Morné must go
10 Sep 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes that Heyneke Meyer is doing the Springboks, and Morné Steyn himself, a disservice by persisting with the out-of-form flyhalf.
One more point would have given the Boks victory in Port Elizabeth. One more would have made the journey to Mendoza a success in the strictest sense.
Had the Boks converted more drop-goal and penalty opportunities in Perth, they may have built a lead so imposing that the Aussies may have failed to come back.
These are the small margins that have meant the difference between success and failure. It may seem a simplistic view, as the Boks are guilty of inadequacies across the board, but there’s no denying that had they converted more of these shots on goal, they would now be sporting a solid six from six record instead of a mess of statistics that read won three, drawn two, and lost one.
Six from six wouldn’t confirm that all is well with the Bok game plan, but it would indicate that they still have the means to win close games. That they didn’t get the desired and very necessary results in Port Elizabeth and Mendoza confirmed that they no longer had that game-winning edge.
Morné Steyn, South Africa’s Mr Reliable of the past three seasons, has battled with his consistency and confidence. Those erratic showings in South Africa and Argentina boded badly for the all important Tests in Australasia.
Steyn’s problem is a fundamental one. I was in England recently and bumped into a former Bok flyhalf, one of the great goal-kickers of the modern era. Having watched Steyn closely over the last year, he has made some interesting and worrying observations about Steyn’s goal-kicking technique.
Significantly, these flaws were highlighted after the Boks beat Argentina in Cape Town. It was a time when everybody, including Meyer, claimed that Steyn was back to his best. My source shook his head at this assertion. Steyn, he argued, would continue to struggle.
The following Saturday, Steyn missed two goal attempts in Mendoza. Two weeks later, he missed one penalty and two drop-goal attempts.
It wasn’t unexpected, at least not from the former Bok flyhalf, and it once again raised the question that everybody has asked at one time or another: What does Steyn offer the Boks if not a reliable goal-kicking option?
His tactical-kicking game has always been a strength, and to be fair, the Boks were good in this department during the first half of the Test in Perth. But too often his tactical- and goal-kicking strengths have been put forward as the argument for his inclusion, and are the reasons why his limp attacking game and frail defence are so often overlooked.
Teams need a reliable goal-kicker to win tight matches, but the modern game also demands a balance between attack and defence. Steyn cannot offer that balance. He possesses neither the skill set nor the vision to be a force on attack, and is a traditional flyhalf in the sense that he is loathe to put his body on the line in the tackle.
The Bok game plan has been lambasted in recent months. Most have called for a complete overhaul and pointed to the All Blacks as an example of how the Boks should play. I agree that the Boks can learn from the All Blacks, but I don’t think a complete rethink is required.
The All Blacks are the best team on the planet because they boast the best balance between attack and defence. The Chiefs won this year’s Super Rugby tournament because they enjoyed such a balance, and the Sharks were South Africa’s best team because they too embraced a more rounded approach.
This doesn’t mean the Boks should stop kicking for territory; it simply means that they should vary their approach and become a less predictable force. And to do that, they will need to employ a flyhalf who is capable of asking questions of the opposition defence.
Steyn is not that flyhalf, and given his loss of goal-kicking form, he can no longer make a contribution to the Boks.
Persisting with Steyn will do the Boks more harm than good. It would be more prudent to send him back to Pretoria where he can address the problems with his kicking technique.
Let him get to the root of his troubles, let him build some confidence in the Currie Cup. Let him rediscover that trademark accuracy and amass so many points that, as was the case in 2009, he cannot be denied a place in the Bok set-up.
Meyer claims that Steyn is a warrior. They’re cheap words. Let Steyn prove it; let him fight his way back into contention. Don’t reward his mediocrity by picking him week after week. Let him earn his place.
Dropping Steyn will allow the Boks to develop a more balanced approach. It will also force Steyn to address his flagging strengths.
I doubt that installing Pat Lambie or Johan Goosen at flyhalf will bring the Boks immediate success, but it will ensure that they start to move in the right direction.
Goosen earned his first cap in Perth, and in those 10 minutes he offered more on attack than Steyn has in three years. When Lambie has started at 10, he has also posed more of an attacking threat. The Australasian tour in 2011 was a prime example, as Lambie stood out despite the poor effort of his forwards.
There is some value in the current game plan, and it would be foolish to dispense with it completely. What’s needed is variation, an allowance and understanding that attack is an integral part of the modern game, and that no team can defend for 80 minutes.
It’s wrong that Steyn’s loss of goal-kicking form should be the catalyst for change. But change is desperately needed.
Steyn’s inaccuracies have already cost South Africa in three matches. They cannot be ignored whether your game plan is ultra conservative or perfectly balanced. Whichever way you want to look at it, persisting with Steyn would be counterproductive.
That being said, Meyer must avoid the temptation to turn Lambie and Goosen into Steyn clones. Both these players have the potential to become complete flyhalves in the mould of Dan Carter. They must be backed and allowed the necessary room to realise that potential.
Embrace their full skill set and you will embrace a more balanced approach. Only then will the results against New Zealand and Australia come with any great consistency.
