Back Bismarck, axe Morne
12 Sep 2011
MARK KEOHANE, in his weekly Business Day column, says the Springboks have to change who starts and how they play if they want to defend their World Cup title.
Forget the old cliché that this was a character builder for the Boks. This team of champions has enough character and they’ve been through enough scraps in the last eight years to never want to endure another 80 minutes like Sunday’s in Wellington.
The Springboks don’t need more exposure to character-building situations in this World Cup and the head-coaching trio, out of their depth for the last four years, surely don’t need another match to know that the best XV has to start every game in this tournament and that includes Bismarck du Plessis at hooker and excludes Morne Steyn at flyhalf.
The Welsh goal-kicking implosion in the last few minutes means there can be calm in the Bok camp and not the hysteria that would have followed defeat.
There can be perspective and not national persecution. There can be reflection and not condemnation.
Wales flyhalf Rhys Priestland missed a drop goal from smack bang in front with five minutes to play and fullback James Hook fluffed the chance to win the match with an angled 35m penalty three minutes from the end. Had either of those two kicks gone over the mood in the Bok camp and the emotion among the South African rugby public would have been a lot different than it is this morning.
I keep on writing about the honesty needed within our rugby and within the Bok squad. It has never been more appropriate than this morning. Forget patriotism for a moment and focus on pragmatism. The patriotism at this tournament belongs to New Zealand. The Boks need something more tangible to defend the title won four years ago.
The Boks remain one of three teams who can win this tournament. Australia put down the biggest marker in the first weekend and New Zealand’s home ground advantage remains their biggest asset because they are limited as a team and the great among them merely balance out the many mediocre All Blacks playing for a first World Cup win in 24 years.
But for the Boks to move on from the Houdini escape in Wellington there has to be an acknowledgement of what works and what doesn’t. There has to be criticism from within that is not interpreted as a negative but rather is applauded as a positive. To win here the Boks have to change who starts and how they play. Wales gave every South African the most timely reminder that what worked in 2007 won’t be good enough to beat one of Australia or New Zealand in a play-off.
The Boks next nervous 80 minutes will be a probable quarter-final against Ireland and the examination will be as demanding as those questions asked by the Welsh.
Samoa, in the pool match-up, won’t challenge the Boks because they don’t have the game or the composure to win ugly against a side as experienced or powerful as South Africa.
Wales were outstanding. Let’s start there. Welsh coach Warren Gatland tactically got everything right against the Boks. They kept the ball, kept it close, used the powerful Jamie Roberts to run at Morne Steyn all match and played the field percentages almost to perfection.
Welsh captain and specialist fetcher Sam Warburton was colossal. He played with the precision and irritation of a young Richie McCaw and starved the Boks of ball. He deserved to lead a historic triumph in Wellington.
Wales had 60% of territory and possession, conceded just five penalties – only one of them kickable – and poached three South African lineouts.
Yet they still lost because it is not in their DNA to beat the Springboks, and when the biggest moments of the game came their players did not have the nerve, the conviction and the courage in decision making to win it. Wales were in unfamiliar territory against the Boks and the match they talked of all week they couldn’t quite play out according to script.
Aside from Australia – and possibly New Zealand – this Welsh effort would have beaten every team at this tournament, but that will be small comfort to Gatland and Warburton.
The Boks, beaten on the ground, in the air, in the tackle and in the collision, were never beaten in their minds – and the belief that they could conjure up seven points, almost at will, never deserted them.
The opening try to the impressive Frans Steyn was vintage Boks, but what proved to be the match winner from Francois Hougaard in the 65th minute showed the qualities of a champion who has been there before and delivered.
South Africa always had the one punch to strike from anywhere that was more threatening than the collective build-up of so many impressive Welsh attacks.
Bismarck du Plessis was monumental in the final quarter, Hougaard was inspirational and Willem Alberts was destructive. Not so those they replaced.
598 Comments
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12 Sep 2011, 12:13 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-228: rubbish man! YOU just a couple of weeks back were more moaning at how the all blacks were trying to run like head-less chickens @ aus in brisbane in the 1st half and YOU questioned McCaw’s leadership at not adapting to the SAME forwards orientated game the boks play.
if the All Blacks had been pragmatic EARLY they wouldn’t have lost the game.
12 Sep 2011, 12:13 pm
frans steyn surprised me on saturday.good game.should have worked on his appearance a long time ago.
12 Sep 2011, 12:15 pm
Swapping M Steyn for Butch will be a big mistake – Simple.
