Comments on: Boks must play brain game

By: dr dre

dr dre — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:49:04 +0000

#353 Optimus Prime: You, are a proper prick with a dark chip on your shoulder. Keep it strictly to rugby you twat.

By: cab

cab — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:35:31 +0000

#573 WakaNathan: neutral my arse, someone had offered him a farm full of sheep in auckland. #576 Big Hit: Quite correct.

By: WakaNathan

WakaNathan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:23:46 +0000

#588 rangerman: I agree. Props tend to get better with age tho and Woody is only 28. Prime time. for interest and comparisons sake, here was Keos World XV 2008. Some hefty changes there already. The Bogan at no9 ? youd be hard pressed to find even 1 Kiwi who agreed with that. Keo’s 2008 form World XV: Mils Miliaina (NZ), JP Pietersen (SA), Stirling Mortlock (Aus), Jean de Villiers (SA), Shane Williams (Wales), Matt Giteau (Aus), Jimmy Cowan (NZ), Andy Powell (Wales), Richie McCaw (NZ), Schalk Burger (SA), Ali Williams (NZ), Bakkies Botha (SA), Phil Vickery (Eng), Andrew Hore (NZ) and Tony Woodcock (NZ).

By: rangerman

rangerman — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:08:30 +0000

#589 WakaNathan: its 2009. gametime.

By: WakaNathan

WakaNathan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:01:48 +0000

#585 stew: trading in Hayman for Tialata is like leaving a Ferrari in the garage and taking the Massey Ferguson out instead. Woodcock has had a quiet S14 year but suffered various injuries incl being hospitalised for an ear-infection that went crazy. #576 Big Hit: perhaps you'd like to flick back a few Keo pages...... Keo (amongst others) listed his 2008 World XV with Woodcock at LH prop. There didnt seem to be any protests from the Safas who know a good prop when they see one. zero !

By: Dunx

Dunx — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:59:53 +0000

this is so worth the read and i do pray that PdV does stick to our strengths

By: stew

stew — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:40:40 +0000

#576 Big Hit: Got to disagree - Woodcock is undoubtedly the best No1 , not only in scrummaging but also in his loose play .... I think in recent games the AB front row has suffered because of the loss of Carl Hayman at tight head , but Woodcock would be an asset to any team

By: WakaNathan

WakaNathan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:29:22 +0000

#576 Big Hit: zero

By: Pietman

Pietman — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:00:01 +0000

#581 cooky: #582 Pietman: I checked 1995 WC commentators, no Andy. only Gavin Cowley, hugh bladen and John Robbie, as far as can make out from their voices. So, I doubt if Andy was there in '94 already. He started commentating round about '97, thereabouts, my guess.

By: Pietman

Pietman — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:42:35 +0000

#581 cooky: Cabous yes, for sure, left wing, shoulder length blondish hair. check YouTube, you might find hin still, or google his name. commentator, I am not sure, I think Andy came on air after WC 1995. One will have to check some 1995 WC games, eg. ManuSamoa vs Springboks, to see if he was there. I will try.

By: cooky

cooky — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:56:19 +0000

Cabous van der Westhuizen. He played on the left wing didn’t he? Did he have long shoulder length hair?

OK so you think I have the commentator, the match and the player right?

By: Pietman

Pietman — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:42:30 +0000

#578 cooky:
I believe the Natal player was Cabous van der Westhuizen, wing.
Lima also almost took off another Van der Westhuizen’s (Joost) in the WC ’95, an the term ‘coconut tackle’ was used frequenly then as well.
Don’t know the origin though, possibly because they grow coconuts on the islands high up in the trees, and a high tackle was therefore called a ‘coconut tackle’.
I didn’t at that time regard it as a racial slur (and still don’t know if it is.)
Is it ok use that terminology, in your opinion?

By: bok_bal

bok_bal — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:36:18 +0000

#456 sparticus: They way I see it, is that the boks need to have structure, and we need to hurt them in the contact phases of the game. When we have softened them up and the game starts opening up we must then put them away, by playing total attacking rugby(driving maul, running, etc). We have always been content with defending our lead and allowing the opposition to get back into the game. You can't however start with the PDV style game plan. It will be suicide. Maybe we can finish with it, when we happen to be in the lead at the end of the game.

