Cup hopefuls floored by collective failings
26 Jul 2011
JON CARDINELLI says the Springboks’ World Cup players won’t gain anything from the coming Test unless there’s better teamwork at the breakdown.
Most expected a defeat in Sydney, and another hiding is on the cards when Peter de Villiers’s dirt-trackers cross the Tasman to face the All Blacks. Defeat is expected, but there’s still something to play for in the context of the World Cup.
Several individuals would have targeted this tour as a final opportunity to impress the Bok selectors, who will name their 30-man squad at the conclusion of the Tri-Nations. Some did themselves no favours with a shocking individual showing in Sydney, while others were limited by the collective failure of the Bok pack.
The scrum wobbled and the lineout was a far cry from the imposing set-piece we’ve come to expect. From those shaky platforms, the Boks battled to build an attack, but that’s not to say that set-piece mediocrity was completely to blame for an amateurish and inferior performance at the tackle.
The Boks conceded six penalties and as many as eight turnovers at the breakdown. They were often hit back in contact by the determined Wallabies forwards, whose physical attitude was complemented by excellent decision making. Whether they employed the counter-ruck tactic or settled for slowing down the Boks’ ruck recycle, they were effective in denying the Boks go-forward ball.
The Bok tight five was disappointing but again the back row must shoulder some of the blame for the lacklustre collective showing. Danie Rossouw featured with some promising runs, but was often isolated when his team-mates failed to beat the Wallabies to the breakdown. Ashley Johnson was sluggish and didn’t offer the physicality of a typical Test player, and Deon Stegmann continues to offer up ammunition for critics who view him as a liability rather than an asset.
The Boks were fortunate not to concede 50 points to the Wallabies. Given the All Blacks’ trademark physicality and expertise at the breakdown, you’d expect the New Zealanders to inflict similar damage this coming Saturday, even if they will be missing Brad Thorn, Kieran Read, Owen Franks and Keven Mealamu. The Boks’ growing injury list will also work in the All Blacks’ favour.
It won’t help that Flip van der Merwe’s injury will force De Villiers to reshuffle his pack ahead of the All Blacks Test. Moving their best back-row exponent in Rossouw to lock will rob them of a powerful ball-carrier, but De Villiers doesn’t have many other options.
The uncapped Gerhard Mostert has just arrived in Australasia, and so starting him in the second row would would be a mistake, even if he plays alongside his Sharks team-mate Alistair Hargreaves. As Johnson found out last week, Test rugby is a massive step up.
The Boks will lose in Wellington this Saturday, and there will be few positives to take from the performance in the context of the World Cup. Much would have been expected of forwards like Rossouw and John Smit on this tour, but the lack of cohesion, which has as much to do with poor selection and coaching as it does with poor individual showings by team-mates, has robbed them of an opportunity to build momentum ahead of the tournament that matters.
78 Comments
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26 Jul 2011, 12:10 pm
@Griqua_warrior(willievz)-50: so who was the defensive “organiser”?
26 Jul 2011, 12:17 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-51:
I asked you first
I don’t know.
The Boks can certainly do with a certain calming influence…
26 Jul 2011, 12:33 pm
@Griqua_warrior(willievz)-52: i know if corne uys was there, he would’ve done it without a hitch
26 Jul 2011, 12:56 pm
This entire fiasco is bitterly disappointing! They take an injured lock on tour & then make comments to the press that ALL yes ALL the locks in SA are injured. Why did they not take Mostert in the 1st place? Would Anton Van Zyl have let them down? Brussouw was clearly not ready so why was he selected when clearly Keagan Daniel should have been selected. Players like Peter Grant & Duvenhage can’t make the initial 45 !!! Just for starters both are very good defenders plus Grant covers flyhalf and 1st center plus he has international experience plus he has the best S15 goal kicking percentage plus he distributes well plus he is not scared to take the ball flat and breach the gain line plus plus plus. Duvenhage was the BEST SA scrumhalf in the S15. In fact most of what they have done is bizarre!
26 Jul 2011, 13:00 pm
@Stormtrooper(Stormtrooper)-54: Peter Grant is useless and is not Bok material.
26 Jul 2011, 13:16 pm
Why does SA Rugby fall all-over itself, to find a place for Ruan.
He is clearly a very able rugby player, But.
Your best available 9?
Your best available 10?………………………………….. even,
I don’t think so.
Mind you, he couldn’t have been worse than Morne…………………………………could he.
26 Jul 2011, 13:53 pm
@cane(cane)-56: seems some players are just guaranteed free lunches….
Cane my good man I wonder whether you have any idea how frustrating it is to be a bok fan…
26 Jul 2011, 13:56 pm
I play 2nd grade open rugby in Brisbane’s premier rugby competition (Norths Rugby Union Club, “Will Genia’s club” -our only current claim to fame hehe) and even at my level, in this day and age, we go over the same drills again and again in training for restarts, kick returns, and from the set piece (even in our own 22) : DONT KICK THE BALL AWAY. Its the way the game has changed over the last few years and SA rugby hasnt kept up. I love the boks but they arent playing the attractive elbeit risky brand of rugby that the AB ‘s and Wallabies are playing.
