Boks fly into quarters
4 Dec 2009
Ryno Benjamin scored four tries on the opening day of the Dubai Sevens as South Africa finished at the top of their pool.
The Sevens champs beat Australia 29-0 win to set up a quarter-final clash with Fiji. Benjamin scored a brace in the first half while captain Paul Delport rounded off a great period of play where South Africa displayed their great ball retention and innovative attacking skills.
At 19-0 down at half-time, the Aussies were dead and buried. Mzwandile Stick crashed over from close range early in second period, and added his second just a minute before the final whistle.
In their second pool match, Chase Minnaar scored a brace in South Africa’s six-try demolition of the Arabian Gulf. The Bok Sevens outfit emerged 36-7 victors in their second pool match where they were dominant across all facets of play. Minnaar showcased his speed and skill to beat the defence for South Africa’s first try, a score which was quickly followed by a five-pointer for Delport.
Their strength at the breakdown, where Kyle Brown was particularly prominent, resulted in a number of penalties. Delport’s vision and acceleration helped the Boks immensely, as he spun a long pass to MJ Mentz who in turn found Benjamin for South Africa’s third try.
Neil Powell and Brown got on the scoreboard while Minnaar added his second to round off some sparkling interplay. Arabian Gulf were denied by some fantastic defence early in the match, but Marcus Smith did manage to crash over for a consolation score right at the death.
In South Africa’s first match on Friday, the Blitzboks began their defence of the Dubai title with a 28-14 victory over Wales.
Benjamin opened the scoring when Delport opted for a tap penalty. Delport was involved again just a moment later when he intercepted a Welsh pass and cantered over the tryline.
Mpho Mbiyozo bashed his way through some feeble tackle-attempts to extend South Africa’s lead, but Wales scored an important try through Alex Cuthbert right on half-time.
The Blitzboks were far less clinical in the second period, spilling the ball in contact on a couple of occasions when they had the tryline at their mercy. Cuthbert sparked Wales’ second try when he sprinted down the touchline and found Lloyd Williams for the finish.
Wales attempted to level the scores in the dying seconds, but Stick turned defence into attack when he beneffited from a loose Welsh pass. Stick chipped and had the pace and skill to beat the cover defence for the regather as South Africa finished a mediocre second-half with a flourish.
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263 Comments
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4 Dec 2009, 09:09 am
7 dragons 7
4 Dec 2009, 09:13 am
Lol. 7eleven dragons. Its refreshing to watch rugby without the endless up and unders
4 Dec 2009, 09:18 am
Good draw for the Blitzbokkies
4 Dec 2009, 09:57 am
Good if unconvincing start.
Stick is amazing.
4 Dec 2009, 11:02 am
4000th article for JC. is it worth congratulating him?
4 Dec 2009, 11:15 am
@KC: No. The journalism from him is one of the worst. Simon B take the cake though.
4 Dec 2009, 11:37 am
I quite enjoy reading Tank Lannings blog on news24 and was interested to see his take on the Irish game last Saturday. I’ve been saying all along that the Boks players cough up possession too easily in contact and lack the upper body strength of their NH counterparts and the AB’s and the Ozzies are certainly improving in this area. Anycase here is Tanks view:
actually cannot put into words the frustration I am feeling right now … it was anger on Sunday morning, but once the hangover subsided and I had had a chance to take in the game again, it turned into just plain frustration …
I still truly believe that the Boks had the game in the bag at half time. Sure the lineout was a bit of a shambles – Gert Smal had obviously done his homework and told the Irish the Bok lineout calls and moves, and according to Matfield, even given them some lessons in Afrikaans! But for the first time in a long time, the Bok scrum was on fire, and this in turn, was powering the Boks to a more than solid performance.
So what does coach P Divvy do? He changes the one thing that is working, and goes back to Bismarck at hooker and John Smit at tighthead. And the result: The Bok scrum crumbles, as does the Bok game. And Bismark certainly did nothing to rectify the lineout woes …
The second half saw the visitors coughing up possession in contact – a real theme (and worry) of the tour. All of Jaque Fourie, Victor Matfield, and Danie Rossouw made very public cough ups …
What else does the almighty coach do? He pulls his number one goal kicker from the field … Sure Steyn did not have a great day at the office, but his kicks at goal were pretty long, and when Pienaar hit the post with first attempt, it could only have knocked the confidence further.
