Carter to miss Bok clash
9 Sep 2012
All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter won’t be fit for next week’s Test against the Springboks.
Carter missed Saturday’s game against Argentina due to a calf injury. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has since confirmed that Carter has failed to make much progress with the injury and that Aaron Cruden is likely to continue at No 10 when New Zealand hosts South Africa in Dunedin.
According to Fairfax News, Hansen said the decision had been made early to take the pressure off Carter. He will now focus on a full recovery and won’t be rushed back until he’s ready.
Hansen confirmed that Carter would feature in New Zealand’s next Test against Argentina in two weeks time.
77 Comments
9 Sep 2012, 08:04 am
Thems the breaks…..Cruden will do the job. The loss of Sbw however is bigger than I thought,his presence in the Ab backline creates a focus point for the opposition drawing in defenders that Maa’ can not duplicate.
9 Sep 2012, 08:08 am
It doesn’t matter who is chosen they will whallop the poorly coached SA side. Play the Blues team and they will win…
9 Sep 2012, 08:12 am
Whatever team runs out against us….we will be buried in a time capsule of pain.
9 Sep 2012, 08:13 am
@Te Rangatira-1:
Yep, Nonu does not have the same play about him.
In fact our Backline is alot worse without SBW.
But you know what happens, Nonu gets looked at to be dropped and he pulls out one of those blinder of a game.
9 Sep 2012, 08:15 am
@Gumboots-2:
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-3:
I really am not too sure about that.
Many a times have the ABs this year looked to be way below par.
If the Boks get them on this sort of day, you will be in for a surprise.
Boks can take this one.
9 Sep 2012, 08:24 am
@Hurricane-4:
Nonu seems to have lost a lot of his attacking threat is recent years. Once upon a time you felt like something was going to happen whenever he got his hands on the ball, this is long gone.
9 Sep 2012, 08:29 am
Hard to see whether it’s Carter or SBW we missed, or both, and whether Nonu would have looked better with Carter playing. I thought Nonu didn’t go too bad and made yards on most occasions. Agree that the AB’s aren’t unbeatable on home soil in 2012 but if they can get things to click, they have the current personnel and game plan to trash anybody.
9 Sep 2012, 08:29 am
@Hurricane-5:
Yep, going to be a very close game next week, will be won in the last 10 minutes I think. Bok will lift for sure.
9 Sep 2012, 08:31 am
All I can say is ABs really missed SBW and Carter
9 Sep 2012, 08:32 am
@Hurricane-5: The AB’s have not been at their best.
Hansen seems to be a little too committed to playing the offload game. It can bomb – like it did for 50 minutes yesterday. Fortunately, they changed tack and it all worked out.
Then again, not sure if Hansen must take all the slack for that, as I reckon Dan Carter would have settled things down a touch had he been there. Slowed it down a little.
Graham Henry was such a good coach because he knew HOW to play on any given day, taking all factors into account….and his players always knew what was expected, and were comfortable with whatever the masterplan was.
But still mate….while the AB’s have not set the world alight, they are still winning.
That as you know, is the sign of a good setup.
Might be close in Dunedin, but these Boks don’t know how to close out anything that isn’t on the scripted blueprint.
9 Sep 2012, 08:43 am
@Te Rangatira-1: yep a lot of people under-valued sbw’s play & intelligence
9 Sep 2012, 08:50 am
“We thought that to play tactically would be the only way to beat them away from home because they are a quality side and once they get quick ball you are not going to beat them with their same game,” he said.
Heyneke…..I dont want to turn the knife….your life is tough enough right now….just a small bit of advice…..
If you are going to expect ‘ mental toughness’ from your players, surely they can expect mental toughness from you…..?
If you went into yesterdays game with the above being an example of your and the Boks mental toughness and mindset, we are still born, dead in the water, kaput, in ons moer!
From when are we forced to skop en jag because we are playing a quality team?
Your fear is the biggest issue….your doubts are permeating through the Bok set up, it is your lack of faith in the team that will result in more and more losses….
