Brutal truth: Boks need Butch
14 Apr 2011
JON CARDINELLI, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says Butch James has the hunger, the experience and the intimidating aura to be a match-winning figure at the 2011 World Cup.
‘Objects may be closer than they appear’, disclaims the rear-view mirror, a foreboding that sets its reader on edge. It doesn’t matter when or even if the Mac truck hits, only that it’s there; a threatening presence capable of reducing brave men to quivering wrecks.
Butch James looms in the psyche like a Mac truck in the rear view. Opposition coaches pore over blueprints and videotape in an attempt to nullify him, while seasoned pros like Dan Carter take the field knowing that at some point, they will be run over.
This aura shouldn’t be underestimated, especially in a World Cup year. Global tournaments are won on defence and experience, and James’s value as a game-changing defender is as indisputable as his 2007 World Cup winner’s medal. And at 32, he’s still rattling opponents.
‘I’ve never thought of Carter as a fragile player,’ James says in explaining the psychology of big defending. ‘It’s more a case of making your presence felt. You want your opposite number to know you’re around. You want him to be constantly thinking about what you’ll do next.
‘In the past I went looking for the big tackles. Now I let them come to me. If you read the situation correctly and your timing is just right, you’ll make the big hit. It’s something I learnt. I’ve matured a great deal over the past few years.’
The Springbok selectors need to face up to some inconvenient truths after a diabolical 2010 Test season. Morné Steyn may have come off the bench to kick the series-winning penalty against the British & Irish Lions, and his kicking game may have helped the Boks secure the 2009 Tri-Nations. But 2010 proved that far more is required of a Test flyhalf.
Steyn’s accuracy can no longer compensate for his defensive frailties or his failure to impose himself on attack. These shortcomings were mercilessly exposed in the 2010 Tri-Nations, a tournament where South Africa finished last on the log and trailed their opponents in
the attacking and defensive stats.
Psychologically speaking, Steyn is no more a debilitating force than Peter de Villiers is a rocket scientist. A champion team requires a flyhalf with gravitas, somebody like James who commands respect and has the capacity to make things happen. If things continue as they are, however, the Boks will field a reactionary. Steyn is more a punisher of errors than an active agent of victory. He wasn’t good enough in the 2010 Tri-Nations, and he isn’t good enough for the World Cup.
Consider South Africa’s World Cup opponents. Is Stephen Jones worried about Steyn’s gainline running ahead of Wales’ Pool D clash with the Springboks? Is Jonny Sexton losing sleep over Steyn’s attacking variation before a probable quarter-final meeting? And is Carter, one of the Boks’ likely semi-final adversaries, expecting Steyn to smother the All Blacks’ attacking fire with a well-timed defensive rush?
The answers are no, no and most definitely not. Steyn doesn’t inspire confidence in any of these departments, and is limited to a predictable type of game.
In his book, Captain in the Cauldron, John Smit describes James as the heartbeat of the team that won the 2007 World Cup. Smit reveals that every Springbok team member felt confident, and relieved, when James was named to start at flyhalf for a big Test. As Smit suggests, James’s on-field aura can be galvanising.
Injuries have limited him to 40 Tests in 10 seasons, but spineless selectors have also played their part. The conservative streak that runs through every national coach has cost him as much game time as his crocked knees and dodgy shoulder. Any regard for his virtues in general play is overruled by the paranoia that James will miss a kick at goal.
Jake White is not exempt from this group of conservatives, and it took a compelling argument by former Bok technical adviser Eddie Jones to change White’s mind on the eve of the 2007 World Cup. Because of André Pretorius’s reputation as a kicker, White so nearly ignored James’s other match-winning attributes. By the end of the tournament, the decision to back James proved inspired.
De Villiers came into the Bok job with grand ambitions of total rugby, but after failing to keep James in the country and a half-hearted attempt to convert the promising Ruan Pienaar to flyhalf, he too settled on the conservative option.
Steyn is the incumbent because De Villiers is convinced that goal kicks win matches, and while there is some truth in this belief, other aspects of the game also need to be taken into account. The 2010 season was a case in point, as despite Steyn’s 41 successive penalties and conversions, South Africa still lost five of their six Tri-Nations Tests.
De Villiers needs to be brave and pick a flyhalf who can offer him more than goal-kicking security. James is in the coach’s plans and will return home to join the Lions in May. While De Villiers may have decided on his starter for 10 in New Zealand, James is determined to change his mind.
‘It’s a talented group of players, the calibre of which we won’t see again for a while,’ he says in reference to the Boks’ decorated senior core. ‘I want to be a part of that again. It’s going to be hard to break into such a formidable side, but to start for the Boks at the World Cup would be a dream come true.’
His first task is to perform for the Lions at the back end of the Super Rugby tournament, and convince the selectors he has what most experts already recognise as the aura. It took White a while to buy into the idea, and De Villiers will also take convincing. Fortunately, James is used to making fools out of sceptics, and will relish the fight to regain a jersey that was once unequivocally his.
‘The Lions already have some impressive flyhalf options in Elton Jantjies, Burton Francis and André Pretorius,’ he says. ‘That’s fine. They’ve made no promises to me about starting and that suits me perfectly. I want it to be tough; I want to have to fight for a start. Winning a starting place is my ambition, especially in a World Cup year. After that, I want to show the national selectors what I can do.’
Four years on from the 2007 World Cup and James has added to his repertoire. The improvement has been patent in his showings for Bath in the European club competitions, and the time abroad has forced him to become a more rounded player.
‘Competing in northern hemisphere conditions can really alter your playing style,’ he says. ‘I’ve had to embrace tactical kicking a lot more, as that’s the skill set required for wet weather. There’s also more focus on the No 10 as the player the team depends on, so it’s made me grow up a lot.’
Jones argues that James has what it takes to revive a Bok backline that’s shown few signs of life in the past 12 months.
‘He hasn’t lost any of the skill that made him such a force at the 2007 World Cup,’ Jones says. ‘Bath are a different side when he starts for them. His physicality certainly adds something to their game.
‘As for his kicking, he’s always been good at identifying space and his rare ability to kick on the run means the opposition back three need to be wary. It keeps them thinking about their positioning and means that they can’t go into the game with a set plan. That’s not to say Morné Steyn is a bad flyhalf, but Butch certainly ticks a lot of boxes.’
Jones also stresses that under the current laws which favour attacking momentum, Test teams need flyhalves who can vary their play.
‘Butch can change his alignment at speed. Stevie Larkham was great at it, and Butch is right up there too. When you get quick ball, you want a flyhalf to run on to the pass, but you also want him testing the defenders with different running lines. It’s an invaluable weapon under the new laws, as the tackle is far more combative. You want a guy who can breach the gain line and set up quick ball.’
Bath coach Steve Meehan agrees that James has more than lived up to his reputation. Over four seasons, Meehan has watched James develop a maturity that amplifies his threat.
‘Defensively, I think he’s misunderstood in the sense that those big hits are more calculated than they look, and it’s not just an individual thing but something that’s planned within the team context,’ says Meehan. ‘Those big hits inspire team-mates to follow suit, and it can also put them on the front foot. There’s nothing random about Butch’s defence.’
Like Smit, Meehan doesn’t hesitate in endorsing James as the heartbeat of the team. While he’s not a leader in the strictest sense, his abrasive style and shrewd option-taking sets the standard for team-mates to follow.
‘Butch is a World Cup winner, but he’s also a fighter. He’s come back from so many injury setbacks, and the dedication it’s taken to get through rehab and then get back into his groove hasn’t been lost on the other players.
‘They admire him for his skill, and when he has something to say, there are no arguments. He tells it pretty simply, but there’s a lot of thought behind those plain words.’
It’s a travesty that James so rarely receives plaudits in his home country. It’s an injustice that stems from the perception that he can’t kick. Those who argue for Steyn as South Africa’s only kicking option are ignorant of James’s accomplishments with the boot. In the last decade, coaches have trusted Braam van Straaten and Percy Montgomery ahead of James, and James has only kicked for goal in 16 of his 40 Tests. But aside from the coaches’ lack of faith, you can’t fault James’s strike rate of 83%, a record that’s marginally less accurate than Steyn’s.
And an argument for Steyn as the Boks’ sole tactical option holds no water when you consider James’s outstanding contributions in this department. Few would have forgotten the pin-point kicking display that laid the foundation for a 53-8 hammering of the Wallabies in 2008.
He’s also never been scared to use the kick as a weapon; those attacking grubbers, chips and cross kicks so often resulting in tries for team-mates. While Steyn is the master of one discipline, James is more like Carter in that he can switch between a conservative and an attacking style of play.
‘A flyhalf needs to vary his game,’ says James. ‘If he sits back in the pocket and boots the ball continuously, he’s going to make it easy for the defence, and if he takes it to the line every time, he also becomes predictable.
‘I’m happy with the standard of my tactical kicking, and realise that it’s an important part of Test rugby. But is it everything? I prefer to play my rugby with ball in hand. My kicking is good but you need more from a flyhalf, you need somebody who can bring the backline into the game.’
– This article first appeared in the April issue of SA Rugby magazine.
