Samoa bring Boks back to earth
30 Sep 2011
RYAN VREDE watched Samoa give the Springboks a reality check despite going down 13-5 at the North Habour Stadium.
The Springboks’ showings in the last fortnight has seen even some usually astute commentators divorce from their senses to join the unadulterated celebration of the team. Tonight was a jolt of note for the defending champions, who would have been beaten by a more refined opponent, so impotent were they on attack (zero linebreaks) and porous on defence (they missed 27 tackles, in line with their average of 26 per match).
They undoubtedly benefited from Samoa’s early tactical naivety. So much for the structured Samoa that could have beaten the Springboks had they not relied on misplaced enterprise – running from deep in their territory – as much as they did. It was a nonsensical tactic to employ, particularly since they looked more than capable of mixing it in the heavies and establishing a better attacking platform on the rare occasion they chose to.
The islanders were denied despite long passages of play in possession in the first half, then undermined their cause in the second half with a string of handling errors, laboured decision-making and poor discipline, the worst example coming from Paul Williams who was red carded at a crucial juncture for shoving Heinrich Brussow in the face.
The numbers were evened out a minute later when John Smit was binned for what was adjudged to be a deliberate knock down with 10 minutes to play. But Samoa never possessed the killer blow. Their effectiveness rode on hope of defensive lapses, when more certainty and purpose would have served them better. Indeed they played like rave music was pounding in their minds, when they should have tuned in to a station that promoted greater composure.
The Springboks will testify to the ferocity and bone-melting qualities of a Samoan tackle and the islanders were rarely asked any telling questions. The Springboks’ opening try was birthed by multiple phases setting up a centre-field ruck before the ball snapped left to Bryan Habana. Morne Steyn converted, before Frans Steyn reminded of the Springboks’ unique trump card by banking a 58m penalty.
Morne Steyn kicked another just before the break, but the 13-0 scoreline going down the tunnel spoke to attacking impotency against competent and combative defensive units which is deeply concerning. The sterile, uninspiring fare they served up on attack tonight won’t see them progress beyond the quarter-final in Wellington next week.
Samoa burst into life in the second half, dominating possession and territory. The Springboks’ much-vaunted structure capitulated and they were reduced to a bumbling mess in the face of incessant attack. George Stowers, immense on the night, crossed for a try which Tusi Pisi crucially failed to convert.
You sensed the Springboks were on the ropes, and they will speak of their character in denying their opponents, but the reality is so much different. They were tested to their limit by a side they have consistently thumped by an average of 50 points.
This Springboks side is a pretender to the one that captured the title four years ago. Their journey continues, but surely not for much longer.
By Ryan Vrede, at the North Habour Stadium.
Follow Ryan’s World Cup coverage on Twitter
1,781 Comments
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30 Sep 2011, 15:36 pm
@francois93(francois93)-1249:
Agree.
In ’95, the Canada game was necessary as it galvanised our team
In ’07, it was the skrik against Fiji that caused us to take a step up.
In ’11, this game will be remembered as the one that focused our team into a unit.
30 Sep 2011, 15:38 pm
@David(David)-1246: Good player, but I mean someone who can dictate with the boot. If they had a complete flyhalf could well have beaten us today, silly to try to run from deep against a Bok defense that has conceded I think four tries in six matches. If they could have set up a few mauls off lineouts close to the line, would have been almighty hard to stop drives from those buggers. Also Samoan flyhalf could kicked a wee bit more for territory in the first half, would have helped when the Boks were dominant.
30 Sep 2011, 15:40 pm
SA vs Aus
It is going to be HUGE!
Wait for an immense week-long build up in the press and here on keo.
Injuries will be the big talking point this week.
As long as Hougaard is not concussed.
F Steyn also nursed his ribs there for a bit.
John Smit, Captain, oh my Captain… make us proud!
