Meyer wants mettle from Boks
14 Aug 2012
Heyneke Meyer says while tactical advances are being made, it is mental toughness that will be at the heart of the Springboks’ success in the Rugby Championship.
Meyer has selected, and, in some cases, been forced to opt for youth in the absence of experience. Furthermore, there are others who are seasoned Super Rugby players, but who are in the infancy of their Test careers. The likes of Eben Etzebeth and Marcell Coetzee responded superbly against England in June, while the aptitude of others will be established in the more demanding environment of the Rugby Championship.
An extended Super Rugby programme and the Sharks’ progression to the final meant Meyer has had precious little time with his squads. Training camps have aided his cause to educate players about his tactical philosophies, and the week past further served that purpose. Meyer says the players have a greater understanding of and appreciation for those philosophies, but, tellingly, stressed the importance of mental strength more than tactical astuteness.
‘I don’t think there’ll be much to pick between the sides tactically. The difference in the tightest matches is going to be mental,’ he told keo.co.za. ‘It’s not true that the team who wants it more wins. It’s the team that can handle pressure. New Zealand have the edge there because of their continuity in coaching staff and players. How we respond under pressure will be our biggest test.’
Meyer added that the blow-torch examination of his players, particularly the rookies, will be illuminating and assist in his future planning and selection.
‘We’ll know exactly where we stand with the youngsters after this tournament. But the 20 and 21-year-olds we have are mentally tough. All they need now is experience,’ he said.
‘It’s difficult in the national team to do the repetition needed to really improve mental toughness, but we put in a couple of hard sessions last week and I saw the guys who are coming through. We’re making strides on that side, but it takes time. It will be great to see how the youngsters respond away from home because that is where their character will be tested.’
The immediate focus is of course on debutants Argentina, whom the Springboks face at Newlands on Saturday. Meyer and his technical team have nearly completed their analysis, which is pointing towards a testing shift for the forwards.
‘Their players have a similar mentality to South African and European teams, who are generally good at the set phases and are particularly strong at mauling,’ he said. ‘They will also be similar to England in terms of their strength at the pick and go. They also punish you for your mistakes. Their win against France in June was a prime example of this.
‘We have to make a big step up from what we produced against England to beat them, particularly defensively. There’s been a concerted drive to improve fitness levels because that is central to defensive success.’
Asked what he felt Graham Henry’s influence would be on the Pumas, Meyer offered: ‘He will have added to their mental preparation and professionalism, but they’ll stick to their strengths tactically. One thing he would have worked on is their tactical kicks and I foresee them using Juan Martin Hernandez to put through little grubbers. So there will be slight tweaks, but you don’t change your style completely overnight.’
Meanwhile, there was encouraging news on the injury front. Eben Etzebeth’s ankle injury responded well in training on Monday, although he was excluded from the second half of the session as a precaution. He will be assessed tomorrow before a call is made on his availability.
Keegan Daniel was bitten by a spider on his arm and has been treated for stiffness and swelling but is expected to recover. Chiliboy Ralepelle trained fully and is available for selection, although he isn’t likely to feature.
Meyer and Roberts both gave the impression they weren’t fully confident about the fitness of lock Andries Bekker, who has been nursing a chronic back injury. Roberts said he was on a tailored programme to counteract the effects of the injury. Meyer intimated that he would start if fit.
By Ryan Vrede, in Cape Town
487 Comments
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14 Aug 2012, 16:13 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-447:
Schalk and Jerry are still big mates.
Ran into them here in Cape Town a year or two back.
14 Aug 2012, 16:14 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-447: well put, if you actually look at the character of people the AB’s are generally a bunch of respectful, quality rugger men. Obviously there is the odd tosser but by and large they are a good bunch
14 Aug 2012, 16:15 pm
That Currie Cup final was also the one where Derick Hougaard broke Naas’s record for most points in a final, right?
14 Aug 2012, 16:16 pm
@Horings-450: Lol,
Hulle het vir Grant en Jorrie opgespeel daai dag.
Dries kon maklik ‘n Bok gewees het.