You have to set the example…..saying things like above sends a very negative message to those players you seek mental strength from…..
Save your doubts and concerns to yourself….the players dont have to hear them…
9 Sep 2012, 09:04 am
I think we need a live wire goosen for this 1… I think we need a specialist 14 aswell…the nduganes defences is probably their strength now as they have no pace and aplon will be mince for that savea bloke… Habana is out aswell so mvovo must go to left wing and ndugane to right… Kirchner must stay as he defends his channel well enough… My backline just(and I mean just) for this test will be 15-krichner 14-ndugane 13-de vills 12-steyn 11-habana(mvovo) 10-goosen 9-hougi…
We will win with them… Heinekes game plan and the individual brilliance of players will edge us this one…
9 Sep 2012, 09:17 am
NZ could fly in Naas Botha and they would still thump us.
It does not matter who South Africa selects. There is enough depth and talent that even an out of form Morne Steyn should not really matter. When your game plan is this terrible you stand no chance if the opposition pitches up on the day.
NZ is going to kill us on the counter attack and Dagg/Jane are going to have a field day with the amount of ball we will kick down their throats. Our forwards will spend 5-6 phases going no where before we kick the ball away. Or if they do get enough momentum, we will end up being turned as there is no support for the ball carrier anyway half the time.
“If only the springboks can like to EXECUTE!”
9 Sep 2012, 09:19 am
Has HM ever coached a team that threw the ball around? No, so how the f uck is he meant to get this done all of a sudden. His coaching team have not had any worthwhile experience in a well-balanced team that have to out-think another. The sooner he leaves the better for everyone, including him.
9 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
Wow no Carter or SBW, now if we just brought in brussow and left out morne steyn we would actually stand a chance
9 Sep 2012, 10:05 am
Nonu was fine yesterday considering its his first start sine rwc and hes had a season from hell with the blues. Sure, he lost the ball in contact like he used to do but so often he ends up under the posts, or making the final pass
9 Sep 2012, 10:15 am
Wonderful to see Brussow and Deon Fourie going at it like 2 Pitbulls on the deck yesterday….
Skop makes a lot of insightful sense when he says play D Fourie for Boks….
I think he may really be onto something there….
that combo with D Fourie at 2 and Brussow at 6 will be the closest we get to replicating the Brussow / Bissy conbo that sorted the kiwis in 2009….
9 Sep 2012, 10:18 am
Grant 10 We should be so lucky
9 Sep 2012, 10:24 am
If this loss doesn’t convince Meyer to change his thinking and some personnel then nothing will.
Come on Mallett, pick up the phone to your old buddy and give him the old hair dryer treatment!
9 Sep 2012, 10:26 am
The times we beat the Aussies in years gone by was through hitting them hard by players running into the off-shoulders, by playing a mixture of expansive rugby and kicking the damn ball OUT.
9 Sep 2012, 10:27 am
@Hurricane-5: We’ll be murdered, resurrected and re-murdered next week by you guys if we continue down the same idiotic route.
9 Sep 2012, 10:47 am
@garth-15:
garf you are a larf,
the bulls at their best threw the ball around like it was nobodies business, and they still do. there is more to life and reality than ridiculous stereotypes.
do not be too concerned though, all the other munkees here are making the same sounds as you. i just singled you out for sounding the worst.
julle fokkenn kenners is snaaks.
9 Sep 2012, 11:02 am
I am dreading us playing the ABs. If we got klapped by probably the worst Wallabie side ever, then we are in for a massive hiding next Saturday. Carter or no Carter it will make no difference.
9 Sep 2012, 11:05 am
Yip!! 39-3 to the blacks!!!
9 Sep 2012, 11:10 am
Cruden is arguably a better flyhalf than Carter right now. This is bad news.
9 Sep 2012, 11:10 am
Gurthro Steenkamp
Bismark Du Plessis
Heinrich Brussow
Schalk Burger
Ryan Kankowski
Fourie Du Preez
Jacques Fourie
JP Pieterson
All players who could be and should be in the Bok mix.
