Meyer defiant on Morné
12 Sep 2012
Morne Steyn will start at flyhalf against the All Blacks in Dunedin.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has selected Steyn and made just two changes to the side beaten by Australia in Perth.
Francois Louw starts in the specialist openside role, with Marcell Coetzee among the substitutes.
‘The New Zealanders are good on the ground which is why we decided to go for a specialist openside flank in Francois,’ said Meyer. ‘Marcell has been very good this season and has played a lot of rugby, but in this match we feel he will be more useful as an impact option.’
Meanwhile, Flip van der Merwe starts at lock, Andries Bekker is recalled to the match 22 and tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis has been declared fit. Toulon-based lock Bakkies Botha won’t be involved and the issue with Botha is believed to be medical insurance – a similar situation which hampered Fourie du Preez’s return to Test rugby this season.
Johan Goosen is again among the substitutes and there’s a match squad call-up for Juan de Jongh and Dean Greyling.
Steyn kicked all 18 points in the Boks’ 18-5 win against the All Blacks in Port Elizabeth a year ago and holds the record of most points against the All Blacks when he scored all 31 points in the Boks’ win in Bloemfontein in 2009.
However, the Boks, with Steyn at flyhalf, have not enjoyed the kind of success that warrants continued selection. Steyn has played flyhalf in the Boks’ last 30 Tests and have won just 16.
South Africa’s rivalry with New Zealand is considered the fiercest in the game, but the All Blacks have been dominant in the professional era. Pre-isolation the Boks held a 21-16 winning advantage, but since international readmission in 1992 the All Blacks have won 30 and the Boks just 13. One Test has been drawn, 18-18 in Auckland in 1994.
Springboks – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Dean Greyling, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Johan Goosen, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.
784 Comments
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12 Sep 2012, 09:13 am
@Jeraldjay-44: “I keep defend!ng HM hop!ng he’ll pull through but w!th th!s flyhalf select!on I’m afra!d I g!ve up.
Fark th!s oke man.”
this had me laughing so hard so early in the morning
12 Sep 2012, 09:14 am
I read in Die Burger recently that Meyer claims we kicked more than Aus did on Sat. It was a kick fest at times, but I’d like to double check that. I’d also like to get stats on where we kicked from, time of kicks etc. Anyone with a website suggestion??
12 Sep 2012, 09:14 am
We just don’t have the right gameplan for the players we have. Alberts is not a J Smith (sorry, but it is true, too inconsistant), Coetzee is not a Brussouw, we have no Busmarck, Pienaar/ Hougard aren’t even on the same planet as FDP and M Steyn is out of form. F Steyn is 5-10kgs overweight, JDV is not the same player he used to be and we have no JP. Also Etsebeth has much too learn about effective enforcing and clearing of rucks, The games when Bakkies was at his best, there was no getting easy ball from the boks without putting your body on the line.
The only player that is actually an improvement is Kruger (is in better form than Matfield was and if Kruger was 2.03 like Victor than he would have been the better player).
Beast has become a puppy, Jannie Dup has lost his edge.
Our greatest weapon, our pack/ loose trio are not performing, untill they do the backline and half back combo will not fire.
12 Sep 2012, 09:15 am
I really did not think, things with the Bok management could get any worse than PDV – But HM is trying his best to win that medal..
How things would have been different if they had gone with Mallet… HM has 1 game plan and you can see that by his decision to drop Daniels and now the best loosie for the BOKS last week has been put on the bench…would have has Alberts on the bench or put Coetzee at 8, as Vermulen is still carrying an injury. To be honest we need a huge hiding for something to click into HM brain of thought….
12 Sep 2012, 09:17 am
No big surprises except dropping Marcel to the bench is quite stupid. He is our best defender. Last week Vermeulen and Alberts were slipping tackles. Now we leave out our best defender against the All Blacks, don’t think that is smart. I know we need Flo for this game, but think we should have moved Marcel to 7.
So if any of the wings pick up a injury think Jean will move over there and JdJ will come on at 13.
12 Sep 2012, 09:19 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-82: I’m with you there. I knew Meyer will never let Morne go.
