Meyer must trust his gut
1 Jun 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day column, says the Springbok side for the first Test against England pretty much picks itself.
Given the injury situation, Fourie du Preez is the obvious choice to captain the Springboks against England.
Heyneke Meyer has always been emphatic that his captain will be a player he trusts, a player who makes the starting XV, and a player who will give him comfort as he eases his way through his first international head coaching experience.
Meyer has trusted his gut and he should never waver from this. So many coaches have compromised, tried to please a certain province, a certain media or a certain sector of the public, failed and regretted not doing it their way. I hope Meyer stays true to his gut feeling on what represents a match 22 good enough to win without much coaching in the Test opener against England in Durban.
Meyer would have had three training sessions with the match 22 before that first Test. To pick a bunch of young guns would be a recipe for disaster. A coach builds over four years, not in his first week.
Some will argue that Meyer’s selection will be biased and favour the Bulls. Others will argue that it is a conservative selection and some will never be pleased because of his history with the Bulls. I see any selection Meyer makes, based on his comments to the media and several discussions with him in recent months, as the most logical to see off an England challenge that will be dangerous in the first Test but should get easier as the series progresses.
Injuries have ensured Meyer’s ideal XV won’t start and he may well find his ideal XV never starts in the next four years. He won’t be the first Bok coach to experience that kind of frustration. He won’t be the last.
Crucial to the first Test will be the performance of Bismarck du Plessis, Pierre Spies and Willem Alberts. If these experienced players show the necessary application, attitude, physicality and brutality, there will be enough of a platform to fashion a victory.
I am not expecting anything but a workmanlike display in the first Test, with an emphasis on protecting the ball, playing field percentages and attacking the defensive vulnerability of England’s halfback pairing, who ooze talent but aren’t blessed with natural physicality.
I don’t rate England a top-five side. I think their struggle against physical packs like those of Scotland and Italy is more indicative of their limitations than the smashing of an Irish team that lacked the oomph up front to threaten at Twickenham.
SA will produce a decent pack, which will get stronger once internationals like Schalk Burger and Juan Smith return.
Du Preez, given the lack of Test match experience among the forwards, was an obvious choice to calm the nerves and implement a percentages match against England.
The side, on form, pretty much selects itself. Morné Steyn has done more than enough to play the master tactician at flyhalf and while he will always have a defensive issue at Test level it has seldom been exposed because so few teams dominate the Boks physically.
Frans Steyn and Jean de Villiers are formidable in the midfield and Meyer won’t look beyond the experience of Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen on the wings. As the international season unfolds he will tweak in areas like the back three and there will be more of an integration of new faces than a discarding of the old.
Meyer has been consistent that 2012 is about winning Tests and building a winning culture. He will think about 2015 in 2015 and if his selections have been consistent between now and the next World Cup, it will be a squad that rewards form, youth and experience that arrives in England with conviction and not just the hope that came with the reputation of those who failed in New Zealand last year.
I’d start with Pat Lambie at fullback, but Meyer may feel pressured to pick Zane Kirchner because of a lack of black representation in his match 22. It’s an awful situation because Kirchner has played well enough to be picked on merit, as have Juan de Jongh and Chiliboy Ralepelle. But others, who just happen to be white, have also played at a standard that makes a healthy case for inclusion.
Meyer will be a bundle of nerves in his first Test and that is why Du Preez and De Villiers, more than any other players, will be more influential and instrumental in Durban than any of the coaching staff.
Meyer has been very clear that in the first Test he wants to be judged on the win and that the style of play will evolve over the season. Again, it is the most logical of statements that deserves the most logical of acknowledgment from the country’s fanatical support base.
249 Comments
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1 Jun 2012, 22:51 pm
Habana not really deserving of a spot. So too Kirchner. Lambie to cover fly half. Hougaard on wing ( why would we have 3 scrummies)
1 Jun 2012, 23:05 pm
@5 katman you are one crazy guy
Tac @8 nice comeback (used to think you had no humour in you)
2 Jun 2012, 00:28 am
What does his gut tell him????
That’s the question.
Make FdP captain? Make VM captain? Play Vet Frans at inside centre? Make all the Bulls Bokke?
Exactly what are his guts telling him?
2 Jun 2012, 00:36 am
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-151:
On what grounds does Habana not deserve a place in the Bok team?
His performances in 2010 and 2011 or his performance in 2012?
Afa I’m concern, somebody has to nominate me a left wing who out-performed Habana in 2012 before we can drop him for the Boks.