All players who can and should significantly lift the Bok game.
Most of the ineffectiveness is down to game plan.
But, more crucially, the current personell just don’t seem to be able to implement the game plan effectively.
Not a single Bok player stood out yesterday.
The only player who had a relatively decent game IMO was Habana and he went off.
I can’t understand how people are saying Pienaar was an improvement.
There were some flashes of decent play, but they were very few and far between.
I felt he was nowhere in the first half an hour – and this was when Australia played like heels!
Did you see how he kicked that ball back into the ruck and then lost it for the Boks as a result?!
Pack was munched at scrum time.
Alberts ineffective.
Mvovo – letting that ball bounce was inexcusable!
Steyn – nearly butchered that try – twice!
Thank goodness Habana’s experience saved the day.
JDV – looks jaded and in need of a rest!
9 Sep 2012, 11:21 am
@puff-27:
you left john philip out.
9 Sep 2012, 11:27 am
Bok pack simply not working at the moment.
And I am uncertain about all of the lock options barring Etzebeth, who needs an experienced campaigner alongside him so he can grow into the role.
Kruger was an improvement on Bekker who was shocking the week before.
But Kruger slipped off a tackle he needed to make and that is inexcusable.
Not sold on Flip.
9 Sep 2012, 11:29 am
A 22 AB squad of fafafini’s could be the Boks right now.
9 Sep 2012, 11:34 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-28:
Bakkies
Daniesaurus
Juan Smith
9 Sep 2012, 11:34 am
@goyougoodthing2-30:
The Currie Cup teams could beat the Boks right now.
9 Sep 2012, 11:44 am
I think the doom and gloom merchants are going over the top, you lost to Aus away in the last five minutes. The scoreline won’t blow out in Dunedin 10 points sounds about right.
9 Sep 2012, 11:47 am
@NZINCHINA-33: Point is, the Aussies are terrible right now and the boks have no plan.
9 Sep 2012, 11:52 am
Aus beat Wales 3 straight and now the Bokke they are doing brilliantly against teams other than NZ, goodthing I doubt it’ll be a cricket score next week.
9 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
@NZINCHINA-35:
Can’t ignore the fact that the Bok pack is not performing as a unit and that the backline is ineffective in attack.
Aus were diabolical in the first half.
A decent team playing as a team would have and should have blown them away.
9 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
@NZINCHINA-33:
Bok Fans have every right to gloomy,
Ozz have now won their last 5 encounters.
Closing fast on NZ’s 8 in row over the Boks back in the 2001 to 2004.
9 Sep 2012, 12:00 pm
Vermeulen essentially summed it up when he said it was all a blur for him (which I know is how debutants always describe their first test cap) and that he just tried to fit in with the structures as best he could.
This is an incredibly young team who are on a very steep learning curve.
Someone said during the week that the entire Bok pack comprised of something like 110 caps.
Last year, John Smit and Victor Matfield had 110 caps each!
It is a vast difference.
But what separates this team from the young team which White coached and who surprised everyone during this tournament in 2004 is the 2004 team played with structure but also belief and hunger.
I just don’t see hunger in this team.
I see players grappling with a structure and having hunger and instinct drained from them.
Etzebeth and Coetzee show flashes of hunger.
Hougaard and Fransie Steyn too.
And Goosen and Lambie when they came on.
Where was Alberts fire?
Where is the imposing Adriaan Strauss we see at S15 level?
9 Sep 2012, 12:02 pm
AB’s will miss Carter,
but I just cannot get enough of Cruden. Very classy young man.
I hope back up, Barrett, gets plenty of game time as well. Another talented young man.
9 Sep 2012, 12:11 pm
Wow they are so confident the boks dont pose a threat that they can afford to give Carter an extra week off.
ABS 36 – BOKS 0.
unless there are some drastic changes its going to be absolutely brutal ,
Abs will pump the boks by at least 30 points reason being the boks wont score a single try since they have no attack plan and we all no the defense is lacking .
