Boks hungry for clean sweep
19 Jun 2012
The Springboks will stick to their game plan in an attempt to win Saturday’s Test and record a 3-0 whitewash against England.
Coach Heyneke Meyer is set to make several changes for the the third and final Test, but those changes will be made more of necessity than anything else.
Centre Wynand Olivier will replace Frans Steyn, who is set to be married this Saturday and has thus been granted leave. Jacques Potgieter is likely to slot in for the injured Willem Alberts (knee), while Gio Aplon should replace the ailing Pat Lambie (ankle).
Olivier doesn’t have the same physical presence as Steyn in midfield and the uncapped Potgieter may also struggle to replicate Alberts’ efforts at blindside flank. Aplon is better known for his running ability than his kicking. And yet, all three of these new starters will need to play according to the Boks’ territory-based blue print.
Bok scrumhalf Francois Hougaard said on Tuesday that the team will stick to the pattern that proved successful in the first two Tests. The series has already been secured with those two victories, but there is still a desire to win as well as inflict some psychological damage on England.
‘It’s just as important as the first two Tests, we are not going to slow down now,’ Hougaard said. ‘I’m sure England will also be up for it, so we can’t afford to be complacent.
‘Our goal has always been to beat them 3-0 if you think that the goal is to win every game.’
While the Boks will be without several key players, the English are also smarting after last week’s battle at Ellis Park.
Captain Chris Robshaw and scrumhalf Ben Youngs have been ruled out with injuries, and the loss of these players will impact on England’s synergy.
Speaking of the Boks’ synergy and performances over the past two Tests, Hougaard admitted that while the South Africans had played well in patches, they were yet to produce a complete showing.
With a view to the Rugby Championship as well as the desire to beat England 3-0, the Boks must fire from start to finish at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium this Saturday.
‘We had four days to prepare for that first Test,’ said Hougaard. ‘We were better in the second, although it wasn’t a complete performance. That is what we must do this Saturday, we must put two halves together, we must produce an 80-minute performance.
‘The focus is on quick ball and doing the basics well. England will look to play off our mistakes, so we have to keep those to a minimum.
‘They scored some soft tries against us in the last game, so we need to watch for the quick taps. I’m sure they will look to lift the tempo in the coming game.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in Port Elizabeth
320 Comments
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20 Jun 2012, 12:25 pm
From SA rugby Magazine facebook page.
WP says the Bulls will have to give WP the opportunity to meet or beat their offer for Handre Pollard, according to new Saru regulations.
20 Jun 2012, 12:37 pm
@grunk(grunk)-72: Sorry Grunk as a european rugby entusiast,I have to say Pierre Spies always draws more than two men leaving space for others to break the advantage line.And if they play him properly he can run aswell.A lot faster than the others that you have mentioned.
20 Jun 2012, 12:37 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-301:
If WP beat their offer, do the Bulls then have the right to have an opportunity to beat that of WP?
…and on…and on…
…or what do the regulations say about that?
20 Jun 2012, 13:01 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-118: The truth is spoken .You are right here.
20 Jun 2012, 13:15 pm
@nama1(nama1)-303: not sure how it works after that.
and what if pollard wants to go to the bulls?
20 Jun 2012, 13:22 pm
Just something that has been bugging me about the test this last Saturday and I’m not sure if anyone else picked up on this. When england scored their third try whilst Juandre was injured JDV was heard asking the ref in the background about blwoing the whistle to allow time to deal with the injury and he said that he hadn’t seen it and would blow after the conversion to allow some time.
The funny thing about that was that Juandre was injured in the incident that led to the penalty and the first aiders were on the field before Toby went to kick for the lineout, so technicallly he could have held the lineout until Juandre had been attended to. He maintained he had not seen it, although the injury occurred right next to where the penalty kick was awarded.
I give him the benefit of the doubt but fail to understand how he did not pick up that the First Aid people were on the field attending to a player before the lineout was taken. On top of that why did JDV and his team mates not step in before the lineout throw was taken and ask the ref to allow time to deal with the injury.
20 Jun 2012, 13:23 pm
@nama1(nama1)-303: He must bugger off IMHO. The kid (like Sadie was) is in no position at this stage of his ‘career’ to be making demands. The fact is, IF (as I think he did) he accepted the Bulls offer last year already, he has already made up his mind. If he wanted to stay here, he would have informed the WPRFU that he had been approached by the Bulls – out of common decency.
