Jake shows Scots some respect
5 Jun 2006
Jake White is saying the right things in the Scottish press — and that’s a positive in the build-up to Saturday’s first test.
White has in the past been guilty of firing up the opposition with dismissive claims about their credibility as a team, most notably the Irish in the week the Boks played (and lost) to them in Dublin.
But White seems to have learned. Tell the visiting boys what they want to hear and let them reflect the good news.
White did just this in telling the Scotsman’s Tom Smith that the Scottish would pose a real threat to the Boks, despite never having won a test in South Africa.
“Their history against us suggests they’ll battle against us, but they’ve turned around nicely in the last year under Frank Hadden. Let me give credit where it’s due … a team that can beat England and France in the same year [in the Six Nations] is not to be taken lightly. Few teams can say they’ve managed that.
“The Scots are coming here a settled team with a good nucleus of players. They’ve picked some big backs, which seems to be the trend in world rugby, and will ask plenty of my guys. We must also remember that, while it’s their end-of-season tour, a lot of the guys will be wanting to impress Hadden with an eye on next year’s World Cup.
“There will be fringe players in their squad, much like we’ve got, who’ll be keen to stick their hands up, so this series should be very interesting.”
White, a keen follower of history, will have noted that in 1906 the Boks, playing for the first time with the Bok emblem on their jersey, took on Scotland in Edinburgh and lost 6-0.
A century later he certainly would not want the latest chapter of Springbok rugby history to reflect a first ever Scottish win in South Africa.
31 Comments
5 Jun 2006, 22:06 pm
DRAGONS! ! ! !
5 Jun 2006, 22:21 pm
Sitting in my B&B dining-room in Edinburgh, at the laptop earning my daily crust.
Started watching the Bok-World XV game on Saturday at Nobles (thanks PissAnt!) after persuading the barman (and buying an expensive bottle of wine) to switch to Sky 3 rather than watching England’s final pre-soccer WC warm-up game.
Slunk away at half-time in embarrasment, with a bar full of pissed-off Scots staring daggers at my back.
The Scots have a competitive team at the moment, though losing their probably their best player – Hogg – to injury may be a severe blow.
The lads here are quite up for the game, and our Bok’s Saturday “performance” is certainly making them more hopeful.
5 Jun 2006, 22:48 pm
This is a first Jake…
5 Jun 2006, 22:51 pm
I doubt that barman will honour a request from you again.
5 Jun 2006, 22:55 pm
5
I got a milestone Vinnie
6 Jun 2006, 01:08 am
Why would a pub full of Scotsmen want to watch England play Jamaica?
Perhaps to support Jamaica.
6 Jun 2006, 04:05 am
no the scots wants to wish and see england get there butts handed to them. The william wallace days still haunt the scots.
6 Jun 2006, 04:06 am
i mean the scots still look up to william wallace lol..
6 Jun 2006, 05:31 am
If a Scotchman’s wife is going to give birth and they are in england they will fly her to bonny old Scotland to give birth, so if da babe is a male he can play for Scotland.That’s how much dem Scots love da Pom’s.
6 Jun 2006, 06:41 am
Scotland have improved but they have failed to beat a top tier team away from home in the past two years. They are tougher at home (sound familiar) than away. I’d be shocked if the Boks lost, despite how badly they played on Saturday and considering that almost half that team will start against Scotland. It’s France that we need to be worried about, never mind the Tri-nations.
6 Jun 2006, 07:02 am
Trying to copy Coach Deans of the ‘saders…
6 Jun 2006, 07:22 am
Quite right Bokusa,
The Boks will be almost at full strengh and I’d be very surprised if the Scots can pull one over us.
If the Frogs have many more players like that Chabal(who I really enjoyed watching) we could be in deep trouble. In fact I’m starting to think the Frogs are favourite for the world cup, being at home and all.
6 Jun 2006, 07:59 am
After saterdays performance JW is back peddling faster than a Thomas the black cat in the dog pound. What a shocking performance and I agree with Keo in yesterdays article Tappe Hening actualy wasted alot of peoples time and money with the handling of that game.
Penalty every two minutes said the stats
6 Jun 2006, 08:01 am
J White is on the slippery slope…and it all started when he took over the coaching…then SA rugby was so low, that any change was bound to be an improvement…the Boks did put in a good team effort that first year of his coaching managing to paste over the cracks, like individual skill levels…but now those cracks are craters, and lay bare for all to see…Jde Villiers can’t defend, neither can Percy and he was never the complete fullback to begin with…habitually shaky under the high ball…Jaco vd westhuizen don’t have the boot of a top flyhalf, and playing in Japan caught up with him at last…the Bull forwards have been found wanting in the S14 the sae way they will be found in the tests…at hookr poor Shiange really plunged ever since he left Freestate behind….he better move back asap…Tian Liebenberg was far and away the best SA hooker in S14, as Bevan Fortuin was the best and complete back…enough reason of course for them to be summarily ignored by Jake, I really do hope he gets the sack before the end of the world cup…illogic, blindness and prejudice is not going to bring the cup here…
6 Jun 2006, 08:11 am
“Jeez!, NO!, I stay as far away from that playing style as possible” Jake White on the Boks playing the Bulls’ style rugby considering that the pack is made up of mostly Bulls.
