Keep the faith
27 Aug 2012
RYAN VREDE writes that the Springboks’ performance in Mendoza was woeful but it is premature to make absolute judgements about Heyneke Meyer’s aptitude.
A draw, and the manner thereof, against Argentina was inexcusable. Meyer said as much in his post-match assessment.
It would be remiss not to credit Argentina for their industry, intensity and tactical appreciation. They were outstanding when viewed in the context of their opponents and the infancy of their Rugby Championship involvement. But this was one the Springboks botched as opposed to one they were completely overwhelmed in. They were awful, with their attacking game in particular failing to inspire.
However, the emotion-fuelled predictions of peril that soared after the final whistle and that persist are premature and unfounded. It is understandable in some ways. The level of disappointment is influenced by the level of expectation. The result, which Meyer agreed felt like a defeat, wasn’t inconceivable, but the widely held expectation was for a comfortable Springboks win. Still, it is absurd to see that result and the quality of the performance as indicative of a doomed road ahead under Meyer.
The coach has never explicitly asked for time to settle into his role, for his charges to grasp his philosophies and methods or for him to address physical, technical and mental shortcomings of individuals. But to expect him to have immediate success is unreasonable, particularly given the limited preparation time he has had with the squad, the youthfulness of his group and injuries to key and experienced players (and the unavailability of talented rookies).
With regards to the latter, the perspective here is that the absence of JP Pietersen, Bismarck du Plessis and Schalk Burger is significant. The trio are among the best in their positions in world rugby and have over 150 Test caps between them. I’ve lamented Pierre Spies’ inability to impose himself consistently on the Test stage, but he is a player I believed would thrive with his mentor at the helm, and one with a half century of caps.
Coenie Oosthuizen was an integral part of Meyer’s plan before he was injured, as was Ryan Kankowski before he opted to continue his career in Japan. Both are seasoned players and possess the ability to make telling impacts off the wood. Furthermore, Johan Goosen and Duane Vermuelen’s injuries denied Meyer their services (both would have had substantial game time) and strike one as having the technical and mental constitution to have made the transition to Test rugby relatively comfortably.
Meyer’s preferred scrumhalf, Fourie du Preez, was committed to Sungoliath in Japan. Du Preez is likely to return for the year-end tour (should a renegotiation of his contract work out as planned), but for now Meyer has a void not yet adequately filled in his absence.
I’m not an apologist for Meyer, but there needs to be perspective on the Springboks’ future under him. It is not bleak. He is different from Peter de Villiers, who was technically and tactically inept and largely squandered the player riches at his disposal during his tenure.
But how long is long enough before we can make more legitimate conclusions about him and his methods? I would say by the end of the 2013 Rugby Championship, when he would have had more than enough time to work with the players he wants, not those he was forced to turn to through circumstance.
Follow Ryan on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter
252 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 » Show All
27 Aug 2012, 07:38 am
The Bokke need that dragon called Our Beloved Leader John Smit.
27 Aug 2012, 07:39 am
Excuses…… I’m sorry but I don’t buy this kuk.
It’s Argentina ffs.
27 Aug 2012, 07:48 am
this title sounds like the prelude to an eighties rock song / show…..
27 Aug 2012, 07:48 am
Good morning everybody,
On Saturday I posted early on the Lions/WP thread about a plane crash in Queens, NYC. Nothing further was heard on any news sites and I’ve since ascertained that it relates to an incident over 10 years old.
I was looking for info on another crash and found this one under the Google heading of: “Plane crash today.” (Mail Online)
I speed read the article, double checked the date, then posted. It was certainly not my intention to mislead or cause undue stress to anybody and I apologise most sincerley for tthe misunderstanding.
Please also see my posting on the other thread.
Thanks guys.
27 Aug 2012, 07:52 am
If we are reduced to quoting Bon Jovi song titles Ryan then it’s time to man the lifeboats.
And, as Winston Churchill said, when it comes to lifeboats I’m firmly in the Italian camp. None of this women and children first nonsense.
27 Aug 2012, 07:56 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-3:
sorry, nineties rock song / show…
27 Aug 2012, 08:02 am
@gunther-5: Living on a prayer would have been more apt.
27 Aug 2012, 08:02 am
Bunch of bull-****.
You ARE an apologist for Meyer. It’s well known that you Keo lot have a good relationship with the joker.
Jake White took over a mess and won straight away.
How funny that Matfield even suggested that Heyneke is a better coach then White. Not even bloody close.