30 Sep 2011, 15:42 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-1202: @Slumtown(Slumtown)-1221:
Yeah mate a few of the old guys are running on their last legs. but a mixture of them with young blokes and a better balanced loose trio,add using the bench effectively will make us very hard to beat.
SA has had the 2 most physically bruising games in the RWc…And have won both not playing impressive if I may add.But won nonetheless.That has to count for something. The amount of possession & momentum Wales & Samoa had in those 2nd halves-they STILL couldnt beat SA.
We need to take care of business upfront.Vary the kick chase along with ball control/phase play.Limit amount of tackles made in a game and use bench at opportune moments/times.Formula to bok progressing in this world cup.
Seeing how we are to play vs Oz I would play
1.Guthro(Beast 65min) 2.Smit (Bismark 50min)3.Jannie 4.Bakkies(Danie 50min) 5.Matfield 6.Brussow 7.Schalk 8.Alberts(Spies 60min) 9.du Preez 10.Morne 11.Habana(Hougaard 60min) 12.Frans 13.Fourie 14.JP 15.Lambie(Aplon 60min)
Unused subs-only for injuries: CJ…
Unlucky: Jean de Villiers.
30 Sep 2011, 15:43 pm
Well done to SA.
Today was a stunning performance against 16 men, one of which was not dirty.
The Samoans played their best rugby in YEARS! …and came up short.
All they achieved was to toughen up the Boks even more.
Next week, it will feel like the Boks are playing against a bunch of 9 year – old girls.
30 Sep 2011, 15:43 pm
@Esoteric(Esoteric)-915: Yes, mediocre journalism. I think that’s it in a nutshell, you’re right.
30 Sep 2011, 15:43 pm
Team vs Aus
Beast
Smit (c)
Jannie
Bakkies
Matfield
Ratel
Schalk
Spies
FdP
Morne
Habanna
Steyn
Fourie
JPP
Lambie
Guthro
Bissie
CJ
Danie
Alberts
Hougaard
JdV
30 Sep 2011, 15:44 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-1236:
Maybe, but what if we play the way we did today?
So do you see the holes in your arguments based on ifs and buts now?
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-1234:
You guys got it all twisted. What would there be to delight in if you had a tough game but still manage to win anyway?
If on the other side you actually lost then I’d have a good laugh at you.
The weirdest part was AB fans claiming they have the ****** off their back after beating France in a POOL match.
Bad news for you, that ******’s still there.
As it will be in the QF, SF and FINAL should you go that far.
Only then will you be able to walk with a straight back again.
But even more bad news, the Boks are still in the running even after beating Wales and Samoa by a whisker.
Now you’re here celebrating a close run as a victory, shooting off fireworks and popping bottles after rumours of our demise.
We enjoy beating teams convincingly, but we also know how to accept when another team played well, to respect them for that but we find solace in the fact that we can walk off the field with the victory and brace for the next challenge.
30 Sep 2011, 15:44 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1254:
i like your team… think you have it spot on…!!
30 Sep 2011, 15:45 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1254: hey Mr. Mishinyagi, have a good weekend bro.
30 Sep 2011, 15:45 pm
@reechie maak so lank die pan warm, bakkies bring die wors…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-1248: lol very funny
30 Sep 2011, 15:46 pm
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-1258: whatever man youre not getting my point.
30 Sep 2011, 15:47 pm
@Helen(Helen)-1251: yep Helen, what I believed aswell, Boks needed a catalyst game, here’s hoping this was it.
30 Sep 2011, 15:48 pm
Samoa hit out at ‘harsh’ ref
2011-09-30 15:03
Auckland – Samoa captain Mahonri Schwalger thinks referee Nigel Owens was harsh on his team during a spirited 13-5 defeat to South Africa that ended their Rugby World Cup in the pool round on Friday.
The Samoans were desperate to beat the defending champion Springboks for the first time to end a 16-year quarter-finals drought.
Schwalger said Owens didn’t help.
