Lion-taming looks likely
23 Nov 2008
The Springboks are some way off their best but given the poor northern hemisphere performances this November they should dispose of a mediocre British & Irish Lions outfit next June.
Coach Peter de Villiers admitted the showing at Twickenham wasn’t perfect. A result of 42-6 is a one-sided hiding anyway you look at it, but in the context of where the Boks are headed and what they want to achieve, they still fell short of the mark. After three games on tour, the Boks have shown enough to suggest victory in that historic Lions series is likely. Whether that series provides the platform to polish their game ahead of the Tri-Nations, the true barometer given the world rankings of the three sides competing, remains to be seen.
There were encouraging aspects on this end-of-year tour from a Bok perspective, but there were encouraging aspects when considering how poor Wales, Scotland and England fared. You can take nothing away in terms of heart and determination, but when it comes to skill and composure, it’s clear the northern teams just weren’t good enough. The Boks played badly against Wales and Scotland, and even former Lions legends like JPR Williams lamented the fact that the home nations couldn’t put an off-colour Bok side away. Good teams win when they play badly which is a compliment to the Boks, but it says plenty for Wales and Scotland that they failed to win after playing out of their skins at Cardiff and Murrayfield on successive weekends.
South Africa have achieved the desired three from three record, and the Twickenham showing would have handed them significant confidence going into next year. The momentum of three wins abroad against three of the four teams that will comprise the Lions cannot be undervalued, but this tour also exposed a few areas that will require attention ahead of that series.
The John Smit tighthead experiment showed great promise in the Wales game, but the injury to Bismarck du Plessis four minutes into the Scotland fixture disrupted the move. The Boks were impressive at scrum time when battling the Dragons, but the disruption was patent at Murrayfield where Beast Mtawarira, Smit and Brian Mujati took a hammering up front. Jannie du Plessis provided little parity at Twickenham, and given this set-piece will be a great talking point in the build up to the Lions series, it is one area the Boks should take particular care to improve.
Smit may share the tighthead responsibilities with Du Plessis at the Sharks, with the other Du Plessis and the Beast alongside him in the front row. The Test season may only begin next June, but for Smit and the incumbent Bok fatties, the 2009 Super 14 will provide that opportunity to improve at the scrum before they meet Andrew Sheridan and Gethin Jenkins in the Lions series.
Ruan Pienaar’s move to flyhalf was under scrutiny for this tour but it’s again unfortunate that injury denied the premier halfback combination a chance to settle. At the Millennium Stadium, the Boks played conservatively and cleverly in spite of the little possession they received, and at the tactical core Pienaar and Fourie du Preez showed remarkable application and composure. It’s disappointing that Du Preez injured his quad in the build up the Scotland Test, as the pair will not receive another chance to play together until the Lions series.
As an individual, Pienaar produced some wonderful performances in Cardiff and London. The Welsh Test highlighted his superb kicking game and rugby brain while at Twickenham he showed the world why Eddie Jones and Jake White view him as the next Stephen Larkham. He showed great variation at Twickenham and while the Boks scored five tries the coach was right when he said they could have scored more. It is a positive when you consider Pienaar will get better with experience.
For the prospective Lions side, there were individuals who shone against the Boks on this tour. Shane Williams has displaced Bryan Habana as the biggest attacking threat in world rugby. The Wales No 8 Andy Powell impressed with his performance against South Africa and is being talked up as tourist next year. Mike Blair of Scotland is sure to make the side and England’s Paul Sackey and Danny Care showed flashes of brilliance if not only in isolation.
JPR Williams, Jeremy Guscott and Willie John McBride all crowed about the northern sides ahead of Saturday’s clash, and each one of these legends told this website Ian McGeechan’s charges should do the business when they head to South Africa. But really, what have the northern teams done to deserve such backing. A Sanzar side is yet to lose on their respective end-of-year tours, and are yet to lose to northern opposition in 2008. England are in disarray, Wales are competitive but lack the killer instinct, while Ireland and Scotland are similarly a league below their southern counterparts.
The northern nations will be stronger as the Lions, but expect the Boks to improve on these November showings and provide a far stiffer challenge on home soil. Unless McGeechan can work miracles in creating a winning culture in spite of four losing cultures, the Lions will come short against the world champions.
