Shocking Springboks must break shackles
27 Aug 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his weekly Business Day newspaper column, says Heyneke Meyer’s game plan and playing philosophy is simply not good enough.
The All Blacks lacked accuracy in attack against the Wallabies, but that was all that was missing from a New Zealand display that made South Africa’s match against Argentina look like something from the Dark Ages.
If what the All Blacks produced in Auckland was high octane, then in Mendoza there was nothing more than grunt and growl. It was a shocker and the Springboks were the most shocking of the two teams.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has spoken of the need to win every weekend. He has spoken of mental toughness and the search for excellence. He has spoken of the potential greatness of players. Actions have always been more significant than words and the player actions in Mendoza, just like in Port Elizabeth in the third Test against England, were a contradiction on everything being said. The 20 minutes we saw against England in Johannesburg’s second Test was a hint of the potential within our rugby, but even that 20 minutes looks a decade ago when compared to the intensity and pace of the effort from New Zealand, the current world champions and without doubt the team setting the standards.
I thought the Australians were woeful as an attacking unit and there was no threat they’d get five points let alone a victory. They defended bravely and showed a desire for the scrap but they were simply beaten up in the collisions and given a rugby lesson.
This is a very good All Blacks team, stronger now than when they edged France to win the World Cup last October. Richie McCaw and Dan Carter will be managed carefully through to the next World Cup but the succession plan of Sam Cane and Aaron Cruden is already in motion. Very little else will change from now to 2015 so those who talk of the All Blacks being a side in decline in 2015 think again. The back three will be at their peak and so too a midfield that will include Sonny Bill Williams. The All Blacks have integrated as many players new players into the system as the Boks have. Two new locks, a new loose forward, a new scrumhalf and variations on the wing. The only position where there is no definitive answer in relation to 2015 is at hooker. They’re in a healthy position and they’re not making any excuses about World Cup hangovers, lack of desire, retirements, inexperience or players coming to terms with the demands of international rugby. They’ve set standards, especially on defence, and to keep two sides of the standing of Ireland and Australia scoreless this year is the kind of action that accompanies any talk of excellence.
The All Blacks were not precise in their attack in Auckland, but that will always be a possibility with the type of high risk, high tempo and absolutely enthralling game they play. In Auckland they offloaded in the tackle 30 times and most of the offloads were effective in advancing the play, sustaining flow, continuity and ensuring momentum. If you tuned in at 9:35am to Auckland and happened to be watching the same rugby channel 12 hours later you could excused for thinking that what was on offer from Mendoza was part of the ESPN Classic packages. My god it was awful.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, on reflection, spoke of the physicality of South Africa and Argentina, whom the All Blacks play next in Wellington. He said it was like watching two rhinos go at each other all afternoon.
His reference to rhino reminded me of former Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen’s rhino reference to the then Springbok coach Harry Viljoen. Macqueen and Viljoen are good mates and they were on a Safari outing when they saw Rhino. Macqueen said: ‘Look Harry there’s your team … big, strong and f**king dumb’.
The Boks certainly moved on from the dummy tag in 2007 thanks to the approach and thinking of some very special players, but the limited quality of player on display in Mendoza is no excuse for the kind of rugby produced.
Meyer, as coach, picks the side and determines game strategy and playing philosophy. What we saw in Port Elizabeth and Mendoza is simply not good enough, in intent, in ambition and in principle.
No player picks himself and not one Springbok in Mendoza would make a current World XV. That’s a reality but it is no excuse to draw to Argentina because no Pumas player would make a World XV either.
Mendoza should be a watershed moment for Meyer, who doesn’t want for rugby intellect but needs to be challenged to break his own shackles of conservatism.
The obvious reaction is to take fire at the players, but that would be misguided. Meyer is the one in charge and a team is a reflection of a coach. If the coach expected more of his players in Mendoza then I – like every South African rugby supporter – expected more of Meyer at this juncture.
860 Comments
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27 Aug 2012, 19:50 pm
Lol 4 years aa long time, alot can or will happen by then keo. they will either retiré before then or there places will be taken which, they pretty much aré already.
27 Aug 2012, 19:50 pm
There are tough times ahead for Bok fans, that’s for sure.
See if your plan is flawed, perfect execution will still yield the undesirable result.
We have not seen 10 games under the newly installed leadership and already severe doubts flare up about STUBBORNESS.
