Nothing to learn
20 Aug 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his weekly Business Day column, said the Springboks did what was expected of them at Newlands.
Expected win. Great win. Not a ‘good enough’ win. Just a win?
Why don’t we deal in reality?
Does it scare us? Does it make us think? Does it make us responsible? Does it confuse the escapism of sport because it forces us to be satisfied? And if we are satisfied, does it mean we can’t feel a different sense of satisfaction a week later?
The Springboks don’t lose against Argentina in South Africa. Traditionally they win by 20 points. There was one occasion when they won by a point. There was another when they won by 54. On balance it is 20.
They also don’t lose in Argentina. There was one occasion they nearly did but that was because Springbok coach Harry Viljoen in 2000 did the unthinkable. He challenged a mindset. He told his players they were not allowed to kick the ball and they produced rugby for 40 minutes never played by a Springbok team.
It was a masterstroke, but the point had been made at half-time. And instead of applying logic so the point could be made the next time, he refused to believe in the reality of the situation. The Boks were not conditioned enough to play a match of rugby for 80 minutes without kicking the ball. Mentally no one was conditioned to accept it was possible.
Argentina, who wouldn’t come out of their change room after half-time because of exhaustion in being forced to tackle for 40 minutes, defied the IRB rules and stayed there for 20 minutes instead of 10.
They knew the game could not be called off. They knew they couldn’t play without legs. We forget that. We call it a lucky win. The day the Boks kicked the ball for the first time on 73 minutes and Braam van Straaten kicked a 78th-minute penalty to win the game 37-33. The day it all nearly went so horribly wrong. The day Harry showed he belonged in business and not rugby, apparently. The day Braam’s kick restored sanity, stereotype and allowed our minds to rest.
We won. We should have lost. So South Africans said.
One British newspaper columnist wrote that it was the day the Boks defied the accepted norms about kicking and not keeping the ball; that it was about possession and not field position; and that it was about what we wanted to make it and not what others wanted us to believe it to be.
But he said it would never be remembered for how it all could have changed forever; it would be used as an example of why it should never change. Apparently we nearly lost when the story should have been about a victory of the evolution of the game and the mind of the player.
The Boks, 12 years later, beat Argentina with the tested formula of giving us what we have always had. Now it isn’t good enough. The social networks are a reflection of the comfort in what has always been done and not what can be done. A day before the Test, some feared the Boks could lose. Some said they just had to win. Some said it should be 20 points. And when they won 27-6 some said they failed because they did not score a bonus point.
Argentina said they were happy. They had been competitive. South African coaches were not happy but at kick-off they would have taken a 20-point win. Why not now?
The All Blacks, having beaten the Wallabies 12 out of the past 15 times, won for a 13th time in 16. They apparently had not won; it was the Wallabies that had lost.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said his team were not where they wanted to be but they would be there next week. They will be in Auckland, where they haven’t won since Moses parted the Red Sea, but there will be condemnation in Australia when they lose on Saturday and outrage in New Zealand if the All Blacks don’t score the four-try bonus point.
What can we learn from Sydney and Cape Town? Nothing. What should we have expected to learn? Nothing?
The big guy simply strangled the little guy. Why dissect it? Unlike 2000, nothing was produced that shocked, surprised or made us think. And we remember 2000 for the day the Boks nearly lost, when it was the day rugby came so close to winning forever.
Mendoza and Auckland respectively will provide no new insight because it is still a big guy strangling the little guy and applying a formula that allows for the minds to be comforted and not challenged.
This weekend it will be 10 to the Boks in Mendoza and possibly 20 to the All Blacks in Auckland. It is expected, but it will not be good enough.
Rugby, as we want to know it, isn’t ready for the unexpected although too many are never satisfied with the obvious.
653 Comments
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20 Aug 2012, 15:35 pm
@Jeraldjay-298: Aint that a beautifull thing?
