Meltdown in Mendoza
26 Aug 2012
MARK KEOHANE writes South Africa’s lack of leadership in the forwards was exposed in Mendoza, as was the naivety of a pack that is unfortunately a shadow of the beasts who have worn the jersey in the past five years.
Individuals will get blamed and given the South African way it will be provincial specific, but this is not a performance of individual blame but of collective calamity in that the newbies to Test rugby were not equipped to deal with an Argentinean side that scrapped, clawed and fought for a historic first draw against the Springboks.
The lack of a specialist opensider was obvious in that there was no counter to the Pumas love for a group gathering around the ball on the floor. Heyneke Meyer said any player can fail once but there isn’t place for a second failure at Test level. His words will be put to the test because certain players are not up to Test standard and when the occasion called for heroes to emerge all we got were imposters in a green jersey.
Perspective is necessary to appreciate the vulnerability of the Bok pack, in terms of experience, impact and influence. Bismarck du Plessis is colossal and Adriaan Strauss will need grander efforts to offer an impersonation. Andries Bekker, forever the next Victor Matfield, has neither the confidence nor the brilliance to match the Bok legend, Jacques Potgieter is no Schalk Burger, Willem Alberts looked out of sorts in that selected loose-trio and for the days of a back five of Bakkies Botha, Matfield, Burger, Smith and Danie Rossouw.
There was no calmness in a frenetic opening 30 in which the Pumas were going to deliver the passion of a nation’s rugby history, given the occasion. The limitations of the Pumas meant they could only lead by 10 points at half-time despite the majority of the ball, the rub of the green and the home ground advantage.
The Boks did not deserve anything from this match, but they got plenty when it comes to a reality check. I will never understand the nonsense about not selecting foreign based players because they are not playing Super Rugby or in a development Currie Cup competition.
This match cried out for the experience of a Botha, a Joe van Niekerk and a few more who on a weekly basis star in Europe.
The pack were intimidated, they were out of their depth and they were bullied. It was embarrassing.
Still the Boks should have sneaked it when Morne Steyn missed a penalty with a few minutes to go. It was England in Port Elizabeth all over again and Steyn obviously will be the target of abuse. His job is to kick goals and when he doesn’t he stands to be judged.
Young players will be wiser and tougher for the experience but I don’t buy an argument that suggests you go to Argentina for a learning experience. Too many kids were grouped with too many provincial players in the guise of a Bok Test pack – and the results were a humiliation.
Meyer picked the side and he takes the pains, as he does the plaudits when it goes right.
The backs can only ever threaten when the Bok forwards rule and the lack of potency made for an ugly 80 minute viewing experience. Too lateral, too isolated and with no momentum. These backs were not going to find any glory in Mendoza.
Frans Steyn, individually, was strong but he was the exception to a performance that is a reminder of the quality of Springboks that went to the World Cup compared to the mediocrity of what was produced in Argentina.
The hosts have beaten Australia previously, beaten France and in recent years been a minute away from beating the All Blacks. The shorter and narrower pitch did not help, but it did expose a team that failed to adapt to the intensity and mongrel of the hosts.
It was a humbling experience for those of us who watched, but it will forever be a humiliating one for those who played. Not so the boys from Argentina.
987 Comments
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25 Aug 2012, 23:30 pm
Comrads,
I’m sorry to say, but as a South African rugby coach, you do not get 3 or 4 seasons to build a team. You get judged on your performances from the word go by us the fans. It’s tough but that’s the way it should be… We are a world class rugby nation and we deserve a world class coach. We do not tolerate averageness in coaches. We expect successful, healthy rugby from start to finish. Anything less is simply not acceptable.
Heyneke Meyer has not only applied a one dimensional game plan to a world class side, but he has telegraphed his game plan to the rest of the rugby world, thereby facilitating easy analysis of how we play. Common sense dictates that this is an unsmart approach.
Heyneke Meyer is the man who told Pierre Spies to give up a career in the backline and play in the forwards. He took an elite athlete who is the same size and build as Sonny Bill Williams and the same speed as Habana and told him to play in the forwards, where he would be one of the smaller players and where his speed would not be used… Spies would have been one the world’s superstar backline players. Running from deep with that type of size and speed would have been difficult to stop, but instead he is now masquerading as a forward where he only gets to run 7 meters from the base of a scrum before he gets tackled (thereby nullifying his speed)… Spies should have been a world class backline player, but is instead an average forward…. Heyneke Meyer is the man responsible for this.
