Boks’ response must speak loudest
30 Aug 2012
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers said they had to be accountable for their poor showing in Mendoza and said that accountability must be exhibited through their forthcoming performances.
The Springboks produced their most woeful effort under coach Heyneke Meyer to date, stuttering to a 16-16 draw in the second Test of their Rugby Championship campaign last week.
They have subsequently taken lots of heat from the South African public and media and are under immense pressure to improve in the Tests that remain, their next assignment coming in Perth against Australia next Saturday.
De Villiers stressed the importance of identification and elimination of the errors they’ve made and called for a significant improvement.
‘We need to learn from our experiences, and we’re growing as a team, but you can’t keep making the same mistakes,’ De Villiers said at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Thursday.
‘By Saturday next week we will know if we’ve stepped up or not. We’re building as a team. Our discipline needs to improve, our execution, and our set-phases have taken a step backward. We maybe need to improve 40 percent but the margins are very small in Test rugby.’
De Villiers added time had healed some of the wounds of that result and allowed them to gain a measure of perspective on it. He also refused to completely accept that their attacking play, which was a point of great criticism for its sterility, was fundamentally flawed.
‘We’ve put that game behind us. Looking at the game again I feel better about it,’ he said. ‘There were actually a lot of positives from the game. We believe we were a better team than how we played on Saturday. Even though there has been a lot of criticism of our attacking play, I thought that was actually quite good. The attack was quite good at times.’
Meyer’s game plan is widely perceived to be conservative and has been the central focus of his detractors’ vitriol. He needs it to come together against the Wallabies or face deepening and more scathing criticism thereof. While De Villiers accepted that they deserved to be questioned for their execution of that game plan, he, however, gave it the vote of confidence on behalf of the squad.
‘It’s a new coach trying to get a message and game plan across to the team,’ he said. ‘We will all stand up for what we believe in. We believe in the coach and what we’re doing is right.’
297 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] Show All
31 Aug 2012, 14:41 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-248: Fark me!!! What?
is that a directive from Happy Ntshingila? :shocked:
31 Aug 2012, 14:42 pm
@adi-226: Which paper run Willemse’s column?
31 Aug 2012, 14:45 pm
@cane-214: regardless of the precise details, the point is the NZRU tried to entice him back.
31 Aug 2012, 14:46 pm
@poppa69-250: eish Popps, you see what we have to deal with?
31 Aug 2012, 14:48 pm
@Big Hit-253: the point is they moved on after the deal fell through and he hasn’t played for new zealand AGAIN!
if bakkies can show in the top14 that he is fit and up for international duty, then maybe BUT the way he was a 60 min player already is not encouraging!
brad thorn is a different animal altogether!
31 Aug 2012, 14:51 pm
@Transformation-254: yeah Trans. creating indecision/confusion in the defense is a strange, strange concept
31 Aug 2012, 15:02 pm
@poppa69-256: we “MUST FORCE OUR GAME PLAN” on the opposition, we can’t bamboozle them
31 Aug 2012, 15:02 pm
So Cosy in Keo today…
31 Aug 2012, 15:04 pm
@adi-226:
@Dawn-231:
fake twitter account.
@TooMuchRugby-230:
will you call yourself an arroganr fool when meyer brings glory to the boks?
@Transformation-234:
sacrilege!
@willievz-242:
@gunther-244:
my point exactly
31 Aug 2012, 15:09 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-259:
Sure, I will if it pleases you… but I’m not nervous about it.
What will you call yourself if he fails?
31 Aug 2012, 15:11 pm
Amla out, darn it!
31 Aug 2012, 15:15 pm
@cane-232:
It’s a Ashwin Willemse rugby column
He says Heyneke’s lying when he says he would’ve picked Siya for the away games as he didn’t play him when on form and healthy and he’s only saying he would’ve picked him to come off as generous or something of that sort.
He also says Jantjies was second in line for a chance during England Tour yet Goosen comes back from a long lay-off and jumps ahead, this while Jantjies is playing with confidence and has more experience as well.