27 Aug 2012, 08:04 am
Bismark Du Plessis
Coenie Oosthuizen
Juan Smith
Schalk Burger
Duanne Vermeulen
Ryan Kankowski
Pierre Spies
Fourie Du Preez
Johann Goosen
Bjorn Basson
Jacques Fourie
JP Pieterson
Jaco Taute
and now Siya Kolisi
All players that would almost certainly be in Meyer’s squad if fit or available.
Still… no excuses.
27 Aug 2012, 08:05 am
“But to expect him to have immediate success is unreasonable, particularly given the limited preparation time he has had with the squad, the youthfulness of his group and injuries to key and experienced players (and the unavailability of talented rookies).”
i’m sorry but the writer of this article is deluded! first of all PDV was never given a chance even tho he had been successful with under 21 team, instead the likes of this writer “bashed” him every chance they got. Now when it comes to HM, things should be different, why must he be given a chance? no he should be held to same standards.
it is clear, that his game plan does not work anymore, he should have seen this because the cracks have been forming since the England test series.
in terms of players available to him, he has a host of “FORM” players to choose from, what i mean about form players is players that have performed well during the super15 season. Instead he prefers to go with tried and tested theory by selecting all his bully (Bulls) big players.
MSteyn has not been on form, therefore Lambie should have been given the nod ahead of him, also this would have probably relived pressure from MSteyn to allow him regain his awesome form. Msteyn is a great player, but he just needs to time away from pressure there4 use Lambie for this even start Lambie and let MSteny come on second half.
So far HM has not delivered i don’t see much positive coming from him being in charge, unless he starts thinking outside the box, it will be a very long and frustrating 4 nations, hopefully he surprises us for end year tour by taking a young team with the likes of Kolise, De Joung, Aplon, Lambie, Janjies, Brussouw, Goosen
27 Aug 2012, 08:05 am
pirre spies
wtf puff?
27 Aug 2012, 08:05 am
Such Hypocrisy, PDV got slated after winning matches his substitutions were questioned the teams style of play. The way the media in general have treated Heyneke as opposed to PDV just reinforces the non-white perception that there are a different set of rules of the white people in this country. Im not saying i agree im just saying its not healthy.
27 Aug 2012, 08:07 am
Only one reasonable way to look at this.
If this had been Divvy, what would the Keo lot have said.
He’d never have been forgiven. Wouldn’t have seen out the season.
27 Aug 2012, 08:08 am
Ryan will move on to Bad Medicine if we lose to the Convicts before going out in a Blaze of Glory should we get fisted by Polynesian Morris Dancers as well.
I suspect by the end of the season he’ll be wanted dead or alive.
Life is certainly no bed of roses.
27 Aug 2012, 08:10 am
Its not about the draw, its about how we played to get the draw
Even the Stormers has more flair than the boks. Its sickening to see them play this way.
27 Aug 2012, 08:10 am
@puff-9:
Why is Juan Smiths name always mentioned as players to come back into Bok side?Including his name, great player an all, in perspective Bok sides seems a tad desperate to me.
27 Aug 2012, 08:14 am
@Redox(Original)-12: The point some of us have been trying to make. SARU, the media and many others have bent over backwards for Meyer from day 1. Everything he has wanted, he has pretty much got (unlike Divvy who only got scorn and grief from the get go).
It was embarrassing the way in which Meyer was heralded, and that before he had even selected a squad.
I have no interest in excuses…not from Meyer, not from SARU, not from journalists, not from selectors and not from Meyer’s foot soldiers.
The party starts and stops with him (and possibly his ‘at this stage’, seemingly ineffective little assistants)
27 Aug 2012, 08:15 am
@BrumbiesBoy-4:
I thought that it sounded suspiciously like a previous crash.
27 Aug 2012, 08:16 am
That’s half a squad right there.
At least ten of those players would form part of Meyer’s current ideal match-22.
27 Aug 2012, 08:16 am
The thing is that even without all those players that are either injured or unavailable, with the players we have we should have more than enough firepower to put the Pumas away by at least 15 points. We have some of the best wings in the world, yet they don’t get any ball in space. Mvovo did his best with the scraps of ball that he got. Any time we got a semblance of good ball, Morne or Kirchner or Hougaard hacks it away in the hope that we might win it back. Potgieter is not the answer, yet he is gonna be given another opportunity in the starting team, a luxury not given to Keegan Daniel. I am not a Duane Vermeulen fan, but he could be our answer at 8 until next year when Kankowski is available again. For the second test in a row when the Boks desperately needed the creativity of Lambie, he was left watching the game from the bench. Zane is also a a player that needs to be send far far far away from a green jersey, he falls in the same category as Jorrie Muller. Ludick will be the answer at fullback or even Gio Aplon.