182 Comments
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23 Nov 2008, 21:43 pm
#147 Mal Malombo: Mr Steyn’s best positions in order of ability and performance to date are inside centre, fullback, wing and then flyhalf. Heaven forbid then that he is our next best flyhalf.
23 Nov 2008, 21:44 pm
#149 Mal Malombo:
I like Potgieter too i would have him there before grant
23 Nov 2008, 21:46 pm
#149 Mal Malombo: Ahh I wait in eager anticipation for your next offering. Alas, I will have to check later as I have to make bread from my dough. Farewell skopolitical.
23 Nov 2008, 21:47 pm
#62 flanka:
SA has never had a level of dominance over NZ either pre or post isolation.
Pre isolation SA had a slight statistical advantage but more games in SA than NZ and no Maori players allowed to tour SA certainly made it more difficuilt for NZ to achieve parity.
Everyone used to beat up on Aussie back in the day.
23 Nov 2008, 21:48 pm
#142 Colonel Mustard:
The reference to White was in relation to your reference around halo’s so it was relevant, also the reference to White is in relation to your reference around tenderers of ripe gardens, and those not so ripe yet, so also relevant.
So it was not the word quota, maybe the word banana is a no no in modern free speech modules, lets check it out.
23 Nov 2008, 21:48 pm
I have to go too.
Cheers skoppie and Colonel
23 Nov 2008, 21:50 pm
Bananas are good to go, can’t for the life of me work out what the heck is the offensive word or syllable in post 133, complete mystery.
23 Nov 2008, 22:06 pm
#146 CoachPete: Hi Coach. Long time. You well?
23 Nov 2008, 22:09 pm
Hello ladies.
From sunny England.
23 Nov 2008, 22:10 pm
#156 Mal Malombo: Skoppie, perhaps your bananas aren’t cool. ;-(
23 Nov 2008, 22:11 pm
#158 SodaJoe: take in the game at Twicks Soda?
23 Nov 2008, 22:13 pm
#158 SodaJoe: guess I must be misinterpreting you. There’s nothing sunny about England right now.
23 Nov 2008, 22:14 pm
The win felt great, and it was terrific not be in a state of panic until the end.
JPP, Adi, Ruan, Bakkies, Beast, Oom Danie, Schalk, Pierre. Terrific games.
I will say in truth we were not as good as the score suggests and better teams will beat us with the possession and territory stats that an unbelievably poor England side managed to conjure up.
The scrums were a mess. We need a formidable scrum to beat the Lions – who will be MUCH better coached than this England team.
PdV go and have a really nice break. Drink some Hanepoort, have some great fish up the Wes Kus. You survived and almost thrived – you will get better. The players play for you, that’s the most important thing. Happy Christmas.
23 Nov 2008, 22:16 pm
#161 TASSIES: No ****. Watched under 11′s at Wimbledon this morning. Fkg monsson at the North Pole. Those kids deserve the Victoria Cross.
Love Twickenham. When they sing “Send her victorious, happy and GLORIOUS” it’s just awesome.
The England team were awful. Seriously Big Hit – it’s a failed experiment – get a coach.
23 Nov 2008, 22:16 pm
monsoon.
23 Nov 2008, 22:21 pm
Oh yes. Who called it? SodaJoe ” I have a funny feeling it’s going to be a burner”.
23 Nov 2008, 22:22 pm
#162 SodaJoe: yes and wasn’t it terrific not to have to stress through a second half. England’s forwards weren’t bad. Their backline produced woeful defence and finishing but individually these guys have talent, skill and pace. Will get better over time. We got lucky to hit them when we did because our less than impressive performances in previous weeks gave them a false sense of bravado and they didn’t know what hit them until it was too late.
23 Nov 2008, 22:26 pm
#166 TASSIES: Chatting to one of my English mates before the game, I said “mate you have to realize – South Africans love to tackle, we enjoy it as much as anything else.” Geez our loose trio – all 3 were scary. Must have seemed like they were playing all 22 guys at once. And some of those tackles hurt.
Tass – I am off to watch Strictly Dancing or something like that. Don’t ask, but I am being forced, and coerced with alcohol.
