Wallabies compound Bok woes
8 Sep 2012
JON CARDINELLI watched the Wallabies record their fifth consecutive win against the Springboks with a 26-19 victory on Saturday.
It was bound to happen, it was only a matter of when.
The Boks have suffered their first defeat of the 2012 season, their first under coach Heyneke Meyer. To make matters worse, this inevitable result has been inflicted by one of the worst Wallabies teams in recent history.
There were times during this Test where the Boks were as many as 10 points ahead. The Wallabies were desperately poor in the first half, a series of mindless grubbers and chip kicks contributing to an unforgivable loss of both territory and possession. It was during the first half where the tactical kicking excellence of Ruan Pienaar and Zane Kirchner came to the fore.
There was even an instance were the Boks rounded off a good build up with a try. Granted, they had done their best to butcher this opportunity with flyhalf Morné Steyn neglecting to use an overlap out to the right. They were extremely fortunate that they were able to recycle the ball and score from a subsequent phase.
Indeed, it was a first half where all the luck seemed to go the Boks way. The Wallabies played their part with a shocking performance, but there were many examples of Bok incompetence and indiscipline that went unpunished.
Lock Eben Etzebeth was fortunate to escape censure. At a break in play, experienced No 5 Nathan Sharpe goaded the South African youngster, and Etzebeth responded by headbutting Sharpe. It was an incident that was missed by the officials, and for that the Boks can thank their lucky stars.
But they didn’t learn from that incident, as moments later Beast Mtawarira ran into Kurtley Beale off the ball. The Bok prop was shown a yellow card and the visitors spent the final seven minutes of the first half with 14 men.
The Boks survived the period of sanction without conceding a point, but the Wallabies were far more structured and accurate in the second stanza. They attacked the Boks at the breakdown, with Michael Hooper winning several important turnovers, and also began to enjoy more continuity with ball in hand.
Just as the Wallabies began to lift their game, the Bok effort started to flag.
The Boks conceded a soft try in the 56th minute, their defence battling to repress the Wallabies at source and their first-time tackling letting them down in the wider channels.
It was another instant of poor defence that cost the Boks in the 68th minute where Ben Alexander cruised down the left hand touchline. The cover tackle attempt by lock Juandre Kruger was nothing short of pathetic.
Steyn had another forgettable night with boot, missing two drop-goal attempts as well as a penalty. For the umpteenth time, Steyn battled to get the backline going and blew a couple of try-scoring opportunities through poor option taking.
Johan Goosen provided the backline with more direction and posed more of a threat when he was introduced in the final minutes. With Steyn struggling to perform in his primary capacity as a goal kicker, Meyer may finally be forced to consider another option at flyhalf next week.
Saturday marked Meyer’s first loss as Bok coach, and defeat will force a rethink to the current formula. With Goosen or even Pat Lambie at 10, the Boks should be able to ask more questions of the opposition defence.
The Boks were excellent in terms of their tactical kicking in the first half, but overall they failed to dominate the collisions and their lack of variation on attack was a major problem.
That they battled to kick all of their goals, not for the first time this year, is another reason why Meyer should revise his selections ahead of the clash against the All Blacks. That their forwards weren’t able to overcome a feeble Wallabies eight is also great cause for concern.
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490 Comments
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8 Sep 2012, 15:04 pm
Big difference btwn beast and bear go figure
8 Sep 2012, 15:09 pm
Jean de V.. set the example of how not to tackle. Shipperley ran through his candy floss-tackle just like Louis Ludick did in the the S15 semi-final.
8 Sep 2012, 15:10 pm
Three cheers for playing an unfit Duane Vermeulen.
Tell me a joke and I will sigh…
8 Sep 2012, 15:12 pm
Morne Steyn – f*cking ****! he HAS to go
JDV – Average at best!
Our rugby mentality in South Africa is from the dark ages at the moment!
If our coaching staff can’t see that what we are currently doing on the rugby field isnt working then God help us! That was pathetic. The aussies are a sh*t team and they beat us!
8 Sep 2012, 15:12 pm
The Beast is no Guthro that is for sure – he needs to up his game or I will be on his case.
8 Sep 2012, 15:14 pm
Was that really a headbut, or simply an attempt to get closer to Sharp?
8 Sep 2012, 15:17 pm
@willievz-6:
Definitely a mini-headbutt.
8 Sep 2012, 15:17 pm
@Anairetes agilis-7:
Or maybe he sneezed…yeah it was a sneeze.
8 Sep 2012, 15:17 pm
First off , excellence and Zane Kirchner does not belong in the same sentence , then secondly defence is the last of our problems. We KICKED way too much again. We did not play towards our strengths and we picked unfit players, The boks would rather play an unfit bruiser like Duane than a fully fit Link player like Keegan and thats our problem.
Heneke is short sited and cannot play any other team than theone that suits his way of playing , he cannot adapt and until then we will lose alot more.