The abs are willing to get numbers back behind the ball as opposed to kicking it away . The boks have become somewhat lazy.
9 Sep 2012, 12:12 pm
I say Meyer should get Daniesaurus in the mix.
He has played cameos for years in the shadow of Botha and Matfield so he should have a fair bit of rugby left in him.
His experience and grunt will go a long way to assist the likes of Etzebeth, Bekker and Kruger.
And, of course, a similar argument can be made for Fourie Du Preez.
9 Sep 2012, 12:37 pm
Cruden will do fine and he needs more game time, so no big deal. Save Carter for the more important games away from home.
9 Sep 2012, 12:41 pm
Imagine no Jannie Dup and Habana (both injured) and Etzebeth (cited) for next week’s match.
Shudder.
9 Sep 2012, 12:57 pm
@puff-31:
better
9 Sep 2012, 13:00 pm
@puff-43: Jannie dup no big losss. Cilliers can do the job. Estebeth will be a loss but the biggest loss will be that of Habana. Mvovo is super kak, the blacks will target his wing for holes all day long. They will target his weak defense and his suspect action under the high ball. I predict 3 All Black tries down the Mvovo wing
9 Sep 2012, 13:01 pm
Fixtures ResultsLogsLive scoring Currie Cup
Brüssow edging closer to Boks
2012-09-09 12:24
Heinrich Brüssow (File)
Related Links
Jean: Boks on right track
Wallabies’ Genia sidelined
Carter out of Springbok clash
Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – You have to be careful these days not to use performances in the diluted Currie Cup as too big a yardstick toward international credentials.
But in Bloemfontein on Saturday night Heinrich Brüssow will have given plenty of depressed Springbok supporters some cause for renewed cheer as his comeback from several weeks on the sidelines probably only exceeded expectations.
Clearly the 26-year-old has a remarkable engine, because he somehow managed to finish as strongly as anyone for the Cheetahs in a breathless, exciting Currie Cup encounter – the home team battered away for fully five minutes after the final siren to try to force an equalising try in a 29-22 defeat to a Western Province team who grab the tournament lead on points differential from the Lions and Sharks at the round-robin midway mark.
Significantly, despite his recent lack of game-time, the low-slung, big-hearted open-side flanker was a bundle of energy for those 85 personally uninterrupted minutes.
In short, Brüssow’s mobility and ball sense made him a creative factor on attack at times, but he also excelled at his real forte of being a menace at the breakdown, if not always actually stealing ball then at least going a long way to slowing down WP possession or stopping their mauling initiatives.
He made enough of an impression for a tearaway Bok loose forward of yesteryear, Rob Louw (@roblouw6) to enthusiastically tweet: “Brussow in his 1st match back … great. Send him to NZ.”
The wobbling Springboks next play world champions New Zealand on Saturday as their challenge in the Castle Rugby Championship continues to fade, following the sobering loss to Australia in Perth.
It is almost certainly “win or bust” for the Boks in Dunedin, who are five points behind the unbeaten All Blacks at the halfway mark and will just about hand the 2012 title to Richie McCaw’s side if they play second fiddle – already some more pessimistic Bok enthusiasts are probably secretly hoping only that the tourists keep the score down anyway.
The Wallabies, aided in no small measure by fielding a specialist open-sider against South Africa in young Michael Hooper, continue to look less than world-beaters themselves, so their 26-19 triumph puts the Boks’ current plight in stark perspective.
Still, you would think it is highly unlikely that embattled coach Heyneke Meyer will suddenly issue an eleventh-hour tour call-up to Brussow, who he had stubbornly ignored before his most recent injury setback anyway.
A likelier scenario is that the Free Stater will make himself a near-irresistible candidate for the closing, home leg of the tournament for the Boks against Australia in Pretoria (September 29) and then New Zealand in Soweto (October 6).
There were times in Perth where the Boks, despite some periods of promising supremacy, did cry out for swifter numbers to breakdowns, as they were instead frustratingly turned over.
