Jean: Pumas Tests are crucial
9 Aug 2012
Jean de Villiers says the first two Tests against Argentina will be the Springboks’ most important with regards to building some early momentum in the Rugby Championship.
The Boks will play Argentina in Cape Town on 18 August before facing the Pumas in Mendoza on 25 August. They’re the easiest fixtures when one considers that the Boks have never lost to Argentina, and that the other two teams in the tournament, Australia and New Zealand, have enjoyed a good record against South Africa in recent times.
But on Wednesday, the Bok captain said that Argentina won’t be easy-beats, and that the first two matches of the campaign are vitally important for reasons beyond results.
‘It [complacency] is a trap we won’t fall into,’ said De Villiers. ‘These two games are the most important in the tournament. Argentina will be psyched up given it’s their first appearance, they will be throwing everything they have at us.
‘For us, it’s important to build on what we achieved in that England series. We were disappointed with the way we ended the series [with a draw in Port Elizabeth]. We have to look at the positives of that series and bring it all together in one 80-minute performance.
‘We see it as a big positive to play against Argentina, and we’re not looking past that.’
The majority of the squad got together on Sunday, while the Sharks’ Boks, who competed in the Super Rugby final in Hamilton, have now joined the team in Cape Town.
The Boks will enjoy two weeks of preparation ahead of that first Test against Argentina, a marked difference to the build up to the England series where they were only afforded a few days together before the first Test.
‘There’s a different mindset knowing you don’t have another tournament to go back to,’ said De Villiers. ‘We played against England knowing we would have to go back to the Super 15. But now all of our focus is on this tournament [the Rugby Championship]. It must also be a positive that we have a whole extra week to prepare compared to that England series.’
The Bok captain defended the game plan, and believes it could bring them success in the coming months. He did concede that the team would need to be more accurate in their implementation of this playing pattern.
‘We didn’t have much time for preparation ahead of that England series, so we stuck to a simple game plan. In saying that, we scored two great tries on the counterattack in the second half of that first Test, and we’ve not seen that side of Bok rugby for awhile.
‘The rugby we played in first half of the second Test was outstanding. There are areas that we can improve but there are also good signs. Hopefully we can evolve, but the more rugby changes the more it stays the same. It’s about getting into the right areas and taking your opportunities.’
De Villiers also defended flyhalf Morné Steyn, who along with the Bok game plan came in for some strong criticism after the third Test against England.
The skipper feels that Steyn is the right man for the Boks and that the only area in Steyn’s game that is below par is his goal-kicking.
‘I tend to disagree with that perception [that Steyn is in a bad space mentally]. His general play in that England series was very good, it was only his kicking at goal that let him down a bit.
‘We’re so used to him kicking at 90 percent, so when he doesn’t there is some concern. But his decision making on attack has been good, and he’s varied his play well.
‘He’s in a good place mentally, and hopefully he can sort out the kicking. We are not too concerned.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in Cape Town
310 Comments
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9 Aug 2012, 11:08 am
@race of tan-48:
Bulls rugby has been successful 3 times in 17 super rugby seasons so you are right it doesn’t work very often, 8,9 & 10 are going to screw you if he picks the side from post 46
@poppa69-49:
we shall see mate , SA have quite a few medals prospects over the next few days so bragging rights are going to go down to the wire
9 Aug 2012, 11:08 am
47 Nzinchina
They will avoid wooden spoon by default because Argies are here now
Oz are also weak to some extent especially without Horwill.and a few players under injury cloud.
But Oz will finish ahead of Boks
SA will get chomped away from home big time
Limited gameplan
48Race of Tan
Not really,White played limited defensive rush/umbrella D gameplan which was found out in 2006 and early 2007 as well.Eddie Jones added edge at RWc.so Boks didnt play situation under White really.its was more prevalent under De Villers 2008-2009 who played more situation that any previous era.Then he lost plot under pressure in 2010-2011 and resorted to up and under as primary source of go forward ball
9 Aug 2012, 11:09 am
is keos tweet serious? Meyer having spoken to both FDP and Fourie?
fat boys club is beginning to ring true I must say..
cant wait to see John Smit pass to Victor Matfield who in turn hits the ruck with Bakkies in support, FDP then releases Morne in an attacking gap, who passes it to JDV to crash ball up the centre channel, the ball is recycled with Vic directing traffic at the ruck, Bakkies is off attacking the opposition scrumhalf while John is still getting to the ruck.. this repeats for 4 phases then Morne attempts a drop goal (which he probably should have tried at the WC) for SA to net their best scoring option of 3 points and then it starts all over again from the half way line..
awesome
9 Aug 2012, 11:12 am
@mshiniwami-52:
I reckon the Argies will win at least 1 at home and possibly 2/3, they have all their top players back in front of a hostile Argie crowd – game on.
