Character key in series triumph
27 Jun 2009
John Smit says past adversities prepared his Springboks for a memorable come-from-behind victory over the Lions.
The Boks provided a second-half showing that better exemplified their heart than their ability. Substitute Jaque Fourie scored a late try and Morne Steyn kicked a last-minute conversion to win the match, but aside from this late surge on the scoreboard, Smit praised his team for their composure.
‘It was a very tight game, and we’re delighted with the result,’ the Bok captain told keo.co.za. ‘There were some firm words at half-time and then some good words at full-time. This is a special team and it was a great result.
‘We probably made the worst possible start [when Schalk Burger was sin-binned in the first 30 seconds]. Being man down made it an uphill battle, but we’ve been in worse situations.
‘A lot of character has been built up over the years and we’ve been in that dark place before. We had the ability to find victory in that very dark room. That past experience certainly helped up us.’
The Lions will bemoan Burger’s eye gouge that was only punished with a yellow card. The fact that the Boks played poorly for the majority of the match did not bother Smit, who has now led the Boks to a win over the Lions as well as leading them to victory in the 2007 World Cup.
‘I’m sure the Lions were gutted to lose to a kick like the Boks did 12 years ago. Having said that, I thought they played very well. In the build up to this week, we spoke about standards and we are still not hitting the button.
‘We began to get more momentum in the second half, and then Morne stepped up to take that big kick. It’s at times like those when I’m glad I scrum and don’t kick. We saw Willem de Waal do a similar thing for the Emerging Boks earlier in the week.
‘Morne’s got huge temperament, and after his performance in the Super 14, I was glad it was him taking the kick.’
Bok coach Peter de Villiers preferred to concentrate on the result rather than any potential citing for Burger’s eye gouge. If convicted, Burger will not only miss the third Test, but in all probability the Tri-Nations as well.
‘Shit man, there was a lot of needle in that game and I think a lot of other yellow cards were missed [by referee Christophe Berdos]. I know people will say things about it but that is their opinion. If there is no problem with Schalk’s tackle, he will play again next week.
‘We will remain humble in victory but it does feel great to win the series. I’m sure the whole of South Africa will be feeling great for the next 12 years,’ De Villiers said.
‘All the talk before the series was about that one drop goal [by Jeremy Guscott]. Now all the talk will be about that one penalty by Morne.
‘We always knew our substitutes were going to play a part. This is professional sport and you don’t play the game with just 15 guys. We expect our subs to step up when called upon,’ he added.
De Villiers refused to confirm whether Steyn will replace flyhalf Ruan Pienaar for the final Test in Johannesburg. The team for that clash will be announced on Tuesday.
By Jon Cardinelli, at Loftus Versfeld
195 Comments
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28 Jun 2009, 10:14 am
#149 Mountainsausage:
Jeremy Guscott put it beautifully.
The Boks won and they deserved to, and no-one can take that away.
28 Jun 2009, 10:14 am
#148 poppa69: and one more thing… take a look at SA’s record against the French for the last five years, then take out Matfield (Williams), Brussouw (McCaw), Spies (Soialo), Habs (Sivivatu)…
get FDP to be playing his first game back from injury (Leonard), get JF to be playing his first full game after a 3 month lay off for injury (McAllister)…
would you guys beat a good French side missing that nucleus?? not sure you would to be honest…
28 Jun 2009, 10:17 am
#147 PissAnt: yes….both teams were ill disciplined in the extreme….detracts from what is a great victory….PDV s poor attempt at defending Schalk is an indicator that he condones this type of play and , my opinion, is that too many Boks were happy to take the law into there own hands…..PDV must apply an iron fist here…..we cannot regress back to the dark ages where we were villified as a dirty team…..
the 3 rd test provides Boks with an opportunity to get the correct team on the park from the outset….have a go at total rugby….as we did in the 2 nd half….and thump these lions fairly and squarely….
I am nnot going to mention the fact that if we ever play without a Brussow,Steggman,Luke ,Mbiyo at openside i will need heart surgery!!!
This is now indisputable…..should you need evidence…please watch the 1 st 60 min of yesterdays test
Then the last 20…
28 Jun 2009, 10:17 am
#148 poppa69: Regardless of what happens later in the year, we will still be celebrating the super 14. Good luck though – hopefully you guys can lift your game.
28 Jun 2009, 10:20 am
#152 poppa69:
You mean like trying to explain how the thuggery of losing our captain thanks the Thorne cost the Boks any real chance of 3N success last year according to Henry himself?