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229 Comments
14 Apr 2011, 06:21 am
Butch James is over the hill. Might as well call in Chuck Norris.
14 Apr 2011, 06:27 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-1: Chuck Norris is quite possibly the most complete flyhalf the game has ever seen.
Butch is too old, still doesn’t have self control or discipline, is too fragile (see the tests he played in last year), and hasn’t played southern hemisphere rugby for a number of years.
Suggesting he is some how the saviour of the Boks is crazy, especially considering the role du Preez played in guiding Butch round the field during the World Cup.
14 Apr 2011, 06:44 am
My granny wouldn’t be intimidated by James , he was average at best despite a WC medal, the Bokke must be desparate.
14 Apr 2011, 06:50 am
i would rather have Butch at 80 % than the absolute 1 dimensional skop en jag artist that is M Steyn.
Be bold PDV, have a close look at Lambie, Grant and Butch and then decide.
Lambie will play against Grant [ once ] Steyn [ twice ] and Butch James [ once ].
Lots of opportunity to see the contenders in real high pressure matches up against each other.
But M Steyn a huge no no in my book.
And I agree, Butch tactical boot far better imo than M Steyns aimless ‘skop it doer and gone down the middle of the field ‘ rubbish that we see week in and week out.
Give me anyone of Grant,Butch or Lambie, at least we then give our outside backs a semblance of a chance and will benefit by a 10 that is a real defensive weapon as opposed to M Steyn.
14 Apr 2011, 07:16 am
Jon, do you actually watch rugby?
How did you manage to waffle so much and not once mention Peter Grant? You are stuck on an old broken down flyhalf who might break down after game one in the world cup? Then you are also getting carried away with the Lambie hype who has yet to play a really challenging game (with the exception of the Currie Cup final)
The flyhalves for South Africa must surely be Grant and Lambie, and possibly Butch if they have the head count.
14 Apr 2011, 07:20 am
@grant10(grant10)-4: Nothing backs up what you are saying. The Stormers can’t score trys with Grant at 10, he offers nothing on attack and has a pop gun boot. Stormers fans don’t want to admit it, but you are playing Bulls rugby from 2009 – great defence, great set pieces, great physicality, no attack.
Butch has not done anything worth mentioning in four years. He has probably been injured for 2 of those and hasn’t played Southern Hemisphere rugby in ages. He thinks he is tough, Keo thinks he is an enforcer, Butch James’ body disagrees.
The only player that should be considered is Lambie, with Steyn on the bench for tactical variation.
14 Apr 2011, 07:26 am
And this sets the site up for another lively debate today……
I’m for any one of 4 players that are in form and have proven this.
It’s likely to be Butch/Lambie/Steyn
Probably all 3 that will go as Lambie and Butch cover 12 as well.
Too early for me to make my pick, as Butch needs to playe here IMO in order for us to really judge his form. He may be fit but is he sharp?
14 Apr 2011, 07:27 am
Don’t want my Butch anywhere near Divvy, look at what he did to Elton. No we need him to win the CC.
If Divvy wants to take a lamb to the slaughter let it be Lambie.
14 Apr 2011, 07:33 am
I like Butch but its time now to move on. Its time for Hougaard, Lambie, Sarel, Whitley etc..to start playing a great role in our rugby.
14 Apr 2011, 07:34 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-6: the great thing is we swill be able to compare apples with apples as the season progresses as all contenders will be up against each other.
My take though is the 3 ‘real ‘ 10 s are Lambie,Grant and Butch.
M steyn is a certain type that cannot change. I do not care what anyone says, I have seen enough of M Steyn to conclude that his DNA is not suited to any game plan other than the skop en jag. He may have been ok when his Bulls forwards were all over the opposition, but once the opposition get parity, he goes back to his roots and heads for the pocket.
Never measure the 10 when his pack is on top, look at him when his pack is on the back foot and under pressure. Then we see the real M Steyn, a deep in the pocket, defensively below average skop en bid artist.
Ja, he has a great pole kicking boot, but is that enough?
Not a chance I say.
14 Apr 2011, 07:39 am
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-3: Classic post !!! LOL
14 Apr 2011, 07:41 am
Lets put this plainly – SA doesnt have an established , fit , experienced and on form flyhalf for the WC – i would worry boys
14 Apr 2011, 07:41 am
@KevinRack(KevinRack)-9:
Hougaard, really …. haha bwhaabwha.
14 Apr 2011, 07:46 am
It’s time for South Africa to take a gamble (coz lets face it, we dont have much to lose the way we’re playing) and make Lambie starting 10 at the worldcup….seeing him perform in pressure situations its so clear that this boy is ready. In SA we have this ridiculous theory that players are “too young” etc and look where it lands us, with a dads army springbok team of average performing middle agers….across the indian ocean punts have been taken on talented youngsters like quade cooper, kurtley beale, james o’connor, SBW (young in terms of rugby union experience), dagg, cruden, guilford….the list is endless. and they are head and shoulders more superior than our oupas…..Lambie needs to start at 10 with Butch as a bench option playing a role similar to Smit (not a bad plan considering those knees barely hold up anyway)
14 Apr 2011, 07:48 am
This is an extract from an article today on Rugbyheaven.nz. Unfortunately I agree. We are going to the WC with rugby plyers that have reached their sell by date>-
OPINION: The Springboks won’t be able to defend the World Cup because their core of stars are over the hill.
The cracks began to appear last year and they are opening up in alarming fashion for Boks coach Pieter de Villiers during Super Rugby.
From skipper John Smit in his confusing front row roles through to Bryan Habana’s struggles on the wings, leading South African players are clearly struggling for form.
Even the once-feared locking partnership of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha is losing its aura.
Botha’s ill-discipline will always pose a problem in a tournament situation and it’s hard to dismiss the thought that Matfield’s effort against the Crusaders last weekend was his worst performance in more than 100 Super Rugby games.
It’s also hard to put aside the notion that de Villiers will toss aside this much experience in a World Cup year.
He has other options but he’s unlikely to be radical with the responsibilities that come with defending the golden cup weighing so heavily on him.
14 Apr 2011, 07:48 am
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-3: Yeah yeah, we already know all that. And SA only played Fiji, Tonga and Arg enroute to the final. Blah blah defckn blah! To the victor goes the spoils m8 and until one of your precious AB’s can say the have a WC medal on display in their lounge, I think you should shut the fck up
14 Apr 2011, 07:53 am
On Butch…if his form is up, I can’t see why he can’t be the 10 at the WC. Would be fun to see him and SBW shoulder-charging each other. Butch will get the cards and citations tho, due to past indiscretions. tsk tsk tsk
14 Apr 2011, 07:54 am
Frans Steyn has , perhaps, a 30% succes goalkicking rate, but it will be terribly unfair not to mention that he hardly ever takes one of less than 50meters. Sure Butch kicks 83% in the bok jersey, but hardly any kicks outside the 22, or with a 30 degree plus angle. Needs to be said as well.
14 Apr 2011, 07:58 am
De Villiers needs to be bold and sellect jong guns from the start of the Try Nations but I know this is only daydreaming. The players for the WC have already been contracted and I fear it will all end in tears.
14 Apr 2011, 07:58 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-16: touchy touchy , just cause you have no flyhalf dont make your problems ours – we can lend you one if you like !!!
14 Apr 2011, 07:58 am
@DROOOL(DROOOL)-15: I saw that and have only 1 thing to say…there is still alot of water to go under that bridge. You and the rst of the kiwis write the Boks off at your own peril. I’ll reserve my thoughts till we get there. Remember, we were still losing games weeks out from the tournament in 2007 and BOOM…we hit Eng with 36-0.
14 Apr 2011, 07:59 am
Also needs yo be considered: Both Butch and Bakkies on the field- two walking yellow cards. Yuo can never risk both of them at the same time, just as you can never have Spies and Plod on at the same time- allways a player short
14 Apr 2011, 07:59 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-16: I think the whole team of 87 could say they have a WC winners medal in their lounge, wouldnt you?
lets see how SA fare this year when they will come up against sterner opposition… full credit to them for 07, but surely even you can admit they had an armchair ride to the final, through no fault of their own…
14 Apr 2011, 08:00 am
@DROOOL(DROOOL)-19: Might not be day dreaming the Tri Nations this year is perfect for gettin combinations correct
14 Apr 2011, 08:02 am
boks with the Fat Boys Club better pray they get out there pool!
Wales Samoa and Fiji will all fancy there chances against these pld plodders, with the pRsident of the Plodders Foundation firmly entrenched at hooker, leaving the best 2 on the planet gathering splinters….
14 Apr 2011, 08:03 am
@Stiff-arm(Stiff-arm)-22: spies and plod = major k ak for boks….
14 Apr 2011, 08:03 am
@stew(stew)-20: nah, you keep ‘em. I’ll take an avg F/H with some guts and backbone anyday over the “world’s best ” who goes all limp when the heat comes on.
14 Apr 2011, 08:06 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-23: pardon, I shudda said post ’87. Sorry. All the same, it’s been a long time between drinks
14 Apr 2011, 08:08 am
@grant10(grant10)-25: No need why the best 2 on the planet can not come on and wreak havoc in the last 30. His line-out throws is not that flash either at the mo
14 Apr 2011, 08:10 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-29: you part of the problem.
wanting to start the president of the fat boy over the best 2 on the planet.
only in SA i tell you.
