Winning is everything
8 Jun 2006
When it comes to the Springboks nothing matters more than winning. This is the view of coach Jake White.
White would rather have an ugly win than a commendable defeat: the quality of the rugby is second to the result of the match. With that attitude, fans might not be in for a feast of attractive rugby, but hopefully the winning sequence under White will continue.
White though says once the defensive structure is in place, the Boks can become more adventurous on attack.
But on Saturday, White says he does not care how his players win, as long as they beat Scotland in the first of two Tests. With that in mind, tries by the home side are unlikely come out of elaborately constructed moves, but rather – as has become a trademark of this team in recent seasons – through intercepts and turnovers.
White did admit that the defence was a worry and he wanted a vast improvement in this department before the World Cup in France next year. White’s thinking is that it was this characteristic that won the Boks the the World Cup in 1995 and the Tri-Nations title in 2004.
“Most important is that you should be able to change from a defensive pattern into an attacking one. A team cannot play attacking rugby if it does not have a settled defensive system,” he told Die Volksblad’s Hendrik Cronje.
It will remain a moot point just how long this will take to evolve. Surely every Bok fan will take a winning team over one that looks good, but still loses? World Cup finals are not won playing candyfloss rugby.
“The Springboks have defended well during the past two years, even though we probably did not play as much attacking rugby as we would have liked to do. But we have at least regained a culture of winning,†he said in Die Volksblad.
“I expect our attacking play to improve soon as a result of experience, consistency in team selection and confidence because of the winning culture.”
“As happens in any team that play together for a long time, the Springboks understand that the improvement in their attacking play is just around the corner.”
19 Comments
8 Jun 2006, 07:40 am
Mmmmmm … JW is a defencive minded couch, very technical … that has been his mindset in the last two seasons, and will continue to be his mindset till the world cup. Size and strength is what he is consirned about most.
Can it win us the world cup … I wonder … what happens if we don’t have a kicker to convert the penalties.
A little to conservitive for me, but first and formost winning is what counts. This will be the watershed season for JW .. lets see if he has dug a hole for himself or will be at the top of the mountain at the end of it all.
8 Jun 2006, 07:44 am
Een verskoning wat nie meer kan gebruik word nie is defnitief dat daar nie meer te min ervaring is nie. Maar die punt is die ouens moet begin te kliek want die meeste speel nou al vir 3 jaar saam so erens moet hulle mos begin beter speel en die tyd het gekom dat dit moet gebeur enige besigheid wat n mens begin vat gewoonlik 1-2 jaar voor dat dit begin werk so ek meen Jake en sy span is 3 jaar al saam so iets moet nou begin klop.
8 Jun 2006, 07:45 am
I agree with white winning is everything and he has learned from the best coach heyneke.
We need the pointmachine !!
8 Jun 2006, 07:45 am
The teams we’ve been most successful against are those that are the most expansive (ie: we’ve been able to feed off turnovers and intercepts derived from mistakes when attacking).
With the World Cup approaching, teams will become more defense-orientated (see Wallabies) and with it will go our primary source of tries.
Unless the backs have a significant mind-shift in the creative play/attack area, I can’t see us scoring many tries at all in the near future.
8 Jun 2006, 07:46 am
Good post Paws, I feel the same way, this season will let us know, I feel we need to blood some depth and the EYT should be made up mainly of newer players (possibly JP and the like)
Rest 10 first choice boks and let them get thier strength up for the important year
8 Jun 2006, 08:40 am
Impumelelo ngo ndoqo madoda.
Myekeni u Jake White, uyayazi into ayenzayo.
Okwangoku masilibale ngo Brits,Watson kunye no Visagie.
Phambili ngo Jake, Phambili!
8 Jun 2006, 08:46 am
nondoda i agree, but i don’t think he will ever change his selections as he is a proud (read: stubborn) man
8 Jun 2006, 09:07 am
Andrew – great article, however there is nothing wrong with scoring tries from turnovers. The Crusaders scored most of their tries from turn overs this season.
8 Jun 2006, 09:17 am
sometimes i really feel for jake.
8 Jun 2006, 09:21 am
Against the World X, at least we were seeing dummy runners and an attempt at set moves, (even if they were badly executed). The problem with elaborate set moves is that if they do not work or the ball s dropped, then most of teh backline is out of position. If the line is going to try something, the loosies must be prepared to clean up if there is a **** up…
8 Jun 2006, 09:40 am
kitch christie had the same mentality and it won us a world cup.
8 Jun 2006, 09:57 am
“Winning is not a sometimes thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing” – Vince Lombardi.
8 Jun 2006, 10:31 am
The problem is we will not play attacking rugby while Coetzee is the backline coach. Look what he did to the Cats backline FFS!!
8 Jun 2006, 10:52 am
Jake got this one right. EVERY test MUST be won. You don’t feel saisfied by “taking lots of positives” out of any test you lose.
8 Jun 2006, 10:53 am
Thats JW jus win! Win the tri nations, win everything on the EOYT and win the world cup. Thats what matters.
8 Jun 2006, 10:55 am
he’s right, watch it happen, its called long term planning and having a strategy, words rarely used in SA rugby.
8 Jun 2006, 11:16 am
thanks tackles, you’re so wise…
8 Jun 2006, 11:19 am
Hi all …
a bit off the topic … but has anyone seen the London 7′s match .. I think was France vs England …
Anyone see the way the French “attacked” the ref and know what happened afterwards ???
8 Jun 2006, 19:39 pm
My dream team from SA:
15 – Andre Joubert…all class…safe and attacking…
14 – Jaco Reinach…talking about speed AND strength…
13 – Danie Gerber – master…
12 – Pieter Muller – strength in attack and defence…
11 – Chris Badenhorst…a real little devil…speedy and could tackle like a ton of bricks for his size…
10 – Jannie de Beer – perfect all round full back…great kicker(best Bok scoring averages), good defender, line kicker, could get the line away and scored plenty of tries himself…
9 – Joost vd Westhuizen at his best was good…
8 – Gerrie Sonnekus(Captain) he was a rugby genius and amazingly versatile player
7 – Ruben Kruger – one of the true hard men of rugby…completely uncompromising…
6 – Rassie Erasmus – another genius…
5 – Kobus Wiese – great grunt and go-forward…
4 – Mark Andrews…with him and Kobus there, no opponent would mess around…and if they do…
3 – Piet Bester ! No one would mess around with this pocket battleship…
2 – Wessel Lightfoot…a fantastic hooker, could get tightheads almost at will, extremely mobile…
1 – Os du Rand – just to round things off…
Reserves:
Gysie Pienaar – cover fullback and flyhalf
Henry Honniball – cover flyhalf and centre
Thabo Thomas – scrummie – never played for the boks, think he got to reserve, but had the two best seasons I ever saw in any player…
CJ v d Linde – great impact !!
Juan Smith – what a sub…
Theuns Stofberg – ditto
Ollie le Roux…hooker and prop
I would put a lot on that team performing…and winning every cup…
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