See you through the window.
23 Nov 2008, 22:27 pm
#163 SodaJoe: How do they do it. I start getting cold at about 8 deg. Must have been near zero this weekend in most parts of the UK. Saw piles of snow on the side of the pitch during the Scot/Canada game. Must be the pits to play in that.
23 Nov 2008, 22:29 pm
#167 SodaJoe: You have got to be kidding. It would have to be at least a 25 year old SM. ;-(
24 Nov 2008, 00:45 am
Ok can anyone tell me when was the Boks at their best??What year was it?
Even last year i read the Boks are not at there best.
24 Nov 2008, 01:25 am
its funny how the tide turns so quickly!!!barely 24 hours ago the springboks were a second rate team to alot of people,not good enuf to win against england,all of a sudden we r talking abt a british lions whitewash!well done to the springboks,well done to certain players who have been under pressure all year long,the pietersons,habanas of this world and to the coach for comong thru smiling at the end of a long year,i look forwad to next season,enjoy yo break
24 Nov 2008, 03:57 am
#172 ram:
There is a big difference between a second rate team and a second rate performance, I will give you time to work it out…
24 Nov 2008, 06:10 am
Careful of the Lions boys, be very careful.
We said the same in ’74.
Ian McGeechan is not Martin Johnstone, and the Lions aren’t England….
24 Nov 2008, 08:19 am
Mal,
Nothing like a bigot eh? Comments on your “useless” players like Danie R, JS and Schalk?
Now that Ruan can do no wrong in your eyes – why was Rose taken along and not played?
Like many muppets you enjoy classing FdP and Butch as “useless”. I’m sure you trapped FdP with the ball behind the scrum and neatly sidestepped one of Butch’s bone crushers. In your dreams boet.
More seriously. The Boks showed flashes of great promise in Dunedin, Twickers and thrashing the Oz. But no consistency. Like Oz and NZ, the Lions will have many experienced players and coaches vs SA with some experienced players but with coaches who have relatively less experience. The Lions will take heart from seeing the Bok scrum. lineout and competition for the loose ball under pressure. They will know that they will need patience to crack the Bok defence and that their defence will need to be better organised. But they will take heart from how the Boks were kept out by the determeined Scotties and Welshmen.
The selection of refs is critical. SA suffered with NH refs while I thought Kaplan was pretty geenrous to the AB’s vs the Welsh.
One thing is for sure – the Lions tour will not be a cakewalk for either side. Good rugby ahead.
24 Nov 2008, 08:25 am
Oh and Mods,
Please don’t ban the Skofish. Playing his many tik fuelled aliases is like playing the Pom one weekend, Italy the next, then the US etc. Quite fun but easy pickings, even when the race card is waved.
24 Nov 2008, 08:51 am
Careful, this is a Lions tour and will never be a walk in the park. Remember what happened the last time the Lions toured here, we lost the series and everybody expected us to win comfortably.
It was a major dissapointment and you must never write a Lions side off, going to be a cracker of a tour though.
24 Nov 2008, 08:52 am
OH, the win against the poms secured the boks a good draw for the next world cup, forgot about that!!!!!!
24 Nov 2008, 09:12 am
The Lions will be terrible, they haven’t had a decent side since the early 70′s.
24 Nov 2008, 09:13 am
they said samee things 1997
24 Nov 2008, 11:51 am
by PdV on rugby 365;
“There are seven pillars that we build our game around. At Twickenham, two of those pillars were brilliant. We were brilliant with ball in hand and we were brilliant without ball in hand.”
Anyone know what the other 5 pillars of bok rugby are?
24 Nov 2008, 16:18 pm
#77 wooden spoon: I remember that before RWC07 he sung songs of praise about the the ABs and that it is dead certain they will win the cup. As soon as they lost to France he (along with other fella Mark Souster with his “good riddance arrogant ABs” etc.) unleashed every kind of vitriol he could gather on them. And on and on, even till this years 3N.
So I would not buy this “sudden conversion”. It’s just England playing so poor currently and SH hammering NH to the pulp that surpasses his intense dislike of the ABs. But wait a bit, his rants will continue, as soon as ABs slip again somewhere.
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