If plod was a kiwi , a pom or an aussie he would be working for fox or sky sports 2 years ago already.
14 Apr 2011, 08:12 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-29:
Surely better to have him causing havoc for the full 80 ??
14 Apr 2011, 08:12 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-28: it has been a long time, but it will make it all that much sweeter when they eventually do win another… hopefully in my lifetime
14 Apr 2011, 08:14 am
@grant10(grant10)-30:
that is simply not true! I consider myself part of the solution. You, on the other hand… 
14 Apr 2011, 08:20 am
I first want to see Butch play superugby before i comment.
14 Apr 2011, 08:22 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-31: True but I feel a fit John Smit, playing well in a single position is more important to SA’s cause than Bismarck wreaking havoc. But with every passing week, time is running out for Cpt Fantastic. Every week he gets shunted around, is another week lost re Smit and hence strengthens Bismarcks case. If this confusion remains by the start of the 3N’s into the WC, I’m not too sure about our chances. We need Smit to focus our energy and he can’t do that if he’s not leading from the front
14 Apr 2011, 08:23 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-29: True John Smit’s lineout throwing is the best in S.A.
14 Apr 2011, 08:25 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-32: oh yeah? How much time you have on that clock of yours, mate?
14 Apr 2011, 08:28 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-37: a few years yet…so long as I stay out of SA (because Im sure theres plenty here who would like to change that number)
14 Apr 2011, 08:30 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-36: Yes, and not only that…the confusion can’t be good for team dynamics and him as captain leading the team. If Div sees him as the captain then he should play, like in NOW. He needs to make us believers, esp folks like grant10 and only way he’s gonna do that is by playing. Plum has an obligation to the Sharks but there is a bigger picture here
14 Apr 2011, 08:33 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-39: If he is not up to it anymore, a couple of games as the starting 2 would show that and then Div should be brave enough to call it and choose a new captain.
14 Apr 2011, 08:36 am
Ok so I went for my routine check up today and everything seemed to be going fine until he stuck his index finger up my @rse!
Do you think I should change dentists?
14 Apr 2011, 08:36 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-38: Nah, you got Saffas confused. They’re not into the death threat business. You might get tackled and stretchered off to hospital yeah. That I’d believe
14 Apr 2011, 08:36 am
Butch has been consistently excellent whenever he’s been fit for the past five years. If he joins the lions in May in good condition and plays to his usual standard, he could well be our best option for the world cup. His situation is not anything like that of smit and habana who have been consistently poor for over a year. The two flyhalves who would give SA a shot at the WC (provided a whole host of other selections are well made) are butch and lambie. The Peter Grant fan club has been very active on this site, but I’m afraid they weill be disappointed. Grant is a good player, but if a backline including the talents of de villiers, fourie, de jongh and aplon consistently struggle to score tries, there is something missing. Grant has been consistently good without ever really being world class. He’s also been around long enough for us to know that what weKve seen is wht we’ll get and there probably isn’t a whole new dimension to his game that will pleasantly surprise us. It’s got to be between james and lambie
14 Apr 2011, 08:37 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-41: Doing a root canal?
14 Apr 2011, 08:40 am
I can’t understand why Butch is even in the reckoning and no one has even seen him play yet
14 Apr 2011, 08:40 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-42: so long as its toe to toe, and not the king hit variety HG seemed to enjoy, then I wouldnt have a problem with it… might knock a few back in the tackle myself..
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-41: so do you whistle when you f@rt?
14 Apr 2011, 08:45 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-46: I do now Pops. I do now……
14 Apr 2011, 08:49 am
If PdV persisted with Ruan Pienaar at flyhalve, we would’ve had the second best 10 in the world (after Dan Carter). Pienaar has everything the other limited 10′s don’t have, including Lambie i.e. experience on the big stage.
14 Apr 2011, 08:50 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-47: so going to the dentists meant it came back to bite you on the @rse
14 Apr 2011, 08:52 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-49: he he
14 Apr 2011, 08:53 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-48: ruan left SA because he ‘hated ‘ playing 10….he wanted to play 9….really he did not want the 10 jersey. He never really ever bought into the 10 switch….you cant blame pdv for everything .
14 Apr 2011, 08:54 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-48: Ruan has more issues with BMT than DC himself!
14 Apr 2011, 08:55 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-52: exactly….a more fragile mindset than ruan at 10 was hard to find
14 Apr 2011, 08:57 am
Butch is hondkak.
If he wants to go to the world cup he must buy a ticket like everybody else.
14 Apr 2011, 08:59 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-54: perhaps he can then get a group discount if he buys with Plod,Spies and M Steyn?
14 Apr 2011, 09:01 am
keo what is it with your incessant fixation with getting butch back into the bok lineup? Do you have a side line as his agent, control his media rights or and I hope I am wrong here, firmly believe butch is the answer to our prayers for the rwc?
2007 there is no disputing his value, his display in marsielles, stopping the Fijian onslaught dead by changing the game, slowing it down and changing the line of attack is one of his finest moments, but 4 years later, the game is so different, the requirements from your flyhalf so much more demanding to hope for a big hit that doesn’t end up with a yellow card highlights how naive some of your articales are now becoming!
Carter’s single biggest strength is his ability to adapt, sure we lack that in our no10′s but we don’t play like the all blacks. The boks biggest issue is predictability, we need to vary the game plan, utilize the back line, and maintain at the very least parity at the set piece. World cups are won on defense, imdon’t think that will be the case in 2011, the offload will decide this world cup, sa’s brain trust needs to look at keeping the scoreboard ticking over, whilst employing a defensive structure that is tight. Steyn may not be a defensive giant but he does’t need to be, butch is too costly a player and hasn’t had enough first class rugby to command the bok pivot position in 2011.
Finally, give this article a rest or at the very leastpost the counter arguments and balance out your incessant rants on this point. 4th article on this website this year on the matter?
14 Apr 2011, 09:03 am
@grant10(grant10)-51: Disagree, I am sure Pienaar would’ve eventually settled if it was made clear to him that he would start big matches at 10, rather than warming the bench as an allrounder. The uncertainty (his own fault) affected his confidence and he had a few mediocre games and then was not considered again. I went to watch him play 10 in a couple of low-key CC games. He was abolutely sublime (as good as DC) and in time he would’ve been as good in bog games.
14 Apr 2011, 09:03 am
Methinks that Keo is negotiating to publish Butch’s autobiography……
14 Apr 2011, 09:05 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-57: i’m actually with you on this one, the problem being that the local teams liked to use him at 9 rather than 10 a lot of the time, so he never settled even at provincial level.
I think he got to the point where he was just tired and wanted to go back to doing what he was coomfortable doing, playing 9.
IMO he should go as the 3rd srummie anyway.
14 Apr 2011, 09:05 am
@stew(stew)-20: Bet you’d love to Lend Donald!!!!
14 Apr 2011, 09:07 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-57: i assure you Ruan DID NOT WANT TO PLAY 10.!
Now you can either believe me or not……but i stress again, i know he was very unhappy at 10 and wanted to play 9.
This is simply a fact.
14 Apr 2011, 09:09 am
Grantie
You should go on tour with material like that.
I especially liked your chirp yesterday about how we must give CJ a chance because he was awesome in 2007.
You are such an ignopotamus.
14 Apr 2011, 09:10 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-59: I’m sure he’ll make the WC team but it is a pity that it won’t be as first choice 10. I don’t have confidence in any of the current crop, including James. Lambie is talented but hasn’t been tested at the highest level. PdV was highly unreasonable and short sighted not to give him more opportunities on the EOY tour, especially after his performances in the CC.
14 Apr 2011, 09:12 am
@grant10(grant10)-55: lol
14 Apr 2011, 09:14 am
@grant10(grant10)-61: Don’t wet your panties! I never disagreed – it was a well known fact that Ruan preferred to play scrummie. What I said was that PdV should’ve forced the issue and given him an ultimatum. In the end everyone lost out. A total waste in my opinion.
14 Apr 2011, 09:20 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-65: it was a non starter from the set go…..Ruan was always , at best, a very reluctant participant in the 10 experiment.
I know this for a fact, basically he walked away a despondent player, feeling he was not listened to in SA…
14 Apr 2011, 09:21 am
PDV could not and did not convince ruan he was a 10.
14 Apr 2011, 09:29 am
@grant10(grant10)-66: True, but sad. I still believe that by now, he would’ve been a world beater at 10 if he played every test in the same position. Bottomline is that he is the only one with the total required skills set to be a top flyhalve at present. But it won’t happen and it is too late now, so be it.
(I’m sure you are worried because the last time PdV forced a player to change positions – John Smit – the results weren’t too great. You have made this clear quite a few times
)
14 Apr 2011, 09:29 am
Bring back baas!
