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, 17:11 pm
@Big Hit-50: Please don’t tell me he said that after this game. Otherwise wake me up when we have a new coach.
8 Sep 2012, 17:14 pm
@BrisbaneBok-51: he did, it is on supersport.
Maybe he’s just protecting Steyn because if he actually thinks he played well then I’m afraid there’s no hope for him.
8 Sep 2012, 17:16 pm
@Dusky-29: Dusky wake up…Australia have won their last five matches against South Africa and have won seven of the last eight matches against the Springboks so who needs to wake up, your call again Einstein.
8 Sep 2012, 17:19 pm
@Big Hit-52: I just don’t get it. We have F Steyn to kick (who had 100% tonight unlike M Steyn) and can kick from much further. So it would then make sense to have a flyhalf who can spark the Bok backline. I really can’t remember the last time I saw consistent and enterprising play from the backs. It is not like the players don’t have the skills as some of the Super 15 teams are entertaining to watch.
8 Sep 2012, 17:28 pm
@BrisbaneBok-54: Heyneke doesn’t want to spark the backline, he wants a kicker at 10 to play territorial rugby.
He’ll come under intense pressure now however, maybe he’ll be pushed to start Goosen.
8 Sep 2012, 17:30 pm
I’ve had time to calm down a bit and to reflect.
Morne Steyn is not the answer, Frans Steyn looks plain next to him and that’s a clear waste of Frans’ impact that he can have on the game–I believe its because Frans has to compensate for Morne. Also, something’s up with Jean de Villiers-his defense is suspect.
What’s up with our forwards? We seemed to do okay today but we didn’t boss the scrums. Goosen and Lambie both had an immediate impact on the play. They both need to start and the sooner Taute can join up with this squad the better.
I think the back line should be-Ruan, Goosen/Lambie, Habana, F Steyn, JdV, Hougie, Taute/Lambie.
Forwards we don’t have much in terms of choice, but I think that Willem Alberts is either injured or has been figured out. We must balance things out with the loosies.
When JP returns, along with Coenie Oosthuizen, Schalk, Gurthro and one or two others then watch this team take on a new dimension.
Just my views.
8 Sep 2012, 17:38 pm
One of the key aspects that separates a discerning rugby pundit from a clueless one, is the ability to judge what whether or not a scrumhalf is getting quick enough ball from the breakdown.
Ruan Pienaar’s performance in that aspect today was not yet up to the standard it should be at. His 2nd half performance was a bit better and he recycled the ball a bit quicker, but in the first half, our distribution from the breakdown was too slow. Not only did the slow service give the Australian forwards more time to interfere on the ground, but it also allowed the Australian defense to re-set and this meant our attack was always going to be impotent.
Those who don’t have a clue about rugby will say that Ruan Pienaar was good today. Those who know their rugby will say we need to get quicker ball from the breakdown to keep our momentum going on attack.
8 Sep 2012, 17:39 pm
@Big Hit-55: I really don’t want to watch boring rugby. Even if we somehow won often with that method, I feel it is a somewhat hollow victory and certainly nothing to brag about.
It is the memorable plays and tries that people remember. Not grinding out a win with penalties. I managed to get to the Sharks vs Reds game this year and that was a fantastic game to watch.
8 Sep 2012, 17:41 pm
@Kaizan-57: There was one point where he kicked the ball back under the players feet while he prepared himself, only for Australia to then come through, overpower, and then steal the ball…..
8 Sep 2012, 17:46 pm
I prefer hard, tough fought, big tackle rugby more than try after try rugby.
But what we are producing is neither that or attacking.
I didnt mind the Stormers, i enjoyed the Argentinian’s today so much. Seeing kiwi’s getting smashed in the tackle was awesome to watch.
8 Sep 2012, 17:58 pm
9 and 10 lost this game. If this dumb idiot Heyneke Meyer cannot see this much then he’s not a rugby coaches backside
Pienaar and M. Steyn lost this game apart from a game plan that says kick first ask questions later.
Lambie / W. Le Roux
JdV / JPP
JdJ / JPP
F.Steyn
Habana
Goosen
Hougaard / Pretorius
Coetsee / Vermeulen
Alberts
Louw
Etsebeth / Kruger
Elstadt / Alberts
Cilliers
D. Fourie
Steenkamp / Beast
This would have won this game without raising a sweat and would be competitive vs AB’s next week too.