27 Aug 2012, 08:17 am
@Fern-11:
Would be Meyer’s choice as part of squad if fit, not mine.
27 Aug 2012, 08:17 am
@Te Rangatira-16: Juan Smith will never play international rugby again IMHO. We Bok groupies need to honour our old heroes, but forget them as players for the future.
Because Meyer is a conservative fellow, I do believe if panic sets in, Bakkies, Danie, Gurthro, du Preez, and even Matfield (after his IRB regulated time out after retirement has expired) will all be pulled in….And yes, we might win one or two games with them – but then what?
Worrying times for us. (Or rather some of us….)
27 Aug 2012, 08:19 am
@Te Rangatira-16:
I am saying if Smith was fit, he’d be a shoo-in for Meyer’s squad.
But his return to top-flight rugby is looking increasingly unlikely.
A real shame.
My favourite rugby player.
27 Aug 2012, 08:20 am
hissy fits and emotions this early in the morning
27 Aug 2012, 08:23 am
this is a throwback to the STRAEULI era
the sooner we cut the cancer, the better
HEYNEKE OUT!
27 Aug 2012, 08:24 am
@KingRiaan-20:
All good points.
A little harsh on Kirchner, but I do agree he is not the long-term answer at 15.
27 Aug 2012, 08:26 am
keep the faith?
well, that may work, but you really need to keep the ball to win rugby games…
and to contest the breakdown, not get blown off it like little girls..
27 Aug 2012, 08:31 am
beast
chilliboy
jannie
etzebeth
kruger
brussouw
alberts
coetsee
hougaard
lambie
mvovo
steyn
jdv
habana
ludik
give the ball some air (not kicking air)
these players will flourish
27 Aug 2012, 08:32 am
Judge Heyneke the same way as PDV were judged.
1.
27 Aug 2012, 08:33 am
Yes, the game plan is predicatable and antiquated.
Yes, it needs to evolve.
But honestly.
How does a team play effective test rugby with such an inexperienced pack?
Beast was the most experienced Bok forward on the park with 36 tests.
Jannie and Bekker have been around a while, but the rest are newbies.
That pack will get munched by the All Blacks.
Losing the experience of Bismark and even Spies will prove telling.
27 Aug 2012, 08:33 am
Ja the article should read “Keep the Ball” not keep the faith.
We kicked it away all evening. Deserved what we got.
27 Aug 2012, 08:35 am
1. The boks were expected to win by Bonus points , home and away. at least a 20 point margin against Argentenia
2. The stormers finished top of the log in the supa 15 with the sharks in the final.
27 Aug 2012, 08:37 am
This whole article is littered with excuses,a team with Springboks depth should never resort to naming injured players as an excuse for failing to perform against a group of journey man and test rugby novices.Unfortunately Ryan has done Meyer a disservice by clutching at straws to justify the unjustifiable.What new thing has Meyer brought to the table in terms of strategy or tactics that the much maligned PDV didn’t. I suspect if PDV where in charge of Saturday’s team,we would be reading a very different article
27 Aug 2012, 08:37 am
Experience is one of a good few reasons why Brussow needs to be included if fit.
But will he have had enough/any game time before the squad flies to Australasia?
I am all for promoting talented youngsters, but they need to be surrounded by some wily vets.
Oh, and is it just me or does JDV look tired and in need of a long break?
27 Aug 2012, 08:39 am
@poppa69-27:
you are like a gremlin, boet.
what were the three rules for gremlins again?
dont feed it after midnight.
dont get it drunk.
and dont let it see daylight.
27 Aug 2012, 08:39 am
@gunther-14: Giving away your age and ‘era’ here Gunther
As am I. (And Bakkies it seems…)Then again, Bon Jovi rocked the decades.
27 Aug 2012, 08:41 am
Yup, I keep the faith…
But out of all the snot en trane a couple of things stand out:
1. Us rather arrogant Bok supporters are not giving the Argies enough credit. They were very good on Saturday.
2. Heyneke Meyer needs to realise sometimes that it is no good trying to drive a Pagani Zonda offroad like a Toyota Landcruiser… And if you have a couple of Zondas available then you got to let them do what they do best. Go like the clappers.
