Boks will battle without Butch
5 Oct 2011
JON CARDINELLI writes that Peter de Villiers will come to regret a campaign-defining decision made on the basis of one missed penalty attempt.
13 August 2011, South Africa vs Australia at Kings Park. Butch James, the man earmarked by the Springbok selectors to play No 10 at the World Cup, steps forward to attempt a penalty goal. The wind blows the ball off the tee, and so James asks team-mate Heinrich Brussow to hold it steady. James then rushes the kick, hooking it to the left of the uprights.
The Boks went on to lose that Test, but a truthful account will show that the hosts were fortunate not to concede more points. One missed penalty attempt did not cost them the game, but it was enough for De Villiers to jettison James and reinstate Morne Steyn. It was after the subsequent game in Port Elizabeth where De Villiers would claim that the Boks had the flyhalf and the template to win the Webb Ellis Cup.
James was done a dirty, and South African rugby regressed four years. The coach and selectors invested in a flyhalf and game plan that while successful against B-sides and lesser teams, proved limited when implemented against the well-rounded All Blacks and Wallabies.
Fast forward eight weeks to the build-up to the Boks’ quarter-final showdown with the Wallabies in Wellington. I find James in a gloomy corner of the team hotel. His shoulders are hunched and he wears a resigned look. He’s well prepared for the media’s questions, professing his unwavering support for the team and the coach’s preferred flyhalf, but throughout the interview you get the sense that he’s as bleak as the Wellington weather.
‘Morne is playing well and the team is playing well. I’m happy to fill a bench role. I’ve been out on the training field doing my best, and I don’t think that I will let the team down if I’m called on in a game situation,’ he offers.
The conversation is steered towards that fateful day in Durban, the day the Boks’ entire World Cup game plan was changed because of one missed kick. James has never been one to dwell on the past, but when pushed, he says that he should have made that opportunity count.
‘I didn’t do my chances of selection any good when I missed that kick. It was disconcerting when the ball blew over, but an international player should still get those kicks over. There are a lot of excuses I could use, but the bottom line is that I missed.’
James will tell you that he is a competent goal-kicker, and his record will substantiate the big talk. Before that Test in Durban, he average 83% in Test matches, a record that’s right up there with the best in the world. He gets annoyed when people make definitive statements about his ability based on one bad performance or kick.
In the early noughties, it was his controversial tackling style that drew unwanted attention. Butch enjoys the big defensive hits, but he became unfairly tagged as a thug when a few of the more exuberant tackle attempts slipped up past the shoulder.
In much the same way he’s been labelled an incompetent goal-kicker because of a few fluffed attempts. And it’s not just the uneducated laymen who have drawn false conclusions. Going by what transpired after that Test in Durban, the supposed brains trust of South African rugby is guilty of the same poor judgment.
Will it cost the Boks their World Cup campaign? The Boks are talking about their recent pool matches as if they’ve progressed. They are talking up Steyn as if he’s the key to their success.
The reality is that they haven’t been challenged by a top team like they were in Durban two months ago. Wales pushed them close in the Pool D opener, and exposed their defensive frailties in the flyhalf channel, but subsequent successes against minnows like Fiji, Namibia and Samoa have installed a false sense of defensive security. The upshot is that the Boks believe Steyn can shore up that flyhalf channel and keep the Aussies at bay.
James feels that the Wallabies will come at the Boks this Sunday. The driving rain experienced in Wellington this week is expected to cease by the time the match kicks off, and this should allow the Aussies to play a high-tempo, ball-in-hand game. The probable selection of Berrick Barnes at No 12 will also lend the Wallabies a sharper edge.
‘Pat McCabe is a very direct, physical player, whereas a guy like Berrick gives them more attacking options from a distribution point of view,’ said James.
‘The Aussies like to attack with width, and although a quarter-final may change their thinking slightly and force them to play a bit tighter initially, I don’t think it will be too long before they move the ball around. It’s their strength, and they should stick to it.’
The Wallabies will target Steyn’s channel this Sunday. They will have taken note of Wales’ attacking success against South Africa in the pool stages, and will be aware of Steyn’s dislike for contact.
Be it on attack or defence, the Boks will miss James’ physicality. Playing against the Wallabies two months ago, he made a big impression on defence. The Bok backline also looked more imposing when James was directing the attacking traffic.
Penalties and drop goals won’t see the Boks home against a Wallabies side that has the capacity to score tries against the best defences. De Villiers will rue the decision to preclude James from the starting line-up and limit the Boks to an outdated style. In the aftermath of a quarter-final exit, the South African rugby community will ponder what could have been If only that ball had stayed on the tee.
677 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 14 » Show All
5 Oct 2011, 05:48 am
Hey, Kia,
This dragon is for you.
8)
5 Oct 2011, 05:56 am
In the 2007 WC Final, the most authoritative person on the paddock was Butch James. Butch is needed now. He is designed for the big occasion.