Yes it will be terribly unfair to shift goal posts and blame injuries for poor play…
28 Jun 2009, 10:22 am
Guys
One thing that p!sses me off no end is the all to frequent argument that a specific player or combo did “okay/acceptable”, when you know that another player or combo would have done great.
Point in case:
I know Ruan, Adi and JdV are all great players and servants of the Green and Gold and on their dau when fully fit put forward a strong case for selection, but they’re all carrying niggles or at the very least ringrust. Opposite them we have Morne Steyn, WO and Mossie, fully fit with the former two having been the shining lights in the SA S14 backs division along with FdP, and Mossie showing again yesterday why he is so highly rated- he scores or puts away a teammate in just about every test he plays.
Fact is, the pedigree is there- proven over time for all to see. Now nobody is clairvoyant, so we cannot tell in advance who will step up to the plate best on the day, but we all have done basic mathhs and can read the percentages, which clearly indicate that a fully fit match-ready version of any of the above guys per position is better than any unfit contender. And as we play the same structure and to the same plan that is not a consideration either.
So my question is why settle for a three point after the whistle win when we can have a comfortable 15 points plus margin if we follow the persentages.
I believe this is where the Kiwis and Ozzies are one up on us. They are both playing vastly changed sides- young sides, but they are not scared to follow the percentages.
And currently the percentages are so easy for us to read. Why don’t we?
28 Jun 2009, 10:23 am
#153 grant10:
Basic unforced errors in the first 40.
Missed kicks.
Ill-discipline.
It was the worst combination you could wish for.
Collectively the second 40 was 100 times better, and the subs inspirational and complimented both the game situation and the respective combinations they came on for.
Lessons learned from last week.
Good enough for me.
28 Jun 2009, 10:27 am
I am out for a bit though!
Cheers all.
28 Jun 2009, 10:28 am
#155 PissAnt: yeah agreed… it may have cost you guys a chance, but, the original point was you stating the ABs or Aussies wouldnt beat the lions… we will never know, so to me it seemed a silly thing to say… perhaps we can revisit it after the 3Ns ? cause if we happen to beat you there, then that becomes a rather moot point, dont you think ?
anyways, finishing work, so have to leave…
Boks showed some great mettle and determination to win yesterday, wasnt detracting from that at all…
28 Jun 2009, 10:28 am
#153 grant10:
Yip it has taken almost the entire last 5 years for that penny to eventually drop, if these coaches don’t know it yet by now that
1. you have to play a to the ball scavenger from the kick off and
2. you play with FORM players NOT with PRESTIGE and REPUTATION players when it counts
Then I doubt they ever will.
Also this Bok team is slowly coming of age, I can’t remember when we have managed to pull games out of the hat like that in the last 15 minutes of a vital test, perhaps the last time was against Fiji in the WC, but this was certainly not Fiji – this a star studded BR Isles team with the best they could throw at us.
So no matter what people have to say about the coaching, sure it still has some way to go to become clear sighted and astute, they have still won 11 from 15 starts against only high ranked teams with 4 losses at a rate of 73.3%
28 Jun 2009, 10:29 am
Oh one last thing.
I see very little mentioned about Bismarck and his total brain implosion which could have cost us this game as much as Schalk’s brain **** did.
Idiot.
28 Jun 2009, 10:30 am
#156 bluruggaguru: exactly correct….we allow sentimentality and favoritism to rule logic…..Adi is my favorite Bok….he is hurting
JDV IS out of form
Ruan is at best inconsistent
Schalk has been poor for 2 years!!!
Victory must not be allowed to paper over the cracks….
That there needs to be a total re evaluation of the team is patently obvious.
Juan,Schalk are heroes of 2007….buty are simply currently not good enough….
J Smit was exposed yesterday as well….blood Werner Kruger….soon….
Dewalt…..Steggmann….Skkes all need to be drawn into the squad……the ingredients are there…..
We need to be bold….
28 Jun 2009, 10:34 am
#129 mellowyellow:
Sorry mate, I agree with Grant 10 on this one. Deysel and Juan are vtoo similar as well. We need a fresh dynamo at 7 to match Brussouw at 6, and there is only one choice- hobsons choice, and that is Dewald Potgieter.
28 Jun 2009, 10:39 am
#160 skopskiet: Hi Skop….wow….that was some match….blonde says i must say greetings and she still has concerns about our coach!! LOL…
PDV seemed ,imo, to allow the emotions to run away a bit yesterday….He needs to get control of the team back…..ill discipline ,etc will be viewed by all as his sphere of accountability….
