Springboks vs England – 1st Test preview
8 Jun 2012
RYAN VREDE analyses the key match-ups and picks the winner in Saturday’s match at Kings Park.
It has been 12 years since England beat the Springboks in South Africa, but you get the sense they strongly believe they can snap that streak. Their quiet confidence is likely rooted primarily in this new-look group having had a strong Six Nations campaign, in which they beat France away, extended preparation time and the Springboks’ limitations in this regard.
They also give you the impression they think that is their most gifted squad in years. However, while they have some players of high promise in their back division, I have reservations about their pack’s ability to match the Springboks’ physicality.
The gainline battle is unfailingly key to victory in Test matches and with the the Springboks’ key strike runners all boasting appreciable bulk, they will be expected to boss this facet of play on attack. England’s 10-12 axis of Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt will be targeted, with Frans Steyn in particular asked to test their defensive resolve, a battle I believe he will win.
England, however, will encounter an opponent high on defensive aggression, but, given the aforementioned preparation time, relatively low on synergy. If they can get the likes of Manu Tuilagi into space, the midfielder could ask some stern questions, especially if he isolates counterpart Jean de Villiers, who isn’t accustomed to the defensive demands of a position coaches agree is the hardest to defend in.
South Africa will hope to limit Tuilagi and co’s attacking opportunities to deep in their own territory through a kick-chase tactic. Here’s where there are some concerns. Scrumhalf Francois Hougaard will be asked to kick regularly, but this facet of his game hasn’t been strong in Super Rugby. England, if granted broken-field opportunities through poor kicks England have the personnel to punish their hosts. Hougaard must deliver a kicking performance that surpasses anything he has produced this season. His showing in this facet of play at Soccer City in 2010 suggests he has it in him. Here’s hoping he replicates that performance.
The other area of interest is the lineouts, where debutant Juandre Kruger will take command. The Bulls man has been central to the their success at the set piece (no team has stolen more balls, or is own secure on their own feed) and by all accounts has a Matfield-like dedication to studying the opposition’s lineout. Given that the majority of tries in Test rugby in the last two years have been birthed from lineout feeds in or just outside the opposition’s 22, Kruger will be absolutely key to the Springboks’ success. England have a relatively new second-row combination as well, so they may not have the experience and tactical intelligence to exploit vulnerabilities here. I sense Kruger will step up.
Despite Hougaard’s aforementioned kicking concerns, in Morne Steyn, Zane Kirchner and Frans Steyn they have enough tactical kickers to limit England to launches from unfavourable field positions. I expect them to succeed in their bid to pressure England into infringements and turnovers in their territory. Morne Steyn’s goal kicking will again be decisive and, with Frans Steyn’s gun boot, England will also be acutely aware of ill-discipline in positions that would not usually be kickable ones.
The Boks also have a far superior bench that will galvanise them as the second half wears on. All this points to towards a successful start to Heyneke Meyer’s reign and an important psychological blow in the three-Test series.
VREDE’S CALL: Springboks by 9
Springboks – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Pat Lambie, 22 Wynand Olivier.
England – 15 Mike Brown, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Ben Foden, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Subs: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Paul Doran Jones, 18 Tom Palmer, 19 Phil Dowson, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Jonathan Joseph
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298 Comments
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8 Jun 2012, 14:39 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-109: For your information go read my original post, I stated FACTS, i.e. The English blokes are by far the most successful coaches as opposed to every Afrikaner failures without exception, all Afrikaners have failed as Bok coaches since re-admission, this a FACTUAL statement.
I then ventured an OPINION, that the probably reason for this Afrikaner FAILURE might be their misguided obdurance, highlighted in Heyneke Meyer by rewarding a proven International failure like Wynand Olivier, who after countless opportunities has failed dismally.
8 Jun 2012, 14:39 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-148:
Or, at least, the fierce nationalism was a strong contributing factor to apartheid being adopted.
8 Jun 2012, 14:39 pm
@Frenkly(FrenklyMuDeah)-149: Nope just went to school when i was young – unlike one or two people who havent moved past that kind of logic – now f*u*c*k off and annoy somebody else
8 Jun 2012, 14:41 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-151: Dont cast pearls before swine Xk – they miss your point and are not going to get it. I however agree with you
8 Jun 2012, 14:43 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-128: Yes, your Royal, I have been to the mountain, don’t even suggest my out of order, “chacharaga” behave of pointing out this gigantic elephant in the room has anything to do with the mountain. LOL!!
8 Jun 2012, 14:44 pm
@greybeard(greybeard)-150: We all know what I meant but read the statement “Does it pain me as much as it pains Afrikaner to know that they have been useless at Bok management?, that must really hurt.” Why would it pain him, could only think of the one reason, stupidity, doeasn’t pain anyone else.
8 Jun 2012, 14:44 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-132:
Ag ja-wat my boi.
Our proud rugby heritage prior to 1992 is acknowledged everywhere in the world, and we are still building upon it.
But you will compromize exposing yourself to all who care to read your comments and damn Afrikaners from our history and oppose that.
Coaches were once players afterall.