Additionally, the coaching staff of the springboks are clearly to blame for the humiliating performance of the team and of individuals on Saturday night. For the life of me I cant stand reading everyones **** on here blaming individual players for the loss. Players like morne, hargreaves, olivier, steggmann: sure they didnt play well but all of them have the potential to be excellent international rugby players under the right management… quade had some shockers both on and off the field when he was young but ARU kept believing in him and now he’s the most dangerous attacking five eighth in the world. Pienaar and Smit were great players back in their days’ but once again poor management has pushed them past their expiration dates, robbing them of deserved honourable retirement.
The Springboks will not do well in this Tri-nations or the World Cup, all we can start doing now is looking to 2015 where exciting young players like lambie and hougaard can have the chance to develop their skillset to play the up-to-date brand of rugby that will be played as time progresses. Speed, flair and unpredictability will win NZ 2011.. of which the springboks have very little
Cheers
26 Jul 2011, 14:49 pm
“Danie Rossouw featured with some promising runs, but was often isolated when his team-mates”
Were was Steggman??? Let alone the abouve comments.. Did he do anything the entire Game?? Im being serious please some1 tell me? Were is his Agent Agile with all the “Stats”??
Did not see him ONCE the entire game. I remember some1 saying he was to busy hanging around trying to play centre, still though I never saw him..
Players like Flow, Deysel, Daniels, Brits, etc must really hard done by watching this minion being selected ahead of them.
How Matfield & Snor sleep at night I don’t know.
Just because he is a “fetcher” and from the Bulls he walks strait into the bok team.
Has he ever proven himself? NO. Has he ever warranted Springbok inclusion? No! Is he proving these comments wrong? No! Is he good enough? No.. Will he ever be better than Flow, Deysel, Daniels, Brits,Schalk,Juan, Watson, Johnson, Strous?? At this rate I seriously doubt it and until I see otherwise ill never believe it.. McCaw, Poccock and co must be liking their lips.. **** even the Northern Hem will be praying he becomes a bok regular if not at the world cup then after..
26 Jul 2011, 15:23 pm
@Guns(Guns)-59:
OK, well since you asked for me, look here:
http://www.keo.co.za/2011/07/25/sa-rugby-needs-honesty/all-comments/#comments
From post #419 and onwards.
We had this “debate” yesterday. I help “Two-Eyed” to come right.
I don’t have to do it from each one of you imbeciles. So just refer to that passage there.
26 Jul 2011, 15:36 pm
@ruans dad has told ruans mom that ruan doesnt have a legend…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-11:
I can tell you now that he would do allot better than the clowns that we currently have.
26 Jul 2011, 15:44 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-60:
Dude, Im starting to think these guys are doing it just to annoy you.
26 Jul 2011, 15:50 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-62:
That doesn’t make a lot of sense. They way they carry on…..
In that case they are all pathological and believe their own lies.
Other people say it too.
Tank Lanning, unfortuinately, I see writes that Stegmann was completely AWOL!
Well, Mr. Lanning, I’ve lost a little respect for you. Who in the Bok-team then was conspicuous?
Who could hold their head up high?
There are a number of A-team players in that team.
Stegmann does the most work on the field of 44 players and he is EXACTLY the one they say did the least.
GTFO.
26 Jul 2011, 16:02 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-62: dude, i watched a cartoon the other day, samurai jack…there was this ninja warrior of the night, how if uses the shadows to make himself invisible, the only way samurai jack could beat him was to wrap himself – mummy like – in his white robe and disappear in light…
it got me thinking, when stegmann puts on the – green – bok jersey he becomes a ninja & disappears on the field, hence most of these bloggers CAN’T see him even though he is on.
26 Jul 2011, 16:18 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-64: The SA version of ‘Where’s Wally’……’where’s Stegmann’.
26 Jul 2011, 17:16 pm
Aaaand I think I’ll just post my opinion here as well:
“OK look, it’s really simple guys:
Some people have a habit of calling Stegmann a penalty machine, or that he disappears during games.
Since Stegmann didn’t give away a single penatly in the test match, they can’t use their usual accusation against him.
The areas penalties are most likely conceeded:
Rucks;
ball carries;
tackles.
And the sum of these put together is more for Stegmann than any of the 44 players on the field that day. In other words Stegmann did more work and had more opportunity to conceed penalties (especially in a losing team) than any other player present.
And since he didn’t, they rather say that he did nothing.
How precious are you lot !
And that’s how that it. Simple. Haters gonna hate.
(unfortunately they do suck in some other SA ignoramuses that are susceptible to this slandering of our own talent, since they are incapable of forming their own opinions. Just read any thread on keo.co.za to see what I mean).
