Boks have Test attitude
2 Jun 2006
Springbok coach Jake White has a proud unbeaten record on home soil. And he is not about to let that slip against the World XV tomorrow.
“The law of averages will dictate that we will eventually lose at home,” White said at Friday’s press conference. “But we are working hard to maintain that record for as long as we can. A defeat against the World XV is not an option.”
Stand-in captain Jean de Villiers says everything has gone according to plan. “The preparation this week has been very good. Although it is not official, we are approaching this match as if it is a Test. The only thing that has changed is the captain,” grinned de Villiers.
The Boks are favourites to beat an experienced, but ageing World XV at Ellis Park tomorrow, which will provide a fantastic launching pad for the more important assignments later this month. Two Tests against Scotland should be easily negotiated, before the crunch June fixture against a full-strength France in Cape Town.
The altitude is also expected to be a major factor for the team that was thumped 46-19 by England last weekend.
The team that runs out at Ellis Park is likely to change dramatically by the time the Boks take on France, especially with several first-choice players due back from injury.
However, the team de Villiers leads out tomorrow has exactly 400 Test caps between them – and they are considered a second-string outfit. When White started his career as Bok coach against Ireland in Bloemfontein in 2004, the team that gave him an opening 31-17 win had just 179 caps.
It illustrates just how far the Boks have come under White’s guidance.
By Andrew Hollely
179 Comments
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2 Jun 2006, 13:42 pm
De Villiers is a LEGEND!!! But not yet in the same class as Fleckie!!!
2 Jun 2006, 13:46 pm
De Villiers is good, no need to argue that, but he has alot to learn to be the best in his position in the world. But he will get there.
2 Jun 2006, 13:49 pm
handbag
That is our favourite quote
“he will get there”
2 Jun 2006, 13:51 pm
Wpw – you can’t compare Jean to Fleckie. Fleckie was too much of a hot-head..!! Jean’s more of a thinker, and an intelligent footballer. No comparison in my books.
2 Jun 2006, 13:51 pm
jake white is a clone of clive woodward , i think he must have written every word woodward said down and changed a few thigs and know he repeats them …
hopefully jake white will quit soon and manage kazier chiefs …
2 Jun 2006, 13:56 pm
grey,
You’re not a Jake man, are you?
2 Jun 2006, 13:59 pm
Jondood, what I mean is that he needs to work on some aspects of his game before we can call him world class, but I think he will be better than Fleckie, remember when Kayser made Fleckie look like an idiot? I will always remeber that.
2 Jun 2006, 14:00 pm
Foxache ,
i am counting the seconds till he gets booted and we get a new coach …
2 Jun 2006, 14:01 pm
Fleckie is a legend of note!
2 Jun 2006, 14:01 pm
Jake White is the man to take us to the World Cup.
2 Jun 2006, 14:08 pm
I reckon Jean is much better than Fleckie already!
2 Jun 2006, 14:12 pm
De Villiers – 20 test caps & 11 tries
Fleck – 31 test caps & 10 tries
I am aware that De Villiers played alot of games on the wing before anyone raises that point!
2 Jun 2006, 14:18 pm
Fleck was ‘n ****** clown
2 Jun 2006, 14:23 pm
Ons vleuels is minstens bedrieglik….bedrieglik stadig
2 Jun 2006, 14:29 pm
O vok hier’s Jeremy weer.
2 Jun 2006, 14:40 pm
Grey based on what exactly? as very succesfull tenure as Coach?
:
Or because you just dont like him and would prefer to see Cobus Vandermerwe in his place
2 Jun 2006, 14:41 pm
wpw, Do you know what a legend is? De Veliers has playd 20 test caps and scored 11 tries and you call him a legend. Legends are centres like Danie Gerber, Manetjies Roux, Jogie Jansen, John Gainsford. I would have understood if you said Pieter Muller, Japie Mulder, Henie Le Roux and even Andre Snyman but Jean De Veliers is no where near being a legend!