8 Sep 2012, 18:12 pm
@fitz1ella-61: Coach needs to go skop, they’re kick first and kick last and that won’t change while Meyer is in charge.
8 Sep 2012, 18:33 pm
JdV is being polayed out of position and he has to contend with having MS as a flyhalf.
Defensive lines as a 13 are different to that of a 12 and it takes time. Its HM’s decision to have JdV@13 so I won’t blame him for looking out od sorts defence wise
8 Sep 2012, 18:34 pm
Best Bok team of current fit & available bunch
1.Beast 2.Strauss 3.JdP 4.Etzebeth 5.Kruger 6.Flo 7.Alberts 8.Vermuelen 9.Hougaard 10.Jantjes 11.Mvovo 12.Steyn 13.De Jongh 14.Habana 15.Aplon
Best Bok team fit
1.Beast 2.Bismark 3.Coenie 4.Etzebeth 5.Kruger 6.Brussow 7.Alberts 8.Kankowski 9.Hougie 10.Goosen 11.Habana 12.Steyn 13.De Jongh 14.JP 15.Aplon
Our locks are very below par at present, for Alexander try I saw Kruger stand off him allow him to gain momentum then proceed to ride the tackle-try-match lost.
8 Sep 2012, 18:58 pm
Vermeulen. Was good. Better than Spies, Kankowski, Daniel and Alberts have been in the last few years. He is looking better. Aldo I think our pack for the All Blacks has to be 8 Vermeulen 7 Alberts 6 Louw 5 Bekker 4 Etsebeth 3 Cilliers 2 Liebenberg 1 Mtawarira
16 Strauss 17 Du Plessis 18 Kruger 19 Coetzee
8 Sep 2012, 19:05 pm
@Phantom-56: Alberts been below-par for two consecutive tests now, seems tired or something. Maybe it is an injury.
8 Sep 2012, 19:11 pm
@Big Hit-66: yes Alberts runs out of steam quickly, he is just a last quarter sub – I would move Coetzee to 7 and bring in Flo as openside flank.
8 Sep 2012, 19:11 pm
Beast, Jannie and Alberts are tired. They had a prolonged season with the Sharks, all the flying to and fro, it`s telling now.
A massacre is coming next week, might be 40 points difference.
8 Sep 2012, 19:22 pm
Not too much messing with the team. We have good players.
Maybe a new flyhalf and I do think Ralapele for Hooker replacement gives us more of a player more like Bissie in the position. He acts as a good ball stealer come ruck time.
Straus is a lot like John Smit, without the leadership abilities. I loved Smittie because of the extra value of his leadership. He was a solid player and did the basics well, a test match hooker. What we need is a sub that can make an impact in the second half and get us more ball.
This is a young inexperienced pack and they will take time to gel and get used to the test match environment.
I think our biggets problem is that our defensive lineout is no longer scarey. Victor is the biggest loss. In crunch situation we could rely on additional possession by stealing a few lineouts but we don;t do that anymore.
Thought Pienaar wasn’t great and Hoogie didn;t have the impact he normally has when switching late in the game.
Got to stop the constant up and unders, it’s ok to do it now and then, but if we can;t protect our ball at ruck time we mine as well give up the game.
8 Sep 2012, 19:25 pm
@Mike H-69: You thought Pienaar was great? He gave away 2 penalties and got slow ball from the rucks. He kicked away possession directly to the opposition on multiple occassions (instead of finding touch).
The truth is no one in a green jersey was really great today. Zane Kirchner had his best game for us, but that’s about it.
8 Sep 2012, 19:33 pm
The last time the boks scored off a first phase backline move was way back in 2008 at Twickenham against England: JPP and JDV ran superb decoy lines and the short pass went to Adi who went on to score in the corner. New Zealand of course have used the same move against Australia 3 weeks ago.
PDV was ahead of his time indeed.
8 Sep 2012, 19:39 pm
@The Bok Identity-71: We scored off 1st phase against BIL mate
8 Sep 2012, 19:43 pm
I’ll tell you wants compounding my crossbow is where the **** is some wholehearted gdam boer warthog – I’m taking am ugly mean mofo boer – what we see these days is a gdam dusgrace.
