Boks to bruise Scots
15 Jun 2006
Scotland, battered in Durban, will be further bruised in Port Elizabeth.
The Scots will offer a bit more fight in PE, but they don’t have the class to match the Boks, let alone the conviction to follow through the pre-test banter that Saturday provides an opportunity for a new team to do something special.
Admittedly, the Scots are at the end of a long season. They’ve had their success, two home wins against England and France, and the manner of the struggle away to Italy (when they needed a 77th minute three pointer to win 13-10) should have been a giveaway of what to expect in Durban.
Traditionally, Scotland’s forwards have managed to trouble the Boks, but it is doubtful they expected such a bruising from the Bok pack in Durban. I don’t even know if Jake White thought his pack capable of delivering such telling blows.
Either way, the Bok pack should repeat the battering in PE. What White will look for this time is more impact from his replacement players and greater intensity throughout the 80 minutes.
The back three will prosper as a unit now that Bryan Habana has returned, while the halfback pairing should revel with the anticipated forward dominance. Wynand Olivier gets a chance to show himself capable of a greater role in the Bok set-up, while Andre Snyman gets one last chance to convince the selectors they were right in recalling him from England.
The bones called a comfortable Bok win in the first test and nothing has changed. The Boks will win by 20 again.
In other internationals Australia will play better against England, but won’t win as emphatically (if that makes any sense). The scoreline will be closer, but the Aussies will still win well, while New Zealand will improve against the Irish and do enough to take the series two-nil.
It won’t be vintage New Zealand, given that another 15 players are already in Buenos Aires preparing to play the Pumas, but they still have enough quality players to see off an Irish team that certainly played well in Hamilton.
The All Blacks by 10 points, but a convincing 10.
In other internationals, the Pumas will beat Wales and the French will walk their way to a victory against Romania.
558 Comments
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16 Jun 2006, 18:25 pm
Have a good one boys, I outta here too.
16 Jun 2006, 20:27 pm
The bulls destroyed the force, 54-0.
16 Jun 2006, 20:51 pm
What?
16 Jun 2006, 20:51 pm
Delicious!
16 Jun 2006, 20:51 pm
555!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tripple 5!
3×5!
17 Jun 2006, 07:56 am
Boks eyeing record 13th win by Hendrik Cronjé
Posted on 16 June 2006 – 21:51
John Smit © Touchline PhotoTheir aspiration to become the number one rugby team in the world on the IRB’s rankings is being used as motivation by the Springboks to avoid falling into the trap of feeling overconfident against teams like Scotland.
You can get live scores from Springbok games by sending an SMS with the message RSA to 34911 (R for rugby, SA for South Africa). This is a SuperSMS service and costs just R2 per SMS.
Bok captain John Smit said the target of becoming the top ranked team in the world is sufficient to fire up his team for the second Test against Scotland here on Saturday.
South Africa convincingly won the first Test a week ago.
“We are still second on the rankings. We have to improve a lot still, because second place is not where we want to be, However, just being able to don the Springbok jersey is already a great motivation,” Smit said.
“We have taken note that the Scots have made five changes to their pack, including their biggest and strongest players. We expect a physical onslaught and I think it is great preparation for the Tri-Nations series.”
In the absence of game breakers such as Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie the Scots are expected to target the South African midfield,
Coach Jake White says milestones such as becoming the most successful home team yet are very important. “The All Blacks have a proud record at home as do England (unbeaten in their run of 22 matches at Twickenham).
“It helps in the greater picture to be mentioned as one of the great teams. Port Elizabeth is a lucky stadium for us. Last year we produced one of our best performances here against France,” White said.
The Boks will try and win their 13th consecutive home game on Saturday. The record of 12 was set by the team playing from 1994 to 1996. Ten of these matches were won under coach Kitch Christie who also led SA to the World Cup victory in 1995.
Smit said he and his teammates had discussed the records and will do everything possible to maintain the run. “We are proud of it,” Smit added
White did not want to comment on low attendance figures at Durban and expected lower figures in PE, “We may have been spoiled by a lot of good rugby on television,” the coach said.
17 Jun 2006, 08:03 am
If all is well and good in the great scheme of things then we should have no doubt about sending the Scotland army homeward tae think again.Every year we get our arses handed to us on the infamous EOYT,where our excuse is being at the end of a long season.It’s the travel,the injuries and the fatigue.Lest we forget being humbled by the Irish,outclassed by the Poms and outmuscled by the French.This is the reverse situation for the brave Scots and though I enjoyed last week no end,it was nothing better than what was due.These results are non-negotiable and anything less than a hiding unacceptable,that is if we truly believe in reaching the number 1 position in wotrld rugby.
