Back where he belongs
16 Jul 2010
John Smit wants to keep wearing the Bok No 2 jersey.
‘Would you start at hooker if you weren’t captain?’ It’s a question that has John Smit rolling his eyes. ‘Aw, come on,’ says Smit, who’s had to deal with the question since assuming the Bok captaincy in 2004. It’s a question that’s become even more relevant with the rise of Bismarck du Plessis.
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His face undergoes a transformation; the annoyed countenance morphing into a look of patience reserved for the ignorant and uneducated. He finally leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head, completely at ease. He smiles in a way that says I’ll never understand.
Statements about Smit’s playing ability are usually tempered with talk of his value as a leader. Popular perception is that you need to accommodate Smit in the Bok starting line-up because he’s the skipper, not because he’s the best player in his position.
The decision to shift Smit to tighthead in 2008 seemed to affirm the conjecture. Coach Peter de Villiers admitted there were better tightheads, but felt the move was necessary since he envisioned Smit and Du Plessis playing in tandem at the 2011 World Cup.
Du Plessis sustained a serious neck injury towards the end of the recent Super 14, which ruled him out of the Tri-Nations. It was a blow for the Boks, but one that brought about a necessary change in thinking. Smit moved back to hooker, and the move won’t be as temporary as some may expect.
So putting the question to the 32-year-old again, I ask Smit if the rugby community will ever give him his due. Now that he’s back in his favourite position, will they acknowledge him as one of South Africa’s finest hookers? It’s a question that doesn’t receive an answer as much as an explanation as to why it’s the wrong question.
‘The people close to me appreciate me for the player that I am,’ he says confidently. ‘I don’t feel unappreciated, and I’m certainly not unhappy with what I’ve achieved. If I had a chance to rewrite my script, I wouldn’t change much. The move to tighthead was a massive challenge, but if I look back at 2009 when we beat the British & Irish Lions and won the Tri-Nations, it was one of the best years of my career, if not my life.
‘In 2008, I was at the stage where I was thinking a lot less about what was good for me, and more about what was good for the team. That’s why I put my hand up to play prop. I know there will come a time when what’s best for the team is for me to stand aside completely, and that decision lies with the Springbok or Sharks coaching staff. For now, my ambition is to be part of a successful team.
‘I get far more satisfaction out of winning a match or a series than being named Man of the Match or reading about my 9/10 review in the Sunday papers. It’s nice to be the hero, but it’s my job to make the other guys heroes. I want to be the best hooker in the world, but I get more satisfaction out of a win than personal plaudits.’
CJ van der Linde recently signed a six-month contract with the Cheetahs, while another Ireland-based prop in BJ Botha could be moving back to South Africa in the near future. With these two available, the South African front-row stocks have been bolstered considerably, although if required, Smit could still slot in at No 3.
There aren’t too many people who think Smit’s move to tighthead was a success.
Os du Randt, the new Bok scrum coach, believes Smit is a better bet at No 2, while another former South African hardman in Rob Kempson felt the decision to shift Smit was flawed.
‘John moved there to fill a void, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out, as results will confirm,’ Kempson says. ‘It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem was technically, as you can never tell unless you’re scrumming against a player.
‘Hooker is his strongest position and if he’s going to captain South Africa at the next World Cup, that is where he must play. Apart from his contributions in other areas, he’s unparalleled as a scrummaging hooker, with Gary Botha probably the second in this respect. If John is playing hooker, it will certainly make the job of whoever is playing tighthead that much easier.’
Bok forwards coach Gary Gold, on the other hand, doesn’t believe the move was a complete failure.
‘So many people focus on the Benn Robinson incidents [where the Wallabies’ No 1 embarrassed Smit during the 2009 Tri-Nations], but it isn’t easy to scrum against those smaller looseheads,’ says Gold. ‘The biggest priority of the scrum is synergy, so you can’t blame one guy, as all eight players need to scrum well. You also have to realise that he’s played less than 10 Tests at tighthead. There are a lot of technical things that need time to develop, technical things that help when you’re up against a shorter guy like Robinson, who can use your own physical strength against you.’
From a scrumming point of view, Smit admits he did all he could just to ensure the Bok scrum didn’t move backwards.
‘There was a lot of trepidation when I moved to tighthead in 2008,’ he recalls. ‘I had played tighthead before, making my debut in Super Rugby alongside Ollie le Roux and Chris Rossouw for the Sharks, but when I put my hand up to play it again in 2008, I was secretly hoping not to snap my neck. It’s a position where experience is crucial, experience I didn’t have, so I had to use a few other tricks to survive.
‘Over the years, when I was playing hooker, I saw what the loosehead would try to do to the tighthead, and I also knew what other tightheads didn’t like from a hooker. I used the knowledge gained by playing 80-plus Tests at hooker to my advantage.
‘If I look back at my time at tighthead, I’d have to say it was far more demanding to do my job as a captain from that position. We were under a lot of pressure at the scrum, and I did all I could to hold my own. It’s not as if we destroyed looseheads, but we often did enough to get that right shoulder.
‘We did fantastically well in other departments, but often people looked at the scrum and said we didn’t dominate. Obviously you want a Bok team to dominate everything, but what about all the rucks we hit, the tackles we made and the ball-carries?
‘The lowlight of my time at prop was the line of questioning. All the attention I got playing tighthead, it seemed like the media didn’t have anything else to write about. I had to try and diffuse the media, saying they should judge me at the end of a two-year period, because no matter what I said and no matter what the results were, the same story would come out every weekend.
‘Then you have a situation where your team-mates are trying to defend you and your coach tries to defend you, it was frustrating. Maybe the media persisted because it was an idea Peter de Villiers had driven, and any idea Peter drives is usually scrutinised by them.’
While Smit battled at the scrum, he delivered some industrious performances around the park. Gold said the Springbok management felt their decision to move Smit was vindicated and couldn’t understand why the public and media harped on about a perceived lack of dominance at the scrum.
‘There are eight to 10 scrums per game, but over 100 breakdowns, so we felt that with John’s mobility, defence and decision-making at the breakdown, he would be a great asset at prop,’ says Gold. ‘He adds plenty of value as a ball-carrier. That first try in the first Test against the Lions is a case in point; he had guys hanging on to him as he went over the line, and had left Brian O’Driscoll trailing in his wake.
‘The experience of scrumming at prop will make him a better hooker. Physically he’s probably the strongest hooker in world rugby, and his strength is particularly uncompromising at the scrum. His physique is suited to hooker in that he’s the perfect height and has a powerful core. He’s very good at the hit, and because he works so hard at his squats in the gym he’s able to generate immense power.’
In theory, a Test team that struggles at the scrum can still get the upper hand if they win the battle at the collisions and breakdown. It’s a point that’s prompted plenty of debate, and Smit feels that winning a scrum gives a team a psychological edge over their opponents.
‘The scrum determines the pack’s confidence. You can’t just say we’ll hang in there in the scrums, but drive the opposition in the lineout and smash them at the breakdowns. It’s like the first punch in a fight. If one oke throws a punch and connects, the second guy is rattled and will be thinking about that first punch for the rest of the fight.
‘The Super 14 is very different to Test rugby, and the northern hemisphere competitions, where scrumming is vitally important, is somewhere in between. If your scrum is weak, you can’t keep the ball in there for too long because you may eventually concede a penalty. It’s about getting the balance right according to your game plan.
‘You can’t just pick a mobile pack and think you’re going to run the other team around the park. A team like France will see a mobile front row of say, Beast Mtawarira, Schalk Brits and John Smit, and just keep the ball in the scrum in order to milk penalties. Penalties can then result in yellow cards and suddenly you are in trouble. You have to decide what you want to achieve in a particular match, and a lot depends on who you are playing.