Ashwin also laments the fact that some get more cracks at it than others and makes it clear that if we persist with Steyn we won’t go anywhere as Morne’s become too inconsistent with good displays occuring 1 in every 5 games.
Lastly he adds they must decide if Hougie is a wing or scrumhalf as this is a sign of the confusion in the Boks under Heyneke’s watch.
31 Aug 2012, 15:17 pm
Michael du Plessis for WP against the former N Tvl on boots and all last was a marvel to watch. As a flyhalf he was way ahead of many in South Africa in the eighties. If only our donkie flyhalf can play at half Michael’s capability, the boks would be pleasant in the eye.
Damn apartheid. What a wasted talent never seen internationaly.
31 Aug 2012, 15:20 pm
@Transformation-261:
AB is finally getting a bat at the Oval!
31 Aug 2012, 15:24 pm
@Peter Mkata-263: i think that insert was PLANTED on purpose to show up both AC and Heyneke
31 Aug 2012, 15:26 pm
@TooMuchRugby-260:
meyer could faill?
that’s plan B territory, never done one before i must admit. i hear they’re way overated.
31 Aug 2012, 15:27 pm
@Peter Mkata-263: did you see the knee on the face of the NTvl player?
31 Aug 2012, 15:44 pm
Dean Elgar not a one day player in my mind.
Perhaps he’s just a bit rusty.
31 Aug 2012, 15:47 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-266:
Meyer failed many a time before getting lucky in one Super season
31 Aug 2012, 15:50 pm
@John Galt-268:
What’s his 1st class record like?
Was thinking the same thing that he seems a bit slow but I think they’ve given him some rope to take his time and play an anchor role while he finds his feet.
That’s what I’m hoping at least otherwise he’ll go the way of Bacher & Dippenaar.
31 Aug 2012, 16:00 pm
Gieppie Nel, saw it.
Any news on new players that side of the devide? We must make it work even though EP Kings are set up to fail!!
31 Aug 2012, 16:05 pm
@John Galt-268: Well he’s going to have to play an innings and a half here.
31 Aug 2012, 16:06 pm
@Peter Mkata-271: nothing earth shaking this side…ears on the ground though…
31 Aug 2012, 16:20 pm
@wpstormerbok-270:
1st Class record is good. Although 1st Class cricket is classified as any form of cricket over 3 days I think so irrelevant here.
He averages 45 with a strike rate of 49.
His list A record, which is limited overs provincial cricket is not too great.
Averaging 38 with a SR of only 74.
Got to ask yourself why he’s in the one day side.
Says he bowls left arm slow.
Should say he bats left arm slow as well.
31 Aug 2012, 16:22 pm
Duminy en Robbie P sal die kastaaings (sp) uit die vuur moet krap.
They just have to bat out the innings, even if it’s at 3.5 an over.
31 Aug 2012, 16:23 pm
Jade hurting his fellow Saffas.
31 Aug 2012, 16:27 pm
@John Galt-274:
Maybe there’s a long term plan to develop him into a proper ODI player, I see he’s 25 so maybe he’ll be a bit more confident by the time Kallis calls it a day.
31 Aug 2012, 16:35 pm
@Peter Mkata-263:
I don’t think Michael duP ever played 10 for the Boks. He’d already been moved to 12 at WP when he got his Bok call up. WP needed a goal kicker, which Michael wasn’t.
31 Aug 2012, 16:51 pm
@wpstormerbok-275: John Galt thinks Robbie P is uber kak!
31 Aug 2012, 16:57 pm
@Transformation-279:
Not for the last 2 years he hasn’t
Duminy taking them on too soon and there goes a possible 250 if they just kept going as they were!
31 Aug 2012, 17:00 pm
@Transformation-279:
He is uber kak.
We really are missing a big hitter lower down the order here.
Albie or Dave Miller etc.
31 Aug 2012, 18:15 pm
On yer bike Bell
31 Aug 2012, 22:33 pm
@John Galt-281:
You also thought that Amla was kak…that Philander was kak…when they were selected for the 1st time …and the 2nd time.