14 Apr 2011, 09:32 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-68: ja well….enough said I reckon.
14 Apr 2011, 09:35 am
Have these journalist seen him play lately? Have they seen Bath being whipped by massive scores lately? Are these the same blinkered journalist who tells us that currently CJ is a better prop than Mujati just because CJ plays down South? I get the impression these journalists don’t watch any Northern Hemisphere rugby, otherwise none of their statements would have been made.
14 Apr 2011, 09:37 am
Oh for Pete’s sake – can this guy not get over Butch James? We have heard all this **** before – how international flyhalves who face the best and biggest loose forwards in the world are suddenly going to **** themselves because Butchie is playing against them.
Please, ffs, does anyone buy this drivel that Carter, Giteau, Wilkenson, Flood, O’Connor, Jones, Sexton, et al are going to shiver in their boots because Butch is defending in their channel? Why does Cardinelli not write about how Butch ***** himself at the prospect of playing against Carter?
The rugby intelligence quoficient in some quarters is truly astounding
14 Apr 2011, 09:42 am
Couch, great response! Pity this site is becoming so myopic on these points!
Kevin R the burg racks?
14 Apr 2011, 09:43 am
@gecko(gecko)-71: I have watched him a lot…..not at his best
but a lot better than M Steyn!!
14 Apr 2011, 09:43 am
@Couchcoach(GI POT)-72: A few years ago, the Keo crowd tried to convince us that Fourie du Preez should be played at 10. Not such a bad idea, in fact, better than trying to convince us that a 10 in a wheelchair should be used at the WC!
14 Apr 2011, 09:44 am
@Finfan(Finfan)-75:
he he he
14 Apr 2011, 09:44 am
best is to see how the 10 s shape when against each other ….lots of opportunities to check out form.
It would not surprise me in the slightest if Lambie ends up top of the pile.
14 Apr 2011, 09:47 am
@grant10(grant10)-77: With Elton Jantjies a close second?
14 Apr 2011, 09:50 am
Damn, I justed puked on my Jeep shirt at the sight of another Butch article. I know Jeep stands for adventure and living life to the full, but I don’t think they had the sight of my mieliepap all over their logo in mind.
Geez, I cannot get over it – the same old, same old.
Uh oh, gotta run…
14 Apr 2011, 09:55 am
Lambie will not be selected unless he get’s some serious game time for the minnows! How’s his injury?
14 Apr 2011, 09:55 am
Aura? What aura? Cardinelli, I think the word that you were looking for is not aura; it is notoriety. Or maybe you got confused and wanted to say that Butch has an “air” about him – a whole lot of hot air of his own creation.
The bards and poets of old must be turning in their graves at the sight of the abuse of the English language by our rugby journalists.
14 Apr 2011, 09:56 am
So the fans are whinging (ok, no news element there) about the Boks ‘Old Boys Club’
and yet
theyre desperate for the Butcher ?!?
‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ seems to be the key selection criteria around here, like it was for Frans for TriN’10. He was v.poor.
14 Apr 2011, 09:57 am
@Couchcoach(GI POT)-79: If I were wearing a Jeep shirt I’d also be puking.
14 Apr 2011, 09:59 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-82: I think only the journalist is ‘desperate for the Butcher’
I think the rest of us are desperate for a different style of rugby, and desperate for a new game plan and desperate for the old boys to retire gracefully.
14 Apr 2011, 10:01 am
@gecko(gecko)-84: well said
14 Apr 2011, 10:05 am
@garth(garth)-83:
14 Apr 2011, 10:07 am
what is a jeep shirt?
14 Apr 2011, 10:07 am
@gecko(gecko)-84:
I accept and agree with the sentiment. But its hardly the 1st time Ive seen Butcher offered as a preferred alternative here.
14 Apr 2011, 10:11 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-88: Can I ask, is he always offered by the same journo? Or let me rephrase, is he offered by the journo’s, or by the punters?
14 Apr 2011, 10:12 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-87:
Those two tone, patches on the pocket shirts, just about every hunter and oke in snor city wears !!
14 Apr 2011, 10:13 am
As an aside, an entertaining piece by Ewan Mckenzie about the art of lineout – I did not know we actually invented the art. Also puts into some perspective how bad home referees were for the game:
“Back in 1992, on our first post-apartheid visit to South Africa, we discovered that the South Africans had developed the practice of “lifting” in their period of sporting exile. So when we played Northern Transvaal in the first tour game we came across abnormally tall players being lifted to abnormally tall heights.
Messers McCall and Eales were not in the hunt with a South African referee in charge. So overnight I went from being a “blocker” to a “lifter” and the lineout went from a scrap to a tactical weapon where quality ball could be delivered if your tactics where right.”
goes on..
14 Apr 2011, 10:14 am
@garth(garth)-83:
Having a fancy dress at work – I thought a Jeep shirt would make an interesting intermissio from my usual two-tone shirt. I could not get myself so far to get rid of my PT shorts, rugby socks and CAT boots. My comb fits nicely in my top pocket of my Jeep shirt, though
14 Apr 2011, 10:15 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-90:
but why is it called a jeep shirt?
14 Apr 2011, 10:15 am
@Couchcoach(GI POT)-92:
14 Apr 2011, 10:16 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-93: isnt jeep afrikaans for “cheap” ?
14 Apr 2011, 10:17 am
Recommend rugbyheaven for quality of writing and intelligent discussion, aiming at least for a certain impartial discourse on the game and players
14 Apr 2011, 10:18 am
Butch is a bit of an unknown. Has anyone been watching him? The benefit is that he can tag along as cover for Jean. So he is actually competing with WO for the backup to 12. Butch wins that comp any day of the week.
If the WC were tomorrow and all injured players were good I’d take:
1 Beats/Gunthro
2 Bismarck/Liebenberg
3 Jannie/(Brok or Kruger?)
4 Bakkies/Eldstadt
5 Bekker/Matfield
6 Brussouw/Burger
7 Smith/Alberts
8 Duane/Koster
9 FDP/Sarel
10 Lambie/Grant
11 Mvovo/Hougaard
12 Jean/Butch
13 Jacques/De Jongh
14 JP/Aplon
15 Steyn/Viljoen
14 Apr 2011, 10:18 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-93:
Because the brand “Jeep” is the logo on the shirt !!!!
Go get yourself one !!
People will think you drive a 4×4 instead of a spark !!
14 Apr 2011, 10:21 am
As the sole club member and President of the so called ‘Old Boys Club’ I welcome Butch James, Spies, Bakkies the Brute Botha, Fourie du Preez, Olivier, de Villiers, Smit and the rest of the boys into the Bok team.
Roll on RWC.
Kiwis need to watch the Northern Hemisphere teams closely as they will inevitably slip on their gumguards and look all silly come the quarter finals.
Oh wait, they’re the favourites…favourites and champions being as similar as chalk and cheese..
14 Apr 2011, 10:26 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-98:
jeep make clothes?
oer.
Not for me.
My hunting days are over.
Although the natives still call me Big Bwana One-Shot.
Actually I took the spark for a service in town.
I almost got run over by Jayzees motor blue light fuckshow.
1 big 7 series Beemer
4 smaller Beemers.
2 golfs
2 minivans full of mshiniwamis.
Sheesh, who does he think he is?
Julius?
14 Apr 2011, 10:29 am
@HongKongSlong(HongKongSlong)-60: Donald duck you can have for free !!!!
14 Apr 2011, 10:30 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-100:
LOL !!
14 Apr 2011, 10:30 am
There is a position for Butch.
If the Final of the 2011 World Cup was this coming weekend and the Springboks were contesting it. Also assumes that no players are injured.
15 Francois Steyn … attack minded, long range place kicker
14 JP Pietersen … counter attack, defense
13 Jaque Fourie … game breaker, defense
12 Butch James … defense, play maker, place kicker
11 Gio Aplon … game breaker, tactical cover for the Full Back
10 Patrick Lambie … cool, calm & collected, place kicker, attack minded
9 Fourie du Preez … game breaker, play maker
8 Willem Alberts … attack, strong carrier, defense
7 Juan Smith … Captain, attack, strong carrier, defense
6 Heinrich Brussouw … fetcher, rucks and mauls
5 Andries Bekker … line outs, strong carrier, broken play
4 Bakkies Botha … enforcer
3 Jannie du Plessis … scrumaging, broken play
2 Bismark du Plessis … attack, strong carrier, fetcher
1 Beast Mtawarira … scrumaging, strong carrier, broken play
16 John Smit … experienced Leader; covers 1,2 &3
17 Guthro Steenkamp … scrumaging, rucks and mauls
18 Danie Rossouw … covers 4,5 and Loosies
19 Schalk Burger … impact player
20 Ryan Kankowski … impact player
21 Ruan Pienaar … covers 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, place kicker
22 Francois Hougaard … covers 9, 11,14
14 Apr 2011, 10:36 am
@Panache ( òó /) Aplomb(Panache and Aplomb)-103:
Good side, not sure about Butch at 12 ………maybe a Butch/JDV combo.
But the rest is spot on.
14 Apr 2011, 10:37 am
With Butch at 10 that is……
14 Apr 2011, 10:41 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-102:
seriaas.
the dude is out of control.
14 Apr 2011, 10:48 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-106: No dude that sounds like one of his wives, JZ rolls bigger than that….
