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, 10:24 am
@capebull-144: Argentina has in their 26-man squad 3 player who turn out in OUR vodacom cup for the PAMPAS, the pampas and they lost JMH and when we draw with them we’re supposed to look at their inexperience?
please man..
when the played WOEFULLY in PE and drew with England meyer drew out the inexperience card and said “some of these players have never played in these (rainy) conditions”
you know what, meyer HIMSELF is inexperienced in INTERNATIONAL rugby, the sooner he acknowledges that and lose the veiled arrogance the better.
27 Aug 2012, 10:24 am
@Sheriff-148: Good day to you as well.
27 Aug 2012, 10:25 am
@puff-107:
That backline will stuff up the bok back line currently, exceptionally exciting running back line
@goodstuff-113: exactly what I said yesterday
Saru got it wrong, they didn’t make the decision in 2008 for non rugby reasons, they made the wrong decision for putting PdV with a structured team set in its ways that was unable to adapt. Meyer cannot adapt, PdV can.. the players in 2008 could not adapt so PdV changed his game plan to suit them.
Would have been better to team Meyer with the 2008 team than this one.. PdV would have revelled far better with the challenge of molding a new team with fresh talents and ideas than he did with a group of players who were far too set in their pre structured predetermined ways.
27 Aug 2012, 10:26 am
@capebull-150: Mate it was at the time Lambie got injured, freddy got into good form and also at the time Ludik and Viljoen were not in great for either so plaum wanted them both on the park
NOw freddy has left, Ludik and Viljoen both in great form, and Lambie is now in the 10 seat and can play his natural position again, and of course hopefully stay injury free
27 Aug 2012, 10:28 am
@sharks_lover-154: What is the story with Jantjes and the Sharks?
27 Aug 2012, 10:28 am
@Transformation-151: Transie , I agree with you , it was most definatly one of the worse performances I have ever seen.
To say HM is all to blame ??
Players like Bekker , Eben , Jannie, Beast and the rest are all to blame.
At least the Bulls/ Shark game was one of the better games.
27 Aug 2012, 10:28 am
jake white turned around a QF world cup hiding in 2003 to win the 3N.
heyneke looks well short of that feat.
27 Aug 2012, 10:29 am
@grant10-155: On E news this morning the Sports news presenter said that it seems more than likely that Jantjes is Sharks bound, not sure how true it is though?
27 Aug 2012, 10:31 am
It seems for Sa coaches you first have to hit rockbottom, before you wake up.
So I’m glad that performance did this.
27 Aug 2012, 10:32 am
@shooter-159: Lower than this you can not go .
27 Aug 2012, 10:36 am
Sheriff, is jy ‘n emo?
Tonnelvisie is nie ‘n unieke afrikaanse ding nie.
Jy konsentreer te veel daarop.
Daar is 100000′e groeperinge wat hulle eie brand f*ctap bring.
In elk geval. Jou pseudo sensitiewe versigtige analise van die situasie
is temerig en stereotiperend. Kompleet met die ‘ek verstaan’ klousule.
Belaglike logika wat jy volg daar, seun.
27 Aug 2012, 10:37 am
@capebull-160: Daar was lanklaas in 80 minute soveel gevloek in SA.
27 Aug 2012, 10:41 am
@capebull-142: I hope Sat helps Meyer to finally see the light. Amazing with 2 rugby brains like Meyer and Rassie they cant realise the importance of a balanced loose trio, blows the mind
27 Aug 2012, 10:42 am
@shooter-159:
You can only hope SARU don’t supply kango hammers as part of the coaches kit.
27 Aug 2012, 10:44 am
@NZINCHINA-78: Yes it is!
27 Aug 2012, 10:45 am
@Brads-164: Yes, we may decide to look for water, to really get in the deepend.
27 Aug 2012, 10:47 am
@capebull-142: I would have
8 Runner and good distrubtor , link with backs – Coetzee
6 Fetcher – Brussow
7 Runner hard man – Alberts
27 Aug 2012, 10:50 am
@Bok fan-167: we’re not building a bende. When has Coetzee ever played 8? No man.
Anyway. Too much obviously wrong. Will leave it up to the rest to advise – and the coach and players to bounce back next game. cheers.