I always knew the Bok’s bench management, or lack thereof, to be precise, would come home to haunt them. And haunt them it did on Saturday. Just bloody pathetic …
This is not to say the Boks would definitely have won the game had they not had such a monumental bench brain ****, but they would have at least given themselves a chance.
It’s no bloody wonder the coach lost out on “Coach of the year”. It would have been a travesty had he taken that award …
Speaking of awards. Take a gander through the following two lists and see if you can spot a trend that was destroyed on 2009:
Previous winners of IRB Coach of the Year:
2001 – Rod Macqueen (Australia)
2002 – Bernard Laporte (France)
2003 – Clive Woodward (England)
2004 – Jake White (South Africa)
2005 – Graham Henry (New Zealand)
2006 – Graham Henry (New Zealand)
2007 – Jake White (South Africa)
2008 – Graham Henry (New Zealand)
2009 – Declan Kidney (Ireland)
Previous Winners of IRB Team of the Year:
2001 – Australia
2002 – France
2003 – England
2004 – South Africa
2005 – New Zealand
2006 – New Zealand
2007 – South Africa
2008 – New Zealand
2009 – South Africa
So should Div have got the coaching award, or should Ireland have got the team award?
And I am afraid I do not buy this “The players are exhausted” **** from Div. Anyone seen the All Black results from their end of year tour? Anyone seen the amount of SA players playing in the Baa Baa game on Saturday? Nope, the problem runs a lot deeper than the flippant “exhausted” excuse I am afraid …
4 Dec 2009, 11:40 am
4000 articles later and the journalism sucks.
Shall we call you an electrolux?
4 Dec 2009, 11:43 am
@bananaboy: Great telling it like it is. In the same manner it would have been a travesty if FDP took player of the year after such a k@k EOYT.
4 Dec 2009, 11:51 am
@bananaboy: ja….we could of won that test….BJ off and it was all over rover….
No brains…..no bloody brains!
4 Dec 2009, 11:55 am
@grant10: G10 I would have liked to see BDP with BJ to see how that goes. My guess is it will not be the same as with JS at 2. IMHO Bissy only about 4th best scrummager. Lost opportunity indeed.
4 Dec 2009, 11:59 am
@Shakes: yes….woul#d like to see that as well….
BJ and CJ are far better options at 3….gives the Boks stability and even at times an attacking weapon…..
Some bloggers still saying scrums not that important.
They must be as blind as bats!
4 Dec 2009, 12:05 pm
@grant10: What about those Man U youngsters then on Tuesday night. My boet is a big Spurs supporter and its always a keen rivalry so it was great to put one over them. Fergie needs to think about using them more this year even if it means not winning the league. With these youngsters he can build a great team for the future.
4 Dec 2009, 12:06 pm
@bananaboy: my ex a big Spurs fan so it was awesome beating them!
Great to see the youngsters coming through…..
Chelsea also knocked out so thats a bonus too!!
4 Dec 2009, 12:08 pm
@Shakes: Shakes both BJ and JS are too high in the scrum as hookers but JS compensated a little with his scrummaging ability. If you watched the hits on Saturday in the beginning you will have noticed that JS was initially a lot higher than the opposition hooker on the hit but then was able to use his bulk and power with BJ to put pressure on him.
4 Dec 2009, 12:10 pm
@grant10: Looking ahead to potential NZ weather a big scrum will always be a bonus. Let’s hope PDV learns quick as to the best combos. I know some have said why we lost with that big scrum but it is actually the biggest pointer to our gameplan where we gift possession to our opponents. We were lucky to win with so little ball this year. Cheers chat later.
4 Dec 2009, 12:11 pm
@bananaboy: that scrum with beat…smit and bj was the best i have seen from a saffa team in years….BJ says he wanted to prove a point and did he not just do that!
BJ has learned a lot from europe, and no doubt cj too….
Looks like they will only be back in may though.
4 Dec 2009, 12:11 pm
beast…not beat!
4 Dec 2009, 12:12 pm
@Shakes: cheers mate!
4 Dec 2009, 12:12 pm
@grant10: G10 scrums are only important if you know what to do with the possession you get from the go forward that creates. We couldn’t even use the ball from a 3 or 4 meter advancing scrum not to mention the fact that Heaslip was able to advance 20 meters off the back of a retreating scrum.
But then my other point is that the Ozzies did the same thing to the Irish yet couldn’t beat them. The Irish defence and commitment to the ruck as well as the upper body strength (Paul oConnel) was enormous. Interesting point that in both games the Irish came back from a deficit as well.