Unfortunately Marcell Coetzee, who nevertheless remains a great prospect for the Boks and offers options both at No 7 and No 8, is looking increasingly less, rather than the obviously desired more, accomplished on the open side.
Not that his is a lone, problematic loose forward spot: big unit Willem Alberts is yet to fully convince on the blind-side as an “80 minutes” factor, whilst Duane Vermeulen had a subdued debut as eighthman at Patersons Stadium.
Indeed, in Vermeulen clearly still being short of a gallop (though he warrants another crack in Dunedin?) probably lies a lesson to Meyer and company: don’t be in too obscene a hurry to rush back somebody like Brüssow from Currie Cup comeback activity.
It would make sense, arguably, for the coach to hand existing squad member Francois Louw a start at No 6 on Saturday after the Bath man was restricted to just over 20 minutes off the bench in Perth, perhaps not quite enough time to make a meaningful impact.
Louw, at least, is one player who can boast a rare accolade: once emphatically getting the better of the great McCaw on the deck, a famous night in 2010 when the Stormers thrashed the Crusaders 42-14 in a Super Rugby fixture.
Even something moderately close to a repeat would represent a major tonic to the Boks’ upset hopes, wouldn’t it?
9 Sep 2012, 13:04 pm
@grant10-46: I would have Brussow in the Bok match 15 – with Coetzee at 7 and Vermeulen at 8.
9 Sep 2012, 13:07 pm
@RL-47:
I like RL….
9 Sep 2012, 13:17 pm
@RL-45:
mvovo should be marched right out of the squad.
needs to learn contact in super rugby first and coaching on how not to get the butterflies for a high ball. seeing him run away from alexander was just the pits.
not that kruger covered himself in glory there either.
@grant10-46:
louw is average in a bok jersey.
9 Sep 2012, 13:21 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-49: agreed 100% although some sharkievarkies will say that it is not his fault he was selected.
9 Sep 2012, 13:23 pm
Carter being out won’t make a jot of difference next Saturday.
9 Sep 2012, 13:28 pm
Boks need to fly three players out to NXZ today – they are Brussow, Le Roux and Coetzee.
Kill that Kirchner and bring in Coetzee at 15, then drop that Mvovo into a rubbish bin and play Le Roux on the wing finally Heineken has to start with Brussow.
Morne Steyn is finished for good now – the Goose has to start end of debate.
9 Sep 2012, 13:38 pm
@RL-52:
> “Morne Steyn is finished for good now – the Goose has to start end of debate.”
Whilst this seems tempting, it just reminds me how useless SA is at blooding new players. So now we are going to throw Goosen into the deep end, away, against the best team in the world, in a game we are sure to lose, a la Gaffie Du Toit, just because we now panic and realise M Steyn is kak? Look how carefully NZ introduced Cruden? Typical SA mentality, we kill ourselves, not the opposition.
9 Sep 2012, 13:54 pm
@Honesty Box Seymour-53: sorry you cannot compare Cruden to the Goose and Cruden’s situation to the Goose. Cruden is second to a legend in Carter, he simply has to wait his turn – the Goose is second to a plonker and there is no reason to wait until that plonker retires, none at all. I question keepoing the plonker more than the age mentalty – if you good enough you are old enough.
9 Sep 2012, 14:10 pm
Brussow is a thorn in the opposition’s side every single minute he plays. He steals opposition balls, and if he can’t steal the ball, he slows it down. He tackles everything that moves, he breaks the line (or threatens to) if he gets the ball, and he can pass and offload in the tackle. In short, he makes such a bloomin’ nuisance of himself when he plays, that it takes more than one opposition player to look after him. And all HM can see is his lack of height and weight!
Nothing wrong with playing crash ball, using behemoths like Vermeulen and Alberts, but it will only work if they do it at speed and go for weak spots in the opposition line. No wonder the two were reduced to bit players – if you walk into a tackle, you won’t break through it! They’re totally predictable. And brains are needed as well – if you try to crash through a line 30 times, and don’t succeed, you should get the message before attempting No 31!