14 Aug 2012, 16:17 pm
@nama1-428: @Horings-424: i asked the question earlier whether saffas are too impatient with meyer while he is meticulously trying to mould the Boks gameplan, stone by stone…
if meyer sits in a press conference and a journalist asks: “heyneke are you going to revolutionarise the way the boks play to the dynamic, high tempo, ball in hand approach you promised to change the bulls which YOU said was necessary as trends in rugby have changed?
if his answer is yes, then he’ll be asked how.
with his current answer of “execution before innovation” he is effectively buying himself time, if he tweaks stuff and it doesn’t pan out, he can blame it on “poor execution” and nobody would be none the wiser. clever this heyneke oke
14 Aug 2012, 16:19 pm
@Horings-446:
“typical Bulls rugby in that first half. ”
Hahaha…
Bulls only played like that after 55-60 minutes when their opponents were tired out by the Bulls forwards.
Can’t really compare.
That was more like the WP team of the 80′s.
14 Aug 2012, 16:19 pm
@willievz-454:
Joost van der Westhuizen en Derick Hougaard. Nou DAAR was vir jou ‘n skakelpaar.
14 Aug 2012, 16:22 pm
En natuurlik ‘n aansienlik jonger Baksteen Botha.
14 Aug 2012, 16:22 pm
@Horings-448: In this context – only once applies to “one pass rugby”
What I’m trying to say is that against teams that physically match us, just bargaining on winning the battles/ collisions are not going to cut it. Of course if you are dominating physically, why then need to over complicate things. Many a battle against physical inferior teams have been won like this. But the AB’s do not stand back one inch were physicality is concerned, and then we need something more.
The time of South Africans being “stronger than the rest” is over and we should come to terms with that.
14 Aug 2012, 16:23 pm
@WP Till I Die-457: Hulle was skitterend vir die Bulle in 2002, toe Derick bietjie vlakker gestaan het.
Het jy hom ooit sien speel vir Boland Landbou?
Vir die 2003 Straueli-Bokke het Derick begin dieper staan om die sukkelende Louis Koen se skoene te vul. En ek dink daai duikslag van Brian Lima het hom ook sielkundig geknou.
14 Aug 2012, 16:26 pm
I hate when people illustrate points on the side of EXTREMES ie: Boks cant play like the AB’s must stick to basics & traditional strengths,Boks dont have players to attack wider etc Rubbish
No one is saying BOKS MUST PLAY LIKE AB’s. That point of departure is nothing but a goddamn copout. Plain fact of the matter is that Boks have NEVER in the last DECADE had a pack which will DOMINATE physically to the point that NZ/OZ have to fear attriction points. SA doesnt even have a decent tighthead,rucking/cleaning is not consistently efficient. The gargantuan pack is a SOUTH AFRICAN FALLACY
SA does have a good pack but HAS TO expand on their backplay and variation of tactics now more than ever. We will never achieve that 70-80% win record with the predictable overly attrictional gameplan paraded as “traditional strength”.
In Beast,Bismark,Etzebeth,Bekker,Alberts,Coetzee SA has some fine athletes/forwards….But they WILL NOT steamroll Woodcock,Mealamu,Fanks bros,WHitelock,Read,McCaw etc they wont even steamroll OZ fwds.May have upper hand at times but NEVER absolute dominance.
SA needs to be able to convert opportunities that is given to them by above avg pack..but back play is SOOOOOOO POOR add the fact its made worse by our neanderthal tactics where we can even take advantage of turnover ball.We bloody kick it away so we can “build pressure”….yada yada yada,kick it away and lose advantage of scattered formation from Defense.
in Mvovo,Aplon,JP,De Jongh,Hougaard,Frans Steyn,Jantjies,Goosen,Kankowski SA has the players to not only challenge defensive lines but BREAK EM. Its all about a balance.But loading team/backs with likes of Kirchner,JJ,De Villiers,Habana,Morne,Pienaar,Lambie all at once and playing it ULTRA SAFE and the “percentages” is just pathetic
14 Aug 2012, 16:28 pm
@WP Till I Die-458: So goed soos hy was in die 2002 finaal, hy het harde bene gekou in sy volgende wedstryd – sy eerste toets in die 30-10 loesing teen Frankryk.