4 Dec 2009, 12:18 pm
@bananaboy: You are correct….i think the boks were shell shocked with the quality ball…
A nippy scrumhalf like Jano Vermaak and a class 8 th man like spies would heve had a field day…..we were simply ill prepared for such scrum domination.
I still maintain the cancer sets in when the scrum under pressure….we have to play a specialist tighthead at all times….for me its not even a debate ….Gary Gold can stick his head in the sand, but he is no fool, he knows that tough choices need to be made.
4 Dec 2009, 12:27 pm
@grant10: Your tighhead is absolutely crucial.Putting pressure on the opp. loosehead on their put in is critical as the hooker is concentrating on the strike so cannot help and on your own ball putting pressure on the opposition hooker makes the opposition tighhead focus more on supporting his hooker rather than dominating your loosehead enabling a better strike for your hooker.
4 Dec 2009, 12:32 pm
the total dissolution in that test match started from first kick off already. I saw it coming clear as day as Fdp and M. Steyn started kicking the ball into the heavens. I could see it coming from the 2nd minute already, and when they finally got it right to spin it wide, just once, we scored a try from the move.
I thought then perhaps they woke up and now the flood gates will open we’ll run them ragged. But no. Straight after the try we clam up like a bunch of chicken coward clams and start kicking it away again. Can you imagine the All Blacks having just scored a try clamp up like cowardly nervous conservative twats and start kicking the ball down the full backs throat?
Nobody seems to understand the very simple damn problem. Its in the g.damn useless kick and chase idiotic game plan that these *** hole palooka’s have adopted brought about by this kak rubbish play to our strengths kick and chase play without the ball idiocy.
Go and watch that game again, especially the first half and see just how damn easy it would have been to annihilate Ireland by simply keeping the ball in hand. We did it once in the first half and scored a try from the simple obvious ploy, and we did it in the last 5 minutes and nearly scored again. So where in heavens name did these twat fool idiots get their ignorant brains from to go kicking 80-90% of our possession away through the rest of the game.
Fdp is too slow behind the scrum and M. Steyn cannot get his line away. Both those 2 have succeeded along with this dumb *** delinquent idiot ou doos game plan we have now enshrined as our stupid strengths to practically disintegrate any hope of any kind of attacking creativity into an absolute dismal and ridiculous shambles.
With the ascendency we were finally enjoying in the front row that game was open for the taking, and what did we do, we kicked it in its moer in.
If Adams and Pienaar would have started that game we would have won. Guaranteed.
4 Dec 2009, 12:36 pm
@skopskiet: Skoppie after the try we had another 3 occasions to score through the backline in the first half, one was messed up by WO and the other two by none other than the famous WP outside centre Hennie Bekker.
On all 3 occasions the ball should have gone through the hands to allow diagonal runners to take it on. Had we scored on 2 of those occasions the rest of the game would have been different.
4 Dec 2009, 12:41 pm
John Smit, Victor Matfield, Fdp and Morne Steyn lost us the test against Ireland. If we’d have started with 4 others in those crucial positions we would have won. And Danie Roussouw is not an 8th mans back side, neither is Kanko.
Get shot of the dead wood if anyone hopes to stand a chance at next WC.
4 Dec 2009, 12:46 pm
@skopskiet:
Hi Skop
Ther’s lots of merit to what you are saying !!
Agree that we should of changed tactic in that game……no doubt.
I do not believe that playing Adams and Ruan woul have been the answer, I don’t share the confidence you have in Ruan.
I was saying to Grant 10 that for FDUP to get to the breakdown and clear quckly is not a difficult thing for him to do, geez if you are asking for a scrummie to be a link only and get the passes out quickly, easy peasy……any scrum halfs dream to get that as job description !!
However the job (as you know)encompasses a lot more than that.
FDUP is playing under instruction (not sure whos) but he is being told what to do.
If, as many would have us believe JS was/is calling the shots then he needs to take responsibity for the loss. Failure to change the game plan and taking BJ off were the primary reasons for the loss.
I agree with you we need to change our way of playing, but also believe that if we want a quicker, high tempo game that FDUP is quite capable of playing that way.
4 Dec 2009, 12:48 pm
Hen-nie Bekker jnr must get out of the backline absolutely. But watch how many times that ball was hoisted onto Kearney or Bowe and every time we succeeded in losing possession and giving away territory. Every single time without fail.
This stupid numb skull idiot game plan must stop or else we going to get absolutely drilled from here to kingdom come. If Fdp and M. Steyn don’t know anything else get them out and get someone in who does.