The definition of insanity then comes into play: trying the same thing over and over and over but expecting a different result.
27 Aug 2012, 19:53 pm
@Sheriff-650: Yes, and hence (at least in my opinion) he ended up with Joost as captain. As a rugby player I rated Joost very highly, but Joost was Nick Mallets ‘yes man’ and it cost us in the semi-final against Australia in 1999.
Joost (quite honorably) played Nick’s game plan until the final whistle.
Apparently near the end of Teichman’s time as captain he was beginning to question Nick’s game plan and team selection more and more and this didn’t suit Mallet. If Teich was on the field I think he would have modified our approach in that game leading into the closing phases. We had all the ability to win that match, but could not close. Considering the performance by France in the final, I would say it cost us the world cup.
To some extent the same can be said about John Smit and Pieter de Villiers. John was a brilliant captain all along, but he should have been able to see what was going on and implement some game plan changes on the field to nullify the diabolical refereeing by Lawrence in the 2011 semi-final against Australia. Heyneke will still have his victories as coach, but we need a coach and a captain that can make things happen when the pressure is on.
I have all the respect in the world for Jean De Villiers but wonder whether he has the ‘killer instinct’ and the ability to direct his team to use the weapons at their disposal to counteract the opposition when the chips are down.
I think Heyneke has some thinking to do. We have the players, but we cant afford passengers – not from the players nor the coaching staff.
27 Aug 2012, 19:54 pm
@Sheriff-702:
Are you a Bok supporter Sher!ff?
27 Aug 2012, 19:55 pm
I think part of this avg performance in arg.. was due to them not being up for it mentally, and The hostile crowd might have also played a factor, Well lets hope thats what it was besides The piss poor gameplan and flyhalf
27 Aug 2012, 19:56 pm
@Boksarenumber1-700:
He did; he managed to get his way in that game against the Aussies at Ellis Park and the result was 53-8.
Thereafter we returned to the ‘traditional strengths of South African rugby’ under the decisive leadership of lieutenants Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez.
He then caused unnecessary problems for himself with bizarre utterances one after the other and the midst of the pressure, the lieutenants took the gap.
27 Aug 2012, 19:57 pm
@Boksarenumber1-699: Are you seriously asking this question…..you must by now know the answer..let me just say Keo knows more about the white stuff on a rugby pitch than the actual game.. if press reports are correct
27 Aug 2012, 19:59 pm
@Train-694:
Good point, hey maybe we needed x2
It is where we go from here which counts. Even if we lose a few.
27 Aug 2012, 20:04 pm
@Jeraldjay-704:
Why do you ask?
27 Aug 2012, 20:07 pm
@Dusky-703: …do we have the players? Seriously?
Some of the best ones are in a different country —- We have:
1 Tight head…..name anyone that can now replace Jannie
Hookers, maybe a few but very loose and not of the fetching calibre which means we are now a 6 short
Loosehead props, many..but the in form one Guthro is in France
Locks——One in Etsebeth and maybe Kruger…Bekker is soft, and Moster and Anton van Zyl who are the real deals are in France
6 Flank ——–No One, please do not say Minnie…he gets pinged every 5 minutes
7 – ——- CJ Stander and Arno Botha good, but inexperience
8—- Name one—–Jacques Cronje and Joe are in France…..we have duane Vermeulen
9//// OK name anyone better than Hougie……Pienaar cannot tackle and will not tackle…
10 We have some options-Jantjes, Goosen
11…No one
12 Steyn and?
13JDV is slow
14 JP injured and now what
15 Name anyone
So not really that depth that always brag about as our depth is eating le escargot and sipping champagne
27 Aug 2012, 20:08 pm
@Sheriff-709:
You appear to take pleasure !n Bok rugby’s current m!sfortune.
27 Aug 2012, 20:08 pm
@Dusky-703:
Yes I’m a big fan of Jean’s.
He is probably past his best physically but with the benefit of exp should be ok to operate at that level.
My concern is that Jean must be empowered to lead the team. Meyer cannot sit and freak out in the coaches box the way he did in Mendoza. That was pathetic.
Meyer must become more strategic and leave the operational bits to the assistants. Of course he can intervene where necessary but to be in total control from the word go is foolish and could lead to premature burnout.
27 Aug 2012, 20:10 pm
@Jeraldjay-711:
I am merely blowing the shofar!
And it is a ‘tekiah gedolah’ sound
27 Aug 2012, 20:12 pm
Gents – have a splendid evening.