2 Jun 2006, 14:42 pm
o mejufrou, vok n krok. ****** foken foken…
2 Jun 2006, 14:43 pm
no arguing with what jw has done, but i’m worried that the same guy who got us from 6th to 2nd, may be the reason that we may end up 4th or 5th again. my reason for thinking so? not selecting in form players (yeah, i know class blah blah blah), giving the opposition their teamtalk and not keeping his options open (cobus visagie will NEVER play for the boks). his know-it-all, never-wrong attitude,may cost us in the end.
2 Jun 2006, 14:43 pm
Aaah. Imagine Jean apprenticing on the inside with the legend that is Fleckie mentoring and providing tactical, mental and defensive guidance playing 13.
What a prospect…Jean, might one day then reach those dissy heights held alone in the world by Robbie
2 Jun 2006, 14:46 pm
there is something wrong with all of the dudes here…Fleck is no legend he was and still is a idiot….get with the program idiots
2 Jun 2006, 14:47 pm
Nice article Andrew
The Boks should win well, but neither Jaco nor Ricky have shown great form this year.
I’d certainly think of Jean as much of a hot head as Fleckie, but he looked like a rabbit in the headlights in yesterday’s interview snippet on Boots ‘n All, so maybe he’s just finding his feet. Jean has too many flashes of petulance for me to believe he’ll scale great heights, irrespective of his talent. I hope the captaincy settles him down. The Wet One is pretty solid in mid field though and maybe he’ll turn out for the CC.
Can’t see why all the aggro about Jake though, he’s done all right. He does communicate a bit like a teacher but at least he’s better than all his predecessors except Mallet. Straueli always reminded me of a refugee from Joost’s security company.
Gafster in the team is a puzzle. He must be as much of a gamble as picking any one of the young bloods, or even Russell. His BMT seems absent almost always.
I would have selected a couple of replacement centres for the bench from the Sharks or Cheetahs. An outrageous gamble would be to play Russell at 10 with good front foot ball. His acceleration could embarass Spencer, hell even Jaco’s got enough acceleration I suppose.
2 Jun 2006, 14:48 pm
bergie
fleckie kon nie eers al daardie goed (tactics, defence…) self bemeester nie- hoe de hel gaan hy iemand mentor?
2 Jun 2006, 14:49 pm
Dawn 15
Perhaps they’re suggesting you put a cap on it all?
2 Jun 2006, 14:53 pm
What’s eating you Sarky.
Put a cap on the length of your posts.
2 Jun 2006, 14:54 pm
ja, nice article Andrew.
2 Jun 2006, 14:57 pm
All people above r very unfair on White. Ever since re-admittance the Boks have been good on year, losers the next. Under White they have been competitive 2 years on the trot and i invisage the same for this year!
2 Jun 2006, 14:58 pm
leean
I do agree with you…but if the muppets here can’t put anything negetive they will have nothing to talk about
2 Jun 2006, 15:02 pm
Steyn
pls stop being so negative over the other muppits…
2 Jun 2006, 15:03 pm
lol suparrugby……….i hear what you are saying
2 Jun 2006, 15:03 pm
To all the above, Fleck was great and i will always feel sorry for him, coz he was discarded in his prime. However Jaque Fourie would run Flecks’ **** into the ground, and be able to repeat that week in week out. Jaque Fourie will the best 13 in the world soon and remain there for a few years. Has anyone notice how machine like he is? No pain, never looks tired, energy comnig out the wazoo!
Comparing JDV to Damien Traille, Traille wins for me coz of his kicking, but JDV can break the game line. If Butch can click at 12 with Fourie and JDV goes back to the wing, the BOks will destroy everybody
2 Jun 2006, 15:04 pm
2 Jun 2006, 15:05 pm
butch is not the answer at 12
2 Jun 2006, 15:06 pm
ASHA1 do you knwo Jake White?
I know him and when you chat to him he is a far different person to how the Press portray him.
