Wallabies end Highveld drought
4 Sep 2010
JON CARDINELLI reports on the Wallabies’ monumental and dramatic 41-39 win in Bloemfontein.
Saturday was a sad day for Springbok rugby. With the Boks’ fifth defeat of their 2010 campaign, they completed their spiralling journey to rock bottom. Since the start of this year’s Tri-Nations, they’ve surrendered the Tri-Nations title, the Freedom Cup, and now the Mandela Plate.
They’ve lost three consecutive games to the All Blacks, and allowed the Wallabies to break a losing streak on the Highveld that goes all the way back to 1963. If there’s any doubt that this nightmare’s reached it’s nadir, the doubters need look no further than the Tri-Nations log.
The broken records and surrendering of trophies aside, the manner of defeat in Bloemfontein was sickening. Most would have expected an improved Bok showing, and perhaps a lift in the Wallabies’ intensity and accuracy was largely underestimated. The visitors scored four tries in the first 27 minutes last week, but it took only 25 before they bagged the bonus point in Bloemfontein.
They failed to hang onto that lead, a fact that underscored their soft mentality. But Kurtley Beale showed some deep steel when he silenced 38 000 booing South Africans in the dying seconds. Beale’s penalty, from a difficult angle on the halfway line, was a hit and hope. As it sailed between the uprights, Beale’s team-mates celebrated while the Boks could only hang their heads.
David Pocock was prolific at the breakdown once again, slowing South Africa’s ball and affecting some crucial steals on his own tryline. The addition of Stephen Moore to the Wallabies pack added some grunt, while the selections of Mark Chisholm and Ben McCalman ensured the visiting lineout enjoyed plenty of momentum from the lineout.
The decision making and incisive running of the Wallabies backs translated that pressure into points early on, and Peter de Villiers’s failure to pick a specialist fetcher for the fourth game in succession meant the visiting team recycled their ruck ball at a frenetic pace. Will Genia darted while Quade Cooper surged and probed, also showing his versatility with several ground-gaining grubbers and chips.
While the Wallabies were accurate in the first half, their attack was helped by some shocking Bok defence. The home backline was cut time and again, the men in gold making linebreaks look embarrassingly easy. Matt Giteau kicked well to help the Wallabies to a 31-6 lead, and with the way they started, it seemed they would cruise to a comfortable victory.
But the Boks nabbed a try before half-time as the Wallabies began to lose composure. The home team was the more impressive of the two in the third quarter and when Gurthro Steenkamp barrelled over from close range, a repeat of Pretoria began to seem likely. Jean de Villiers ran a brilliant line in the 54th minute, and Morne Steyn’s conversion saw the Boks trailing by just 31-30.
Bryan Habana had another torrid evening, his missed tackle allowing James O’Connor to make the break that set up Rocky Elsom’s try. He was subbed early in the second half for Gio Aplon, who showed why defence is more about technique than it is about size.
But Habana wasn’t the only player guilty of errors. The Wallabies were far less accurate in the second half, both at the breakdown and with ball in hand. Genia throwing the ball over the dead ball line was the worst example, but costly, momentum-culling mistakes prevented the Wallabies from making ground.
Steyn goaled a penalty in the 62nd minute to earn the Boks the lead for the first time in the game, and amazingly, it was the Wallabies that looked the more desperate side. The Boks were on the verge of their second come-from-behind win, and the Wallabies were staring down their second implosion.
The moment of madness arrived when replacement hooker Saia Faingaa spike tackled Flip van der Merwe in the 69th minute. Steyn kicked the ensuing penalty and the Wallabies faced the impossible task of closing the gap with only 14 men.
Drew Mitchell snatched a try, but the one-short Wallabies defence could not repel the Boks for long. Beale slipped before receiving a pass and the rebound was run upfield by the hosts. A breakdown transgression allowed Steyn an opportunity from a difficult angle, and the South African sharpshooter slotted the penalty to regain the lead.
Unbelievably, the Boks conceded a penalty in the final minute when Van der Merwe went off his feet at the ruck, and Elsom asked Beale to have a crack for the unlikely win.
What makes this defeat especially hard to bear is that the Wallabies were missing a number of first-choice players, while the Boks were only missing Fourie du Preez and Heinrich Brussow. There is a lot wrong with the Boks at the moment and changes need to be made.
