‘Want it? Come and get it’
10 Apr 2012
Morné Steyn will not give up his Springbok jersey without a fight.
Where once South Africa had struggled to produce world-class flyhalves with the regularity they did loose forwards, we are now blessed with youthful talent in the most pivotal position.
Steyn, at 27, is the old hand looking to stave off the advances of Generation 10. It is a challenge, he says, that has reinvigorated him and one he refuses to see himself losing.
‘They won’t just walk into the side. I won’t just give my jersey to them,’ he says in the new issue of SA Rugby magazine. ‘They have to come and get it if they want it. I won’t give it away easily.’
Steyn also responds to criticism about the way he plays the game and his defence, and explains why he’s still motivated to perform at both Super Rugby and Test levels.
Also in the new issue:
– Keegan Daniel explains his people-driven approach to captaincy
Eben Etzebeth – page 54
– Juandré Kruger and the Bulls are reaping the benefits of his decision to stick with the union over the past two seasons
– Eben Etzebeth has become an overnight sensation for the Stormers, but he almost fell through the cracks
– Derick Minnie was told he would never make it at the Lions. He didn’t listen
– Chiefs flyhalf Aaron Cruden may have a happy-go-lucky attitude but he takes his rugby deadly seriously
– Sarel Pretorius is playing his natural attacking game for the Waratahs
– In his regular column, Reds coach Ewen McKenzie explains why it’s difficult for coaches around the world to retain the players they identify and nurture
Fourie du Preez – page 132
– Opposition teams have worked hard to diminish his influence, but Cecil Afrika remains a match-winner for the Springbok Sevens team
– Cape Town is getting ready to host the IRB Junior World Championship
– The Wildeklawer Super Schools has grown into one of the biggest events on the South African schools rugby calendar
– Former Lions loose forward Ernst Joubert made a life-changing move to Saracens three years ago
– A season in Japan has rejuvenated Fourie du Preez … will he play for the Boks again?
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186 Comments
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10 Apr 2012, 09:14 am
Not the biggest Morne fan, but he’s playing some of his best rugby (despite the few missed kicks at poles) at the moment.
The competition for the number 10 jersey is doing SA rugby a world of good.
10 Apr 2012, 09:15 am
Good to see FdP at the Varsity Cup final last night. Back in Pretoria.
10 Apr 2012, 09:27 am
With Meyer as coach, you don’t need to worry about a thing Morne.
Plus you are playing some decent rugby.
10 Apr 2012, 09:29 am
Steyn is going to have to fight hard, Goosen is coming for that Bok jersey.
10 Apr 2012, 09:34 am
O sh it Garth should be here any minute now kakking himself all over again…..
10 Apr 2012, 09:38 am
Steyn not back up to his top form yet but he is well on his way.
This is a brilliant situation for any coach. Morne doing well,Goosen and Lambie pushing as hard as ever and grease koppie starting to slip out of the race.
10 Apr 2012, 09:44 am
He’s been my first choice 10 all along,
He single handedly kept the Bulls in the game in the first half on Saturday after the Saders came out firing.
You need that kind of player in your team.
10 Apr 2012, 09:44 am
I dont think he should be so confident that he will retain his spot… Apparently HM rates Goosen highly… Who is to say HM will pick Steyn, he might be a bit cocky assuming that he’s still the first choice 10… Besides with other 10s having excellent kicking records, his greatest strength wont necessarily get him a starting spot and why on earth would you want to have him on the bench if a better attacking 10 is kicking well too?
10 Apr 2012, 09:47 am
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE(KWAGGA ROBERTSE)-6:
Garf is standing in line waiting to buy airtime as we speak.
10 Apr 2012, 09:49 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-7:
And if the forwards struggle? Then he doesnt really feature in the game and without a 9 to alleviate the pressure he becomes a liability, tactically and on defense… If the forwards fire so does he, but I suspect most quality 10s do if the forwards perform…
10 Apr 2012, 09:51 am
the words chutzpah and gravitas comes to mind….