12 Sep 2012, 09:20 am
@rabooby-104: Exactly. Not only has Marcel been our best loosie he is our best defender out of any of the players. Now Meyer drops our best defender to the bench against the ABs. I am almost lost for words. Defence cost us last week and now we playing the best team in the world and we drop our best defender. Brainless.
12 Sep 2012, 09:20 am
ricardo loubscher is justifiably doing nothing in that camp if meyer thinks like this “Let me put it into perspective … it’s all about defence. I know people want you to get the ball at the back and run through teams, but that will usually work in the movies, it doesn’t work at this level any more,”
so why should loubscher teach the backline to be incisive, unpredictable and run set moves and confuse the opposition when what it ALL of that only works in the movies?
guys like john kirwan, campese, hawies fourie, wayne smith, daryl gibson, alan zondagh, tim horan, carel du plessis, danie gerber must be scratching their heads when they hear comments like this…
12 Sep 2012, 09:20 am
The Bok game plan. Flat footed, deep, poor attack, M. Steyn gets ball, kicks. Opposition returns kick, kirchner gets, no counter attack, and kicks straight back to opposition, opposition returns with counter attack, M. Steyn misses first tackle, (becuase he cant tackle), rest of defence breaks down, and opposition scores.
Next play…Repeat. Kick, kick, miss tackles, opposition scores.
No Structure….
12 Sep 2012, 09:21 am
@Puma-105: Now we have two unfit players in the trio (Louw did not look too flash in his 24 minutes = managed 1 tackle according to Verusco), and one out of form (Alberts).
AB trio will slaughter us.
12 Sep 2012, 09:21 am
I might even think that the Sharks hopeless (because they never stood any chance of actually winning the final) Super rugby final chase may well be the reason we are short a proper hooker, props and loosies. Would our top forwards not be playing better had they not had to play those three hell games in the playoffs?
I think Beast, JDP, Alberts, Coetzee and Busmarck needed more rest. But too late for that.
12 Sep 2012, 09:22 am
Well fark me…….
We keep the tossbag dysfunctional kicking metronome in the side at 10……and we drop the best performing loose forward to the bench…..??????? To add insult to injury…..we now have the utterly useless Liebenberg, De Jongh and Greyling on the bench!!
I have to say it……HM has now revealed that he is a plank of note and dumber than a box of rocks!!
This fool is now showing that he is completely out of his depth in international rugby. Just as Wynand Olivier could never step up…..I fear HM is in the same category. This team is going to get a pasting on Saturday….and this “horses for courses ****” should be translated into “only fools and horses”……
We have now gone into complete “laagered mentality” and are refusing to see the huge cracks and the water spewing from them while the dam wall is busy disintegrating above us. This fool is dragging us down into a wonderfully light blue myopic haze!!
I guess the blueprint is now finally cast in stone…..we are going to stamp out ANY and ALL creativity in our play…..and will remain one dimensional morons until the time comes for HM to leave Springbok rugby. Holy Toledo…..I was a major advocate in yelling for Divvy’s head….F3ck me…..but this dumbsh!t plank seems to be 3 times worse than Divvy!! Especially as he wont even recognize his own shortcomings????
We now have 8 out of the 22 that probably no other top 5 side in the world would include in their starting line-up!
1. Morne Steyn
2. Sideshow Bob
3. JdV
4. Francois Louw
5. Dean Greyling
6. Juan De Jongh
7. Tiaan Liebenberg
8. Flip vd Merwe
The more I watch this blue tinted donkey the more depressed I become….and the less interest I have in Springbok rugby!!
12 Sep 2012, 09:22 am
The [ probable ] reality is that HM is in charge for the next 4 years [ unless he has a heart attack or decides to fall on his sword ]…..
SARU would have been forced to give HM an iron clad contract with very little leeway to get rid of him…..
In ilght of that I pray he [ HM ] starts seeing the error of his selection and game plan ways and that he implements brave changes….
Perhaps on the home leg he may be inclined to be more bold…..
12 Sep 2012, 09:23 am
@rabooby-104: Coetzee would be a awesome 8. Just don’t count on Meyer ever seeing that. Have said it here this week and last week, my loose trio would be:
8. Marcel
7. Alberts
6. Flo
Leave Vermeulen on the bench. He is NOT match fit yet. Bring him on later for when Alberts goes off. Play Vermeulen at 7.