8 Sep 2012, 15:19 pm
the yellow card beast got was a joke
8 Sep 2012, 15:20 pm
9.sparticus said:
“Heneke is short sited and cannot play any other team than the one that suits his way of playing , he cannot adapt and until then we will lose alot more”
100% and spot on! He is thick as sh*t and cannot adapt! Sad time for SA rugby ahead
8 Sep 2012, 15:21 pm
You guys should change your team name to the south African hippos, or south African rhinos.
Big, strong, and farking stupid.
Goosen to 10, get yourself a fetcher. I also blame/thank HM
8 Sep 2012, 15:21 pm
I wonder why HM was in such a hurry to throw Duane in there? But I also think that Duane has weak legs, he needs to work on those.
8 Sep 2012, 15:22 pm
when is schalk back ?
8 Sep 2012, 15:23 pm
it wasnt duanes best game i was expecting a big game from him
8 Sep 2012, 15:23 pm
@klippies-10:
Legit yellowcard
8 Sep 2012, 15:26 pm
Our best backline – for now and the future
15. Lambie
14. Habana
13. Du Jongh
12. Frans
11. Hougaard
10. Goose
9. Piennar
All very good rugby minds, 3 kickers, time on most of their sides
C’mon HM you thick f8ck! Wake up
8 Sep 2012, 15:26 pm
Until the Boks learn to clean-out opposition en-masse with vigour when going to ground.. do not expect to see quick ball for ANY backs (no matter who you play)… nor expect to see them use pacey pick-go’s up the middle splitting opposition onto the back-foot… and expect to continue seeing pilfers…
Wallabies did all of the above in the second half after keeping ball in hand… and they are still the number 2 team in the world…
8 Sep 2012, 15:27 pm
@We are red-12:
Our fetchers are injured
But duly noted.
8 Sep 2012, 15:28 pm
How can the Boks be so bad in defence. The Argies defended their line with passion against the all blacks. Yet the boks almost didn’t seem to care.
8 Sep 2012, 15:28 pm
Bring back Pdivvie!
8 Sep 2012, 15:29 pm
@Anairetes agilis-16: agile titty is that you – heard you were laid out for the rest of the years. How is Brossow doing, getting match fit?
8 Sep 2012, 15:31 pm
@RugbyStudent-21:
@RL-22:
Brussow is always matchfit, as long as his body is good to go, he’s good to go. He’s cut from the same cloth as that other Bulls fetcher guy…
8 Sep 2012, 15:32 pm
@klippies-15:
Duane just came back from a long term injury his defiantly not match fit shud have brought keegan along but he probably we wouldnt have fitted HM’s game type as he off loads in the tackle instead of donkey crash balls
8 Sep 2012, 15:34 pm
@Anairetes agilis-23:
brussow @ 100kg is too small for HM he wasn’t selected when he was fit for the england tour won’t be selected now and as good as flo is ,we all know his 2nd best to brussow
8 Sep 2012, 15:37 pm
@hsark-25:
Yes, but HM did say that “it’s only a matter of time before Brussow plays himself into selection again”…
HM is entirely against a smaller/compact flank. Also Brussow weighs 2 kilos or so less than the great McCaw, so stuff that. Next year will be a different story, and since when can’t we display our nicknames on this site?
8 Sep 2012, 15:39 pm
@Anairetes agilis-26:
104Kgs, isn’t it? Not that it really matters. Some men contend above their weightclass.
I’m tired om kak-handed oafs lumbering across the field like a fleet of instate busses
George Carlin.
8 Sep 2012, 15:42 pm
@rugby student, Pdivvy was useless to say the least. HM is not doing much good either, but he’s a class above pdv. HM needs to hit his head a few times before he realises that he needs to make big changes in his one-dimentional game plan, as well as some players that need to go back to CC rugby to find form.
8 Sep 2012, 15:50 pm
Pielkop Meyer will fly Keegan back to Australia now. The guy is a reactive coach, not proactive. Either that or he will hand out 3 or 4 new Springbok jerseys for the next game. One thing I would do immediately is call on Heindrich Brussouw. Do it Heyneke – maybe that will save your backside.
I am amazed he had anything to do with a super rugby title.
8 Sep 2012, 15:54 pm
Lambie, Habana, De Villiers, Steyn, Hougaard, Goosen, Pienaar, Alberts, Coetzee, Brussouw, Bekker, Estzebeth, Du Plessis, Strauss, Beast.
8 Sep 2012, 15:54 pm
@RL-5:
the tragedy is there is a fully fit gurthro out there.
why is he not in the squad.
8 Sep 2012, 15:55 pm
M Steyn has to go. We already have plenty of good goal kickers. The result should be no surprise as predicted by many on here. Same game plan, some mediocre players in crucial positions.