‘Having CJ and BJ back will see the Bok scrum transform into a completely different animal. BJ’s exceptional at what he does at the scrum, while CJ is a good scrummager, but he’s one of those guys who is also a good athlete. Then you have Beast, Bismarck and myself. If you have those five guys available, you have a lot to work with. It might not be the same front row five weeks in a row, but you can work that to your benefit and pick horses for courses.’
The Boks will be managed carefully in the build-up to the 2011 World Cup, a tournament that’s likely to be Smit’s swansong. There are fears that his best days are behind him and that starting a spent player in this tournament could prove disastrous.
Smit believes there’s sufficient petrol in the tank, and the muscle car that proved so difficult to flag down in 2007 will be operating at optimum efficiency in 2011.
Any talk of him playing hooker is greeted with an optimism and energy that should be transferred to the rugby pitch.
‘You can ask me to perform a role at tighthead and maybe hang in there for a year, but it’s not something I want to do for the rest of my career,’ he says. ‘I only have two or three years left, and not all of that time is going to be spent at Springbok level. I’m no spring chicken, so I want to use that time well by getting back to what I do best, which is playing hooker.
‘So in answering your original question, I want to perform well enough to remain part of this special team. I’ve never seen a group like this together and I wonder how long it will be before we see another group or era like this again. When we prepare for a match, we know it’s only a matter of getting our heads right, because we have the ability to beat anyone. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of something like that, because there’s no risk of complacency.’
By Jon Cardinelli
– This article first appeared in the July issue of SA Rugby magazine. Visit keo.co.za tomorrow to read Grant Ball’s analysis of Smit’s performance against the All Blacks in Wellington.
249 Comments
16 Jul 2010, 12:28 pm
I will simply repeat what I said on the other thread.
John will be my personal choice as hooker and captain for the Boks to go to the World Cup.
For that to happen however, I believe he needs to be given an extensive break (until the EOYT at least) from all rugby to firstly take a break from rugby, and secondly work on an extensive re-conditioning program to get him back into shape for the #2 position.
16 Jul 2010, 12:34 pm
If JS was any kind of captain he’ll ask the coach to excuse him to go and plat CC to get back into shape and condition.
He is a liability to the team.
16 Jul 2010, 12:39 pm
Back where he belongs. Where the eagles fly on a mountain high?
16 Jul 2010, 12:40 pm
@katman(katman)-3:
16 Jul 2010, 12:41 pm
Get used to it, John Smit will be our captain until and including 2031 RWC.
It is written boeties. Silly but true.
16 Jul 2010, 12:47 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-5:
Yep, he is just one of those people who strangely will get carried and protected through life, no matter what. His devoted followers will soon be here to protect his virtue and abilities.
16 Jul 2010, 12:49 pm
@Paws(Paws)-6:
We are digging our own 2011 RWC grave.
16 Jul 2010, 12:49 pm
why are we getting this thread again? We’ve said what we have to say!
16 Jul 2010, 12:52 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-8:
Not me!
16 Jul 2010, 12:54 pm
I’ll change my tune…
Ricky to score a Hat-trick tomorrow. John Smit to put over all conversions, 2 penalties and a drop. All is forgiven…
16 Jul 2010, 12:54 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-5: I have absolutely no problem with that. It is folly to throw away all that experience and leadership, but then he must get into shape because he is a long way off being the best hooker in the world.
16 Jul 2010, 12:58 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-10:
Ri-ckie Ri-ckie Ri-ckie. You go slim.
16 Jul 2010, 12:59 pm
@GI POT(GI POT)-11:
I agree…but his best is over. Its too late to make the change now BUT it should have been made after the B& Irish Lions tour.
Leave at the top. Wise players do. John Eales was “wys”.
This Tri Nations 2010 is going to reveal a looooot of truth about the Boks and their mental state.
16 Jul 2010, 13:01 pm
kudos to you jon cardinelli you can even read what john smit’s smiles suggest!
16 Jul 2010, 13:01 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-1:
ditto…
@Jinx(Jinx)-5:
These Boks are like the Beatles… good as individuals… but pretty damn special as a group… the whole being more than the sum of the numbers etc…
we need John there…
All you need is John… All you need is John… altogether now… all you need is John, John… John is all you need…
16 Jul 2010, 13:03 pm
As Steely Dan said: Ricky don’t lose that number. (weight watchers Ph no.)
16 Jul 2010, 13:03 pm
Well Said Johnny Boy! There is some food for though for all those people who ctitique John so quickly about his playing ability.
‘Apart from his contributions in other areas, he’s unparalleled as a scrummaging hooker, with Gary Botha probably the second in this respect. If John is playing hooker, it will certainly make the job of whoever is playing tighthead that much easier.’
Besides last week his line-out throwing is also better than most!
John must put in some big hits and Hard Runs and get the boys Firing! Schalk and Spies also need to step up!
16 Jul 2010, 13:04 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-10:
Ricky don’t lose that number… it’s the only one you own…
16 Jul 2010, 13:05 pm
@ufo(ufo)-18:
aaaarrghgh…
sorry jinx… was typing when yours went up…
16 Jul 2010, 13:06 pm
I don’t think he belongs there anymore.
16 Jul 2010, 13:08 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-20:
In all honesty, did you ever think he did?
16 Jul 2010, 13:08 pm
@ufo(ufo)-15:
Well as I said, its too late to let him go gracefully now. We’ve put him up there with the gods.
Great guy but he never knew when to say, :cheers guys, go and sort out the Bokke future yourselves. I’m going to play my favourite Blues CD, love my wife and kids, buy some new patio furniture and have a kudu braai”.
16 Jul 2010, 13:09 pm
@ufo(ufo)-18:
No prob. Who’s perfect? Only John Smit.
16 Jul 2010, 13:10 pm
tacci luckily the people that count know better
16 Jul 2010, 13:11 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-21:
^5 bro couldnt have asked that any better then you did 
16 Jul 2010, 13:15 pm
John is vital for the Boks. I know he is like the 3rd best hooker we have but his leadership and experience counts for alot. He just needs to get in shape and in form then he will be our no.1 no.2.
16 Jul 2010, 13:15 pm
@Guns(Guns)-17:
The tide is turning… (and as Bob Dylan would say)…
Where BLACK is the color, where none is the number
And I’ll tell and think it and speak it and breathe it
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it
Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’
But I’ll know my songs well before I start singin’
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
16 Jul 2010, 13:16 pm
Keo loves this topic – sure fire 200+ comments
1. PissAnt(PissAnt) :
I really do agree with that. He needs tiem off to rest and condition.
So do many other of our core players
6. Paws(Paws) :
JS is carried by no one, he carries the team. With him captain the Boks have won U21 Wc, WC. Tri-nations more than in any other period, Lions series – first time since re-admission.
Really some people are just appreciative fools
16 Jul 2010, 13:17 pm
unapprecaitive fools rather
16 Jul 2010, 13:19 pm
Pissant.
No. But since he became the Michellin Man my original opinion has been reinforced tenfold.
16 Jul 2010, 13:20 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-28:
John
Spies
Victor
Pakslae
Schalla
Mossie
Habs
Jean Div
all need a rest…
16 Jul 2010, 13:20 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-1: Best, most balanced view on John. Nice one PA
16 Jul 2010, 13:21 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-28: Agree with the rest part. I think him and Matfield need to take a break after the Tri-nations and miss the EOYT and join there franchises for pre-season training in December. They would have three months of pure rest. September, October, November.
16 Jul 2010, 13:23 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-31: True but Smit and Matfield are high priority in that list.
