Blending brains and brawn
12 May 2009
Heyneke Meyer believes a hybrid of tactical precision and mental strength will determine the victor when the Sharks meet the Bulls at King’s Park on Saturday.
Meyer coached the Bulls to the Super 14 championship in 2007 before narrowly missing selection for the Springboks coaching role in 2008. He then coached Premiership club Leicester Tigers before returning to South Africa to be with ailing family members. He is currently the CEO of Sports Max, a company that looks at the holistic development of elite athletes.
Meyer said he expected the game to be relatively conservative in nature and that it would be characterised by an emphasis on forward play and tactical kicking. He noted the Sharks’ prowess from broken field and stressed that the Bulls must starve their supply in this regard, or risk exposing themselves to dangerous counter-attacks.
‘I watched the Bulls play the Cheetahs [last Saturday] and knew that if they opened it up the Cheetahs would feed off their mistakes. That’s exactly what happened. They can’t afford to make the same errors against a very good side like the Sharks,’ Meyer told keo.co.za.
‘What they’ve done so far has made them successful. I’ve heard criticism of their percentage approach but they’re top of the log with a chance of hosting a semi-final. They must have been doing something right.
‘The Sharks are an accomplished unit who are very difficult to beat in Durban. In the 2007 final they pinned us in our half through the boots of Percy Montgomery, Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn. The Bulls can’t allow them to dictate the field position like that because once they get on a roll they’re very hard to stop.’
Meyer said the return from suspension of Rory Kockott would add a skilled tactical kicker to their arsenal and added that the Bulls’ capacity to match them in this facet of play would hinge heavily on the availability of Fourie du Preez. The incumbent Springbok No 9 injured his calf muscle a fortnight ago and is uncertain of being fit for the match.
‘Not taking anything away from Heini Adams and Francois Hougaard, who are good scrumhalves in their own right, it’ll be a massive boast if Fourie was available, especially considering the [tactical] pattern the game is likely to follow,’ Meyer said.
‘He is the best tactical kicking scrumhalf in world rugby, and if you review the Bulls’ season you’ll note that many of their tries have come from box kicks Fourie has put up. He can put the ball on a dime and weights it so perfectly that he gives his wingers enough time to contest the ball. This puts a massive amount of pressure on the opposition. He’ll be a key player if he is fit.’
Meyer did, however, explain that given how closely the teams are matched, technical and tactical superiority would not be the sole determinant of the winners. He said the ability to manage the pressure of the occasion and focus on the task at hand without being influenced by outside distractions – like qualification permutations – will be central to the success of either side.
In recent years the Bulls have often scrapped for a semi-final spot in the final stages of the tournament, the most notable of which came against the Reds in 2007, when they achieved the goal of having to beat the Queenslanders by a 72-point margin.
‘I won’t say it gives the Bulls an edge to have been in high pressure situations over the last couple of seasons, but they will know how to prepare and also have the benefit of knowing that they have beaten the Sharks at King’s Park in a high pressure match [the final in 2007],’ Meyer said.
‘But ultimately what happened before is fairly inconsequential. The Sharks will be determined to beat their great rivals irrespective of whether they are knocked out of the tournament by kick-off or not. You have to remember there is plenty of pride at stake, but more than that, the players will be wanting to make an impression on the Springbok selectors. That’s a huge motivating factor in itself.’
Meyer continued, saying it was imperative that the coaches of both sides have a clear idea of how they want to play and that they communicate that effectively to the players.
‘You have to control the controllables,’ he said. ‘Neither team can afford to wait until Saturday afternoon to decide how they should approach the match because of whatever scenarios the preceding games would have throw up.
‘They coaches should have a clear idea of how they want to play and that should have been drilled into the players from the Monday morning practice already. Players need clear messages so that they can prepare adequately. It’s crucial that both coaches detail exactly how they intend to play from the outset.
‘The Bulls must set themselves to win first and foremost, then focus on getting the bonus point,’ he added.
‘The Sharks will know what’s required by the time the match begins and they’ll probably need five points to book a place in the semis if other results go their way.
‘It’s set up to be one of the best South African derbies in years.’
By Ryan Vrede
791 Comments
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12 May 2009, 09:50 am
#108 Harlequin: I hope someone writes that filth about your wife and she must read it everyday, and then you can say it is not abuse.
12 May 2009, 09:51 am
#111 green_and_gold: Okay. Next time some tells you that you need Pietman’s d&@k in your mouth, I’ll tell you to get over yourself too.
12 May 2009, 09:52 am
#102 lilith: As I said previously, I was not around then, who the hell do you think you are? deciding who defended who when? for heavens sake, get a life!!!!
12 May 2009, 09:53 am
I’ll be backing the Bulls for this one. No use having a team or two in the semi’s if they have to play away.
