Meyer must make most of lost cause
11 Sep 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes a depleted Springbok side cannot be expected to win in Dunedin and yet there’s still much to be gained in terms of developing a new starting flyhalf.
The unavailability of key forwards as well as the inexperience of the likely starters and combinations suggests that Saturday’s Test will be more about damage control than anything else.
Last week’s forward performance against Australia was poor, and there’s little chance that this week’s showing will be much improved.
How can there be any expectation of a better performance in Dunedin? Injuries and suspensions have hit the Boks hard this week, and the pack that starts at the Forsyth Barr Stadium won’t boast one established Test combination.
But let’s back up a bit and consider what Heyneke Meyer had to work with at the start of the season.
Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha were not available, and neither was jack of all trades Danie Rossouw. Andries Bekker was injured. Schalk Burger was crocked. Juan Smith had made a decision to give rugby a break for a year. It wasn’t an ideal situation to start with, and has got worse as the season has progressed.
Bismarck du Plessis has been the biggest loss in recent weeks. Other players that have been injured include Coenie Oosthuizen, Pierre Spies, and Chiliboy Ralepelle while Ryan Kankowski has moved to Japan. The unavailability of this latter group has been a blow to the Boks’ forward depth.
Then Eben Etzebeth went and got himself suspended with a mindless headbutt on Nathan Sharpe. Then Jannie du Plessis and Pat Cilliers succumbed to injuries in the most recent Test in Perth. Going into this week’s clash in Dunedin, the Boks will be wanting for quality, synergy and experience in that starting pack.
In the past, there have been strong teams that have gone to New Zealand and been soundly beaten. What hope does this side have of succeeding where superior sides have failed?
A new front-row combination will start due to Jannie du Plessis’s injury, and Etzebeth’s suspension will also see a new face starting at lock.
Francois Louw is likely to start at openside flank given the challenge of the All Blacks’ loose forwards, but that would see Meyer making a further change to the starting pack. And while I believe Louw can be highly effective in this role, he is only into his second week playing under Meyer and the new structures. Don’t expect miracles from a new-look tight five, and don’t expect dominance from men like Louw at the breakdown.
It’s at times like these when some coaches will look to retain as many fit players as possible so as not to disrupt the team dynamic any further. It’s been reported that Meyer will stick with the backline that started against the Wallabies last week. That would be a mistake.
What can Meyer gain from such selections? The changes up front will compromise the Boks’ potential to play a more balanced game, and I’m sure they’ll keep things as simple as possible. However, it would be interesting to see how a new flyhalf performs. It’s a game the Boks are unlikely to win, and this may ease the pressure on less established flyhalf options like Pat Lambie and Johan Goosen.
Lambie shone in last year’s Tri-Nations when he started at flyhalf against the All Blacks in Wellington. A rag-tag bunch of forwards were soundly beaten by their New Zealand counterparts, and still Lambie managed to impress.
Meyer sees Lambie as a fullback but it’s at flyhalf where he can provide the Boks with more options in terms of attack and defence. He’s played there for the Sharks this season with some success, exhibiting a skill set that includes taking the ball to the gainline, sending it through the hands when the wide strike is on, and playing his team into good field positions via a great tactical boot.
Goosen showed the same all-round skills when he featured for the Cheetahs in Super Rugby, and has been tipped as the future Bok flyhalf. Meyer could make a powerful statement by starting Goosen this Saturday, but if he truly believes that the experience would do the 20-year-old more harm than good, then Lambie should wear the No 10 jersey.
The Boks will struggle to keep the All Blacks at bay, but that doesn’t mean that nothing can be gained from the fixture. Changes need to made, and replacing flyhalf Morné Steyn with somebody more equipped to meet the demands of a modern day 10 is a step that needs to be taken sooner rather than later.
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229 Comments
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11 Sep 2012, 05:18 am
It really is a shame that our coaches right off overseas based player when it suits them. If HM is going to play flo and bakkies then he might as well consider
BJ Botha, Brian Mujati, Guthro Steenkamp, Joe Van Niekerk, Johan Muller.
All these players still have many good years ahead of them and would add irreplaceable experience and strength to a very desperate & depleted forward pack. Why not play these players and rotate our up & coming youngsters like Coetzee, Etzabeth etc around this experience. Which would enable them to excel and build confidence.