4 Dec 2009, 13:03 pm
hi JR
If you watch the difference in speed of delivery between Fdp and Adams for instance from base of scrum there is not even an argument. Adams is twice as fast. Fdp’s strengths are his experience in big matches, his size and strength, his kicking game and his occasional opportunism which usually results in points, usually but not always.
The thing is Fdp’s game like Morne’s has become so slow and predictable there is no urgency and no speed through the distribution and thats why our entire backline has become a stagnant door mat for most oppositions to wipe their feet on.
The first half of the Saracens game with Adams at the scrum base was the only time the Bok backline looked like they were capably of playing any rugby on the entire tour. The rest of the time like a bunch of one dimensional deer’s caught in the headlights. When Hougaard came onto the field second half and started this slow clearing and box kicking nonsense that Fdp is also famous for, is exactly where we coughed up that game as well.
Its a sad malady in our game and we better get it right or expect a lot more hidings in the near future.
4 Dec 2009, 13:09 pm
Skop….you are correct, we cannot kick it away all the time…it is patently stupid, as was the Schalk at fetcher debate and the Smit at 3, simply makes no real sense.
FDP needs to recieve very firm instructions to vary his game a lot more. And MS must allow the natural instincts to take over too!
Gonna be a watershed 2010…thats for sure.
PDV must stamp his authority, he allows this player power to continue he will be the loser!
4 Dec 2009, 13:17 pm
@skopskiet:
Yip, we need a hybird of what we curremtly have, there is definetely a role for playing a kcking gane, when required, also a running game when required.
FDUP is best suited to look after the “hybird” style , he definetley needs to sharpen his speed of delivery. He is looking to be the role player all the time rather than just being a scrumhalf, something he is very good at doing.
Going to interesting to see how it all pans out ,but to continue with the one dimensional style will be suicide.
PDEV time to stand up !!
4 Dec 2009, 13:21 pm
@skopskiet: Skop I thought that in the first 30 minutes or so we played a lot more with the ball in hand than in previous games and perhaps it was indicative of confidence coming from the scrum dominance, but then when that disappeared in the latter part of the 1st half and in the second half we resorted to the up and unders. Thats why I was suggesting that if we had converted the earlier opportunities it may have played out differently. I agree with you about it being idiotic to revert back to the kicking game. Perhaps its the old fear of failure mentality in SA coming to the fore.
4 Dec 2009, 13:28 pm
@justrugby: JR I laud PDV’s idea to get the players to play the situation as it presents itself on the field. To do so however they have to have a lot more in their armoury and to be honest SA players just don’t have that. I remember Robbie Fleck saying that he first learnt to offload a ball in the tackle properly when playing in Wales of all places. Our players don’t only need confidence to play the situations they need the skills. At the moment they place their confidence in the skills they have honed as Skoppie quite rightly puts it in the Bash it up type rugby. They don’t run around opposition or look for space they try to run through them and gone are the days when we could that easily.
4 Dec 2009, 13:38 pm
@bananaboy:
Agree, yet at times (obviously weaker competitions)in the S14 and CC our teams deliver some wonderful running rugby.
4 Dec 2009, 13:49 pm
They have fed this nonsense into Fdp’s head that he is the brains and the pivotal player in the backline and he manages the game plan behind the scrum. They’ve made him into this absolute genius of a game reader that can do no wrong. Well let me tell you for all his so called brilliance it was Fdp that stuffed up our go forward game in 2008 along with Butch, and apart from some well drilled set piece breaks from lineouts or scrum’s where he’s created tries in Pretoria or Perth this year he has recently become increasingly slow and directionless without much clue as to what exactly to do behind the breakdown ball, usually either popping a nothing pass to a lumbering runner who gets isolated or turned or he puts boot to ball, or else a telegraphed pass to fly half with no variation whatsoever.
His predictability and lack of speed in making decisions or in getting the back line away is what is fundamentally getting us totally mesmerized and caught flat footed on attack with no incisive pace or distribution or shape in the backline at all.
I play S. Pretorius or an Adams type 9 unless Hougaard can up his tempo and distribution skills with a running fly half like Pienaar or Grant or JL Potgieter, if Fdp and M. Steyn can’t up the anti. Between the both of them we getting so dismally one dimensional and easy to read and and plain boring its hardly even a joke. They’re stifling our game to hell.
4 Dec 2009, 13:58 pm
Otherwise play Pienaar at 9 and JL Potgieter at 10. Damn sight better than these other two overrated one trick pony’s who kick everything they get to Timbuktu and get absolutely zero go forward reaction into the backline whatsoever.