Please don’t mention Le Roux because his defence is even kakker than Bjorn Basson.
So, at left wing, we have Habana, Le Roux, Mvovo, Basson.
Who amongst those, is the best?
2 Jun 2012, 00:55 am
@nama1(nama1)-154:
@nama1(nama1)-153:
I like your posts, glad I stayed long to get a business call from across the water so I was able to read it
Like I said here earlier, read between the lines because Keo is well connected!
Give the guy a slack, he hasn’t shown his hand YET
2 Jun 2012, 00:58 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-23:
Dammit Tac.
Even before Heyneke got the job, he KNEW that he would have only one week to prepare for the English. It’s not as if the Boks playing program became known AFTER he was appointed.
Stop using that as an excuse,
Pink Bullcrap, man.
2 Jun 2012, 01:11 am
@nama1(nama1)-154: Mvovo?
2 Jun 2012, 02:04 am
Nama
No, you can tell me on what grounds he deserve his place. Tries? Defense? Turnovers?
No, not le Roux. Too white!
No, not Basson. Too blue!
Maybe Mvovo.
2 Jun 2012, 02:58 am
back to the same ultra conservative chickenshit boring SA rearguard rugby philosophy all over again
Play Spies, FdP, Morne Steyn, Frans Steyn / Olivier, Lambie and / or Kirchner
And I’m pretty OK with the result going to England in any or all of these three tests.
If that the only way these chickenshit coaches learn the lesson to get out of their chickenshit conservative cowardice then so be it, get beaten by lowly England at home.
2 Jun 2012, 03:07 am
England not lowly at all. Not much between them and Wales. Anyone thinking they are weak is either uninformed or keeping a back door open to fire a few shots at HM.
2 Jun 2012, 03:36 am
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-160:
Yep… plenty of ignorant half-wits here… when last did the Boks beat France in France…
Poms have picked up some good momentum with 5 games with one loss to the 6N winner ending with an away win in France and an absolute smashing of Ireland…
Under-estimating them the brains-trust won’t be… that’s the job of mug-punters…
2 Jun 2012, 03:59 am
Bryce…
Yeah, no easy games in June. England, Wales, and Ireland. All big tests. NZ should make it 3 zip especially now with O’Connol out. SA and Aus should be happy with 2-1.
2 Jun 2012, 04:06 am
‘lowly England’ is the general consensus of the majority of SH rugby affiliates , the only dumb fck halfwits here are these fckwit arsetralian wannabe schmucks trailing their arses in Ibetuwanaland who rate FdP – Morne and Spies as their insurance policy against failure
Play these backbeat boys like Spies FdP Steyn Olivier Kirchner and it will be the best rewarding medicine if England fck these chickenarsed cowards straight back into the rearguard laager they emerged from. I for one have absolutely no qualms if England stuff this conservative chickenshit cowardice straight back into the chickenshit cowardice closet it belongs in.
2 Jun 2012, 04:28 am
this meyer schmuck isn’t trusting his gut he’s trusting his chickenshit cowardice bang broek head to renege on bravery and resort to chickenshit rearguard cowardice philosophy making FdP captain and going Spies, Steyn, Kirchner as his backbeat backbone I hope England do him the honor of Fckng him up to kingdom come so the lesson gets learned well and hard, let them beat these chicken arsed cowards 3 zip, that’ll be just the reward they be looking for by resorting to chickenshit cowardice fear of losing gutless rearguard action policy.
2 Jun 2012, 04:31 am
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-163:
“‘lowly England’ is the general consensus of the majority of SH rugby affiliates”
Really? Clearly you the only narrow-minded fckdilly that doesn’t read the Aus and NZ rugby press…
Both ENG and WAL are rated as a chance of an upset in their first tests…
Oh you such a toothless kak-tjanking old toppie!
2 Jun 2012, 04:34 am
Olivier will not get a look-in, I still not sure FDP will even make the team let alone start, doubt Kirchner will get a start nor the 22… and Spies will be there with Vermeulen out… so go to bed old man… you’re embarrassing yourself…
2 Jun 2012, 04:37 am
Louis…
Are you serious???
No wait, you must be pissed out of your mind Skoplap!
2 Jun 2012, 05:05 am
FdP is touted as HM’s captain
Kirchner is regarded as an ‘experienced’ full back
Spies is the only ‘experienced’ No. 8 we got because the schmucks like White, Meyer and PdV rated him above proper 8′s like Van Niekerk or Vermeulen.