It would be a win for the boks and a win for the future.
But right now we have no hope of competing with the All Blacks. We have this mindset that our players are bigger and stronger than all the other teams… we’re delusional. It’s a professional age where most of the top teams are on the same or similar physical level. We couldn’t dominate England, Wales, Argentina or even Australia let alone NZ. Yet there is still all this talk before every game that we are bigger and stronger, what a load of rubbish.
An experience well oiled unit working together is a different story all together. I don’t see any problem with picking overseas based players, it’s a professional game and they are looking after their futures. All supporters want is a winning team, I don’t care if the players are playing club rugby in France.
11 Sep 2012, 06:01 am
I hate where HM is going with the Boks but I also hate seeing the SB lose. So I’m in a catch 22 situation where I’d love to see HM fail so we can get rid of him (or hopefully by some miracle he picks the right players with the appropriate game plan) but on the other hand I’d rather slit my wrists than wanting to see the Boks lose to NZ.
So for now – even though I don’t see it happening – I’m going with the latter and getting behind the Boks. I hope the sheer blooded determination of a wounded Bok (how often do we have to say this ffs) beats the living daylights out of the AB’s. Argies showed us how – smother the AB and flood the breakdown – and pick Goosen at FH and surprise the filth with ball in hand!
11 Sep 2012, 06:25 am
@W.P-2:
‘Surprising the filth’
I take it your referring to surprising the returning Bakkies Botha
11 Sep 2012, 06:37 am
No ways should Goosen be thrown to the wolves. He deserves 20 – 25 minutes this Saturday. There’s no quick fix here, especially when about 5 players in that touring squad are surplus to requirements in the first place
11 Sep 2012, 06:37 am
Best you slit your wrists now then.
11 Sep 2012, 06:38 am
Don’t get all the fuss. New young team, plenty injuries. New coach, also learning.
Biggest mistake – setting bar unrealistically high, all about expectation mgmt.
Oh and Morne and Zane.
HM will get it right, no doubt.
11 Sep 2012, 06:40 am
Protect the boy
11 Sep 2012, 06:40 am
Viewer if Goosen is as good as you all say he is ” the best 10 prospect they have ever seen” then he’s good enough to start on Saturday.
11 Sep 2012, 06:45 am
Agree with nzinchina – ability should be driver, not age.
11 Sep 2012, 06:45 am
@W.P-2:
wow,us filth?
But that would surprise us a Bok team running at us with heads cocked and fingers in gouging positions.
11 Sep 2012, 06:48 am
No china, the ABs already have this one by at least 10 points. The f/h issue became academic weeks ago. Goosen is for 2013 onwards ONLY. Morne’s confidence will take another hit, no-one cares about him anymore, except his mother
BTW, hell yeah, Goosen IS that good
11 Sep 2012, 06:48 am
@NZINCHINA-8:
Exactly.
Give him a taste of playing against the best.
Surely he cant be as average as Morne at the moment.
11 Sep 2012, 06:49 am
@viewer-11:
We shall see how good. I recall the same sort of reaction with Spies when he came onto the scene.
11 Sep 2012, 06:52 am
@Hurricane-10:
thats a pearler
11 Sep 2012, 06:57 am
You see, we don’t want to take the risk of making another Gaffie du Toit. An obviously talented player poisoned by self-doubt
11 Sep 2012, 06:58 am
@Hurricane-10:
Hurricane. still cracking up hard at your brilliant post
11 Sep 2012, 06:59 am
@Shauny-1:
brian mujati will never play for the boks again. not since the mujatigate affair.
@W.P-2:
my feelings exactly, they must at this game to win. fark this filth indeed.
hope the low cowardly creitn move to stitch eztebeth up comes back to bite them with bakkies on the bench.
11 Sep 2012, 07:07 am
Tony Woodcock off to the Highlanders.
Sarel Pretorius returns to the Cheetahs for 2013 SR
11 Sep 2012, 07:09 am
In other breaking news coach Meyer is rumoured to have purchased a large off market parcel of Motorola shares, Meyer was quoted as saying ” I believe Motorola’s walkie talkie division is going to see a massive spike in demand Q3″
11 Sep 2012, 07:13 am
That’s very funny china.
Did you do that all by yourself or did you have help?
11 Sep 2012, 07:15 am
The twins helped me out.