F Hougaard is wasted on the wing. He is a a great half back if let to play his natural game. M Steyn offers nothing in attack and does not cause fear in any opponents. Goosen seemed to immediately add a spark and energy into the game but came on far too late. We also missed Bismark big time. No real mongrel in the forwards back.
8 Sep 2012, 15:57 pm
Our best back line
9 Hougaards
10 Goosen
11 Aplon
12 Lambie
13 De jong
14 Habana
15 Frans Steyn
But…. the problem is our forwards!!!!!!!! cant think of 1 decent SA forward at the moment?
8 Sep 2012, 16:07 pm
@Anairetes agilis-27: McCaw is about 99kg maximum! for most of his career he probably weighed less, this is proof that the constant obsession with size has constantly robbed the Boks of fielding the best players. France at times have outscrummed teams and carried the ball forward with props weighing 102kg ans backrow guys weighing 90kgs. Parisse as many here rate as one of the best is 104kgs at 6-5! it doesnt stop him performing! With the current size obsession that has been the Boks achilles heal in the last 10 years or so guys like McCaw,Kronfeld,Harinordoquoy,Pocock wouldnt have seen test caps if they were South African. Il take it White,Meyer and Mallet were big guys themselves as they clearly hold the bigoted view that big guys are just better than small guys even if the smaller guys are better players and physically stronger than the larger ones.
Morne Steyn has to go now, he is a bench player who should come on in the final 20-25 minutes maximum. To lose to this team is unforgiveable. Jaque Fourie is sorely missed from the backline. As for Meyers record as his first loss, a draw at home againt England is as good as a loss and drawing against a team which has never beaten you is a loss as well!
8 Sep 2012, 16:07 pm
Pdivvie won the rugby championship and had a 100% record against Argentina
8 Sep 2012, 16:21 pm
Luke Watson…
8 Sep 2012, 16:22 pm
Pdivvy had fourie du preez, bakkies botha, victor matfield, john smit, danie russouw, gurthro steenkamp, etc… the list goes on
8 Sep 2012, 16:22 pm
Time for some bold decisions by Heyneke.
Goosen at Flyhalf, Lambie at Fullback.
Goosen is too young? Too inexperienced? Just come back from injury? He made more metres with ball in hand in one move than Morne has made the whole season. Morne isn’t the answer. The more time Goosen is given at the top level, the better.
Habana looked like he picked up an injury and might not be available next weekend.
In that case I’d love to see the following backline:
15. Lambie
14. Mvovo
13. JdV
12. Frans
11. Hougaard
10.Goosen
9. Pienaar
Change two players (excluding Habana) and all of a sudden that backline looks a helluva lot more dangerous.
8 Sep 2012, 16:28 pm
Pdivvie had the sense to go fetch senior players
8 Sep 2012, 16:32 pm
Pdivvie had his own game plan in mind then changed it because the 87% whities in the team couldn’t core with making their own decisions on the fields
8 Sep 2012, 16:34 pm
Lol! They lost!
But seriously …..
8 Sep 2012, 16:36 pm
Give Jean a time out. His tank is empty.
8 Sep 2012, 16:45 pm
Brisbane Bok Hougaard is not a great halfback.
8 Sep 2012, 16:48 pm
Is F. Steyn(the limp bulldozer) still being compared to SBW?
After that showing against the weakest Aussie centre-pairing in a long, long time the answer has to be a resounding no comparison.
In fact you cannot compare him to any AB 12, 13 or 15 or 15 who has played centre in recent times such as SBW, Kahui, Nonu, Con. Smith, Mils and many others not even named here. His only forte is that he is so eager to shine that he sometimes just gets lucky so once in a while whether it be a pick-up of a dropped opposition ball(Italy @Newlands) or a charge down or a long drop or long penalty.
Other than his size on which he relies for his defence he is plainly mediocre. He cannot create or take a gap for himself or put a fellow attacker into a gap or show any number of centre or fb skills.
He will not make any Aussie or AB team for these very reasons.
8 Sep 2012, 16:49 pm
And in other news, griquas just beat sharks
8 Sep 2012, 16:51 pm
@NZINCHINA-43:
Only when he is forced to emulate F Du Preez
When he first started playing half back he added a lot of zip into the back line and his darts kept the opposition on their toes.
He is one of the few SA players with great footwork and it is wasted on the wing. He came in off his wing a lot tonight to look for work.
8 Sep 2012, 16:52 pm
Aaagh nelinwata extraball why don’t you just emigrate to NZ
8 Sep 2012, 16:55 pm
jeepers…sharks get on there moer as well
8 Sep 2012, 16:59 pm
Our best team next week..
15-lambie
14-engelbrecht(habana)
13-de jong
12-steyn
11-habana(mvovo)
10- the goose step
9-hougi
8 Sep 2012, 17:09 pm
“I thought (flyhalf) Morne Steyn played well” – Heyneke Meyer
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