Surely all the fetcher detractors have to realise the folly of there ways….at a stage yesterday the aussies had 3 on the pitch!!
We really have an opportunity to build a team that realistically could get to kiwiland in 2011 with a real chance….
If PDV can ensure an environment where there atre no untouchables….where form and hunger is the key to selection….we will prove so difficult to beat….
Victory must be built on….
28 Jun 2009, 10:39 am
Well done Bokketeas
A brave performance against some fired up Lions
Reckon we were the Bravehearts on this occassion
28 Jun 2009, 10:41 am
#163 bluruggaguru: Dewalt at 7….Deysel off the bench perhaps….Dewald is a combo type hybrid….i reckon he wouldnt disgrace the jersey at 6 ,7 or 8….he is that good!
28 Jun 2009, 10:41 am
Rugby is not like soccer, the form curve of a rugby player is far more critical and also far more vulnerable. For a rugby player to stay top of his game for a lengthy period, say 5 – 8 years and especially in certain high attrition areas where contact is highly prevalent, like loose forward, he would have to stay injury free for some time and also extremely fit and physically, emotionally, and mentally primed to be able to take on such high level attrition, especially in a sport where rules and conditions and game style change far quicker than some other ball sports where the principles of attack and proficiency remain reasonably constant season to season.
For a rugby player to remain on top form from one season to the next, let alone one highly charged game to the next, takes some immense concentrated and committed doing by the individual as well as the coaching management, and it is not easy to keep young and up coming exuberance from new exciting players from picking up the slack where the previously highly rated proponent left off.
28 Jun 2009, 10:42 am
#164 grant10:
Seems old Skop and yourself know a thing or two bout this game called rugga’s huh
Eating some humble Burger at the moment
Brussouw was immense
Adds an additional dimension to our play
Brussouws deserves a starting place
28 Jun 2009, 10:43 am
Not Ruan’s best performance
Good to see we have 2 flyhalfs with great potential
Give them both time and they’ll both grow into quality test 10′s
Our cupboard is getting fuller …
28 Jun 2009, 10:50 am
#168 saffa_guy: cant speak for skop….i have been a keen student of the game since 1976….certainly no expert but do enjoy the game immensely…
Get it wrong more often than not…..
But feel very strongly about the dynamic role of a true opensider….
Kronfeld convinced me many years ago…..
I would , as a matter of urgency, introduce Steggmann to the bok squad as well….
Personally i would never go into a match without a specialist…..
I dont want to knock schalk….he has shed blood ,sweat and tears for his country, as has Juan Smioth….Fact of the matter form dictates they simply not the best currently in the 6 and 7 jersey.
No need to discard them….they can play provincially and get back into the team
The message will be out there…no one untouchable….all about hunger and form….
Thats my vision
28 Jun 2009, 10:54 am
#164 grant10:
Say hi back to Blonde – tell her in Jakes team Brussow wouldn’t have made the bench, far too small for a No.6 in Jakes book. Roussouw would have backed up Spies and Juan, just as he did yesterday, and WO would have been on bench not Morne Steyn, maybe even Earl Rose would have been on bench in Jake’s team seeing as he and Eddy Jones likens him to Tiger Woods.
Too much so called talk of the senior players running the show, if this is the case then I fear we do not have a long way to go before the wheels seriously start coming off the wagon. If the bus is not being driven by a competent driver, then a collection of drivers will soon start losing cohesion and accountability will start becoming vague and obsolete.
I reckon PdV likes to manage more by consensus than by autocratic style, it has some definite positives in that style but still somebody has to take up a leadership role in the setup.
Jake without John Smit was almost toothless as some history proves, but the team dynamic is still what counts at end of it. PdV has to take some hold on the overall psyche of the team coordination and drill some discipline and collective accountability into them.
I’m not sure who would be the natural captain to take up the mantle if and when Smit goes into retirement, Chilli, or Potgieter or who, we may find a period when a stand in like Victor or Jean takes the reigns till the next long term captain gets properly groomed for the role, but they should start thinking along those lines soon, 2011 is just around the corner, and if it were me, I would not bank on Smit being there to shore up the ship when sh’t hits the fan in 2011.
28 Jun 2009, 11:02 am
#162 grant10:
Aye Aye Captain!
