Bok future looks bleak
22 Nov 2010
With just five Tests to rectify massive deficiencies and flaws, retaining the World Cup looks an improbable mission for the Springboks, writes RYAN VREDE.
There are no mid-year Tests in which to find synergy. Consider also that senior Springboks are unlikely to play in the two away Tri-Nations Tests. Even the optimists must admit the situation is dire.
Some would argue the Springboks were in a similar position at this point in 2006. Jake White’s Boks were woeful throughout that year, and White was granted a stay of execution thanks in large part to the victory over England in the final Test of the tour.
However, no comparisons can be drawn between the two campaigns because this team’s troubles run so deep that nothing short of a miracle is required for the Springboks to even contemplate becoming reacquainted with William Webb Ellis. Neither must a victory over England serve as a guarantee of a ticket to New Zealand for Peter de Villiers and his assistants.
The game has undergone a fundamental change on attack and defence with the introduction of the new breakdown law interpretations, one the Springboks’ coaches have not been able to master.
On attack they’ve persisted with a kick-chase approach that was instantly outdated by the ruck interpretations, while defensively they’ve routinely failed to stem the flow of teams that have understood how to exploit the greater attacking options the changes have offered. Tellingly, the Boks have never looked like improving in this regard.
The on-field mediocrity is undoubtedly undermined by the coaching staff’s fractured relationship, stemming from De Villiers’ outed quest to replace his assistants after the Tri-Nations.
Furthermore, it is also known that they have greatly differing philosophies on how the game should be played, with De Villiers and Muir campaigners for the cavalier, while Gold is in favour of a more pragmatic approach. Keo.co.za also reported recently that the squad is polarised in terms of their preferred attacking strategy. What we’ve seen on Saturday afternoons for the past six months is an ugly and utterly ineffective hybrid of those two philosophies.
De Villiers ultimately must be held accountable for this situation. He once famously told SA Rugby magazine that he is the CEO of South African rugby. Yet none of the leadership qualities associated with that self-appointed position have been evident.
There are secondary concerns: poor and myopic selections, De Villiers’ unwavering loyalty to senior players who are off form, and his idiotic offerings to the media. Time is not an ally if all these issues are to be addressed and resolved. I’m not filled with confidence this will happen, particularly since the first and most crucial step – acknowledgement – has not even been contemplated.
The players have been on this ride before, three years ago, but they surely have, or will soon, realise that this time is different. Now the bloke controlling the speed dial is a nutter who has cut all the safety harnesses. They cling on for dear life in the hope that it comes to a halt in Auckland on 23 October. But this cart is poised to derail spectacularly well before then.
72 Comments
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22 Nov 2010, 15:17 pm
I’ll take all of them except Franks & SBW (not yet). Plus I’ll take the Conrad Smith/Nonu combination (JDV & J Fourie are both world class individually, but I’ve never seen this awesome combination that everyone’s talking about) & Corey Jane.
22 Nov 2010, 15:26 pm
@seamus(seamus) : Then we can assume all three are pretty much safe no matter what.
22 Nov 2010, 15:36 pm
Like Afirmative action , Krusty is here to stay.. The world needs for him to stay, how else can we show the world what a failure AA is? Hoskins needs to be shown how his quota coach has been a failure, rather than taking a person who had better credentials.
Leave them alone… Their long term plan should now become the benchmark for epic quota fails.
22 Nov 2010, 20:22 pm
@Alucard
Woah..pick Morne over Carter – thats crazy – and your calling peeps delusional. Careful – glass houses, stones and all that.
I tend to read your post with some reflection as you appear to know a thing or 2 but on this point you might want a rethink.
We pick Morne becuase we dont have better atm. Carter would most certainly, if he had to become a south african tomorrow and somehow be allowed to play for South Africa become our first choice pivot!
Seriously, I cant stress this enough – Carter is a hall of famer, Morne hes just another good fly-half!
