Attitude adjustment
31 Aug 2010
JON CARDINELLI says Peter de Villiers needs to stop whinging about refereeing inconsistencies and address his side’s inability to compete for 80 minutes.
Contradictions are commonplace when De Villiers is sitting top table, but in Monday’s press conference, he delivered more than his usual quota.
Asked where it went wrong in this year’s Tri-Nations, the Bok coach rambled on about how unlucky the Boks were when it came to officiating on the Australasian tour. It was a statement that followed on from last Monday where he praised his players in a losing effort to the All Blacks, and lamented that ‘luck’ hadn’t gone their way.
No, Peter. You’ve lost four out of five games as well as the Tri-Nations title because in those defeats your team has been outplayed and you have been outcoached. Take it on the chin, learn from it, and move on.
Stop talking about luck and admit it: in the 2010 Tri-Nations, luck hasn’t been the deciding factor. The Boks simply haven’t been good enough.
He seemed to admit as much when he talked about attitude and intensity. He said he liked what he saw in the most recent clash against the Aussies. Question: Where was that intensity for the first three games, or indeed, the first half of the Test in Pretoria?
After the Australasian tour, De Villiers shrugged his shoulders and was at a loss to explain the results. He should have come clean and spoke about the drop of intensity, the lack of motivation, and why these things weren’t instilled before the tournament. He should have ‘fessed up to poor selections that undoubtedly played their part in a 0 from 3 return.
Instead, the public and media have been fed the trademark contradictions and gobbledygook. His supporters take the positive meaning from his statements and ignore the negative. Some of his critics take the negative and play down the positive. The rest of us look at these outrageous mixed messages and wonder how he can be allowed the job of coach and spokesman of the world champions.
And those messages aren’t all rugby related. In a moment of unprompted madness, De Villiers brought up the Bees Roux incident at Monday’s press conference. He had begun talking about how it was the duty of the Boks to give South Africans in unfortunate situations hope (it never occurred to him that winning is the Boks’ aim and hope is a byproduct) when he mentioned that the Boks are behind Roux 100%.
Why say something like that? It never occurred to any of the journalists to ask him about Roux, because you wouldn’t expect the coach to have a comment as it has nothing to do with the Boks. Saru are forever talking about sorting De Villiers out, but there’s no keeping his mouth in check.
He has obvious technical failings when it comes to rugby, failings that are overlooked when the player-driven system produces wins like it did in 2009. This year, those technical failings are certainly a concern. The Boks will get some important players like Fourie du Preez back from injury next year, but is it really worth going to the World Cup with a coach who isn’t up to the task?
Short- and long-term, do the Boks need this ongoing sideshow of mixed press-conference mumblings that make the organisation as a whole look incompetent? Do they need the extra pressure when they are already in a scrap to avoid the Tri-Nations wooden spoon? The answer is no, but I suspect Saru will continue to do nothing about this affliction.
De Villiers doesn’t bother about the criticism, mind you. ‘If you’re not for us, you’re against us,’ he says.
It’s a flawed kind of attitude, especially when you have a 1 from 5 record in the only tournament that matters outside the World Cup. Are you above criticsm with that kind of record? I suppose it’s just a bout of bad luck that’s led to the current situation then…
If Saru is intent on keeping De Villiers, they need to eliminate this attitude, and the sooner the better. A coach with a 1 from 5 record shouldn’t have much to say other than his team will do better in the next Test.
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129 Comments
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31 Aug 2010, 12:59 pm
@Airwell(Airwell)-100: Eish
31 Aug 2010, 13:00 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-98:
Yeah I just looked…The AB’s have won it by a country mile and the world knows it too!
Cheers mate.
31 Aug 2010, 13:04 pm
But as a Bulls supporter on this site you have to give it to the WP they managed to get into the Super 14 final without a tight 5. So well done but that little fact is going to expose you badly in the CC even with your Springboks back. Also the form of Hababana and RJ is not going to help you in a semi or a final.