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335 Comments
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5 Sep 2010, 16:07 pm
@Oval Ball Tart(Oval Ball Tart)-167:
Become the No1 rugby nation in the world, every year for a couple of decades and you will also have similar stats.
5 Sep 2010, 16:22 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-178:
Great victory for us. JC confuses mental softness with relative inexperience. He won’t be the first to underestimate the Aussies and dare say not the last. Boks combined experience, something like 750 tests!
The Aussies are going to be a threat at the WC. Young guns who aren’t afraid to have a go. They need to rock up with a full strength side though.
I can’t wait to see Sonny Bill Williams pull on the black jersey. If he goes to WC it’s going to electrify the tournament. Some of the current world ranked centers are going get shredded – nightmare stuff for them!
5 Sep 2010, 16:31 pm
Pieter de Villiers is a good rugby coach, as good if not better than nearly all his predecessors who by virtue of their dimwit heritage were all white, each and every one, from Mackintosh, to Christie, to Maarkgraaf, to du Plessis, to Mallet, to Viljoen, to Streauli, to White:
White rugby pundits judge him by far different standards to the way they judged their dubious white palooka prat idiot coaches before him. If they didn’t there wouldn’t even be a hint of firing a coach who so far has given pretty much as good as he’s gotten.
5 Sep 2010, 16:41 pm
What is all the fuss about? It is not as if the Boks lost to **** teams. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are all capable of beating each other. This year the ABs have the wood on us.
5 Sep 2010, 16:48 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-303: What you say may be true but perhaps you want Div to succeed for all the same reasons?
Just saying.
5 Sep 2010, 17:16 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-303: In response to your tirade against me on the other string from yesterday:
@skopskiet(yliad)-550: Slumtown and WP like a host of others are White @rselicking schmucks looking for brown mans blood anyway you wanna see it.
Ive made no racist comments on this site ever. I wouldnt mind if Allister Coetzee took over from PDv so how that equates to seeing brown mans blood i´d like to know. You can do better than stoop so low my friend. very childish and uncalled for.
I was never a fan of De Villiers from the first headless chicken running test matches. I got lulled into a false sense of security last year when we won the Tri nations but the writings on the wall. We shall speak again next year after we lose the World Cup mate. Save this post – if PDV takes this team to the WC its over.
You can do with that whatever you want but the proof is in the pudding and after RWC2011 you´ll have your answer. Absolute waste of a current crop of amazing talent.
Enjoy your racist vitriol Skop. I challenge you to dig up one post where ive been racist.
In response to your assumption that i´m probably judging PDV differently from his predecesors – wrong I was never that into rugby till last World Cup – not to the extent of coaching anyway. So my attitude to him is what I see him do and say. And i´m sorry the guy is clueless and embarrasing. When someone repeatedly says the things he says then you have to wonder about his mental ability. He also has a massive ego to boot and cant be quesitoned. Hence his clause in his final contract with SARU giving him sole rights to selection.
Again the proof will be how we go in the next year and unless he changes tactics and more importantly selection policy I can confidently say were going to get nailed. The Boks showed they are capable of playing an All Black style rugby as exhibited in the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half yesterday. What is distressing is that this has not been displayed in recent time and there seems to be a mental incapacity as well. It was well exhibited in the B&I Lions tour last year which Im still not convinced we deserved to win. We´d comepltely play them off the park for 30 minutes and then just go limp letting in tries left and right and playing negative rugby till the end to cling to our shrinking lead. Had the first 2 games gone another ten minutes we would have lost the series. And ok we had a good Tri Nations last year – so then explain what the hell happened on the EOYT last year, the June Tests this year (which were far from convincing – especially considering Argentina got nailed twice by Scotland then managed to beat France) and finally this years shocking attempt at a Tri Nations defence? Weve slipped from 1st to probably 3rd on the IRB world rankings after this last defeat to OZ. We were streets ahead of them along with NZ. How the hell do you explain it? The only good rugby was last years Tri Nations in recent history.
