Recovering Boks won’t be risked
18 Sep 2011
The injured Springboks that missed Saturday’s clash are unlikely to feature in the next pool match against Namibia.
The good news for the Boks is that the team escaped Saturday’s bruising encounter against Fiji without any further injuries. Team doctor Craig Roberts was in a relatively cheerful mood when he relayed the news to the media on Sunday.
Roberts explained that it was always the plan to bring lock Bakkies Botha off at half-time and introduce Willem Alberts to the second row. The change was made to ensure Botha, who had just recovered from an Achilles injury, didn’t overextend himself.
While the Fiji slayers remain intact, there is still uncertainty over the availability of the injured contingent. Victor Matfield (hamstring), Johann Muller (hamstring), Butch James (hip-flexor), Bryan Habana (shoulder) and Jean de Villiers (ribs) will all be reassessed after Monday’s training session in Taupo.
Roberts said that the medical team would wait until after Monday’s practice before making any decisions, but Bok assistant coach Dick Muir suggested that the management wouldn’t risk these players unless absolutely necessary.
‘It’s a short turnaround and if the players didn’t play in the previous match they probably won’t play in the next game,’ said Muir.
The keo.co.za team spotted Matfield jogging around the outskirts of Taupo, and he didn’t appear to be experiencing any discomfort. Roberts said that a decision on the vice-captain’s availability would be made with the big picture in mind.
‘Victor’s done a lot of intensive rehab, and we’re very happy with his progress,’ he said. ‘But it’s a long tournament and we want him at his best. We will reassess him on Monday and take it from there.’
If Matfield and Muller miss out on selection, Botha and Danie Rossouw will continue as the starting second-row pairing with Alberts covering lock from the bench.
By Jon Cardinelli, in Taupo
476 Comments
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19 Sep 2011, 08:02 am
A line ball.
Chortle.
Blackie why do you even bother?
19 Sep 2011, 08:04 am
How many Safas does it take to screw a lightbulb ?
19 Sep 2011, 08:09 am
@Gunther(gunther)-451:
please correct me if Im wrong
You think the pass was clearly forward and the kick clearly missed
right ?
or, is it more convenient if you dont offer an opinion and, instead, mock those who do offer one ?
eunuch
19 Sep 2011, 08:13 am
Hopefully TJ and the team at ReUnion get that CGI-LBW-thingy going and see whether the ball was outside off-stump, if the ball was grassed first, whether the Pakistani Capt claimed it was a fair catch and
whether the ball was forward
because THEN we’ll know, fer sure.
And we wont have to rely on the 1-eyed no-balls bowled by the Eunuch XI.
19 Sep 2011, 08:15 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-452: We’ll leave that to the Kiwi’s. We prefer women. But BP, honestly… first sheep now lightbulbs? What’s next? The sheep I get, but how do you fck a lightbulb?
19 Sep 2011, 08:17 am
Ooooooh blackie.
Eunuch?
You always seem to revert to the trouser department when the going gets tough.
Inverted penises and eunuchs.
Lift your game.
19 Sep 2011, 08:20 am
@Gunther(gunther)-456:
Then just answer the Ques’s posed at 453 and all the accusations will be dispelled , Gunther.
Or is that beneath you ?
19 Sep 2011, 08:27 am
Accusations?
I thought you were having a laugh.
Blackie you asked me to correct you if you were wrong.
Seeing as I have never hesitated to correct you before…
What does that tell you?
Would you like a picture?
Maybe a large pair of balls?
Bouncing on your chin?
Generated by CGI of course.
19 Sep 2011, 08:28 am
@UptheGuts(UptheGuts)-455:
It was a slightly humorous attempt at expressing the same point you yourself raised at 440.
Clearly, that slipped you by.
And not for the first time.
19 Sep 2011, 08:28 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-454:
have you even seen the clip from ReUnion…?
thought not…
but don’t let a little sanity get in the way of your irrational rants… it’s far more fun when you ignore anything that doesn’t agree with your opinion… just makes you look more of a saffa-obsessed empty soul than you really are… nah… nothing could do that…
at least the ReUnion team took a ‘let’s see’ approach and came up with a definitive answer…
but you don’t need camera’s, CGI, rationality, fairness… no, omniscient one, if you say so… it is…
c’mon tell us really…
are you Chuck Norris…!!