11 Sep 2012, 07:15 am
@viewer-18:
Ben Franks may also head to the Highlanders, if he does they have an impressive front row of Woodcock..Hore…Ben Franks.
11 Sep 2012, 07:22 am
if the argies can put the all blacks under that much pressure then we can also SMASH them!
read cruden, savea & retallick were moaning that the argies hit hard and they’re sore, guess what heyneke let’s up the ante on them!
just don’t farken kick our ball aimlessly at dagg & jane but savea is in the mvovo league of highball bunglers so target HIM!
11 Sep 2012, 07:25 am
@Transformation-23:
11 Sep 2012, 07:25 am
@Te Rangatira-22: woodcock to play behind macintosh?
11 Sep 2012, 07:26 am
I am not following your logic at all JC.
Firstly you admit that the forward pack will be disrupted, with a bunch of new combinations and very inexperienced players. In short, it is widely expected the AB’s will absolutely smash a bunch in inexperienced Bok boys upfront.
Then you go out and suggest we select either a Lambie (who I have last seen in a 10 jersey for any team months ago) or Goosen (who played what, 7 SR games, 60 min in CC and 10 minutes last week)?
You highlight a similar rag-tag bunch that went to Wellington in 2011 but fail to mention they got smashed 40-7 and only two of those players are likely to start this weekend in the same positions they played on the day, Mvovo and Pienaar.
I don’t know how much rugby you watch, but if your pack is likely to get smashed, you can play Chuck Norris at 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 and you won’t be able to accomplish ****.
Now for the love of god, please explain to me what purpose playing very talented but vastly inexperienced players serve?
To perhaps give them experience on what it feels like to get smashed by 40 or 50 points? To have a coach, some media men or supporters later use it as an excuse that they are ‘not ready’ for test rugby yet because they could not stand up to the pressures of the game and/or stamp their authority as an international quality flyhalf should?
Seriously.
11 Sep 2012, 07:27 am
Yes you can Tranny but it must be done for 80 minutes not 70.
11 Sep 2012, 07:28 am
Te Ranga – Isn’t the ‘Landers captain also a loosehead?
11 Sep 2012, 07:29 am
@Transformation-23:
Mvovo is in a league of his own when it comes to bunglers….in all honesty his international test career should be over after the performance he put in on Saturday……useless..
11 Sep 2012, 07:32 am
@viewer-28:
Perhaps Mackintosh is off to the land of the Geisha….who knows but Woodcock definitely starting at loosehead.
11 Sep 2012, 07:32 am
Yes the AB will always be the enemy! Filth, vermin…………..take your pick! I am not allowed to like them! I respect them for their ability but that’s it! I’ve seen SB teams lose to the Ozzie’s but manage to beat the AB’s, who just a week earlier thumped the Wallabies. The AB’s know that the Bokke are the one team to intimidate them. Bryce Lawrence knew it in last years RWC too.
So I for one won’t be talking about how invincible the AB’s are. Fark that! I pick the Boks to beat the AB’s and Wallabies at home. The AB vs SB game will be a close affair too. Moer them Bokke!!!
11 Sep 2012, 07:32 am
Awesome stuff my china.
I thought the English was a little advanced for you.
Great to see you spending some time together even if it’s only on keo.
11 Sep 2012, 07:35 am
@Te Rangatira-29: yeah right keep telling yourself that…savea is as kak under the highball…the oirish exploited him quite smartly in christchurch where he also pulled the mvovo “lionel messi” foot trap move…
watch when hougaard puts some heat on him!
11 Sep 2012, 07:38 am
PissAnt
Thank you for articulating exactly my thoughts.
11 Sep 2012, 07:38 am
@NZINCHINA-27: ja u right…
heyneke use those subs wisely & keep the intesity…cruden is brilliantly but seriously flaky under pressure where he can’t dance…
11 Sep 2012, 07:39 am
that cant be good.
11 Sep 2012, 07:40 am
What happened to mvovo though because he played well when starting vs Arg. His Bok career is over though (it should be over)
11 Sep 2012, 07:42 am
@Transformation-33:
Yes,I know Im right , Mvovo is kak under any ball, as for Savea yes he is shakey under the high ball…but if he gets his mitts on it…he can turn Mvovo into roadkill.
11 Sep 2012, 07:44 am
In the good old days I had a real job Q3, was my specialty.
