Comments on: French scraps for SA test

By: schalla

schalla — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 05:08:09 +0000

i dont gave a flying KAK which froggies our boys smash…i just dont want to see our undefeated home status under jake white go down.

Playing a test match for your country is the ultimate honour, and in theory jerseys shouldnt b handed out like hot cakes.but in the demanding era of pro rugby, it might just be a half decent idea to blood some young talent and look to the big goal of bringing home the world cup…it would give us the depth that we so desparately want, not to mention need. Just look at the all blacks in 2003, they lost umaga in the first match…now imagine if we were to lose a habana or a matfield…if we dont develop our depth now we will b in all sorts of **** come world cup time where the attrition levels can be quite high. and it is also quite clear that we have some talented players who need the development wich will only come with test experience ala baywatch wikus roets etc

By: Duiwel

Duiwel — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 17:58:23 +0000

Good,then give them a fkn kick in.
Put a ton on them.

By: Dieselboys

Dieselboys — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 06:54:44 +0000

Tackler
I’ll bend that knee as long as you aren’t behind me!

By: TheTackler

TheTackler — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 22:37:23 +0000

Does second actually matter? Runner-up? Briodesmaid?

Only FIRST counts.

Everyone knows that.

By: Cape Shark

Cape Shark — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:33:34 +0000

Tackler i must admit that your comments at 6:59 started off pretty well and you actually sounded like you knew something about rugby. However you then go into your familiar boring SA bashing, when all reason flew out the window. The last I saw SA were actually 2nd in the world dumbass!!!

By: Le Fou

Le Fou — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:03:46 +0000

France is working towards a world cup win. They are doing the right thing by resting their players. No use going to SA with tired players and loosing anyway. Laporte is right. Watch out for the French at the world cup. Rugby is growing here.

By: TheTackler

TheTackler — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 09:33:47 +0000

“Tackler, to win the WC, SA needs to beat France and/or the All Blacks.”

False.

There are far MORE hurdles to overome en route to World Cup triumph.

England.
Australia.
Wales.
Ireland.
Argentina.

and so on….

By: cab

cab — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 09:16:23 +0000

Please our 2nd stringers would give them a slap:

1. Thiart 2. Botha/Brits 3. BJ
4. Rossouw 5. Becker
6. Baywatch 7. Wickus 8. AJ

9. Pienaar 10. Jaco
11. Snyman 14. Chavaga
12. Barry 13. Nel/Joubert
15. Roedts

By: cab

cab — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:59:25 +0000

Our 2nd stringers would give their 2nd stringers a good go, fine to play that sort of game and it should be really interesting for JW, but it should not qualify as a “TEST”, unless both sides pick their best players. Simple really.

By: surfbok

surfbok — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:52:43 +0000

Guys, it is the end-of-season for France in June.
Just like the ABs and the Aussies rest some of their top-players in the Nov tests, the French will do the same. Only the Boks seem to ignore the fact that dragging your best 22 to every corner of the globe is not the best method.

The French will not play their second stringers. The article clearly states that “certain players will be rested in June…”.

Just like the Crusaders vs. the Cats which just took place, everyone said the ‘Saders were fielding their second stringers but at the end of the day, all their ABs played, with the only difference being that Mcaw & Jack started from the bench!

The French test will be the same and we should learn from them.

By: Drunkmonkey

Drunkmonkey — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 06:01:28 +0000

Check there 2nd stringers beat us !!!!!

Jake white please select the best players

By: Mclaren

Mclaren — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 05:06:49 +0000

Tackler,

To win the WC, SA needs to beat France and/or the All Blacks. I do not think that jake White is the best coach to win a WC in Eorope with its difficulut conditions. Would have prefereed Rassie or Heynele Meyer. What you need is Europe is for your forwards to dominate. White prefer dancing forwards like Big Joe and running flyhalves like Jaco. It is not going to work for him.

By: TheTackler

TheTackler — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:59:42 +0000

French rugby approaches tests in a fundamentally different way from the way SA or NZ does. The French genuinely don’t mind losing test matches along the way as long as they win the rubber (or the silverware) at the end. Historically they are in a deep deficit against most top teams, so there is nothing to be gained by fretting over every test.

SA and NZ and, to an increasing extent, England pay great heed to the historical record. Losing ANY test is unthinkable. These sides want to win every test they play, and their fans expect it.

By and large, the All Blacks deliver the goods. The fans get very dirty when they don’t. The Boks have grown just a little too accustomed to losing, and now tend to trumpet their dwindling achievements to something larger than life and simultaneously ignore the growing setbacks as less relevant than they would otherwise ought to be.

By: TheTackler

TheTackler — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:50:28 +0000

“Retaining the World Cup is where the real bragging rights are, just look how we still go on about â€˜95.”

Well, then you also have to bow the knee to the REIGNING world champions, England, whom the Boks have incidentally never beaten so far this century.

By: Mclaren

Mclaren — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:45:49 +0000

The French second team will be strong , just like last year when thet allmost won against the Boks in SA. Even the Boks can pick a B team that will be very stong and be able to mwon international matches. For example

15. Roets
14. Chavanga
13. JP Nel
12. Olivier
11. Nokwe
10. Hougaard
9. Pienaar/Conradie
8. Cronje
7. Wannenburg
6. Gerhard Vosloo
5. Andries Bekker
4. Danie Rossouw
3. Bands/BJ Botha
2. Schalk Brits/Gary Botha
1. Wiam du Preez/Danie Thiart

By: Anvil

Anvil — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:08:39 +0000

It really does not matter Dingman.As Laporte would only want to experiment with the fringe players.

We wont be learning anything new.

Instead why not focus on beating the ABs away from home ?? .Something we have not been able to do.The Aussies too are looking good with the return of Mortlock,Larkham and a host of other players.

IMHO playing that bunch is better than wasting time playing a second string,under strength froggies.

But then again how the hell can we expect them to respect us when we go and lose against their first team hey ?

Beating the ABs and England this year should be our top priorities.

By: Koos

Koos — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:04:29 +0000

Dingman, spot on! We could only manage a draw against their b team last year, why complain now?

By: Dingman

Dingman — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:00:54 +0000

Yes very clever Anvil. Let’s restrict ourselves to playing only two teams. I mean it’s not as if the Frenchies play a different style of rugby right? What on earth could the Boks learn from playing teams other than NZ&OZ. Very clever indeed.

By: Anvil

Anvil — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 03:36:27 +0000

The French are playing us like *******.

Last year they did the same thing in PE and we thought we were good enough.

Then we go and lose to them in Paris.

Now they are doing the same thing.

I dont see the value of this test.We can correctly asses ourselves by only playing against the best of best.

Lets stick to playing more TN.

By: Dingman

Dingman — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 01:27:08 +0000

For all those hotheads above crying foul over the French coach’s remarks:

Have you forgotten the French tests played in Durban and PE last year (2005)? Look at those squads again. The Boks almost played two different teams and guess what…the Boks only managed a DRAW in Durban against the team that EXCLUDED a lot of the 1st choice players (as many of them played the previous weekend in the French comp. final). The French have depth. Maybe even more so than the Boks.

For heaven’s sake think a little.