16 Jul 2010, 13:24 pm
It’s a good article actually
16 Jul 2010, 13:26 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-31: Would agree with most of those except:
Jean – needs some SH game time after messing around in Ireland
Spies – needs to keep working until he plays like the 8th man we know he can be
16 Jul 2010, 13:27 pm
Smit is a modest man, he has always had to put up with **** from the public no matter what he achieved. I feel for the guy. We could win another WC and still people wouldn;t say “thanks John for what you have done for Springbok rugby”.
Muppets is about the only name that does suit some of teh dim wits in here
16 Jul 2010, 13:27 pm
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-34:
Agree whole heartedly but others too are looking mentally burnt out. Boks look stale. If we don’t address the problem we will suffer in 2011.
16 Jul 2010, 13:31 pm
****** Gary Botha lovers – the guy comes nowhere even remotely close in statue to JS. It’s like peasants and kings at the same table.
DU Plessis a moronic thug, but I still enjoy watching him play I will admit – but worse than Bakkies as a liability boy. How many times were teh Sharks under pressure because of something stupid Du Plessis did.
JS single changed the way referee’s treated the boks. (Along with JW’s strict instructions not to be thugs). Victor comes nowhere close at test match level to delaing with referee’s, the only person close is Richie MCCaw.
16 Jul 2010, 13:32 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-37: The true legends are always like that. He truly puts the Bok before himself, and will gladly take any amount of criticism to make sure the Boks are still winning and retaining their ethos.
The idiots here forget that if he didnt return in 2009 we wouldnt have a Lions victory, a Tri Nations victory and we’d be doing a lot more re-building than we are now, a year from WC.
I totally agree that the guys need a rest and some conditioning (especially John who has been bulking up for the good of the Bokke when he agreed to give Prop a go)
16 Jul 2010, 13:39 pm
40. THEBokFan(bokfan1) :
Indeed mate, really pisses me off to be honest.
Some people need something to smack them in the head before they can notice it.
I get angry because I can just imagine what it is like for JS, no matter what he does he gets ripped to shreds.
The thing I admire is: He keeps working hard, trying his best and delivering for his country as a captain. His teammates respect him, his couches respect him but our moronic public don’t.
Not sure how many of his critics could stand tall under so much pressure. Bet they’d buckle at the first wingle – a bit like Harry Viljoen!! Everytime teh public said, put this guy in the team he did. You know where that got us. The average rugby supporter knows **** all about rugby, include half the people here who think they do. I’m no rugby specialist, but i can appreciate something great when I see it. I will stand by JS until the end of this WC. He will then have to move on and I just hope to god someone can fill his shoes.
16 Jul 2010, 13:39 pm
John Smit is a legend. Os du Randt describes him as “an idol to me”. He is essential to our World Cup defence, and yet some rugby “experts” on this blog will advocate he be dropped a year before the World Cup. Great idea, I remember a similar thing happening before the 1999 World Cup with Teich. Didn’t that turn out well.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. John Smit’s true worth will only be realised once he’s gone. By all means, give him, Matfield and other overplayed guys an extended break, and lets have them fit and firing for one last hurrah at the 2011 World Cup.
The only true contender to the no 2 jersey is Bismark. And even he said “the only thing I can teach John Smit about, is cattle farming”
16 Jul 2010, 13:40 pm
@Jinx(Jinx)-27:
I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways
great song
16 Jul 2010, 13:41 pm
I’t no irony that the 2 best captains in the world head up the 2 best teams
Go Figure
16 Jul 2010, 13:41 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-39: Finally! A voice of reason on this site!
Botha is a great Super14 player, but hasnt stepped up to Test.
Bismark is awesome when disciplined, but as you say, that is not often. His first few Bok games were great cos he was still the laaitie and trying to make his place, so he behaved, but then he got windgat.
Smit is the MAN! But like Monty or Naas will only be appreciated when he is not around anymore
16 Jul 2010, 13:42 pm
42. Kietzphat(Kietzphat) :
Well said mate
Glad there are a few people that will stand up and defend our captain.
As you say, his true value, like most great things will only be apprecaite when he is gone.
16 Jul 2010, 13:44 pm
When we have had a **** captain we have had a **** team.
A great captain and great team. Smit is the best of all the post isolation captains and he runs the best team we have had post isolation
End of story
16 Jul 2010, 13:46 pm
@Kietzphat(Kietzphat)-42: Excellent post Kietzphat!
See my comments at #45. Its a weird South African trait how we belittle and breakdown our heroes.
In a weird way its “good” as there are no sacred cows in SA, but we can never fathom what those guys must go through. They give their all and get this vitriol from a largely ignorant public.
We should treat the politicians like we treat sportsmen
16 Jul 2010, 13:53 pm
my only question to this article is. when is Bismark back? we need him, amongst others.
16 Jul 2010, 13:56 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-46:
Mike, I appreciate JS, I thank him for what he’s done for SA etc …its been huge, huge, huge BUT no player or person is above reproach. He form is way off, his weight not cool and I will not say everything is hunky dory when some things need to be said. He deserves his 100 caps. I don’t hate him or want to hurt him or be ugly and unkind BUT I’m just saying beware of the signs of falling off the wagon. If you want to defend him from those who merely say…”Beware of the signs” go ahead and close your ears. I say it to protect his legacy not to taint it.
16 Jul 2010, 13:58 pm
48. THEBokFan(bokfan1) :
ye mate, maybe it keeps them grounded. Might not be such a bad thing as you say but geez the poor chap after all these years and achievements I’m sure he’d like for us to just say thanks we appreciate what you have achieved for the Boks and for the country.
I’m sure when he has retired he’ll get the plaudits though. it’s going to be a massive rebuild come 2012 mark my words.
16 Jul 2010, 13:59 pm
@THEBokFan(bokfan1)-45: @Mike H(Mike H)-47: we are many that understand what JS means to the boks , we just tired of arguing with fools that have ulterior motives
GB has been crushed by JS everytime poeople comepare them
a few weeks ago they shouted for tiaan liebenburg , well when the stormers and sharks played JS destroyed TL
as for Tacci ?? i used to take him seriously till i read more of his posts , he is such a one eyed idiot , its undescribable
i take people like morne seriously ,
JOHN SMIT is a must for 2011 or we can kiss it goodbye before it even starts
but i also agree he should be reconditioned ASAP
again idiots blamming him when he had to pick up weight for the boks sake
16 Jul 2010, 13:59 pm
@katman(katman)-43:
yes, great song…
Must go all.
Enjoy the rugby.
Cheers…
16 Jul 2010, 14:00 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-52: compare
16 Jul 2010, 14:01 pm
50. Jinx(Jinx) :
i can;t deny he is not in shape or that he had a poor game saturday all round, especially his throw in’s.
But the guy is class.
He needs rest and re-conditioning not replacement for WC2011.
Yes there are other guys around and thank goodness for that. But what I worry about is who will be our nest real leader.
16 Jul 2010, 14:01 pm
I see on Keo’s Poll,
24% of you lot think your Eye Gougers will win by 15+
Do you all believe in the Tooth Fairy as well?
8)
16 Jul 2010, 14:04 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-52: Well said
16 Jul 2010, 14:06 pm
next real leader rather.
I’m happy to use this year to give our up and coming talent experience.
We need to rest at least Smit and Victor and a few others as stated previously.
As Pissant said: JS needs rest and reconditioning I doubt he even argues with that – and he is not the only one.
I’m starting to wonder if they have taken their eye off the conditioning ball. Under JW we heard about their conditioning all the time. Would love to hear that stuff again.
16 Jul 2010, 14:08 pm
I hate it when Keo’s minions try their paws at feature writing.