The Springboks (until today) had beaten Argentina in every rugby encounter in history between these 2 nations. Heyneke Meyer is the man responsible for relinquishing that record.
As South African rugby fans, we should expect nothing less than excellence from the Springboks. We are indeed one of world’s power houses of rugby. To produce excellence, we need a world class coach. This is what we deserve. Instead, we have a man who repeats “Kick and Chase” a million times a day as if a ‘One Size Fits All’ approach could ever be the right approach for a team who strives for excellence.
Gentlemen, we not only have a coach who has demonstrated his rugby stupidity (as per the Pierre Spies example), but we have a coach whose one dimensional approach has been exposed in his first season with the Boks… This must not stand.
We must remove this man from office. We must give the Boks the world class coach they deserve. The time to act is now.
25 Aug 2012, 23:32 pm
Lack of leadership is no excuse. De Villiers had the chance to let Steyn kick about three penalties over but went for a scrum or the corner to no avail. Steyn should have just said “trust me.” Even with his erratic kicking, one of those three penalties would have gone over.
25 Aug 2012, 23:32 pm
After the previous game in SA wherein the Boks were appallingly poor, this very fortunate, and indeed underserved draw in Argentina is a very clear reflection that Heineke Meyer is completely off-the-ball (out of touch?) in terms of both game strategy AND team selection. There is absolutely NO creative thinking on the park at all. Just mindless repetition of a tried and tested (and found to be wanting) game plan, as played by the Bulls in years long gone.
There was an interesting article on ESPN Cricinfo concerning the change in fortunes of the SA Cricket side entitled.
“South Africa’s new mindset brings rewards”
I quote from that:
“To get there, they needed a different perspective. South African sport was, and in some places still is, conducted like the army in its rigidity and focus to discipline. It was not a space to be creative. It was not a space to introduce too many outrageous ideas. It was not a space to express. It was a space to do as you had been taught because that was the way that would breed success. If they failed, and there were times when they did, it was never the method that was at fault, only the way they were executing it.”
The Boks and Meyer in particular desperately needs that sort of new-thinking and creativity. Meyer used to be able to be capable of innovative, even daring thinking before and even during his reign at the Bulls – but came a cropper in the UK with Leicester (ostensibly due to “family reasons”). That begs the question: has Heineke lost his nerve and now lacks the courage and self belief to dare think outside the box? And thus he selects players that he feels will deliver his overly- conservative approach and not expose him to any form of ridicule for trying something new?
If so SA will continue to be embarrassed, and indeed humiliated at the unbelievably average performance of the Boks.
At least the Wallabies had a very solid and promising first 30 minutes against New Zeeland – who are a much, much better team than Argentina (courageous and smart thought he latter may be). SA has not had so much as a promising THREE minutes in two matches against the Argentines.
25 Aug 2012, 23:33 pm
i blame oregan hoskins if he had employed Pdv for only rugby reasons this stupid notion that heyneke was a better coach would not have rooted itself in sa rugby culture, bwahahahahahahaha
25 Aug 2012, 23:37 pm
Im starting to loose interest in watching this type of rugby …
never thought I’d say this … But HM at the moment worse than the previous bok coaches we had … Too one-dimensional game plan (or lack there of) and favors certain individuals …
I don’t think any of the players were good enough today …
scoring a try by “charge down” not creative enough …
Forwards were bullied today …
Backs too many up and unders and skip passes when going through hands were required.
HM better sort it out ASAP … With his team selections and game plan …
25 Aug 2012, 23:38 pm
it is times like this when i am proud to be part of a country with such a tremendous rugby culture.let all the creeps and doomsdayers *** crawling out of the woodwork shame on them.Today i am proud to be a new zealander
Bwahahahahahahahhhahahaha
25 Aug 2012, 23:38 pm
I haven’t seen the Boks play this badly in years. Daniel was the only one who showed any leadership, but he’s not a bulls player so like Lambie and Pienaar the only other X factor players in the team he will warm the bench. Bash and flop
Potgieter and that idiot in the 15 jersey did a great job of, well, bash and flop.
25 Aug 2012, 23:40 pm
Congrats to Argentina. Well done.