Has anyone fathomed yet that the problem in the 10/12 channel is due to poor defensive play by 12… Yes, I’m talking about Donkey De Villiers. Morne Steyn seems to be the scapegoat for the poor play by Donkey… He has been inept for a while but many of you are blinded by this. A much better defensive player is JDJ who proved this in 2010 S14 and in the tests he played in.
But for this WC we have a solution at 12: F Steyn – a player already proven at 12 in a WC final.
12 Sep 2011, 12:16 pm
Criticism of Schalk Burger’s game as ineffective by some bloggers on this site is incomprehensible, given his suicidal physicality and countless tackles – AND this was his first game in 8 weeks.
Smit must go … if the pack is going forward (and they can and will if Bismarck plays fhe whole game) then Spies is actually the man for the job – he really is something else on attack and he’s a better tackler than people are suggesting.
But if the pack is floundering – which it will be if Smit is still there – then Alberts is a much better choice for Number 8.
Lastly – watch JP Pieterson’s lack of tackle effort … half the time he just couldn’t be bothered, which is a pity because he has a good history of delivering some big hits. He should be told he is playing for his place now and let’s see if he ante’s up.
12 Sep 2011, 12:16 pm
@Helen(Helen)-214: Frans Steyn used to at times do a looping pass to frans Steyn off set play! You can’t pass to yourself maaaan.
12 Sep 2011, 12:17 pm
@danuk(danuk)-247:
So are you saying that between 2010 and 2011 Morne suddenly became a bad tackler?
Does it not make more sense to say that the weak Bok tight five is unable to accommodate a Morne Steyn/Andrew Mehrtens type defender at no.10?
And yet, without a Morne Steyn/Andrew Mehrtens type of kicker no team is going to win this Cup.
Furthermore, without a strong tightfive, no team is going to win this Cup, even WITH a Morne Steyn/Mehrtens type flyhalf.
So the answer, then, is obvious. Don’t replace the only 100% goalkicker from the opening weekend of the 2011 World Cup. Instead, make the necessary replacements in the tight five to make your kicker – and your loose forwards – effective again.
Conclusion: The problem isn’t at 10, or amongst the loosies. The problem is in the front five.
And for the record, Butch was utterly **** on Sunday.
12 Sep 2011, 12:17 pm
A gazzilion caps on the park and a one point win
12 Sep 2011, 12:20 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-253: Not buying that, Morne’s 1st time tackling in the 2nd half was terrible. He simply tackles to high and falls off the players. Butch had to mark Roberts and the 8th man in the try.
If we play him for his kicking then we need to bolster up the 10 – 12 channel, maybe swopping him on defense with Frans Steyn or one of the wings coming across, like JPP did
12 Sep 2011, 12:21 pm
it’s a well-known fact that most international teams would targe t a weak- tackling ten, as in the case with morne steyn.silly to blame jdv for a steyn’s cowardly display.
12 Sep 2011, 12:21 pm
Boks ‘like ancient edifice’
2011-09-12 11:44Email | Print
Cape Town – Sympathy for Wales rather than any significant salute for the victorious Springboks has predictably tended to dominate international media reaction to the World Cup Pool D nail-biter in Wellington.
Some writers, nevertheless, did point out that the scoreboard, and not sentiment, wins rugby matches and did find time to laud old-fashioned South African guts and last-ditch desire.
Ben Dirs on http://www.bbc.co.uk said Wales proved they “could be contenders” one day. “But you have to rip the title away from a champion and unlike in boxing, in rugby scoreboards rarely lie.
“There were times when South Africa resembled some ancient edifice being laid siege to, marauding Welshmen dismantling them bit by bit.
“With 15 minutes remaining, it seemed we were witnessing the end of an era. And then somebody flicked a switch.
“The old adage has it that a fighter’s punch is the last thing to go, but actually it is his pride: Bismarck du Plessis having been injected, South Africa bolted into life … a few desperate swings, and unfortunately for Wales one of them connected.”
Meanwhile Toby Robson, writing in Wellington-based New Zealand newspaper The Dominion Post, suggested that those who watched the 17-16 win would add it to the “mounting evidence” that the Springboks are a side close to tipping over the edge of the age barrier.
“For now, South Africa can cling still to the survival instincts that remain only just intact after playing the part of a giant sponge. How they won remains unclear … this was a bumbling escape rather than a statement of intent.
“(But) whoever wants to beat the Boks at this tournament will have to run through a wall of green granite: it starts with flankers Schalk Burger and Heinrich Brussow, spreads forward to lock Danie Rossouw and out to centre Jaque Fourie.
“They won despite a horror night from Fourie du Preez (and) some clueless play from Morne Steyn.”