27 Aug 2012, 20:12 pm
@Sheriff-712:
Yes, HM looked like a bust A$$hole in the booth. A captain has no chance under those peptic circumstances.
27 Aug 2012, 20:13 pm
@Sheriff-713:
Good to hear.
Mad!ba’s a huge Bok fan.
27 Aug 2012, 20:26 pm
So much after the fact anxiety when some of us with just a little bit of clarity careering through our rugby awareness saw this coming a mile off
How come its such a massive surprise to all the so called ‘kenners’ over here.?
Its been full of pretentious garbage waiting to explode since day one of this fiasco.. in fact I can pinpoint all this drama all the way back to 1 Jan 2004 if you really wanna know where this garbage actually began.
This is JW – HM.. so called ‘springbok strengths’ rugby we been exposed to throughout 2004 – 2012 and now its simply continuing to get exposed for the outright garbage it has always been..
Except one pitiful lucky packet WC won under the play without the ball so called Springbok strengths strategy has fooled and bamboozled all these idiotic Springbok supporters into actually believing these have been our strengths when fact of the actual matter it is precisely and exactly the opposite way around..
This JW – HM – JS – VM – Rassie – FdP garbage rugby is precisely our weakness.. only now it has no more place to hide anymore and thank the rugby gods for that because this garbage has to LEAVE SA rugby consciousness once and for all and forever..!!!
27 Aug 2012, 20:30 pm
We need a proper back line coach and proper inspirational back line selections
The pack is working, but the back line needs a speedy 9 – Hougie OK for now
Steyn out at 10, Jantjes or Goose
12 we keep Steyn
13 we need, Habana I reckon
27 Aug 2012, 20:34 pm
Jean de Villiers is a thinking captain.. but he ain’t no ja broer.. so if HM wants a ja mnr.., nee mnr.., drie sakkies vol mnr.. kinda captain then Jean is the wrong man
and if HM pulls some antics that don’t sit too good with Jeans conscience he gonna let HM know about it..
I already sensed a little bit of contention in Jeans reactions when he gave the after match speech.. one can only surmise they all reading off the same hymn sheet but if there are any reasons for doubting some decisions and some overarching dictatorial style policy Meyer could land up and find himself singing Ave Maria almost solo with a little bitty chorus in the backing band all dressed in powdery blue.
27 Aug 2012, 20:40 pm
@fitz1ella-719: Jean, should concentrate on his own level of play and leave coaching for those who coach
27 Aug 2012, 20:40 pm
fitzy you left out PDV in your analysis of all that has been wrong with bok rugby since 2004. he was the man at the helm for 4 long years. i’m assuming that was intentional. if so, you’re funny
27 Aug 2012, 20:40 pm
Seems l!ke HM’s only select!on changes for the Austral!as!an leg w!ll once aga!n be at loose forward and maybe fullback.
Don’t th!nk he has the balls to change 9 or 10.
27 Aug 2012, 20:43 pm
Everybody still on this delusional rant that Hougaard is too slow off the base of the scrum for Bok No.9
Hougaard must STAY at 9 and his backup should be Sarel Pretorius..
Hougaard was the best Bok back the entire game… WAY ahead of Pienaar’s service and mongrel and intention in EVERY aspect of his play..
but all the ‘kenners’ here wanna drop Hougaard to bench or wing and have Pienaar start..
This is what baffles me NO end..
I reckon the majority of Springbok so called rugby kenners don’t have a goddamn clue in the world when it comes down to REAL ideas about what and who works where.., and who don’t…
Ruaan Pienaar should have remained a fly half through his career, he would by now be FAR FAR better than Morne Steyn as the international pivot we do not have… It was outright criminal yanking him off vs Br. Lions and instating Steyn forever more.. Pienaar should have STAYED at Bok No. 10 back then even if his goal percentages were less accurate than Steyn’s his general running play was always STREAKS ahead.. and Boks gave up a running game for a goddamn kick and chase garbage strategy which resulted in Smit – FdP and PdV sucking up 12 or 13 losses in the last 2 years of their combined reign as Bok maestro’s with Morne Steyn at 10 and FdP at 9….
Go f’ng figure.. who the fck is fooling WHO .. !!!
27 Aug 2012, 20:46 pm
@fitz1ella-719:
> I already sensed a little bit of contention in Jeans reactions when he gave the after match speech..