8 Sep 2012, 19:46 pm
***** ****** everyone so nicey nicey these days – what is wrong with the etsebeth half headbut. That twar sharpe deserved it – and he even knows it
8 Sep 2012, 19:48 pm
Kirchner is mediocrity personified, Lambie or Willie Le Roux of Griekwas or Andries Coetsee of Lions to start.
Mvovo is not international level wing rather play Rhule or Aplon at 11 Habana at 14
Hougaard MUST play 9 and 9 ONLY
Pienaar is utility sub ONLY … if that
Morne Steyn must f’OFf he is a liability BEYOND compare and offers absolutely ZERO in any bok context. Goosen MUST start with W. Le Roux or A. Coetsee on bench
Vermeulen was too rusty to be chucked in at 8 but he will grow into the role if this coach don’t sink his career before it starts. Was too early to start Vermeulen today should have been off bench.
Coetsee is NOT a flank, neither open or blind side, he’s a ball carrying 8th man and should have started at 8 today with Vermeulen on bench. Louw should have started at 6, Alberts at 7, and should play a 5/2 bench.
Etzebeth is NOT a no. 4 lock he’s a No. 5. Kruger should be on bench covering 2nd and back row. Vd Merwe shouldn’t be in the squad Elstadt should start at 4 or come on off bench with Alberts to switch to 4 enforcer lock sharing with Elstadt.
Jannie dup should be dropped. Cilliers or Van Rensburg or Aadriaanse of Lions to start.
Strauss is NOT Bok hooker caliber. Chili and Deon Fourie with possibility of Liebenberg on bench till Bismark comes back.
Beast must go to bench and Gurthro Steenkamp or Janse Van Rensburg of Lions to start.
That is WHOLESALE overhauling required by Boks with coach Heyneke Meyer to be given his marching orders TOMORROW cause he will never do what is absolutely required in a month of Sundays !!
8 Sep 2012, 19:50 pm
Pienaar was outstanding tonight his vision and tactical play was top notch, rate him in terms of what he was expected to do… The backs had a lot of momentum (when Morne did not trough it away) compared to what they had against Argentina, mostly because of Pienaar’s vision on attack. The try scored was of momentum created by Pienaar opting at certain moments rather to send it wide than play it in with the forwards. His kicking (the game-plan) 8/10 compared to Morne 6-7/10.
I believe a Lambie Goosen tandem could be the next big thing in international rugby.. We’ll never know if HM doesn’t have the balls to go outside the box..
My opinion…
8 Sep 2012, 19:52 pm
@cab-73:
Danie Rossouw type?
8 Sep 2012, 19:52 pm
Kirchener up & under **** par for the course – ****** what is that tear thiniking run with the gdam thing – take them kirchener is like some boerebevokte cretin
8 Sep 2012, 19:53 pm
@cab-74:
Who cleaned out Sharpe at he ruck when he was loitering?
Was is Eben?
8 Sep 2012, 19:56 pm
Teat – ****
get it right – what everyone dots evr this russian pointeficating pretious **** – bit pussying harsh / true tho – gimme the coomon coon flk.
8 Sep 2012, 19:56 pm
Jantjies, Kolisi, Brussow should be in Bok squad
Hougaard, Pretorius at 9
Goosen, Jantjies, W. Le Roux 10
Lambie, Le Roux, A. Coetsee 15
8 Sep 2012, 19:57 pm
@fitz1ella-75:
I don’t like Kirchener either butgive credit where it’s due , he played well
Mvovo is kak
Pienaar is the better option at 9 at the moment, have you watched all the Bulls games with Hougie at 9? He’s not a test 9, not at this stage at least, he should play CC at 9 to get experience
You can’t rate Duane as it’s his first test and he had to spend it next to the pitch, thanks Beast
8 Sep 2012, 19:58 pm
@cab-80:
You’re looking for old fashioned mongrel?
8 Sep 2012, 20:00 pm
Vb and what is wrong with that – the boers are fkd – tooeyrosexual no more fkn farmers about them
8 Sep 2012, 20:02 pm
When the youngsters came up and started combining in the last ten minutes, they’ve asked serious questions to the Wallabie defence. We have the players
Goosen impressed me, he exudes self confidence and looks as if he’s been playing there for years, unlike Morne with hie ek’s-jammer-dat-ek-lewe-houding
8 Sep 2012, 20:02 pm
Etsebeth gets 1st place everytime – great fire buy needed a gdam volcano to back it up – put elstadt in – dunno if he’s eely a volcano but dome gdam menace won’t hurt – this is straight puss.