27 Aug 2012, 10:51 am
@Bok fan-167: Alberts was ineffective and got bossed at the contact…might be worth looking at Deysel too, he’s a pretty hard runner and strong as hell?
Meyer needs to figure out how to get Kanko and Jacques Fourie back from Japan, allow Hougaard to play his natural game, mend his fences with Brussow, take another look at CJ Stander, and get Goosen slotting into this squad. I know he’s just come back, but he’s young and eager & cream will always rise… I think he can rise to the challenge
27 Aug 2012, 11:01 am
Sheriff.I believe that keeping faith in the country and trying to
unite people is more important than keeping faith in HM.
Your derogatory comments re: a certain group totally out of line.
I know some magnificent Afrikaans people,and history
is littered with them.
Have you ever tried to communicate with them,or does your
prejudice not allow you to.
Lekker dag vorentoe.
27 Aug 2012, 11:02 am
@sharks_lover-158: wp sleeping again…
27 Aug 2012, 11:03 am
@capebull-156: The Buck stops with the coach, he is the selector, he comes up with the gameplan and he INSTRUCTS the players on what to do on the field (as he is wont to remind us) if players are not doing what he has instructed then again the buck stops with him.
on another note, i don’t know what you have against etzebeth, he played a solid game on saturday, one of the few bokke to leave with reps intact.
27 Aug 2012, 11:05 am
1. Beast
2. Biz (Fourie)
3. Coenie (Nel)
4. Alberts
5. Eben
6. Brussouw
7. Schalk
8. Vermeulen
27 Aug 2012, 11:07 am
@grant10-171: Who knows Grant, not sure if it’s a done deal, i am rather hoping we can lure Cilliers back home as i think our prop cover is a bit thin, I think thats our 1 bad area,
As for the game plan at the Sharks?? they getting there and if as a team they can building on whats been achieved so far?? then yeah i see good things to come a real possibillity
27 Aug 2012, 11:08 am
UFO.This is not a grovel but please return,as your dignity
and humour enhances this site.
Thanks to your efforts nic thefts now a thing of the past.
Can live with multi nics. Usual suspects identifiable
by style of writing,which usually contains sloppy grammar.
27 Aug 2012, 11:09 am
@Transformation-172: Etsebeth was good on the weekend, Problem was Bekker
27 Aug 2012, 11:44 am
yes i agree, if deysel is ready I’d consider calling him up.
I rate dewald potgieter highly as well.
….both these player however can’t seem to put 3 games together without getting injured.
27 Aug 2012, 11:45 am
@sharks_lover-176: well, look around, in 4 comments capebull has made he says etzebeth was rubbish
don’t know which game he was watching.
27 Aug 2012, 11:47 am
@garth-173:
that’s a pretty decent looking pack, I like it…to bad 4 are out injured for the next few months and 1 returned from injury last weekend after 4months out.
woohoo….genius.
27 Aug 2012, 11:49 am
@Transformation-178: His opinion transie, i didnt see it that way
27 Aug 2012, 11:49 am
@Transformation-178:
etsbeth does some things very well….they do not include clearing rucks ala bakkies though. He does however enjoy running with the ball which is half of the problem with our pack.
Beest
straaus
bekker
etsbeth
alberts
potgieter
coetsee
all these players enjoy holding the ball more than getting hold of it. We need some of our tight forwards to start lining up targets in the ruck.
27 Aug 2012, 11:51 am
I would just like to say how nice it is having Garth back here and commenting. He was awol for 4 years there.
very stuum when Twakkie was king or was that clown.
i forget.
27 Aug 2012, 12:00 pm
@Transformation-172: Quite right, it starts and ends with Meyer. You can’t draw the inexperienced card forever, Sam Whitelock partners with Luke Romano and Brodie Retallick who both have penny caps. It’s no different to when henry brought in the Franks brothers, the coach has to speed up the learning curve, Naas said it. Excuses are very difficult to make them stick at test level, Meyer only has test experience coaching as an assistant, now he has Loubscher and Van Graan to advise total novices, it’s going to be a very steep battle.
27 Aug 2012, 12:02 pm
@Transformation-178: Transie , Eben was no where first halve , much better in second .