We are so fortunate to have the nucleus- the skeleton- the backbone of a wonderful group of players to blood these new guys around.
I might be stupid, but to me a Dewald, Sykes, Vermeulen, Kirchner, Deysel, Werner and the likes with one test versus the BL’s will be better for the experience and self-belief going into the Tri-nation or EOY tour than without it. It’s about player management and creation of a new nucleus to bring on the next echelon post WC2011. Who better than a group who can say that they’ve beaten the BL’s as well- without this opportunity they will not smell another one to play the BL’s.
Don’t get me wrong- I’m not ready to discard any of the incumbents yet, but the truth is our guys are playing too much rugby, hence the niggles and loss of form/sharpness (typically Juan and Schalk). We can prolong their careers by spelling them with the youngsters.
The E-boks game has created a bit of a buzz for the boys and we need to internalize that and tap it’s value to the fullest by being bold and recognizing what they’ve achieved. It will come back, with interest, via the swings and roundabouts.
Why not team up the old boys and new guys per position as roomies on tour and create some synergy whereby the youngsters can learn from the incumbents, while both know that there is a place for them both in the squad. Have the old hands on the bench to cover the youngsters in some of the tough games and vice versa, because time goes by so fast it’s scary. Two years and a couple of months(and counting) to WC2011!
Time is few….. I are not joking, as a good friend would say!
28 Jun 2009, 11:04 am
#171 skopskiet: i am probably the leat autocratic person i know….however in dealing with a bunch of tetosterone ,young and at times wild young men there needs to be the firm hand of leadership….
J Smit may or may not be there 2011….in fact who knows Matfield himself will see fir to see it through?? This series win has Matfield with a chest full of trophies….won it all now….
PDV needs to bring Dewalt into the set up soon….or start backing Chilliboy if thats the next Captain….
At all times though PDV needs to realise he can delegate the responsiblity to J Smit and others….but he alone will be held accountable….
And certainly he needs to be more guarded in his public comments….
Dirty play is a no no im my book….that test will be remembered for all the wrong reasons…and those 3 bok trys were bloody fantastic!!
28 Jun 2009, 11:15 am
#172 bluruggaguru: yes….there are players like Kirchner,Sykes W Steenkamp, Steggmann,H Adams,deysel and the best of all Dewalt potgieter who would seamlessly fit in….a must is W Kruger ….we are short on class back up at openside .tighthead and fullback in particular….
Players there….selection the key…
Another point…at all costs get CJ V D linde back….he adds great versatality genuinely being able to pack at 1 or 3….then we dont get the unbalanced 5 to 2 nonsensical high risk splits….
Hope rassie gets CJ for my stormers….LOL
28 Jun 2009, 11:16 am
This article is about the character of this team, and I could not agree more…
I posted this elsewhere.
I recently watched the 1995 final again.
And I was amazed to see (sober) how many opportunities Mehrtens missed to clinch the game for the AB’s.
Our win came out of 120 minutes of gruelling test match rugby, but will be remember for one moment of brilliance, that drop.
Today, as South Africans, we still celebrate that win as our most famous, even eclipsing the 2007 win for some because we achieved it against the old foe.
We choose to define moments in rugby as “this is what won us the game, or this is what lost us the game”.
14 years down the line no-one cares what happened in 120 minutes of rugby in 1995, but everyone will tell you exactly what they did, or where they were when Stransky slotted that drop.
Those guys went on to become heroes, even till today.
History will show the Boks won the 1995 World Cup, and as a South African, or as South Africans, we could not care less by how much.
History will also show defining moments 12 years ago when we lost against the Lions. The Guscott drop being the most popular one.
No-one really cares that we played better rugby, scored more tries, or whatever! History shows us we lost and we choose our defining moment to remember that.
Yesterday there were a lot of defining moments.
The two great tries by our wings, the crucial try by Mossie.
Schalla’s ill-discipline, and we will again choose to define this series in the way we choose to.
A special moment for me, and possibly a vindication because I was hugely critical of him last week, was Adi Jacobs’ amazing distribution from the flyhalf channel that set up the Mossie try. That was my defining moment, a moment of inspiration, and I am probably the only one that chooses that specific moment.
For the next 12 years Morne Steyn’s penalty will be looked at as the defining moment, simply because it will be the most popular one.
And most of the things that lead up to that specific moment, will be lost and forgotten.