Challenge to you. What can Morne do that Carter doesnt do better?
Kick at poles…marginally, but does Carter ever really miss?
Running..eish no.
Tacktical kicking…Unless you count p o e s i n g the ball so it comes down with ice – not a chance.
Lets not start with McCaw, he IS the best player on the planet – deal with it.
22 Nov 2010, 20:24 pm
@Alucard might owe you an apology – think it was Willie that called himself delusional
22 Nov 2010, 22:15 pm
@Couchcoach(GI POT) : 48
Yep, those were the same positions I had in mind, except for wing (Gear). At current I would pick C.Smith over Fourie, and Nonu over SBW.
Here is my take on their starting XV versus what we have:
1 Tony Woodcock – not much to choose between him, Gurthro and Beast, but I tend to back the Saffas here
2 Mealamu – will be 3rd choice after Bismarck, Smit
3 Owen Franks – will probably start ahead of Jannie / BJ; Carl Hayman will definitely start ahead of those two
4 Thorn – Bakkies for me even though I rate Thorn
5 Donnelly – Matfield and Bekker by a mile
6 Kaino – J.Smith by a mile; Burger, Alberts, Potgieter, Frans Viljoen all get my nod ahead of him too
7 McCaw – this is tougher than many might think, I am not as much on the McCaw-bandwagon as others but certainly won’t disagree that he is the best allround player on the planet. Brussow better on the deck though. Both of them certainly in match 22
8 Kieran Reid – I will pick Burger, Spies, Kanko and Alberts ahead of him, maybe Vermeulen and certainly Joe van Niekerk
9 Cowan – will be 6th choice scrummie in SA
10 Carter – will certainly start
11 Gear / Roco – will not start ahead of Habana on top form
12 Nonu – will probably start ahead of JDV / De Jong, certainly ahead of Olivier
13 Smith – might not start in an SA team, but I will pick him and Nonu as combination. You mentioned SBW, who might fight it out with Fourie for the bench. Mossie, at this point, gets the nod, but I rate SBW
So at this point, both AB centres
14 Gear / Sivivatu – probably start ahead of JPP and Aplon, but I quite like a fit JPP as a test winger and will give him the nod here
15 Mils – superb player, but ahead of F.Steyn in a test match? Brave call. At fullback we also have Viljoen/Daniller/Ludik/Taute/Joe Pietersen who are coming through the ranks, but all behind Mils certainly
22 Nov 2010, 22:19 pm
@Sasori(Sasori) : Hehe certainly me
22 Nov 2010, 22:25 pm
@Alucard(Alucard) : 50. Hahahahahahaha Morne over Carter??? Ur not well!!!
22 Nov 2010, 22:47 pm
Would all you idiots stop bickeringa bout player selection? The same **** was happening when Rudolph was coach – we bwere bitching and moaning about particular selections. Its pointless arguing about who is teh strongest oarsman on aboat when teh fool at the tiller is steering us off course anyway.
Jake took the same players that Rudoplh made such a hash of, and turned them into World Champs.
ITS NOT ABOUT SELECTIONS: ITS ABOUT WHAT THE COACH TELLS THOSE SELECTIONS TO DO. There is very little difference in quality between first chousce and second choice anyway – not enough to swing the game so much that we lose to SCOTLAND! FFS Griquas could probably beat Scotland! That is PURELY due to lack of leadership and inability to coach.
So keep your eye on the ball, and demand Divvy’s resignation or that he be fired NOW. There is only one way that we will be competitive at the RWC – that is if Heyneke Mayer, Coetzee, Rassie or Jake gets appointed and takes over NOW. We have FIVE TESTS left to get the Boks right. That is already probably not enough. The time to act is NOW. Else we have no chance. All Bok rugby supporters must stop their petty bickering and act NOW.
