence will win the next world cup!! I will say it again, DEFENCE WILL WIN THE NEXT WORLD CUP!!
My candidate for coach is Alistair Coetzee. The stormers had one of the best defences ever in Super rugby. This after the rules were adapted to speed up the game. Maybe someone from KEO might have the facts, but I will bet that they conceded the least number of points/tries ever, with only the Crusaders beating the record when they played 2 games less.
27 Jul 2010, 14:15 pm
pretty pathetic attempt this, they love Div because he sells papers for them and the Div bashing just works for that agenda, judge the bloke on the RWC like we did with JW.
27 Jul 2010, 14:15 pm
I believe at least half the problem is **** Muir. I mean apart from the Lions disaster this year, we’re talking about the same guy who single-handedly destroyed a potential golden era in Sharks rugby, and also the same guy who nearly ruined many young players careers by constantly playing them out of position (Anyone remember Frans Steyn and Ruan Pienaar?).
Now at the Boks we constantly have players playing out of position, see the connection there…
27 Jul 2010, 14:18 pm
surely PDV has the final say in picking a player in a certain position, if not, he’s not the real head coach and should make way .. what does he do anyway with Os, Gold, D!ck, Percy as ***. coaches ….
27 Jul 2010, 14:21 pm
@Dazzler(Dazzler)-21: he is the common denominator in this rugby equation
27 Jul 2010, 14:21 pm
Jammed guns, overheating getaway cars, assisted suicides, testifying in court … SA’s mafia is an embarrasment. They are laughing at us in Sicily
27 Jul 2010, 14:23 pm
Nothing against the refs because the Boks lost not because of the refs, but why do the SA games get northern hemispere refs and the Aus-NZ games get South African refs?
27 Jul 2010, 14:27 pm
And I’m sure you believe Swaart Gevaar to be true.
27 Jul 2010, 14:27 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-24:
Agreed, although i’ve met this Schultz character before, he is well known in the MMA world. And let’s just say i’m quite sure he shares similar high school results wth a certain youth leader, so no surprises there.
27 Jul 2010, 14:27 pm
PDV did eran his stripes , why do you guy keep saying he only coached Falcons ? He also coached U21 , actually beat the ABS with them , he coached WP Disas as well as being part of the Bok Coaching team under Mallet.
27 Jul 2010, 14:30 pm
@GriekwasStormer(GriekwasStormer)-19: Same Alistair that everyone wanted out before the 2007 WC ? Besides , defense alone will not win us the WC.
PS – I do agree though , I also vote for Alistair , always been a fan.Just highlighting the fact that people have short memories
27 Jul 2010, 14:31 pm
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-11: they’re targeting Smit and Matfield too, I think Cyborg is right to be honest, they’re doing what they can to de-stabalise the Bok camp – not that they need any help with that.
27 Jul 2010, 14:34 pm
@Nartjie(Nartjie)-15: And I’m sure you believe Swart Gevaar to be true.
27 Jul 2010, 14:35 pm
And this article was also published yesterday by someone in the threads….3rd time in 24 hours the muppets scooped KEO
I know it sounds a little smug, it’s just that this is becoming a trend, posting yesterdays news…..
What are the odds that there will be an article either later today or most likely tomorrow about Alain Roland and reffing the Boks again a-la MXHOSA’s post in (5) above……
27 Jul 2010, 14:36 pm
@Amerifikaner(Amerifikaner)-25: So you would rather have had Dickenson reffing the game against the Kiwis?
You are basically asking how come they get South African refs. Obviously, South Africa can’t have South Africans reffing their games.
This idea of Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere refs is crazy talk.
27 Jul 2010, 14:36 pm
Swart gevaar is just a “made up story” – just like farm murders
27 Jul 2010, 14:37 pm
As much as i dislike PDV’s gameplan,etc…
I feel that if he stuck with the “oldies” he wouldnt be in this mess!
