Boks’ failure rooted in defence
8 Sep 2012
RYAN VREDE writes the Springboks’ troubles have mounted, with poor defence now added to their list of shortcomings. A specialist fetcher will go some way to fixing this problem.
The Springboks’ defence, good to date, failed them and allowed the Wallabies a route back into the Test. They fell off tackles like schoolboys in the build up to the Wallabies’ tries. Pathetic. Absolutely inexcusable. They will lose by some distance if this is a feature of their play next weekend against the All Blacks.
However, they will ease their defensive burden significantly with the inclusion of a specialist fetcher. Heyneke Meyer has maintained that there is no room for a player of this ilk in his side, explaining that his opensider must be a competent ball carrier as well. Marcell Coetzee is a fine player, but in Francois Louw they have a far superior man on the deck and one that also meets Meyer’s ball-carrying criteria.
They made just two breakdown turnovers in this Test and consistently failed to slow the recycle. The Wallabies gradually grew in confidence and in the second half were allowed to control the flow and tempo of the play. It is imperative that Louw is included in a bid to stifle the Blacks’ attacking momentum.
Furthermore, their attack shows no sign of improvement. The lack of imagination and penetration they showed in the red zone suggests their struggles here are still some way off being solved. They nearly butchered the play in the build-up to their try, with Morne Steyn twice taking the wrong option. His kicking game was adequate. Not so his ball in hand play. For now Meyer will retain the belief that that sacrifice is worthwhile. However, Steyn has offered nothing to dispel the perception that his value transcends his kicking game. His cause wasn’t helped by the promising cameo Johan Goosen made.
Steyn, though, wasn’t helped by their strike runners’ impotency at the gainline. Meyer expects his behemoths to provide punch in this department, resisting the claims of more mobile and skillful players (particularly back rowers). They offered the team little momentum. In the context of the Springboks’ game plan and in the apparent absence of any players with the capacity to produce a moment of magic, failure to boss the tackle fight on attack is terminal to their cause.
There were some positives – their line kicking and tactical kicking game was good and pinned the Wallabies in their half in the first 40. Asked come up with an exit strategy, the Wallabies just never seemed to have one. This sort of pressure play is what Meyer hopes the bedrock of his success will be built on.
But they faded badly in the second half and now go to face the world champions with more questions than answers haunting them.
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108 Comments
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8 Sep 2012, 14:31 pm
AWOL Dragons
8 Sep 2012, 14:34 pm
South Africa just really suck at rugby these days.
8 Sep 2012, 14:36 pm
2 Players which shold be replaced URGENTLY:
1. Morne Steyn – Anyone… Even my grandma will do better at the moment. Sorry Morras, you’re having a aweful season. Go back to CC and come back in a years time. (Im a blue bull supporter)
2. Jean De Villiers – Can’t tackle, can’t run.. (I would even have Olivier back)
8 Sep 2012, 14:37 pm
Here is the problem. You have Lambie and Goosen on the bench and you only use them for 10 minutes in the end. As soon as they came on there was some creativity and attacking impetus. What does Meyer have to lose to start with them. Surely they cannot be worse than Steyn on 10 and Moegoe on 15. Surely they can kick as well as they can if the dumbstubborn Heyneke cannot get out of the kick the ball away game plan. But at least you have the attacking option. Watching the Boks these days just don’t generate any excitment anymore. To lose is one thing, to lose with this game plan every week is just awful.
8 Sep 2012, 14:38 pm
“This sort of
pressure play is what Meyer
hopes the bedrock of his success will be built on.”
i thought DEFENCE was supposed to be the “bedrock” of meyer’s plan, ryan.
8 Sep 2012, 14:39 pm
Well when you have kak defenders like Steyn and the kakker Mvovo who also cannot field high balls then you know what is going to happen.