On the other side of the coin, O’Gara’s 2 mistakes in 5 mminutes will earn him the title of the guy that lost them the series, which is terribly unfair to the player. Because in 80 minutes of rugby, the pathetic defense that lead to JPP’s try was as much a defining moment in the game as Mossie’s.
History is best remembered by defining moments, but more importantly, by the results.
And that reads 2-0 Boks, series Champs, and a team minus just one more Cup, the 3N, has achieved everything they could possibly achieve.
In 20 years from now, we will look back at the class of 2004 to 2011 and possibly our most golden of ages in our rugby history because of the results, not the moments which will simply define small instances which contributed to it.
The best thing of the class we have now, with its two mentors it had/has in charge, is that we have possibly laid the platform to for once, in a very, very long time, can stand toe-to-toe with our old foe the All Blacks, where every game in the next decade could be epic battles.
The bar has been set, and as the players and coaches come and go, they will always aspire to reach the heights this class of players has set for them.
We can feel immensly proud of them. I think we have finally made the step up, and laid the platform, to become a force in the world of rugby.
28 Jun 2009, 11:23 am
#175 PissAnt: my defining moment was Brussows tackle on S Williams…as the hit was made i knew we were gonna win the test….strange but true!!!
28 Jun 2009, 11:23 am
#175 PissAnt: … and its about time…
28 Jun 2009, 11:28 am
#173 grant10:
Hey, where was your outoppie jolling some fifty odd years ago?
Seriously though- Our goal shouldn’t be WC2011, but creating a team of experienced younsgsters to take over the mantle, whether pre or post 2011, because if we lose John Smit,Victor, Bakkies, Pakslae, Schalk, Juan, FdP, Habana, Jean, Adi, Deon Carstens, Guthro, January and Jacques Fourie all within 1 year of each other without propper succession planning we’re ggonna be in big “akkies” That’s about 70 % of the current squad!
And you’re right, PdV has to back at least two clear captains in case one becomes an early casualty. There is so much more to this whole thing than meets the eye.
28 Jun 2009, 11:29 am
#176 grant10:
Was beautiful!
Okay cheers for now.
28 Jun 2009, 11:48 am
#175 PissAnt:
Cudos mate! That is probably the most relevant post that has ever been made on Keo, and hats off to you.
We say a lot of things here in the heat of the moment, whether well accepted or not, but the rugby stuff are mostly well-meant and non-vindictive- even the selection preferences, and I think this is because we are all passionate about the game, and the extent of our passion is fueled by the number of defining moments we each individually have in our abstract treasure chest of rugby memories.
One such memory for me is the classic Mannetjies Roux swallow dive try, another Joggie Jansen’s tackle on Cotterell, another Danie Gerber stepping to score, and even another Gerhard Viviers shouting Siddie, Siddie, Siddie. I can’t remember the score or even who won those games, to be very honest, but that’s the beauty about rugby- It’s not all about the winning, it has a lot to do with having played/watched/experienced the game- about being touched by it at some or other level that even transcends the winning or losing. Everything else is just fluff.
28 Jun 2009, 11:54 am
John should also thank Jake White for putting this team together and for the ongoing legacy he gave to sa rugby that not even Snor has managed to break yet.
28 Jun 2009, 12:04 pm
#175 PissAnt: Nice post PA, I remember watching Merhtens keep missing those opportunities, not a fond memory…
Its been a great couple of years for SA rugby, and it can ever only be good for SH rugby…
28 Jun 2009, 12:15 pm
Let the All Blacks loose for 60 mins against us and we’d never come back.
Snor’s time will come. Tri series, he may just get found out. Only thing in his favour is we have the best players possibly ever and the Abs are not on great form.
Watch out for the Wallbies
28 Jun 2009, 12:40 pm
fantastic character to pull this one out of the bag.
28 Jun 2009, 12:45 pm
John Smit knows its not the individual coach that makes or breaks a team spirit. Its the cohesive underlying mental resolve and will fostered in and amongst the team dynamic that creates a core of winning mentality no matter how astute some fools pretend they like to think they are, or are not.
John Smit, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Juan Smith, Schalk Burger, Jean De Villiers, Percy Montgomerie, Os du Randt, and quite a few others all came through other coaching regimes before this one and before the preceding one too. Their collective spirit and desire to win mentality is not, nor has it been developed or fostered through a particular individual, otherwise this very same collection of players would never have capitulated by 49 points to zero along their learning curve.
