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, 13:48 pm
#297 JL1:
Hennie le Roux should have worn the 12 jersey against the Lions in ’97. Disgrace he didn’t.
16 Sep 2008, 13:50 pm
#294 JL1: Nice to see you too.
As it happens, we’ve just been speaking about the merits of Carter, Wilkinson et al. Now that you’ve finally arrived, we’ll move onto Richie McCaw
16 Sep 2008, 13:51 pm
#297 JL1: a win’s a win
it was over three games too so no complaints
#300 stodders: Moody and Haskell. But even if they weren’t missing, one game doesn’t prove everything.
#298 cab: the Welsh fullback was flyhalf James Hook, that was his only game for Wales at 15. They have a better one at home, Lee Byrne.
16 Sep 2008, 13:51 pm
#297 JL1: Close-knit, tough bunch, who took their chances…unlike the haphazard opposition they were playing. Better luck next year
16 Sep 2008, 13:52 pm
#303 Big Hit: True, but your top tight five were beaten up by Scotland and Italy last year.
16 Sep 2008, 13:53 pm
#299 JL1:
Squatters at Twickers!!
Mugabe’s way to get back at those damn british!!
16 Sep 2008, 13:55 pm
#303 Big Hit:
i dont know if it was hook, hook seems a bit flakey, i seem to recall another name, very steady, perhaps he was the 15 who was changed to centre in the 2nd test, robust and played well despite his age…let me think some more. looked a good prospect, lamont (the original one) is also a good option at 15.
16 Sep 2008, 13:57 pm
#304 stodders: 4 nations to beat one nation and it does not happen that often
Weak NH rugby nations
16 Sep 2008, 13:57 pm
jamie roberts i think is his name, i’ve seen byrne, but i think it was jamie roberts who was the one welsh back to stand out on tour.
16 Sep 2008, 13:58 pm
#305 stodders: I don’t consider Borthwick and Mears our true tight 5. Thompson is on his way back.
#307 cab: Roberts? he’s supposed to be a good prospect
16 Sep 2008, 13:59 pm
#308 JL1:
Weak NH rugby nations…..indeed, blame the retirees from the SH
16 Sep 2008, 13:59 pm
#308 JL1: hey its 15 against 15 on the field at the end of the day.
16 Sep 2008, 14:00 pm
What bollock the Welsh are talking. The Boks will destroy the Welsh even without a recognised kicker. Plus Pretorius should be up for contention soon.
The Welsh will be the toughest game but they will be destroyed by the Bok mobility. The Welsh looked unfit in SA. They need to become more lean. As for Shane Williams we will have a game plan for him.
16 Sep 2008, 14:02 pm
#308 JL1: I can’t disagree with you there about us being weaker than the SH nations in the past, but the Lions is now more of a challenge then it ever was for the Home unions, as gelling a squad of players from 4 disparate rugby playing nations against one country in the professional era is as tough as it gets for a coach. Thankfully we have a coach who knows how to win in SA.
Of course, it is something that has stuck in many a South Africa throat for the past 11 years, especially as the Wallabies and ABs managed to beat us in that time
16 Sep 2008, 14:03 pm
if england can put together an experienced tight 5 like in years gone by, they will be very difficult to beat by any of the SH sides at twickenham. no mears and no bortwick, kay is so-so, get thompson back with shaw and grewcock and they’ll be very difficult to beat.
16 Sep 2008, 14:03 pm
#310 Big Hit: Sh*t man, I forgot all about Rob Kearney, the Irish fulback. If he plays like he did on the summer tours to the SH, he will be 15 to play for the Lions.
16 Sep 2008, 14:03 pm
that Shane Williams try this year was best of the year
16 Sep 2008, 14:05 pm
#316 greatest13gerber: it’ll be Carter v Williams for IRB player of the year this year
16 Sep 2008, 14:06 pm
there isnt a welshman alive who thinks the boks will be easy beats.
and our social rugby world cup is in cape town during the lions tour so we will have plenty of welsh, scots, irish and poms to drink and be merry with!
16 Sep 2008, 14:09 pm
#318 rangerman:
merry with? brokeback CT mountain style?
yeah..good have a good time
16 Sep 2008, 14:11 pm
#314 stodders:
Here is a tip for the coach.
Give Castrogiovanni honoury citizenship!!
16 Sep 2008, 14:13 pm
#320 tight head: castro had a great 6N, if props were ever given recognition, he’d be on the IRB list too
16 Sep 2008, 14:14 pm
#319 greatest13gerber: lol, is that how they do it in Despatch?
its a tournament for social rugby sides from all over the world. we will party hard after we leave the field!
16 Sep 2008, 14:14 pm
#239 stodders:
Yeh i can see hitting someone back in the tackle means something for some of us.
Carter may also have been ordered to make sure he does not injure himself unnecessarily.
Its sometimes not really necessary to tackle like a lunatic just to get the ohhh!! from the crowd. May impress some but not me.
Like you pointed out it may be better to get up quickly and contest the ball then to concentrate on drilling your opponent into the ground.