5 Oct 2011, 06:00 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-2: And the big yellow card
5 Oct 2011, 06:02 am
Man, Keo and his chronies are doing their best to punt James and their new book. Butch was great 4 years ago when Percy had his back. The coach believes the players he has fits his gameplan and since none of you have or will ever coach and international side, I tend to stick with the coaches view.
5 Oct 2011, 06:04 am
On defense alone, James needs to be out there. His physicality would rattle Quade Cooper, no doubt.
5 Oct 2011, 06:05 am
@DAS(DAS)-5:
Nope Das, last time Butch played he missed more tackles than he made, what is the use of that?
5 Oct 2011, 06:06 am
@Waster(Waster)-3:
Disagree. The bigger the pressure, the more accurate he becomes. A bit like Burger. He wants the big kill. Matured over time. Like a bottle of Kanonkop.
5 Oct 2011, 06:07 am
with Frans gone the next best option would be Butch, he’s not quite as mobile and flexible as Frans but he does well on defense and carries well
he must at least be on the bench to replace either morne or jdv after 60
5 Oct 2011, 06:07 am
@DAS(DAS)-5:
Agreed. Quade needs to be in completely unfamiliar territory.
5 Oct 2011, 06:13 am
Problem is we will probably have both MS and JdV in centre field.
It’s not just MS that can’t tackle.
“The plot thickens and the channel widens”.
5 Oct 2011, 06:13 am
@boktillzero(boktillzero)-8:
Diagree
Once F. Steyn got injured there went a potential kicker in place of M Steyn
With Frans injury M Steyn became a sure pick at 10 now with the playoffs
An accurate kicker is a must
Lambie to back up Morne not Butch
5 Oct 2011, 06:14 am
@OCO(OCO)-10:
Ja M steyn’s defense is a problem this is why Spies must pull his finger out
5 Oct 2011, 06:15 am
What a lot of convoluted conjecture to support your preferred player. The Aussies will do this and the Aussies will do that. Well, the Aussies did what they do, Butch missed his chance and we lost the game.
It’s not just a missed kick. It’s also a lack of anything else that Butch brought to the team.
Morne came back, the AB’s did this and that, Morne held his game along with the rest of the A team, we won. And kept winning.
If this isn’t a winning formula, what is?
5 Oct 2011, 06:17 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-11:
Big fan of your judgement, Pete. But we need a team that scores tries to win this one. Butch is the try scoring playmaker, que no? Frans’s replacement in the five pointers.
5 Oct 2011, 06:17 am
I agree with JC and have posted as much prior to this article. I have never liked the way we have played with MS and agree that the only way we will win with our dinosaur game plan is if we smash the Ausies up front, which we have not succeeded in doing for some time now. F these useless coaches of ours. I can’t see us winning unless we have something fresh and clever on the day.
5 Oct 2011, 06:17 am
Spot on Coach. The midfield is the least area of concern for us.
5 Oct 2011, 06:18 am
We all know the Aussies are going to attack the 10 channel with inside passes from Cooper to a wing or ball carrier I can just see the moves in my mind
Our loosies must help out and snuff out those attacks there
5 Oct 2011, 06:19 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-12:
Morning Coach,
Hopefully he pulls it out before the match and isn’t fit
5 Oct 2011, 06:20 am
@oneslickpenguin(oneslickpenguin)-13:
Not disparaging Morne at all. He has done well, and he tackled like a tiger in the last game. I really feel at we need him at least on the bench as sub for Morne if we are not in the driving seat by 60 mins.
5 Oct 2011, 06:21 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-16:
Sorry, disagree. With JdV at #12 the midfield is a big problem especially with the lack of a #8 that can double round and tackle effectively.
FS made a major impact at #12 both on attack and defense plus MS was more composed too.
5 Oct 2011, 06:22 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-14:
Yeah mate I wan t them to score tries too, but in any play off situations including the WC these games tighten up mainly because teams become more cautious, teams tend to play for field position hoping for penalties.
Therefore M Steyns Kicking is huge
5 Oct 2011, 06:23 am
@OCO(OCO)-20:
Schalk at 8, Alberts at 7. Smash and grab. Give Quade a qualude!
5 Oct 2011, 06:24 am
@OCO(OCO)-18:
Morning (more like late evening)
I doubt it I wish Alberts was starting at 8
5 Oct 2011, 06:27 am
@OCO(OCO)-20:
Its who we have now and not bad since JF and him have played a lot together
I think Jdv will be fine I think our defense will be ok and I think if we win its will be M Steyns boot that will win it
So are we going to have Hougaard and aplon on the wings? and lambie at 15
Very exciting
5 Oct 2011, 06:27 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-23:
Need a passing 8 for this one. Burger has come on leaps and bounds in this regard. We need to confuse them to disrupt their defensive patterns. It bring in FdP as the “hybrid” flyhalf and sets up Butch or Alberts for an inside or outside “Locomotive Breath”.
5 Oct 2011, 06:28 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-22:
A Skalberts sandwich
5 Oct 2011, 06:29 am
We are playing an extremely bright team in Oz. We need to come up with an ace, and give them no clue.