20 Aug 2012, 15:35 pm
@viewer-244: “tripling wages @ Lonmin Marikana mine will turn the industry upside down”… How? Start with “upside down”…
20 Aug 2012, 15:36 pm
my dream team….[ if all injuries miraculously dissapeared ]…against Kiwis
15 Taute….
14 JPP
13 J. De Jongh
12 F Steyn
11 habana
10 J Goosen
9 R Pienaar
8 Vermeulen [ give him 2 to 3 games still....he will be awesome... ]
7 M Coetsee
6 Brussow
5 J Kruger
4 Etsebeth
3 jannie
2 bissy
1 beast
16 coenie
17 Alberts
18 chilliboy
19 Kanko
20 kRUGER
21 hOUGAARD
22 LAMBIE…
kiwis would be wary……
5…2 split as Lambie and Hougaard cover 9.10.12 .15 and wing….
Let Marcelle Coetsee and Brussow loose to wreak havoc and make loads of tackles…….and on about 55 minutes you have the power of Alberts against tiring legs and Kankos game breaking abilities to cut match open…..
Goosen will have the experienced Ruan Pienaar to guide him and will bring a natural attacking edge to the boks backline….Taute should be looked at ….has all the attributes Heyneke wants in a 15….
Would be great to see either Elton or Lambie get a run at 10 this weekend, but I doubt it will happen…
20 Aug 2012, 15:36 pm
@nama1-297:
Will Biff retire another English Captain?
20 Aug 2012, 15:38 pm
@Dawn-255: Its all in the Karoo and now off Mozambique… Surely you Ken Saro Wiwa fans know this.
20 Aug 2012, 15:38 pm
@grant10-303: Great team, but nik nak will play 15, the numbers need to look right.
I was disappointed with Lambie at 10 this year, much better at fullback. Without Freddie that Sharks may not have got to the final.
20 Aug 2012, 15:38 pm
I’m no Steyn fan, but he created the only try in the second half and kicked all his kicks, so not bad. Goosen will be much better or even Pollard in the future.
20 Aug 2012, 15:39 pm
@Atreides-285: nice ….hope hm DOESENT DIG HIS HEELS IN…PERHAPS eoyt WE MAY SEE SOME EXPERIMENTING…
Ag fark caps man
20 Aug 2012, 15:39 pm
@grant10-261: Beyootiful… Pink Boas and all. Welcome back.
20 Aug 2012, 15:40 pm
@gunther-304:
Hussain and Vaughn were at the end of their careers. Strauss still has something to offer.
20 Aug 2012, 15:41 pm
@grant10-280: de villiers will ALWAYS look ouf of place with a 12 who crashballs ALL THE TIME without fail!
20 Aug 2012, 15:41 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-291: terrible game…terribly dissapointing atmosphere…almost as bad as it felt after leaving after the Sharks took us out….
20 Aug 2012, 15:43 pm
@Jeraldjay-298:
First coach to take to countries to the no. 1 spot in tests.
20 Aug 2012, 15:43 pm
@Transformation-311:
Fatboy Steyn had a poor game at 12, true. But against the All Blacks and Wallabies you’re going to be thanking your lucky stars that we have him in the team.
20 Aug 2012, 15:43 pm
@viewer-278: And there I was thinking Saffa Rupert’s Richemont fully owns subsidiary Cartier…
20 Aug 2012, 15:44 pm
@Transformation-311: You can’t blame FS for that. The truly unimaginative lines run by the Boks left him little option.
“Bliksem dem” sounds very HM to me. “Go frew the opposition, finesse are what ballerinas are done.”
20 Aug 2012, 15:45 pm
This team is about 15% where Heyneke wants it to be. Relax chaps, and have some patience.
20 Aug 2012, 15:46 pm
@Jeraldjay-310:
Perhaps not as Captain.
20 Aug 2012, 15:46 pm
@Tacitus-317: No doubt that they will improve. It is a very very long year already, I think everyone needs to give them a break.
20 Aug 2012, 15:46 pm
@HG 302 By shifting wage increase expectations upwards industry wide, at the very least amongst rock drillers?