14 Apr 2011, 10:50 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-41:
If you could see both his hands, it most probably was not his finger.
So the question is, was both his hands visible from where you were sitting/lying?
14 Apr 2011, 10:52 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-107:
nope definitely jayzee.
I could see his bonedome glinting in the early morning cape sunlight.
14 Apr 2011, 10:57 am
1st 2nd
Jannie Bj Botha
Bismark Smit/ Chilli
Beast Steenkamp
Rossouw Botha
Bekker Matfield
Burger(c) Flo
Alberts Kanko
Smith Brussow
Du Preez Pienaar
Butch Lambie/ Grant
JP Mlovo
JDV ? Strauss
JF de Jong
Aplon Basson
Steyn Aplon
14 Apr 2011, 11:09 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-109: Hope you didn’t spill your drink on him….
Or show him the finger…
14 Apr 2011, 11:13 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-111:
nope.
I cowered before his magnificence.
14 Apr 2011, 11:18 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-112: Ah. That’s the spirit.
African style….
14 Apr 2011, 11:19 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-112:
Was actually two big black beemers and 4 X5s
14 Apr 2011, 11:19 am
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-112:
Plus one irritated Police vehicle
14 Apr 2011, 11:20 am
Lawd I hate this cover
Where is Butch anyway
Still on honeymoon
Isn’t he supposed to be with Lions
14 Apr 2011, 11:21 am
i can’t believe some of you are buying this, there’s obviously a book deal on the horizon…
14 Apr 2011, 11:22 am
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-117:
This is true
Cover of SA Rugby is book deal kiss of death
14 Apr 2011, 11:24 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-114:
are you sure we were watching the same convoy?
there were two minivans with blacked out windows as well?
maybe it was jayzees lunch.
but he was definitely in the big 7 series bmw.
I wondered why the windows weren’t blacked out.
Did you see me waving to you?
14 Apr 2011, 11:25 am
people talking about wantig a new game plan and hence a different Bok squad when we have only 148 days to the start of the WC have got to be crazy in their heads.
Either you want to win this one and will stick with the majority of the game plan with tweaks here and there and perfect the execution or you will go with a new approach and purposefully write off this WC. You cannot have both as the other teams are 4 years down the drag planning for this WC.
14 Apr 2011, 11:27 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-114:
they obviously like the beemer.
when I dropped my car off for its service there were 3 police ones in front of me.
14 Apr 2011, 11:28 am
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-120: stick with the gameplan and we’re guaranteed to lose… so why not take a risk?
14 Apr 2011, 11:29 am
@Weepee(Weepee)-80: Lambie is back for the Canes game next week. Having his pin taken out his finger today.
14 Apr 2011, 11:31 am
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-120: We play the same gameplan mate, we done anyhow. Yes it is too late to change now. So I am not expecting much from this world cup. Looking ahead to 2015. We fell behind last year and should have done something about it then.
14 Apr 2011, 11:32 am
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-122: I don’t think so. Tweaks here and there (Lambie or Butch for Steyn perhaps) and we can win it. Stormers aren’t doing too badly with a similar game plan or am I wrong?
14 Apr 2011, 11:34 am
I have always rated James, but he needs to play some S15 games to see where he is at. Can’t really tell from him playing in the NH for 4 years.
Think the way to go would be with Lambie. But can’t see PdV select any other but Morne Steyn.
14 Apr 2011, 11:35 am
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-117: @Dawn(Dawn)-118: See my post 58.
Great minds and all that…..
14 Apr 2011, 11:37 am
@Puma(Puma)-126: I agree with you. It’s hard to tell if he’ll be up to speed.
I think we’d all be very surprised if Steyn isn’t the opening 10.
I think the Tri Nations will give some indications of how PDV is thinking…
14 Apr 2011, 11:45 am
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-128: Exactly M, We need to see how Butch does in the S15 before we can judge him.
The we all know PdV gonna select Morne. Unless he tries out Lambie/James/Grant in the Tri-Nations.
14 Apr 2011, 11:45 am
Interesting article, think we should wait and see how he plays at home, he has never been a k*k player, just a bit worried about his knee’s and would imagine being tackled by him is not something opposition players look forward to.
14 Apr 2011, 11:47 am
@Puma(Puma)-129: I think that will be the key, to see who else he selects in the Tri Nations, I think that will give us a better idea of who’s in the running. It could actually be any of the other 3. PDV has actually been comlimenting Grant of late, so he was on his radar a couple of weeks ago.
14 Apr 2011, 11:49 am
@Puma(Puma)-124: Hi Puma, I actually think when the RWC comes round every one will be pleasantly surprised and we will rock.
14 Apr 2011, 11:50 am
@Puma(Puma)-126: And if he stuck with Morne it would not be the wrong thing to do if he can get the rest of the squad to execute the game plan properly. Remember what happened in past WC’s when we changed too many (Strauelli’s era) and important personnel (Teichman).
I understand folks arguments about form players etc but these players who have gotten us a WC, B&I Lions and TN’s series wins did not become palookas overnight. A good dose of self confidence and they can become world beaters. After the WC is when we should change personnel (incl. perhaps management) unless forced by injury.
14 Apr 2011, 11:51 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-1: Even Morne the Metronom is nobody comparing to old Chuck’s kicking record.
And who will dare to tackle him?
14 Apr 2011, 12:05 pm
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-131: Have to see who he plays. Also one game can’t tell much. It is in the S15 right now that we can see who is performing. They doing it week in week out. Lambie was in superb for before he got injured. Grant is playing good rugby too. Though Saturday he had a off game. That happens to all players though.
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-132: How you doing Hugs? Keep the positive thoughts, it helps the rest of us here……hahaha. I don’t feel positive about our chances in this world cup to be honest.
14 Apr 2011, 12:06 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-119:
OK
Mayber they whizzed by so fast I didn’t look properly!
Don’t pay much attention to convoys anyway
Just avoid hitting other cars around me who are giving way
14 Apr 2011, 12:06 pm
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-16:
I hope my government has offered you permanent residency, Browns Bay can do without people like you.
14 Apr 2011, 12:07 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-125: no you’re aren’t wrong exactly… i’m just concerned that the foundation players in this gameplan are currently completely off their game, so it may require more than tweaking.
14 Apr 2011, 12:12 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-133: Just can’t see us win with the gameplane we played last year mate. We need to think smart from here. Also with those players not sure if we can change it around but to stick to how we did play in 2009. We need Frans Steyn back too. Not playing in France. The pace here is so much faster. Cause think he will be our fb. Think PdV will just stick to his players.
Then I look at Robbie Fruean, SBW, Carter, McCaw and Dagg. Jeez they have some unbelievable players. If we make to the semi really I can’t see us beat them with our gameplan of last year.
14 Apr 2011, 12:13 pm
Go on Okes ………………………………………..Put The Butcher in the Boks.
Make my day.
14 Apr 2011, 12:14 pm
People should be carefull to rate Butch on his S15. He is coming into a team who’s forwards is getting owned atm. As much as I like Lambie and although Grant was good so far. Butch will be my number 1 for this WC. MS went downhill ever since he got balled and shackled.
14 Apr 2011, 12:18 pm
Brutal Truth!
Butch is a walking talking yellow card.
14 Apr 2011, 12:21 pm
A Bok side based on form IMO would look something like this:
15.Aplon
14.Ndungane
13.Fourie
12.JDV
11.JPP
10.Lambie
9.Pienaar
8.Vermeulen
7.Alberts
6.Flo
5.Bekker
4.Elstadt
3.Du PLessis
2.Bismark
1.Beast
If I look at this side,there is enough class 4 it 2 settle in a couple of test matches and b competitive against the blacks and aussies.And we still missing someone like Juan and Brussouw that can make a big difference 2 the side.So maybe things are not all doom and gloom.But the performances of our Superugby sides is concerning.
14 Apr 2011, 12:21 pm
@Puma(Puma)-139: Puma we cannot play rugby like the AB’s or the Ozzies , we have a different skillset,rugby culture and athleticism (some may consider “lack of ”
) , we have to play to our strengths. The way to do that is no different than last year but with better execution. Think about the fact that at the beginning of the TN’s Juan was just coming back, we lost Bakkies in 2 of the games (YC’s) and Brussouw was not there. On top of that we had JS playing at 3 and Rickie at scumhalf with Hougaard as back up (when FDP went off injured). Take that into consideration when looking at the results at home (I know we lost to Ozz etc) where we weren’t annihilated in those games particularly Soweto. So i guess my glass is half full as opposed to half empty. 
14 Apr 2011, 12:21 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-136:
quite right.
we don’t want to damage the dolphins lustrous paintwork.
I’ve had to fix a scratch on the spark and it’s hurting.
14 Apr 2011, 12:26 pm
@cane(cane)-142: just like no arms Sonny boy Williams
it is true
14 Apr 2011, 12:27 pm
Puma – Morne Steyn has to go to the world cup, his kicking is so vital for the Bok gameplan. It is who backs him up is the key, and currently i have a feeling it could be Ruan Pienaar.
I am afriad you need veterans at the RWC, look at Wilko and Michelak both failed as they were too young.