Senior rugby writer Mick Cleary of The Daily Telegraph in London said defeat for Wales was “a low blow indeed”.
He added: “Whatever happened to justice in sport, an even break, a fair return on sweat and toil and enterprise? The scoreboard can be a heartless arbiter.
“Tough: that’s the nature of the business. It rarely comes down to luck; it’s invariably will and nerve that makes the difference and South Africa are masters of that little trick.
“The defending champions departed with their morale intact, their campaign to become the first side to win back-to-back titles still on course, albeit shakily.”
12 Sep 2011, 12:22 pm
@24_years_new_zeeland_looking_for_web_ellis_where_the_f_is_web_ellis(p0ppa69)-250: Bees Roux your new Hero.. I see he paid R750,000 to kill that cop when the going rate in Cape Town is R15000.. He also paid the prosecutor an undisclosed sum to organise the plea bargain.. I am really pissed off with the Plea bargain.. My “Janitor” reckons its gonna cost me more now to sort you out
12 Sep 2011, 12:23 pm
@danuk(danuk)-258:
How many games did NZ lose because Mehrtens couldn’t tackle for sh*t?
Not many.
In fact, weren’t they constantly on the verge of breaking the consecutive test victory record under John Hart? And that was with Can’t-Tackle-Mehrtens at no.10.
12 Sep 2011, 12:23 pm
Burger was SA’s man of the match, yet some bloggers want to see him dropped. Man I have read it all today. The man who is the biggest liability and sissy in the team is Spies. That is the problem – bring in Alberts and drop the guy to orange carrier, once and for all. Thank goodness they benched him as he was nowhere.
12 Sep 2011, 12:24 pm
heavens game , like your team .I presume Mossie means JF ?
12 Sep 2011, 12:24 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-251: I did compain about McCaw, Carter, mils lack of adaptability. I was not alone in this rare concept as the three wisemen effected a game plan change. With the boks what’s plan B? Would you trust these chaps to match the ABs and wallabies or the Fijians and Tongans with a running game, heh?! you know that’d end in disaster! Stick to Morne at 10, play traditional bok strength from the forwards to Steyn to the Heavens, and then do it again!!!
12 Sep 2011, 12:25 pm
Got to go
12 Sep 2011, 12:25 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-256: Are you saying he is a good tackler? Simple yes or no?
Your obviously a Morne fan, so not going into the Butch discussion with you, however you cannot say Morne is a good defender because of the S14, or because the loosies did not back him up.
His defense is ****, mostly/probably because he tackles too high. IF the boks want to play him then they need to find a better way to plug that gap, because the loosies cannot be expected to fill that backline gap all the time, because of the breakdowns.
12 Sep 2011, 12:26 pm
@danuk(danuk)-267:
If the guy is blue he is best. No logic about that statement needed.
12 Sep 2011, 12:27 pm
@Helen(Helen)-170:
This charade of a chickadee if at all it is a chickadee is just as mesmerized befok as the rest of the hail hero worshipers who coagulate around the grubby rugby pubs adulation besmirching their los lipstick after hero’s that aren’t. Those that cannot see FdP’s and Burgers inadequacies are the self same moronic menstrual misplaced perceptions that were hail hero worshiping John Smit as the White Knight in shining armor that would deliver them out of hegemony and walk tall victorious come what may just the other day. It took 3 players to rescue that floundering fckup of a disaster from out of the dragons snorting nostrils and their names are Bismark du Plessis, Willem Alberts and Francois Hougaard, NOT John Smit, Schalk Burger or Fourie du Preez, who all belong to the over the hill and on the decline dismally dreary diminishing aching breaking club.
12 Sep 2011, 12:27 pm
ag wales can also talk themselves up big time, they want to be contenders, dont just get close with the big guns, don’t lose to fiji and samoa like last time out, i reckon both those boys could very well take the welshies close and our lot better be careful too.
12 Sep 2011, 12:28 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-153: Agree. He does not even need to stand-up. Could still wave that magic wand from his sleeping bag amongst 21 playing members. Sorry to repeat the obvious.