5 Sep 2010, 17:22 pm
De Villiers has not ‘failed’ yet, he has performed to levels afforded him through standards set by those he’s entrusted to carry out his plans and strategies on and off the field.
here his results
04 Sep 2010 SAF v AUS 39-41 Bloemfontein H
28 Aug 2010 SAF v AUS 44-31 Pretoria H
21 Aug 2010 SAF v NZL 22-29 Soweto H
24 Jul 2010 SAF v AUS 13-30 Brisbane A
17 Jul 2010 SAF v NZL 17-31 Wellington A
10 Jul 2010 SAF v NZL 12-32 Auckland A
12 Sep 2009 SAF v NZL 32-29 Hamilton A
05 Sep 2009 SAF v AUS 6-21 Brisbane A
29 Aug 2009 SAF v AUS 32-25 Perth_AUS A
08 Aug 2009 SAF v AUS 29-17 Cape Town H
01 Aug 2009 SAF v NZL 31-19 Durban H
25 Jul 2009 SAF v NZL 28-19 Bloemfontein H
30 Aug 2008 SAF v AUS 53-8 Johannesburg H
23 Aug 2008 SAF v AUS 15-27 Durban H
16 Aug 2008 SAF v NZL 0-19 Cape Town H
19 Jul 2008 SAF v AUS 9-16 Perth_AUS A
12 Jul 2008 SAF v NZL 30-28 Dunedin A
05 Jul 2008 SAF v NZL 8-19 Wellington A
The only two games we were comprehensibly beaten were the 19-0 in Cape Town 2008, and the 21-6 hiding in Brisbane 09,
other than that each and every test was a close fought affair, unlike some the cr@p whitewashes we received when being coached by his overrated predecessors,
yet all the handy placed palooka white rugby brotherhood of twats wanna have him drawn and quartered for performing in the main way above any other of his similarly endowed white palooka prat coach predecessors.
He’s done no worse than anyone before, and perhaps slightly better overall. But schmucks over here wanna pretend its a train smash of epic proportions, SA don’t beat NZ or Aus all that regularly, why don’t these dumb schmuck fools check back on the records and see exactly how we performed in this competition since 1996 when it all started.
5 Sep 2010, 17:44 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-307: Pardon my ignorance here mate but firstly 27-15 in Durban to Oz is comprehensive to me. Beaten by 12 points is comprehensive. We only managed 2 wins in the first Tri Nations, and 1 this year. Had it not been for last year those would be shocking. I also believe for the first time since the game has gone pro – we have a wealth of experience and talent. That we could not make that count in 2 of 3 Tri Nations is no success. I dont know and care about previous results with previous coaches like ive stated before. I´m talking about now.
And youve not responded to the racist allegations you made about me either.
Youre constantly insulting all and sundry on this blog who dont agree with you – look at the list of words you use above – palooka white rugby brotherhood of twats, white palooka prat, schmucks, dumb shmuck fools. Do you think thats normal behaviour? Do you feel good about yourself? Are you a happy person? Do you have a life beyond this blog? Why are you so rabid about your opinions? Are you never wrong? I agree with a lot of what you say, but you dont have to always be correct. Were all human.
And a final question for you. Do you think we can take the World Cup or at the very least reach the finals with Peter De Villiers at the helm with his current selection policy? I´d like a firm answer on that so we can have another discussion post RWC2011.