He’s just as guilty as the rest, he won’t pass if his life depended on it
Look at how many tries the Stormers scored this year?
Wouldn’t your “thinking captain” have solved the Stormers` “lack of tries” by now?
27 Aug 2012, 20:48 pm
@fitz1ella-723:
Hougie 9 and Pienaar 10?
Can’t be worse than Morne?
27 Aug 2012, 20:48 pm
fitzy tries so desperately to prove that he is a real kenner. do you think nobody takes the poor man seriously in the real world for us to have to live with his warped sense of self worth?
27 Aug 2012, 20:49 pm
Pienaar doesn’t want to play 10 and why should he. there is already an accomplished back up 10 in the squad.
27 Aug 2012, 20:50 pm
@victoriabok-724: see my post at 720
@fitz1ella-723: Hougaardt was fine, no he was really good…but his buddy old Morne…. as soon as he gets on a aeroplane he loses it
27 Aug 2012, 20:53 pm
@victoriabok-725: Pienaar has mental issues, the hamster seems to not always run in the right direction
27 Aug 2012, 20:56 pm
@JL1-728:
Morne should leave, and babysit his baby full time, that’s all he’s cares about at the moment
I’d put Jantjies at 10 with Lambie as back up
He had more games at ten than Lambie and won’t get injured that often
27 Aug 2012, 21:00 pm
Heyneke is a dead duck. Teacher’s mentality. Surrounded himself with Bulls’ second rate coaches. Will be out in 2 years from now.
27 Aug 2012, 21:01 pm
@victoriabok-730: Without patting your back, I totally agree with you
Jantjes seems better to get a line running, kicks good at posts and tackles, now what more could we ask for
We could maybe ask for a better 8 or a better balanced back row, and Mvovo is not really cut out yet for test rugby….. he does not look for work at all
At fullback we could do with an attacking back with some speed
27 Aug 2012, 21:03 pm
@Humphrey-721:
PdV went along with this SAME garbage backward entrenched thinking because he was TOLD in no uncertain terms that ball in hand rugby was NOT Springbok strength.. and NO way were the senior rugby caucuses going to adapt to his hair brain ideas of carrying the ball instead of kicking and chasing it..
So yes PdV gets lumped along with these pathetic moronic excuses called rugby coaches.. RS.. JW… and his little entourage of WC winners who basically pulled a coup d’etat and insisted that PdV went along with the circus show… and now HM singing exactly off the same garbage strategical numb skull agenda..
Springboks haven’t basically played any adventurous rugby since Mallet in around 1998.. Streauli then White and Smit-FdP-Matfield-PdV and now HM along with Rassie and his other BB loons are so entrenched and stuck in this bog morass of derelict rugby thinking.. I’m actually hoping we get thumped another 6 games in succession TILL the lesson ACTUALLY SINKS IN..!!!
Check the Boks success in recent years under this hopeless garbage delusion of our so called ‘Strengths’
2009 Eoyt – France – LOSS.., Ireland – LOSS, (Leicester Tigers – LOSS, Saracens – LOSS)
2010 3N – NZ – LOSS, Aus – LOSS, NZ – LOSS, Aus – Win, NZ – LOSS, Aus – LOSS.
2011 3N – NZ – LOSS, Aus – LOSS, Aus – LOSS, NZ – Win
WC – 2011 – Wales – 1 pt win, Aus – LOSS
So in head to head tests against top tier top 5 competition through the last 3 years and counting Boks LOST 11 times from 14 starts
If you add losses to Leicester and Saracens also it gets worse 13 losses from 16 starts
ALL this played under the auspices of these so called ‘Springbok Strength’ rugby.. kick and chase.. play without the ball… instituted MADNESS by the architect of this garbage who happened to fluke a no contest WC under such idiocy so the rest of the SA skaaps reckon it must be true.. this garbage surely NUST be our real rugby heritage where we play this game WITHOUT the ball and try feast off opposition mistakes….
27 Aug 2012, 21:05 pm
@Lang Giel-731: Not a chance, SA Rugby can hardly afford any golden handshakes….trust me on this one… he is there for the full 4 years..no payment after 2 years
We need a back line coach!!!
27 Aug 2012, 21:06 pm
@fitz1ella-733: so name your 15?!?!?
27 Aug 2012, 21:10 pm
Naka for Head Coach!