What about chips, grubbers, kicking for position? Maybe HM should watch what Brache and Catrakilis did yesterday, or what Aplon did the whole match long. Oh. Sorry. They’re not big enough for his game plan. Neither is Brussouw and Jantjes. Or Lambie. Pity.
Eish. Brawn will only win if SOME brains and just a dollop of skills are employed with it.
9 Sep 2012, 14:18 pm
@RL-50:
no backbone these sharkies. it is not lost on me how they flip and flop in the water depending on whether the coach’s team is winning, the number of sharkies there is in the match day 22 or the colour of the sky on a given day.
9 Sep 2012, 14:26 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-56: did Alberts actually play yesterday. Did not notice him at all.
9 Sep 2012, 15:29 pm
Alberts in for eben, brussow in for alberts . Simple
9 Sep 2012, 15:45 pm
@RL-57:
ja, he was on the field… but spent most of the time swapping rock songs on his ipod with duane. they share the same music tastes and like to get in the mood during play by jamming to a bit of coldplay.
brekers hey… they dont make them like they used too…
9 Sep 2012, 18:07 pm
Not that impressed with Cruden, while he has the same half-break Carter had in his prime he doesn’t have the kicking game Carter possesses.
In saying that, it won’t make any difference as SA aren’t going to be able to 3-point their way to victory in NZ and that’s assuming Morne Steyn’s radar is on.
9 Sep 2012, 18:22 pm
Team SA rules:
sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Paralympics2012/Team-SA-the-best-volunteers-20120909
9 Sep 2012, 18:59 pm
Honesty Box Seymour????
9 Sep 2012, 19:51 pm
@Dawn-62: Hello! How may I help you?
9 Sep 2012, 20:09 pm
1-steenkamp 2-smit 3-bj botha 4-b botha 5-matfield 6-burger 7-smith 8-spies 9-du preez 10-james 11-basson 12-olivier 13-fourie 14-pietersen
15-jantes(barneys army-retired/injured)
1-mtawarira 2-strauss 3-jannie 4-etzebeth 5-kruger 6-coetzee 7-alberts 8-vermeulen 9-pienaar 10-steyn 11-hougaard 12-steyn 13-de vills 14-habana
15-kirchner(heinekes troops)
With this core of players do you think that we wouldve played this k@k? Guess not… Let the coach to the coaching and let us stay with our bashing
9 Sep 2012, 20:12 pm
The Argies complained about the way the French referee handled the Test.
To me he looked extremely sympathetic to the ABs cause at the 2nd half
If that ‘trend’ continues next week, the ABs will not miss Carter to badly
9 Sep 2012, 20:37 pm
@Hondo-65:
I have to agree too and the assistant refs too
Crooked throws forward passes bridging at rucks etc etc
They have to learn to play the refs and not battle against them
9 Sep 2012, 21:00 pm
@CoachPete-66:
Coach,
A good test team needs first of all an astute, respectable captain who can deal with the referee on the field and in real time
Crying afterword would not help.
I remember Smit crying to Paul Honis: “tell him too” (i.e to the opposition captain), that was pathetic!
Eals’ threat to leave the field during the 1999 Final IS the right action but you have to notify the referee before the Test of your intentions IF you have reasons to believe you smelled a rat.
That will prevent 80% of the cheating, easily
9 Sep 2012, 23:06 pm
@Big Hit-60:
I haven’t made me mind up about him. He looks great when the games flowing and loose, but awkward and out of place in tight encounters. He’s young yet so he should still improve, but at this stage I don’t think he’s going to come near the heights Carter reached. (Not that this is surprising, neither has any other fh.)
9 Sep 2012, 23:07 pm
Coldplay what a depressing band, and a total bore to what live. How is that going to fire you up before a match…lol Its funeral music…lol
We can happily point our fingers, all 5 on a hand at our great SA Rugby organisation.