Also taking too many veterans doesn’t work either, wallabies RWC 95.
It is a huge balancing game for PDV. It doesn’t matter who plays really PDV doesn’t have the technical know how to develop his players, he will need some big help
14 Apr 2011, 12:29 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-145:
The dolphin paintwork not so lustrous.
He is a working car, as opposed to flash show-off car
He has earned every mark and scratch the hard way, like his owner!
14 Apr 2011, 12:32 pm
@Roar Loud(RL)-146: seems like they are all learning to tackle with no arms – look at Franks for example, no atttempt to wrap arms around the players
14 Apr 2011, 12:32 pm
@Roar Loud(RL)-146:
I’d like to The Butcher try one of his Late Train Specials on Sunni Bill.
He (Butch) would splatter like a piece of sh’ite hitting the fan.
14 Apr 2011, 12:35 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-144: this was Jake White’s counter when anyone criticised his conservative style of play, and i’m not sure it’s correct… for instance, our 7s rugby side is competing with the best these days, so i’m not sure i buy this “we don’t have the skill set” argument. i think we just need better coaches…
14 Apr 2011, 12:35 pm
There is a factory in Northern Minnesota which makes the Tickle Me Elmo toys. The toy laughs when you tickle it under the arms.
Well, Lena is hired at The Tickle Me Elmo factory and she reports for her first day promptly at 8:00 am.
The next day at 8:45 am there is a knock at the Personnel Manager’s door. The Foreman throws open the door and begins to rant about the new Employee.
He complains that she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up, putting the entire production line behind schedule.
The Personnel Manager decides he should see this for himself, so the 2 men march down to the factory floor. When they get there the line is so backed up that there are Tickle Me Elmo’s all over the factory floor and they’re really beginning to pile up.
At the end of the line stands Lena surrounded by mountains of
Tickle Me Elmo’s. She has a roll of plush Red fabric and a huge bag of small marbles.
The 2 men watch in amazement as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and begins to carefully sew the little package between Elmo’s legs.
The Personnel Manager bursts into laughter. After several minutes of hysterics he pulls himself together and approaches Lena.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says to her, barely able to keep a straight face, ‘but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday…’
‘Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles.’
14 Apr 2011, 12:38 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-149:
Saw Schulk Burger do a good one last weekend as well.
Against the Reds in about the 22 minute.
No worse than SBW’s against the silly Sharkie that ran into him the 2 weeks prior.
But where are the ROARS of disapproval on that one?
14 Apr 2011, 12:39 pm
@cane(cane)-150:
the butcher is halaal.
he would make jihaad on sunni bin williams.
@Dawn(Dawn)-148:
schabir chic?
14 Apr 2011, 12:43 pm
@race of tan(race of tan)-147: Yeah, we will be going with the same team as last year. Agree that the seniors are needed, but we can take a few youngsters that are in top form right now. Can’t see us win much if Morne is our fh. The game has moved on. Look at Bulls and Saders game. Heck that has worried me big time. Morne never done much there buddy. Bulls got 0 on the borad. That is what has me worried. Most of our Boks are in that team. Plenty ABs in the Saders side and they beat the Bulls easy with not much sweat. That is a big worry.
Look at Sharks against Saders. We could have had a draw with them. We missed all our kicks at goal. 9 points went begging and they had a huge forward pass that went Walsh just never saw, that got them a try. Could have had 37 a piece. NOW that was a ripper of a game. One of the best I have watched in a long, long time. We need to be playing like that. Unless we do play to our strengths and hope like mad it works. It could. But can’t see it working with the players the ABs have. They gonna run around us at ease. We just kick everything back to them and won’t see any ball after that.
We have fallen behind. Need to adapt. This year is too late. Have to think of 2015.
14 Apr 2011, 12:44 pm
@Puma(Puma)-155: typo – board
14 Apr 2011, 12:51 pm
@cane(cane)-153: Huh? Silly Sharkies???? Think SBW that got away with a terrible tackle on Kano. No buddy. SBW came at Kanko with a shoulder. Go check it out on youtube and you will see it slow mo.
But they were never going to give yellow cards in that game. The game was for a good cause and anything like a yellow would have ruined the occasion. So it was left. I think.
14 Apr 2011, 12:53 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-144: Hope you right mate.
14 Apr 2011, 12:54 pm
@Puma(Puma)-155: a good post imo
14 Apr 2011, 12:55 pm
@nama1(nama1)-152:
that sounds like a job for extraball.
14 Apr 2011, 12:58 pm
Puma – I was there at twickers that day, great great game and yes the sharkies could have pulled off a draw with Lambie at pivot. Also my wife enjoyed ogling D Carter!!
For once we have to accept that alot of the top bully boys have been over played especially Matfield and M Steyn. M Steyn has played non stop rugby since B&I lions, that is alot of rugby for anybody. Du Preez looks a bit jaded and stale infact they all do . D Rousouw is the only Bulls player playing his worth, great player!
The England game last year went well and that style suits the Boks, but is a very high risk game plan meaning we beat up our opponents to win by tackling them to death which must exhaust our players!!
I have to concede PDV hasn’t brought anything new to the table, he took what J White built and made some tweeks but has now ran out of ideas which means a semi exit for the Boks this year.
14 Apr 2011, 13:00 pm
There are enough quality props in South African rugby for the Springboks to be competitive at scrum-time during the Rugby World Cup in September, says former Bok prop and current national Under-20 coach, Dawie Theron.
Although it appears at present that Bok skipper John Smit is being nurtured as a loosehead prop as he wouldn’t make the squad on current form as a hooker, according to Theron, Smit showed in the Sharks game against the Lions in Durban last Saturday, that he simply has to make the trip to New Zealand later this year.
“John has shown how valuable he is at loosehead. He’s scrummaging was very good against the Lions and it looks as though he is getting comfortable in the position. And, he has World Cup experience, something you can’t easily replace.”
(News24)
Well, well, well……………..
14 Apr 2011, 13:01 pm
My concern abouit Butch has always been yellow cards and not his kicking!
@Panache ( òó /) Aplomb(Panache and Aplomb)-103: I like your team (especially Juan as captain, if fit), but would also like to have JdV in there. It could still be a very wet World Cup and players with some Northern hemisphere experience might be vital. Ruan would therefore also be in my larger party.
14 Apr 2011, 13:04 pm
@race of tan(race of tan)-161: Or rather, what Eddie Jones build. I think Jake White’s input was also limitted, apart from allowing other expertice to come in
14 Apr 2011, 13:06 pm
@nama1(nama1)-162:
Grantie is going to bring up a lung when he reads that
14 Apr 2011, 13:08 pm
The Sharkie boys forgetting that the Saders al left behind points on the park.
No possibility of a draw in that match. Had the Saders scored all the tries on offer in the 1st 20 minutes, it would’ve been 40-something by half time. Game over.
14 Apr 2011, 13:08 pm
al=also
14 Apr 2011, 13:09 pm
@race of tan(race of tan)-161: Yeah, had we had Lambie we could have had a draw. A really great game from both sides.
You very correct. Bulls players have been playing a lot of rugby. Some should get rested. FdP has been out with a op and still finding his way. He will get better can’t judge him yet. Takes time to get it back after being out for a long time. But yes, it worried that they lost to Saders so easy, with so many Boks in their side. Victor of all players needs a rest, he has played soooooooooo much rugby last year also Morne. Have to see how Bulls goes against Reds this week. I reckon they will be a lot better. But not sure if they will win. But expect a better game from them.
14 Apr 2011, 13:10 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-165:
Yes.
This thread is going to get a turbo injection (not the reverse kind) if the okes see that.
14 Apr 2011, 13:14 pm
@nama1(nama1)-166: There was more than one forward pass in that game Nama that should have been picked up. So doubt Saders would have had 40 or more on us. We too had some chances that we never took. A fair result should have been a draw. But well done to both teams on playing damn good rugby. It was a ripper, one of the best games I have seen in a very long time.
14 Apr 2011, 13:18 pm
@cane(cane)-153: Didn’t see it Cane but believe you and its bound to happen when we celebrate thuggery instead of skillful rugby (including decent tackling).
14 Apr 2011, 13:18 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-159: Thanks mate.
14 Apr 2011, 13:25 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-151: Agreed but if you need a coach to coach it into them then by definition they don’t currently have the skillset.
How do you change to a new playing style and claw back on years of playing rugby with a different culture,mindset and skills – our Kiwi and Oz friends are way ahead of us in the skills area as they have the need to rely on it more. We’ve had a number of years of super rugby to use to adjust our playing style and still it hasn’t happened – why? We are built differently and our society breeds a different approach to winning in our culture – its kill or be killed literally, no holds barred approach instead of outplaying or outhinking the opposition
It starts at the junior levels which is why Is why I say its too late to change now. Anycase l love my culture and celebrate its differences.
14 Apr 2011, 13:31 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-173: Hellsteeth, that’s a concise, insightful, good post. Right on the button.
14 Apr 2011, 13:47 pm
@Panache ( òó /) Aplomb(Panache and Aplomb)-103: Flipsake, now thats good thinking. The only quibble really would be at 4 and 5.