8 Sep 2012, 20:05 pm
@cab-84:
Don’t get me started about the metro rugbyplayers
Hougie flogs moisturizer, f*ck me
I also like hard players like Daniesaurus, Geo and Jacques Cronje, Kobus Wiese and Mark Andrews
They never backed down, that’s the way to get good front foot ball
Eben is on the right track, I hope the citing won’t make him scared to play hard in future
8 Sep 2012, 20:06 pm
Morne Steyn useless, Zane Kircher useless, in fact the whole bok coaching staff is useless, to many from the bulls, no new perspective, rubbish.
8 Sep 2012, 20:06 pm
****** this spellchecker is fkd nevertheless
Hopeless
8 Sep 2012, 20:07 pm
@fitz1ella-81:
Brussouw and replaced with Coetzee
We need another hard heavy lock, not Flip, maybe Willemse?
8 Sep 2012, 20:10 pm
No I can’t watch this **** – they trying hard but they alreafy know they fkd and that’s a horseshit attitude
8 Sep 2012, 20:12 pm
Skop en jag came back with a vengeance today. I’ve never seen so many players so determined to kick the ball away. Hougaard, Pienaar, SteynX2, Kirtchner everyone was hoofing the ball left right and centre. When we had the ball we had precisely zero ideas and creativity (bombed 4 tryscoring opportunities in quick succesion before Habana touched down). Heineken is a dinosaur. He should have put his coaching aspirations aside when he failed so miserably at Leicester (no doubt having to step out of his tunnel vision comfort zone).
8 Sep 2012, 20:14 pm
@maximus1-88: Morne and Zane are perfect for Meyers gameplan. Keep em in the Boks I say. I’ve no interest in seeing Goosen and Lambie play in a similar manner.
8 Sep 2012, 20:16 pm
Pienaar cost Boks PLENTY go forward today
Pienaar and M.Steyn lost this game at 9/10 with Kirchner at 15
Those 3 HAVE to go
A Hougaard / Goosen half back pairing with Lambie / Le Roux / Coetsee full back / wing option will transform and convert this team 1000%
8 Sep 2012, 20:23 pm
@fitz1ella-94: But will Meyer change his gameplan? I dont think he can. It doesnt matter who plays if they’ve all been dictated to play antiquated rubbish out of the stone-ages by this Heineken doofus and his two Bulls yes men. Lets start from scratch first, sack this STUPID braindead palooka (before he suffers a stroke in the coaching box), get a decent coaching team ,any of, Mallet, Smith, Mitchell, Penney, McKenzie, McQueen,Kirwan and any number of ANZAC’s that can serve in an assistant capacity. Then we wont even have to worry about calling out players on this blog that should be in the team.
8 Sep 2012, 20:25 pm
I guess it’s only a game but I’m fkn steamin a **** pie – fk that hopless
8 Sep 2012, 20:27 pm
Pienaar was the SLOWEST ruck clearing scrum half I seen EVER today SLOWER than FdP and that takes some doing
Hougaard had a humdinger last week for 50 minutes the ONLY bok that pitched up in Mendoza and then they bring dozy Pienaar on to SLOW the game DOWN.
Pienaar is SLOW, and cuts the Bok front foot momentum at the root. If Hougaard / Goosen had started today with Louw at 6 and Lambie 15 Boks would have won HANDS DOWN!
8 Sep 2012, 20:29 pm
@cab-96: I’ve lost interest totally in rugby for the time being. Complete apathy. I should probably keep myself in this state throughout Meyers tenure but I know in a couple of days I’ll be invested in the Boks again…
Heineken Meyer’s Springboks:
Hands down the most unappealing, ugly rugby team in the world.
8 Sep 2012, 20:32 pm
Wise words Slartibast – I can’t watch this **** anymore
8 Sep 2012, 20:32 pm
@victoriabok-87:
wikus vn heerden
pedrie wannenburg
jaco engels
danie thiart
bakkies botha
derick kuun
rayno gerber
gurthro steenkamp
victor matfied
gary botha
danie rossouw
they were hard enough to win three titles
and heyneke built them
he will build them new again at the boks
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