By: cooky

cooky — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:28:01 +0000

I have a question that is completely off topic, since this is the most popular recent article this place is as good as any to ask it; and I am trying to win a bet, so anything goes

In the mid-1990′s a South African TV Rugby commentator got into a fair bit of trouble for using the term “coconut tackle” to describe a particularly heavy, and possibly high, tackle executed by a player of Pacific Island origin. He was tagged as a racist, but offered the excuse that he was referring to a “coconut” as in “a coconut shy at a fairground”

This is what I believe:

Commentator: Andy Capostagno
Match: Natal v Western Samoa in the Super 10, 1994
Tackler: Brian Lima (a.k.a. The Chiropractor)

Is any or all of this correct?
Who was the Natal player (maybe a Fullback with long hair??)

I have tried Googling this, but the only result I could find was a post I made myself on a Samoan Rugby Blog, and the accuracy of that post has been challenged by a friend of mine.

By: SjamBok

SjamBok — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:11:18 +0000

#198 Transformation: Nope that is pretty standard talk for any SA coach. Same same for jake. IF PdV wins the next series he can stay otherwise off with his head. Luckily Jake managed to stay winning enough or losing by close enough margins to keep his 4 year plan intact. But it was touch and go for a while. Pdv losing last year was not acceptable regardless of his colour. Bok coaches losing never are. However, goodwill was given for him being a new coach.

Losing this year’s 3N will not be acceptable unless there is a reasoning behind rebuilding/keeping players out for RWC, etc. There are no reasons now. If he loses I will be calling for his head like I was calling for Jakes whead when he lost the 3N in 2006 by shameful margins. Because nothing causes a Bok coach to regain his mental senses in sharp contrast than when everybody is calling for his head.

Jake got overconfident with his first two year’s success, and started pushing for cash and guarantees from SARU, without putting money where his mouth was. One 2004 3N does not a successful Bok coach make. He did not take into account what his brinkmanship would do to his players mentality, and when they showed him with the 49-0 loss, and we all wanted him gone, it sat him back on his *** quickly…

NO MAN is bigger than the game (UNLESS HE IS WINNING!).
Ditto to PdV.

By: Big Hit

Big Hit — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:52:20 +0000

#575 WakaNathan: he's not no.1 in anyone's eye (note the singular) except NZers. Roncero, Sheridan, Jenkins, Beast are all equally as good if not better players. As I said, if he's that great a scrummager he should be able to get the better of Smit, a relative test novice at 3, now let's see if he does.

By: WakaNathan

WakaNathan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:35:38 +0000

#574 Big Hit: Who said anything about Woody 'destroying' Smit ? Notwithstanding that, to mark someone recognised as 1 of if not the best in his position is to see whether youre up to it. Youre just completely biased, so credibility is zero.

By: Big Hit

Big Hit — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:30:08 +0000

#573 WakaNathan: let's see how he destroys Smit in the 3N then shall we

By: WakaNathan

WakaNathan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:27:14 +0000

#480 Big Hit: you talk complete complete and utter sh*t. Woodcock is renown for his scrummaging. Andrew Blades talked him down prior to the Bledisloe last year. Woodcock completely nailed his opposite and was completely destructive throughout the TriN. #482 cab: Bakkies the Christian ? yeah, George Bush is a christian too. Hypocrites the both of em. #492 Jinx: find yourself some coverage of the 1976 tour one day. You'd be embarrassed to ever use the word 'cheat' again. #495 cab: Norling was not a shocker. 1stly, he was neutral, which was more than anything the Blacks had in SA. 2ndly, he played 7mins of injury time after Hewies penalty kick. Something that seems to escape this persecution complex of yours. Boks simply werent good enough to use that time to score. Fact, I was there. #525 Jinx: You dont know me. I was never given a Visa to tour your country.... #541 Jinx: Hey, love Little Feat. Saw him in NYC, 1996.

By: Big Hit

Big Hit — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:52:06 +0000

#505 SodaJoe: pretty cool sodajoe, have you ever been to the South-West?