19 Sep 2011, 08:29 am
@Gunther(gunther)-458:
Eunuch.
19 Sep 2011, 08:30 am
@ufo(ufo)-460:
Then you would have to ask yourself the question WHY they went to such great lengths to discuss the point.
let me guess…….because it wasnt straight forward ?
SOOOOO, some people thought it was good and others…..?
19 Sep 2011, 08:32 am
Blackie OWNS Chuck.
Chuck is a eunuch whu must bow down before Blackies superbly endowed magnificence.
Chuck is Japan to Blackies Fiji.
19 Sep 2011, 08:37 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-462:
Of course Chuck, that’s exactly why they did it… I’m sure they even hoped to prove that it was in fact over… but it wasn’t…
clear or not to begin with… once they did their computer magic… they accepted that it was not over and dropped the subject and got on with their lives…
something of which you’re clearly not capable…
you keep demanding everyone answers your questions…
so tell us Chuck… have you seen the ReUnion clip…?
all if you decide it didn’t happen… it didn’t happen… and the whole world is wrong and you’re right…??
no wonder they asked you to play Walker: Texas Ranger!!
Just one more question for you today Chuck…
Doesn’t it get boring being you…? Always being right…? Always winning? Always knowing everything…?
I always thought I’d ask G.O.D. that question one day when I died… But then I realised he’d simply turn around and say it’s not boring cause he’s still trying to beat Chuck Norris…!!
19 Sep 2011, 08:39 am
Cheers Chuck…
I’ve got work to do… You’re lucky… work does itself for you!!!
19 Sep 2011, 09:03 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-450:
Brown nosing twat
19 Sep 2011, 09:59 am
Haka losing respect – Springboks coach
MIKE WATSON
Last updated 05:00 19/09/2011
The haka is in danger of losing respect because it is performed too often, Springboks coach Peter de Villiers says.
Amid torrential rain, the outspoken rugby coach was welcomed to Opotaka, said to be the birthplace of Ka Mate, yesterday by Lake Taupo iwi Ngati Tuwharetoa.
De Villiers and the 70-strong Springbok touring party were given a rousing welcome in pouring rain by 50 Tuwharetoa warriors performing the famous haka, said to be composed by Te Rauparaha 200 years ago as he sought shelter from a war party.
“It has new meaning to me now,” de Villiers said afterwards.
“We understand where it originated from and we understand it brings something deep down out of people who know what it is all about.
“For me, about the World Cup especially, there is too many haka around. It is unique to me, and it is losing its intensity – but that is only me.
“People are becoming so used to it, it is not a novelty anymore and they don’t respect it.”
When performed as it was when the defending world champs were welcomed to Opotaka, it had immense value – but that was cheapened by overuse in sports scenarios.
“Today, it was really deep down and you could feel everybody was part of it, you could understand why they do it.”
Flash mob haka have been a feature of the Rugby World Cup so far, including one at Sylvia Park in Auckland that has scored hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and performances in Wellington’s Lambton Quay and outside Te Papa.
In Australia, senior constable Rangi Joseph – a New Zealander – was disciplined after he joined a flash mob haka at a Surfer’s Paradise shopping mall while on duty.
Ngati Toa has staged an interactive haka exhibition at Te Papa explaining the inception of Ka Mate, and this year signed a confidential agreement with the New Zealand Rugby Union allowing the All Blacks to continue performing its haka.
Ngati Toa spokeswoman Jennie Smeaton told The Dominion Post she thought the increase in the haka being performed, both locally and internationally, was brilliant and “awesome” because it was identified as uniquely Kiwi.
She did not agree the haka was suffering from over-exposure.
“He [De Villiers] likes to make controversial statements, we all know that.
“I think a comment like that is someone who has a lack of understanding or just doesn’t know.
“Maybe he doesn’t want it done because it’s intimidating.
“Perhaps that’s something the South Africans might like to embrace on their own, use some of their African culture.”
Springboks winger Bryan Habana said he had a lot more respect for the haka after yesterday.
“It’s great to see what the real meaning of the haka is to the community.”
- The Dominion Post
19 Sep 2011, 10:03 am
We want to beat ABs: France
TOBY ROBSON
Last updated 13:54 19/09/2011
French coach Marc Lievremont has dismissed a suggestion his side would not care if they lost their match against the All Blacks because it would give them an easier path through to the World Cup final.