Probably nobody else will want to take over a poisoned chalice from Divvy now, so probably only Jake will be prepared to take over. At least he will get teh boks conditioned properly, and put in a decent defnsive suystem. that will get us part of the way. Perhaps teh bulls can lend Slaptjips to the boks for a few months as well to get teh backline firing.
This is fu@king INEXCUSABLE! If HOSKINS does nothing now, I want his head too.
22 Nov 2010, 22:48 pm
@willievz(willievz) :
Mills vs Steyn
Mills brings major attacking ability and is superb in every aspect of the game. I’d pick him.
Steyn is a big guy for the amount of talent he has, but not quite the same 15 as Mills. I would argue that he has very good abilities as a 15(kicking / positioninig) but lacks pace and a good attacking game. Problem with moving him to 10/12 I think he might struggle as I’m not sure hes the best decision maker. Perhaps with time/experience he could be a great 12.
I like my 15 with good counterattacking/attacking abilities – specially these days – but MUST be solid under the Gary Owen and his kicking game must be better then most.
As an aside Kirchner is SOLID, and lately hes been trying to change it up – but the man tries hard and wont let his team down but is decidely average when compared to the above 2.
22 Nov 2010, 22:50 pm
@SjamBok(SjamBok) : 59
That is exactly the point I am trying to make.
Man for man we are better than the ABs, but for a few positions.
So something else is wrong. Coaching, anyone?
22 Nov 2010, 22:52 pm
@Sasori(Sasori) : Fair enough.
If I have to pick one of them tomorrow, I will also go for Mils.
But as an asset for the future, and one for the big occasion, I will back Frans. After all, he is still only 23…
22 Nov 2010, 22:57 pm
@SjamBok(SjamBok) :
Ageed @ 59
They have to act now, as soon as the Boks get back to SA the decision needs to be made……… Hoskins is like a dear in the headlights…….frozzen to the spot and incabable of making the hard decisions….someone needs to kick him in the nuts and wake him up!
22 Nov 2010, 23:08 pm
@willievz(willievz) : Frans has that X-factor. Or he had it and something happened.
I just cant help feel that If he were born a New Zealander he would be regarded as a world class 12 right now.
23 Nov 2010, 01:02 am
Frans can’t pass. He’s not a midfielder and he’ll never be one.
Frans is a fullback. Only a fullback. He’s too slow to be a winger, which is the only other non-passing position.
23 Nov 2010, 02:13 am
WillieVZ @ 56
gee, someone must be wrong then.
The bunch that is ‘better’ went 1-5 this year and is now struggling to a positive-points differential after Tests against the 3 weaker of the 4 Home Nations.
Meanwhile, the ‘weaker’ players went 6-0 and have smashed the Home Nations by big margins.
Mils a tough call over F. Steyn ?!
Kaino – probably the player of the season so far – 5th choice in SA, let alone to Juan Smith, once great but looking average of late ?
Frankly, there’s no hope for you.
23 Nov 2010, 03:16 am
Wallabies are back into 2nd place on IRB rankings and the Boks down to 3rd again. Defeat by England will probably drop them to 4th. So much for “world champions”. What a fiction!
23 Nov 2010, 03:46 am
Have been lurking long enough but feel like throwing in 2cents worth. Regardless of who are the best players discussion it falls flat on its face. Over the last few years it has been apparent that combinations with talent – are the key to a good team. Get any great player back from internationals, slot them into a provincial game and it just doesnt gel. What we are seeing is purely – players out of position or chopping and changing happening on a constant basis. Henry got bitten in the butt against the French for his rotation policy and having players out of their natural position. It was totally his policy, not the players nor the ref that cost NZ a chance at the World Cup. Now Australia is consistently chopping and changing combinations trying to find the right mix, and so is SA. The All Blacks on the other hand (having learned their lesson) are running the same team with slight adjustments, but still improving their combinations. Their game against Ireland was nothing flash, very basic, no slick moves – in fact they spent most of the time showing little in the way of brillance, which is why the Irish sliding defence was almost capable. But their combinations were brilliant with support play etc. Their Scottish game was also largely devoid of slick moves – just the basics. When players do ordinary things well on the field – it appears to look extraordinary.
