Matfield key to Boks’ RWC ambitions
8 Aug 2011
Heyneke Meyer says the Springboks could cope with the loss of John Smit, but without Victor Matfield their chances of a World Cup defence will be seriously undermined.
The Springboks have gathered in preparation for home Tests against Australia and New Zealand in Durban and Port Elizabeth respectively. After withdrawing the bulk of their first-choice players from the Australian leg of the Tri-Nations to allow them to work with consultant Rassie Erasmus in a training camp in Rustenburg, the selectors are expected to name full strength match 22s in the next fortnight. Among those will be Matfield, who has been central to the planning around the Springboks’ game plan while in camp.
Matfield started the Super Rugby campaign poorly, but became increasingly potent as the tournament progressed. The 34-year-old’s early form elicited fears that he would arrive at the World Cup a poor impostor of the imperious player he was four years earlier in France. But he allayed some of those fears with his rebound, and, having had an extended break, his first in years, Matfield is better equipped to play a central role in the Springboks’ World Cup challenge.
Meyer, his long time mentor and the Bulls’ director of rugby, says it is absolutely crucial that he is not injured prior to the global showpiece, particularly in light of a season-ending injury to his skilled deputy Andries Bekker.
‘With no disrespect to John Smit, who has been a fine leader and player for the Boks, he is not irreplaceable, whereas Victor is,’ Meyer told keo.co.za. ‘There are other hookers in the Boks mix who could step into John’s shoes and do a fine job. But with Andries out we need to pray that nothing happens to Victor because we just don’t have quality in depth in that position [No 5 lock].
‘There are guys who could do an adequate job, but none that have anything approaching his [Matfield's] technical knowledge and aura. Andries was getting there and was probably the second-best player in that position in the world. It goes without saying the Springboks will rely heavily on Matfield’s lineout play – it’s the one area we’ll be superior in a potential semi-final against New Zealand – but he is so important as a leader and tactician as well. I have insight into his influence into the planning tactically, which extends to all facets of play, not just the lineout. If he gets injured the Springboks’ chances of winning the World Cup decrease dramatically.’
Meyer continued to highlight Matfield’s long time lieutenant Fourie du Preez’s value. ‘Away from their individual technical ability and the confidence their presence gives their team-mates, their knowledge of the game is so good and it is clear that so much of what the Springboks do tactically comes from them. Victor and Fourie are the brains of the operation.’
After a poor Tri-Nations tour which featured a record defeat to New Zealand, the Springboks have placed a massive premium on confidence-generating victories ahead of the World Cup. Meyer is on record as saying he would have played his strongest side throughout the tournament in a bid to gain synergy and refine aspects of the game plan. But he says the Springboks still have an opportunity to achieve those goals.
‘They just have less time to get it right, so they’re under a little bit of pressure,’ he explains. ‘They’ll carry the confidence of wins in the next two Tests to the World Cup, but likewise they could carry the scars of defeat there as well. That’s why these Tests are so crucial.
‘Their execution has to be spot on because they employ a game plan that leaves very little room for error. If they get it right it’s very difficult to counter, but if they get it wrong, like they did in 2010, they will be vulnerable to counter-attacks from broken field.
‘I think Rassie will have introduced a little variation to their play on attack and defence, but execution remains the key. I’m still optimistic about their chances, particularly since the way the breakdown is being refereed now allows more of a contest. It offers the Boks an opportunity to impose themselves in the collisions and be rewarded for that.’
By Ryan Vrede
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122 Comments
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8 Aug 2011, 10:07 am
@Champs 95 07 and Beyond(Champs 95 07 and Beyond)-91:
Gary has a pretty insightful website… I have it bookmarked somewhere… will try find it…
Forward unity at rucks/mauls/tackle-zone on attack and defence has been pathetic since the zenith of 2009… they are simply not hunting as a pack clearing in numbers at the breakdown on defence nor attack nor with vigour… defensive lines have progressively fallen away to… as Rod Kafer showed before the AB game on his technical analysis. it’s simply staid, drifting defence from a standing start… a far cry from the refined rush/drift hybrid it was…
Snor an co would do well to watch his show… he pre-determined every nail in the coffin the Boks have had in the last two seasons…
8 Aug 2011, 10:09 am
personally…..I think chilli and adriaan strauss are both displaying better form than bismark and smit.
in fact, chilli is in the form of his life, if he can just scrum a little harder I’d start considering him with the best in the world.
anyway, Heyneke is right…in fact, Heyneke is pretty much always right.
take what he says as gospel.