25 Aug 2012, 23:41 pm
@cyberscamp-3: That begs the question: has Heineke lost his nerve and now lacks the courage and self belief to dare think outside the box? And thus he selects players that he feels will deliver his overly- conservative approach and not expose him to any form of ridicule for trying something new?
Im sure many can see the irony in that
25 Aug 2012, 23:41 pm
@Kaizan-1: sorry I disagree. Spies to be a super star backline player would need to be able to catch a ball…which we all know he cannot.
What most people forget is that in 1982 (I may be wrong with the year) a South American team toured SA and beat us. The team on the day comprised 14 Argentinians and 1 Uruguayan. It was a sanctions busting team. In affect it was an Argentinian team.
25 Aug 2012, 23:45 pm
Lambie is an average fullback at best
jaco taute
aplon
pietersen
jpp
ludick all better
at flyhalf he has
jantjies
goosen to contend with
25 Aug 2012, 23:45 pm
Heineken Meyer is a formulaic coach of a formulaic game-plan which relies on faith rather than logic, size rather than skill or speed and which is totally useless without a brilliant 80%+ goal-kicker from anywhere in his own half. He has already been weighed and found wanting. And he doesn’t even have the excuse that he is only a quota deployee for being out of his depth.
Hire John Mitchell, asap.
25 Aug 2012, 23:45 pm
My heart felt so sad to see our mighty Boks play such stupid utter useless rubbish rugby. Kick and more kick and crash ball. Terrible game plan we looked clueless out there.
Here I was thinking we could beat the Blacks at FNB. NO WAY we will never beat them with this daft backward game plan. NOT EVER. So disappointed.
We should also always take our points. Why did we not take all our penalties? Steyn is there to kick mostly so why not? Anyhow that is not the way I want to win, want to see us playing some good attractive rugby. Not this utter c r a p. Something has to be done. Meyer will have to bring in some help otherwise see us coming last in the Championship and losing all our eoyt games too.
We need to bring back Brussow for the Oz and Nz tour. Need Ruan to start as well. Hougie is not a scrumhalf. Need a thinking fh that will get our backs away. Man we even had Mvovo kicking and he hardly does that at Sharks he finds the gaps. Here we have him kicking. What a shame, what a waste. Meyer is not up to it if this is our game plan.
25 Aug 2012, 23:46 pm
@XV-10: but wasnt it was the jaguars
25 Aug 2012, 23:47 pm
but it wansnt it was the jaguars
25 Aug 2012, 23:48 pm
So nothing to do with our **** gameplan then?
25 Aug 2012, 23:48 pm
carlos spencer eddie jones david campese
pick ur choice for backline coach they sure as hell cant come from here
25 Aug 2012, 23:49 pm
@XV-10: Players get better under the high ball. JP Pietersen used to be atrocious and now he is solid in that aspect. Regardless, Spies would have been a very serious threat to opposition defense if he had been developed as a centre (or to a lesser extent, a wing). 110 kg’s running at blistering pace would have been a potent attacking weapon.
To bring the discussion back to its main point, Heyneke Meyer is causing more harm thabn good in South African rugby.
25 Aug 2012, 23:49 pm
@saru1983-9: Que?
25 Aug 2012, 23:51 pm
@TheTackler-12: are you insane one uitkak session and twice around the field and these prima donnas will threaten to strike
25 Aug 2012, 23:52 pm
@saru1983-17: Even Hawies Fourie would add some value there.
25 Aug 2012, 23:53 pm
@Puma-13: Why are you so surprised? Everyone (who doesn’t wear blinkers) KNEW what was coming…..from the day the man was appointed and made his 1st utterly floppy statements on public platforms.
In fact, most here have been trying to warn all the “Positive Patsies” for weeks.
I’m astounded that so many bloggers feel ‘betrayed, bewildered and confused’ by what happened this evening. And I mean that with the greatest respect (to some…)
25 Aug 2012, 23:54 pm
@saru1983-14: yes that was the name they toured under. In affect it was the Argentinian team.
25 Aug 2012, 23:55 pm
@XV-10: You are correct. They were called the Jaguars at the time. Most of that team were from Arg one was from one of the other South American teams.
25 Aug 2012, 23:56 pm
@Kaizan-18: Yes I know what your main point is. I am concerned that Meyer is only comfortable working with people of the same culture.