Let him go I say – in the same way I said, Let Sadie go. Heyneke Meyer was involved in his recruitment for the Bulls, and I reckon also had a word with Dawie in terms of playing him for the baby Boks. His future as a Bull and a Bok is a done deal. (Although with Morne never being injured, and playing every second of every game for the Bulls, Pollard might spend 3 years playing Currie Cup only)
I don’t think WP should even counter with an offer, but rather focus on others.
20 Jun 2012, 14:17 pm
@nama1(nama1)-303:
I think this is the same as any professional industry like law, accounting etc. You must notify the current employer if you wish to negotiate with the employee. So I think that first step of notifying WP of any intended offer is the main issue. After that both unions can freely negotiate with the player until he signs.
Not 100% sure but that would make the most sense.
20 Jun 2012, 14:21 pm
@bananaboy(bananaboy)-306:
Ja, I have mentioned this several times. Kruger was down all the while they took a penalty kick and set for the line out. Normally a ref would have stopped play for the injury.
That is my main reason along with Bismarck’s overthrow that our subs were maybe not as ineffective as some people are assuming. There was a lot of unusual things happening between 45:00 and 62:00 minutes on which England capitalized.
While Alberts is a loss and we are all slightly nervous how Potgieter will shape I think the English has once again somehow come out looking rosier than they actually are.
20 Jun 2012, 14:21 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-305:
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-307:
One can’t deny that one of the major reasons why WP/Stormers have not won major trophies during the last ten years, is because we did not have a quality SH/FH combination. Grant is good and he has served us well, but he is not exeptional.
If this kid is as good as everybody proclaimed him to be, why not make an extra effort to keep him, also keeping in mind that Grant is about 30 years old already and near the end of his career. Over the last two year we’ve been forced (through injuries)to try players like Coleman, Francis, Catrikilis and others at 10. None of them really inspire confidence in me as a WP/Stormer fan.
If at the end he still goes to the Bulls, then good luck to him.
20 Jun 2012, 14:25 pm
@nama1(nama1)-310:
It was interesting to see that the kings offered big money to Grant and he turned it down.
20 Jun 2012, 14:43 pm
@STBUR(STBUR)-308:
That would be the case if he is currently in a contract with WP but what if he does not have a contract with WP?
Let us suppose that he is on a school boy contract with WP, which will expire by the end of October, most probably. In which case, he will become a free agent. That then would mean that the Bulls won’t have to notify WP about anything and go directly to Pollard, provided that they start negotiations after the contract expires.
…or am I way of the mark here.
20 Jun 2012, 14:45 pm
@nama1(nama1)-310:
Neither is Duvenhage. Workmanlike, accurate and dependable but nothing exceptional. If either of those two could be replaced by a slightly better play maker the Stormers will become infinitely more dangerous on attack.
20 Jun 2012, 14:46 pm
@nama1(nama1)-312:
The ruling probably considers anyone that plays age group rugby in a province to fall within its definition.
20 Jun 2012, 14:51 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-311:
Now why would he do that, you suppose?
Better deal at WP…or were the Kings not willing to let him play in Japan for half of the season?
20 Jun 2012, 14:54 pm
@nama1(nama1)-315:
that’s what i was wondering.
have wp extended his contract or was he unwilling to lose the Japanese dosh.
those guys are earning crazy money over there.
I believe the kings were offering him in the region of 3 bar a year.
imo he is not a 3 bar a year player.
20 Jun 2012, 14:55 pm
@STBUR(STBUR)-313:
Agree.
I’ve been punting for Nic Groom at SH for a while now. It seems that he is not rated very higly by the coaching staff.
Apparently he does not have a good kicking boot but from what I’ve seen from him, he would bring a bit more to the table than DD and Schreuder currently do.
20 Jun 2012, 15:10 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-316:
Agree.
Not a kak player. Better than average but not the kind of player that should earn 3 bar a year imo.
Good for him though.
If I were him, I’d extend my career by calling it quits in SA and only play in Japan. Especially now that his chances of playing for the Boks seems to be zero. That way he can probably play another 5 years and make another R15mil or more.
Enough to retire comfortably.
20 Jun 2012, 15:16 pm
@nama1(nama1)-318:
agreed.
stormers should try for goosen or jantjes.
and a quality 9.
there are less of them coming through the ranks in SA it seems.
20 Jun 2012, 18:42 pm
Is Potgieter the guy with the black longish hair that plays for the Bulls, if so, I think he is quite good.
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