12 Sep 2011, 12:29 pm
mense ‘n woord v raad…..
if you want to drop people…
drop the coaches…
12 Sep 2011, 12:30 pm
Very good column Keo, well written and insightful…
My squad for next weekend:
15 P Lambie
14 Hougaard
13 J Fourie
12 F Steyn
11 JP Pietersen
10 B James
09 F du Preez
08 W Alberts
07 S Burger
06 H Brussow
05 J Muller (Captain)
04 D Rossouw
03 J du Plessis
02 B du Plessis
01 G Steenkamp
16 Smit
17 CJ
18 Mostert
19 F Louw
20 R Pienaar
21 J Dejongh
22 G Aplon
12 Sep 2011, 12:30 pm
@danuk(danuk)-258: Mornes most glaring miss was on who? This led to a try. Now questions must be asked as to how the Boks got themselves into this mismatch with a marauding 8 against our 10. This is more an indictment on other players and our defensive system than Steyn himself. The Wallabies find a way to accommodate Cooper. The Boks must find a way to protect M Steyn. Steyn has the best boot at the WC so far especially with this ball that does very strange things in flight (Johnny and Carter are finding it difficult – Morne not). He is invaluable. Instead I reckon the Boks need to shore up 12. For too long Donkey has been a passenger there. He has been exposed there repeatedly in the Welsh game and in the last couple of 3N games not only for his ability to take the tackle but for his defensive positioning. M Steyn has been the scapegoat for this. Although Butch is good at head on confrontational defense, his actual positioning, alignment and defensive positioning leaves a lot to be desired.
You guys are picking on the obvious – Morne Steyn. A bit more depth and asking more “whys” will help get to the real answer.
12 Sep 2011, 12:31 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-236: you think ian foster is as astute as the welsh management?
when you say “giant Polynesians” to some people’s minds it might conjure up images of marauding lomu-like players, in the same way someone saying “giant Afrikaners” might ellicit images of bakkies moering someone, when in truth a kak softie like Spies is Afrikaner too, so is Dewalt Potgieter.
in anycase Liam Messam, Sione Lauaki & Tanerau Latimer are hardly reverred players even in their own country.
this is TEST rugby, not S14.
12 Sep 2011, 12:31 pm
@danuk(danuk)-267:
I thought I made myself pretty clear.
Morne isn’t the best defender around, but some of the greatest flyhalves in history were very poor defenders. E.G. Mehrtens, to pick someone from the modern era.
The point is, you just have to compensate for it, like NZ did when Mehrtens dominated the no.10 position for almost a decade.
Big tackling flyhalves are an anomaly. Not that Butch is an effective defender in any case. He slipped some easy tackles on Sunday, while flying in with arms swinging all over the place.
Back to Morne. A good defender at flyhalf is not a must have. A dominant tight five, however, most certainly is.
12 Sep 2011, 12:31 pm
@Sean(seanbokpool)-264: Yup There is only one Mossie Fourie
12 Sep 2011, 12:31 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-262: I fail to see your point, Mehrtens were hardly ever tested, so why would John Hart drop him. The ABs maintain an 80% plus win record, the boks don’t.
You cannot say because the ABs had a flyhalf that was not the greatest defender that it means we should stick to the same plan, because:
1. The game is substantially quicker and the midfield of any good team needs to be strong in defence to have any chance. How many times in the last 2 years have teams broken through our 10-12 channel?
2. Unless you’ve been on another planet it’s clear to see that the Boks are not dominating even against Wales. We are not John Hart’s ABs and pretending we are is ridiculious
12 Sep 2011, 12:33 pm
The thing is the Boks have a chance to win if the right players are selected, but they are not being selected – JW knew this which is why he offered his services pretending he was doing everyone a big favour. He could see Smit was on his last legs and told him to retire. I think Smit could still be useful as a final 10-minute subbie, but for the love of christus, start Bismark and Alberts.
12 Sep 2011, 12:33 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-275:
Well pick the revered Crusaders then, who the Bulls smashed three times in three semifinals, with Morne at flyhalf.
Pick the Blues, who the Bulls smashed many times with Morne at flyhalf.
Pick any NZ team you choose. Point is, if your pack is strong enough a weaker defender at no.10 can easily be accommodated.
12 Sep 2011, 12:34 pm
@Staal(Staal)-272: One hundred percent ayfcking ay!
12 Sep 2011, 12:36 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-274: I’m not picking on Morne, however I think we need to except that his tackling is ****.
Then if that is the case, and we want to play him for his kicking, make a plan to plug that gap, like the Aussies with Cooper.
Problem here is that people like Tac seems to want to insist that Morne is not that bad, because of a S14 title two years ago
12 Sep 2011, 12:36 pm
fdp had a shocker on saturday and he nearly cost the boks the game.how people still hero-worship him is beyond me.
12 Sep 2011, 12:36 pm
@danuk(danuk)-278:
Well that’s my whole point. We are NOT dominating up front. We MUST dominate up front.
Or we might as well go home, even if we have Dan Carter at 10.
It is so obvious.