8 Sep 2012, 14:40 pm
Don’t know whats going on in Heynekes mind. Yes, the kick and chase thing worked for the bulls 10 years back when nobody figured it out, but wait, they figured it out. It doesn’t work aymore. Listen to the supporters Heyneke, this is kak boring rugby to watch Steyn kick the ball away. We have some of the most talented runners!
8 Sep 2012, 14:41 pm
Is anyone actually coaching the backline? If so then I would expect the backline to be shouting at the forwards to secure ball and then let then run some plays.
However it just looks as though they are sitting back on their heels and only running / attempting something when the ball comes to them. I have a strong suspicion that it is due to the coaching coaching out creativity from the team…
8 Sep 2012, 14:41 pm
4 things:
1) I think we need Ralapele, Straus just isn’t making any impact. Ralapele plays a role similar to Bismark and adds an option for stealing the ball.
2) I defensive line-out is nothing like Victor/Bakkies. Before I knew we would steal some crucial ball but no longer.
3) I like the team we put out today. I thought Kirshner had a good game and his kicking game has come on leaps and bounds.
Otherwise I liked the team. They will get better and better.
4) Our attack is terrible, absolutely no creativity!!!!!
8 Sep 2012, 14:41 pm
Lol Ryan
And just before the England series you supported the decision to start Coetzee?
And believed the days of the “specialist” fetcher is gone?
It is easy to criticise selections ex post, but not that easy to challenge selections ex ante.
8 Sep 2012, 14:41 pm
Oh yes 5) REPLACE STEYN with GOOSEN or LAMBIE!!!
8 Sep 2012, 14:43 pm
More Straueli excuses.
“Inexperience”… “we have a plan”… blah blah blah.
Easy way to solve this.
1. Sack Meyer.
2. Hire a real coach.
3. Select players that are up to it.
8 Sep 2012, 14:45 pm
i dont think tis all doom and gloom i thought we did so well
we lost away from home by 7 points . and ja we r going to get a carrot from the abs next week but we r looking alot better under meyer than we did with snor
8 Sep 2012, 14:45 pm
If Australia had a half decent line kicker, SA would have been hammered!!!
Completely inadequate performance by the Boks. They are slow and 1 dimensional! Its frustrating to watch when you know there is better players sitting at home and on the bench!
8 Sep 2012, 14:47 pm
I puked on my Bok jersey watching that…couldn’t resist the gag reflex
8 Sep 2012, 14:47 pm
the black winger had a nightmare game
8 Sep 2012, 14:48 pm
i will never understand why jacque botes was never a bok and what bout those high tackles the wallabies threw no penaltys and i think our player will be in trouble for that head butt
8 Sep 2012, 14:48 pm
@willievz-10:
Ryan isn’t worth listening to.
Him and
Ben10Grant10 have been talking up Francois Louw for longer then I can remember. The guy runs from ruck to ruck making a nuisance of himself but rarely making any difference. Never gets his hands on the ball. Never makes turnovers. Concedes stupid penalties.Bring back Heinrich asap.
8 Sep 2012, 14:49 pm
@klippies-16: He’s got a name. dont be a ****.
8 Sep 2012, 14:49 pm
@Test-15:
Luke… Is that why you weren’t playing last night? Was feeling a bit nauseous?
8 Sep 2012, 14:50 pm
i wasnt
8 Sep 2012, 14:51 pm
people say the boks lack imagination in atttack but the wallabies wernt that flash either
8 Sep 2012, 14:52 pm
As a kiwi I offer this comfort. Graham Henry had a miserable first year in the trinations. Bad selection, bad game plans + over trained the players. We went on to have an amazing period of success (even including the wc 2007 debacle). HM deserves time. It was never the NZ way but we learnt.
8 Sep 2012, 14:52 pm
I very rarely comment on this forum as I find the comments are based a lot on hysteria … But Ryan, please explain how including a fetcher will make a considerable difference in bolstering the defence? Explain that statement? Ridiculous. It’s like saying Jp du plesis should be a springbok because he played well in a third tier competition against the bulls. Just laughable. Or like keo crying like a little girl a couple of years ago to have Luke Watson in the team. No sense and all hysteria
8 Sep 2012, 14:53 pm
Jean De V. missed another game-costing tackle. This time Shipperley turned his defence into candy floss. The lack of creativity in the backline can only be subscribed to mediocre captaincy. Time to remove the Bok captain as well as Morné Steyn.