27 Aug 2012, 21:12 pm
@fitz1ella-723: streets ahead….streets ahead buddy….not streaks ahead….LOL….
Kan jou laaik to be wearing a jean pant wiff short sleefs ?
27 Aug 2012, 21:12 pm
@JL1-732:
We need another hooker, Chilliboy would have been better, maybe Burden?
We need harder, tougher locks that Bekker and better than Flip, Juandre, Mostert, Anton van Zyl and another.
What about Franco vd Merwe or Willemse from the Lions?
We’ve got so many injured loosies it’s hard to pick an uninjured one.
We need a fetcher in Bismarck’s absence, I’d rather have Stegmann in than Tarzan Potgieter, or another like Minnie
Get another solid scrummie to start and put Hougie in Mvovo’s spot, and move him to scrummie later in the game
Kirchner is to slow on the attack from 15
27 Aug 2012, 21:13 pm
Heineke for Choral Director.
27 Aug 2012, 21:14 pm
@Humphrey-726: Fitzy is bone from the neck up. What do you expect ?
27 Aug 2012, 21:17 pm
@victoriabok-738: Etsebeth is fine, he needs to play.. I agree with Mostert or Van Zyl
Chilli is injured, so no crying there. Burden should be tested but looking at the Super 15 team of the week, Adriaan did Ok considering their pack
Stegman, Flo they are similar I would call up Brussouw and why not?
Fullback we need Taute firing
27 Aug 2012, 21:17 pm
@Humphrey-726: why don’t you just revert to your proper grootwitnaai name Mr. Bogart old Humphry Humperdink was way before your time…
@victoriabok-725:
Hougaard 9 – Pienaar 10 would have worked, and we may have scored some legitimate tries instead of that lucky packet charge down which gave this false sense of flukety security…
Your Heyneke is malbevok.. he got no sense of real feel for this game.. all his decisions and his reactions are based along predetermined structured fixed pre selected strategies.. he simply cannot read whats happening and react accordingly .. his planning is such that it gotta go according his initial intention and he is unable to adapt in the moment..
In other words he can’t think for himself for toffee.. He is way too rigid and stuck in his thinking patterns which is basically ALL SA rugby coaches problem..
White needed an Aussie to unlock the Boks game
Meyer at Bulls needed Louden.. and Muir at Sharks needed Campese..
PdV tried with Rassie but Rssie is just as dom bevok as the rest
Naka Drotsky is actually most wide awake SA coach currently..
Coetsee, Meyer, Ludekak, and the rest all got this cowardly fear of losing killing the SA game.. that why EVERYONE except Cheetahs.. and Sharks on occasion .. play this goddamn dead end garbage kick and chase game.
27 Aug 2012, 21:18 pm
@Dusky-740:
That well endowed?
Geluk Oom Skop
27 Aug 2012, 21:20 pm
A few players in talks with the Sharks. I promised not to mention names on any blogs so I wont but, there could be some interesting announcements coming up. And not all of them from the Lions…..
27 Aug 2012, 21:21 pm
@fitz1ella-742: no idea what you talkin about. i see you didn’t like my comment though.
27 Aug 2012, 21:21 pm
@fitz1ella-742:
> Naka Drotsky is actually most wide awake SA coach currently..
He must be, there are a lot of Bloemfontein husbands looking for him
> Coetsee, Meyer, Ludekak, and the rest all got this cowardly fear of losing killing the SA game..
Yes, because they get fired if they lose
> that why EVERYONE except Cheetahs
And how’s that working for them?
27 Aug 2012, 21:24 pm
@JL1-735:
A. Coetsee
Aplon
JdV (c)
Steyn
Habana
Jantjies (Goosen when ready)
Hougaard
Vermeulen
Alberts
Louw / Stegman (Brussow when ready)
Etsebeth
Elstadt
Cilliers
Fourie
Gurthro
Beast, Liebenberg, Nel, Kruger, Coetsee / Daniel, Pienaar, Lambie
27 Aug 2012, 21:30 pm
@victoriabok-746:
Naka has the best rugby brain in SA. All the others need Brooklax and Sprite cocktail after Sunday school.
27 Aug 2012, 21:32 pm
@fitz1ella-747:
Awesome team, though I would go for Taute at 15. We’d take the AB’s on in their backyard.
27 Aug 2012, 21:33 pm
@Jinx2-748:
Jeez Boet, he makes Ludeke look like Stephen Hawking
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