12 Sep 2012, 09:23 am
@Transformation-101: Hahahahahaha.
12 Sep 2012, 09:24 am
@Puma-105:
Not a bad looking Team Puma.
Not sure why Bekker is not starting. Other than that, a predictable lineup.
It is time to give Lambie his due, make him 15 or 10 and leave him there. All year.
12 Sep 2012, 09:25 am
@Puma-105: Agree with you Puma….
I also would have played either Duanne or Alberts from the bench and moved Marcelle to 7….
With Marcelle and F Louw we would have killed 2 birds with 1 stone…..a true breakdown exponent and a tackling machine….similar to the Brussow / Schalk Burger combo that showed real potential…
12 Sep 2012, 09:25 am
@Transformation-101:
Transie I’m always the glass half full guy. I try and remain positive in my thinking at all times.
I give everyone a chance to prove themselves especially if they have a history of success.
But this guy is frustrating man. His catching on kak for everyone to see.
I’d thought the conservative move would be to play Lambie and play Goosen off the bench.
The actual reason why he selected Morne for Saturday’s game…. is cause in his own mind he doesn’t want to lose by 30 and disgrace himself.
12 Sep 2012, 09:25 am
@Bokhoring-110: ABs gonna slaughter us for sure. Alberts and Vermeulen slipped tackles last week. Vermeulen also knocked a few on as well. Look I rate Vermeulen but he is just not match ready yet. He might be this week after one test game last week, but not that sure. Now we leave out our only loosie that is defending like a machine. Brainless I tell you. Bloody madness against the ABs. It was our defence that cost us last week.
12 Sep 2012, 09:26 am
It will be a fast game in perfect conditions – so let us…
Select Morné, who stands deep, rarely breaks the line (or a sweat), is not fast by any imaginable standard, and will kick every single ball straight to the very fast All Black back three…
Keep Frans Steyn, who is relatively ponderous, instead of De Jongh…
Convert Goosen, the best flyhalf for this surface and conditions, to a benchwarmer…
Drop Coetzee, the fastest of the three loose forwards…
Select the slow (in brain and brawn), card-attracting Flip vdM instead of the faster Andries Bekker…
Select Kirchener, instead of the more elusive and quick-footed Lambie…
Leave Aplon, who is a horse ultimately suited for this course, at home…
12 Sep 2012, 09:27 am
Morne Steyn is Bullet proof!
The 10 jersey is tatoed to his back.
Jake said a recently that the harder Heineke Meyer is pushed, the harder he will dig his heels in. The persistance with Morne is a great example of this, hate to admit.
12 Sep 2012, 09:28 am
@grant10-117: Exactly. Look I rate Vermeulen Grant, but he is not match fit and thrown in like that was not fair on him. He is tough so who knows after one test match he could be ready this week. I also like Vermeulen at 7. Think for the future think Marcel would be a awesome 8.
For this week we had to have Marcel start. He is our best defender out of the whole damn team and now he gets dropped to the bench. Mind just boggles with what Meyer is thinking.
12 Sep 2012, 09:30 am
Meyer said today he thought McCaw was probably the best player to ever play the game, is Meyer losing the plot?
12 Sep 2012, 09:31 am
Oh and for those of you thinking that surely injury is the only way to get Morne replaced. It won’t happen. You get injured when there is contact. Morne doesn’t look for contact. Morne tackles with arms pushed out in front of him, almost as though he is only pretending to tackle, and he doesn’t get tackled himself because he kicks the ball away so fast deep in the pocket, the opposition cannot touch him. The result is that he is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS FIT!
12 Sep 2012, 09:31 am
@rossoneri-121: Rossi,
Your first line.. BRILLIANT! Laughed out loud…………..hahaha.
12 Sep 2012, 09:32 am
boks to win the championship
the rest of you to go ***** yourselves
immediately thereafter
12 Sep 2012, 09:33 am
I think HM got the forwards mix right, or at least as right as he could given the players available.