5 Sep 2010, 17:53 pm
White Record
14 Jul 2007 SAF v NZL 6-33 Christchurch A
07 Jul 2007 SAF v AUS 17-25 Sydney A
23 Jun 2007 SAF v NZL 21-26 Durban H
16 Jun 2007 SAF v AUS 22-19 Cape Town H
09 Sep 2006 SAF v AUS 24-16 Johannesburg H
02 Sep 2006 SAF v NZL 21-20 Rustenburg H
26 Aug 2006 SAF v NZL 26-45 Pretoria H
05 Aug 2006 SAF v AUS 18-20 Sydney A
22 Jul 2006 SAF v NZL 17-35 Wellington A
15 Jul 2006 SAF v AUS 0-49 Brisbane A
27 Aug 2005 SAF v NZL 27-31 Dunedin A
20 Aug 2005 SAF v AUS 22-19 Perth_AUS A
06 Aug 2005 SAF v NZL 22-16 Cape Town H
30 Jul 2005 SAF v AUS 22-16 Pretoria H
21 Aug 2004 SAF v AUS 23-19 Durban H
14 Aug 2004 SAF v NZL 40-26 Johannesburg H
31 Jul 2004 SAF v AUS 26-30 Perth_AUS A
24 Jul 2004 SAF v NZL 21-23 Christchurch A
Streauli Record
09 Aug 2003 SAF v NZL 11-19 Dunedin A
02 Aug 2003 SAF v AUS 9-29 Brisbane A
19 Jul 2003 SAF v NZL 16-52 Pretoria H
2 Jul 2003 SAF v AUS 26-22 Cape Town H
17 Aug 2002 SAF v AUS 33-31 Johannesburg H
10 Aug 2002 SAF v NZL 23-30 Durban H
27 Jul 2002 SAF v AUS 27-38 Brisbane A
20 Jul 2002 SAF v NZL 20-41 Wellington A
Viljoen Record
25 Aug 2001 SAF v NZL 15-26 Auckland A
18 Aug 2001 SAF v AUS 14-14 Perth_AUS A
28 Jul 2001 SAF v AUS 20-15 Pretoria H
21 Jul 2001 SAF v NZL 3-12 Cape Town H
Mallet Record
26 Aug 2000 SAF v AUS 18-19 Durban H
19 Aug 2000 SAF v NZL 46-40 Johannesburg H
29 Jul 2000 SAF v AUS 6-26 Sydney A
22 Jul 2000 SAF v NZL 12-25 Christchurch A
14 Aug 1999 SAF v AUS 10-9 Cape Town H
07 Aug 1999 SAF v NZL 18-34 Pretoria H
17 Jul 1999 SAF v AUS 6-32 Brisbane A
10 Jul 1999 SAF v NZL 0-28 Dunedin A
22 Aug 1998 SAF v AUS 29-15 Johannesburg H
15 Aug 1998 SAF v NZL 24-23 Durban H
25 Jul 1998 SAF v NZL 13-3 Wellington A
18 Jul 1998 SAF v AUS 14-13 Perth_AUS A
Du Plessis Record
23 Aug 1997 SAF v AUS 61-22 Pretoria H
09 Aug 1997 SAF v NZL 35-55 Auckland A
02 Aug 1997 SAF v AUS 20-32 Brisbane A
19 Jul 1997 SAF v NZL 32-35 Johannesburg H
Markgraaf Record
10 Aug 1996 SAF v NZL 18-29 Cape Town H
03 Aug 1996 SAF v AUS 25-19 Bloemfontein H
20 Jul 1996 SAF v NZL 11-15 Christchurch A
13 Jul 1996 SAF v AUS 16-21 Sydney A
Bottom line is SA vs Aus and NZ always are close encounter affairs sometimes a win or loss by 1 point or one kick making the difference.
In context of all his predecessors in this competition De Villiers has performed no worse and in the main better than most the others, so whoever thinks Meyer or White would have performed any better are living in high handed fool deluded paradigms of white endowed false paradise.
5 Sep 2010, 18:02 pm
if pdv is to ‘survive’ and take this core group through to wc 2011…..it will probably mean that we will
1 .Have Bissy on the nench for 3 quarters of the game.
2 .have the ‘cant play out of SA ‘ MS at 10.
3 probably not play an out and out opensider.
4 . be stuck with spies at 8 man.
All in all a rather gloomy picture for me personally
but….
if pdv can get control back….ie….stop the influence of the fat boys club…..and insist on proper rest and conditioning for the ‘seniors’….perhaps we may still have a semblance of a fighting chance.
5 Sep 2010, 18:04 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-308: have a look at all your white coaches records and show me where De Villiers performed worse than 0-49 or 6-33 or 26-45 or 17-35 for White
or
9-29, 16-52, 20-41 for Streauli
or
6-26, 6-32, 0-28 for Mallet
or Viljoen, Du Plessis or Markgraaf and I’m telling you you living in highfaluting white mans day dream denial thinking another white coach would have done any better or worse under circumstances.
His record is par for the course in this competition, Saffa rugby is by no means superior to AB or Wallaby rugby and hasn’t been since readmission, and the records of Whit, Streauli, Markgraaf, even Mallet, Viljoen and Du Plessis has proved it to be so.
No white coach would have performed better under circumstances of changed rules and strategies, and possibly a whole lot worse, pity White didn’t get given the benefit of the doubt to prove what a consequential inadequate fool he actually was without Jones backing him up, because his 3N record proves his actual pedigree which is no way better than PdV.