26 Jul 2011, 17:19 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-27: well said . People should take off their provincial hats when it comes to the Boks. it is about rugby,and it takes away from a lot of good points some of the bloggers make.I have read so many good posts on this site ,only to have it spoiled by some provincial remark .
It is different in the S15 and CC. But not when it comes to the international arena.
26 Jul 2011, 17:24 pm
JC. Do you ever read your own articles or any of the posts put up here??I would really appreciate it if you could have some dialogue with the guys on this site.Just a suggestion(or more than just that).
26 Jul 2011, 17:29 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-66: Our captain is the first not to do his job. All the other teams have a real hooker,who is a 4 th loose forward as well.Our hooker has a 100 meter time of 17 seconds or more. Poor Stegmann has to do much more than what is possible. He would be at his best if our tight 5 can have some ascendancy.Our game was not lost by our loose forwards . Blame the Combinations and the Absolute poor tackling from 2,3,9,10.
26 Jul 2011, 18:20 pm
@optiplay(optiplay)-69:
Actaully Ruan tackled ok, but his DEFENSE was shocking. As a total defensive effort coughing up possesion the way he did (caught behind the line and passing into the opposition hands, not commiting to b/d defense etc. are all bad showings.
I would just say that he is rusty. I expect much more from him.
And on top of that Hargreaves got an abdominal muscle strain or whatever, that might explain his lack of aggression at the b/d.
But if we had a hardcore tight5, the openside would immediately be able to contend and direct matters more smoothly.
26 Jul 2011, 18:32 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-5: Meyer and Plumtree would do no better, blaming the coach is as misleading as blaming the players, rather blame the SA rugby system which ensures your best players are broken down and overplayed come test season. Until that is rectified SA will never be consistently competitive in the Tri Nations.
27 Jul 2011, 01:15 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-47: @pompies2(pompies2)-45: Guys just to give some perspective, you are talking about Quade Cooper here. He does this to opposition players routinely.This is not the first defensive system that has struggled against him and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
27 Jul 2011, 01:33 am
The Tri-Nations should be called the Don’t Try Nations, with leading players being rested en masse, especially by South Africa so far.
Call me old-fashioned, but that’s not what major test match rugby should be about under any circumstances.
Australia were impressive in Sydney but then again, they were playing rugby midgets in the South African backline. You will see bigger backlines in Auckland secondary school teams.
The Springboks would not only lose the World Cup with that mob, they’d lose the Currie Cup as well. Their coach, Peter de Villiers, must think he’s in That ’70s Show, or else he’s desperately trying to throw his World Cup opponents off track.
The Springbok backline that started against Australia averaged well under 90kg and there were no substantial reinforcements on the bench.
They were road kill in waiting, and if that unit lines up against Sonny Bill Williams, Ma’a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Hosea Gear and co, they should be smashed into oblivion.
(Chris Rattue, NZ Herald 27.7.11)
27 Jul 2011, 02:26 am
Your subtle old self Tackler…but your right, it is somehoe saddening about what they have done…I think it is really an embarrassment on the Bok jersey.
27 Jul 2011, 04:41 am
Stats, yes a wonderful thing…the following from ruggastats via Verusco Sport. Thought I will just compare Stegman with Pocock:
Stegman first then Pocock…
Tackle Assists 5/7
Turnovers 0/0
Tackles made 14/16
Missed tackles 2/0
Ball carries 4/4
Offloads 0/1
% across gainline 80/100
Meters gained 21/24
Passes 3/4
Handle count 9/8
1st 1 to 3 on attack 36/21
1st 1 to 3 on defence 6/9
So irrespective of what old agitated t*tty is telling us it seems Stegman is ahead on one count only, 1 to 3 on attack. Problem is even so he did less overall. By the way, these guys counted zero turnovers for Stegman in the game..
In defence he is #1 with Pienaar but he had 2 misses and Pienaar 0. Four Wallabies had more than 14 tackles.
All said and done, he played as kuk as the 21 other guys and I have to think hard to say even ONE Bok player stood out…and that is the problem!
27 Jul 2011, 04:45 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-71:
A coach takes on the job with all of this known to him, a good one will beat/overcome this. PDivvie has shown little to convinve me he can plan his subs during a match let alone plan a 4 year stint or lo and behold…a GAMEPLAn.
27 Jul 2011, 06:21 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-75:
The Turnover in the category there is the FORCED TURNOVER MADE IN THE TACKLE (read the header notes).
Stegmann did make a turnover where he arrived at the tackle.
The Assists are part of the tackle
Catch a wakeup.
27 Jul 2011, 06:24 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-75:
By the way, defense is not just about tackling.
Pienaar gifted them possession (5 handling errors and poor passes), that is “negative defense”: he is breaking our defense down.
And he didn’t bolster our defensive rucks when the need arose, and we got rucked off our own ball a bunch of times.
He is was not the best defender just because he made 14 tackles.
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