10 Apr 2012, 09:53 am
@Jeez(Jeez)-10: I think that the young 10′s coming through is a fantastic thing. Not just Goosen but also Elton and Lambie.
But I’d still play Morne at this stage. Goosen and Jantjies need to be brought through the set-up but not rushed in yet.
That’s my opinion.
10 Apr 2012, 09:55 am
@Jeez(Jeez)-10:
that’s his point.
the bulls forwards struggled in the first half.
yet he kept them in the game.
10 Apr 2012, 09:56 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-12:
I agree, but they should be given some opportunities every now and then. Id say play Steyn for maximum a season and a half before giving the starting spot to the next best young 10….
10 Apr 2012, 09:58 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-13: Probably because the forwards lifted their game in the second half…
10 Apr 2012, 10:04 am
@Jeez(Jeez)-15:
????????
wtf.
I said he kept them in the game in the first half.
jeez.
10 Apr 2012, 10:07 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-13: Yes it’s almost as if they didn’t expect the ferocity that the Crusaders started off the game with. Morne kept them in touch, at Half time the score was closer than the game was.
Whatever Frans said to them in the half time break worked though because in the second half it was one way traffic for 30 minutes. The bulls did the same thing against the Stormers and it almost cost us.
@Jeez(Jeez)-14: For me test rugby is a place for the best. And for now, in my opinion, Morne is still the man.
For me a pretender to a position at National level has to be quite a bit better than the incumbent in order to unseat him. We’ll see how Morne does in June (if he’s chosen) but for now I believe the position is his to lose.
10 Apr 2012, 10:12 am
Well, Morne is sure not bad and has done some good things for SA. At his peak we defeated the British Lions and claimed a Tri-Nations.
But the game has moved on. The laws have tightened on the kick-chase approach, rendering it a bit less effective, and the best sides have found ways to counter it.
And while he obviously still remains a good place kicker, his challengers show a lot of promise in this area. (Goosen, Jantjes) And if Frans Steyn plays for example you don’t even need a 10 to take the long kicks, Lambie would do fine (or Grant
).
So I think for the good of SA rugby, it’s time to embrace someone with different strengths. My vote goes to Goosen and Lambie.
10 Apr 2012, 10:13 am
Lambie is hot on his heels.
10 Apr 2012, 10:20 am
Right now there is no real competition for that jersey the only way morne wont be the bok 10 is if he has a seriously disastrous superugby campaign or he gets injured.
I have to admire his ability to stay keep going and going and correct me if im wrong but can anyone recall him missing a game for the boks due to injury since he started in 2009?
he doesnt have the same game breaking and running abilities as the likes of Dan Carter , a young Andre Pretorius , Quade Cooper etc but he does the basics well and most times thats all you need
boks backline
(9 Hougaard)
10 Morne
11 Habana
12 Frans
13 JDV
14 JPP
15 Lambie
(20 S Pretorius – he has the goods)
21 Aplon
22 Butch
10 Apr 2012, 10:22 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-16: how did he do that exactly? it seemed like the bulls where losing in the first half… You can hardly say that Steyn kept them in the game…
10 Apr 2012, 10:22 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-7:
yip sb… mine too…
i’d start him against the poms with lambie covering from the bench…
goosen and jantjies to their chances later in the year…
10 Apr 2012, 10:23 am
@White Shark(Predawn)-19:
wow! those are some slow moving heels..however hot they may be…
10 Apr 2012, 10:24 am
i think morne is a brilliant player.
there was a comment that Morne can come unstuck as a flyhalf when his team are chasing the win. There is some truth to this but some of morne’s greatest victories have come as a flyhalf chasing the game….
british lions 2nd test…
crusaders 2010 and 2009 and 2012.
there have been plenty of examples of morne successfully chasing games down.
the reality is, is that no flyhalf can operate off of slow ruck ball or behind a pack getting beaten up.
for whatever reason dan carter is considered a genius but last saturday with all the frontfootball the crusaders had in the opening 30minutes their backs never looked like scoring. it took an 8 running a great angle off a ruck to score.And then when he can’t kick for toffee……
for my money Morne was the man by some distance last saturday.