8 Sep 2012, 14:54 pm
Fire this dinasaur tactics man. At the end of the Castle Rugby Championship Heyneke Meyer would have this record: Played 9 – Won 3 Lost 4 Drawn 2.
8 Sep 2012, 14:54 pm
Vrede, on the contrary the genesis of this defeat is the introduction of Lwazi Mv ovo. His error off a kick-off led to an infringement by his colleague, & Aus scored 3 pts from the penalty. Then take a look at how he defends fresh air & doesn’t attempt a tackle, leaving it to his team-mates. That resulted in a converted try. My view is he gave away 10 pts, & that before he came on the team was comfortably headed for victory
8 Sep 2012, 14:55 pm
Hey guys I’m new to this site and a Kiwi to boot (don’t hold that against me). Is it just me or are the All Blacks being made to look a lot better than they are at the moment. I just saw the Boks get beaten by a team full of players who would struggle to make a decent NPC or Currie Cup team of yesteryear. Dingo Deans gets a lot of flak but the Wallaby coach does a pretty good job with what he’s got to pick from.
8 Sep 2012, 14:55 pm
Bad tactics, bad payer choices. Coaching staff is useless.
8 Sep 2012, 14:56 pm
Lwazi Mv ovo was kak but might have just been nerves
8 Sep 2012, 14:57 pm
I’m curious to see if HM changes his plan against the AB’s. Their back 3 are very safe under the high ball and dangerous on the counter. It will also be a lot harder for the boks to control them territorially through kicking. It would seem to me as if a different approach would be better suited.
8 Sep 2012, 14:57 pm
We are just the dumbest international team around….
8 Sep 2012, 14:57 pm
@ngapuhi-28: No mate, our Boks have a coach who is living la vidafuckingloca in 1997…He has not moved on, and refuses to.
Our sh y te just got real…..
8 Sep 2012, 14:58 pm
@ngapuhi-28:
I’ve been thinking the same thing. The Ab’s execution has been terrible over the last 3 games. I’m not sure why they’re so hyped right now. I find their current games quite hard to watch quite honestly, they’re so stop start.
8 Sep 2012, 14:58 pm
@viewer-27: I saw exactly the same thing – Mvovo is not up to test match standard. Willie Le Roux at 15 and Coetzee on the wing will solve two problems at once.
8 Sep 2012, 14:59 pm
@klippies-13: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
8 Sep 2012, 14:59 pm
The only good thing that happened in Perth was Genia making a complete fool of himself in the post-game interview, thinking that Rod Kafer was criticising his play when in reality he was talking about Genia’s injury.
8 Sep 2012, 15:00 pm
I’m not watching these poofs play another second before some serious changes are made. Griquas would beat them and I’m not exaggerating. Each and everyone, on the pitch and off it, is an embarrassment.
8 Sep 2012, 15:02 pm
Mr Meyer, ignore the extreme posts as it is indeed easier to sit back and criticise than to do. Having said that, I for one am not too unhappy about the loss. I think expecting to win when playing Australia or New Zealand away from home is unrealistic.
What does upset me though is the manner of the loss. The Aussies generously gave us 4 chances to score the try we eventually scored. My issue is why do we need four chances to score a single try. We play as if we are more scared to make a mistake than to win. For a long time I always felt rugby was about winning only and it didn’t matter how. Now I realise that other countries enjoy the playing game of rugby and we just seem to enjoy winning. We don’t seem to enjoy playing the game.
8 Sep 2012, 15:02 pm
@klippies-13: Dude, jy is nie ernstig nie…
8 Sep 2012, 15:03 pm
@RoodepoortBul-19:
well said, he was being a doos.
he was bad though. needs some serious coaching on fear of contact before he can play for the boks again.
