Bok attack bristles but killer edge missing
17 Sep 2011
RYAN VREDE writes the Springboks’ attack showed significant signs of improvement, but still lacks a clinical dimension.
There needs to be some perspective when assessing their performance in this facet of play. Fiji aren’t renowned for their defensive organisation and certainly not a side you should seriously measure your attacking prowess against.
However, it would be remiss not to note progression from the defending champions. Building pressure by retaining the ball through multiple phases was the focus in training after they failed to impress in this department against Wales a week ago and the fruits of that work was evident.
The Springboks’ strike runners carried powerfully, and there appeared to be a greater sense of intensity and synergy from their cleaners, which ensured a steady supply of quick ball. Fiji consistently attempted to spoil, and gained some reward. A better side would have asked more testing questions, especially when the Springboks got loose. A clean ruck recycle is more important to their success than most, given of the dearth of game breakers capable of unlocking set defensive lines (the All Blacks and Wallabies trump them in this regard).
There were a number of individuals that reminded of their class. Frans Steyn’s physicality, craft and intelligence on attack was encouraging. A season playing consistently in midfield for Racing Metro has clearly been beneficial. JP Pietersen’s rise from a period of slumber is reason to smile. The winger looked like he was invested in the match, which has not been the case for some time. This showing was a throwback to his best form. I was critical of him in the build-up to this Test. Tonight I’ll celebrate because he did his talent justice. Schalk Burger is surely possessed by the spirit of a Spartan, Heinrich Brussow is an evermore irrepressible force and Danie Rossouw again confirmed that he is a national treasure.
But this was a collective effort. The Springboks’ first second and fourth and sixth tries underlined what they are capable of when they treasure possession and brutally erode their opponent’s resolve. The third was a piece of brilliance from Brussow that suggested his prodigious skill knows no bounds.
However, they benefited from Fiji’s defensive apathy late in the piece, and the scoreline should have been more emphatic. They squandered a plethora of scoring opportunities through poor decision making, fundamental handling errors or the aforementioned failure to consistently blunt a unsophisticated but rabid breakdown contest.
The Springboks’ coaches would have been quietly confident of victory but would also have placed a premium on how clinical they were in achieving that victory. They will rightly take heart from the number of chances engineered but will hope that the attack refines itself in the coming weeks. Given their impressive defensive solidity, the Springboks’ challenge will be significantly amplified is this does happen.
By Ryan Vrede, in Wellington.
Follow Ryan’s coverage of the World Cup on Twitter
78 Comments
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17 Sep 2011, 11:42 am
Zinzan is a plonker just like his boet who holidays in Fiji and grips young chicks and cries when he has to face da music.
17 Sep 2011, 11:46 am
Oh, and don’t forget Keohane telling all and sundry the last 4 years how he’ll bet his house the Kiwi’s won’t win the WC. Crumbling under the pressure of history and NZ expectations. Look now! This site should be called turnaround.co.za.
17 Sep 2011, 11:46 am
@wp_boytjie(wp_boytjie)-44: Ja Being a bottom feeder seems to run in their family his brother Robin is a serial child rapist and he always speaks so highly of him I lost respect for him years ago.
17 Sep 2011, 11:49 am
As I have said before every country has at least one complete burst A N U S Mark Keohane and Ryan Vrede just happen to be ours
17 Sep 2011, 11:50 am
At least old Kevin Pietersen gave the AmaZinzan some lip on Twitter. The doos was still whining about Suzie.
17 Sep 2011, 12:03 pm
Remind me how many World Cups Zinzan managed to win?
17 Sep 2011, 12:20 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-56:
As many as Pierre Spies.
17 Sep 2011, 12:29 pm
@nama1(nama1)-57: Yes, but Pierre can’t kick drop-goals… not strictly a fair contest.
17 Sep 2011, 12:34 pm
It would be remiss to note that the author of this article continues to use Hollywood B-grade trailer hyperbole and scary cliches in trying to buttress his delusions of rugby knowledge and when pandering to to his paymaster’s sensationalist directives. Ryan go have a couple of cold ones and re-write the article, I guarantee you it will read easier, ring truer and won’t sound like the contrived doctoral thesis this and most of your articles sound like. Its rugby ou, not quantum mechanics. It was a feel-good win, we’re all chuffed as punch about it but probably know w’ll need to lift our game to progress further. Why stuff it up pal?
17 Sep 2011, 12:42 pm
@wasabi(wasabi)-59: “and when pandering to to his paymaster’s” You see what I mean? Take less time trying to sound smart and write it how it is.
17 Sep 2011, 12:59 pm
I don’t have the energy too read Ryan Vrede’s articles. Can someone tell me did he, or any of the other pro WP brigade writers on this site at least say: “hel, morne! not too bad tonight” in their articles? I’m no fan or morne myself, but he’s still a better flyhalf than these guys are journalists.
17 Sep 2011, 13:03 pm
@frunobulax(frunobulax)-58:
Ook weer waar.
17 Sep 2011, 13:54 pm
@wasabi(wasabi)-59: George Orwell summed it up nicely: “Never use a long word where a short one will do. Long words don’t make you sound intelligent unless used skillfully. In the wrong situation they’ll have the opposite effect, making you sound pretentious and arrogant”. Ryan, take note.
17 Sep 2011, 13:58 pm
If I can sum up a great deal of why we played so well today:
NO BOX KICKS. We kept the ball in hand where possible and played the game, instead of kicking all the possession away, gave our tight forwards an opportunity to really carry the ball, and that they did!