May have got that wrong, but it appeared in the latest SASI
6 Jun 2006, 08:11 am
interesting comments folanke
It is hardly Jakes fault if a guy can’t tackle is it? Shouldn’t they have learned that well before the stage of being selected for the boks.
I agree re Fortuin, he is one of very few genuine linebreakers we saw in SA s14 teams this year. He can also offload once he has broken the defence. The sort of guy you want if you plan to win with something other than 10 penalties.
6 Jun 2006, 08:13 am
Bevan Fotuin are you on crack?
6 Jun 2006, 08:32 am
Why dont you people give JW a break!!!!!!!
He is working within a system that stinks and has done very good work within all the BS that SA rugby is in currently and has been for some time. It will take a long time for our rugby structure to settle into something respectfull – dont take it out on JW who has to work within a system that is not of his making, just be thankful that he has the will to see it through.
The truth is he will never make everyone happy whatever team he selects, but lets support him as he has brought us this far. Think back folks to what the Bokke situation was like prior to his taking over. Our rugby had hit the loweset of lows and was the laughing stock of the world. We are now No.2 and should be proud of it.
F§$%% all you people with your endless negativity – more prance than dance is your only claim to fame…..
6 Jun 2006, 08:58 am
lol folanke, maak al die cheetahs bokke, hey?
6 Jun 2006, 09:06 am
The Boks are the best team in the world. They will beat all other teams, home and away. Their ball skills and tactics are impeccable and way advanced over the likes of France, NZ, Aus and the rest. JW is also the best coach in the world and the boks will beat Scotland by at least 30 points, 7 tries to nil! We also have some of the finest flyhalves around with AP, Jaco, DH etc all way better than the likes of Dan Carter, Larkham, Jonny and Michalak.
6 Jun 2006, 09:21 am
Folanke wants “Die man van Staaldraad” ol ‘Dolfie Straueli coaching again… haha! Fun times…
6 Jun 2006, 09:28 am
Aaah Mole, why so optimistic ?
6 Jun 2006, 09:33 am
folanke
Ja whatever. Take off the orange goggles. You probably think meyer bosman should be 12 with generaal de waal at 10 and gaffie must be captain! Shimmie left FS because he didnt get any gametime at you guys either!
6 Jun 2006, 10:56 am
yes Mole, i like it, the only statement that is questionable is that we have some of the finest flyhalves around.
6 Jun 2006, 11:11 am
Scotland r worthy oponents. If they hadn’t had a man sent off against the Welsh, they probably would have won, which may have given them the 6N title or a close second.
6 Jun 2006, 11:20 am
folanke ur an arsehole, i can say that coz i am sitting here in Staines, London. That’s in the UK for any of u thicko’s down there!
White has transformed Bok rugby to heights never imagined before. Lets take Maarkgraaf, awb boy, winning and competitveness, dire. 2Plus3(Du plessis), a big Wet! Mallet, the man, had an incedible run of victories, played his team into the ground, bounce back for a very good showing at WC99, stumbled in 2000. Viljoen, could have won TN 2001, if he had a kicker, ran out of ideas. Strauli, no comment! Now we get to White. What i like about this is , we never went on a rediculous streak of wins, the Boks just became more competitive and r winning 70% of their game over 2 seasons. Instead of blowing hot and cold, the Boks r remaining fairly competitive. What does folanke mean anyway? Interebred low life perhaps
6 Jun 2006, 11:25 am
i wish we could make Greame Smith a motivational speaker in the Boks pre-match team talk this week.
6 Jun 2006, 11:33 am
Naaada i agree. If all our coaches were like Muir and Campo, White wouldn’t have such a job on his hands. However the plus side is, the Boks look very happy when they r in White’s hands. It probably takes White a few more weeks than other national coaches to get his team together. Remember that old saying that a wounded springok is a dangerous sprngbok, never, A happy springbok is a very dangerous springbok. When we Bok smiles and teeth, miracles will happen
6 Jun 2006, 13:35 pm
Its magic!!! Jake White was not windgat for the first time in his dam life!!!!
6 Jun 2006, 16:16 pm
JW isn’t arrogant – you Journo’s just mis-quote and sensationalise what he says. Rugby journo hacks like to ‘stir the pot’ and you blog twats buy into it every time!!
6 Jun 2006, 20:46 pm
Was working on the laptop today at an Edinburgh pub, and its wireless service provider wouldn’t let me onto Keo due to the language.
Farking calvinists!!
Yeah, there’s no love lost here for the poms ( the auld enemy), but thay’d rather watch a decent game of footie (no doubt wanting Jamaica to do a “cool runnings”), than endure the absolute shiite dished out last saturday.
Will watch the Bok-Scot game in amsterdam – that should be interesting
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