Without Afrikaners, pre- or post 1992, there IS NO RUGBY CULTURE in this country worth mentioning.
And our current team is 90%+ Afrikaans.
Although I did chuckle a bit at your comment 60:
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-60:
Nee jong boetie, don’t bite the hand that feeds you. You’ll be out of your Coastal getaway before you can say “Afrocentric self-entitlement”
And keo.co.za, have you okes always allowed such blantant racist remarks, or
A) You forgot what dusty shelf you left that rusty banhammer on (either that or Skoppie has worn the thing out)
B) You like a bit of stirring- good for hits and refreshes?
Well actually decent bloggers have less to say in that case.
8 Jun 2012, 14:45 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-151: Fact, opinion, tomayto, tomahto. You still sounded like a chip-on-the-shoulder twat.
8 Jun 2012, 14:45 pm
@greybeard(greybeard)-153: If you went to school it certainly doesn’t show.
8 Jun 2012, 14:46 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-152:
‘Laager mentality’
Not to be confused with lager mentality, which is primarily a student problem
8 Jun 2012, 14:47 pm
LOL @ my boi!!!
8 Jun 2012, 14:47 pm
@Frenkly(FrenklyMuDeah)-159: very funny coming from you – I’m mortally wounded and will retire to lick my wounds
8 Jun 2012, 14:48 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-158:
8 Jun 2012, 14:49 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-151:
OK, a small handful of coaches since 1992 have a poor track record and happen to be Afrikaans too.
Wonderful sample group you have there to damn Heyneke Meyer as an Afrikaner and then insult the rest of us.
Ai, arme Pietie de Villers, kry dit seker van albei kante af nou.
8 Jun 2012, 14:49 pm
@greybeard(greybeard)-162: Should be easy, your tongues probably still out from the playground. Cheers all,
8 Jun 2012, 14:49 pm
eish its politics again, :sigh:
8 Jun 2012, 14:50 pm
@grant10(grant100)-137: Hence, I didn’t want to enter the pre 1992 debate.
8 Jun 2012, 14:50 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-133: Whatever makes your racist brain sleep at night.
8 Jun 2012, 14:50 pm
@148: traditional Afrikaans lore goes much further, recounting years pre-independence in which their language, culture and values were subject to British eradication tactics.
Be that as it may, we do best to ignore the idiots and be color-blind, culture-blind, gender-blind etc. At this level proven competence is what matters. The good news is that we have a coach with a great track record; I don’t care whether or not he has freckles, believes in a flat earth, or spends his spare time playing the nose flute.
8 Jun 2012, 14:50 pm
@Frenkly(FrenklyMuDeah)-165: your own obvious pedifilia made that connection – wouldnt have occurred to me
8 Jun 2012, 14:50 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-155:
as long as they didn’t throw away the wrong bit.
8 Jun 2012, 14:51 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-164: well Xhosa’s way of this is of such, then we can say of blacks, they do all the crime and rape and murder etc, lets also generalise
Because according to his way of thinking all Afrikaners are bad blah blah blah
8 Jun 2012, 14:54 pm
@lockforward.com(lockforward.com)-169:
I care if our coach is a member of the flat earth society (if you can call it a society), how is he going to factor in for the coriolis effect on those moerse Steyn bombs?
AHA some holes in your argument I’ve exposed there…hmmmm….
8 Jun 2012, 14:54 pm
@greybeard(greybeard)-154: There is no point. Stereo typing on their language, race or ethnicity is just stupid and wrong. Half of those coaches have either an Afrikaans uncle, mother or father.
So what are thet then Engrikaans?
All the bok coaches where South Africans if not then they were all human. WTF those it matter which cultural group is the better coach, only people looking to probegate racial hate and prejudice will even start an argument or try to make a ‘point’.
8 Jun 2012, 14:54 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-155: You are making predictions based on a sample of 5. Good luck with that.
In the same way I can state only Afrikaans coaches have won the Super 15 and therefore it may make them successful.
Your prediction is similar to the predictions last year where everyone said if you want to win a World Cup you need the best 9 in the world (Nick Farr Jones, Joost, Gregan, Dawson, du Preez) and a 12 that can play 10 (Horan, le Roux, Horan, Catt, Steyn), but then the All Blacks picked Weepu and Nonu and won the comp.
8 Jun 2012, 14:55 pm
pedifilia?
you have a foot fetish ougreydoos?
8 Jun 2012, 14:56 pm
@Frenkly(FrenklyMuDeah)-144: Myself and Stupidity in one sentence, never thought that would ever happen, well…
8 Jun 2012, 14:57 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-68:
You can’t just cherry pick a certain section coaches that happen to agree to your twisted, reverse-racist agenda.
8 Jun 2012, 14:59 pm
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-174: BB I agree with you fully – but that doesnt mean that Xk’s observation was not an interesting point and one that I have sometimes pondered. Just because he mentioned it doesnt mean that everybody with a chip on their own shoulders should react in that way. Even though we are all Souht Africans we do indeed come from different cultural groupings and that to me is our biggest strength. As an English speaking South African I am proud of the afrikaner’s rugby contribution – equally I am proud that my own grouping has produced rugby thinkers like Mallet and Christie. Im not saying anything is good or bad – although Xk may have strayed there while counterpunching. Just look at who we all are and rejoice in our diversity which makes us strong.