Well done guys!
17 Sep 2011, 13:58 pm
The Boks will keep on improving every game, I wish we could say the same about Ryan’s articles. Well done Bokke. I think there might be one or two opposition coaches allready starting to feel a tad bit worried. To all the critics and Aus fans that had so much to say about the tri-mations, I wonder if you guys are starting to feel like idiots yet?
17 Sep 2011, 14:04 pm
Ch@ist Vrede at least be slightly positive! How many folk here would have predicted a 46 point win for the Boks! At least today they showed attacking promise which they havent done in a good while now.
17 Sep 2011, 14:14 pm
The Boks’ handling was sublime at times. Schalk Burger was his usual physical self. I also wonder how the people that made the following statements feel today.
1) Frans Steyn is too slow and too fat.
2) The Boks don’t play any rugby.
3) The Boks deffensive system is flawed.
4) There is no real depth in the squad.
I can carry on, I said it before, and will say it again, the Boks are going to peak at the right time. I read an article on this web-site last night in which the auther stated that PDV was arrogant to think that the Boks will rock up at the RWC and play themselves into form. To the auther of that article, it seems that is exactly what is happening. The arrogance is maybe on your side, for emplying you have a better idea of what is happening in the bok camp. PDV is 2 for 2 at the RWC, and one of the favourates (Aus) is 1 for 2. Rather support the Boks, then you won’t look like an idiot when we retain the RWC. And if the Boks don’t make it, at least you might be seen as someone who is passionate about your team.
17 Sep 2011, 14:16 pm
Zinzan sure has come across as a bit of a chop.
17 Sep 2011, 14:55 pm
@MG(MG)-67: ha. and that’s the irony.
if we don’t win the demn thing… Meo eiuw and co would be able to say. yup. we never thought they had achance. if we do win it. which is the far less statistical possibility, they would be nowhere. or they would be finding reasons as to why Pdiv and the the Boks, found a miracle way to do things they have been advocating aaaaalllll along.
KEO AND WRITERS> DO YOU READ THE COMMENTARY ON YOUR OWN SITE?
Nobody is saying write something to please them. what you should see….. you are p*ssing of everybody with your lack of style.
o. SORRY, I forgot. what did you expect from journalists who wear black shoes and white socks. LOL say alot more.
17 Sep 2011, 16:56 pm
Keo and co, if it was not for the bloggers no one would return to this site
The article are rubbish and say nothing,why not some good info for a change
You guys are so anti bok it is scary. Why not compare players and substantiate it with facts, oh what was I thinking you would never let fact come between you and a good story, now would you?
17 Sep 2011, 17:10 pm
@JL1(JL1)-70: Keo wants the Boks to loose so he can meddle and interfere and put a new team together.
I see he is pushing Butch James’s book on this site. Bet he ghost wrote it. and now he is pushing for James to be Bok number 10. Guess why. More media exposure, more book sales.
Keo only cares about himself.
17 Sep 2011, 17:11 pm
@wasabi(wasabi)-59: It’s an embarrassment the standard of writing and journalism.
17 Sep 2011, 17:25 pm
Just watched a video where Z Brooke says the Boks werent the best in 95 or 07, yes maybe they werent the best in 95 but they played tougher teams in 95 than did NZ, just after the cup they beat the Boks twice by 15-11 and 29-18 hardly massive victories!. But as for 2007 the Boks were definitely the best team. Id like to know whoBrooke actually thinks the best team of 2007 were! NZ lost to France who lost to England and Argentina, who the Boks beat on aggregate 88-19. Seriously id like to know who he thinks was the best the man is clearly a clown i thought he would be a bit more realistic, but he is clearly a bitter fat skinny legged ex player!
17 Sep 2011, 18:12 pm
Brooke talks nonsense.
We beat the Aussies, France and NZ in ’95.
NZ beat a piss-poor Wales and a disjointed archaic England.
As for ’07, well NZ couldn’t win all its matches which isn’t our problem. All non-NZ commentators rated SA as the best
17 Sep 2011, 18:28 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-74: I agree,everyone here in the UKin 2007 regarded the Boks as the best, id love to have seenthem play Portugal,Romania,Italy and Scotland in 2007. The weakest team the Boks faced was the USA who would have pushed both Scotland and Italy and wasted both Romania and Portugal. Im Scottish i have no reason to big up the Boks it just annoys me that NZ and Aussies would sooner admit to child molestation than say the Boks are good, even while they are rated number 1 they couldnt bring themselves to do it!. Id be surprised if the Boks won this cup and defended it however they do have the tools to do it there is no doubt about that, its just getting consistency and putting it all together.
17 Sep 2011, 19:31 pm
“Killer Edge Missing” – my arse Ryan – that was the esential characteristic of the Bok performance – watched it twice now, bloody good – my fears are allayed; they are peaking. Perfect – Steyn at inside centre was colossal – pure class, it will be tragic if that hamstring plays up again; Bakkies was good – all the props were outstanding – J de V (I don’t see you getting back into the side).
18 Sep 2011, 02:35 am
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-76: JDV will walk back into tne team, no problem. PDV is too conservative to pick Lambie/Frans over JDV/Frans, even is he can see what an improvement. He won’t belive his own eyes.
18 Sep 2011, 03:16 am
butch
writes a
book
ha ha
ha
he and his
promoter
are
sorry
asses
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