Olivier is ‘rated’ above JdV by some morons supposedly ‘in the know’.
Keohane doesn’t ‘rate’ England as a top 5 playing nation
So what we got here is a beautiful recipe for a grand scale disaster of epic proportions, it will make Pdv’s fckups look the likeness of chicken feed.
Nope you poor arsetralian doos, I ain’t the one embarrassing myself here the only one gonna be mightily embarrassed is Heyneke Meyer if his chickenshit rearguard action policies of trotting out Spies FdP Steyn (Olivier) and Kirchner backfire like they gutlessly and immaculately should
2 Jun 2012, 05:31 am
this Mark Keohane obviously don’t know squat about rugby, just read this frivolous garbage about Heyneke Meyer ‘trusting his gut’ when he’s actually doing nothing of the sort, all he’s ‘trusting’ is his chickenshit cowardly fear of losing reverse gear reliance, that why he tried for Matfield and second prize is Fourie du Preez.
Then Keohane reckons when Burger and Juan Smith return our forwards gonna get bolstered, wtf this schmuck actually smoking?
If Heyneke got ANY guts to actually trust, he’ll start looking FORWARDS instead of through his review mirror in retrograde reverse.
2 Jun 2012, 05:45 am
louis schropnel your 4 or 5 posts are fairly typical of the level of c*r*a*p that is so often spewed on this site. You toss out this adjective littered invective (and clearly your little head cant get much further than compound adjectives using the word chicken) yet you dont actually have ONE sound piece of rugby analysis in all of this waste of space. Calling Meyer a coward does not make him one – any more than saying that player x y or z is weak makes him so. Go back to bed you p^r*i*c*k and leave the grownups to talk rugby in peace
2 Jun 2012, 06:28 am
England to surprise the Prickboks first game up
2 Jun 2012, 06:40 am
@bokke baiter(bokke baiter)-171:
Ireland to win 3-0
2 Jun 2012, 06:50 am
@bokke baiter(bokke baiter)-171:
For 20 minutes maybe…
@slavedriver(slavedriver)-172:
Care to wager on that? They may win the 1st half of the 1st game, but it will be about 27ish – 16ish by full time, look for a blowout by 40 in the last game
2 Jun 2012, 06:59 am
@Kleuter(Kleuter)-158:
Would have to be Basson & Ndunganie surely? With Kirshner in the boot & Aplon on the bench.
Will it be Lambie on the bench as the impact man, we all know it will be Steyn, but he is yesterday’s man
2 Jun 2012, 08:16 am
big game for Stormers today, think they need to show some character and show their professionalism by putting the team first. The worst case scenario should be a bonus point loss, with a chance to win it in the last 10. Even with a relatively ‘easy’ run into the play-offs, the players need to believe they are good enough to play winning rugby and turn this ‘defensive’ mindset around
2 Jun 2012, 08:45 am
I do hope that the Bulls smash WP today.
2 Jun 2012, 08:57 am
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-176:
And I don’t.
But I’ve got the Bulls to win on superbru. It’s a home game for them after all.
It’s called an emotional hedge.
2 Jun 2012, 09:01 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-177: I hear you… I can’t bring myself to do it sometimes, but i hear you.
Sharks!
2 Jun 2012, 09:07 am
i see old
schropskiet
is still at
the papsak
i will go
for the
bulls
today
but with the
heart
only
it is no
foregone
conclusion
the young
bulls team
have now fallen
in the
structured trap
as the season
progresses
too structured
perhaps
but bulls
anyway
2 Jun 2012, 09:19 am
Stormers to romp home. The Bulls think they only need to turn up – Go Stormers…
2 Jun 2012, 09:30 am
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-180: how about a nice boring draw ?? Bulls 15 Stormers 15, Now that would be great for the Sharks
2 Jun 2012, 09:32 am
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-180:
The Stormers are determined not to lose to a team playing in pink.
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-181:
How about the Lions causing an upset?
2 Jun 2012, 09:33 am
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-181: Would mean stormers are ahead though
2 Jun 2012, 09:36 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-182: Those Lions are a banana skin waiting to happen, I really really hope not
2 Jun 2012, 09:40 am
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-184:
The Lions have absolutely nothing to play for. But in sport sometimes that can make a team dangerous.
I’ve got the Sharks by 20+.
2 Jun 2012, 09:41 am
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-163: Skoppie, I don’t like your style, but I do agree with you wholeheartedly about FdP, Kircner and meisiekind. I’m not convinced that HM will select them, but if he does, he will be the doos that I think he is.