16 Sep 2008, 14:14 pm
#320 tight head:
need to import some italians
16 Sep 2008, 14:17 pm
#322 rangerman:
in Despatch..you com a boy..you leav a man
16 Sep 2008, 14:18 pm
#323 Namblack: Nah, his tackling style is something he has picked up from McCaw. Tackle low, use the momentum of the driving player to pivot back onto the feet and then rip the ball. Works quite well.
16 Sep 2008, 14:18 pm
#324 greatest13gerber:
Sure, Castro and a few of his mates can double up as security officers for the tour as well!!
Can kill two birds with one stone!!
16 Sep 2008, 14:19 pm
#320 tight head: I agree with you there. Maybe we should rename the Lions to British & Irish Plus Honorary Latin Lions
16 Sep 2008, 14:22 pm
#328 stodders:
there was that april fools story on a rugby site about french and italian players being made eligible for Lions!..I actually fell for it at first
16 Sep 2008, 14:26 pm
#328 stodders:
I believe Castrogiovanni’s real name is Fergus Fitzgerald.
Perhaps you could look into his family tree.
You know, Stodders, do your bit for the tour!!
16 Sep 2008, 14:26 pm
#314 stodders: Still, NH rugby teams are weak and will become weaker due to the system here
You will see eoyt. NH rugby is a bit of a joke
16 Sep 2008, 14:33 pm
#324 Namblack:
yes, but there are many a big tackle that i’ve seen which have swing an entire game’s momentum right around, it lifts your own team and deflates the oppo, aside from anything, a low fair piledriver is a very skillful thing to do execute in its own right.
i love the big tackles, burger and os, hell its beautiful to watch.
16 Sep 2008, 14:33 pm
#331 JL1: Again, I can’t disagree with you. It is club centric, just like European football. That is where the money is, and that i’m afraid is where investors want to pump their money into. The international game in the NH is not the be and end all that it is in the SH. It’s sad, but that is harsh reality up here.
I know a few Frenchmen who couldn’t give a rats *** about how France fare, song as their club side are winning. This club vs country battle is also beginning to hit English rugby. I know many a passionate Englishman, but they are becoming more loyal to their clubs.
I would say that only Wales are the last truly international focused NH nation. Scotland is a dying force, and Ireland have real issues with their supporters choosing their province above their country (Munster being the greatest example).
16 Sep 2008, 14:34 pm
#326 greatest13gerber:
but greatest, u still sound like a boy, did u spend enough time?
bladdy dirty league that.
16 Sep 2008, 14:35 pm
#330 tight head: Sadly ol’ Fergus chose to done the Azzurri blue, so he can’t play for the Lions. But I believe he has a cousin…Sean Slattery. I’ll get onto it straight away
16 Sep 2008, 14:41 pm
#333 stodders: Club Rugby
the top 6 S14 teams will sweep the floor with all the NH club teams, they are weak those club sides
16 Sep 2008, 14:45 pm
#336 JL1: Try telling Big Hit that. He seems to think that Wasps would beat the Crusaders anytime, anywhere. I’ve tried to reaosn with the man, but he won’t listen.
IMO, any one of the Sharks, Waratahs or Crusaders (best S14 teams from each country) would probably topple the best of the NH.
16 Sep 2008, 14:49 pm
#337 stodders: My point precisely, you will see how the Lions rugby will aslo be affected by the club system and by the amount of imported players
16 Sep 2008, 14:49 pm
Anyhow I am out of here, we should get together some time
16 Sep 2008, 14:50 pm
#331 JL1: we’ll see won’t we. Looking forward to it.
#337 stodders: Wasps would dispose of the Crusaders, Toulouse probably would too.
16 Sep 2008, 14:51 pm
#332 cab: agreed!
16 Sep 2008, 14:53 pm
#340 Big Hit: Seems like you are smoking the wrong weed
16 Sep 2008, 14:55 pm
#339 JL1: It would be good…I promise to keep schtum about anything to do with NZ and to talk solely about the virtues of South African rugby.
16 Sep 2008, 14:59 pm
#334 cab:
I am more man then most of the girls here.
16 Sep 2008, 15:00 pm
ah well, good nite girls..being a decent discussion for a change
16 Sep 2008, 15:12 pm
#345 greatest13gerber:
ok gerbs, just pulling your leg.
you need to take down that bronzed statue of Naas in your garden.
16 Sep 2008, 15:22 pm
#61 Big Hit:
interesting – in which game in 2007 did ‘Butch James outplay Dan Carter’ ?
16 Sep 2008, 15:45 pm
#348 BlackPanther: 2007 in Durban, SA were heading to victory, James claimed a try was kicking well and Carter was whinging to the ref about his rough treatment but Butch had to go off when the Boks were ahead. Steyn came on at 10 and the rest is history.
16 Sep 2008, 15:47 pm
#207 johnnybravo: I would agree with your comments. The claim that this years ABs were a young untested team in development is an exaggeration. In reality they had 12-13 established test players in their 22 game day squads. Plus they had a proven coaching squad to lead the team.
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