I had to laugh when coach PDV said he had blooded a couple players and was leaving the Springboks with “new finds” and in good health. Looking at us now where are these new finds nd how healthy do we look…
We can happily say to SA Rugby how great they are by racially selecting coaches (PDV) and pat them on their backs for a job well done. How great they are oozes out beautifully and exposes the state SA Rugby is in at the moment. This phase we are going through, and its going to be long is all their fault.
Racism does not succeed in this world, it only holds, what ever back. These short comings they can only blame themselves for.
SA Rugby it is time to stick those boer maak a plan thoughts back where they came from, and leave them on those red neck farms, look to the future and develop a strategy that is not based on capitalism, the 4/5 yr plan like governments and world cups, and focus on a sustainable strategy that will tap into the heart of the talent in the country and coaches alike. The “TRUE ” transformation, the “REAL” transformation will take a generation or two. And when this vein has been tapped into, it might produce a never ending blood line of talent. But until then…
I am not knocking Hyena yet, as the poor chap hardly has 1/2 of the 1st choice players he deserves/ should have, but in fairness, should we believe that until plan A can be executed ,there is no need for a plan B…mmm? Hyena, should we perhaps be playing to our strengths which is “probably” where our backline is and forget that the forwards who in fairness, arent up to the challenge as they are newbies and struggling with the intensity, fitness,pride, experience and………………., should we not remove that stubborn shell, accept logic or reality and act accordingly?
See Carter is not rushed back, may he be injured or not, but he gets valuable time off which is needed and against a poor team like the bokke ( whoes a B-Team in my opinion) and brings on the new blood. Hell why not, he gets to play the boks to see for himself what they are like, and does so when they are weak- perfect strategy if you ask me. Very logical too. But the SA Rugby dont have these words in their vocabulary.They dont get paid enough for this, is that not right….lol
Who gets to suffer and who gets to laugh….. and who is the joke on….
Think….. use your Brains SA Rugby or give somebody the position to do so.
10 Sep 2012, 02:33 am
Please get rid of Meyer and his blue bull Plonkers.
Morne Steyn is kak beyond belief
10 Sep 2012, 03:25 am
It does not matter who they leave out . They might as well rest half of the team for the away leg to keep them fresh . Kick the ball to some of the best running players. Dagg will have a field day. The All Blacks will win by 30 plus. 4 try bonus point by half time
10 Sep 2012, 04:33 am
Brussouw
Flo
Vermeulen (and Coetzee)
Alberts at 4
This is not a time for us to stop believing.
The AB’s looked boring on Saturday.
10 Sep 2012, 04:59 am
@Jinx2-72:
Yeah thats fine for 6,7 and 8
Maybe Alberts on bench to cover lock and loose forward
Add Coetzee on bench and rather Bekker than Flip
Bekker can give you a good 15 -20 min but not a full game
And have a 5-2 bench
10 Sep 2012, 08:14 am
Give me a break for gods sake.
All Blacks boring ???. At present they are the ONLY team trying to play expansive rugby. The conditions in Wellington were horrific & yet the AB’s (unwisely) still tried to play with width.
Now fast forward 2 hours to Perth & that JOKE of an international played in superb conditions. Australia won because they had no opposition. That BOK side is horrible & quite frankly your coach has an even more negative attitude to the game than the Argentinian coaching staff.
If you guys want to be taken seriously in this competition or in 3 yeatrs time in London you had better learn to throw the ball around.
10 Sep 2012, 08:51 am
@Ricardo10-74: Is that a silver fern I see hanging from your loin cloth ?
10 Sep 2012, 09:10 am
I’m a kiwi and I still found the NZ game boring. Too many errors, made for no flow. I found the oz vs bok game far more watchable.
10 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
It will be a better game than most think
Problem is, both teams are not playing to their either their strengths or to a plan to beat their opposition.
Do not underestimate the current NZ defense and discipline record – its a very compelling stat – its becoming very hard for teams to score against the AB’s
Cruden will get stronger and the combo between Smith and Nonu will be back to its best very soon.
Dagg , Jane and Gear are big threats
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