“His face undergoes a transformation; the annoyed countenance morphing into a look of patience reserved for the ignorant and uneducated.”
16 Jul 2010, 14:08 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-58: Ja good point – becos we’re winning and looking good in S14 I spose the emphasis on conditioning might slip a bit as it seems our guys are the biggest, fastest and strongest (which they are
)
16 Jul 2010, 14:08 pm
If we get beaten on Saturday it’s going to be tough for us to win the 3 nations – I wonder if they’ll then decide well. Let’s change our startegy and rest our core and groom youngster.
Come WC we will need some of these youngsters and best they get as many games behind their belt before hand. Injuries are inevitable somewhere along the line.
16 Jul 2010, 14:09 pm
60. THEBokFan(bokfan1) :
Even Victor admitted to not doing gym work and sitting out of practices so that he could play more games – so ye indeed they did.
Can;t keep that up and expect to perform at test level
16 Jul 2010, 14:10 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-58: there are a few players that need to be protected , the other is fourie dup
as we can see how we do without him , RJ is not the answer , specially with the style of play the boks have
and i am not slating RJ here , foruie dup just in a different class
16 Jul 2010, 14:10 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-56:
Where is little Lower not-so-big Hutt?
16 Jul 2010, 14:11 pm
and somehow we need F Steyn back
if that is going to be possible who knows
16 Jul 2010, 14:12 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-55:
As i said earlier its too late to “drop” him but I think SA didn’t think this Captaincy conundrum out after 2009 B& I Lions tour.
He could be our saving grace… BUT …it could be the most mindF#cking burden and pressure that was put on our legend hooker. We shall see. The Tri Nations 2010 is a start.
The hardest life lessons come after victory and glory.
Sometimes the intensity of the golden glow can make fools of us at a moment’s notice.
Enjoy the limelight but also know when to protect your legacy.
Nuff said…I must go. Take care…
16 Jul 2010, 14:13 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-59: Wats fout met daai sin? Arme JC het die hele nag gewerk aan daai sin. Dis mos poesie (met 2 koletjies op die e)
16 Jul 2010, 14:20 pm
67. THEBokFan(bokfan1) :
HAHHAH
16 Jul 2010, 14:26 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-64:
15 minutes from the Cake Tin.
I saw Tana Umaga in the supermarket tonight?
To my son………. “Hey Little Buddy, there’s Tana Umaga”.
My son…………….No response.
He was mesmerized.
16 Jul 2010, 14:26 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-68:
Werk nie so mooi op hierdie blog wat “plain text” is nie…
16 Jul 2010, 14:29 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-69: He was mesmerized cos he was thinking “Thats the old geezer that was offering the kids at school sweets if they got into his car…”
16 Jul 2010, 14:29 pm
@THEBokFan(bokfan1)-67:
16 Jul 2010, 14:30 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-69: Was Tana on the till or packing shelves?
16 Jul 2010, 14:30 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-69:
Why is it called Hutt?
And why is there an Upper and Lower?
16 Jul 2010, 14:31 pm
@katman(katman)-73: Hahahahaha
16 Jul 2010, 14:31 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-69:
He’s too young to know who Tana is.
16 Jul 2010, 14:35 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-74: That’s New Zealand for “hit”.
16 Jul 2010, 14:35 pm
@katman(katman)-77: HAHAHAHAHAHA vlymskerp vandag Katman
16 Jul 2010, 14:38 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-74:
My fine City sits on the banks of The Hutt River.
Lower Hutt, is at the lower, or seaward, end of the valley. And has all the finest Citizens of the Valley.
Upper Hutt, is at the top of the Valley and is inhabited by what we call, Bogans.
(If anyone from Upper Hutt reads this and can identify me……..I’m dead meat.)
8)
16 Jul 2010, 14:44 pm
I think Smit was a great asset, he was a brillent player. But, I am really sorry to say, I think it is time he hung up his boots in bok rugby. He is far too slow on the field. I have rewatched the last few bok games and watch him, he is not the old Smit, at times even looking lost, reactions a bit blunt. I don’t like to say that about him, but if we want back to back world cups we will have to do something about that, including a few other things.
16 Jul 2010, 14:47 pm
‘Then you have a situation where your team-mates are trying to defend you and your coach tries to defend you, it was frustrating. Maybe the media persisted because it was an idea Peter de Villiers had driven, and any idea Peter drives is usually scrutinised by them.’
this statement alone shows me whose Boss in Springboks set up Gavin Rich
16 Jul 2010, 14:47 pm
Yes PLEASE, John, stay @ no2 !!!
No3 is good for me too.
No1 even better.
He’ll, you can start at scrumhalf too if you wish. You look fitter than the current alternative.
16 Jul 2010, 14:51 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-76:
When you are the AB Cappy, in NZ, even 7 year olds know who you are.
16 Jul 2010, 14:52 pm
no comment….
16 Jul 2010, 14:55 pm
@grant10(grant10)-84: Yet silence is golden
Prediction for tomorrow mate?
16 Jul 2010, 14:57 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-79: Your Hutt divide sounds a bit like our boerewors curtain. Except that we don’t call them Bogans. We prefer dutchies or rockspiders or clutchplates or boneheads. All very affectionately, of course.
16 Jul 2010, 14:59 pm
@katman(katman)-73: @THEBokFan(bokfan1)-71:
8)
16 Jul 2010, 15:02 pm
@willievz(willievz)-85: hi Willie
as much as i will be screaming and praying…..Kiwis by 5 to 10.
Just believe we have too many ‘structural ‘ flaws in the set up….
I am going to the WP game later in the day….so look forward to hopefuly seeing wp get a 2 nd win…..then rushing home to watch bulls…sharks!
16 Jul 2010, 15:09 pm
@grant10(grant10)-88: grantie old chap imma be in the cape soon to skop gat
then make ya buy me a beer hehehe
16 Jul 2010, 15:12 pm
@katman(katman)-86:
True Katman, it’s all in the infliction, tone and timbre of your utterance, whether the term be insulting or affectionate.
However the typed word has no such variety or range………….so I should imagine…………….
You will have pissed off the odd rockspider.
16 Jul 2010, 15:13 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-89: cool my man…
Ask Rudi how to get hold of me and we go have a beer or 6 with Justrugby…..
16 Jul 2010, 15:14 pm
We had a bad year in 2006 (ironically the year before the WC again) and everyone wanted Smit’s head.
Now it’s the year before the WC and we are about to have a bad year – yes I believe we are – and it’s the same ****.
Let’s hope we have the same ending though
16 Jul 2010, 15:15 pm
@katman(katman)-86:
Why do you feel the consistent need to use those terms?
16 Jul 2010, 15:16 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-90: Being a dutchie myself, I can get away with it.
16 Jul 2010, 15:17 pm
This team will be back in form at the WC – mark my words
And the core will get a rest if not now but before the WC
16 Jul 2010, 15:17 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-93: It’s my way of dealing with the past.
16 Jul 2010, 15:18 pm
And Smit will lead us to the WC (I pray no injuries)
16 Jul 2010, 15:19 pm
but 2010 is not going to be a year we remember as a good year, i’m pretty sure of it.
Let’s the AB’s think they have all the answers come WC.
16 Jul 2010, 15:22 pm
@katman(katman)-96:
Rather worry about how you’re going to deal with the future.
16 Jul 2010, 15:23 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-56: Yeah, I have to admit that one took even me by surprise. A 15+ scoreline for the Boks does not quite reflect the opinions of most people who blog here
16 Jul 2010, 15:27 pm
@stonespirit(stonespirit)-80: Is stone spirit code for KLIPDRIFT?
16 Jul 2010, 15:30 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-99: You can’t deal with something that hasn’t happened.