9 Aug 2012, 11:13 am
@poppa69-53:
twit / tweet banned here in the PRC, where is this incredible depth that we keep hearing about
9 Aug 2012, 11:19 am
@NZINCHINA-55: tweet follows, as shown on keo..
“he has spoken 2 Fourie (13) & Du Preez (9). Neither r interested at this stage & committed only 2 their clubs in Japan”
so not going to happen, but I find it weird that you would want to bring them back…
like us, SA have depth in certain positions, but this incredible depth that so many like to cling too is really a furphy.. they have some outstanding prospects, as do we, but that doesnt translate to bona fide test stars… its like the talk about Goosen, the boy hasnt done anything yet and is only in his first year of super rugby, can he translate the promise to reality? Id suggest he would have a better chance in NZs system, but thats not to say he wont become world class..
9 Aug 2012, 11:19 am
NzinChina
SA won’t lose to Argies,as bad as Boks have been never lost.as good as Pumas have ever been…never won home or away
Boks won’t end stone last
I can see Argies beating oz in buenos airies though especially upfront
9 Aug 2012, 11:23 am
FdP?I seriously hope not.I believe Meyer is realising that Hougie is not the man and that he is basically stucked with only Pienaar .
9 Aug 2012, 11:28 am
I can see the Argies beating SA as well in BA.We are not as wonderful as we would like to believe.
9 Aug 2012, 11:29 am
@stormerforlife1-59: they are very difficult in BA, even had a draw against the ABs there…
dismiss them at your peril..
9 Aug 2012, 11:31 am
Nz will be tested in the next 12-18months as a few players will be on their way to the golden paycheck
Hore
Mealamu
Woodcock
Ali Williams
Kaino(Japan already)
McCaw
Weepu
Carter
Nonku
Smith
You could see a very different team ie:
1.B.Franks
2.Elliott
3.Franks
4.Whitelock
5.Retallick
6.Messam
7.Cane/McCaw
8.Read(c)
9.Smith
10.Cruden/Carter
11.Gear
12.Ben Smith
13.Ellison
14.Jane
15.Dagg
9 Aug 2012, 11:31 am
@poppa69-53: Good one mate, I had a good chuckle there!
9 Aug 2012, 11:32 am
The latter team doesn’t have quite the glossy look does it.
9 Aug 2012, 11:35 am
Boks in 12 to 18 months
Beast
Bismark
Jannie
Etsebeth
Kruger
Brussow/Kolisi
Coetzee
Alberts
Hougaard
Goosen
Mvovo
Fran’s Steyn
De Jongh
JPP
Lambie
9 Aug 2012, 11:39 am
With all these talk off roping retired or over the hill players in again I am beginning to suspect that Meyer’s fragile mentality is coming to the fore again.I have been watching him very intently during the England series and believe he will reach breaking point against the Australasian teams if things don’t go his way.
9 Aug 2012, 11:40 am
@mshiniwami-63: I would never project a teamsheet forward 12-18 months ahead…
we dont know who may come through the NZ system in that time…
9 Aug 2012, 11:45 am
Poppa69
Fair enough but said could be said for any other side
Looking at what’s coming through though there isn’t likely to be drastic changes
Look at ab rwc 11 team only new players in current squad that have come from nowhere somewhat is Retallick & Aaron Smith and Sam Cane.
Out of the amount of over 30 players in Nz team as I named prior there is no magic potion Nz conveyor belt that will churn out that many and be world class at same time in next 12 months as awesome as talent base is.
9 Aug 2012, 11:47 am
That’s just silly to try and project how teams will look nearly two years down the line.This is just clutching at straws.I am more concerned at what Meyer is doing now in terms of team selections.At the moment he doesn’t fill me with confidence re his selections and reasons for it.
9 Aug 2012, 11:53 am
@mshiniwami-67: while I agree iwe are looking at losing the core of our experience, it is all part of the cycle of the game..
hence the inculsion of people like Cane, Coles, Faumuian/ Tameifuna/ Barrett etc in wider training groups now, some also already exposed to test match rugby in the Ireland tests..