12 May 2009, 09:53 am
enough for me….this planet gone beserk…outta here…cant begin to express my dissapointment…
12 May 2009, 09:54 am
#110 ray-bulls_fan: You are still justifying it. STILL. You are approving of it. Unbelieveable.
Go ahead Ray. I hope one day you and yours never have to go through that. I hope that when your daughter is upset about an internet abuse violation of her feminity you have the guts to tell her, she brought it all upon herself.
I hope she can forgive you when you say that to her.
12 May 2009, 09:54 am
guys on to rugby and let me sort out this mess
12 May 2009, 09:54 am
Please get this woman of this site….PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
12 May 2009, 09:55 am
#114 EEE: I posted the evidence for you to read. You chose to attack me, like they did. Simple. You have a chose EE. To see both sides. You are choosing one.
12 May 2009, 09:55 am
Choice.
12 May 2009, 09:56 am
#115 Roy: Fair enough.
12 May 2009, 09:56 am
#111 lilith:
Here’s the thing. You don’t have to read it everyday. You can leave the blog any time you wish, which is more than one can say for an actual rape victim, who has to live with the experience forever in thier minds.
If anyone wants to say anything about my wife, obviously I will defend her, but I also know that little saying Sticks and stones, if someone starts to say anything about my wife I will know that they are merely trying to antagonise me and I will ignore them.
12 May 2009, 09:59 am
#111 K9 the Lion: King of Beasts:
lilith
is no
woman
not even
properly
human
12 May 2009, 10:04 am
On to Rugby:
Juan Smith or Jean Deysel?
Schalk Burger or Heinrich Brussouw?
Roussouw or Kankowski or Spies?
Where to put Jacques Fourie in the backline.
There are some real Springbok question marks for the springbok selectors. It will be interesting to see thier selections.
12 May 2009, 10:04 am
ok guys im out of here, cos i know im going to get kicked off for what im about to say, i’ll go find another rugby site to talk about rugby on! i dont have time for pathetic people..
#109 lilith: you are the dumbest mother ******* **** ***** i have ever come across.. all you are doing is seeking attention.. i dont care if i am lowering my standards now, you need to wake the **** up man! you presume all this bullshit thats not true.. stop being a ******* jannie jammer gat man.. have you even ever watched a game of rugby in your life?? cos u havent spoken about rugby ONCE!
i fully understand if i get kicked off after this , but its ok, ill go elsewhere, where i dont have to listen to lilith – the woman with sand in her ******* ***!
peace
12 May 2009, 10:08 am
#111 Porra monitors Div the ANC puppet: Come on Porra, surely thats uncalled for. Hopefully she chooses to ignore it and treat it with the disdain it deserves.
12 May 2009, 10:08 am
#112 Harlequin:
eish….. good point
I would probably go with
Burger , Smith , Spies – tried and tested at international level. athough burger seems to have less of an impact than he used to? is it just me, or the haircut
Jacques fourie has been phenomenal.
I would play him with JDV and put Jacobs on as an “impact” player, he really creates something every time he touches the ball.
12 May 2009, 10:08 am
I was disappointed in Superrugby last night. They spent so much time on the bottom SA teams. All non-contenders. Hardly any excitement about the Bulls topping the log, and the prospects of SA hosted semifinals and finals.
In contrast there was lots of praise for the Lions and Stormers victories, and for the way in which the Cheetahs performed.
Really now. I liked the suggestion of one caller, who proposed a system similar to golf, where you have to make the cut at the halfway mark, and the bottom 5 teams then get kicked out of the competition. That way, you don’t get teams losing all year round, only to give 110% to topple a semifinal contender in the final rounds of the tournament.
12 May 2009, 10:08 am
#110 Harlequin: Persecution comes in many forms of which I am witnessing here far too often. Your spin on semantics lacks conviction and intellect.
12 May 2009, 10:10 am
#112 Harlequin: Smith, Burger & Spies.
Fourie at 13. Easy.
12 May 2009, 10:12 am
Smith, Brussow & Spies. Burger looks as if he is eating too much of his namesake.
12 May 2009, 10:12 am
#92 lilith:
ok, girl
bring me the comments where i “cheered”
or better still
bring me ANY comment where i didnt treat you, dawn or EEE (who i by the way know are women) as LADIES!!
as i told you yesterday, i’m the ultimate gentleman! (i was raised btw for about 10 years by a single mom, so i learnt early in life that women need to be treated with respect!!)
and
please
if you cant find any evidence of me having a go at you yesterday,
will you then stop saying that i cheered “them” on?