Besides, you sound like you could do with a little dealing with the past yourself. The weight that lifts from your shoulders is astounding. I can recommend it.
16 Jul 2010, 15:34 pm
@katman(katman)-102:
I have no weight on it – except when I do shoulder presses in the gym.
16 Jul 2010, 15:35 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-59:I cringe whenever they break into their amatuer poetic rumblings
@grant10(grant10)-84: How ironic that the moment you finally get the opportunity to give Smit a justified rollicking you roll over and act civilised. You are an eternal disapointment.
16 Jul 2010, 15:36 pm
For What it’s Worth………….
On last Nights,
“The Crowd Goes Wild”………..NZ’s highest rating, half-hour, daily, Free to Air, Sports Program.
I saw Graham Henry, give PdV a hug.
I was friggen stunnnned.
Forget then **** you read on here. These Guys have a special bond.
16 Jul 2010, 15:37 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-98: Good heavens my man….get a grip!!!
We hear you…..Smit will be there and we will retain bill and all will be great…….ffs……point taken
16 Jul 2010, 15:38 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-105: Fck me. What happens in NZ stays in NZ.
16 Jul 2010, 15:39 pm
@Diliza(Diliza)-104: LOL
JA MY MAN….
NOT IN MY NATURE TO KICK A FAT GOG WHEN ITS DOWN…..
Sorry caps
16 Jul 2010, 15:40 pm
dog
16 Jul 2010, 15:41 pm
JOHN SMIT FOR TIGHTHEAD!!!!
16 Jul 2010, 15:42 pm
@grant10(grant10)-108: Well,you in bad company cause the majority of the vultures on this site will make it a point to trample on the corpse, and I’m talking about the “columnists”
16 Jul 2010, 15:43 pm
Cane
Maybe Lord Ted of Eden Park was just tempted to use the Clowns mo fo mo’ as a brush for his sweepover ?
16 Jul 2010, 15:45 pm
To quote Smit:
“BJ’s exceptional at what he does at the scrum, while CJ is a good scrummager, but he’s one of those guys who is also a good athlete. Then you have Beast, Bismarck and myself.”
Where does that leave Jannie duP and Chiliboy?
16 Jul 2010, 15:46 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-110:
I just puked on my bok jersey…
@Diliza(Diliza)-111: If i had to regurgitate my Smit commentary i am sure most bloggers would fall asleep at there keyboards…..
In a nitshell….he should have retired at the latest after the last Tri Nations….
He is a liability….
and now no more from me…
16 Jul 2010, 15:46 pm
@willievz(willievz)-113:
“Then you have myself.”
Yeah, please elobarate…
16 Jul 2010, 15:47 pm
nutshell
16 Jul 2010, 15:48 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-110: Hey wena, I nearly popped a vein in my brain. Are you baiting?
16 Jul 2010, 15:50 pm
@GI POT(GI POT)-117: i am currently hyperventilating and taking heart meds!!
16 Jul 2010, 15:50 pm
@willievz(willievz)-113: Where does that leave Gurthro? The best of the lot
16 Jul 2010, 15:50 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-115:
Sigh.
Elobarate elaborate..
16 Jul 2010, 15:51 pm
@grant10(grant10)-118: A brown paper bag should do the trick!!!
16 Jul 2010, 15:52 pm
What time is the game tomorrow?
16 Jul 2010, 15:53 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-122: kick off 09 h 30…..
16 Jul 2010, 15:55 pm
i have got myself 4 cool tickets for the wp game tomorrow….coursesy of my business associates….so look forward to seeing wp and the lions….
will need to fly home to watch bulls and sharks….
16 Jul 2010, 15:57 pm
@grant10(grant10)-124: Take your tissues along.
>^..^<
16 Jul 2010, 15:57 pm
“If John is playing hooker, it will certainly make the job of whoever is playing tighthead that much easier.”
I think Gary Gold is generalising a very difficult concept.
Didn’t the Bok scrum against France and Italy looked stronger when Jannie DuP scrummed alongside Chiliboy? Or am I living in a dream world?
Let’s get the record straight – I am a Smit fan. But the combination of the front row and how their strenghts compliment one another to complete the package is the key to building scrummaging success.
From what I’ve seen, the Sharks front row of Beast, Smit and Botha looks the best as a combination.
But here is the key – if one of the front row is injured, you need to rethink the whole balance of the pack, and cannot simply replace the injured player.
16 Jul 2010, 15:57 pm
Well ………………
I live in UPPER WYNBERG.
In a box.
16 Jul 2010, 15:58 pm
@grant10(grant10)-114: Sorry buddy,dont think you can resist the temptation.I’m willing to wager that you wont make it past the away leg of the Tri Nations before we are witness to another one of your Smit horibillus rumblings
16 Jul 2010, 15:58 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-120:
Now we all know that Tac does shoulder presses.
16 Jul 2010, 15:58 pm
my perfect weekend about to begin….
A walk on my beach….
hot shower
dinner at my favorite restaurant
up early…
watch the boks nail the kiwis with my daughter and best mate
gym
rush to newlands to watch wp do the lions
rush home
watch the sharks and bulls get down and dirty…
then a quiet evening with the blonde sat nite….
love it!!!
cheers all
have an awesome weekend….
go smitty….prove me wrong boy
go boks…
outta here
16 Jul 2010, 15:59 pm
@grant10(grant10)-123:
Thanks Grant. So I can set my alarm for 9.25, switch on the kettle and make some coffee and rusks while the guys run onto the field.
That’s how I prefer to watch my sport.
16 Jul 2010, 15:59 pm
@GI POT(GI POT)-119: Yes I agree! But read my comment 126 about the balance in the pack.
Gurthro is probably the best example of where the inclusion of the best player in his position does not necessarily lead to the establishment of the best combination.
16 Jul 2010, 15:59 pm
@katman(katman)-125: hope lions show some real improvement my man…
16 Jul 2010, 16:00 pm
@Diliza(Diliza)-128: ja
i tend to believe your money safe….
16 Jul 2010, 16:01 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-129:
Haha. Maybe I made it up.
16 Jul 2010, 16:02 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-120: Are you asking me or Smit to elaborate?
16 Jul 2010, 16:02 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-129: Shouldn’t take too much prompting to get him to disclose his weights and reps too.
16 Jul 2010, 16:02 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-105:
Listen boet. And to all our other Kiwi brothers.
Please can your stadium DJs now realise that the world has moved beyond Crowded House (You better be home soon) at every game.
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
@grant10(grant10)-130:
Whose this blond you keep talking about? I hope it’s your wife.
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
@grant10(grant10)-133: One game at a time. And so far we’re one from one.
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
@willievz(willievz)-136: Sorry ignore :blush:
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
last thing….
willie….you really are a credit to the Keo experience….your insight is unsurpassed imo….
okay…with that …i am headed to Clifton…..dog now has his lead in his mouth and checking me out with pleading eyes!
16 Jul 2010, 16:05 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-129: You said you were in fuel,am not happy with my supplier at all.Where you based?
16 Jul 2010, 16:05 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-139: my politician partner/ girlfriend…..
very cool lady.
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@willievz(willievz)-136:
Sorry. Smit. As in, he just said “And then there’s me”. So I’d like him to elaborate a bit about his perceived strengths.
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-134: I dont gamble and that wager proves it
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@katman(katman)-137:
Now we know that Tac likes coffee rusks for breakfast.
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-144:
Your politician?
How come you’ve got your own politician?
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-144: Not the one with the leash in the mouth?
16 Jul 2010, 16:07 pm
Zane “The Simpson” at the back is creating cartoon characters out of nation. How do you make a cartoon a real-life person?