I am surprised by Shag, he seems to be aware of the impending loss of experience and as such is bringing many youngsters into the AB environment to both look at them and give them work ons and to also expose them to the culture
9 Aug 2012, 12:02 pm
Amazing bronze for SA in women sprint Kayaking.Wonderful performance by Hartley against the odds, huge surprise as the country is traditionally very good in marathon canoeing/kayaking but has never been good at the olympic sprint events. First medal by a SA woman at this olympics.
9 Aug 2012, 12:34 pm
@Robzim-70:
Some interesting Olympic facts – little New Zealand with 199 atheletes, has was a bigger Olympic squad than countires like Kazakhstan 115, the Netherlands 184, Iran 53, Belarus 173 and Hungary 159 – but odly the kiwis trail them in medals.
If you look at the their spend per athelete they return fewer medals than countries with much smaller squads.
The the kiwis also have a much bigger squad than the good old RSA – fact!
9 Aug 2012, 12:37 pm
@Robzim-70: their convict neighbours have a massive squad of 414. Only Russia the US and the Poms have bigger squads.
The Chinese, Germans, Italians and Koreans have much smaller squads and their spend per athelete retruns more medals – it is very true.
9 Aug 2012, 12:41 pm
@RL-71: not our fault more of our athletes make the olympic qualifying standard is it?
whats also strange is with 12.5 times the population, SA has less medals than NZ…just what is your point?
9 Aug 2012, 12:47 pm
@RL-71: dont look now, but all those countries are ahead of SA on the medal tally too
eish..
9 Aug 2012, 12:57 pm
@poppa69-73: NZ communist socialist spend per athlete is x5 that of the good old RSA – fact. Convict communist socialist spend per athelete is more than what the communist Chinese spend per athelete – fact.
Get it you psyco socialist ******!
9 Aug 2012, 13:08 pm
So Sa and Kenya clash on the bend in men’s 4 x 400 relay second leg, both go tumbling out, Jamaican second leg runner gets spiked and pulls out, Dominican republic come in 4th after astronomical run by their teenage wunderkind on the last leg blitzing 3 teams from behind only to get disqualified on the change over
Bahamas hold USA team to finish top Usa close 2nd
Final 4 x400 excludes Jamaica, Kenya, Dom. Republic and SA
Only Usa, Bahamas, GB and Trinidad left.
9 Aug 2012, 13:10 pm
@RL-75:
again, athletes have to reach certain qualifying standards to compete at the olympics.. if they dont they are not able to attend.. have you grasped this simple concept yet?
do you have proof of this spend? please detail it. its easy to claim “fact” on a blog without proof, so show us your proof..
the fact that your funds are siphoned off by tenderprenuers and the like before it ever reaches athletes is not our concern..
the only thing that matters is the medal table, and you guys are languishing behind us, yet again…
must really irritate you to the point of having to try and justify why NZ is beating you…
dont worry RL, one day you guys may be able to compete with us, one day champ…
9 Aug 2012, 13:12 pm
@RL-75:
18 New Zealand 3 2 5 10
19 Ukraine 3 1 6 10
20 South Africa 3 1 1 5
in facty, we have double the total of medals you guys do..
bwahahahahahahaahaha
9 Aug 2012, 13:18 pm
And in other news, Mount Tongariro, a volcano dormant for over 100 years has “burped” twice this week, causing major problems for NZ domestic air travel amongst other things.
No doubt in my mind it’s Bryce’s fault…
9 Aug 2012, 13:19 pm
@Puma
Burry Stander for mountain biking has a good chance.
I am chillin in The Republic of Chunt du Fernly at the dam,with my gf.
Dec we are extending and having a inside braai room:-)
There are no tv/radio allowed here,only mellow tunes,social and watching a “bush tv” at night.
9 Aug 2012, 13:23 pm
Well done Bridget Hartley
Magnificent effort to go bronze in woman’s 500 kayak. Sa rowers excelled beyond themselves to get gold and bronze in a discipline that is so emphatically under developed in Sa where every Sa sport loving fcknut is either rugby or skittle sticks bevok, where athletics, swimming and every other sporting effort is left Roux the individual to row his / her own canoe with very little support by governing bodies or government.
its no wonder the two archaic colonialist sports efforts that Sa are traditionally strong at are not endorsed as olympic disciplines because they just too insignificant in the real high competition sporting world, where only traditional pompom colonies still think such archaic sporting enterprise is of far greater value than they are.