11 Sep 2012, 07:45 am
35
I agree. Definately feel we need a 5-2 bench split
11 Sep 2012, 07:50 am
Sorry man.
Downsizing is a ************.
11 Sep 2012, 08:13 am
@Te Rangatira-38: you’re being delusional now…he had a mare for sure but nothing that we haven’t seen before i’n sure heyneke will coach him back to form that’s what he does!
11 Sep 2012, 08:16 am
I can’t believe this.
You are writing yourselves off & talking about damage minisation!?!?
This is c rap.
2 sides will take the field, with 44 guys trying their hardesdt to win. I hope I never see a boks side trying to keep the score down.
I remember what Januarie did to us in 08 down here. It was heartbreaking.
We have pups at 4 & 5, 9 & 10 & a rookie winger (Savea).
If the boks stop kicking the ball to Jane etc & play to their strengths, forward continuity play & big midfield, they will go close or win. If they kick mindlessly & are beaten before the kickoff, look for a hiding.
11 Sep 2012, 08:23 am
@Transformation-42:
OK, I’m probably being a bit tough on the guy… anyways the only delusional idea is Heyneke coaching him back to form.
11 Sep 2012, 08:24 am
@NZINCHINA-8: You to ol!
Did nZ just throw Cruden in??? No
Did they do the same with Carter??? No
So why should we sacrifice our own. There’s a right and a wrong way to introduce talent.
PdV didn’t get it right but neither is HM, esp. If he starts with Goosen, the kid just came back from injury dammit
How good do you think Duane would’ve looked if he only played 10 minutes instead of 70??
11 Sep 2012, 08:25 am
I see Heyneke has called out 2 occasions where the Boks should have scored, one with F Steyn and the other with Mvovo. No mention of the 2 tries M Steyn butchered though.
FROM RUGBY 365.
“Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer says he will largely stick with the side that lost to Australia for Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks.
After tweaking his side for the Test in Perth, the Springbok mentor said that continuity would be key this week as they prepare for the daunting challenge of facing the unbeaten All Blacks on home soil.
Meyer said that despite going down 26-19 to the Wallabies last weekend, the chances his charges created was promising and demanded for faith to be put in the selected players.
“I can tell you now the team won’t change that much,” Meyer said at a media conference in Auckland on Monday.
“If you really look at the video and take the emotion out we had three or four chances where we could have scored.
“We had a three on one that we skipped away and we had one with Lwazi [Mvovo] where we had a two on one where we ran out of space where we just should have straightened.
“That’s the things we need to work on. We create enough opportunities but we don’t finish those. All credit to Australia as well, their scrum defence was awesome.
“So it’s more a question of coaching those guys and put them in situations to create the right outcome. You only get that by coaching, not just by selecting a different team for every single game.”
Meyer added that they would stick with their much-maligned tactical-kicking game that served them well for the first 60 minutes of the match against Australia.
“You need to create opportunities against New Zealand but you’re not going to outplay them at their own game in New Zealand,” said Meyer.
“You have to be clever, you have to be tactically astute and then obviously take every single chance you have and be very disciplined.”
11 Sep 2012, 08:25 am
JON CARDINELLI says that a Bok team should give up on winning plus
excuse ,excuse excuse for Heyneke where were all these excuses with the previous coach? I’m sorry Jon your a hypocrite
11 Sep 2012, 08:26 am
@Transformation-42:
sjoe transie, i dunno hey. that was really, really bad. just as bad was his running away from alexander when he scored in the corner.
think two test lubbe.
i would drop immediately and leave it to the union coaches to rehabilitate him.
11 Sep 2012, 08:29 am
@Te Rangatira-29: THAT, IMHO, is more than a bit harsh!
Sure the player made a mistake but to write him off as a test player is going overboard!
This is why we keep saying don’t start Goosen as we SAFFA’s are too fickle.
2 weeks ago we were all clamouring for Mvovo to replace Habana and after 1 mistake he’s not good enough for test rugby???
You’ve just proven we don’t have the patience for newbies to start test games!
11 Sep 2012, 08:30 am
@PissAnt-26: JC is a confused individual – so Lambie was brilliant in a 40-7 drubbing playing behind an inexperienced pack and should start again this weekend behind another inexperienced pack because he did so well last year starting. Madness I tell you.
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