8 Jun 2012, 15:00 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-176: you find typos funny? how interesting
8 Jun 2012, 15:01 pm
@173: is Kings Park oriented North-South? The coriolus effect is orthogonal to the direction of rotation. Having said that a coach that believes in the solar system might consider adjusting for slower ball speed relative to the sun for evening games.
8 Jun 2012, 15:04 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-177:
And that my friends is a tautology
Sorry I crack myself up sometimes.
Ok let’s be objective for a bit. How about an educated opinion?
Let’s turn to science, something that is observable, testable, demonstrable, repeatable.
Here we, check this out:
Dr. James Watson, Nobel Prize winning geneticist.
He claims that blacks are less intelligent than whites.
Sorry dude, he has a PhD AND the Nobel Prize, I’m going with him on this one.
8 Jun 2012, 15:07 pm
@hensopper1(hensopper1)-141:
That non-Afrikaans players get all uppity when one of their own can’t be in charge?
8 Jun 2012, 15:09 pm
@Nils(Nils)-136:
Brycie Boy swinged it in the 1st Test, the Poms are still fuming about it
The Frenchman did it in the 2nd Test, and I am still to see a video clip which shows where Fourie feet were when he scored, the touch side angle was never shown on TV, while Brussow did the fastest thinking, concealing JF’s foot from the camera behind them
8 Jun 2012, 15:10 pm
@lockforward.com(lockforward.com)-181: Maybe it’ll help Timotei pass a ball. Imagine.
8 Jun 2012, 15:14 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-182:
Ah, scientific racism.
8 Jun 2012, 15:14 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-182: You really know how to silence a room
8 Jun 2012, 15:15 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-182: That’s a BIT of a simplification of what his research said.
8 Jun 2012, 15:17 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-186:
@Atreides(Atreides)-187:
Hey, why not?
Tell me, if you’re generalizing and being racist, what can be more refreshing than including the entire damn race.
Enough of this petty squabbling about Afrikaners and Xhosas, I think I did him a favour.
8 Jun 2012, 15:18 pm
@Atreides(Atreides)-188:
Come now, no need to reproduce the facts and figures of a lifetime of work and reseach, surely
I simply follow the Xhosakid method. Keeping in the spirit of things, wouldn’t you say?
8 Jun 2012, 15:19 pm
@TooMuchRugby(TooMuchRugby)-107:
Nie in my jare nie.
Die hoofseuns was Eendrag toe, en die hoofmeisies Nerina toe.
Deesdae verstaan ek die hoofmeisies gaan Sonop toe, en die hoofseuns word versprei.
Ja ek dink jy slaan die spyker op die kop re die Transvaalse pappas, maar daai bloubloed en lager-mentaliteit is nie welkom in die mooiste Kaap nie
8 Jun 2012, 15:19 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-189: Not defending him, believe me…think he’s a racist d oos. I’m sure he has a farm attack to go celebrate.
8 Jun 2012, 15:20 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-157: Sorry Boss, I wasn’t insulting Afrikaner or disputing Afrikaner contribution to South African Rugby, I was merely looking at the glaring factual evidence that since 1992, Afrikaners have failed dismally at coaching the Springbok since 1992, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT.
How about engaging the stuff between the ears and try to undress what could be the root cause of this clear failure instead of shooting the messenger, must a prominent Afrikaner raise this same point in order for you okes to have a look at it.
8 Jun 2012, 15:22 pm
@Atreides(Atreides)-192: good one Atreides – when in doubt play the man and not the ball
8 Jun 2012, 15:22 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-164: If you find a single post of mine where I have been insulting to Afrikaner, please highlight it.
8 Jun 2012, 15:24 pm
@greybeard(greybeard)-179: He never strayed. His choice of words shouted of prejudice and hate from the word go. He tries to provoke and entice.
8 Jun 2012, 15:24 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-171: I would have assured that its all intact and doing a “spear-heading” good “job”….
!!
8 Jun 2012, 15:26 pm
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-196: Well I didnt see it that way – there are far worse trolls on this site I can assure you, most of whom I try to ignore. I dont think he was trying to do that but I stand corrected if he was. My bad.
8 Jun 2012, 15:28 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-193:
As I mentioned above, your sample group means nothing and has absolutely no bearing on the current coach. How about we include ALL Afrikaans coaches for a more reasonable estimate since it really is about race, isn’t it?
I mean, let’s be honest, it really is to you.
Now you see, you revised your stance because you don’t want to. If it is about race, then isolation shouldnt matter.
How very convenient for you.
8 Jun 2012, 15:28 pm
@Nils(Nils)-143: He is useless on attack, it amazes me that years back some of the great players amassed 25 caps in a 10 year career, Olivier has 30 odd caps already and has not produced a single decent performance in one test. This guy makes most cats jeallous with the amount of lives he has
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