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.
Follow JC on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter
229 Comments
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 » Show All
11 Sep 2012, 08:32 am
@John Galt-46: HM is just full of excuses and looks for any scapegoat that is non-bulls related!
11 Sep 2012, 08:38 am
@papaown-49:
I wasn’t clamouring for Habana to be replaced by Mvovo. Why is Mvovo in the team, what does he actually do? He made more than one mistake,he made three that I remember that were very costly. Yes I was harsh to say get rid of him,what I should of said is don’t play him.
11 Sep 2012, 08:47 am
@Te Rangatira-52: Willie le Roux is streets ahead of the average Mvovo who is lacking in basic skill and talent. Don’t know why Heineken bothers with him and it aint like he is some spring chicken either- at 28 years of age (actual not what is EC birth certificate says) he is just standing in the way of more talented players.
11 Sep 2012, 08:49 am
Hey. I wouldn’t drop Mvovo just yet. He learned a lot from his mistakes… unfortunately it cost us.
Steyn shouldn’t have been selected for any tests this season. We all knew it. His dip was very obvious since the season started. But… he doesn’t choose himself.
I do agree Goosen shouldn’t start because of his lack of game time after the injury. But bring him on after 30 minutes. You can’t expect the kid to save the game in 10 minutes.
Only 2 people are to blame. Meyer and JdV. There’s a reason JdV never stepped up as a leader in the past 8 years. He just do not have the authority type of personality. If you go and watch the game you’ll notice that Strauss made most of the defensive calls. Unfortunately he had to yell at certain players to get their attention and was obviously being ignored by a few. Not gonna mention names.
In other words, either give Strauss the authority position up front, or assign a captain that’s not on the other side of the field… and who can actually lead by example.
11 Sep 2012, 08:55 am
@RL-53:
Heres me thinking he was a youngster….you would know what rugby talent is on offer in Sa and after watching my first Currie Cup game of the year Blue Bulls v WP, I was impressed by JP DuPlessis in the centres who looks the goods, great footwork and fend, a bolter in my humble opinion.
11 Sep 2012, 08:57 am
@RL-53: When I think Willie le Roux I think him imitating a stop sign as Bjorn Basson skins him for pace…
11 Sep 2012, 08:59 am
@Bouts-54: The 1st person here to talk some sense.
I remember when jantjies had a blinder in his 1st season and Mitchell pleaded saying it was too early to introduce him@test level and I agreed.
Jantjies and Lambie would manage far better mentally against the All Blacks if they started@10 cos no matter who plays, we are gonna lose!
HM loves to talk about mental TOUGHness, here we have 2 flyhalves that are seasoned campaigners are tough enough to play in a losing cause and not be mentally scarred from it
11 Sep 2012, 09:00 am
@Bouts-54: yeah it was Strauss leading the pack doing most of the talking but one or two fat varkies were not listening. He was trying his best to rally the troops but like you said lacked authority.
Said the same thing the captain has to be a forward.
11 Sep 2012, 09:00 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-48: how does this work? mvovo is one of the form wings in super rugby scoring 8 tries this season, he has a one nightmare and he must be dropped but msteyn has a an entire S.HIT super rugby season but he must be coached at the Boks playing week-in week-out.
nonsense man!
11 Sep 2012, 09:07 am
Mvovos defense was an issue in last years tri nations too.
11 Sep 2012, 09:07 am
@Te Rangatira-55: I think that JP was with the Rebels two seasons ago – will have to wait for JDV to retire before he gets a run for the Stormers
@Taahirah-56: never the skinny Basson is usually a speed bump for other players.
11 Sep 2012, 09:11 am
starting goosen would be a mistake – unless it is done with no pressure.
just think… gaffie du toit… a talent wasted.
11 Sep 2012, 09:12 am
@RL-61: Yip. Possibly the weakest defender out wide since Breytie.
But he made Willie his ******.
11 Sep 2012, 09:13 am
@Transformation-59: Its complete BS.
Is it because Mvovo is not a Bull or??
Such double standards.
Drop him for sure but to say he should never don a Springbok jersey again is completely uncalled for!
11 Sep 2012, 09:14 am
@papaown-57: Jantjies has the better mental toughness of the two – from playing brilliantly in a losing team for years. Will fit right into Heineken’s team.