5 Oct 2011, 06:29 am
Coach@11: look at the test kicking percentages of each and tell me where MS offers more?!
5 Oct 2011, 06:30 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-26:
And Brussouw as a pickle on the side!
5 Oct 2011, 06:30 am
Quade needs to be stifled…
5 Oct 2011, 06:30 am
this BUTCH book is going to be kak…
“but throughout the interview you get the sense that he’s as bleak as the Wellington weather.” more open secrets JC?
you okes are pathetic in your attempts to punt dudes you have BOOK deals with. some of us told you butch was finished when he was still at Bath with shot knees & shoulders.
you guys will have to be creative in how you write up butch’s contribution to this campaign because currently he is out in the cold
& blaming pdv doesn’t cut it either
5 Oct 2011, 06:31 am
@julz(julz)-28:
only have 2 fingers that type
Dont have them that be multitasking
5 Oct 2011, 06:33 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-27:
The only bright one is Bishops boy Vickerman
5 Oct 2011, 06:35 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-31:
Keeping it positive. Both Morne and Butch can play a role here. Quade needs to be smashed in the first 30 with extremely tight forward play. Biggest men in first. Oz are a confidence team. Bring on Morne in the 41st minute with Aplon for Habana to finish the game out when they are mentally rattled.
5 Oct 2011, 06:37 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-33:
And O Connor after a half jack of meths
5 Oct 2011, 06:37 am
JC still whinging about how Butch is a victim of a naughty, shame.
Forget about Steyn for a second, we all know that he is deficient.
Let’s get some articles about the other deficients that will start.
How about a headline on the light 5 Beast who prefers playing as a winger, how about the 50min passenger Bakkies, what does he do in 50min to justify his place in the team.
Then there is that 2nd 5 8th Burger, who needs Butch as a play maker when bonehead is there, now let’s not even talk about observer show pony Spies.
That’s just the forwards man, now for the glory boys.
FDP, Habana, JDV, JPP all has-beens … it is true and Lambie, poor Lambie is just terribly slow and I don’t mean mentally.
Steyn is yours JC, to pick apart.
5 Oct 2011, 06:38 am
Butch has been there, done that and keow’s book is just exploiting this. Sadly, I think he’s past his sell by date against Oz but could have played against Samoa and saved F Steyn. Cooper is an elusive runner and Butch’s knees don’t really do sharp turns anymore. I think Coops needs to be marked by a nippy terrier like Aplon or Hougaard which can be arranged for set pieces (do the muppets and Bok “coaches” know what these are?) but not for turnovers. It’s going to be tough.
5 Oct 2011, 06:38 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-34:
I am not happy having Habana there
Blind as a bat , butterfingers, already slow before the lame leg
Pleeeeeeeeez no
5 Oct 2011, 06:39 am
Hell I forgot to finger Plod
5 Oct 2011, 06:39 am
We need Butch. Who else is going to smash Quade? Go Bokke!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqjzAd7gwtQ
5 Oct 2011, 06:39 am
@RL(RL)-36:
I refer the right honorable gentleman to the question I answered a few moments ago…
5 Oct 2011, 06:40 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-24:
Sorry, good evening! My bad.
Would be worried at wing with both Aplon and Houghard there. Both defensively poor. Actually checked Houghard’s stats – misses about 50% of tackles.
But would be great for attack although I’m not sure that would happen as MS will probably kick all possesion away.
The other problem I have with JdV is with his frequent ‘intercept attempts’ that leave a gaping hole in the defense. Expect Oz to exploit this.
Anyway, hi-ho etc. Already late for work.
Cheers all.
5 Oct 2011, 06:41 am
@ConradP(ConradP)-40:
Cant afford to play with 14 for 10 min
5 Oct 2011, 06:43 am
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-38:
Understand. But our back three need to be good defenders, which Habs is, for the first 40. If we take a risk in midfield we need some Oz blockers in our last line. Also, Peterson is doubtful. Habs, Lambie and Hougie – all good defenders.
5 Oct 2011, 06:43 am
@OCO(OCO)-42:
Yes I see your point I do want JPP there for sure
Habana well ok if defense maybe
I think the jdv intercepts dont really happen in play off rugby
5 Oct 2011, 06:45 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-44:
Yes I believe you are right there thinking more about it (see post 45)
5 Oct 2011, 06:46 am
Funny lot you are, only on Playstation or XBox will Butch be able to keep up with Cooper. In real life his dodgy knees won’t be able to take the strain…
5 Oct 2011, 06:48 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-47:
You must be talking about FdP, yes. Not one good game so far.
5 Oct 2011, 06:53 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-48:
Now now Twojinx, this is Butch article and we will have to wait for a FdP book…sorry, I mean FdP article to discuss his knees…
5 Oct 2011, 07:00 am
Butch would be a fine pick at 10 for this game. Experience and defence.
I would have liked to see his form in a game or two before this one before just picking him though …
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 14 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.