31 Aug 2010, 13:07 pm
@Airwell(Airwell)-100:
That’s a stupid comment !!!!!
Where you from ??
31 Aug 2010, 13:09 pm
The reason the Bulls fans don’t talk about their drought, it that when it was on, they were gone. Loftus was empty. Like Man U fans – all only came on board when things went well.
Me as a WP fan, from the heights of the ’80, the small blip in ’97, the suprise of 2000 and 2001 and in the **** since then. Still have ti support them. Still watch/listen on RSG when they loose vs Griquas or Valke a few years ago.
31 Aug 2010, 13:20 pm
@gecko(gecko)-105: I remember the days when it was only the couching staff and some of the players family at loftus…weekend after weekend. Suddenly now everybody is a bulls supporter.
31 Aug 2010, 13:26 pm
@gecko(gecko)-105: you’re talking about a drought, i refer you to 200b when the Bulle finished 10th in the Super14…the crusaders were moering them 55 – 17, the Loftus crowd started walking towards the gate with 15min left on the clock!!! Fairweather…
31 Aug 2010, 13:31 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-107: *2008*
31 Aug 2010, 13:45 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-43: Chief, I dont think anyone in their right mind would compare WP’s success against Natal, that is something that you and all the sharks fans who are alive as of today, will never get to do in this lifetime
31 Aug 2010, 13:48 pm
@gecko(gecko)-105: Province supporters do not need to prove their credentials, we consistantly have the highest average attendance per year for our stadiums, win or lose. Because that’s what fans do. We support our team. That fact alone makes us the best supporters in SA.
We cannot control how our team plays, we can only control how we support them, and in this we are the champions.
If certain bloggers from other unions want to keep spewing nonsense at the WP fans and their supposed attitudes, based no doubt on a combination of gross generalisation, insecurity and i’m sure jealousy, then I can’t stop them. That’s on them, not me.
I can just try to keep my head high and pick myself up, dust myself off and go back screamimng and shouting for my team next week.
31 Aug 2010, 13:59 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-109: WePees “success” is distant history (80′s and before interspersed with the Bulls)… Sharks are the present and future with much catch up to do with current rightful Champs – the Bulls…
31 Aug 2010, 14:08 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-111:
Had one too many at the Richmond ???
31 Aug 2010, 14:10 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-112: Too early for the Orange Tree and not a Friday
31 Aug 2010, 14:11 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-113:
31 Aug 2010, 14:52 pm
@gecko(gecko)-105: Thats a bit of a generalization, dont you think? I dont go to Loftus, out of principle, cos the majority of those hooligans cant contain themselves.
I did however still contribute in other ways to show my support for the men in Blue. Ever since I watched my heroes like Gerbrand, JJ vd Walt, Naas, Deon Oosthuizen etc. I have supported them through the lean years, as well as the fat years….
Hou by die blou, I say. Supporting a team only when things goes well, is a sure sign of the type of person you are.
31 Aug 2010, 14:58 pm
This artical is the very essence of what is wrong with springbok rugby. Why is it that after a coach only leaves and then his strong points are highlighted? To date PDV has not got a single compliment about how he runs the team… yes its true that PDV makes some stupid dicisions, but to be fair so did jake white. Remember the selections of Meyer Bosman, Francios Swart, Derick Hougaard? Yes it is time to acknowledge that PDV is doing a good job. His record is on par with that of Jake White and to even suggest that a team is coaching itself is ludecris to say the least? How does a team coach itself? Please listen to yourself and actually try and grasp what you are trying to sell. I believe PDV is on par to take us to the world cup. He is bringing through some great youngsters and also building a good team, yes he makes mistakes along the way but so have all the other coaches. I think its time we stand behind him and support him. Remember how everybody called for Jake Whites head in 2006? Saru gave Jake the support and that led to us winning the world cup… PDV deserves the same kind of support.