4 Dec 2009, 14:11 pm
To be honest guys I thought Steyn got his backline away surprisingly well in the first 30mins. He has a lovely long pass which created space on the outside several times – 1 for the try and at least 2 for bekker’s runs. For some reason we just went into our shells after that. If SA had learnt anything from the BIL tour it should’ve been that Kearney has no problems under the high ball.
JS is a great captian imo but he should’ve taken control on the pitch – that’s his job! Snor still makes surprising subs but hopefully he’ll learn – eventually.
FdP needs some competition for his jersey. I rate Jano as the best scrummie in the country before his injury. Great pass, devastating around the fringes and an intelligently varied kicking game (little short chips over the top not just bombs) and this all in a LIONS team!!!
4 Dec 2009, 14:25 pm
if we were playing with so much ball in hand, how did we end up with only 35% possession in the 1st half? Again how did we end up making more than twice the tackles they did?
4 Dec 2009, 14:34 pm
“Minnaar showcased his speed and skill to beat the defence for South Africa’s first try”
What rubbish. I watched this game over lunch and Minaar simply received the ball and scored after some good work on the inside from Benjamin. Speed and skill? Come on.
4 Dec 2009, 14:54 pm
@Transformation: the answer to the question i posed lies in the following paragraphs, that our players have internalised as our “traditional strengths”
“Had De Villiers continued with the naive notion that the guys play what is in front of them without any structure or framework the results this year would have been very different. The Boks may have scored more tries, but so too would the opposition.
The dynamic of this Bok side feeds off structure and knowing who does what and when. They rely on brutal defence, the most imposing lineout in the game and a halfback kicking game that can’t be matched at the moment. The Boks are at their most potent when they keep it simple on attack and play risk-free rugby. They are a side blessed with the players who can turn defence into attack.
The team’s greatest attribute is its physicality, but what this side has more than any South African team since readmission is experience and rugby intelligence to go with the physicality. Each guy knows what to do and that is the result of most of them being together for six years.
Neither New Zealand nor Australia wanted to look foolish on attack but incredible defence and the most accurate field-kicking game turned these professionals into bumbling schoolboys. Defence is a skill, as much as attack is, and one of the most difficult skills to master is the line kicking game.
It may not look pretty, but it is effective, and I for one want a Bok team that wins consistently playing to its strengths rather than one that appears to entertain, but merely plays into the grateful and winning hands of Australia and New Zealand.
Fourie du Preez’s ability to read the game and Habana and JP Pietersen’s chase of the kick spells intelligent rugby and not boring rugby. If New Zealand and Australia had players with those skills they’d be playing it exactly the same way.”
4 Dec 2009, 16:44 pm
Minnaar shows how to kick Karoo dust into the faces of the desert-dwellers
4 Dec 2009, 17:56 pm
Lovely to watch the Boks hammering the Wobblies.
4 Dec 2009, 18:05 pm
@David: 41 – Have to agree David. Our 7′s Boks were on fire there. Really enjoyed watching them beat the Aussies.
4 Dec 2009, 18:16 pm
Well done to our Blitz Bokke.
4 Dec 2009, 18:22 pm
@Puma: Yep, and they did it without kicking away possession.
4 Dec 2009, 18:27 pm
@David: If Paul Treu had Fourie du Preez in his team, they’d be playing to our “traditional strengths”
4 Dec 2009, 18:29 pm
@Transformation:
I would love to see Delport back in the 15 man game as backup for FdP.
4 Dec 2009, 18:29 pm
@David: 44 – They did too. 15′s Bokke could learn from them.
Actually drove back to Umhlanga today from Joburg. Drove through so much fog and thought about that game against Ireland.
Not even sure if they saw the ball coming down……hehehe. Through that fog. Today I could hardly see the car ahead of me. How they could see a ball coming down through the fog would have been very, very difficult. Should just have kept ball in hand more and attacked. We looke good when we done it near the end and when Burger got that try. Could never do the kick-and-chase in that weather. Never.
Ag, we will learn.
4 Dec 2009, 18:29 pm
@Transformation:
4 Dec 2009, 18:39 pm
@David: in this country we’ve got traditional weapons as well as traditional strength…we just like carrying & doing things just out of tradition. traditional leadership, traditional wrestling of & moer-ing of live bulls…i’m getting carried away here
4 Dec 2009, 18:48 pm
@Transformation:
No comment. Some of my friends are Zulus.
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