A famouse Quote from Derick Warwick
“Believe nothing you read in the press and 10% of what you see on the news”
2 Jun 2006, 15:06 pm
leeanthony,
i agree with your general sentiment, but your choice of wording is likely to make fleckie squeamish.
2 Jun 2006, 15:07 pm
wls, he actually looks like one of the most softspoken self-effacing guys i’ve seen. saw him at a keo get together at the walkabout with Nick Mallet.
2 Jun 2006, 15:08 pm
And the other legend Bob is also back in SA and in CPT.
It is almost enough to make me go out and buy a bottle of Tassies – the good old days…
2 Jun 2006, 15:09 pm
I know JDV/Fourie will be first choice. I have a sneeky suspicion White is looking for another 13 to partner Julies. TO be honest i liked seeing Julies/Fourie, coz Julies will never do anything stupid he will just play his normal game and feed Fourie. JDV can be a bit of a show boater and try and take on the world himself!!! But it seems like White may use Julies/Wynand.
2 Jun 2006, 15:09 pm
i dont think jake white likes me very much.
ah well.
2 Jun 2006, 15:12 pm
leenanthony, afraid we part ways on Julies, he is supakak. 1st choice 12 is Jdv, 2nd DwB and 3rd WO.
2 Jun 2006, 15:13 pm
PissAnt – that’s why you are not in squad….unlucky pal!
2 Jun 2006, 15:13 pm
CAB i bumped into him after there first trip to UK, and he was so honest about the loss to England and open about the things that went wrong. yet to half the poepals on here that makes him a prick. As opposed to someone like Straulli who kept saying (even after the world cup) Judge me then. JW walks the walk.
God only knows why Bok supporters are so negative. Must be a dutchmen attitude. (as a nation we are very negative – this comes from our forfathers sleeping with everything they encounterd on the great trek through SA )
2 Jun 2006, 15:14 pm
ben,
I knew there was a reason…
2 Jun 2006, 15:16 pm
PissAnt…politics china!
2 Jun 2006, 15:16 pm
wls
no i dont know the guy, have never met him or graham henry and thats why i think i can be more objective. i’m gonna take graham henry as example to state why i’m worried about jw. when gh started coaching the ab’s he used a flatline attack. what he wanted to achieve was good, but in practice didnt work because of teams defensive lines and the boks’ now famous rush defense. other teams learned from it and used it.
now g henry, although he and the players stated in the media that they believe that the flatline attack is the right way to go, changed it all and use a far more deeper attacking line and its working for them.
this guy was willing to look at his plan, see that it wasnt working and change it! i believe as a coach you need to be able to be proved wrong.
2 Jun 2006, 15:17 pm
wls, ya i don’t know with some of our lot sometimes, you’d swear we were still losing every other test match. PA and Ig probably right tho, perhaps he needs to invest in a PR man, but i reckon its bloody funny.
Jake is his own man, he is not a big mouth or arrgoant and as you say he has walked the walk. Its the first time in years players actually want to be involved with the boks again, isn’t it strange why all of sudden the old boks playing in foreign lands all want to come back to SA?
2 Jun 2006, 15:17 pm
Probably my Craig Davidson attitude, maybe I should ask him out for coffee.
Keo, where did you and Mallet hook up to sort out your differences?
I want to give this the best chance possible and that place obviously has something.
2 Jun 2006, 15:22 pm
cab
i agree with you bud,everyone wanted to leave when the ship was sinking,but now that it’s steady again all players overseas suddenly wanna play in the RWC under Jake White cos he has taken them back to being a force in world rugby.
2 Jun 2006, 15:24 pm
Syd Nomis made the speach at the jersey ceremony today. And, as happened in his day, he played numorous games for the Boks apart from 25 test (midweek games etc) he emphasized the importance to the Boks that every time you pull on the jersey, you represent your country.
I like the fact White is bringing back tradition etc .
2 Jun 2006, 15:27 pm
yip too right Ben,
gecko, yes Syd also got his teeth knocked out running down the wing, at newlands, if memory serves.
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