Perhaps whoever was able to bring The Simpson Kirchner to our Springboks should do the same with Meep-Meep and gooi him on the wing!
16 Jul 2010, 16:07 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-147:
Maybe I made that up too.
16 Jul 2010, 16:10 pm
@grant10(grant10)-114: boet, the following were your thoughts last year, how far are you from then now a year later?
342. grant10 :
July 5th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
1st thing i would do is get on the line to CJ VD LINDE….
if he says no….call bj….
If he says no…blood werner Kruger
Move J smit back to 2….
Brussow must start
Steggmann into squad of 30…..
Serious chats to Matfield, bakkies ,J Smith and J Smit…..they either commit to 2011 or start the search for successors now….
DONT play j smith at 4 or 5….never ever play okes out of position at the highest level…it is a disease in our rugby and a cheap way of avoiding the tough calls!
Bissy off the bench last 30….J Smit can move to loosehead but never play him at 3 again….he doesent deserve to be treated in this way….even Os said he would never contemplate trying to play 3 !!!
Dewalt Potgieter, Steggmann must be knocking at the door….and i am getting to the conclusion that a Duanne Vermeulen at 8 may be the answer with the speed of Spies used of the bench in last 30 min.
Our huge pressing issue is to 100% back a 10….3….6…and 15….
I am sure Pdv learnt a lot from yesterdays fiasco…never again should we have to see a bok front row so humiliated and our pack bullied like a girlie team….
16 Jul 2010, 16:16 pm
Yawnapalooza…
And as for crowded house..
Sweet lord that was embraboer..
What next?
midnight oil?
16 Jul 2010, 16:17 pm
@Diliza(Diliza)-143:
Cape Town
16 Jul 2010, 16:19 pm
@gunther(gunther)-153:
Midnight Oil is Aussie.
16 Jul 2010, 16:19 pm
John Smit article
Interesting times ahead. Not much heat now but when Bismark comes back the magnifying class will be on his performance. Hope he gets back to form soon.
More importantly to me though, our loose trio.
What happens when Brussouw and Juan comes back to the squad?
Fetcher…no fetcher? that debate will rise up again. Juan is a yster and cant be dropped…brings a lot to the table and spies looks as if hes going to retain the 8 jersey for some time. So then do we play Brussouw, Burger or Potgieter at 6. Burger is a Pdivv favourite so it looks more likely that the Boks starting loose trio will be Shalla, Juan and Spies back to the 2007 trio before the WC going into next years WC
16 Jul 2010, 16:21 pm
@gunther(gunther)-153: gunther, have you joined the sa rugby mag facebook page, i’ve just joined
who is who in the zoo?
16 Jul 2010, 16:22 pm
130. grant10(grant10) :
Sounds like a good day
16 Jul 2010, 16:23 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-156: question is, why did pdv move john to tighthead in 2008? could he do his primary duties better than bissie at the time?
sharks_lover, how long until bissie is back?
16 Jul 2010, 16:24 pm
ZANE
KIRCHNER
IS A
S I M P S O N
16 Jul 2010, 16:25 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-158: jake went to get eddie to help him out after a disastrous 2006, who do you think pdv should send and SOS to if 2010 goes pear-shaped, heyneke Meyer, Rassie Erasmus, Alister Coetzee, John Mitchell?
16 Jul 2010, 16:26 pm
BEST BOK BACKLINE
15 F Steyn
14 F Steyn
13 F Steyn
12 F Steyn
11 F Steyn
10 M Steyn
09 F du Preez
16 Jul 2010, 16:27 pm
If Heyneke Meyer was Springbok coach we wouldn’t have lost a match in 3 years.
16 Jul 2010, 16:28 pm
how uncanny is this?
Boks have a point to prove
Veteran Springbok prop Os du Randt is more motivated than ever ahead of the Vodacom Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks on Saturday.
Following the humiliation of the 49-0 defeat at the hands of the Wallabies in Brisbane last weekend, Du Randt says he and the rest of his team-mates are out to prove a point in Wellington.
“That loss was a huge wake-up call,” du Randt told keo.co.za from the Bok hotel in Wellington. “But we had something similar last year when we lost to Australia in Sydney (32-12) and it served to get us back on track.”
“We were just not right for that game and now the difficult thing is getting our minds right for the clash with the Blacks at the weekend.†With the current mood and the slew of injuries to top players the possibility of a Springbok victory on Saturday could likened to extracting blood from a stone. Impossible?
At the end of the day though the old adage of you are only as good as your last game rings true for the Boks. If they manage to pull off a shock win in New Zealand for the first time since 1998 then the Brisbane Bashing will be soon forgotten by the Boks fickle fans.
But another record defeat will have fans calling for the heads of coach Jake White, his management team as well as the players. Conceding 49 points without reply is just unacceptable.
And du Randt says the defeat should never be forgotten. “A win on Saturday will be great, but we must not get ahead of ourselves. The lessons of the defeat to Australia must never be forgotten.
“We should watch that video every single day to remind us of what not to do and how it felt to be humbled in that way. Even if we play well on Saturday we must not try and sweep what happened in Brisbane under the carpet.”
While a Springbok victory at the Wespac Stadium is highly unlikely especially given the current circumstances, stranger things have happened in rugby. This is, of course, a Bok team that has won two of its last four Tests against the Old Enemy.
And they were the last team to beat the All Blacks – at Nelwands in Cape Town last year. No one expects anything but a convincing All Black win, except maybe the Boks, but that is because they have to believe.
By Andrew Hollely
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 20th, 2006
16 Jul 2010, 16:30 pm
BEST BOK BACKLINE
15 F Steyn
14 F Steyn
13 F Steyn
12 F Steyn
11 F Steyn
10 M Steyn
09 F du Preez
If Heyneke Meyer was Springbok coach we wouldn’t have lost a match in 3 years.
16 Jul 2010, 16:30 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-159: At the time Bissy was in superb form so i would say no, and probably the best hooker in the world in 2009. Hes injured now and will probably take some time for him to his straps again….this might give some time for Smit to regain some form. With the quality in this squad..when a player gets injured he is likely to lose his play to the next in line as Pdivv often said. Same with Jacobs (fourie), De Villiers (WO) and possible Bakkies (Danie)
16 Jul 2010, 16:33 pm
@Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)-162: Are you Frans Steyn??
16 Jul 2010, 16:34 pm
Mustard…hello Jake
16 Jul 2010, 16:34 pm
Transie
What do I do? I’m on facefuck but I’m not what you would call an active participant..
Dawn
Australia New Zealand
Tomato tomato..
Upper Wynberg Chelsea Village.
16 Jul 2010, 16:35 pm
161. Transformation(Transformation) :
PDV I think does need better assistant support, however these guys have proved a good team in the past. They have a good record as coaches of the team however they might need to rethink their strategy a bit to adapt to the new rules.
I think it’s not SOS time. It’s time to rest our core and give our youngsters more game time.
Next year get our full strength back together with more experienced youngsters as backup and away we go to the tri-nations and WC.
I wonder if PDV will do what Jake did though and keep playing our core and then rest them next year before the WC.
16 Jul 2010, 16:35 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-161: maybe ol Jakey could be the help this time around…whats it now…Jake White winning Ways
16 Jul 2010, 16:37 pm
@Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)-168: hello luster
16 Jul 2010, 16:38 pm
@gunther(gunther)-169:
Facefuck
16 Jul 2010, 16:38 pm
Obviously New Zealand will lose to France in the World Cup, so at least we’ll play them in the Final and not the semis.
In the Final we’ll put 50 points past them.
Why?
Cause Bakkies last game will be used to kopstamp McCaw and snotklap Carter, and even with his red card, we’ll march past the ABs without their Skywalkers.