5 Sep 2010, 18:08 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-307:
Once again you fail to see the obvious (I am not surprised by the way).
Jake White built a team from the rabble that was handed to him, unlike PdV who was gifted a WC winning side. This team had not reached it’s full potential despite winning the WC. That Jake White wished to continue with the team (and the team with him) was no secret. That he was cruelly denied that opportunity will forever be another stain etched into the SA history books.
At the time, many if not most, expressed the opinion that this new politically motivated appointee was a bad move & that it would most likely end in tears. One didn’t have to be an Einstein to figure that one out!
As much as you would like to re-write history so that it makes sense to your warped brain, it is not going to happen.
5 Sep 2010, 18:15 pm
Slummie, don’t take Snotskiet (and Gwanty1) too seriously, particularly on tik Sunday in CT. He typifies current SA and the SA rugby fans Mallett spoke of. Bigoted, pigheaded, one-eyed and now racist.
It’s actually quite simple for SNAFU. Recognise PdV’s limitations and give him support. Don’t fire him. Give him admin and official support and some specilaist coaches. Defense please.
But I suspect petty, egotistical, self interested stupidity will reign supreme in SA Rugby for some time. Until there is a significant change towards total professionalism, don’t take SA rugby too seriously. Enjoy the victories but don’t expect them.
5 Sep 2010, 18:18 pm
@husky(husky)-313: why always mention me?
Stop your obsession my man.
5 Sep 2010, 19:19 pm
@husky(husky)-313: Ja the unfortunate part is this team could have been so so much more had they been coached well. Selection policies have interfered dramatically too eg. Habana´s indefinite run, Ricky Januaries inclusion in the squad ad nauseum, recently the return of Frans Steyn – he is obviously off the pace, the inisistence of selecting nobodies like Earl Rose et all for tours etc etc. There should be one policy and one only – in form players play. Out of form players get a chance or two and if they dont shape up theyre back with their provinces till such time that they prove otherwise. Only way. We have too many talented and on fire players who do not get chances. It must be awesomely frustrating. Take Kankowski for one – he has been good at provincial level but like Wynand Olivier just doesnt seem to be able to handle the step up to test rugby. How many chances has he been afforded? What difference did he make yesterday? What difference would a Duane Vermeulen or Willem Alberts have made? I think a significant one. Ditto with Cj van der Linde – would Werner Kruger have added more value – I think very possibly. Your bench should not be a backstop – it should be a weapon of hellfire and brimstone that the opposition should fear.
With a good bench we could have injected so much more in the end and taken that game away. Imagine for a minute a player like Deon Fourie coming on for Smit. We need some real bite in the final 20. Aplon made an immediate impact when replacing Habana. I think PDV gives way too many opportunities for players to “get back on form”. **** Muir himself was backing Habana to make a comeback just before the weekend. just goes to show how wrong these boys are as a whole. To be fair PDV cant be blamed for all. its the entire coaching staff.
Mvovo has been magnificent this year. Why isnt he getting a chance? He would have made a far more telling impact then Habana who again cost us 2 tries yesterday with some out of position play and poor tackling.
5 Sep 2010, 19:22 pm
I don’t blame the coach so much as the players, but they are all in it together and that loss was not a good one and it sets sa up very badly for an EoY tour which is now essential to win most if not all games with a young side.
What I want to know us why are they so lacidasical in their approach. How the fk can give the wallabies a 25-point lead and expect to come back from that?
5 Sep 2010, 19:40 pm
Tell you one thing they better pick some hard young things for up north cos they going to be molested if our tightfiwards are performing grubber kicks ala 3N. Different game up north. Better get prepared for it both with selecting the right players, alberts is a must, and getting their heads right to grit it out – leave kanko matfield jan dup smit spies hargreaves at home.
5 Sep 2010, 19:42 pm
And no rabeheimer rose either – this better be a genuinely good backup side cos otherwise it could be a disaster
5 Sep 2010, 19:51 pm
1. Beast 2. Bismarck 3. BJ 4. Danie 5. Flip 6. Potgieter 7. Juan (c) 8. Alberts 9. Hougaardt 10. Morne 11. Mapoe/basson 12. JdJ 13. Fourie 14. JP 15. Frans
16. Gurthro 17 rallapelle 18 CJ 19. Bekker 20. Louw
5 Sep 2010, 19:51 pm
Cabernet Sauvignon
Any young team we send will struggle
But that’s not the point..