Follow JC on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter
215 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] Show All
10 Sep 2012, 17:24 pm
@bokfan1-199: it is all disingenous and designed to take blame off heyneke meyer! how anyone can say pdv never “blooded any players” is just nuts considering that in one game against wales in 2010 he fielded debutants Flo, Dewalt and JdJ…that these player seemingly don’t fit into Heyneke Meyer’s hallowed gameplan is no fault of Divvy!
the other fallacy is that when Heyneke is done “building” his envisioned Bok team we will end up with new du Preez, Matfield, Bakkies, Rossouws etc which is impossible to predict!
10 Sep 2012, 18:04 pm
@katman-191: who asked you dumb little boertjie fuckwit.. you one of those little ja baas nee baas 3 sakkies vol baas Heyneke Meyer arselickers who was SO relieved to see the back of PdV and SO enamored with this dumb bewildered ignoramus who is CLEARLY and absolutely out of his bewildered depth .. and now suddenly you rate yourself as some kind of knowledgeable rugby ‘kenner’..!! you a f’ng moron prick.. except you think you kinda ‘intelligent’ you dumb f’ng moron twat who crawled out your dumb little Florida High hole and thought you somehow got ‘enlightened’ enough to think like n goddamn ‘engelsman’… be yourself and stop with this pretentious garbage of trying to be who you are NOT..
10 Sep 2012, 18:09 pm
@katman-163: if you don’t read my posts how come you the FIRST little punkass fucknosed PRICK to react and jump on them..!! Like you attracted to what I say FIRST in the queue of who says WHAT on here…
if you NOT interested in what I got to say then WHY the Fck are you the very FIRST arsehole to respond and take very pertinent NOTE of what I’m saying and REACT to it?
Stupid little moronic halfwit half boer half engelsman half educated half intelligent doos.
10 Sep 2012, 18:24 pm
@willievz-192: yip that’s 100% right.. Heyneke Meyer is SO far OFF the parabola curve he is having to RE LEARN what rugby principles are about ALL OVER AGAIN
If Moronic idiot DUNCES like this pathetic non rugby enlightened moron FOOL has been given carte blanche to FCK UP Springbok rugby while he LEARNS the trade of coaching at this level then Saru have made one MAMMOTH fckup MISTAKE at even THINKING that this moron was the enlightened messiah that all his bullbevok disciples thought he was.
He is like a pisswilly little kindergarten toddler chucked into university and now he has to LEARN what WORKS and what DON’T at the highest level of rugby relevancy in the game.
That is why ALL these rugby coaches need at LEAST 4 – 5 years of busting their overrated over aggrandized pathetic ego rampant heads against the brick wall of their OWN preconceived pre programmed pathetic ideologies and only THEN are they ready to actually be open and wise enough to coach a national rugby team at the highest level.
10 Sep 2012, 18:49 pm
Meyers problem is simple and fundamental – and it’s a big one, he us selecting wrong and is slightly biased to the bulls – if he just selected brussow, fourie elstadt and jdj with goosen at flyhalf and houggard at 9 – winning the collisions, not to kick away, but to play with the ball – the boks would start winning and he’d go down as one of the best – at present I’ll be surprised if he makes the year out.
If he continues with the same team and squad for tge home games, I believe those too and most of our EOY tour games and tge calls will then become too much. He’s got to make sine changes now, more for himself than anything else, otherwise I reckon it’ll be the worst year since carel du plessis.
10 Sep 2012, 18:53 pm
@cab-205: Elstadt is injured again.
10 Sep 2012, 18:55 pm
What have we got to lose by giving Mitchell a ****? Fk it can’t get any worse – get Mitchell and PdV back together – PdV handles the players and Mitchell the selections and tactics. And of course PdV to handle the media – what a legend, he managed to piss off every country they visited before touching down. Psychological warfare at it’s finest.
10 Sep 2012, 20:02 pm
Really feel bad for the guy, must be dreadful knowing the whole country is baying for your blood. Unfortunately I to think he needs to be replaced until he gets his mojo back.
10 Sep 2012, 20:44 pm
He’s had a good run Hugger – time to give someone else a shot
10 Sep 2012, 21:14 pm
Hi Cab, I know, just hope he doesn’t read what people write, I don’t like nastiness just because people can, he has not played well consistency for a while I agree but the viciousness from some posters is quite revolting and this from some one that is not really into how humans feel, the keo site seems to have lost a few of its interesting dysfunctional bloggers with only a few putting up comments consistently…I miss their input..Stormersboy being 1 of them.
10 Sep 2012, 21:56 pm
@fitz1ella-203: You put my name at the top of it, you stupidcock. That kind of indicates that it’s meant for my attention. Or does your attention span not go back to post 116? As I said, take break and try to pull yourself together. You’re a fcken embarrassment.
10 Sep 2012, 23:06 pm
@katman-211: Raging embittered alcoholic. Someone cr@ps in his breakfast on a daily basis. Geez, I thought I was unpleasant….
10 Sep 2012, 23:11 pm
@Dusky-212: The sad irony is that he’s a sober teetotaller. All that rubbish is 100%, undiluted Skoppie. No preservatives, no additives. Just plain damaged goods.
10 Sep 2012, 23:16 pm
Ok why is it that when I said it I got called a Bok hater and when JC says it everyone’s like “ja he should”?
11 Sep 2012, 06:12 am
I watched the highlights of the game again and it was painful to see how pathetic Morne is at defending. The way he rides / holds on in the tackle is just pathetic! To say the opponents go over the advantage line when running at him is an understatement!
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.