8 Sep 2012, 15:03 pm
My player ratings. 5 means average, nothign good, nothing bad.
1. Beast – 3, had a shocker! Both of our props were nowhere in the scrums, Beast who is normally good in the loose, was terrible and got carded.
2. Strauss – 6, is no Bissy, but had a solid game and threw very well.
3. Jannie – 3, see Beast above. Also gave away penalties in crucial positions.
4. Eben – 6, had a few strong runs.
5. Kruger – 6, strong in the lineouts. Got pushed back in a tackle that led to a try, but Mvovo had already allowed momentum to make the prop unstoppable. Bekker may have made a difference, but I don’t think so.
6. Marcel – 5, did what was expected.
7. Alberts – 4, did nothing to suggest that he is not an impact player.
8. Duane – 6, good to have a specialist. Won us a penalty by competing for the ball.
9. Pienaar – 6, made a few mistakes, but got good, clean ball to the backline. Slowed it down when needed, quick ball other times.
10. Steyn – 3, did nothing for us in general play, missed a kick and two drop goals. How is he still in the team?
11. Hougaard – 7, does anyone still doubt that wing is his strongest position? Looks dangerous every time he had the ball.
12. Frans – 5, kicked two good penalties but his general play looked slow. Seems to need some serious work on his conditioning.
13. JDV – 3, missed crucial tackles, made no impact on attack. His position would be under threat if there was an alternative.
14. Habana – 8, made some great runs, scored a try and won us a turnover – something the forwards couldn’t manage.
15. Zane – 7, pains me to say it, but he had a great game. He chases his own high balls very well, has a huge boot on him for line kicks.
16. Tian – was on for to little some, but his throwins were bad.
17. Pat, 4 – only slightly better then our starting props because he didn’t give away penalties.
18. Flip, not on long enough.
19. Louw – needs to start!
20. Goosen – only on for a bit but did more then Morne did during the rest of the game.
21. Lambie – I’m not sure where to play this guy, but he needs more time on the field.
22. Mvovo – Lets just hope Habana is not seriously injured, this bloke had a mare!
8 Sep 2012, 15:04 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-41:
oops, i mean
mvovo was bad
8 Sep 2012, 15:05 pm
Please EVERYBODY…go and see HM post match interview……………………………………….IF that doesn’t PROVE he travels abandoned by REALITY nothing ever will. We are DOOMED, The SPRINGBOK emblem must be removed from the jersey. It has been MURDERED.
8 Sep 2012, 15:05 pm
Midfield is slow and they cannot create space for those outside of them. Both Frans and Jean are terrible with this.
The least said about the revolving door masquerading as a flyhalf, the better. Hopefully this is his last international.
8 Sep 2012, 15:08 pm
@pencil-34
I just think the whole game at the international level is at a low. Given a choice I would rather watch the semi-amateur stuff a la Currie Cup & NPC. It’s meant to be a simple game IMHO.
8 Sep 2012, 15:08 pm
@ngapuhi-28:
We have been doing just enough to win i think.
I am yet to see the ABs of last year. Mind you how we took apart Ireland in that thrashing was something no one had seen before.
ABs have not been finishing lately. Cant put my finger on it. Even tonight our attcak was not straight enough, always run out of room and forced crappy passes.
8 Sep 2012, 15:09 pm
Get the Tories out and get Goosen and Lambie on as fast as possible. We don’t want to watch ogre rugby, we want to see nice competitive running rugby,
8 Sep 2012, 15:09 pm
@Boertjie-44:
lol
surely not that bad
8 Sep 2012, 15:09 pm
Already during the week bloggers here questioned the wisdom of selecting a specialist (left) wing on the bench (who ended up playing 14). Must be the reason he fluffed the kick off.
I might be alone on this but IMHO that was Meyer’s sole (NEW) selection error for this match.
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