Meyer laments failure to adapt
24 Jun 2012
Heyneke Meyer believes the Springboks went into this match with the right game plan but simply failed to adjust to the wet and windy conditions.
The Bok coach cut a dejected figure following the 14-14 draw at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The Boks may not have lost this match, but there is a strong sense that they let themselves down with an error-ridden performance.
Both teams were forced to play in a swirling wind and the rain certainly made handling difficult. Meyer said that England adapted to these conditions and there is no doubt in his mind that the visitors were the better team. He also cited the lack of experience in the Bok pack as a contributing factor to a stop-start showing.
‘I’m not making excuses, but a lot of these [Bok] players haven’t played Test rugby in those conditions,’ Meyer said. ‘England certainly adapted a lot better and were the better team on the night.
‘The crowd support was probably the only good thing about this game. It was a learning experience if you think that we had four guys in our pack who haven’t played a lot of Test rugby, but we have really high standards, we know we are not here to learn but to win Test matches.’
The Bok coach defended the game plan, citing last week’s showing at Ellis Park as evidence of its effectiveness. He explained that the conditions compromised the Boks’ accuracy at ruck time, although the players were also at fault.
‘England were very good at the breakdowns in these conditions, they knew we needed quick ball and they did well to slow us down. Our cleaning out was not good enough, and you have to be accurate at the breakdown in those conditions.
‘No we don’t need to start looking for a Plan B. If we can’t execute a Plan A, why go to a Plan B? We will stick to this plan, it’s all about execution before innovation. There is still a long way to go, and we will stick to what works for us. We have already shown that we can be a dangerous side when we get it right.
While the Boks stuttered up front, the halfbacks also had a forgettable evening. Francois Hougaard was substituted for Ruan Pienaar in the second half, as Meyer felt that Pienaar’s experience of having played in wet conditions would help the Boks’ cause.
‘Francois is a dangerous runner but he needs to be able to play in those conditions, his tactical kicking needs to be better. Ruan has enjoyed some success playing in Europe for Ulster, so I felt he would be better in the conditions.’
Morné Steyn missed three goal attempts and also sent a drop kick wide of the posts in the dying moments. His erratic goal-kicking performance in Port Elizabeth was consistent with his mediocre showings in Durban and Johannesburg, and Meyer admits that the flyhalf needs to improve ahead of the Rugby Championship in August.
‘Goal-kicking was always going to be difficult in those conditions, and I don’t think you can blame it all on Morné. We didn’t play well,’ Meyer said.
‘Morné is a warrior, I thought he played very well in the previous two games. He’s got high standards and he knows he is not striking the ball well. He’s now got three Super Rugby games to get it right. We need him to get it right for the Rugby Championship.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in Port Elizabeth
359 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] Show All
25 Jun 2012, 07:39 am
@Slumtown(Slumtown)-346: What a total farking idiot. What are you on about? Think before posting.
25 Jun 2012, 07:41 am
@351
hy is seker m oerig oor sy bf hom nie n kopkou ge gee het of so iets.
25 Jun 2012, 07:49 am
XV
take your ball and go up north. bye.
that way you guys may win a few more games, thing is, do the french and English even want you?
25 Jun 2012, 08:08 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-353:
There waiting with open arms and tears of joy, rejoicing that the prodigal son hath returnth, only thing unlike the biblical father they will prefer the stance of the stay at home son and keepeth thy casheth for thy owneth. Here ends the lesson.Praise be to Richie.
25 Jun 2012, 08:13 am
@Xkreni-WP(Xkreni-WP)-17: He still caught the ball with that amount of pressure, he held the ball and thus saved us a try you witless idiot.
25 Jun 2012, 08:43 am
I thought rugby was suppose to entertain. Fortunately the quality of the rugby over the weekend was so poor that we need not to worry. HM must come down to earth. The Bulls are not even playing this style of rugby anymore. It’s like he had this perfect plan which would worked for the boks (in 2008), but he does not realise that the game and the players evolved.
25 Jun 2012, 09:08 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-349: Trolling again, are we, Sperm in a Sock?
You can tell my comment is by a Stormer by its reasonable well thought out points. I’m not surprised this has you confused and emotional. Don’t worry, little one, intelligent commentary should not necessarily make you feel inadequate. Just think of your lake views from under the bridge and be happy.
25 Jun 2012, 10:55 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-348: A sub in a test match of this quality is someone who can make an impact from the bench. If said player can not be relied on due to lack of experience in the last 20 then why pick him? Surely Peter Grant should have been the option in that case? Sorry man – its useless having guys on the bench you cant rely on in the closing stages of a match. More so if its plainly obvious your flyhalf is losing the game for you.
25 Jun 2012, 10:58 am
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE(KWAGGA ROBERTSE)-351: what do you mean what am I on about? The guy picks players he cant rely on in a test due to lack of experience. Like Jantjes could have done much worse than Morne. I´m just saying make solid selections ahead of a game. He is obviously not convinced by Jantjes. Cos what Morne did was a train smash on Sat. He was falling apart at the seams. And yet still kept on the field. its a disgrace man.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.