So whatever some incapacitated thick heads around this place think about the current coaching setup it is far far more astute and more advanced in its thinking than the diabolical bunch of idiot fools who managed to not only lose by the healthy margin of 49 points to nienta zilch, nada, boggerall, that so called well coached team also managed losses against Ireland, France, England on far more occasions than anyone cares to remember.
So really in actuality stakes the true picture of current circumstances is this. This coaching fraternity is far and away head and shoulders 100% far more astute, clear thinking, and competent than the bunch of delinquents that preceded them.
And whats more John Smit and ‘the senior players’ know this undoubtedly for an absolute fact.
28 Jun 2009, 12:51 pm
#185 skopskiet: nonsense.
28 Jun 2009, 12:58 pm
#185 skopskiet:
you are
speaking kak
and you
know this
undoubtedly
for an
absolute fact
28 Jun 2009, 13:01 pm
#185
Nice to see support for PdV and positive encouragement when we win and celebrate our wins. However, JW played his part. He highlighted our wonderful tradition, brought consistency to selections and essentially put us back on the right track. Very pleased that PdV is continuing.
28 Jun 2009, 13:09 pm
#186 goyougoodthing2:
Believe any derogatory junk *** delinquent trash rubbish you like your ideologically driven bigoted head to believe. The facts remain what they are. This coaching fraternity is 100% far and away far more competent, astute, and capable than you or the ideologically driven delinquents on this site are willing to admit, and the record is proving it so in spite of every contrary wish you bigoted punks try and manipulate otherwise.
By the end of the stint it will be proved without any shadow of any doubt who the ones with clarity and vision are and who are the diabolical twits that lose by record margins are.
So far it is 11 wins from 15 starts at a 73% success rate, in spite of your negating sentiments it could even improve from here, something the other fools cannot not get through their thick skulls and neither can you.
28 Jun 2009, 13:28 pm
#189 skopskiet: You have a way with words Skop… if one had to be critical though, bigot is used too often, it disrupts the flow of your writing. Try mixing it up with other similies instead. 6/10
28 Jun 2009, 13:41 pm
#189 skopskiet: So tell me Skop (and hopefully I’m not a bigot for this) what has PDV brought to the Bok set up and playing style. Lets examine the facts:
1. more than 80% of the players have been retained from the JW era. Only Adi is new to the set up.A welcome addition I might add.
2.Coming off a World Cup win the expectation was that they would win the 3N’s.What happened is that we achieved a record win at Dunedin but then proceded to implode at home trying to play a new PDV style of rugby until Ellis Park when we reverted to the “earn the right to go wide” philosophy employed by so many good coaches.
3. In a home series against the BI Lions we were supposed to dominate and win easily. Fact is we have scraped in. You yourself berated PDV for his selections in particular for leaving out Brussouw.
In summary I’m not sure what you think anymore. Is PDV the saviour of SA rugby for achieving >70% success rate using JW’s style of playing or is he a show boater incapable of preceding with his own style of rugby and making selections to suit that style.
28 Jun 2009, 13:46 pm
Hey does anyone recall all the tough talk from the Lions before the match? What happened to “we will not be bullied”? LOL!!! Now the whining begins…
That said, Schalk should get a really hefty ban, filthy act…in my eyes, he might as well have vomited on the springbok jersey….bloody hypocrite
And it would have been nice for either O’Connell or Geech to at least acknowledge their opponents….but he’s been a **** captain all tour so what do you expect, I suppose…
28 Jun 2009, 13:50 pm
#192 Atreides: That said, all compliments to Jeremy Guscott, his commentary has been unbiased and subjective, he’s the only Lion on this tour who’s showed any graciousness!
When the Lions beat us in ’97 with a drop-goal we took it on the chin and congratulated them on a job well done….in stark contrast to this mob of bad losers.
28 Jun 2009, 13:53 pm
#193 Atreides: True. Well pointed out. Guscott stands tall. I’ve enjoyed his commentary. Much more than the jock sniffing stories of Bobby and Naas.
29 Jun 2009, 02:04 am
Australia don’t even rate the Kaaiwaais for the Tri-nations…
“WHEN the Wallabies returned to their team hotel on Saturday night after grinding down the French, the brutal reality of what they will confront during the Tri Nations tournament hit them.
The players assembled in the lounge and watched the final stages of the Springbok-British and Irish Lions Test from Pretoria. They witnessed the South African comeback. They watched agog when Morne Steyn sparked delirium in the final minute with the ultimate cool, calm and collected penalty kick, and they observed another illustrious competitor wonder what had hit them and how they actually had lost..”
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