You still believe that Prince was kak despite him having an average in the mid 40′s in test matches.
I don’t think we can take you seriously.
31 Aug 2012, 22:42 pm
@John Galt-281:
Not a bad return in a losing match for somebody who is “uber kak.”
@Transformation-267:
After Giepie Nel fell on his back with both knees…after Michael scored the try. You did see that, I presume?
Still a pet hate of UFO after that incident.
@gunther-276:
Gunther letting everybody know that he knows Kenny’s little brother personally.
1 Sep 2012, 09:34 am
anyone seen the “earl rose and the quest for snoek” clip on youtube?
1 Sep 2012, 10:37 am
where can i read some new rugby news?
1 Sep 2012, 10:38 am
If there is any…
1 Sep 2012, 12:25 pm
@nama1-284:
Since when is Jade Dernbach Kenny’s younger brother?
Lay off the booze pal.
2 Sep 2012, 01:59 am
@gunther-288:
OK, you got me there.
Thought you were talking about Trott. Did not know Dernbach was born in Joburg and schooled at St John.
How old was he when he left SA?
Did he also go over to England because of quotas?
So, how many South Africans are actually in the English squad nowadays?
2 Sep 2012, 04:24 am
Pack
1. Beast
2. Biz (Fourie if he is injured)
3. Coenie (Cilliers if he is injured)
4. Eldstadt
5. Etsebeth
6. Brussouw (Flo if he is injured)
7. Burger (C) (Kolisi if injured)
8. Vermuelen
You need a backline that can run a ball, otherwise they are useless.
9. Sarel
10. Goosen
11. Rhule
12. Frans
13. Serfontein
14. Hougaard
15. Le Roux
2 Sep 2012, 05:47 am
@cane-224: Still cant take that you lot were beaten by the better team on the day.What arrogant little people you are from that little island that if they get beaten it is for some other reason than they were second best.You lot will always be the little brother that cheats,moans,crys foul every time big brother spanks him.Grow up.
2 Sep 2012, 07:30 am
@nama1-289:
Kieswetter – left SA 18yrs old
Strauss – (retired, left SA 6yrs old)
Dernbach – left SA 14yrs old
Prior – left SA 11yrs old
Trott – left SA 18yrs old
KP (don’t think his in the squad anymore) – left SA 18yrs old
2 Sep 2012, 13:06 pm
@snivelling little kiwi pricks-291:
Hey Sniveler,
The truth hurts, don’t take it out on me.
And at least have the gonads to post under your regular Nik.
2 Sep 2012, 15:06 pm
@Jeraldjay-292:
That’s more than half of a cricket team.
3 Sep 2012, 03:41 am
@snivelling little kiwi pricks-291:
Snivelling prick….meet Bakkies.
If you dont like people crying foul everytime their team loses then you and Bakkies will get on like a house on fire.
Such a lil b.itch hiding behind a crappy nik. Man up loser
3 Sep 2012, 11:34 am
@cane-293: No truth there to hurt me.You lot are trying to get away from that biased cheating kiwi snivelling little ref fom 2011 wc.The whole world saw that and not that imagination running away with you about someone called suzie.And its not a crappy nik,it says exactly what you kiwis are.Tell us we winge,you still going on about 1995.Get over it.Maybe when it gets proven that brycie was paid to cheat by the nzru you will get the wc taken away from you scumbags.Then armstrong wont feel alone.
3 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
Well this sounds like fun.Has anyone figured out that we have a lot of backs that are not even being looked at as the style is defence for the BOKS and the flyhalf is a kicker not and attacker and this will remain until we pick backs who WANT to run and choose the option of kicking as a last resort instead of the first.Morne Steyn has lost the guts to attack the gainline and opts for the safer option of kicking even when he knows the opposition will attack with their backs and retain possession.I think he wants to impress his boss and keep his spot even if it is not good for the Boks.Thoughts?
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.