“The ref was pretty harsh on us,” he said. “If a few calls had gone our way we would have put some more points on the South Africans.
“The ref has got to be fair for us as well for us to compete in a game like that. I felt like it was one way, but at the end of the day you can’t change the result. It’s done.”
30 Sep 2011, 15:48 pm
@Helen(Helen)-1255: Helen, you should show some respect….Justin Bieber on the Aussies wing is a 16yr old boy!
30 Sep 2011, 15:49 pm
@Helen(Helen)-1250:
i’m just kidding, his post was about people being nothing like their online personas in real life as there’s a lot of slagging off and insults but if we were to meet we’d not say half or most of the stuff some people say to one another here.
i think its called being facetious or funnily ironic or something like that.
30 Sep 2011, 15:49 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1254: Tell me what happens if we get a centre injured in the 1st 20 minutes? Going to play Lambie there??????
30 Sep 2011, 15:50 pm
Ja tog Ryan. At least you’ll have a 50% chance of being right about the Boks going out in the next round. Then, if they somehow scrap a win, you’ll have a 50% chance of being right in the semi. Seriously bro, you are such a negative creature of habit. THINK BEFORE YOU PUT PEN ON PAPER.
30 Sep 2011, 15:50 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1254:
Have we ever used Spies as an impact player before?
Think that would suit him better as he doesn’t have the tight game to drive players back in the tackle, but to his credit he’s looked better in contact with ball in hand with good leg drive. It’s on the D where he lets us down.
30 Sep 2011, 15:50 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-1231:
outrageous.
30 Sep 2011, 15:51 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-1264: No Mahonri he was just as shocking to the Boks guy, Their should be joint complaint from both teams as to how bad Owens was. pants pants pants.
30 Sep 2011, 15:54 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-1261:
you’re still here?… i thought i told you to go ffuck yourself?…
30 Sep 2011, 15:54 pm
The last time we didn’t beat Australia in a calendar year was 2000. Here’s hoping the tradition lives on.
30 Sep 2011, 15:55 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-1264:
“If a few calls had gone our way we would have put some more points on the South Africans….”
schwalger… you were f#cking lucky he didn’t make all the calls against you he should have… then the boks would’ve had plenty more points on you…!!
30 Sep 2011, 15:56 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-1262:
Let’s leave it there then, all I’m saying is there’s no ifs and buts when the final whistle has gone.
For the record I still believe we’ll beat Aus, not by ifs and buts. But because they are tiring, don’t have a pack yet to take them to the Title and we’ll nullify their playmakers by dominating them up front.
30 Sep 2011, 16:00 pm
I’m happy with the outcome. Was exactly what the Boks needed. They were okay in the first 30 minutes, but then went to sleep. Not sure if that was what they intended to do. Main thing is we were shown aspects we can work on, and the injury list doesn’t look too bad.
30 Sep 2011, 16:00 pm
anyone looking for a really funny read….
go to the match report on stuff.co.nz..
talk about one-eyed.
pantie would be mighty proud….
and then the comments from the brown bros take the cake
30 Sep 2011, 16:01 pm
i like mo schwalger & i was cheering for samoa when they played wales but this whingeing business after the filth the displayed to the whole world is just not on.
30 Sep 2011, 16:01 pm
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-1262: Now can you imagine if we added Samoa, Fiji and Argentina to the tri nations, phht like Sanzar would ever do anything for anyone but themselves.
30 Sep 2011, 16:01 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1158: My observation is that Fourie usually comes out and then it to cut off the long pass, I think the boks use this strategy to channel the ball carrier into the traffic. The no man’s land you are talking about is a result of the loop around in the 10/12 channel and the next pass is effected when the player has broken the first line of defense, this leaves Fourie tracking a player who’s not receiving the pass on front of Fourie. Even the AB’s have not latched on to effective offensive pattern to counteract the bok defense.