20 Aug 2012, 15:47 pm
@goyougoodthing2-319:
The big difference is that with Heyneke we are working towards an overall goal.
With Divvy, we were drifting randomly from one game to the next.
20 Aug 2012, 15:47 pm
@Heavens Game-309: cheers
20 Aug 2012, 15:47 pm
@nama1-313:
First national coach to believe in Vern and get the best out of him. Also has given JP the lifeline (even though it was by default) which he has grapped with both hands.
Do you think Boucher’s injury was a blessing in disguise.
20 Aug 2012, 15:47 pm
@gunther-304: @Jeraldjay-310: poms fighting back…
20 Aug 2012, 15:47 pm
@gunther-304:
Now that will be some record.
@Jeraldjay-310:
As a player maybe.
As captain? Who knows how the English will view him after this series.
20 Aug 2012, 15:48 pm
grabbed.
20 Aug 2012, 15:48 pm
@Tacitus-321: I agree.
20 Aug 2012, 15:48 pm
@grant10-303: Howzit Grant.
Good to see you back buddy.
Good team that if there were no injuries. Not sure if I would throw in Goosen just yet. Let him get some game time with Boks during the eoyt first. For now I would have Lambie there. Though he has not had enough game time since being injured against England. I do hope Meyer brings him on for 20min this week and rather at fh. Don’t think Jantjies went to Arg with this group. They could only take 26 players.
What about Ludik at fb? He was our best in our conference in the last 5 Super Games.
I would have Kanko at 8 too. He was brilliant there. I rate Vermeulen though just he is a bit slow. Like a faster 8. Marcell could become a great 8 too. For now like him at 7 with Brussow at 6.
For now think with our injuries and our game plan doubt we will beat ABs on their turf but hoping we can take them at FNB. Had high hopes but after the game on the weekend not so sure now.
20 Aug 2012, 15:49 pm
@Transformation-311: I wonder if F Steyn played that same way at Racing Metro Transie? Not sure but hell that backline looks sterile ….really toothless…
20 Aug 2012, 15:49 pm
Amla is a tough salty dog. That must have hurt a lot.
20 Aug 2012, 15:50 pm
@Tacitus-314: For sure. I would always have Fransie at 12. You have to admit it is our game plan Tac that Fransie just crash balls now. Even the two games he played for Sharks he played a hell of a lot better.
Jean on Saturday too never had a very good game either.
20 Aug 2012, 15:50 pm
Why can’t these Poms just take the blow to the head and stay down for the 10 count.
20 Aug 2012, 15:50 pm
@Tacitus-314: how? telegraphed runs into waiting defenders and getting turned over won’t make me thank frans steyn. he needs to vary his play…it is pathetic that our 12 plays like a forward and bashes it up REGARDLESS of what phase of play we’re in.
20 Aug 2012, 15:51 pm
@Puma-331:
I fully understand Frans’s role in our gameplan. Somehow he didn’t look as slick on Saturday as he did against the English. Maybe he was a bit rusty.
I fully back him as our long term answer at 12. Everyeone’s allowed to have poor games, and I just think Saturday was such a game for Frans.
20 Aug 2012, 15:52 pm
@RL-332: I agree. Watching this drag out is as exciting as watching the Stormer’s Super Rugby try reel. Except that reel is mch shorter.
20 Aug 2012, 15:52 pm
@grant10-312: Did some Cape Town people vote with their feet? That must have been the very first time I have seen a test there where it was not full. Seemed strange to see so many empty seats at Newlands. That is one stadium in SA that is always full no matter what.
20 Aug 2012, 15:52 pm
@grant10-303: “Vermeulen [ give him 2 to 3 games still....he will be awesome... ]“… Sort of reminds me of AC’s “we winning games so we must be doing something right”….
Dont know what it is with the Vermeulen love… Granted, on top form, he is preferable to Spies on current form… But hellsteeth the chap had his first game back this weekend and he did not look good… against Griquas!!! He still has a while to go before even been close to consideration… Way down the line at the moment.
20 Aug 2012, 15:53 pm
@viewer-278: Indeed.