12 May 2009, 10:12 am
#79 Roy: #69 Roy: roy, just clarify this for me, you closed the lions thread on friday for whatever reason, i assume after lookimg through it you dealt with the offending parties….what i want to know is, how is it possible that ”ed the lion” who was using the nic ”leeu van die wes transvaal” was still blogging last night after the racial slur he used on this site? is it safe to assume that the slur he used is permissible here on mark keohane site? Please clarify because i need to know before i take action on this incident…
12 May 2009, 10:12 am
#112 Harlequin: The point is the Lions are going to play 10 man rugby, suck our loose forwards into the tight play. Theyve picked forwards that can contest the lineouts, attack the rucks and defend any mauls quite adequately in order to secure possession. If they can starve our backs of possession we will not be able to breach their defences. We need to play loose forwards that can get us accross the gain line which is why I prefer Danie Rossouw. Heinrich will only be good if the Lions are spreading the ball and we need to contest it at the tackle area. That is not going to happen, believe me.
12 May 2009, 10:16 am
Oh the conspiracies Lillith…
Some White South African Afrikaner Keoites cannot stomach you…
Some White South African English Keoites cannot stomach you…
Some Coloured South African Keoites cannot stomach you…
Some British Keoites cannot stomach you…
Some Australian Keoites cannot stomach you…
And so on and so on…
Perhaps you should take a good long hard look at yourself in the mirror… or just play in traffic…
12 May 2009, 10:17 am
#116 RugbyRulz:
Just read my post at 95 and you will understand what I am on about.
You know what, I don’t even care to talk about it anymore, I’m talking rugby. And I wasn’t one of the persecutors. I’m just making a simple point, if it went over your head, well I don’t really care…
12 May 2009, 10:18 am
#120 Transformation:
Oooh. I liked the “…” at the end of your post. Leaves the (empty)threat hanging in the air quite nicely.
To be fair, I didn’t read whatever Ed the Lion said, but come on man, what’s with all this moaning about old threads, long forgotten comments and tired topics?
Just get on with the rugby, or get the hell off this site.
12 May 2009, 10:20 am
#117 Dantalion:
I am agreeing with you on all counts. I think you have to stick with the tried and tested when you head into a Lions tour.
Well, except for Spies. I think his missed tackle count this year has been appalling.
Fourie at 13, assuming we have a player good enough to fill fullback.
12 May 2009, 10:22 am
#121 bananaboy: Good post. That is an astute analysis. I would also pick Rossouw, if only for the devastating effect he usually seems to have against the English, and also the fact that the Lions will be picking their heavies.
12 May 2009, 10:22 am
#121 bananaboy:
thats a good point, which is why i would probably not start with brussouw.
He forces turnovers and makes a lot of tackles, but that is in open play.
I think burger, Smith, spies – with Rossouw on the bench to cover 4-8.
12 May 2009, 10:22 am
#115 Tacitus: Your last paragraph Tac, I agree 100%. Who ever mentioned that makes some good sense.
Never even knew Super rugby was on Monday nights. Sometimes watch Boots and the NZ rugby show. Not always but sometimes. Just like you say a lot of the time they talk about the rugby that I am not really interested in at the time.
12 May 2009, 10:23 am
#125 Tacitus: So using the K-word is acceptable to you Tac. Thanks. Now we know.
12 May 2009, 10:24 am
#124 Tacitus: stuff off tacitus!, you have people here moaning about what luke watson allegedly said & they write vile things on this site about him, his family & everyone he associates with, i have never heard you tell them to shut up or leave this site, who the hell do you think you are? Yessus
12 May 2009, 10:24 am
#127 green_and_gold: Burger, Smith and Spies…Phew!! Power. Thats all I can say. Just hope that Burger gets to his best again playing with some great players around him again.
Agree we must have Brussouw on the bench. Deserves a selection.
12 May 2009, 10:24 am
Hi Roy, why dont you get everyone to re-register, supplying there full names, ID number, address etc and agree to terms and conditions of blogging (no racist remarks, swearing etc)then ban those that dont comply?
12 May 2009, 10:28 am
#123 money_man: And maybe Keo ought to open up a thread on your private parts, where we can all abuse you and we’ll see how you like it?
#120 Ashley: All I know is you attacked me, and were silent when it came to them.
#112 Porra monitors Div the ANC puppet: Yes Porra. I know that someone like you, does not see someone like me as a person at all. Hence all your hate speach. We have years of discrimination in this country as proof, that you never saw me as a person to begin with. So what’s new.
12 May 2009, 10:30 am
As long as Kaplans not involved,we have a chance.
Did you okes see him try to screw the Bulls this last game against the cheetahs? He was the touch judge that allowed that quick throw in,which was illegal. And he almost succeeded.
Yet more evidence of his anti-bullsness.