It remains to be seen whether France will name their strongest side for next Saturday’s much-awaited Pool D crunch match against the host nation at Eden Park, but Lievremont made it clear whichever team was selected would do all it could to win.
“What are you saying? Are you saying we should lose against the All Blacks on purpose?” he said, after a French journalist asked if Australia’s 15-6 Pool C loss to Ireland had changed his thinking on the team to face the hosts.
A day after walking out on a press conference, Lievremont continued an apparent disdain for his own media mocking the notion that his side would not try to beat New Zealand.
“If we lose it might be easier, but then again the All Blacks might have exactly the same assessment as us, so they might want to lose against us,” he said.
“With matches ahead against the All Blacks and Tonga I don’t think we are going to start these games thinking we are going to lose, that certainly is not an option.”
He said there was no way of knowing how other results would go and thus impossible to design a favourable path through the knockout stages after just two pool games regardless of results so far.
“We have had a surprise with Ireland, but there might be other surprises as well. Anyway it would not be in the spirit of rugby thinking we might lose it [on purpose].”
Lievremont made the comments after France’s 46-19 win over Canada at McLean Park where he was clearly more pleased with the four-try effort than the scratchy first-up win over Japan a week earlier.
“I’m happy. I’m not going to be unhappy after every match,” he said.
“Today we have ten [competition] points and we can now start the week ahead serenely and prepare for the match ahead of us.
“Of course last week I was annoyed and I said so, but now we need to be confident and prepare for next week.”
Though his side lacked accuracy and purpose early on against Canada, Lievremont was pleased with the way they had stuck to the task and finished strongly in difficult, wet conditions.
There was a hat-trick of tries to right wing Vincent Clerc and a brilliant 50-metre effort from fullback Damien Traille, but France looked unconvincing for much of the test. They were up just 25-19 with 15 minutes to play in a scoreline that could have been closer but for three missed penalties by fullback James Pritchard.
But wing Aurelien Rougerie, sipping a Heinken at the post-match conference, said the players had taken plenty of confidence from the match and had remained calm thorughout.
The French line-up against Canada contained 11 changes to the one that started against Japan, but several players put their hands up with strong performances.
No 8 Louis Picamoles was a force with ball in hand, halfback Morgan Parra showed his worth as a kicker in landing nine shots at goal for a personal haul of 23 points, and Traille had some strong moments at fullback.
One thing that seemed clear was the scrum improved when Fabien Barcella came on to the field early in the second half.
For all that it remains unclear whether Lievremont will continue to tinker, or as the All Blacks are expected to do, name his strongest line-up.
Meanwhile, Canadian coach Kieran Crowley has repeated his call for more regular top-level test matches for tier-two countries.
He felt the difference against France was his players’ inability to maintain their intensity for the entirety of a match few would argue was a highly competitive affair.
- Stuff
19 Sep 2011, 11:27 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-406: When HG’s away, Panty will play…
Who’s the chicken… Puk puk puk pkaaark!
19 Sep 2011, 11:29 am
@ufo(ufo)-430: Hmmm. Gotta love it when facts are spoken.
The sarcasm is biting.
19 Sep 2011, 11:51 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-469:
Return of the Quota Blogger
someone hogging the bathroom mirror at home ?
19 Sep 2011, 11:54 am
@Gunther(gunther)-463:
stay away from the brown acid, eunuch.
19 Sep 2011, 11:58 am
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-467:
he’s an arrogant t’urd
since when does anyone go out of their way to disrespect the culture of the Host Nation ?
it would be like stepping off the plane and calling the Captain of the host team “a cheat”
oh, wait……
19 Sep 2011, 19:59 pm
He has got a very valid point, the haka is done at every opportunity by every tom d ick and harry, too often and sometimes for no reason
Keep it unique or it will lose its appeal, if it has’nt already
19 Sep 2011, 20:10 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-471: Nope… I’m sure you’re able to that all on your ownsome… Your other Quota poster brother in arms, Pooper, has just proven himself in the Scum scale ably on the other thread… Only a matter of time until you do too… Cant wait.
(Funny what the pressure of this RWC is having on some of you “true blue” AB supporters, eh?)
19 Sep 2011, 21:17 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-475:
so tell us, Boy George, exactly how many comments do you have to post daily here before you reach your
QUOTA ?
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