25 Aug 2012, 23:56 pm
Nick Mallet hit the nail on the head in the post-match analysis .Lambie or Goosen need to be given the 10 jersey ,the latter worries me with his fragility ,another option is Butch who is still putting in some huge performances for the Lions. There are a handful of better 10s running around the CC than Morne Steyn bar the greek who is a poor man’s Steyn.
25 Aug 2012, 23:57 pm
We need a fetcher, if Brussouw’s injured, and although the Province guys hate him, Stegmann would can’t be worse than Potgieter. Minnie could also get a chance
We need brawn and balls at lock, we don’t have an enforcer
We need to get the two locks from Stade Francais, Mostert and Anton van Zyl, they’ll bring experience to the pack and Mostert won’t back down
Potgieter can be replaced by Elstadt, Rhodes or Strauss
If Hougaard wants to be a Bok it will be on the wing period
Morne needs to go and get his mojo back, Jantjies showed his cool head today, he won’t disapoint
25 Aug 2012, 23:59 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-22: No I was not surprised after our performance from last week. Thought this could happen.
Still very disappointed to see us play this backward utter rubbish rugby. Pathetic game plan.
25 Aug 2012, 23:59 pm
Brainless brainless rugby from from the Boks. They Need a leader in that pack desperately. Bring back Bakkies. I’d even go as far as bringing back Smit in Bismarks injury absence if it means leadership, consistency and a front foot power pack with some sort of playing direction.
You start to realize just how good Victor, Bakkies, Smit, Schalk & Juan Smith were. And Fourie Du Preez.
They also need a 10 who can create, I( hope this Goosen fella has the goods at Test level) and please not Kirchner again at fullback! Lambie every day.
And we missed JPP, although Mvovo played well.
Disappointing
26 Aug 2012, 00:00 am
@XV-25: Me too
26 Aug 2012, 00:01 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-22: Bekker too not great at all. Think we need Kruger back.
Ag, if we play this daft game plan don’t matter who we select. We will look clueless again and again. Need this game plan to change.
26 Aug 2012, 00:04 am
@Charging Rhino-29: hahaha. I was going to post that here but thought I would be attacked the whole time. I too would bring back John Smit for the rest of this years RC. Until we get Bissie back next year. At least our leadership will be top class. Our scrum will be a whole lot better too.
3 times too we went for corners or scrum when we had penalties. Should always go for poles especially when we damn well needed the points.
Anyhow that is not how I want us to win, want us to win playing attractive rugby.
26 Aug 2012, 00:06 am
firstly, heyneke MUST GO
secondly, who to replace him with?
i think we need to accept the fact, that the coaches in this country are not good enough, especially at our provincial coaches.
we have completely lost the plot
politics aside, i think its time we go back to an old wise head
instead of these overly analytical robots we call coaches
why not Nick Mallett?
the dream of politics and sports never mixing seems far away
26 Aug 2012, 00:07 am
@Charging Rhino-29: Today I would have brought Lambie on at flyhalf. Wasted on the bench. He was right there and should have been used.
3 min to go and what does Morne do? He has the ball and bloody kicks it.
26 Aug 2012, 00:08 am
the senior players better start taking over now and stop this sinking ship
26 Aug 2012, 00:09 am
@jacoshark-33: Doubt Mallett wants to work with the Boks again. He would be working with saru once again. Don’t think he will want too. He would be far better than Meyer.
26 Aug 2012, 00:09 am
can anyone please summarise Mallets synopsis on the Boks for me…..
26 Aug 2012, 00:10 am
@Kaizan-1: Well said I agree fully. Spies would have been a mighty wing – he doesnt have the constitution nor attitude to be a hardnosed Read type of 8 and his speed is wasted.
Our one dimensional kick chase bash up crash ball rugby is beyond stupid now. And all this k@k about it being our traditional strenght ?? Utter nonsense – back in 1976 through the 80´s and early 90´s our teams played damn exciting backline rugby running it whenvever they could. Even Naas Botha didnt kick that much. We are sterotyping ourselves as dumb bullocks running about huffing and puffing – except we arent the only big boys on the block anymore which effectively nullifies that tactic. These Boks were shameful to the man tonight.