12 May 2009, 10:30 am
#132 Inevitable: Thats the plan – need to chat to keo first
12 May 2009, 10:30 am
#132 Inevitable: Sadly though one must question why the posts manage to make it through. Surely a filter (as on most email servers) can weed out most of the garbage. I am wondering if indeed the site is pushing the proverbial uphill trying to justify hits. Site is generating hits via controversy not quality.
Take not of whenever a thread is losing impetus along comes the same old stuff. Invariably the same old ID’s as well flaming each other. Call me cynical…
12 May 2009, 10:31 am
Toemaar ouens dis nie lank nie dan is die ding geban en ons kan weer lekker ruggas praat.
#124 Tacitus: Wat is jou score vir Saterdag, ek het hulp vir my tipping comp nodig!
12 May 2009, 10:32 am
#134 BlueBlood: Bulls and the Tah’s grim reaper = Kaplan
12 May 2009, 10:32 am
#125 Harlequin:
You are right….
Pierre spies – 45 missed tackles – 942 minutes
Ryan Kankowski – 30 missed – 960 minutes
Luke Watson – 10 missed – 849 minutes
Danie rossouw – 36 missed tackles – 778 minutes
Interesting stats. Obviously SPies offers other attributes but the selectors have to decide exactly what they want when picking the starting combination.
12 May 2009, 10:34 am
Research will tell you the latest, whiz, bang up, gizmo is TWITTER… Ah but is it? As quickly as it takes off it falls off.
Substance is how you stay alive!
12 May 2009, 10:34 am
#132 Inevitable: Don’t think anyone would give their ID Numbers onto a blog though.
There is a way of banning the ones that cause nonsense forever. It can be done and they wont be allowed to come back with another nick.
If all they want to talk about its politics is there not a site for them to go to rather than do it on a rugby blog?
I wonder about some people really.
12 May 2009, 10:35 am
#132 Inevitable: he can do that, that will be the best thing to ever happen on this website, imagine the pleasure of coming here & talking about rugby without people mentioning ‘affirmitive action appointee refs & judicial officers” and insinuating that people of indian descent are in some way less ”south african” than others, where earl rose can make mistakes & score tries without racial slur being posted on this site! Yes roy do that, clean up the filth that has clogged up the site & hides behind nics to talk **** about women on this blog…
12 May 2009, 10:36 am
#132 Inevitable: Why not throw in fingerprints & DNA sample while you’re at it.
12 May 2009, 10:37 am
#133 lilith:
no, i never attacked you
yes, i remember asking you politely to refrain using that “pietman is a ………” nic
when i returned later the afternoon
there were about a 1000 lillith’s on here
how did you expect me to know one from the other?
and btw
as long as i’ve been on here
i’ve NEVER taken sides
yes, i’ve agreed on occassions with some and disagreed with others
and the next day, most propably did the opposite
NOT
because i dont know where i belong or want to be
but because i read a person’s comment first (and not his or her login nic) and i respond to a person’s comment (and not his or her nic)!
12 May 2009, 10:39 am
#131 Transformation: Some Bloggers on Keo appear to be genetically predisposed to defend the words of fellow bloggers based on the colour of their skin. Whether they are right or wrong. It’s something that ought to be studied I swear.
Tac here says the K-word and being called a h0tn0t is fine. Get over it and move on. But Luke uses “dutchmen” and for 8 months we have to read about Luke being abused, his family and his rugby.
Last friday, Ed says Earl Rose is a h0tn0t, Lukeisbaas takes offense, and the bloggers attack Lukeisbaas for comments made on farmers, never addressing the initial racial slur, in fact defending it.
I blog yesterday saying everyone who defended that slur are racists, and they were all Pietman and GBS’ Jan friends. I attack with vigour, their racism, and in return I am sexually attacked on the blog, and today bloggers say I deserved it all. I asked for it.
There is nothing fair about Keo. It is predominantly supported by, “white” bloggers and some of them, not all, will defend the indefensible, and reach for their double standards as soon as that very thing they were happy to defend, gets done to them in return.
It is amazing!!!! Yesterday Sheriff actually told me that he understands why some white people are racist.
THEY CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES. IT WAS INBRED OVER YEARS. I, AS LILITH MUST ACCEPT THE RACIAL ABUSE AND BE QUIET, AS I AM ONLY PROVOCKING THE RACISM MORE.
I really think some research has to be done on how their brains can have perfect logic one day and assess right from wrong, but the moment race is introduced the logic is inverted.
12 May 2009, 10:39 am
#139 green_and_gold:
I am not convinced that either Kanko or Spies are the right men for the job. They look nice behind dominant packs but go absent when the heat is on. What good does all the flashy ball-carrying do when you are not playing with the lion share of possession, for example, when we are up against a team like Oz or NZ.
12 May 2009, 10:40 am
#144 Ashley: You Sir are exactly what I was referring to in my post # 136.
I could understand if you were on Keo’ payroll.
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