In fact, I’d go as far as too say that Morne has become talismatic…when he plays well the team plays well.
10 Apr 2012, 10:24 am
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-23:
Does that mean Steyn is fast?
10 Apr 2012, 10:26 am
@Jeez(Jeez)-21:
baby steps.
what was the score at half time?
10 Apr 2012, 10:27 am
@White Shark(Predawn)-25:
dont you get it
10 Apr 2012, 10:28 am
@boktillzero(boktillzero)-20:
the truth, morne played 2008 -2011 without missing a game if memory serves me correctly.
probably the most overplayed player in the country.
10 Apr 2012, 10:32 am
Goosen will definitely get a call to attend the Bok trials. He’s about to hit the big time.
10 Apr 2012, 10:32 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-28:
Just hope he learns to tackle soonest.
10 Apr 2012, 10:34 am
Has Dagg recovered after he got his name made tottie by a prop? Moment of the weekend that. Would love to have heard the beer chats in the changeroom.
BTW has someone seen or heard from CAPECRUSADER or are they still busy trying to get him off the bridge?
10 Apr 2012, 10:38 am
@White Shark(Predawn)-30:
his tackling was fine last weekend, just ask Dan.
sure,he’s not destructive like Butch was but then, did Butch ever win a game on his own?
10 Apr 2012, 10:38 am
At the end of the day, Steyn will do very well in a bok team. If the best forward are picked and the combinations gel, the boks should be able to dominate most teams. Our locks are (bulls + stormers) bullying most teams, we have the best loose forwards (all sa franchises), the only area of concern is probably props… Imo.
Just hope we dont kick away too much ball. Its so frustrating when the forwards get the momentum going and Steyn kicks it and the wings fail to retain the ball…
10 Apr 2012, 10:56 am
Forget flyhalf!! How good is Etsebeth?? My player of the tournament so far!! Going to become a Springbok legend!!
10 Apr 2012, 10:56 am
@Jeez(Jeez)-33: True.
Which is why I don’t want FDP back.
Hougaard is the way to go IMO, with Vermaak no 2,
10 Apr 2012, 11:14 am
Must admit Morne did the business on saturday , he just couldnt miss and was the difference at the end of the game
10 Apr 2012, 11:16 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-35: I dont know if you saw the game on Sat, but Hougaard had one of the best defensive games i have seen in a while – he was everywhere , and stopped us from scoring at least 2 times – imo i think this boy is the real deal .
10 Apr 2012, 11:17 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-35:
Hopefully with a dominating pack of forwards, we’ll see who ever is at 10 spreading the ball wide when we have forward momentum. Sometimes tactics should take a back seat to playing the situation. Hopefully, with a decent backline coach the boks will be sharper and have the confidence to capitalize on attacking play, without kicking the ball away…I dont see Steyn helping to achieve this…
10 Apr 2012, 11:22 am
@Jeez(Jeez)-38: I think in the extreme most fly-halves will look good with lots of go forward ball, but in tests it tends to be a lot tighter than that, and in that circumstance i’m on the Morne Train.
10 Apr 2012, 11:28 am
Jeez – Nothing wrong with a bit of competition between M Steyn & Goosen.
Heyneke has to choose a decent backup to Morne Steyn, as Steyn is the incubunt BOK no10, and it is looking more and more likley to be Goosen.
10 Apr 2012, 11:40 am
Hi all.
Sorry – just haven’t got the time to be here.
Just want to mention… Stormers are looking great. imo. Keep it going!
Bulls lyk ok….. better than expected… hou so aan manne.
10 Apr 2012, 11:41 am
Cheers!
10 Apr 2012, 11:45 am
@wpjoulekkading(wpjoulekkading)-18: Please explain to me, technically why you think the game has moved on, to the extend that it does not favour the kick-chase game, which WP and the Bulls have made their own?
Sure, Goosen brings a different element to the game. Lambie will not make it. However, knowing what we know from HM, a strong kicking game will feature again in the Boks’ gameplan, and therefor Morne will always be a contender for the pivotal position.