Typical old SA mindset……HM and his bybelstudiegroepie trekking lager in Snorcity. Maybe it will work for now, but in the long run they will be overrun.
2 Jun 2012, 09:41 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-185: Me too, but as you say, sport!
2 Jun 2012, 09:47 am
I can’t understand this claim that the Bulls are a young side, when you consider their players experience. The only two “inexperienced” players at this level is JJ and Stander.
As much as I hate to admit it, I reckon the Bulls will take this.
2 Jun 2012, 10:01 am
I see some predicting a runaway Bulls victory today. The Pinksters have lost their last two games and were lucky not to lose all as they squeaked the games against the Tahs and Rebels! I don’t mind them being favourites but they’re in for a battle today. Smash them Stormers!!!!!
2 Jun 2012, 11:56 am
David @ 188
Very similar age/experience…
Bulls average age today is 26,1
Stormers average age today is 25,3
2 Jun 2012, 11:58 am
Imagine old Meyer watching the tries scored in the Chiefs game tonight thinking what have we got outwide to match that, he wouldn’t have had to think for very long.
2 Jun 2012, 12:22 pm
@ufo(ufo)-190:
That’s why I mentioned experience. Average age is misleading as players like JdV push this up. Overall, the Bulls forwards individually, are more experienced playing at this level whilst the backs are on a par.
2 Jun 2012, 12:47 pm
old grumbling Greydoos at 170 offering his grey arsed opinion because his grey entrusted hero Heyneke is looking decidedly out of his depth looking to re implement his same shade of grey ‘blue’ print he instigated before 2007 and looking to play his grey grim ou doos has been’s as his insurance policy against losing, shows one thing only, he’s chicken, so take your RT grey arsed hero’s cowardice and shove it where your grey enthusiasm is dimly glimmering.
I’m sick to the teeth of watching chickenshit SA rugby coaches capitulate into their chickenshit grey shaded laager mentality because they simply too chicken to go out and win so they rather try and play it nice and grey and ‘safe’ which brings about more losses than wins.
If grey bearded groupies is Heyneke’s idea of his insurance policy against losing then I’m all for it if he gets taught the lessons due as a result of his outright lack of any go forward innovation and totally gutless glum grey decisions.
2 Jun 2012, 12:57 pm
Skop give HM a break, ffs.
Let see what team he selects and how they perform on the 9th and judge him after the game.
PDV went all guns blazing and look at the legacy he left behind.
2 Jun 2012, 13:03 pm
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-191: Meyer won’t be too bothered. We won’t be using the Blues defensive pattern.
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-193: The longer your posts, the more idiotic you sound.
2 Jun 2012, 13:13 pm
HM hasn’t shown his hand yet, wait few hours before opening up
2 Jun 2012, 13:17 pm
PdV got blown right out the water by all the grey bearded grey enthusiasm that has gripped this country’s rugby legacy ever since Carel Dup strode out to play some creative clear sighted rugby before all the grim grey beards got hold of it.
Pdv should have stuck to his guns instead of capitulating to the over arching grey grip of fear endorsed and enforced by those grey hero’s such as FdP, John Smit and the holy glum grey groupies gravy train.
2 Jun 2012, 13:24 pm
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-195:
Fair call but you might have some niggle from broken play, lets see how the Irish go next week that will be a good guide.
2 Jun 2012, 13:26 pm
Absolutely Skop (agreeing with a tik kop is always good), you are so right bring back PdV, under Jake White of course with John Smit as forwards coach, Pierre Spies, Schalk etc for the loose trio and Louis Koen or Braam van Straaten (great servants of SA rugby) coaching the backline. Have a Sharks place kicking coach; either Henry Honiball or Andre Joubert who specialised in two bounces before reaching the goal line and causing a great importation of Frog kicking legs to KZN ever since. Go Snotskiet.
2 Jun 2012, 13:35 pm
Skop @ just about everywhere.
The toad is in residence today as evidenced by banner with a toad rampant
fluttering above Toad Hall.
The team has not been chosen,but he would sooner have the Boks lose
if certain players are selected.
Truly he gets slimier with each post.’
His weapons of choice are foul language and the insult.
If you say good things about teams other than the one you support then you
are labelled a gatkruiper or a gatgabba.
Being insulted by him is like being attacked by a rabid sheep.
Expect an incoherent diatribe soon.
Where were you spawned?
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