11 Sep 2012, 09:14 am
@Taahirah-63: ***** = bi-atch
11 Sep 2012, 09:16 am
@RL-65: I’ve said before..I’ve lost all trust in HM and don’t believe a word he says
He gave some feeble excuse for why he didn’t give jantjies his 1st cap, then brought Goosen on with 10 minutes to go.
I find myself in an indefensible position esp. With my black colleagues!
11 Sep 2012, 09:19 am
Kick kick kick – they will get hammered this time if it’s more if tge same – badly hammered.
Only thing is vermeulen has already made a massive difference and will be 50% better next game. If Louw and Goosen are brought in there might be a shout – the injury to jannie dup might also be a blessing in disguise. I think the injury problems are not worsening the situation (apart from Bismarck) they are improving it.
1. Beast 2. Liebenberg 3. CJ 4. Alberts 5. Kruger 6. Louw 7. Coetzee 8. Vermeulen
9. Hougaard 10. Goosen 15 Lambie
won’t happen
he’s going
beast Strauss Kruger flip Kruger Coetzee alberts vermeulen
pienaar steyn
and the tactic will be to kick and pressurise with defense.
11 Sep 2012, 09:21 am
@munkiboi-62: oh monkei there you go again boi – I will let Xhosaman educate you and rid you of your ignorance.
And I quote …
153.XhosaKid:
10 Sep 2012, 14:21 pm @RL-132: I was once took time to kill the ” Gaffie conspiracy”. It doesn’t not exist!!!!, its a myth!!!!, by the time Gaffie was chucked in against the All Blacks, its was a year later after his Springbok debut against Ireland in the incoming tours, had another CC, toured UK, had Super 12 season, Currie Cup, Italy incoming tour, Wales incoming tour, THEN, the Tri-Nations, clearly it had nothing to do with experience but rather temperament or lack thereof
11 Sep 2012, 09:21 am
@papaown-67:
Are you a chick?
11 Sep 2012, 09:22 am
Is Messiah Meyer A Modern Day Moses
In 2007 Messiah Meyer led his people to the promised land of Super Rugby Glory. Messiah Meyer parted the seas by kicking it open and his peoples crossed over to the promised land. The peoples were so happy they even danced on the crossbars on the other side. This pathway was engraved onto stone tablet to be stored at Bulletjie HQ. Hallelujah, the pathway to salvation is known end forever engrained in stone!
In 2012 the Messiah is summoned again.The people must be led. Let us once again kick the seas open and lead the nation to salvation. Go fetch the stone tablet at Bulletjie HQ. Call upon the Messiah’s friends and followers to help.
The Messiah stands at the shores of the sea, stone tablet of kicking in hand, trying to part the seas once again. Alas, this time with no success. What do to, what do. Summons Bakkies, drop Jantjies, drop Juandre, pick Juandre, pick Potgieter, drop Potgieter, summons Daniels, drop Daniels, sms Tromp, turn around, touch your nose, blink twice and raise your hands in the air. Somehow it must and will work. The followers must just learn to follow the stone tablet of salvation. Sigh, and it so it goes.
(Of course, just to Messiah’s left, in full view are the AB’s are crossing the ocean in motorised boats)
11 Sep 2012, 09:23 am
@RL-61: you talk about basson being a speed bump le roux is not great tackler either
mvovo is 26 le roux is 23, mvovo’s already a bok….
11 Sep 2012, 09:24 am
I have watched the game again….and here are some remarks I feel must be made again
1. Krusty, niks naks, bozo what ever you want to call him kirchner must go. A few good kicks means nothing if you are no threat anywhere else. He missed crucial tackles. The first try he just hanged around. either commit to the sweeping of the back of the line or commit to take on the first guy ……he was also 4 or five times simply driven from the ball. I think Aplon would have given more resistance to the counter ruck from the aussies than krusty…..he goes over the ruck but then simply gets cleaned out with no intention of even trying to take the brunt and fight against the counter ruck.
2. Ruan Pienaar is either dum as sh.it or coached to waekness……every ruck he stood behind it waiting for forwards to re-treintjie to drive it up. This is obviously the pln but twice their was space around the ruck where he could have exploited it and make meters, instead he passed to the “treinjie” that got derailed so fast it went back in time!
3. Morne missed, cried and disappeared like casper from the contact situation every time the heat was on….yes he made some cover tackles but mostly after the contact was made…..Casper….that is your new name!