Any great team is quite ordinary man-to-man against another team but the difference is how they play together.
Having been involved in coaching (3 losses over the last 3 years) we look for getting the combinations right and make ordinary school boys look like extra-ordinary players – just down to using their natural talents and skills. Makes it so much easier on coaching a game plan to expand on their abilities. What is great is that ‘strangers’ come to their games because they have never seen such ‘skill’ and gamemanship from youth before. And it is nothing more than having the ability to observe talent and where best to utilise it. Combinations. Control of a game revolves around the position of 7, 8, 9 and 10. Work the best into those positions and the team begins to select itself depending on how you intend it to play.
23 Nov 2010, 05:06 am
KEO – please start an online petition to get rid of our 3 coaches. You can include the administration to if you like but that may be a distraction.
23 Nov 2010, 12:47 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler) : @Sasori(Sasori) :
Tackles, I tend to agree with you here, if we view it from an SA perspective. For SA, he is most useful at 15 as a threat to the opposition game plan. The opposition 10 will be reluctant to kick the ball down field from his own 22 due to the genuine threat of a drop kick, and will instead opt to kick the ball out to touch. And if there is one aspect of our play that the opposition genuinely fear, it is the lineout.
However I also agree with Sasori. I can’t help thinking that if he had been brought up in NZ, he would be an outstanding 2nd 5/8. He would have more gifted runners on both his shoulders, who could aid in decision-making and call the appropriate move. Because he is aided so much more in the offense process, his distribution can only but improve.
In SA, the 12s usually attack the gain line ferociously on first phase to set up a platform for a quick recycle, with little regard for distributing the ball outside them. This behaviour, not necessarily adverse per definition, is so institutionalised in our rugby at all levels that it will be very difficult to amend, at least in this generation. However, this does reduce the scope for our 12s to be players of vision and play the situation.
However, as a 2nd 5/8 in NZ, Steyn would have more time on the ball to make a decision, particularly on first phase. NZ teams have close to mastered the art to attack the gain line without standing flat, and to allow themselves that extra second for appropriate action.
This is also why the rush defense is the most effective defensive weapon against them, and why the drift simply allows them more time on the ball. This was one of the primary reasons why the AB backline picked up so much momentum on the carry and ultimately dominated the collisions with their opposite numbers. And in the SA case, there was also no-one cornerflagging behind the backline to cover the linebreaks or to assist the breakdown from behind the gate (as the Aussies did).
24 Nov 2010, 07:55 am
South Africa has everything going for it but we try everything possible to hold our success and development back!
1) We have the talent and the players.
2) We have the numbers of players.
3) We have all the correct systems in place to stimulate good standards with our schools and underage group levels.
4) We have excellents coaches and fitness trainers.
5) We have good competitions in place at all levels ie. Craven Week, u19, u21 and Currie Cup.
6) We have excellent Sports Scientist and Acedemies across the country.
7) We have the financial resources.
8) We have good TV coverage.
9) And most importantly we havery huge interest in the game and therefore will always have good crowd support.
However, we do everything in our power to disrupt our success and development in the game. We are our own worst enemies. If we got our act together there would be no one coming close to us. I reckon the rest of the World must just be so thankful that we just continue to be so disorganised and unprofessional in this modern world.
24 Nov 2010, 08:17 am
@willievz(willievz) : Good analysis, but the fact is he hasn’t grown up in NZ where you play running rugby from U8 upwards and even the props can run and pass and aim for the gaps. The result is, he can’t pass. So use him in a (generally) non-passing position. Fullback is his proper spot.
That long boot is, indeed, an option-eliminator for his opponents and he’s the only player in world rugby, and Bok rugby, capable of getting that extra 10m.
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