Keep your eye on the prize…
5 Sep 2010, 20:08 pm
Yeah any team will struggle but this tour is no room for passengers or developmental projects -best players in sa right now, except for seniors they are resting.
Even Scotland going to be up for it
5 Sep 2010, 20:21 pm
@cab(cab)-321: Cab, jeepers hope those Scots don’t beat us again. Wont ever hear the end of it ever. My Scots mates still remember beating us in 2002. Until this day they never let me forget.
So while we are world champs hope they don’t beat us.
We have some great talent coming through that could do it in the grand slam. Still have to take a few senior players with. Can’t take all youngsters. Juan Smith will tour. Probably Bakkies seeing he has not had much game time. Better be game fit and disciplined though. JdV might seeing he never played much this year. Think he sat on the bench for Munster quite a lot. Bismarck will tour. He was in the last world cup so must be now a senior even if he is young. The rest can be youngsters with those few seniors.
Need though to get a new backline and forward coach. Otherwise we wont be up to much really. Think that is where we are missing it totally.
Bring on Mitchell. (Poor Lions wont like it..hehehe) P. Rossouw from the Bulls for backline he would do just fine.
None of that will happen though. So let us see.
5 Sep 2010, 20:24 pm
@cab(cab)-319: Cabbie, Think all contracted Boks wont tour.
So count out a few there.
5 Sep 2010, 20:26 pm
@cab(cab)-316: Our defence. Mostly coming from Habs, Cabbie that let through some easy tries. That put plenty pressure on the rest of the players. At one stage we wer 21 points behind after about 25min. Not good enough. Think Habs cost us about 21 points. Aplon should have started.
5 Sep 2010, 20:28 pm
Not once in the entire game on Sat did a Bok backline move not have a prop,lock or loosie in it slowing the move down !!!
Until we can get out of this habit we will struggle, obviously at times it is necessary to bash it up with the forwards but we never allow the backs to do what they need to do.
Why do you think the Aussies look to have so much pace ?? …..it’s because the backs are allowed to play !!!
5 Sep 2010, 20:32 pm
Puma
yeah prob need a few snr players at least on the bench to guide the team maybe juan bakkies guthro cj and bj who all been over there
5 Sep 2010, 20:46 pm
@cab(cab)-326: I am one for always taking the best for tests. HATE to see us not playing the BEST players for a test. BUT for this eoyt we HAVE to take youngsters. Think our players are just far too tired. No use flogging a dead horse. They rest, get conditioned they will all be back. If we could have played like we done in our 2nd half yesterday from the start we would have been away like a race horse.
Anyhow for the eoyt. Take: Jantjies, Lambie, De Jongh, Hougaard, Mvovo, Basson, Vermeulen, Alberts, Beast, Bismarck, Flip, Sykes, Juan, Bakkies, CJ maybe BJ and Frans Steyn. Fransie needs more gametime. He will do fine. Would have said Aplon but he too has been playing since the start of the S14 and must be very tired. Pity Brussow will only be ready for S15 otherwise he would have been top of my list.
Think Deysel and Potties might be injured still. Not too sure if Potties will still be injured, maybe not. Also Stegmann maybe take him too.
Probably left out a few there. But those youngster will do very well.
5 Sep 2010, 20:52 pm
@cab(cab)-326: Guthro has been awesome this year, but he has been playing since start of S14. So probably needs to rest too.
Maybe they rest these players for the CC and take them on the eoyt, who knows. From now until the first test against Ireland gives us 9 weeks. Still think the senior players need to rest. Pity this is a grand slam, should just have been what we played last year, then just take all youngsters, nothing to lose then. Hate to lose the grand slam, but that is what we might have to do by taking the youngsters to try them out. Then they could just surprise everyone.
5 Sep 2010, 22:47 pm
Heres some stats for Skop to put in his De Villiers pipe and smoke it: Youre list above doesnt tell the following story:
South Africa conceded 22 tries during their campaign, the most they have given up since the Tri Nations started in 1996, and twice as many as they conceded in each of the previous two seasons.