10 Apr 2012, 11:56 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-39: “The defence by the Stormers was a lot better than any defence we’ve come up against this season,” Jamie Joseph said.
“They were very good at slowing down our attack. They did a hell of a job in stopping our flow. There were times when we thought we had them but they always held us out.
“The Stormers are a very good side. They’re very consistent in their performances and in the way they play. They play the percentages, they squeeze teams. They’ve been like that for a few years.
“We couldn’t break them and then they turned the pressure back on us, which is what good teams do.”
Captain Jamie Mackintosh echoed Joseph’s comments about the Stormers.
“They’re a very good defensive team. They defend differently. We like to tackle low and get our guys over the ball and try to contest it. They like to tackle you, hold you up and then drive you back.They are two contrasting styles and they do it very well.”
Joseph said he was satisfied with the first phase of the competition in which the Highlanders go into their bye week with five wins from seven matches.
“At the start of the season we would have taken five wins from seven games. The game against the Stormers was our 10th, including the three pre-season games. I want the players to get away from rugby for a week and have a physical and mental rest.”
10 Apr 2012, 12:00 pm
Citing commissioner Freek Burger was unable to find any evidence in the match footage to substantiate the claims. The Bulls, however, have opted to stand their ground, with High-Performance Manager Ian Schwartz insisting no apology is owed, or will be made.
“I just want to say that our players’ integrity is just as important to us, as the Crusaders’ players integrity is to them. I feel the players will not make unfounded accusations unless something has happened,” Schwartz told SuperSport.com in defending the decision not to issue an apology to the Crusaders.
10 Apr 2012, 12:06 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-45: It is fine Richie will be back for the play offs , then he will rip one of the Bulls heads clean off – then they can moan , b-it-ches
10 Apr 2012, 12:09 pm
@THE MAULER(THE MAULER)-34:
On Re union they show a ruck where the stormers have the ball and the highlanders are counter rucking .
i think Etsebeth is at front of the ruck and Jamie Mcintosh and the other highlander lock keep charging in trying to push him off the ball they do it about 3 or 4 times . if you look closely the lock punches/connects with a swinging arm on Etsebeth a couple of times and without missing a beat Etsebeth does a “bring it on” hand gesture as if to say is that the best you can do. Its the coolest thing ive seen all season – he’s got a future that kid
10 Apr 2012, 12:11 pm
@stew(stew)-46: Article By: Tony, Johnson
Tuesday, 10 April 2012 2.25 p.m.
Finally, during the Crusaders Bulls match the Bulls twice made allegations of eye gouging.
These have not only proved to be unsubstantiated, there is now a growing feeling that they were fabricated.
Referee Jaco Peyper was acting in accordance with SANZAR procedure by issuing a white card, but it is significant that there was no follow up complaint by the home team after the game, and now the citing commissioner has, after close scrutiny of all available footage, decided that there is no case to answer.
This is the second time, after Waratah Tom Carters allegation of gouging against Adam Byrnes that such a damaging claim against a fellow player has been made and proved to have little foundation.
Todd Blackadder wants an apology and should get one, but more to the point, SANZAR has reacted in typically feeble style, when it should be issuing code of conduct sanctions against players who make these allegations in order to gain advantage during a game, and besmirch the reputation of others.
10 Apr 2012, 12:13 pm
@stew(stew)-46:
yup.
he’ll probably drop a knee on them.
he’s good at that.
leave the eye-gouging to the rest of the crusaders pack.
10 Apr 2012, 12:16 pm
@Blue Label(Blue Label)-43: I will, technically, explain to you why.
After the Lions tour and our Tri-nations victories, the IRB and the refs revised some rules. To be more exact, they didn’t revise the rules, but they asked the refs to focus more on certain parts. This is not made up by me, it was quite public at the time.
The number one rule they focus that the attacking players in front of the kicker, HAS to retreat until onside. Also the 10 meter rule is more tightly enforced.
Also the breakdown rules have made it possible to hold on to the ball, so kicking away the ball not always so smart.
Clearly the kick chase is till worth something. It just can’t be plan A and B anymore. Even HM has said the game has moved on.
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