…when compared with Twakkie anyway.
8 Aug 2011, 10:10 am
@lapoftherugbygods(lapoftherugbygods)-96: don’t worry SA fans’ expectations are not too high at this stage, we are definitely going in as the under dogs and most SA fans realize this. By what we saw on Saturday morning we could handle the Aussie but the ABs are looking too strong. ABs are favorites to win WC even from most SA fans’ points of view. We still live in hope but…. Gaan Bokke!!
8 Aug 2011, 10:11 am
@lapoftherugbygods(lapoftherugbygods)-96:
Oz arent the deal neither,got snorted on weekend much like Bok B side.And up front they are still very weak especially atcollision points.Did ok in the scrum-Crockett’s suspect technique was found out but when Ben Franks came on AB scrum dominated.Plus in Cooper they dont have a Test FH yet….That back pass in tryline was what he is all about.
So lets wait till end of 3N
8 Aug 2011, 10:11 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-101:
Here you go… some excellent contributions right across the rugby coaching gamete from technical analysis to mental coaching to conditioning…
http://www.rugbyiq.com/
8 Aug 2011, 10:16 am
oh victor, call out to your men….
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our Springbok dead.
In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour’d rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o’erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O’erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill’d with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest Springboks
………even the legends call you a legend…
.
8 Aug 2011, 10:16 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-100: let’s see how Steyn performs in the next two games, at the moment I’d have him over Gio at 15 and would also probably even have Zane. For me Gio is best at wing.
We are kicking away far to much possession, it is very annoying. We must keep ball in hand if we are to avoid strong counter attacks from both the Aussies and ABs, they know our old outdated kick and chase tactic and normally have their back three waiting for the ball for a good counter, I don’t know why the fk we persist with the kick and chase. If there is kicking to be done to get out of our 22 at least kick it out because our lineout should be competitive.
8 Aug 2011, 10:27 am
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-107:
you say you are tired of our outdated kicking strategy, yet you still want to pick Frans Steyn or even Kirchner at 15 above Aplon??? To play a ball in hand approach you must choose the rightful personnel the execute it.And Aplon is TAILOR-MADE for such a strategy,he is the best open field runner from the back in the country hands down. Yet still Steyn/Kirchner??? Steyn doesnt have the pace,agility to play in that manner & Kirchner is not even international class-his first option on attack is to put up a bomb giving it to opposition to tear us apart.
And on what form/basis would you have Steyn or even Kirchner above Gio??? Based on what? Gio has played one Test this year after S15 campaign where he was the best FB in country. Lambie is the 2nd best 15 after Aplon in SA.
8 Aug 2011, 10:39 am
sawubona sbali, kunjani namuhla?
Mina ngiphaphama kwaNdonga ziyaduma.
8 Aug 2011, 10:40 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-108: I was dissapointed from what I saw of Aplon in the last 2 outings, he couldn’t even make a try saving tackle. In fact his tackling in general seemed to be poor and his tactical kicking was shoddy, he also was out of position most of the time. Look no doubt Aplon is talented I’d have him and JPP at wing (Aplon over Habanadonna), but if we have him at 15 against Samoa, Figi or ABs, they gonna fk him up.
8 Aug 2011, 11:01 am
samoa & fiji never fukked up percy, who was a walking geriatric who was sh*t scared of contact, yet these okes are supposed to kill aplon.
Which islander ever fukked up christian cullen?
8 Aug 2011, 11:15 am
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-110:
??? Aplon played only vs OZ,Morne played 15 vs All Blacks.So what second outing?
