‘Expect the unexpected’
4 Oct 2011
Jean de Villiers says the Springboks will be prepared for whatever the innovative Quade Cooper throws at them in Sunday’s quarter-final in Wellington.
If the Boks aren’t concerned about the Wallabies playmaker, they bloody well should be.
Together with Reds halfback partner Will Genia, Cooper tormented South African teams in this year’s Super Rugby competition. He’s always had attacking flair in abundance, but in many ways Cooper pushed the envelope in the 2011 season. He also improved his game management and tactical kicking to the point where he was considered one of the most complete attacking flyhalves in world rugby.
With Dan Carter crocked, Cooper is now the biggest threat in a No 10 jersey. His threat is amplified when he plays behind a strong pack, as was evident during the Reds’ Super Rugby and the Wallabies’ Tri-Nations campaigns. He’s well complemented by Genia, another player that can be as devastating in a tactical arm wrestle as he can in an open running game.
Bok coach Peter de Villiers said on Monday that South Africa will aim to limit the options of the Wallabies’ halfback pairing. The Boks know only one way to succeed in this tournament, and that is through their pack. They will look to overpower the Wallabies at the set-pieces, breakdowns and collisions, and then pressure them into penalties. With Morne Steyn starting at flyhalf, they won’t pose an attacking threat, but they will bank points through Wallabies’ trangressions.
They will miss Frans Steyn more from a tactical-kicking point of view than anything else. Jean de Villiers is an experienced and decorated inside centre, and will bolster the Boks both from an attacking and defensive perspective. It is in the latter discipline where he will need to be especially vigilant, as if the Wallabies’ pack obtains good go-forward, Genia and Cooper will take full advantage.
‘Our team is pretty settled in what we want to do and achieve,’ said De Villiers. ‘There will be a few tweaks [for this quarter-final match] and we have some more analysis to do, but we feel we have obtained some good momentum in the pool stages.
‘The intensity will lift in the knockout stages, and we will have to handle the pressure. They have a lot of variety in their side, and you never know quite what to expect when Quade Cooper is running the show.
‘Whether they play a tactical kicking game or run at our line, we must be ready for anything. A few of their big boys will run down that [10/12] channel, but I’m sure they will also try to work something through their skillful backs.
‘They’re a very clever side. We have to cover all of our bases.’
Cooper was at the heart of the Reds’ famous Super Rugby victory at Newlands earlier this year. On that day, an injured De Villiers watched from the stands as the Reds bullied the Stormers up front and then booted for territory through Genia and Cooper.
The Wallabies do have a more adventurous side, and when they cut the line they are typically clinical in the finish. Conditions may not be conducive to an all-out attack this Sunday, and the occasion may demand a measured approach, but the Boks will know that if they relax for just one instant, Genia and Cooper are capable of conjuring a linebreak and potentially a game-changing score.
By Jon Cardinelli, in Wellington
23 Comments
4 Oct 2011, 04:00 am
I expected this.
4 Oct 2011, 04:06 am
While he is very dangerous , when placed under pressure Quade does some pretty ordinary things . Ireland have shown how teams can beat the Aussies
4 Oct 2011, 05:08 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-1:
Same
Really i expected to expect the unexpected.
4 Oct 2011, 05:54 am
Ireland also tried to hold the ball carrier up and the slow ball really made it harder to play there natural game. Hopefully the boks are looking into this too
4 Oct 2011, 05:55 am
hold up and drive back though . Forgot to add that
4 Oct 2011, 06:37 am
The blue print is there for Cooper and Genia. There is more than a few games this year that will guide you in the right direction.
4 Oct 2011, 07:08 am
Distract Quade with a few DVD players flashed at him in the stands when he gets the ball and his game will go south.
4 Oct 2011, 07:09 am
Unexpected predictability?
4 Oct 2011, 07:18 am
The thing with Quade Cooper is that statistics that say that something hasn’t happened will always be interesting to the opposition, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know or, indeed, that Quade himself does not know that he knows.
4 Oct 2011, 07:25 am
I’ve said it before, you don’t win World Cups with Carlos Spencer/Quade Cooper type flyhalves.
4 Oct 2011, 07:40 am
personally i hate playing the wallabies….they are so damn clever…..kiwis we know what is coming…these damn kangaroo okes are slick as encyclopedia salesmen
4 Oct 2011, 08:21 am
panther…i want what you’re on….
4 Oct 2011, 08:31 am
@grant10(grant10)-11:
they can be a slick as brazilian oil wrestling chicks, it wont help.
4 Oct 2011, 10:10 am
@ Once.13. Now there is a far more interesting topic for a thread. Keo take note. By the way are you related to Bey Once?
4 Oct 2011, 12:17 pm
grant10 – MM the wallas are a whily bunch> To those who expect us to win becoz Ireland beat them think again. The wallas were thumoed by the ABs in the first3N game this year but they then bounced back to win all their games and win the trophy! The wallas are a team that doesn’t let a loss deter them unlike the ABs and Boks!!
This Satruday will be very close indeed.
However i am quitly confident about JDV back at 12. All this slating him i find disgusting, JDV has been a great servant of Bok rugby!! I just hope stays injury free otherwise we are definitely finished!!! Also i see Lambie coming out of his shell more and will expect some big things from imi this Saturday!! Like some big drop goals!!!
4 Oct 2011, 13:11 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-9: Rumsfeld is alive and well.
4 Oct 2011, 13:13 pm
If we should expect the unexpected then get ready for Argentina winning the cup.
4 Oct 2011, 13:40 pm
What on earth is a ‘decorated’ inside centre?
4 Oct 2011, 14:07 pm
Mmmm, me thinks the game will be lost and won at the breakdown.
Our forwards will need a massive game and I wonder if John Smit will start ahead of Bismark. Bissie is much better in the loose and on defense.
I’m also worried about Jacques Fouries defensive alignment, as both Wales and Samoa exposed his tendency to come out of the line to quickly and leave a gap
Going to be an interesting game. I hope JDV can pick up his game to emulate Frans Steyn on attack.
4 Oct 2011, 14:09 pm
@race of tan(race of tan)-15: Saturday? You mean Sunday I think?
… otherwise I need to cancel my golf!
4 Oct 2011, 14:45 pm
@once more unto the breach, dear springboks, once more…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-13: I thought the Brazilian Volley Ball chicks were the ones that always have guys captivated.
4 Oct 2011, 14:50 pm
Race of Tan – you are right. Wallabies have had enough losses in their time to understand past losses just don’t matter. If anything, you learn more from a loss than a win and what we learned from the loss to Ireland is we need Pocock and Moore in the forwards and also not to underestimate anyone. Wallabies can be as mentally fragile as a dish cloth one week but run through walls the next. I think you’ll find these kids are about to click.
4 Oct 2011, 15:53 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-10: Try Michael Lynagh who could play straight, run and fancy, and did all it in the ’91 WC.
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