15. F Steyn
14. B Habana
13. J Fourie
12. J De Villiers
11. JP Pieteresen
10. Morne Steyn
9. F Du Preez
8. P Spies
7. J Smith
6. S Burger
5. V Matfield
4. A Bekker
3. T MTawawira
2. J Smit (B Du Plessis 60min)
1. CJ Van Der Linde
I guarantee this side would win the 2011 World Cup. Guarantee it i tell thee.
27 Jul 2010, 14:37 pm
It finally happened. The boks have hit another low point. It seems Pieter De Villiers is going to be the next Kamp Staaldraad… We are once again the laughing stock of world rugby
27 Jul 2010, 14:37 pm
@Nartjie(Nartjie)-15: And I’m sure you believe Swart Gevaar to be true. We all out to get you.
27 Jul 2010, 14:41 pm
@Jeez(Jeez)-36: dancing classes followed by some Lion gouging in the bush, then they’ll go wilder and wilder again – all part of Kamp Tutu
27 Jul 2010, 14:45 pm
@quotas_sux(quota_conrad_jantjies_is_jorrie_muller)-34: Swart Gevaar is a joke. Farm murders are a reality jus like any murder that happens in a township or Transkei village. Crime has no colour in Mzantsi, we all fall victim to it.
27 Jul 2010, 14:46 pm
“a side run by old players, tight forwards at that, who will fall back on conservative ways.”
Smit doesn’t strike me as a ‘laager lout’. Seems he’s been generalised as Afrikaans and conservative.
Does this mean all Kiwis are Sheepshaggers?
27 Jul 2010, 14:47 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-38: Follow this up with some basic car mechanic training and it finishes with a lot of whiskey drinking, while discussing conspiracy theories such as who really killed JFK, and why they faked the moon landing.
27 Jul 2010, 14:47 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-38: Haha, there is always going to be something that haunts the boks it seems
27 Jul 2010, 14:53 pm
@Cyborg(Cyborg)-2:
My mate you are spot on. Agree 100%
The Australasians are hoping for all their worth that the Boks are in such disarray that they don’t pose a danger come RWC 2011.
Everyone and their blind dog knows that with the right coach and team dynamic the Boks are unstoppable on the day.
This is all propaganda and smoke and mirrors to unsettle the biggest threat to world rugby, the Springbok Juggernaut.
27 Jul 2010, 14:54 pm
@Cyborg(Cyborg)-2:
This is directed toward those of you that think De Villiers Should STAY – be my farking guest – forget about defending the World Cup next year, that will eliminate you from contention.
If you win at Soccer City (which you wont) ill change my stance on this one – if you lose by 20, change yours!
27 Jul 2010, 14:56 pm
@Cyborg(Cyborg)-2:
Although I disagree about Puff Divvy the clown..
27 Jul 2010, 15:00 pm
so pdiv must make some big changes wonder what he will do
bring in chili boy who cant even make the team for the bulls?
and january who doesn’t make the stormers as our first choise playmakers…
He must get over his issues with F Steyn bring him back, select a real fetcher in the mold of Brusouw, we have a clone in Stegman!
And give Juan de Jong a go in the place of Olivier and Try out Habana on 13 he is too slow for wing, play the 2 bulls wingers Van den Heever and Hougaard!
27 Jul 2010, 15:04 pm
@groenie(groenie)-46: Habana should be dropped mate not commit suicide at centre
27 Jul 2010, 15:04 pm
if you think they’re just saying this to destabilise the team you are living in serious denial
27 Jul 2010, 15:10 pm
We all know how embarrassing it is when the, the world champions, have a coach who cant think before he opens his mouth. But now that we are loosing ,and loosing badly, it puts that embarrassment into perspective…
27 Jul 2010, 15:11 pm
Gecko,
so true, good to see you around.
Yip the abs just don’t have it upstairs when it counts.
Ch-choke rwc2011
just watch the reports fly
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