Ook toevallig JDV se eerste toets – hy het sy knie lelik beseer in die eerste 5 minute.
14 Aug 2012, 16:29 pm
@willievz-460:
Nee, ek het hom nooit op skool sien speel nie. Willem de Waal was mos ook by Boland Landbou?
14 Aug 2012, 16:29 pm
@mshiniwami-461: Well said brother – see 459
14 Aug 2012, 16:30 pm
@WP Till I Die-463: Is hier alweer ‘n Dagbreek reunie aan die gang?
14 Aug 2012, 16:31 pm
@Horings-446:
add to that a ‘thinking’ scrummie and the world is ours.
“The Bulls rugby of 2009 was Fourie du Preez’ rugby, not Heyneke Meyer’s rugby”…. wow… wow…
but dont let me interrupt
please
go on
14 Aug 2012, 16:31 pm
@WP Till I Die-463: Korrek.
14 Aug 2012, 16:37 pm
@mshiniwami-461: “The gargantuan pack is a SOUTH AFRICAN FALLACY” – listen on saturday, 5 seconds before arno geerdts switches to Newlands, he is going to ask Naas for a final assessment on what the Boks need to do to win and i bet you a bottle of Lagavulin his answer will be.
“Arno everything starts with the TYT FYV, the argentinians pride themselves on their scrummaging so if the tyf fyv do their job then we will win”
14 Aug 2012, 16:40 pm
@WP Till I Die-463:
A, ja, nou kry ek dit. Willem de Waal was die adjunk-hoof van Boland Landbou se seun, en het op die skoolgronde grootgeword. Hy het Craven-week vir WP gespeel en ook Boland-kleure vir tennis gekry, en was adjunk-hoofseun vir Boland Landbou. Hy het toe BSc Wingerd en Wyn gaan swot by Stellenbosch.
Toe speel hy Maties eerste span, verskyn toe vir WP se o/21 span, en toe nooi André Markgraaff hom in 2002 om te speel vir die Luiperds in Potchefstroom…en vandaar af is hy na die Bulle en toe die Cheetahs.
Derick Hougaard het Craven-week vir Boland gespeel in Std 9 (daardie jaar het Boland Landbou onder Boland se grense geval…), Craven-week vir WP in matriek en ook provinsial krieket gespeel saam met ‘n sekere Schalk Burger van Paarl Gim. Toe word hy gekies vir die SA Skole-span en vandaar af die Bulle…
14 Aug 2012, 16:40 pm
@Skeppie-452: 100% Far more like us than what some on here would have you think. I find that I get on better with Kiwis on any travels than I do any other nationality of person. And the friends I have in NZ, are some of the finest folk I know.
(And then in another sporting code poor old KP get’s dropped for having ‘friends’ in wrong places/countries/teams….shame)
@WP Till I Die-451: The way it should be
14 Aug 2012, 16:41 pm
@TooMuchRugby-459:
“But the AB’s do not stand back one inch were physicality is concerned,…”
…nor do the Aussies….or the French…or England….or the Irish….or the Argies or the Welsh ….or…or
I agree 100% with you here.
The days when SA players were SOOOOO much bigger than their counterparts and naturally stronger because they were coming affie plaas af, is a thing of the past. Everybody is going to the gym and using supplements nowadays.
14 Aug 2012, 16:42 pm
@mshiniwami-461: sbali, but loubscher said we are evolving slowly as seen in the england series where we scored tries from counter-attacking moves!
14 Aug 2012, 16:44 pm
@mshiniwami-461: Taccy will be along shortly to give you the same little speech he gave me earlier. I hope he makes a few improvements though, as it wasn’t very convincing when he preached it the 1st time….