Tactical kicking shoddy? I supposed Morne Steyn vs AB’s was collosal on defense & kicking? even though he gave away ball by kicking all day.
Percy could never make a decent tackle in over a decade he played for Bok at 15
And Aplon can tackle,put its body on the line. He missed the tackle vs Ioane on a 2 on 1 ONLY.Ioane also made Mils miss in the position this past weekend.So was Mils fcked up? Nah mate
So was Beale fckd up whole of last season after he was tearing Boks & AB’s a new as*hole on multiple occasion-he weighs only 5 or so kgs more than Gio.He was the best 15 in the world last yr.Jason Robinson was a tiny fella too-fell off his fair share of tackles,who couldnt kick to save his life yet he was England’s best atacking weapon from the back for years.Better than any 15 we’ve had in last 10 years.Purely because we wont embrace trends.
Just say you favour size+BOOT over speed & guile even though the trend worldwide is the latter(best 15′s are runner first-KICK second).Yet like typical saffas we want grootseun at the back who can kick and not much else.That why a guy like Daniller in SA will always be rated even though he is rubbish. Adding a running 15 will only bolster our
attack & make us a bigger threat when we are on or off the ball.
8 Aug 2011, 12:00 pm
Vic our Fourie are SA’s equivalent of McCaw and Carter. Trully world class players, let hope they show world class form
8 Aug 2011, 12:21 pm
Interesting that Meyer views the revised breakdown laws/emphasis as favourable to our chances. I actually think they’re more detrimental to our chances. Continually securing ruck ball and working through the phases is not something the Boks are good at. We’ve always been a better defending side than an attacking one.
8 Aug 2011, 14:08 pm
@Yetirat(Yetirat)-114:
Fair point there Yeti.
I guess where Heyneke might come from is the fact that we need to rely on phase play for momentum as our skill in offloading or passing in contact are limited.
So it pays to go to ground more often than not.
However, for this to be effective, the pack must carry the ball as a unit and offer adequate support at every node.
One thing I am concerned about is our strike runners isolating themselves on attack – the likes of Danie and our props do that far too often.
8 Aug 2011, 14:47 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-112: Very few people rate Daniller.
8 Aug 2011, 15:03 pm
@TheAgent(TheAgent)-116: i rate Daniller. what is there not to rate?
he tackles, he catches, he punts like a mule, he joins the line, he is safe in every aspect. i would like him to come to the bulls even.
he is not rated the best in the world. but he is alot better than average.
8 Aug 2011, 18:37 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-102:
Could be a bias agains Chili?
He played against the ABs in 2006 already, still doesn’t make the match 22?
Strauss is by far the best currently, that’s my humble opinion
8 Aug 2011, 19:02 pm
Advice worth condidering from down underLittle time for Wallabies to close gaps
John Eales August 08, 2011
Sitivini Sitivatu busts the Wallabies’ line on Saturday night. Photo: John Selkirk
My father enjoyed cricket more than rugby. By his own admission he wasn’t much chop at either; he had the temperament for cricket but not the skill, and the size for rugby but not the temperament. But he understood both games well and coached them in the juniors for many decades.
Dad taught me a lot about both sports. His words were always in my thoughts when I took guard in cricket: “John, don’t look at the fieldsmen, look at the spaces between them.” Simple, common-sense advice, and just as relevant for rugby, where opportunity often reveals itself in the gaps rather than within the clutter. But if he had given the same advice to the Wallabies in Auckland on Saturday they wouldn’t have known where to look as there seemed precious little space between the omnipresent black jerseys on the Eden Park turf.
New Zealand’s victory was more comprehensive than the 30-14 score-line suggests, and the All Blacks would be much relieved. They had been under serious pressure in the build-up to the game. All summer they’ve had to bear the petulant chorus hailing the Wallaby victory in the Orient, and all last month the taunts over the Reds’ triumph in Super Rugby. Pundits from all corners, and specifically those from across a certain sea, were talking about another early World Cup exit.
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Now that scenario doesn’t seem as likely. But the pressure on New Zealand and coach Graham Henry won’t disappear. If I were in his shoes, I would make some very tough calls immediately, the toughest being to choose a top XV and stick with it until October 23.
