Welsh eye Bok scalp
16 Sep 2008
Former Welsh wing Ieuan Evans believes the Springboks will be Wales’ easiest southern hemisphere opposition during the end-of-year tours.
Wales play the Boks on 8 November followed by Canada, Australia and New Zealand – all at the Millennium Stadium on successive weekends. Former Welsh captain Evans believes the world champions present the easiest opportunity for the Six Nations champs to cause an upset over the Tri-Nations teams.
“South Africa is the best chance of a win. Australia are probably the most innovative [of the three] and New Zealand are going to be a handful,” Evans told Scrum V.
He cited player burnout, which is not easing up as most of the Springboks have gone straight from the internationals into Absa Currie Cup action, as a reason to make the Welsh favourites. He also highlighted how the Bok players have struggled to understand Peter de Villiers’s game-plan as an added bonus for the hosts.
“South Africa are still unsure what sort of game they want to play. Also, a lot of their players are looking tired. Butch James has played two years of solid rugby.”
Not even a year after their World Cup triumph and the Boks already seem to have lost their aura of World Champions in the eyes of the northern hemisphere.
410 Comments
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16 Sep 2008, 10:20 am
Aha!!!!!! Eerste………….dragons!!!!!
16 Sep 2008, 10:25 am
Stem nogal saam met Evans.
16 Sep 2008, 10:26 am
Evans is wide of the mark I think, Wales will always struggle with the big Bok forwards. Their best chance of a win is against Aus.
16 Sep 2008, 10:35 am
“their aura of World Champions in the eyes of the northern hemisphere”? When was there ever an aura?
16 Sep 2008, 10:35 am
Evans eyes are fixed firmly on our coaching booth at PdV when he makes this statement. I am also hoping our squad is not too experimental when we meet Wales though. Thank goodness for JS being captain!
16 Sep 2008, 10:38 am
Go Canada!
16 Sep 2008, 10:39 am
#6 It is just a game: haha
16 Sep 2008, 10:39 am
yeah, like they had an easy time against us when they came here this year.
16 Sep 2008, 10:45 am
#4 Richie_7: Your team has been achieving grand-slams at will in the northern hemisphere. This is what creates an “aura” of any kind over there. With our new eccentric coach, they will inevitably target us. However, in the history of Union, Wales has been eaten by the Boks. They always seem to have alot to say as well, along the lines of “we have the beating of this Bok team”
16 Sep 2008, 10:46 am
Hmmm, another boyo mouthing off.
Wales will be demolished.
16 Sep 2008, 10:47 am
So Wales are expecting to be whitewashed?
16 Sep 2008, 10:49 am
butch james’ springbok days are over.he won’t make the end of year side and won’t be playing against the lions next year
16 Sep 2008, 10:52 am
butch was part of the reosen why we had such a terrible 3n campaign
16 Sep 2008, 10:52 am
#9 aftermath08:
I don’t believe in aura’s. Respect yes, but you shouldn’t be putting your opponants on pedestals. Your aim should be to smash them every week regardless of what history says
16 Sep 2008, 10:54 am
#13 st.a.t.w: He’s also the reason you beat Wales last time out, kicked 9 from 9 in one game and many penalties in the second.
16 Sep 2008, 10:54 am
#14 Richie_7: I agree, its 15 against 15 when all’s said.
16 Sep 2008, 10:56 am
#16 Big Hit:
Yes, and any team can beat you on the day. Regardless of whether you’re a minnow team, they’re World Champions, or who’s ground you’re playing on.
16 Sep 2008, 10:56 am
Butch needs a LONG rest. But he is still an experienced and efficient player just with alot of burnout. I think he can still play test rugby for another 2 years if he manages his body correctly. Butch isnt a **** player as many people make him out to be.
16 Sep 2008, 10:57 am
#12 st.a.t.w: agree! Great world cup and a Warrior of note, should have retired from int rugby after the WC though!
16 Sep 2008, 10:58 am
#17 Richie_7: Agreed.
16 Sep 2008, 10:58 am
#4 Richie_7: There was an aura but for a very short time. Straight after the 2007 tri nations and end of year game against wales. The aura doesnt compare to new zealands in terms of length but the quality of the boks aura during that time triples what the all blacks had during all four years leading up to the world cup. The boks got respect from everyone during that time. More than the all blacks will ever get.
16 Sep 2008, 10:59 am
#18 aftermath08: Problem is he has contracted himself into oblivion!
16 Sep 2008, 10:59 am
#15 Big Hit: Yes, a phenomenal performance. 100 % ratio, calm and collected and totally in control. It was downhill after that though, he didnt get enough rest.
16 Sep 2008, 11:01 am
#23 aftermath08: He had to play his first games under ELVs after that, not easy to adjust straight away against the ABs in NZ.
16 Sep 2008, 11:02 am
#22 grant10: Jeez yes. Now he has to keep going for Bath!
16 Sep 2008, 11:05 am
#24 Big Hit: Good point.
16 Sep 2008, 11:09 am
#15 Big Hit:
any one could’ve played 10 that day, wales were never gonna win those tests
16 Sep 2008, 11:11 am
#25 aftermath08:
it’s all about the money
16 Sep 2008, 11:11 am
I dont want to moan too much about coaching but that is another reason for the drop in form of butch imo.