30 Sep 2011, 16:02 pm
@francois93(francois93)-1260:
Howzit mate.That bro,u too.Bok game got me a bit upset but just watched last episode of Entourage so all is good. Not in the mood to work today,Bok games do that to me,lol
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-1267:
Lambie can cover 10/12/15 at the highest level.Has very good temperament,as good a tackler as any seeing what he did today vs bigger,stronger Samoans and still gives us a good kicker in the midfield. Your issue here is Jean de villiers vs Gio Aplon for the last bench spot.I honestly feel that since our strategy is to up the tempo in last quarter with subs-Aplon coming on with the likes of Hougaard,Bismark etc gives us more than JdV would.
But if you must have cover for midfield on bench then I would rather go with Juan de Jongh who would also add more as a “supersub” and has played inside Fourie. No beef vs Jean but he hasnt looked himself for a while now.
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-1269:
Spies was used to great effect albeit against a weakened England side as a sub in 2007.His speed and power vs tiring defender would allow him to flourish with ball in hand and less emphasis on collisions point as in start of game
30 Sep 2011, 16:02 pm
this game was won by the 8BB Machine Bismark Burger and Brussow, had John Smit started I am convinced we would have been under enormous pressure first half. Bismark and Brussow effected numerous turnovers and ball carries plus tackled like Demons throughout. John Smit would have been a TOTAL passenger and I seriously believe we could have lost this game.
I say it again, if Boks lose this WC it will be down to John Smit being ineffective as a run on player and I am convinced he should not take the field unless we are well ahead and out of trouble because his lack of any visible contribution is the absolute unconditional catalyst that could actually break the camels back.
30 Sep 2011, 16:03 pm
“This Springboks side is a pretender to the one that captured the title four years ago. Their journey continues, but surely not for much longer. ”
What an A hole Ryan is, he is a pretender as a rugby journalist, i hope his days as a rugby jounalist continue for not much longer! T W A T
30 Sep 2011, 16:05 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-1278: hey Transi guy fark, I have seen some bad days at the office for a ref, but this one takes the cake, Owens should never be allowed near a Test match untill he learns how to control two teams who are on the verge of killing each other. I thought we were about to have the battle of the boet mark 2
30 Sep 2011, 16:09 pm
@francois93(francois93)-1284: and dude if they had started swinging not sure if the Boks would have walked away from it with heads up, shitey but the moans are massive buggers.
30 Sep 2011, 16:10 pm
the FdP box kicks accounted for 90% of the Samoan counter attacks, had we not kicked so much possession away through culprit FdP and played the full 80 the same way we started the first 20 minutes, we would have cleaned up and never let Samoa back in the game. The base of scrum kicking is what accounted for all the pressure we put ourselves under 2nd half.
30 Sep 2011, 16:11 pm
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-1224: I think that AB fans do understand that they are not owed the cup but obviously not being able to translate global dominance into world cup successes is a point of massive frustration.
30 Sep 2011, 16:14 pm
@francois93(francois93)-1284: lol @ ‘battle of the boet’
30 Sep 2011, 16:14 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1281: yeo Mishini, we kicked that ball about JDV back and forth earlier this week and if you want the high intensity stuff then yeah I have to agree Aplon makes sense, although my preference is JDJ, I dont know what it is about that kid but he just straightens the line better than just about anyone, and smells the bloody try line from 100km away, Think about how effective him and Sadie were compared to JDV and JF at the gain line.
Nienaber has got to revise his position on JF coming outa the line am starting to have big doubts about it against guys like Ione, Beal and co.
30 Sep 2011, 16:14 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-1281:
I remember those two Tests before the Cup right? Spies was devastating back then.
Also agree on JdV, if that was Hougaard/De Jongh or Appels taking that break he had it would surely have resulted in more.
If JdV isn’t starting then someone with more actual impact should be on the bench.
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-1282:
On this one I’ll have to disagree man. Bizz offers us much more from the 50th mark than he does starting currently.