I still do not doubt Matfield is the best no 5, not only in SA but on the planet too. I also think Bekker is a good player and would not leave him out of the Boks.
However I do think Bakkies is turning into the penalty/discipline liability, many have always stereotyped him in being. I also think Danie Rossouw is an often unsung hero and will be a great option at 4 as a mobile enforcer.
So I wouldn’t mind a reshuffle of Matfield at 5, Rossouw at 4 and Bekker on the bench as an ideal impact lock.
Nice team though.
14 Apr 2011, 13:55 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-173: i understand what you are saying but i respectfully disagree. if it’s ingrained into our society and our players, then how can a player who grew up with this different mindset and skills like Clyde Rathbone move over to Aus and slot in so well? what i am saying is that our players have the skills already, they just aren’t being utilised by the coaches. and this is the same reason why we still haven’t adjusted in the years of super rugby, our coaches just rely on the same old tactics, nothing to do with our players skills or our culture. look at some of the Bok games of old, they used to swing that ball all over the park…
14 Apr 2011, 14:11 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-176:
Clyde did not slot in well when he arrived there. The Aus set ONE WHOLE YEAR aside to teach him these skills before he even started to play in the S14.
Bananaboy is right in this instance wrt different skill levels.
I don’t agree with him when it comes to keeping a playing style that obviously isn’t working any more.
14 Apr 2011, 14:17 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-176: Rathbone had to be given special “skills training” when he arrived at the Brumbies. Apparently they remarked how far behind he was to their local players’ skill sets.
And Rathbone was rated as quite an outstanding back in a South African context…
14 Apr 2011, 14:20 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-176: Well you think Clyde slotted in well, I don’t. To me all that happened to him was that he became a faster version of himself and learned to run supporting lines , but becoming a playmaker (ala the midfield of AB’s and Ozzies) didn’t feature in his skillset, in fact thats why he stayed on the wing. We can teach players to run different lines, build through the phases etc but teaching them to play the situation and use their attacking or defensive skills to make the best of the situation thats before them is not something we do.
When I speak of skills I don’t mean running,kicking or passing skills only (although these leave much to be desired as well) , but thinking skills on the field, interpreting the game situation, adjusting the game plan etc. I honestly believe that we use size and brute strength as THE measure of skill to play rugby in SA. I agree that the potential is there in enormous amounts but the culture of rugby prevents it from developing and will continue to do so until we place the emphasis elsewhere at junior levels.
14 Apr 2011, 14:23 pm
Bakkies Botha bit the Apple logo.
Bakkies Botha has already been to Mars; that’s why there are no signs of life.
Bakkies Botha doesn’t flush the toilet, he scares the sh*t out of it
Bakkies Botha can strangle you with a cordless phone.
Death once had a near-Bakkies Botha experience
Bakkies Botha can slam a revolving door.
Bakkies Botha doesn’t need a GPS. Bakkies Botha decides where he is.
Bakkies Botha was in all 6 Star Wars movies… As The Force.
The sheep on Bakkies Botha’ farm are the ones that give us steel wool.
Bakkies Botha can light a fire by rubbing two ice-cubes together.
Bakkies Botha will never have a heart attack. His heart isn’t nearly foolish enough to attack him.
Bakkies Botha can speak Braille.
When Bakkies Botha throws a boomerang it doesn’t dare come back
Bakkies Botha does not ****, nothing escapes Bakkies Botha
Some kids pee their name in snow. Bakkies Botha pees his name in concrete.
Bakkies Botha can leave a message before the beep.
Bakkies Botha can use Mxit on a pay phone.
Bakkies Botha can divide by zero
14 Apr 2011, 14:24 pm
@nama1(nama1)-177: Nama I only mean that to change it at this late stage would be more detrimental to our WC bid than if you don’t. You cannot change the mindset and game plan in a matter of months , its takes a hell of a lot longer ,experimenting in game situations and with patience from supporters to get there.
14 Apr 2011, 14:26 pm
the only team plod should make is the skysports commentary team.
Useless quota of the highest order.
Hate to admit it, but for once i tend to agree with Puma…..think of 2015….
2011 is a farken disaster waiting to happen.
How the hell we think we going to win with the Fat Boys Old Mans Club only the angels know….we will be chewed up and spat out come quarters…..that is if we navigate the pool stage.
Get a new forward thinking coach and support staff and get rid of these ou ballies , start afresh and never ever never farken ever again allow anything less than good form dictate the team…..fark all these insiduous promises and deals made…..
turns my stomach i tell you!
outta here
ps…dawie theron …….on the gravy train as well…
see what willie meyer [ not on the gravy train ] said this morning in Die Beeld?
No place for the fat boy in his mind….
14 Apr 2011, 14:28 pm
@cane(cane)-153: he said you guys are learning, Schalk is already a pro at it.
14 Apr 2011, 14:33 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-180: LOL
14 Apr 2011, 14:37 pm
Seems HM Keo has the same Sonny bug that I have …
“SBW cover om BD sport. Available in fri BD newspaper http://yfrog.com/h4kv6xsjfollow Keo on Twitter”
Woohoo! Gotta get my Business Day tomorrow and forfeit Die SON.
14 Apr 2011, 14:39 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-178, @nama1(nama1)-177, @bananaboy(bananaboy)-179: okay fair enough, i stand corrected
14 Apr 2011, 14:44 pm
Flipsake Hellsteeth
14 Apr 2011, 14:49 pm
@grant10(grant10)-182: Not sure what made Willie Meyer the guru on who should or shouldn’t be in the Bok side but then neither am I and he knows a lot more than I do. So if Willie says it, it must be true. Interesting that he doesn’t say much about the rest of the “fat boys” club as you call them. All that he punts is Coenie as a Bok
.
14 Apr 2011, 14:50 pm
@nama1(nama1)-177:
Nama,
You sound concerned about the spot for Steenkamp and the Beast ?
Your concerns are unfounded, Januarie’s and Jacob’s tickets are safe too,,,
14 Apr 2011, 14:56 pm
Butch is a wreck now, he can’t bend his knees in the game, like he plays on crutches lately
Forget about his serviceability, it’s either Styen or Lambie or Pienaar the only viable options.
I would go with Grant but his kicking means giving up points from the medium distance and further.
14 Apr 2011, 14:59 pm
Actually much of the delay around rathbone’s introduction to superrugby in ozzie was to do with his lack of conditioning.
there was a skills element too but their biggest concern was his conditioning.
14 Apr 2011, 15:07 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-181:
I agree with you re the changing of the mindset. It takes time and a lot of buy in is needed from the players which I don’t think we’ll be getting from the current crop. Their perceived resistance to PdV’s “play the situation” policy is well documented.
But surely we have to somehow tweak our game plan to stand a chance the WC.
So the question is, what do we do? Just go there to fulfil our obligations without giving ourselves a chance by playing a style and game plan that most certainly won’t win us the cup or do we make the necessary changes to our game plan to stand a chance to win the cup.
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-191:
His lack of passing skills was specifically mentioned when they withdrew him from all rugby in his first year at the Brumbies. They also said that he was the strongest in his upper body of all the back line players.
14 Apr 2011, 15:11 pm
@nama1(nama1)-192:
ok whatever you say
14 Apr 2011, 15:28 pm
@nama1(nama1)-192: Nama my concern is that changing the game plan means changes to the balance in the side. You cannot expect a Bakkies/Victor/Bizzie etc to start to play 15 man rugby and once you start to employ personnel in other positions who do just that you create an imbalance. I think its a very delicate situation and as much as I would like to change it I don’t know if it would be wise.
Perhaps the Sharks way of playing maybe the right way to go as we have the personnel to execute that style effectively. Even a Morne Steyn would benefit from playing that way, but then you have to use ball carriers ala Alberts, Beast and Bizzie.
14 Apr 2011, 15:28 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-180: Bakkies once sent ***** a birthday greeting card in 25th December. It wasn’t ***** birthday but he was too scared to correct Bakkies and henceforth it has become his birthday we celebrate.
14 Apr 2011, 15:30 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-180: Bakkies once sent [censored Je-s-u*s, wtf?] a birthday greeting card in 25th December. It wasn’t [J*e- s-u*s] birthday but he was too scared to correct Bakkies and henceforth it has become his birthday we celebrate.
14 Apr 2011, 16:03 pm
More like brutal Butch needs Boks
14 Apr 2011, 16:03 pm
Bakkies is a d00sie. He wouldnt last 2 minutes in a street fight.
14 Apr 2011, 16:04 pm
@nama1(nama1)-162: dawie must concern himself with the baby boks! smit was scrumming against PAT CILLIERS and not the franks boys or afoa or brok werner kruger or wp nel or brian mujati…
every week these plod cheerleaders jump around for nothing/
14 Apr 2011, 16:08 pm
these are confirmed WC players:
1 Chilliboy Ralepelle
2 John Smit
3 Victor Matfield
4 Andries Becker
5 Bakkies Botha
6 Danie Rossouw
7 Schalk Burger
8 Juan Smith if fit
9 Pierre Spies
10 Beast
11 Gurthro
12 Jannie Dup
13 Cj van der Linde
14 Fourie du Preez
15 Ricky Januarie
16 Morne Steyn
17 Patrick Lambie
18 Jean div
19 Adi Jacobs
20 Jacques Fourie
21 Juan de Jongh
22 Bryan Hasnohandsa
23 Jp Pietersen
24 Bjorn Basson
25 Gio Aplon
26 Willem Alberts
Only leaves 3 spots open of which Frans Steyn, Kankowski and Houghaard probably have the inside track. Sad but true.