16 Jul 2010, 16:39 pm
171. Mustard(Mustard) :
i wouldn’t mind seeing that tbh but not too sure they are good mates like Jake and Eddie
16 Jul 2010, 16:39 pm
How is that possible
OK lemme try
****.
16 Jul 2010, 16:40 pm
176. Dawn(Dawn) :
AHHAHA
16 Jul 2010, 16:41 pm
So it works with Facefuck but not on its own.
16 Jul 2010, 16:43 pm
JS is still the man in my book. he does need to get back into condition, but he’d still be the first guy i write down in the teamsheet.
If we have to play him into shape then so be it. He’s done the yoyo weight thing for us because he was asked to so I will stay loyal. He’s miles ahead of Gary Botha and Bissie. Bissie is good around the park but if he’s so essential and gives us turnovers etc then pick him at 6. Which when you look at it might not be at all a bad idea, couldn’t be more of a risk than playing JDV on wing…….
16 Jul 2010, 16:45 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-177:
What!
Just checking!
16 Jul 2010, 16:45 pm
j.smits value from the bench will be significant in the coming 12 months once bismark is back,naturally.
currently,when it comes to our backrow…the sum of the parts is not greater than the individuals talent. Skalk has escaped critisism in this regard but truth be told he’s no Juan Smit and certainly not more dynamic than the young Potgieter is.
…and Flo isn’t quick enough,smart enough, hard nor squat enough to match Brussow.
16 Jul 2010, 16:45 pm
See
It’s fuckingsimple
Really
16 Jul 2010, 16:46 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-173: Dont be ombeskof….kids read this site at times
16 Jul 2010, 16:47 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-181:
let’s just hope that Smit doesn’t get quotated off the bench by Sicknote Ralapelle.
16 Jul 2010, 16:48 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-183:
Jinne julle mense
GUNTHER started it .. NOT ME!
Just like this morning when UnbeataBULL was on my case for something that PREDAWN started!!!!
Why do I always get the facefucking blame!
16 Jul 2010, 16:48 pm
@Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)-165: Worst KEO Post:
1) Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)
2) Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)
3) Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)
4) Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)
5) Luster Johannsen(Luster Johannsen)
16 Jul 2010, 16:52 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-181: and not forgetting that Spies shouldn’t escape criticism either…..the WC is in NZ…and with that performance last week….im a little worried
16 Jul 2010, 16:54 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-185: sorry then Dawn
16 Jul 2010, 16:56 pm
Mike H
Children should be at school.
Anyway I defy you to find a child that is old enough to use a computer that hasn’t heard/spoken/written/read words like that and worse.
Nevertheless you are right in that it is entirely dawns fault.
As usual.
16 Jul 2010, 17:05 pm
189. gunther(gunther) :
I had a chuckle thats all
Dawn trying and not succeeding 
its Friday afternoon, i’m in a good mood
16 Jul 2010, 17:11 pm
Whoever is conducting Bakkies behavioural rehab please refrain from using the “Use your Head Bakkies” line.
He will take it literally!
16 Jul 2010, 17:20 pm
To whoever asked.
Bismarck by all accounts is still a month off the pitch.
16 Jul 2010, 17:28 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-192: Enough time for Smit to get some form back maybe. Fine line…he needs rest and get his physical conditioning in order…but also needs game time at hooker to regain some form before Bissy comes back. Think Div will go with the latter.
16 Jul 2010, 17:31 pm
Test
16 Jul 2010, 17:33 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-193:
Bissie or no Bissie, I would have pulled Smit from the 3N or at the very least from one of the legs (home or away).
G.Botha, Chilli would have done a good enough holding job.
Both Boks, both experienced at this level.
16 Jul 2010, 17:44 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-152: LOL
Seems i have a reasonably consistent point of view!!
16 Jul 2010, 17:46 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-195: I do agree that he needs rest….but do in the 3nations…the tourney that defines our year? I would rest him rather then in the EOYT when Bissy is fully fit and he can slot in. Then next year super15 rotate him and Bissy in the no2 jersey…what you think?
16 Jul 2010, 17:48 pm
@grant10(grant10)-196: hello old ****
btw meyer bosman is about to close the deal with the sharks
said to be very happy with what the sharks have offered him
16 Jul 2010, 17:52 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-197:
For my money Smit does not need to prove a lot in a 3N tourney or NZ for that matter.
Managing Smit is about one thing and one thing only, the World Cup.
Anything inbetween is a bonus.
My thinking was more along the lines of pull Smit from the 3N, play Matfield (as captain).
EOYT switch it, rest Vic and play Smit.
Next year, manage them (and others) through the S14 (play them mostly) and pull a Jake, play the first choice boys in the home leg to keep the sharp, play your back up boys on the away leg.
16 Jul 2010, 17:52 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-198: Good news for you guys….solid 12 but no flash. Just glad Straulie is not sicking his paws in Juan de Jongh
16 Jul 2010, 17:53 pm
And let’s just get this irritating post 200 out of the way now…
16 Jul 2010, 17:53 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-201:
Oops…
16 Jul 2010, 17:55 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-198:
My personal opinion, not the best of buys that.
Only positive imo is it adds to your depth at 10 and 12.
16 Jul 2010, 17:56 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-199: makes a lot of sense. You mentioning Jake…..It seems to me Pdivy has a different approach to Jake…Div sees every test as important and seems to me that his not yet thinking of the Wc but rather only on the next test…could be wrong but thats what it looks like
16 Jul 2010, 17:57 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-198:
Wonder if the Sardines will be happy with what he’s offering in return. Great passer, but not really suited to their style I think.
16 Jul 2010, 18:00 pm
Goeie hemel. At this rate Oosthuizen will be well clear by the end of the day.
16 Jul 2010, 18:00 pm
Also i think Div is playing Jdv at wing just as punishment for going to Munster…and rewarding Olivier for his form in the super14…sticking to his word….But after next years super 15 i think he will reinstate Jdv at 12 before the WC
16 Jul 2010, 18:02 pm
Anyone know if the CJ move to the Stormers in the Super15 has been confirmed…is it a done deal??
16 Jul 2010, 18:03 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-204:
Careful with that assumption, remember Jake was called back mid-tour to defend his selections (EOYT 2006) being primarily young second choice guys AFTER he got the okay from SARU to do it!!!
Any Bok coach cannot afford to lose tests, our media are way to childish for that.
I am however not impressed with the current management of our top players but we need to remember that the Bok management guys met with all the Super rugby coaches and struck a deal so perhaps we will see the fruits of this later???
Difficult to say but I would have personally done it slightly differently but not much, I think for the most part our coaching staff is not too far off from the ideal situation or position they want to be.
16 Jul 2010, 18:04 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-208:
Signed, sealed delivered, CJ is playing for the Stormers in 2011.
16 Jul 2010, 18:18 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-209: ya you right…..no bok coach can afford to lose tests…..maybe thats why Div is sticking with his tried and tested and not starting with an inexperienced team for say the EOYT for eg.But i agree with your earlier post that Smit an Matfield needs to be rested at different times with not much damage. Bekker could replace Victor after a superb super season
16 Jul 2010, 18:20 pm
@grant10(grant10)-196: i know dude….
i had a laugh when i read it and thought i should post it…it was a day after the 3rd Test against the B&I Lions 
16 Jul 2010, 18:21 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-211:
It is also more complicated now compared to Jake seeing we are current 3N champs having won it quite convincingly last year.
Jake had no such ‘honor’ to defend.