Most World Cup winners have emerged from stable teams, albeit sometimes through a lack of depth in the squad. Henry’s dilemma is different. His first half a dozen selections would be simple: Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Kieran Read, Wyatt Crockett, Ma’a Nonu and Mils Muliaina. The next nine are far more contentious.
Assuming Saturday’s All Blacks are the front-runners, they would benefit enormously from playing together until the final.
If you assume that players 16 to 30 in the cup squad could play against one of the minnows in the pool matches, this allows the top team five matches together before the quarter-finals.
Stability breeds certainty, the most important aspect of which is certainty between each other – certainty to the point where a mere glance sends a message more potent than any spoken or written word.
That certainty is lacking in the Wallabies at present. Once again they tried hard individually, particularly James Horwill, Will Genia and Digby Ioane, but they failed to threaten as a team. Even the units within the team failed to click, with the exception of the front row, which gave their most reliable display in years against the All Blacks. That is a breakthrough on which this team can build. Further progress elsewhere, especially in the area of contact, will garner more comfort, but the space and the opportunity for Robbie Deans to build certainty is closing, and fast.
In 2003, England cast aside hoodoos on their way to winning the World Cup in Australia, but they did so in the winter and not during the tournament itself. They had never won on New Zealand or Australian soil and they achieved both convincingly in June before beating Australia again in November. The Reds, likewise, took pins out of their voodoo doll one at a time over the two years before they eclipsed the Crusaders in the final in Brisbane in July.
This Wallaby side has done similarly over the last couple of years but the Eden Park hex remains. They may get another chance later this year, but not if they play like they did this weekend. Their response must be immediate as the space to make a difference is closing as quickly as the gaps on Saturday night.
9 Aug 2011, 03:37 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-112: Robbo lost his full-back place to Josh Lewsey prior to the 2003 World Cup and was moved to wing, the best 15s can run AND kick.
9 Aug 2011, 03:46 am
@willievz(willievz)-115: Hey Willie, yeah agree with you there. If you look at that Bulls pack a few seasons ago, Heyneke used to say they could down opposition teams “like a slow poison”. That was largely because of how well they worked together. Everything was done as a unit. That is the hallmark of any great pack and I mentioned a few weeks back that I thought one of the big weaknesses of the Bok pack against NZ and Aus was that they didn’t work together as a unit. In fact I could extend that criticism to the entire Bok 15 in the last Autumn internationals bar the England game perhaps. Also chatted with you briefly a while back on how the Boks seem to offload less and less and how it’s almost become a redundant part of their game. So if that’s what Heyneke was intimating then fair enough. But if you consider we’re still playing to a game plan formulated by Jake under laws that suited defending sides, you can see why it’s falling apart for us in modern times!
9 Aug 2011, 04:19 am
@Yetirat(Yetirat)-121:
Spot-on… without a doubt the biggest reason for the Bulls not firing has been their pack’s inability to play as a unit, hitting offensive and defensive tackle-zones en-masse and as one… add to that they have two fairly impactless hookers and more importantly have not been getting their loose-forward combo/balance correct… and it only worsens the situation for their usually quite quick ball…
Now that extends right into the recent Bok side and evident last year… they are simply not committing enough players to the breakdowns on attack and defence and clearing as a unit… hence the turnovers (and some try to blame an isolated ‘fetcher’…
This is not just in the forwards department but every player arriving at the tackle zone form 1-22 needs to be in ruck/clear/turnover mode (it’s no surprise wingers and centres figured in the top 20 turnover stats for the S15)… there’s just no synergy in this dept at all anymore… asleep at the wheel both the analysts (cough cough) and tacticians have been…
None more evident of this above was Samoa’s win over the Aus B side… they simply monstered Beau Robinson off the ball at every breakdown on attack or defence (they had no need for a ‘fetcher’ when every player from 1-22 was performing their task)…
I guess we’re just going to have to see what an extremely ring-rusty pack is attempting this weekend to assess where they are…
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