Boks must build on strong finish
12 Jun 2012
Heyneke Meyer has demanded more focus and consistency from his players ahead of the second Test against England.
Meyer cut a nervous figure ahead of his first Test in charge. The Boks had had just five days to prepare for an important clash, a match that would set the tone for the rest of the three-game series against England.
Some people may have expected the Boks to beat England easily, but in the first half of the Test in Durban, the lack of adequate preparation was evident and Meyer’s fears came to life. The Boks bounced back strongly in the second half to win the game and take a 1-0 lead in the series, but there was a lesson to be learned from this two-halved showing.
The mood in the Bok camp has already changed this week if Meyer’s countenance is anything to go by. At Monday’s media gathering, the Bok coach looked calmer having now enjoyed a week to work with the squad.
At the same time, Meyer had a firm message for the media and for the South African public. The first game may have been completed and the desired result attained, but Meyer is adamant that this team is capable of more.
‘I’m much more relieved today, but I need to keep the pressure on the players,’ the Bok coach said. ‘England were awesome at times last week and so we can’t go into a comfort zone now that we are 1-0 up.
‘I’ve got high standards and I think we still have a way to go. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and that pressure is greater than anything created by the media or public. We want to be the best team in the world, so we have to improve with every game.’
The Boks will be without the injured Zane Kirchner for this coming fixture. Pat Lambie will slot in at No 15 in what should be the only change to the starting side.
Meyer hopes that the team will build on the momentum created in the second half of the first Test. He was impressed with the physicality and accuracy of that second-half showing in Durban, especially on defence, and expects an even stronger performance against what should be a more determined England outfit.
‘We played well in the second half, but we didn’t put the points on the board. That is unacceptable. There are a lot of bruised bodies in the camp this week but they know that they will need to get up for another big game, they will need to lift their performance too.
‘I thought England played well in patches, and we have great respect for them. At the same time I thought we were good when we got going and there were some real positive signs. There was some great intensity and awesome defence in that second half and I’m pleased with that.
‘They kept the ball well during the last 10 minutes, and apart from that try I think our defence did brilliantly to keep them out. Credit to John McFarland [defence coach] for doing a great job.
‘It’s going to be another awesome battle between two very good defensive sides this Saturday.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in Johannesburg
317 Comments
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12 Jun 2012, 13:07 pm
@Yetirat(Yetirat)-293: it’s probably a reaction from constantly being disappointed after getting our hopes up. thankfully we have the Kiwi posters here to perform the vital role of flooding the site with snide comments after every victory to ensure we keep our feet firmly on the ground and never enjoy a Springbok victory ever again
12 Jun 2012, 13:07 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-296: And once I got over the fact that you were a squint 6ft 4 cross dresser, you were actually quite pleasant as fellow rugby spectator.
12 Jun 2012, 13:07 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-296:
strange, I see “their” …skoppie,etc’s…anonymity, protection from me.
i’d give most of the wonkers on this site a right proper kick in the nutsack.
12 Jun 2012, 13:08 pm
Gonna Win
12 Jun 2012, 13:08 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-302:
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-303: It’s not to protect them from me.
It’s to protect me from THEM
12 Jun 2012, 13:11 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-305:
12 Jun 2012, 13:12 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-306:
So you think you are funny!
12 Jun 2012, 13:14 pm
* Ek **** Zuma se skildery is verkoop vir tril..joene?
* Sekere mense sal altyd vir Zuma ondersteun, tottie einde!?
* That’s what Zuma gets for wanting us to pay e-toll… he gets his toll-e painted?
* So in die middel van naamsveranderings en… uit…hang… geleenthede, verneem ek,
dat daar klaar ‘n dorp na Zuma vernoem is ; A-man-ze-toti.
12 Jun 2012, 13:18 pm
@nama1(nama1)-308:
12 Jun 2012, 13:38 pm
@Captain Sam Vimes(Captain Sam Vimes)-165:
sorry,
agreed doe jsut about the most part.
something tells me this is going to to be a good few years.
fingers crossed.
12 Jun 2012, 13:40 pm
If the Boks lose just one match against the English, Heyneke wil end up with a 66% win ratio.
If they lose just two matches in the Rugby Championship, he’ll end up with a 66% win ratio.
Giving him an overall 66% win ratio after 9 matches. It will be very hard to get to 80%+ after that.
So let’s hope that the Boks don’t lose more than one (2 losses = 77,8% win ratio) in the 9 games to be played before the EOYT. That’s what they need to do if they want to dominate world rugby.
Is it possible….YES.
Is it probable….highly unlikely.
Btw, is there any news about an EOYT yet?
12 Jun 2012, 13:48 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-287:
no we can use the term world dominance its a good one, if the Bokke get there you’ll see it get used around here plenty
12 Jun 2012, 13:50 pm
@Captain Sam Vimes(Captain Sam Vimes)-146: I think Meyer is going to be a lot like Kitch, thats why Im so excited about the Boks future. I agree with your comments, if he gets the wins then you cant argue with his selections. I was never the biggest Pienaar fan until he proved me wrong at the WC. Its a team sport and the team dynamics are more important than the best player starting sometimes. I think of real madrid a few years back as an example
12 Jun 2012, 13:55 pm
Speaking of coaches, I must say Jake has proved his doubters wrong this year. I may not enoy his personality but no one can doubt his coaching abilities after turning around 2 top teams so quickly.
Still think had the Boks played with a fetcher during his tenure, he would have had a lot better winning record though, Meyer possibly making the same mistake at the moment ( Coetzee not quite there yet)
12 Jun 2012, 14:35 pm
@nama1(nama1)-311: we need to at least be putting Australia away on a regular basis if we want that title… NZ we can afford to lose away I guess
12 Jun 2012, 14:53 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-315:
Not so easy to put them away in their own backyard anymore. For some reason, they have our number over there and for the past few years even here in SA.
And no, I don’t think one can put the blame for that at the door of PdV. His record vs the All Blacks proves that.
The Aussies are just very clever in the way they exploit our biggest weakness: Not being able to think for ourselves on the field of play.
If a team can negate our plan A, they are halfway there in beating us. They Aussies have been able to do exactly that the last few years. We’ll have to see if HM has a plan B. From the sound of it, it does not seem so.
12 Jun 2012, 16:17 pm
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-301: We’re in safe hands now. The PDV era and all it’s atrocities are over. Fear not, uncle Heyneke is here
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