4. JDV ran off the field at half time faster than any run he made on the field. Was he anxious to hear what mense mens HM had to say? He is no asset to the team in any way! We need some spark and new life in back line! And if FS passed instead of kicked into Cooper we could just have made some points.
Very average and most of this is game plan driven….not EXECUTION of the game plan!!!!!!
11 Sep 2012, 09:24 am
lol – motorised boats
11 Sep 2012, 09:25 am
@Transformation-72:
RedPussy says Gogo is 28?
What is going on at home affairs?
11 Sep 2012, 09:31 am
@Transformation-72: come now Transformer – you know that 2 years must be added to rugby players coming from the Transkei.
KZN school scandal ring a bell?
11 Sep 2012, 09:33 am
@capetown-71: HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
funny stuff!
11 Sep 2012, 09:34 am
i have faith in the boks.
in fact the boks are the Chuck norris of rugby.
they are busy swimming across the tasman to nz as we speak.
11 Sep 2012, 09:37 am
@RL-76: excuse me, where did it say those players are from the Transkei
misinformed much?
in anycase SARU did an audit all around the country and caught a lot of age cheats and some were from Paarl, Natal Midlands etc and weren’t black…
i guess all Grey College boys should be tested for juice since johan goosen was caught and sentenced on the goo! ne?
11 Sep 2012, 09:38 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-78:
Fark if we win on Saturday I’ll open that bottle of Late Harvest.
11 Sep 2012, 09:45 am
@Transformation-59:
transie, edrich lubbe scored 719 points in 114 games for griquas.
he has the record for most conversions kicked (133) between 95 and 01 as well the record most penalties taken (91), during the same period.
he had a distinguished career at griekwas and in cc rugby.
one show of cowardice and failure of fear was all it took in a bok jersey.
‘two test lubbe’
the rest as they say is history.
i feel mvovo has done a lubbe on himself and the selectors. he must never play again until perhaps redeemed in super rugby. but age is not on his side.
11 Sep 2012, 09:45 am
@capetown-71:
11 Sep 2012, 09:47 am
@Transformation-79:
I see the Kings have signed Sykes for next season.
That is a great signing for them. Will definitely make them more competitive if they sign a few more like him.
11 Sep 2012, 09:48 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-81:
Harsh.
Considering M Steyn has been Lubbering the **** out of himself for 2 seasons now.
11 Sep 2012, 09:49 am
@Jeraldjay-80:
There is an incentive if ever there was one.
11 Sep 2012, 09:52 am
@Transformation-79:
Transie. I watched the Kings/ Border game.
I see when the Kings saw their was no way through the Border defense they opted for stampkar attack using their forwards.
Jacques Potgieter would have fit into that gameplan seamlessly
11 Sep 2012, 09:55 am
I can see NZ repeating the errors made in the first half against Argentina, attack at every chance, even when it is the half wits option.
This is Foster’s mantra.
11 Sep 2012, 09:56 am
Some questions imo of importance is:
How will HM fix the problems AFTER this tournament? He’s not going to and cant afford to make too many changes. And at this moment seems to hardheaded to change his belief in a ineffective game plan and flyhalf, to name a few problems.
For the EOTYT: Will he drop a bunch of players and bring in guys he hopes will get the ‘game plan’ to work and win games?
Or will he change his belief in his game plan and listen to the criticism and allow change?
IF he does, does he have the staff to help him evolve and adopt a better approach?
Is Loubscher the best attacking coach?
Does Rassie have a say in tactics?
All these questions wont be answered now, he’s too deep in the **** he caused and cant back out now, its too late… But a new approach can be implemented at the end of the year.
imo
11 Sep 2012, 09:56 am
@John Galt-84:
not quite the same to compare.
morne is a capable kicker and ball player who shown his credentials when it mattered but has gone through periods of indifferent form.
has he ever showed cowardice and fear on the biggest stage?
the answer is no
he may have been outplayed by a better opponent or because of poor form but he has never been afraid to catch a ball when he is the only player around who can catch it or ran away from a prop barrelling towards his corner of the tryline.
11 Sep 2012, 09:56 am
@Jeraldjay-86: it’s called being adaptable jerry, all good teams know it
all blacks were suckered by the argies into going wide early and pushing offloads only to be smashed back and frustrated…they adapted and played stampkar around the fringes, picking and driving until the argies relented…
it’s called being dynamic.