31 Aug 2010, 15:05 pm
@Deni-do(Deni-do)-116: Jake White wasn’t an embarresment. PdV IS!!!!
31 Aug 2010, 15:05 pm
“@Robzim(Robzim)-19: In modern professional sport it is all about the money and putting bums on seats. Therefore PDV is doing the right thing in terms of modern professional sport by playing the star players. So I think your argument is flawed buddy. Rather say with the interest of the game and its players there is no place for him.”
Why has there been so little comment about how poorly attended the last test match was? If i’m an example of the typical fan, my willingness to cough up to watch PDivvy’s team has declined a lot. I know a lot of people will always watch a ‘bok-kiwi match, but with both of the other teams struggling, the kiwis are the main draw-card nowadays. I’m not interested in watching the so-called stars, or listening to the so-called coach.
31 Aug 2010, 15:23 pm
Most of the Sharks supporters like to bask in the glory of the BlueBlood culture!
31 Aug 2010, 15:28 pm
@Mighty Horua(Mighty Horua)-119: Not “bask in the glory”, rather an admiration and respect for winners…
Its called learning from the best in order to take their place – the abs did that with the boks and are at no.1 temporarily…
Hopefully the Sharks can do the same…
Sorry for you that WePee and the Stormers are not the standard…
31 Aug 2010, 15:37 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-120: That school of guppies couldnt even beat Griquas in Kimberley….
And where did they finish on the S14 log?
31 Aug 2010, 15:42 pm
Till later
31 Aug 2010, 16:00 pm
@Mighty Horua(Mighty Horua)-121: At least they were bigger competition in the one final they were involved in! Last year, we couldn’t have asked for an easier game to clich the S14….AGAIN!
31 Aug 2010, 17:02 pm
@Mighty Horua(Mighty Horua)-121: Hmmm, they beat the Stormers and WePee…
31 Aug 2010, 17:17 pm
Let the lush drink in peace, don’t try 2nd guessing the happy clown, he is what he is.
31 Aug 2010, 20:28 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-107:
.
yes, “fairweather” indeed.
31 Aug 2010, 23:20 pm
It’s getting to the stage where I actually want Div to succeed. The clowns masquerading as jourenalists on this site, along with best mate Gavin Rich is what’s truly embarassing.
1 Sep 2010, 00:02 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-120: temporarily bwahahaha
the temporarily was when the Bokke got double points for beating Fiji and Argentina to TEMPORARILY go to number one…
we all know how long that lasted dont we?
you continually clutch at straws mate… tell me again how many Super titles the Sharks have? bwahahah
1 Sep 2010, 07:16 am
I’ll go with #21 Pissant’s comments about journo’s being rubbish. The only decent analysis of the TN seems to come out of NZ and Oz with the SA sychophants changing their tune week in and week out. Mallet’s comments about the idiocy of SA rugby fans is well-proved by keow’s muppeteers in these comments.
PdV can sense SA rugby’s problems but does not have the resources and support to do anything. Claiming SA has adapted to the “breakdown laws” (more like how PoB has told the refs to blow against SA) is like a beaten wife saying she’s adapted to her husband’s abuse. If she doesn’t act, and she ussually needs support to act, it will happen again and again. That is for SA rugby admin to act on.
Where I think PdV is weak is organising and structuring defense, ball protection and set pieces. Muir and PdV love running rugby and I think devote too much of their time to cunning backline moves which almost never get a chance to be played out due to organised defence. The back up plan to this is kick and defend, sometimes poorly organised kick and chase. He needs more and better people to assist him.
He is also not that good at organising his bench and squad. I reckon he needs a decent succession and rotating replacement plan that everyone buys into. It is not possible to simply keep playing the same players, over and over. Then are Januarie and Chiliboy second best in the country in their positions? If it’s quota’s rather have Aplon and de Jongh.
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