Not one player was good enough – some played ok but none exceptionally. Potgieter must go, so must Houghaard at scrumhalf, M Steyn left 6 points out there and Frans another 6 – had they kicked their goals we would have won by 12 – kind of respectable but even if they did not with that style of play. Bitterly dissapointed. Heyneke Meyers selection policy has been dubious since the start but now he is showing how naive and one dimensional he is as a coach too. Who picks these idiots? Wake the F up man!!!! All you have to do is look at the All Blacks to know how to play effective rugby. Beyond idiotic.
26 Aug 2012, 00:12 am
@jacoshark-33: Naka Drotske – he does wonders with second rate players at the Cheetahs and theyre playing some damn nice rugby. Certainly cant be worse than any of these other muppets.
26 Aug 2012, 00:12 am
Heyneke still uses the gameplan DomVlok Cilliers concocted for him in 2007 and we all know DomVlok fits the Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest bill perfectly. Well, DomVlok se polisieplanne werk nie meer nie. Heyneke will pay the price for that set of under-average coaching assistants he borrowed from the Bulls. The forward coach for instance is the son of the Bulls’ CEO, Van Graan. The others are rejects who Ludeke gladly sacrificed for the cause. Heyneke won’t make the next World Cup finals. His policy of jobs for pals and his teacher’s pet mentality will sink him.
26 Aug 2012, 00:13 am
@Puma-36:
hes too outspoken for the suits sitting fat at the top of SARU
but we really do need a change of coach
cause from what ive seen, this coaching team is abunch of amateurs
stuck in the year 2007
26 Aug 2012, 00:13 am
@Puma-32: I read your posts above and they mimic my thoughts too. Especially the first post.
Jeepers they need something after that display. Absolutely directionless. Too many inexperienced players at Test level not knowing what to do.
The Smit haters may hate but his record stands and his tight play and set piece play is unparalleled, I’d rate him 2nd behind Bismark, and therefore our current best option. How many lineouts were a ballsup!!??? Smit-Matfield partnership was unrivaled.
Anyway I’m not saying bring back Smit, that’s a but too far but Flippen heck Meyer has to do something to get more experience and a player or 2 with a “no retreat attitude” who’s been proven at test level into that pack and at least one fetcher type player.
26 Aug 2012, 00:16 am
And I saw comments that the Wallabies were off the pace we were c r a p. Don’t under estimate how good the All black team are. I actually hoped that the Bokks might be strong enough to take them on. The Wallabies aren’t that is for sure, remember there is always next week
26 Aug 2012, 00:17 am
@Puma-34: Ja, when we needed sometng Lambie wouldve been best at 10. Most times Morne or Kirchner touched the ball I just thought… “Ah No…..”
26 Aug 2012, 00:21 am
One doesn’t have to be Siener van Rensburg to see that the next Rudolf Straeuli has arrived.
26 Aug 2012, 00:21 am
Bringing in the likes of:
Gurthro Steenkamp
Bakkies Botha
Danie Rossow
Heinrich Brussow
Joe Van Niekerk
Ryan Kankowski
Should at least prevent Boks from being bullied
But
Still highly unlikey to win with this domkrag approach that has no effect except to give the opposition an advantage.
26 Aug 2012, 00:22 am
@Charging Rhino-44: Yip should have brought Lambie on. Not even sure why he was on this tour just to sit on the bench.
@Charging Rhino-42: I would bring Smit back to help us through this patch until Bissie is back. He is still our 2nd best hooker. Doubt Meyer will do that though.
Some changes have to be done. Most of all our game plan. But some players just not up to it.
Just very disappointed to see us playing rubbish like that.
Anyhow out of here now bud. Cheers catch up tomorrow.
@jacoshark-41: Agree. Cheers. Going to bed now. Catch up tomorrow.
26 Aug 2012, 00:23 am
Great to have some astute analysis from Supersport commentary team.
Appreciated their post-match comments.
26 Aug 2012, 00:23 am
Smit was the worst f’ng captain of all time… worst Bok record under his non existent leadership.. go count how many wins Smit led Boks through 2010 -2011.. 2 from 13.. and that was IT…
Meyer got very little clue and now we going to start hitting panic street.. Aussie just got to klap us next and I reckon Meyer might hop off the bus without too much of a agterent shove from the skop skiet en jag circuit.
26 Aug 2012, 00:24 am
Daniel made a difference because he used his brain when he came on.
Adrian Strauss played the worst game of rugby I’ve ever seen him play.
And Bekker hasn’t been inspiring for the longest time.
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