17 Jun 2006, 08:12 am
Finally the Great Redeemer by Dan Retief
Posted on 15 June 2006
Writing for Rugby World magazine on the forthcoming Tri-Nations the difference in approach of the three coaches struck home – Jake White is maintaining, John Connolly is rebuilding and Graham Henry is diversifying.
More than a decade following the day at Ellis Park in June 1995 when Louis Luyt announced the formation of Sanzar and the effective end of amateur rugby, All Black coach Henry is the first rugby coach to get into full-on professional mode.
It may be argued that Clive Woodward, given the meticulous plan he orchestrated to take England to World Cup glory in 2003, was the first genuine professional but the old mores that soon returned to Twickenham showed that Sydney was the culmination of a campaign and not the changing of a culture.
However, Henry with his bold ground-breaking policy of revolving his players to create two equal-strength All Black teams is the first to confront the ever-growing fixture list with a proper solution.
There is little doubt that players are being asked to do too much while the demand on coaches and players alike to keep on winning has not been eased at all.
It is a Catch 22 but having realised that a drastic pruning of the schedule will not happen the All Black coach moved to a new way of thinking – why not split the workload between two groups of players?
Obviously rugby’s No 1 status plus an abundance of riches in playing personnel in New Zealand made it easier for Henry to modify the old approach of a single top team to maintain tradition and a history of success but there is little doubt that he has shown the way forward, especially to player-rich South Africa, in coping with an overwhelming fixture list.
Even though Henry has committed to Richie McCaw as his captain to succeed Tana Umaga he will be continuing a strategy of putting out distinctly different teams in an effort to beat player fatigue while also making a compelling statement about the depth of All Black rugby.
It worked for Henry when New Zealand swept through Britain on their Grand Slam tour last year and the coach is determined to create an awesome arsenal of All Blacks capable of stepping up against any opposition on any given Saturday no matter what the composition of his match 22.
There are the usual cracks about the All Blacks peaking between World Cups but there is no doubt, even a year out, that the Kiwis will arrive in France as favourites.
Henry has modified entrenched concepts by sending a group of players to Argentina to prepare for a one-off test against the Pumas and a similar strategy on a smaller scale will be used during the Tri-Nations when coaches have a 30-strong squad to choose from.
A small group would travel early to South Africa to acclimatise for the August 27 test in Pretoria, while the rest would remain in New Zealand for the August 19 Bledisloe Cup match against Australia at Eden Park, Auckland.
The same sized squad would be used on the end of year tour to Wales and France in an attempt to duplicate the demands of the World Cup where squads are restricted to 30 players.
This means that while Jake White is desperately nursing the like of Os du Randt, Percy Montgomery and Andre Snyman and John Connolly is equally frantically trying to broaden the base of the Wallabies, the All Blacks can confidently double up, even triple up, in every position.
Naturally it is easier for Henry to do because he does not have to concern himself with transformation and quotas as White has to, but the widening rift is apparent when comparing the recent raft of mid-year tests.
Consider this. How do you think the Boks would go against this All Black team?
15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Aaron Mauger, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Troy Flavell, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Clarke Dermody?
You think we’d be able to handle them? Good.
Okay, so the next week how do you think the Boks will go against this All Black team?
15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Rico Gear, 13 Sam Tuitupou, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Sitivini Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Jerry Collins, 7 Chris Masoe, 6 Marty Holah, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Jason Eaton, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver, 1 Tony Woodcock?
Frightening isn’t it? – especially when you consider that to these 30 players, two complete different teams, can be added Greg Rawlinson, Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore, Craig Newby, Mose Tuiali’i, David Hill, Isaia Toeava, Scott Hamilton and Jimmy Cowan, of the current squad, plus the like of Conrad Smith, James Ryan, John Afoa, Isa Nacewa, Anthony Tuitavake, Rua Tipoki, Sione Lauaki, Andrew Ellis, Corey Flynn, Tanerau Latimer, Kevin Senio, Josh Blackie, Nick Evans, Jimmy Gopperth and Joe McDonnell who, for a variety of reasons, including injury, are not currently in the All Blacks.
It’s time to be scared, very scared.
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