1) Too much rugby; tired body
2) Rules switch & staight into tri-nations
3) Average to poor coach; tired & confused mind
16 Sep 2008, 11:12 am
#21 iori Yagami:
Like I said, I don’t believe in auras. No matter who the team or what the title. Respect, yes
16 Sep 2008, 11:14 am
#27 st.a.t.w: they were ahead in the 2nd test after an hour, it was touch and go for a while but Butch kept nudging them ahead.
16 Sep 2008, 11:16 am
#24 Big Hit: Big Hit,
Maybe the ELVs just exposed some of James’ weaknesses? I mean, look at Montgomery. He was in exactly the same boat as James in having had no game time under the ELVs. Yet he rose to the occasion like the professional he is. He proved critics, me included, wrong. He certainly went up in my estimations.
I think James is tired, but that’s his fault for choosing to take the money in the NH and not the rest he probably needs. James is a good player, but he’s not a great one. He is a functional cog in the South African team, who offers alot defensively, but little or nothing offensively.
This year was a blessing in disguise for the Boks and their supporters. Better that they realised James’ limitations in the year before the Lions arrive, rather than after the Lions have left with a series win.
16 Sep 2008, 11:16 am
#28 st.a.t.w: Yeah. His name was worth alot post 2007. Getting back to his quality as a player, look how much the Sharks missed him during the Super 14 this year!
16 Sep 2008, 11:17 am
#4 Richie_7: good question, I would love an answer
16 Sep 2008, 11:18 am
#29 aftermath08: All of the SH teams had to contend with switching sets of laws ths year from pre-3N tests to 3N tests. If James, Matfield, Montgomery and Smit weren’t ready to play under the ELVs, then the coach shouldn’t have played them.
16 Sep 2008, 11:19 am
#32 stodders: If the ELVs exposed some of James’s weaknesses then why was he Man of the Match last week for Bath v Bristol? He also had good games at home for the Boks. Saying he offers little offensively shows a short-sighted knowledge of the game (strangely remniscent of most kiwis who think that if you’re not a good line-breaker you’re not a good attacker), his range of passing and wide game is ahead of most 10s in the world.
16 Sep 2008, 11:19 am
best yai-yine keeps his mouth closed, i think wales have beaten the boks only twice in their entire history, they have never been able to match the Boks physically, Australia yes, South African no.
16 Sep 2008, 11:19 am
#35 stodders: thats down to the coach not the players
16 Sep 2008, 11:20 am
#31 Big Hit: You’re a one man cheer leading squad for Butch James! The man can do no wrong in your eyes.
16 Sep 2008, 11:20 am
#24 Big Hit:
Butch James is I bit overrated IMO. Not in the league of Carter and Wilkinson, not even Gits.
He has got no X-factor nobody fears him and no opponent is making special arrangements to counter him like for instance they need to make for a player like Habanna.
Recently he has became a serious liability for his team.
16 Sep 2008, 11:22 am
#37 cab: They don’t need to beat you blokes physically, just mentally.
A little bit of Welsh flair and some Shane Williams trickery (check out the second test again to see 4 Boks made to look like the keystone cops). Wales also have a decent Kiwi coach, and Kiwi coaches seem to have the wood on your coaching team at the mo
16 Sep 2008, 11:22 am
#38 Big Hit: The lack of fitness was down to the players…
16 Sep 2008, 11:22 am
#40 Namblack: He outplayed Wilkinson and Carter last year, he struggled to make the transition to ELVs for a while but has adjusted accordingly. Habana has been a huge disappointment this year and probably deserves to be dropped for Nokwe.
16 Sep 2008, 11:23 am
#36 Big Hit:
Butch James last match was a bit of a ‘mare…
16 Sep 2008, 11:23 am
#42 stodders: not really, they were fit enough for the competitions in which they were playing. Altho Matfield’s move to second division rugby was questionable.
16 Sep 2008, 11:23 am
#41 stodders:
beat us mentally, come on, its the welsh.
great players is Shane, for a midget.
that kiwi coach saw his gat land badly in SA.
16 Sep 2008, 11:24 am
howdy all!
stodders, how much s14 did you watch last year?
butch has always been a running flyhalf. he was imo the vital cog missing in the sharks backline last year which led to the sharks being close to the top of the table in terms of tries.
sure, he has slowed down and his knees are a problem as is the burnout he is clearly suffering from but i dont buy the view that butch is a plonker who defends his channel and does little more.
his deft touches and passing game are great.
p.s. he also broke barnes in half albeit in a match we lost.
16 Sep 2008, 11:25 am
#44 WP Till I Die: I watched it, he missed his kicks, but he’s not really a consistent goal-kicker and shouldn’t be relied upon as such. I’m not saying the Boks shouldn’t look for other options, i think they should give Earl Rose a couple of games but I think blaming Butch for the 3N is the wrong answer.
16 Sep 2008, 11:25 am
#30 Richie_7: With our transformation coach even Canada might make the same starements in a year’s time. Eveybody respect the AB’s, how can you not – Henry, Hansen and Smith – 3 world class coaches – we have Piet Pink Tie who should be coacing u/13′s on provincial level..
16 Sep 2008, 11:26 am
#48 Big Hit: Earl Rose? Is he your dealer?
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