14 Apr 2011, 16:12 pm
Oh I forgot Earl Rose – will probably have to drop that useless Willem ALberts to accomodate Rose.
See John Mitchell has axed Elton Jantjes in favour of Burton Francis. So much for the wonderkid. Was never convinced by him. He´s got a long way to go still.
14 Apr 2011, 16:12 pm
Brutal Truth: Based on what?
14 Apr 2011, 16:13 pm
@toddke(toddke)-202: I told you they meant to say Brutal Butch
14 Apr 2011, 16:19 pm
Brutal Fruit(cake)
14 Apr 2011, 16:26 pm
Brutal Butch Ignacious James Nice ring to it
14 Apr 2011, 16:36 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-200: NO bRUSSOW?
tHEN WE FARKED MATE
6 LOVE
GOODNITE NURSE
IN OUR MOER
DONT COME mONDAY
14 Apr 2011, 16:59 pm
Really pees me off. These journos have a go at all current coaches for picking has beens and players based on past reputation. So what do they the all do, paste the same drivel on this website and also splash it as feature on Keo TV. WTF? For farks sake let’s bring back Henry Honnibal and Andre Joubert – they were good last time I saw them? Let butch at least play a game in SA, Super Rugby and Test rugby again.
We could stick Dan Carter and Quade Cooper at flyhalf, it wouldn’t change sh#t. The Boks aren’t playing a progressive, possession based game. Look no further than Fourie Du Preez (wasn’t there an article called “All hail the King” about him?), yet he still defaults to kick and chase – geez that was effective in 2008 and 2009 and has died…..
The issue in my opinion is that these players with all the experience now, aren’t willing to adapt to the new progressive game and still believe in playing conservative, structured, kick and chase, territory game. So we are on the wrong end of a cycle, where it will take players like Lambie, Aplon, Sarel P, Bissie, Alberts, Mvovo, Juan De J, Fourie, Coenie O, Bekker, Beast, Jaco T, Francois H and such as players who can play that expansive progressive game to mature and gain experience and then we’ll excel again.
However, do believe we won’t roll over easy at WC….if that is any consolation..
14 Apr 2011, 17:36 pm
@grant10(grant10)-206: why caps?
14 Apr 2011, 17:53 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-200: From what I have heard it will be a squad of 32. Now that could be a rumour so not 100% sure.
14 Apr 2011, 17:59 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-125:
” ……. and we can win it. Stormers aren’t doing too badly with a similar game plan or am I wrong? ”
If you are placing any or a lttle emphasis on the Stormers’ gameplan and results then surely you are wrong.
Stormers have played and beaten all 4 of their Conference challengers who play a similar or modified version of that gameplan. Those wins were not convincing and all of the local opposition were still in with a win at about 70mins. of those games.
They have played only 2 non-local teams and at Newlands and convincingly beat the woeful Force and lost badly to the exquisite Reds who played the Stormers’ type of game(catching them totally offguard) but infinitely better.
There are many other factors why the ‘Boks will not be successful defenders of their crown but that is not for discussion now.
14 Apr 2011, 18:21 pm
The only value James brings is his experience and especially in that position of 10 but his play at Bath is barely better than mediocre and his tackling is as questionable as ever and that will not be tolerated at the RWC.
Add to those negatives the notion that he is merely a half an injury away from his final game of test rugby.
14 Apr 2011, 19:39 pm
Boks need Butch like a hole in the head, almost as much as they need Matfield, Burger, Smit, Botha, Spies and FdP.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are putting a Bok team together to contest and defend the WC in NZ, I reckon see no evil monkeesee and hear no evil monkeedo are gonna be hoping like hell that somebody up there likes them as much as that same somebody liked the last lucky packet coach who never met any team worthy of contesting the final above rank 6 in the IRB rankings.
14 Apr 2011, 19:48 pm
Don’t tell me you are now slating PDV who you spent all of last year defending to the hilt… You are a vacillating, indecisive, duplicitous idiot of note if you are.
14 Apr 2011, 19:50 pm
Dippy Div plus Skopskiet as the Bok brains trust for the WC…
Can you imagine…
Truly a Zippos Circus…
14 Apr 2011, 19:55 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-214:
14 Apr 2011, 20:05 pm
Yeah, imagine…Dippy Div and Krusty the Skop racing and chasng each other on their unicycles like ferrets on heat, with Ringo Grunter the Ringmaster looking on with glee…
14 Apr 2011, 20:46 pm
the tweedle de dees and tweedle de dums denialists I’m referring to here is you and your bumchum, or should that rather refer to bumchums (plural)?
14 Apr 2011, 21:35 pm
@flanka(flanka)-14: POST OF THE WEEK!!! Couldn’t agree more!
14 Apr 2011, 21:36 pm
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-137: mate, I’m too busy helping keep NZ afloat in these tough times. You know how it goes…us foreigners have to work so the locals (those who haven’t left) can live off the dole. What do u expect me to live, eat and breath NZ too? So who are u rooting for? China? Don’t make me laugh
14 Apr 2011, 21:39 pm
Butch is yesterday. The ABs are going to picking a young side with a sprinkling of experience in Ritchie and Carter. SA got to follow suit and pick the in-form players that are putting their hands up. Leave the broken down donkeys Matfield, Bakkies, Spies and Morne at home.
14 Apr 2011, 23:10 pm
For whatever reason South African coaches as well as the media have a FIXATION ON HAS BEENS. It is time to move on!!!!
15 Apr 2011, 02:32 am
Take Butch and Lambie to the RWC. Good combination of youth and experience and both are already Boks. It’s too late for Grant, you can’t be blooding new players in the RWC.
15 Apr 2011, 04:41 am
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-219:
Actually I would prefer Chinese immigrants to come to NZ over your type any day of the week.
15 Apr 2011, 06:59 am
seems the “buzz word” in SA is
aura
what’s up with that?
if SA had an attacking first five, aura decent tighthead aura centre who could pass, then perhaps the bokke would have an aura
eish.
15 Apr 2011, 07:37 am
@rugby911(rugby911)-91:
you must be quite young.
or naive
15 Apr 2011, 08:29 am
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-223: well lucky for me, it’s not up to you! What? You can dish it out but not take it? I’m here mate and see and experience firsthand that Kiwi’s are every much as full of **** as you think Saffas are. But somehow you think your **** don’t stink ay?
15 Apr 2011, 08:38 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-224:
well aura of te not, it will all reveal itself in due time. You read what old Duncan had to say? Pretty much done and dusted…Boks only coming to NZ to make up the numbers. Read the comments to and you’ll find, you are pretty much the exception m8! Or am I still not allowed to make that generalisation?
15 Apr 2011, 18:09 pm
Pienaar at 10 with Lambie on th bench, Butch in the squad as backup 10/12
1 May 2011, 10:23 am
Another article eskewed from facts. First of all, the Boks lack of repetoire of attack comes poorly down to the coaching staff. I’ve documented where the team’s tries were coming from each year, they always rely more on the forwards for tries. They make no use of lethal attacking players. Kirchner made more linebreaks and beat more opponents in last years TNs than the entire Bok backline did in the entire 09 TNs, but nothing came of it. No, individuals have NEVER compensated for these shortcomings. Under de Villiers and Muir, the Boks have never been an attacking threat, they’ve taken us back to the blunt days of Straeuli. That is not Morne’s fault.
And as for Jake, Jake selected Butch in 2006 you idiots. He even noted long before Jones that butch would always have been his first choice 10, but Butch literally played NO rugby in 2004 and 2005 as he had knee reconstruction and failed comebacks, and got injured again in 2006. Think before you post, not eveyone is as limited in their memory as you are! I remember what happened all those years ago.
What you also failed to note is that de Villiers resorted to 10 man rugby as a result of pressure, as his non-existant gameplan for an enterprising game failed spectacularly in one of the worst and disgraceful campaigns we’ev ever had in 08. That limited game worked in 09 when Plumtree addressed our breakdown woes, and that was enough to get us through the TNs of that year, but failed in the conditions of the NH. Now de Villier’s is left with more problems, as seen by his frantic search for someone to help him do his job again last year, that he has real coaching to do, but has no idea what he his doing (his own words, twice, in front of the NZ media). So he wants to stick with the model that worked in 09 even though the laws have changed, even though it requires some ability ball in hand. He was so ignorant as to say that the England test last year was the model for the WC and a step forward, even though it was identical to the tripe in the TNs! You want to identify our problems, then there it is. Until then, get real and sober up.
No individual has ever been enough to compensate for our shortcomings under this un-coaching trio, with the only exception being Brussow. You pick at Morne, but fail to see that the structures in place are either nonexistant (defence) or are so woefully inadequate that it may as well be straight from the 80s.
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