That i´m afraid, is simply shocking. What the hell happened to the proud Stormers defense? In almost all the early Ozzie tries last week and this week look at the defensive line – we are bunching in the middle and leaving the wing completely ungaurded. What the hell is that all about? And why do you always see the same faces hovering around the missed tackle area? Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, John Smit, less so Victor Matfield, Morne Steyn and Frans Steyn. Say what you like about Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon but their defence is solid. Ditto Houghaard. What does that tell you? The young guys are tackling more – the older guys are either too slow, too sore or too tired to do it.
Worrying stuff – and even more worrying is that PDV hasnt taken this opportunity to introduce more young players… surprised he hasnt called up old Odwa carthorse Ndungane as well. Another of his selection stuff ups.
One has to ask why havent chances been given to:
1 Coenie Oosthuizen
2 Tiaan Liebenberg or Deon Fourie
3 Werner Kruger
6 Deon Stegmann
7 Willem ALberts
8 Duane Vermeulen
9 Sarel Pretorius
10 Patrick Lambie
11 Lwazi Mvovo
15 Riaan Viljoen (could do with some alternative options at 15 and i´m not hooked on Frans Steyn at the moment. Riaan cant do worse than Zane did surely)
5 Sep 2010, 22:49 pm
another quote:
Although the evidence of recent months suggests some radical re-thinking may be necessary, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers insisted that the right systems were in place for success in the World Cup.
Yeah right. Pull the other leg. I´m not saying PDV cant do it – but I dont think he has the balls to do it. He´s out on the ledge and he cant decide if he should jump.
5 Sep 2010, 22:54 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-315: Spot on. Our bench could have been much better and made a telling impact. Couldn’t agree more on Kanko, F Steyn & CJ.
5 Sep 2010, 23:00 pm
@diewareouboet(diewareouboet)-331: Thanks man. Its so frustrating cos were seeing damn good rubgy played at Currie Cup and Super 14 level – then you hand the players over to PDV and it all falls apart. And he doesnt select the form players from the aforementioned competetions even after professing too. Its diabolical. We have some amazing talent and depth of talent in SA at present and its simply not moving forward take any position and i can give you at least 3 to 4 good options eg:
1 Gurthro – been amazing
1 Beast
1 Coenie Oosthuizen
2 Bismarck
2 Tiaan Liebenberg
2 Gary Botha
2 Deon Fourie
2 Adriaan Strauss
6 Heinrich Brussouw
6 Schalk Burger
6 francois Louw when on form otherwise Deon Stegmann
6 Jean Deysel or Jacques Botes
5 Sep 2010, 23:22 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-332: Exactly. We should have performed better with the talent we have. Comparing PDiv with previous coaches (not that I necessarily rate them)is not comparing apples with apples. They did not have the palyers he has to choose from.
The AB & Wallaby coaches lifts the performance of the players in the national side which is not the case with the Boks.
6 Sep 2010, 07:06 am
@Hooker22(Hooker22)-197: Nice ‘try’ mate but losing 5/6, leaking more try’s than any other team in bok history over the same period, losing a sixty three year record and losing to Ireland and France and three lots of silver ware inside of six games puts you miles in front as the new ‘Verwurg’ of rugby at this level.
Sad as it is for the Boks and supporters to find a low never seen before at this level. I am sure the true character of the Boks will re-emerge though with some rest and a new coaching team.( or part there-of)
I for one would really like to see PDV stay on as coach till after the WC, to improve our chances….but alas I think his fate is sealed as his record is appalling and his mouth has created way too much controversy. His latest gaff regarding the policeman may be just the nail that SARU has been looking for.
Dont take my comments to heart mate, we are all vulnerable at times and at the end of the day its only a game.
6 Sep 2010, 07:09 am
@skopskiet(yliad)-303: Pieter Div has a worse record than WHite right now, so the stats dont back your assertion that he is better. Quite the contrary when you look at eth manner of defeat this year.
When White lost FOUR (as opposed to FIVE) in a row, we were all calling forchanges – one way or another.
I have to say that in both cases, the one common feature in the teams of today and 2006 was the leadership of Smit. I am starting to doubt his leadership. I think he is no longer an inspirational leader, and he is fast losing respect amongst his colleagues. A 6 month rest from international rugby for him will do the Boks a lot of good I think.
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