Keo on GoodHopeFM 22 Oct
24 Oct 2011
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Keo.co.za
15 Jun 2013
The Boks never got out of first gear in beating Scotland in Nelspruit. And they didn't have to. The Scots were courageous, willing and tireless. But they always lacked the quality in attack and the polish as a team to make the Boks pay for an absent performance. The Boks won 30-17 after trailing 17-6 and they played more at idle pace than in first gear. The Boks were in a no-win situation. They were expected to win easily and if they did struggle, as happened, they were going to get caned in criticism, both from their supporters and the media. This was one of those matches the Boks ... Read Article1 Jun 2013
The Bulls are South Africa's best team and they proved it in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs have been outstanding all season and they were as good on Saturday night as they have been at any stage. Still it wasn't good enough to beat the Bulls, who won 30-25 after leading 30-13 with 10 minutes to play. The Cheetahs finished brilliantly and deserved the bonus point, but the Bulls consolidated their top two league placing thanks to an imposing first hour. Pierre Spies was impressive as team and pack leader, Arno Botha was ever present and the No 9, 10, 12 Bulls axis of Francois Hougaard, Morne ... Read Article11 Jun 2013
Brendan Venter's appointment as Sharks Director of Rugby is a good one. But the decision to end John Plumtree's Sharks coaching tenure is not. Former Springbok and Italy coach Nick Mallett turned down an invitation for the role of Sharks Director of Rugby and Venter, formerly the head coach and Director of Rugby at Saracens, will start his job at the outset of the Currie Cup season. Plumtree remains the Super Rugby head coach until the end of this season's tournament but his contract has not been renewed. Plumtree is highly rated in Europe and will in all likelihood link up with a European ... Read Article8 Jun 2013
Rene Ranger was among the few highlights in New Zealand's 23-13 win against France in Auckland. The All Blacks led 17-10 at half time but France dominated field position for most of the match and enjoyed the greater quality in possession. However they couldn't translate the advantage in the set phase and at the breakdown into points. New Zealand defended well in a match of poor quality. France lead early through Wesley Fofana's try and it took Ben Smith's break to start up New Zealand's international season. Smith has been the form New Zealand back in Super Rugby and he looked a class ... Read Article27 May 2013
Kiwi Vern Cotter is Scotland's new head coach. Cotter will only take up the position in a year's time. He will see out his contact with French club Clermont. Cotter's appointment means that New Zealanders will coach Scotland, Ireland (Joe Schmidt) and Wales (Warren Gatland). New Zealander Robbie Deans has been at the helm of Australia for the last five years and current Blues coach John Kirwan coached Italy and Japan. Kiwi coaches have also been at the helm of Samoa and Fiji in recent years. Read Article5 Mar 2013
MARK KEOHANE writes the Varsity Cup in its first year rocked. Since then it's just another professional tournament. The Varsity Cup may have the innovation of doing a few things differently, but what was supposed to be a celebration of student rugby somehow just seems like another tournament, in which the traditional power houses remain the traditional strengths in the tournament. Much has been made of the Port Elizabeth-based Nelson Mandela University display this season and equally there has been bewilderment at how poor Shimlas have been. But it seems the old one two of Stellenbosch University ... Read Article12 May 2013
Marcus Watson scored in extra time to beat the Blitzbokke in the London World Series Sevens Cup quarter-finals. The teams were level 14-all at full time. Watson's try came four minutes into extra time. England won 19-14. England had the chance to win the match with the last play of the game in normal time. They were awarded a penalty and opted to take a drop kick for goal. It missed. Watson then rounded off a move after England had retained possession for two minutes. South Africa suffered further embarrassment when they lost for a second time in the tournament to the USA and were eliminated ... Read Article8 Jan 2013
Limpopo will play in the Vodacom Cup as a separate side for the first time this year. The region, which is a sub-union of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, has been granted a place in the tournament in its own rights to help foster rugby in South Africa’s far north. They join the 14 provincial unions as well as the returning Pampas XV from Argentina in the tournament, which kicks off in the second week of March and concludes in mid-May. The Polokwane-based Limpopo team will play in the North Section of the competition, along with the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Griffons, Leopards, Pumas, Valke ... Read Article24 Oct 2011
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admin has written 339 articles.