11 Sep 2012, 09:57 am
For me Meyer’s problem is not that there is so much injured players , in Matfields and Botha’s case he knew that they were basically not available anyways. SA had the most teams in the S15 knock outs stages and the one team the Stormers ended up in first place on the log.
He had more than enough capable players to chose. Why was players like Keegan ignored ? What about Lambie , De Jongh , Aplon ? One cannot talk about experience and then pick a greenie like JJ ahead of Aplon.
Why was players like Potgieter picked ahead of say Daniels or Kolisi ? Why stick with Steyn when everyone in the country except maybe Pretoria can see he is out of form and also even when in form he is not the way forward ? Why continue with a guy like Zane when its obvious that he is at best Super 15 level ? Its not like we dont have other options. Why play JDV at 13 when he is best suited at 12 and adds zero to the outside position ? As a matter of fact , I would play either Steyn at Fullback and Jean and Juan at centre. Or Lambie at Fullback. What about a guy like Janjies ? He has proven himself over and over and at the very least he is certainly better than Steyn or at least a more accurate kicker currently.
When Peter De Villiers became coach he actually had a similar problem with Smit and Matfield leaving SA shores. He then got these guys back.
11 Sep 2012, 09:58 am
*are
11 Sep 2012, 09:59 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-81: bullshit!
morne should be nowhere near a bok jersey if this is the case, he was kak in tri-nations last year, kak in super rugby, kak in the english series, kak in rugby championship and still sycophants like you say he must be given more chances!
11 Sep 2012, 09:59 am
15 Pat Lambie
14 De Villiers
13 Juan De Jongh
12 Francois Steyn
11 Bryan Habana
10 Johan Goosen
9 Francois Hougaard
8 Duane Vermeulen
7 Marcell Coetzee
6 Francois Louw
5 Andries Bekker
4 Willem Alberts
3 Pat Cilliers
2 Tiaan Liebenberg
1 Tendai Mtawarira
16 Craig Burden
17 Dean Greyling (no other option)
18 Juandre Kruger
19 Bakkies Botha
20 Ruan Pienaar
21 Zane Kircher (no option)
22 Lwazi Mvovo
11 Sep 2012, 10:01 am
@sparticus-91: Sorry just to add , I actually feel our best centre combo is Steyn and De Jongh
11 Sep 2012, 10:02 am
@Transformation-90:
Alan Solomons…….
An unassuming guy that will take the Boks to another level.
Most people credit Mallet for the 18 games in row, but Solly was the brains behind those victories.
11 Sep 2012, 10:04 am
true reflection of how dire the situation is.
this is the team heyneke would probably select if he could.
1)guthro – not available
2)bismark – injured
3)jannie – now injured
4) etzebeth – suspended
5) bekker – out of form
6) schalk- injured
7) juan – injured
8)spies – injured
9) du preez- not available
10) steyn – out of form
11) habana – ok
12) jdv – out of position
13) jaques f – not available
14) jp – injured
15) frans – out of position but ok
16) strauss – ok
17) coenie – injured
18) willem – ok
19) vermeulen – ok
20) hougaard – ok
21) goosen – ok
22) lambie – ok
11 Sep 2012, 10:06 am
@Transformation-93:
i am not saying that at all.
in morne’s case its a question of ‘well who do we replace him with?’
see… not so easy is it…
clearly meyer wants to start grooming goosen even earlier than expected because he too understands the effect morne form has on the boks success.
if anything sa is far more the team with ‘the flyhalf show’ than nz is with the ‘dan carter show’. if our kicker is poor we lose, end off. just look at the points morne left on the table against oz on saturday or the points against england and arg for that matter.
our 9 is our playmaker/director.
our 10 is our play winner.
11 Sep 2012, 10:08 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-89:
Absolute bullshite.
He is hesitant when going in for the tackle and when attacking the line. Always has been.
And quit trying to paint Mvovo as a coward, that was more of a misunderstanding with the guy next to him than Mvovo being fearful.
He actually has huge ballas under the high ball. Go check that clip of him against Masaga from this years S15 and countless others.
11 Sep 2012, 10:09 am
@kingrichard-97: why is guthro not available if bakkies can be summoned just like that?
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.