16 Jul 2010, 18:21 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-210: great! so next year our front row stocks:
Blaauw
Moller
Kritzinger
Liebenberg
Fourie
Harris
Van de Linde
16 Jul 2010, 18:22 pm
And although I see a lot of similarities in wanting PDV fired as much as people wanted Jake fired in 2006 a year out from the RWC we also have to remember PDV has this ‘quota’ tag never had…
By default he has to prove more than even Jake did…
16 Jul 2010, 18:26 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-213: Jake didnt have that ‘honor’ to defend but geez the oke was on the chopping block…he must of felt his job was on the line…so both were under pressure one way or the other….though id much rather be in Divs shoes
16 Jul 2010, 18:27 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-214:
I just wish Deon Fourie could eclipse Tiaan as the starting hooker.
16 Jul 2010, 18:30 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-216:
For sure, I was more tired defending Jake than I am defending PDV.
PDV has got the advantage that no-one can actually openly attack his ‘transformation’ policy which was one of the primary weapons used against Jake.
16 Jul 2010, 18:32 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-215: i think thats a bit unfair…the quota label only really came up in his first year in 2008…but since then everyone respects what Div has achieved and doesn’t look at him now as ‘the first black coach’….but just as the springbok coach. Even the international media…though they might see him as a little eccentric im sure they respect what he has achieved. So i don’t think he has ‘more’ to prove, just pressure that comes with being the springbok coach
16 Jul 2010, 18:33 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-209: u quite right in this era where a coach’s win ratio (post-isolation) is readily used against him, every Test is a must win and whatever experiment they undertake must be a measured one. That’s why i feel robbie deans is living in a bubble, where even the australian media give him enough rope.
16 Jul 2010, 18:34 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-218:
Jake lost his wife thanks to that debacle.
16 Jul 2010, 18:35 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-217: great impact player though
16 Jul 2010, 18:36 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-218: i remember after the 49-0 debacle, jake was under the kosh, damn!
16 Jul 2010, 18:36 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-218: lol ya kinda like criticizing the government on a weak Bee policy
16 Jul 2010, 18:37 pm
@Mustard(Mustard)-219:
Of course it is unfair, but mate when I read comments and articles about PDV I always pick up the ‘PDV being a coloured’ theme in most of them.
Am I paranoid?
16 Jul 2010, 18:37 pm
@Die_Valk(Die_Valk)-221: jake cheated on his wife, please!
16 Jul 2010, 18:37 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-223: ya
i thought he was gona be fired when they called him back mid tour
16 Jul 2010, 18:42 pm
Anycase my point has always been our coaches black or white, has seldom been judged on rugby but conveniently on other, non-factors.
Where Transie made a good point just above on that as-well.
16 Jul 2010, 18:42 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-226:
Shut up, I was tring to be dramatic. Your a real kill-joy.
16 Jul 2010, 18:43 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-225: i see your point PissAnt
and that says a lot about the person making the comment. Question is does Div really care what people say or think about him that would give him extra pressure?? I don’t think so….to quote ol Divvy…”I love myself a lot”
16 Jul 2010, 18:44 pm
Goodbye Ernie
16 Jul 2010, 18:52 pm
@Die_Valk(Die_Valk)-229: sorry mate, i skipped drama class for fine arts in high school…but i see now you have a penchant for hyperbole
16 Jul 2010, 18:54 pm
Bok’s going to get smacked to smithereens again tomorrow better believe it
Chief proponent of the loss factor John Smit
When they realize how dead this dead end road to nowhere is that is when they will shake the encrusted sleep from off their dreamy foggy free falling eyes.
I’m encouraging AB’s to smack Bok’s right out their slumber zone another snotklap exactly what the doctor orders and not a game too soon.
16 Jul 2010, 18:58 pm
@assagai(ahura)-233: you a bok supporter??
16 Jul 2010, 19:00 pm
yup believe it or not that is exactly what I am, but not about to stand around and watch dumb debilitated idiots drive their heads deeper in the sand, if they can’t teach themselves the difference between wide awake objectivity then let the AB’s do it for them, somebody gotta do it if they so dumb they can’t evolve by themselves.
16 Jul 2010, 19:03 pm
@assagai(ahura)-235: so if the boks win tomorrow u’l be happy or disappointed??? sounds to me you really hoping they lose
16 Jul 2010, 19:09 pm
under current paradigms Bok’s deserve to lose
I won’t be happy nor disappointed, I encourage courage not cowardice, Bok’s like they were under Jake just too chicken to step out their imbecilic archaic comfort zones so let the Ab’s teach them the lesson just like Australia taught them with a 49-0 snotklap.
16 Jul 2010, 19:33 pm
quotas costing the griquas & cheetahs …. Nokwe & Rocco Jansen … hond k@K … quota po3se
16 Jul 2010, 19:35 pm
@assagai(ahura)-237: So whats wrong with the Boks in your opinion…..what would your staring lineup be???
16 Jul 2010, 19:36 pm
@quotas_sux(quota_conrad_jantjies_is_jorrie_muller)-238: Chip on your shoulder mate
16 Jul 2010, 19:44 pm
who is playing 10 for the cheeters?
16 Jul 2010, 20:17 pm
Bok’s are living in denial
poor delinquent daydreamers thinking if F. Steyn and F. Du Preez were playing it would make any difference. Just a pity they not because would be the real McCoy wake up call if those two messiah’s were contributing to this kick and chase garbage collectivity of delirious delusions and sent packing just the same.
Problem starts at the engine room, Smit is the fundamental problematical architect of the entire dismal debauchery of debilitated denial. Ab’s must just destroy any semblance of any such ingrained idiocy so that we can once and for all recognize exactly where the cancerous dead end game plan originates.
16 Jul 2010, 20:20 pm
@quotas_sux(quota_conrad_jantjies_is_jorrie_muller)-238:
Yep, it cost the Griquas a win against the Sharks, or am I getting you wrong?
16 Jul 2010, 20:55 pm
@assagai(ahura)-242:
Too much vested in Smit as the Leader for him to be dropped. Mores the poignancy of his continued support given Biz is such an incredible athlete at 2 but is a sarnie or 3 short of a picnic upstairs whereas Smit has all the smarts but lacks the athleticism. The thing with a Leader having too much power, as opposed to shared responsibility, is that it tends to flow thru the game and less of the XV taking leadership decisions. Every team has 3-4 leaders at least, without FdP there Smit really only has Matfield. And Big Vic suddenly doesnt look so smart when he’s not taking 110% of all lineout ball.
16 Jul 2010, 20:56 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-244:
…..every ‘great’ team….
16 Jul 2010, 23:03 pm
@quotas_sux(quota_conrad_jantjies_is_jorrie_muller)-238: quotas suck boet quotas suck…
17 Jul 2010, 08:18 am
Robbie Kempson should never be quoted or sought for an opinion on anything to do with rugby union. To do so undermines the credibility of your article or any point you’re trying to make.
And to refer to him as a “hardman” is laughable.
I watched Springbok, Natal and Province rugby for many years and Kempson was a dirty thug in the mould of Bakkies but without the impact that Bakkies at least sometimes manages.
As a scrummager he was average at best and I lost count the number of times he got his head shoved up his *ss. As for his contribution around the park – negligible. I remember seeing him being handed off and missing tackles that cost the Stormers and Boks dearly. Overrated as a player and his opinion should count for nought.
17 Jul 2010, 08:28 am
@assagai(ahura)-242: Skoppie, you been given your marching orders again boet? None more deserving perhaps.
17 Jul 2010, 12:22 pm
What John Smit wants is inconsistent with what John Smit is capable of doing. He is an overweight, lumbering oaf who doesn’t even look Currie Cup standard. He has the acceleration of a zimmerframe that’s been welded to the floor and only looks interested in where his next pie is coming from.
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