The resource curse.
20 Aug 2012, 15:54 pm
@Tacitus-334: Look as many know here Fransie is my favourite player. So of course I want to see him at inside centre. He is our best. BUT to be honest I hardly even noticed him on the field. And when he did get the ball it was all ‘crash ball’ stuff. Sad that really, but that is our game plan and he only playes to what the Coach wants.
20 Aug 2012, 15:55 pm
@grant10-261: I agree a lot with you .Francois Louw would be a good choice if his form is the same. Andries Bekker is unfit and walked most of the game , so i would choose Juandre, who also did better in the lineouts(agaist England comparatively) than Bekker. I didn’t see Bekker clean rucks either as he was standing in his favourite position on wing and centre. He contributed to the slow ball at the breakdowns in my view, due to poor work rate.
20 Aug 2012, 15:55 pm
@Puma-339: playes = played
20 Aug 2012, 15:56 pm
@goyougoodthing2-316: i’m not “blaming”, just highlighting that jean is being castigated when his centre partner is playing like a bloody LOOSIE – even some loosies offload nowadays!
20 Aug 2012, 15:56 pm
@Puma-328: Hi Puma…
I seriously rate J Goosen….I would throw him in deep end with Ruan Pienaar at 9….that kid is all class….
Ludick has been exceptional last few weeks,,,,but is he a wing or a 15? Taute would be worth a shot I reckon….
Kanko is a huge loss….all class this last couple of months….always said he was far better than Spies, he was hard done by for a long time….remember my team is against Kiwis….there I would start with Vermeulen and Marcells due to there toughness….Brussow always! Against the Aussies I would look at Kanko at 8 to combat the width the Aussies will try and play with…
20 Aug 2012, 15:58 pm
@viewer-320: Surely expectations on their own dont turn an industry “upside down”. But lets say Lonmin was forced to treble Rockdriller wages… It will hardly turn Lonmin upside down, especially if the fckers scrimp on housing for workers… Also Implats hardly wobbled after a +100% increase…
20 Aug 2012, 15:58 pm
@Jeraldjay-323:
I like the look of this team but I’m worried about three things.
AB as wicket keeper. He did not perform well against India also when he kept wicket. It’s either he keeps wicket and bats at 7 or he bats at 5 and does not keep wicket.
Imran Tahir. He is a vastly experienced player but it just does not seem as if he is getting it right. Only two top order batsman in the series so far. That is not good enough.
Boucher’s accident was very unfortunate. I would’ve liked for him to bow out as planned….after this tour.
20 Aug 2012, 15:58 pm
@Puma-339:
We set up so many opportunities on Saturday with this “bashing rugby”. It got us into numerous attacking positions, so from that perspective it worked exactly as the coach planned.
Where we didn’t perform up to expectations was in capitalizing on these opportunities. This was mostly due to slow support at the rucks, and an insufficient level of physical force utilized when we DID have support arriving at the rucks, resulting in the Argies being allowed to disrupt our ball in key attacking positions.
So while our rounding off of opportunties needs lots of work, it is incorrect to blame our “bashing it up” gameplan, because that is mostly utilized in the early phases, and largely achieved the goals intended.
20 Aug 2012, 15:59 pm
@grant10-329: Grant,
Fransie played 2 games for Sharks. That game we smashed Bulls and the Cheetahs. He was great there. So think this ‘crash ball’ stuff is just Meyer’s game plan and the way he wants him to play.
Fransie will be a different player again when he plays for Sharks in Super Rugby next year. Going to be great to see him with Jordaan at 13.
20 Aug 2012, 16:01 pm
@Puma-336: they are all still crying and switched off rugby after the Stormers crashed out. people are still sore Puma
20 Aug 2012, 16:01 pm
@Puma-339: Pooms, you unfaithful sod…. Thought SuperPat was…?
20 Aug 2012, 16:01 pm
@grant10-303: You should not have any useless Natal players in the Bok team,
Pick more Wp etc players, you will see the tries flow…
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