9 Aug 2012, 13:47 pm
@fitz1ella-81: Why swear at people for their choices?? seriously dude its every persons right to play or support who ever or what ever they want,
9 Aug 2012, 13:50 pm
I wanted to get into my TV and klap that Kenyan who decided to do a right hand turn in front the RSA runner. I so wanted to see the blade runner do his thing.
eish he was disappointed and fair enough.
9 Aug 2012, 13:54 pm
@wallabie.-83: Hi Wallabie, nothing we can do mate, it’s up to officials to do the right thing, can it guarentee us a medal? i think not, Sad but true
9 Aug 2012, 13:55 pm
I never saw it happen, but was it on purpose??
9 Aug 2012, 14:00 pm
Did anyone see the fire at “Kiwi House” in London caused by a gas cylinder explosion? I think they’d run out of fire lighters for their Barbie and used the cylinder instead.
9 Aug 2012, 14:01 pm
@sl
If rugby is inferior why spend time here?
The result of hard lcd use in the hey day
9 Aug 2012, 14:02 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19-87: Yeah Fern you prolly right.
Sad but true
9 Aug 2012, 14:03 pm
@David-86:
david ya nutter
9 Aug 2012, 14:10 pm
@poppa69-78: Hi there Pops. Long time. I heard that the Poms invested more hard capital in their Olympic badmington squad that SA did on their entire Olympic squad. Our hokey players have day jobs and our female crossbow rep paid her own way to London. Given this scenario, you’d have to wonder how our guys won any medals at all. I suspect they have acquitted themselves very well under the circumstances despite ‘losing’ that medals tally ‘race’ to Kiwi. Or not?
9 Aug 2012, 14:17 pm
Fitzy is absolutely correct. There is more to SA sport than rugby,cricket and football.The Government and corporate SA need to invest more in Olympic sports.We need to get youngsters involved into these sports as a matter of urgency.We need to break this unnatural obsession with rugby, especially amongst the Afrikaner youth etc etc. I hope this great staging of the Olympics in London will inspire the youth to explore other sportsJump on a bike,jump into a swimming pool,jump into a cano etc etc!Just do it youngsters !Not everybody can become rugby,football and cricket internationals.
9 Aug 2012, 14:21 pm
Vodacom investing one billion into Pirates and Chiefs?Seriously!
9 Aug 2012, 14:22 pm
@TASSIES-90: Its fact, If our Govt and co werent bust stealing money etc more kids could have been fed, more jobs created, and of cause more money spent on our sports, I mean money in this country that cant be accounted for runs into billions and billlions
And no doubt i will be attacked in here later for saying this, but its widely known, and daily in every newspaper, yet they are allowed to just continue.
So yeah well done to every athlete, you have gone far and beyond where most other countries athletes have had to go, specially the wealthy countries athletes
9 Aug 2012, 14:25 pm
@fitz1ella-81: they’re the only sports we’re any good at Skop. Makes sense to me. Kinda market driven if you ask me? But I do agree, the government ought to review their strategy on the olympics in terms of investment. A few hundred million more could have a long term positive effect on a nation in serious long term negative head-space right now. I know the cause but this could be counter-balanced by positives on the playing field. After all, that’s pretty much what the Olympics is all about.
9 Aug 2012, 14:26 pm
@TASSIES-90: Hi Tasies, wasnt belittling their achievements, one kiwi athlete owned a brothel to finance his trip to London
not all kiwi athletes got a hand out to attend the games, but Im sure all off them met the olympic qualifying standard to compete… hence the bigger squad sent over, a fact RL cant seem to grasp…
9 Aug 2012, 14:29 pm
SA back in the 4×400 after as successful protest
9 Aug 2012, 14:30 pm
The Men’s 4×400 relay team will run in the final. LJ van Zyl will replace Ofentse Mogawane
9 Aug 2012, 14:30 pm
@sharks_lover-93: well I’m not sure Pops is well aquainted with what’s going down here, being so far from his shores. But yes, that summary of yours is pretty much the truth afraid.
9 Aug 2012, 14:32 pm
@TASSIES-98: Yeah i was just adding to what you had said mate, its the sad truth
Hell it runs into billions and billions just in the EC never mind all the other provinces
9 Aug 2012, 14:34 pm
@TASSIES-98: Ill be back home in October Tassies… face it, RL was having a crack at NZs olympic campaign, I shot back..
again, not our fault you guys dont allocate funds for your athletes, why be jealous that a place like NZ does?
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