The Bok Zondas:
1. Keegan (Keegan is not a Land Cruiser… Adjust the game plan to allow for his talent or let him go)
2. Hougaard (Adjust or die…)
3. Lambie (Just play him or send him home… Unless he is carrying an injury, it does him no good to sit on the bench when the incumbent 10 is struggling with self-confidence or if the 15 is doing nothing special after 3 attempts)
Nevertheless I reckon both the Boks and Argies are superior to the Aussies… The Argies and Boks will win at least one, with 2 against the Wallabies an attainable goal for the Boks…
Argies won t win against the ABs but they going to give them an almighty fright especially in Argentina. Boks have a 50/50 chance of sneaking one against the Men in Black.
So this Heynek Bok steel horse has a lot of riding still to do despite the pre-ejaculations from the more foolish “supporters”… Like some of us were with the Sharks this season – standing firm while all were losing heads – I’m still going to be there with the Boks when the Bed of Roses is eventually made this season. I keep the Faith…
27 Aug 2012, 08:42 am
@puff-30:
i understand your point on experience..
but what bothers me most is the total naievty shown by heyneke
he looks like hes already cracked under the pressure, only 5 games in
a few of these guys, meyer incl need a few klappe to set them straight
a countries pride is on the line and we as fans need to see changes instead of excuses week in week out..
you cant expect to play youngster (which we have no choice in atm) but play them in a completely stupid, nonsensical tactical game and not play towards these players strengths
players like marcell coetsee, francois hougaard and keegan daniel could flourish under the riight game plan..
but expecting them to kick and chase and bash like headless chickens is just plain daft.
marcell coetsee was second in offloads in the whole super 15 comp, only behind SBW yet we dont utilise these skills at all
its pathetic planning from HM
HM OUT!
27 Aug 2012, 08:45 am
no no. Meyer said you play with the players you have. The players we HAVE cannot execute the style Meyer wants – so the COACH has to adapt the style to suit players’ strenghts, not the other way around.
That’s what he said… so he should stick to that.
27 Aug 2012, 08:47 am
This is one instance in which I am very, very sad to have had my suspicions proven correct.
27 Aug 2012, 08:47 am
Damn
Now that feckin song is gonna be in my head the whole day
27 Aug 2012, 08:53 am
Ryan, you bare clearly an idiot. Defending a **** like HM cause you guys are buddy-buddy. WTF kind of ‘journalism’ is that? How is anyone meant to take you seriously? You must be a ****-in twit if you are dumb enough to believe FDP and Spoes would have made a difference. This was not a match we botched, we were overwhelmed and if it was not for a stroke of luck, we’d have lost like we deserved. The sooner HM leaves with his tail between his legs the better for everyone. Go NM!
27 Aug 2012, 08:54 am
Only unprepared people look as nervous as Meyer did on Saturday. He is out of his depht, just like Deans is with the Wobblies.
Some coaches have a cealing at Super Rugby.
27 Aug 2012, 08:57 am
Meyer even mentioned post match that if we get quicker ball we can play super rugby!!!!!!!!!
This is test rugby Heyneke, not SR!
27 Aug 2012, 08:58 am
@poppa69-27: Fortunately, a few of us didn’t have the faith to start off with. We were prepared
So all this ‘shock, awe and bewilderment’ being shown by others who are suddenly concerned,is rather precious.
I do await the entrance of Taccy though. What with him being in tune with Meyer’s thoughts and all, his analysis should make for interesting reading
27 Aug 2012, 08:59 am
Disappointing result.
I have full faith in Heyneke’s gameplan, but I think we lack the personnel to implement it with any degree of effect at the moment. Basically, the current Boks are k*k, to use the technical term..
Hence, we find ourselves in a bit of a quandary.
Not sure what the best way forward is, to be honest.
27 Aug 2012, 08:59 am
@garth-42:
“you bare clearly an idiot”..?..
27 Aug 2012, 08:59 am
Will reserve my comment on Heyneke untill after EOYT.
But that wasnt pretty.
27 Aug 2012, 09:00 am
@Tacitus-46:
degree of effect is better stated as degree of efficiency rather.
27 Aug 2012, 09:00 am
I think we have a serious problem here. New Zealand are going to tear us a new hole and I think the ozzies going to be a tough game when it should be a easy win. I think we got the players to win and we should have won easily on saturday. Maybe its time to realise that players such as Bekker, Kirshner, Potigiter and hougaard are not up to the stand. Bekker for me is just a waste of space in the team, he is so tall he should be dominating the lines but the only place he dominates is outs Mvovo on the wing. Its time to make be decision and drop some big egos.
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.