JS wasn’t on the field until minute 70 and I was disappointed that we couldn’t what value he would or wouldn’t have added in the end.
If we had Biz coming on at 50 he would’ve been breathing fire to go at the Manu.
After the Cup he’ll have time to develop into the starting role with Chilli providing the punch off the bench.
30 Sep 2011, 16:17 pm
gotta love the kiwis…
Boks end Samoan dreams in
torrid affair
LIAM NAPIER
Last updated 21:19 30/09/2011
Samoa’s World Cup campaign is
over after defending champions
South Africa scrapped to a bruising
and engrossing victory at North
Harbour Stadium.
The controversial result was
sealed when pedantic Welsh
referee Nigel Owens issued the
first red card of the World Cup – on
a recommendation from English
assistant Graham Hughes – to
Samoan fullback Paul Williams, for
an open-handed push in the face of
niggly Springboks flanker Heinrich
Brussow.
so Brussow is a niggly flanker but nothing on the filth by the samoans
30 Sep 2011, 16:18 pm
@mpundulu(mpundulu)-1287:
I understand being frustrated at it, but then delighting in the fact that Samoa gave us a hard game and going off as if we LOST and got sent home, that they won some sort of moral victory and DESERVE to be champions is totally out of place.
Nobody will deserve it more than the team that goes on to win it.
30 Sep 2011, 16:19 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-1288: yeah sounds like some dudes standing around outside oxygen shop in Sandton “Ya booooet, check these guns chauna”
“nooit booooet, that shirt doesnt make you look ripped my bru”
“you skim hey”
“for sure like lime ina castle light my booooeeett”
30 Sep 2011, 16:21 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-1291:
One thing is clear now, NZ’s biggest fear next to getting knocked out again is seeing the Boks lift the Cup on their holy ground.
30 Sep 2011, 16:22 pm
@francois93(francois93)-1289:
Yeah I concur.nienaber has to very the shooting up.But I must add that it looked worse when Habana went off. he contributes greatly to the umbrella D pattern and decisionmaking.
@wpstormerbok(wpstormerbok)-1290:
Yeah,Spies was laso very effective as a sub for Bulls early in career 2006 coming on for Anton Leornard. Was a try scoring impact sub,scored like 5 in 5 games at one point I think.Wore a white scrumcap back then.
He could definitely work as a sub
30 Sep 2011, 16:25 pm
I’ve said it earlier in the comp and I’ll say it again. These Samoans got this attitude that they never had before. They are in their “jong-bul” stadium. They think they can do what they want because they are in “ouboet’s” house. They talk back, they argue, they punch and push, the waste time, etc………
They wiil come down to earth soon. I’m glad they are out. I supported them going into the WC ahead of Wales and Fiji. Not anymore. They are too big for their shoes. Crawl back to the Island you came from boys!
30 Sep 2011, 16:25 pm
Niggles Brussouw?
Ritchie is going to have to kiss his ring.
Fuggedaboudit.
30 Sep 2011, 16:26 pm
@reechie maak so lank die pan warm, bakkies bring die wors…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-1272: trying bud but its a long way from the front where the shlong is to the back. Dunno if I can manage. lol
30 Sep 2011, 16:27 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-1291: So faarken typical. No kiwi must ever, ever, EVER, tell me again that we are arrogant and one-eyed. Bliksems!
30 Sep 2011, 16:27 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-1291:
Yeah what bs. no.5 Kane Thompson was the worst of the lot,was hardly on side or accurate in anything he did in game.Just looked for niggle.George Stowers the no.8 also threw a few high shots while captain Schwalger only facilitated more of the niggle by not talking to any of his players.never acknowledged Owens when he said teams must sort of the ball stuff.Matfield did and had a word with players.
Not so Schwalger. Samoan tactic
And still 20 sumthin years later,they still havent suceeded at RWC.How about they play positive,maybe just maybe it may stand them in good stead results wise
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