Changing flyhalves will be like re arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, if we don’t change our pack of forwards.
And if we change our pack of forwards, then Morne won’t be tested, just like Mehrtens wasn’t tested.
What’s so difficult to understand about that?
Strong tight five – non-negotiable.
Dead-eye d*ck goalkicker – non-negotiable.
Swinging arm crash tackler at 10 – very negotiable.
12 Sep 2011, 12:37 pm
dunno why morne’s defense is considered so bad, the welsh were steaming over our forwards let alone our backs, they were getting non-stop go-forward
ball such are the 3 passengers in the pack in smit, matfield and spies – spies was knocked back, burger was knocked back, they were all knocked back – apart from alberts and bismarck – and that is when the game changed.
12 Sep 2011, 12:39 pm
@Helen(Helen)-122: Well, to take a lineout you need a coached, practised unity between jumpers and throwers. You can’t blame a dartboard if the dart-thrower simply can’t hit it.
12 Sep 2011, 12:39 pm
@topaz(topaz)-283: i guess it should read sunday.
12 Sep 2011, 12:40 pm
THIS IS FUNNYYYY!
http://youtu.be/WazeyJtY7UQ
12 Sep 2011, 12:40 pm
If we want to pick our strongest available team, my pack for Fiji would be the following:
Gurthro
Bismark
Jannie
Rossouw (lock)
Alberts (lock)
Burger
Brussouw
Spies
That will destroy them up front, while retaining our breakdown specialist and our mobility at the same time.
12 Sep 2011, 12:43 pm
@danuk(danuk)-282: That what I was saying. Steyn is no heroic defender, but neither is he pisspoor as an average flyhalf defender though he certainly is not in the Jonny W no 10 defensive ability league.
Our problem rather is that we have a problem at 12 which not only negatively impacts the Boks defensive ability but on attack too. Donkey has morphed into a poor defender and nothing more than a crashball player – this is not the same JdV who certainly was an asset in attack. He also is an injury waiting to happen.
Now we have alternatives who are proven players at 12 in partnership with Mossie especially on defence: JdJ and F Steyn.
Its time for Dippy to make the call and do the right thing, similarly for 2 and 8. He needs to do it NOW.
12 Sep 2011, 12:44 pm
@capebull(capebull)-211: I disagree, if player finds himself at a ruck and its pressured he will be required to clean.
Spies does sweet PfHUCK all.
Enjoy.
12 Sep 2011, 12:44 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-276: this “dominant tight five” is your excuse for every Blue Bulls kak player, when Spies vanishes it is because “the tight five are not giving him front foot ball”
i’m still waiting to hear what it is Spies did gister.
12 Sep 2011, 12:46 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-292:
Nothing. Because of the tight five. Smiley face.
12 Sep 2011, 12:47 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-280: this is TEST rugby, not S14.
12 Sep 2011, 12:49 pm
Nah, imo its not just the tight 5, its a pack effort, and we are carrying 3 passengers in that pack, which is at least 2 too many, and with bakkies out, its 3 too many.
Name me one other top 5 nation that even has one passenger in their pack, they dont.
12 Sep 2011, 12:50 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-262: you do realize that the game has moved on since 1995, back the props were fat and only had to turn up to scrum … the game had moved on man, there is no place for kak passenger type players who can only kick penalties, ffs!
And what the hell did that show pony Spies do the whole match? Useless 100%
12 Sep 2011, 12:51 pm
@cab(cab)-285: morne wasn’t knocked back by roberts cab, he DUCKED out of the way!
to be monstered is one thing, to be kak bang us another.
12 Sep 2011, 12:51 pm
In tight WC games like this goalkicking is vital!! If the Welsh had Morne Steyn in their team they would’ve won!! And all we want to do is discard him?
12 Sep 2011, 12:52 pm
@cab(cab)-295: New Zealand have Adam Thomson, he is sh*t.
12 Sep 2011, 12:52 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-284:
I do understand your point – dominate upfront and Morne will be fine
Great, that is a valid plan if we had a dominant forward pack. I’m sorry but when have we dominated up front recently? Or maybe your hoping that the game against the ABs means that we have that ability. You might want to watch that game again, because with a little better handling we would have lots by some margin.
You keep on referring to the wonderful Bulls team that dominated in the S14. This year that same team did not dominate upfront and the weaknesses in the backline got seriously exposed, as per the game against the Crusaders.
I’m sorry but:
- I don’t see us dominating the ABs upfront; and
- They will run through that channel all day long
That strategy is flawed to me. Whether Morne’s plays or not is the bigger question, however I don’t think he can stand at 10 on defense
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