14 Aug 2012, 16:47 pm
@TooMuchRugby-464:
Thanks mate
Im just sick and tired of the same drivel.SIck to death
When I watched Boots and All and heard Meyer say: Execution OVER Innovation-my heart just dropped.
@Transformation-468:
Sbali ngikhathele ilamasimba.
I dont know how much longer I can handle watching Boks do the same sh*t no variation and learning nothing
14 Aug 2012, 16:50 pm
I grew up watching Natal with Honiball at 10 playing flat,great pass and deceptive slight of hand. Andre Joubert was my favourite player & Adrian Garvey my favourite forward.
This kick chase bs and execution over innovation is just the pits
14 Aug 2012, 16:51 pm
@mshiniwami-475:
The banana farmer was one of my favourite players to watch.
14 Aug 2012, 16:52 pm
@mshiniwami-461:
Good post.
@WP Till I Die-469:
“Toe word hy gekies vir die SA Skole-span en vandaar af die Bulle…”
NADAT die WP nie wou instem om hom ‘n senior kontrak te gee en hom speeltyd in die CC waarborg nie. Die kontrak van die Blou Bulle wat sy pa toe voor die neuse van WP rondgeswaai het, (by wyse van spreke), het hom speeltyd in die CC gewaarborg. WP was egter net bereid tot ‘n junior kontrak en was nie eens bereid om speeltyd in die Vodacom te waarborg nie.
Sy vertoning in die 2002 finaal, was ‘n groot “up yours” vir die WP bestuur.
14 Aug 2012, 16:54 pm
@nama1-477:
Janee, WP het nog altyd gesukkel om jong talent te identifiseer.
14 Aug 2012, 17:01 pm
@mshiniwami-474: Execution over innovation IMHO, is the greatest cop out in history.
Imagine if Einstein, da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Pink Floyd, Shane Warne, Helen Keller and James Cameron had uttered these words…..
‘Execution over innovation’ Bok praise singers are all stuck in the missionary position, whilst the rest of the rugby world has already worked through the Kama Sutra…..twice.
14 Aug 2012, 17:05 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-479:
14 Aug 2012, 17:09 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-479: That’s a great backline.
14 Aug 2012, 17:22 pm
@mshiniwami-475: Man Honiball was way ahead of his time…..defended like a machine, had good vision and underrated kicking game and he was one of the first flyhalves to play close to the line and distribute while he was there.
14 Aug 2012, 17:42 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-479:
Doing the Kama Sutra might be against Meyer’s Calvinistic principles.Stick to what you know best?
14 Aug 2012, 18:07 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.-479: nick mallett:
“He has to win all three Tests in order to buy himself some time to develop his philosophy.”
“That is the only thing I’m slightly worried about with
the Heyneke regime – his mantra is execution above
innovation and it will be a very
conservative team and gameplan,”
“So he is not looking for innovative players, he’s looking
for people who execute well.”
“If we are going to do
a move that will take the centre into the midfield, we are
going to do it so well,
at such pace, that it
doesn’t matter if the
opposition know
about it – we will get
across the advantage
line and we will
dominate that impact
zone.”
“He’ll be happy to
win 25-18 with a
handful of penalties,
a drop goal and a
breakaway try.”
14 Aug 2012, 18:19 pm
@Transformation-484: Mallett is the one I will be listening to very closely when the RC kicks off……expect the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Missionary Meyer vs Sutra Steve
14 Aug 2012, 20:02 pm
Vermeulenb.Robzim kindly showed me some footage of him.Still do not see
him as the coming of the Messiah.Take the ball on the halfway line,and LUMBER towards the pack No linking skills.No offload skills.Moer maar voort.
Concede that he is physical.But hell,No
15 Aug 2012, 10:12 am
@Skeppie-386:
Cheetahs vs. Bulls last match: Brussouw gained 107 meters with ball in hand. Spies, and the two Potgieters combined achieved the cumbersome distance of 117 meters. That is fact. On what facts do you base your statements?
@Horings-351:
One steal per game? Count the turn-overs per match in his last three games. An average of one turn-over every 20 minutes.
See @willievz-365:
and understand @willievz-399:
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