I think that one of the highest priority of lock is line out. I think he took one ball saturday and did not compete or steal any ball so far in his test career. Thats why I think ghe is not as good as he can be yet.
27 Aug 2012, 12:05 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-181: I agree with you, Bizzy/Chilley, when played was the only ones that liked getting dirty, the rest ( excluding Jannie cause he did nothing ) wants to be runners
27 Aug 2012, 12:05 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-181: “etsbeth does some things very well….they do not include clearing rucks ala bakkies though” hhmm that is strange Brigs considering Eben hit 21 rucks last week 2 less than Alberts who had the highest number…
27 Aug 2012, 12:06 pm
@Transformation-186: this is true
27 Aug 2012, 12:08 pm
@capebull-184: Flip (-penalty) stole more ball in 15min playing than Bekker and Eben together in 2 tests.
Line-out is far mor important these days Auz and AB play off them , you need to steal their balls at line out.
It’s like D Fourie , great player , bad hooker cause he can not find his locks.
27 Aug 2012, 12:10 pm
@mpundulu-183: YUP! that’s why i said in an earlier comment, in as much as meyer is pointing the finger at the players he seems to conviniently forget that he also is INEXPERIENCED in international rugby and his blue-tinged support stuff even worse..
3 wins and 2 draws vs England and Argentina.
27 Aug 2012, 12:10 pm
@Transformation-186: What does stats say this week ?
27 Aug 2012, 12:16 pm
@shooter-161:
Translate for the international audience
27 Aug 2012, 12:17 pm
@Transformation-189: I’d love to find out what Henry’s input was to Santiago Phelan, who took apart Meyer’s gameplan! People speak of how poor the Boks were, however, the Argies didn’t allow them to play at all. This was a downtown hustle in Mendoza, Meyer was picked apart. Loubscher and van Graan must have been lost, wait till Hansen, Foster, Maclean, Cron, and Mick Byrne tuck into this lot!!!!
27 Aug 2012, 12:26 pm
@ryecatcher-170:
See to my mind those who say nothing are the controversial ones. If you happen to see a crime committed and see the innocent person jailed you are as guilty as the one who committed the crime.
The reasonable moral thing to do must be to raise your hand and say: Excuse me, I think you’ve got the wrong guy there.
It is tiring to take a stand. It is much easier to say nothing and pretend you’re not aware of what’s going on.
And so we have to speak out. We have to say: this or that is unacceptable! But as the reasonable voice we must do so without hatred and bitterness. But we have to say something.
See I focus on why Meyer wants to play the way he wants to play. I look at it from a macro level. In a rugby sense: Heyneke Meyer must be born again! He will need to begin to see something else; the current ideas will not yield the righteous fruit of trophies.
27 Aug 2012, 12:28 pm
@Sheriff-193: Are you arguing that kick and chase will yield results?
27 Aug 2012, 12:31 pm
@mpundulu-194:
How do you get to that conclusion?
Meyer’s game plan is to SA rugby what ANC’s corruption is to SA as a nation. They will not stand the test of time.
27 Aug 2012, 12:31 pm
@Sheriff-193: He is already born again. Don’t count on it happening twice.
27 Aug 2012, 12:33 pm
oh please transie….put the rugby stat app away.
etsebeth certainly did not hit 22 rucks. He visits often though.
Bakkies used to “hit” rucks.
27 Aug 2012, 12:36 pm
@Sheriff-193: Ryan – the only faith I will keep is in Messiah Yeshua…
So what does He say about your hate for afrikaners.
27 Aug 2012, 12:44 pm
@capebull-198: sheriff can’t hate afrikaners, he is married to one. @Brigadier Van Zyl-197: oh, you mean etzebeth doesn’t LEAD with his head? the point is, your opinion is not based on any quantifiable reason…even Puma last week was claiming he “didn’t see etzebeth” grafting…perceptions boys
27 Aug 2012, 12:49 pm
@Transformation-199: OK , interesting.
We are not saying Eben is bad , we are saying he has not arrived.
There are a few good younsters conming trough Stander , Botha, Goosen, that copuld play with Eben
CJ big loss for Bulls
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.