5 Dec 2011
26 Nov 2011
SARugbymag.co.za asked HSM sports editorial director GARY LEMKE and junior sports writer GARETH DUNCAN: Have the Sharks made the right...Read More
Brian van Zyl did an excellent job as Sharks CEO during his 19 years in charge, writes MIKE GREENAWAY in...Read More
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has a chest injury and may miss the quadrangular series decider against Samoa at Loftus,...Read More
Heyneke Meyer is tired of the inconsistency between northern and southern hemisphere referees, and has called for a standardised approach...Read More
The Springboks may have won the match in Nelspruit, but they were humbled by a more determined and physical Scotland...Read More
The Bulls are South Africa’s best team and they proved it in Bloemfontein. Read More
The Boks never got out of first gear in beating Scotland in Nelspruit. Read More
The Rugby Football Union has turned down a proposal from their Welsh counterparts to stage the 2015 World Cup pool match between England and Wales in Cardiff. Read More
Marcus Watson scored in extra time to beat the Blitzbokke in the London World Series Sevens Cup quarter-finals. Read More
Kiwi Vern Cotter is Scotland’s new head coach. Read More
Rene Ranger was among the few highlights in New Zealand’s 23-13 win against France in Auckland. Read More

5 Comments
24 Oct 2011, 18:55 pm
Whatsthis dragons
25 Oct 2011, 15:59 pm
Blah blah die blah. Keo carries on about how important the NZ win is to highlight attacking rugby, and in the end ABs went and played like England on a good day or SA on a bad day! Hiding the ball in rucks and very defensive. The French played all the rugby!
25 Oct 2011, 16:06 pm
@bokfan1(bokfan1)-2: keo doesn’t know his arse from his elbow as far as the best strategy is for the Boks!
Boks are playing winning rugby
The Springboks have experience and rugby intelligence to go with their physicality, writes Keo in his weekly Business Day column.
Not enough credit is being given to the South Africans. The All Blacks said it after taking a beating in Bloemfontein and Durban. And the Wallabies said it after taking a pasting in Cape Town.
Both visiting camps agreed that it was a darn good Bok side, certainly the best South African side they had played in the last decade.
South African supporters also need to start recognising the quality of this side while they are still together because there will come a time in the future when we yearn for the quality of player wearing green at the moment, the leadership of John Smit, Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and Jean de Villiers and the no frills kind of wins we have seen in the last three weekends.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers a year ago wanted to tamper with the Boks’ winning formula. He berated Jake White’s World Cup winners as robots that couldn’t think for themselves and said it was unacceptable that the ball never went to left wing Bryan Habana in the World Cup final.
De Villiers’s ego undid him as much as the Wallabies and All Blacks did a year ago. This year De Villiers reverted to the formula that works for this particular bunch of players and he has enjoyed three convincing home wins against the All Blacks and Wallabies. For that he needs to be applauded and not mocked.
Had De Villiers continued with the naive notion that the guys play what is in front of them without any structure or framework the results this year would have been very different. The Boks may have scored more tries, but so too would the opposition.
The dynamic of this Bok side feeds off structure and knowing who does what and when. They rely on brutal defence, the most imposing lineout in the game and a halfback kicking game that can’t be matched at the moment. The Boks are at their most potent when they keep it simple on attack and play risk-free rugby. They are a side blessed with the players who can turn defence into attack.
The team’s greatest attribute is its physicality, but what this side has more than any South African team since readmission is experience and rugby intelligence to go with the physicality. Each guy knows what to do and that is the result of most of them being together for six years.
Neither New Zealand nor Australia wanted to look foolish on attack but incredible defence and the most accurate field-kicking game turned these professionals into bumbling schoolboys. Defence is a skill, as much as attack is, and one of the most difficult skills to master is the line kicking game.
It may not look pretty, but it is effective, and I for one want a Bok team that wins consistently playing to its strengths rather than one that appears to entertain, but merely plays into the grateful and winning hands of Australia and New Zealand.
Fourie du Preez’s ability to read the game and Habana and JP Pietersen’s chase of the kick spells intelligent rugby and not boring rugby. If New Zealand and Australia had players with those skills they’d be playing it exactly the same way.
The lineout duo of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha reduced New Zealand and Australia’s lineout to rubble and that took all the potency out of the visitors’ attack.
New Zealand and Australia rely on the lineout as their primary platform of attack. Against the Boks this was never possible.
Springbok captain John Smit is right when he says that by winning the home games all his team has done is hold serve, and that the tournament will be determined by how many games they win on tour.
There has been no premature celebration from the Boks, but the criticism that they are still short of being the complete side is nonsense. They have shown they can play the most extravagant rugby. Take the effort against Samoa at the 2007 World Cup and against the Wallabies in Johannesburg last year.
When it is on they have the qualities to put on a show. For now they have shown us just what a quality side they are in playing a brand that was necessary to hold serve, and that needs to be commended and not dismissed as players and coaches lacking ambition.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
25 Oct 2011, 23:07 pm
Bigots on a traditionally “coloured” radio satation, that’s rich….. what next?
26 Oct 2011, 11:25 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-3: Ja good point Transie. Although, I must admit, in 2009 none of us wouldve tinkered with the Bok team or strategy.
The injuries and lack of game plan in 2010 rudely woke us up, and all of a sudden 2011 seemed one season too far for some of the senior players.
Although – as Gavin Rich wrote – they didnt look too old against Aus in the QF. We will never know how good that team couldve been, thanks to Bryce’s dodgy reffing.
I still think though Smit and Matfield shouldve told Morne to go for more drop kicks in the QF
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