I don’t think that the backline is anything special though, and will really struggle to contain the All blacks.
I do agree that this is not the time to change things though. Bringing in a guy like Goosen to start against the All Blacks in new Zealand would be a mistake IMO, akin to the great Gaffie debacle of years ago.
HM has a certain game plan in mind, and we haven’t seen out guys execute that properly yet. This is what they are focusing on at the moment, not wholesale changes (any more than he has to).
Don’t see us taking this one though.
12 Sep 2012, 09:34 am
Thats the spirit Houston, if you wait until Sunday you’ll get 100 to 1 odds on that.
12 Sep 2012, 09:35 am
@cane-116: Not bad looking team but we know the game plan. Morne should be dropped Cane. Lambie should have been given a chance against Arg in Mendoza. Just too talented to be sitting on the damn bench for almost 3 games. Has only had 10min. Goosen too a superb player. Hope they both get 20min in this game. And then hoping they can both play their natural game and not this kick kick game Meyer wants them to play. Otherwise it is not much good bringing those creative players on.
12 Sep 2012, 09:37 am
Only a matter of time before NZ coaches get involved in the Bokke setup, Sir Graham has transformed Argentina in a few weeks.
12 Sep 2012, 09:39 am
@Puma-125: You’re welcome.
12 Sep 2012, 09:39 am
@CT Shark-112: You are fooled my friend, JDJ is an excellent centre and Ican tell you now he would make the starting 15 for any nation bar the ABs.
12 Sep 2012, 09:40 am
What burns my butt is that SA has some brilliant creative players, with the talent to take on any one in the world. Our Super rugby coaches have managed to make the most of them. Then HM comes along and picks donkeys, making a laughing stock of Springbok rugby. The guy is clearly a clown, who shouldn’t be in the position he is in. At this stage I would rather see PDV there. Actually what the Boks need is a foreign coach. Iamgine what Graham Henry could do with the talent in SA and no provincial bias.
12 Sep 2012, 09:40 am
@stormersboy-127: I don’t think there’s a great deal wrong with the SA line-up, there have been worse Bok selections, it’s really the gameplan which is at issue.
George Clancy is refereeing, he’s not too bad but definitely a homer.
12 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
correct me if I am wrong but last time in dunedin the boks won.
they were given no price that day either.
what are the chances of lightning striking twice?
Our bench looks very dynamic this week will real impact potential.
If the boks can stay in touch, they will have a shot.
12 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
@stormersboy-127: Agree not to start with Goosen but give him more than 9min. He and Lambie can’t do much in 9min. Give them both 20min. Hell man, Lambie played fb in all the games at the wc except for the first game against Wales. He has done it on the highest stage, why the hell leave him out? WHY?
I don’t agree with the dropping of Coetzee bud, we lost the game last week from poor defence and he is our best defender and gets dropped to the bench.
Also read that the ABs will want to play a fast game. We kick our ball to them, we won’t see it again until we take the restart after they have scored a try.
12 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
@stormersboy-127:
Your a hell of lot more optimistic than me!
12 Sep 2012, 09:41 am
@rossoneri-131:
12 Sep 2012, 09:42 am
@NZINCHINA-130: No, we’re actually court-martialing some as we speak. Off with their heads.
12 Sep 2012, 09:43 am
@Transformation-108: hahahaha. Read that in the papers here yesterday. Yip not sure either.
12 Sep 2012, 09:44 am
@Puma-136: I hear you on Coetzee but the truth is that unless you play him at 8 he must compete with Alberts at 7.
I know the idea of playing Alberts at 4 is appealing to some but I think HM wants to keep as much consistency as possible and so Alberts stays at 7 and a specialist 4 is brought in.
Flo must be there, i do think that is important.
12 Sep 2012, 09:45 am
Can’t see the boks progressing with the current bok coaching staff. Deffence is down,general attack is down, goal kicking is down, forwards general play and scrummaging is down and backline play is down, decision making is down and leadership is down.
Only part of the game that seems to look ok is lineouts and tactical kicking.
HM is a fail. The players arn’t responding to his style of coaching or his gameplan. See this man loose his job by end of 2013 at the latest.
12 Sep 2012, 09:45 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-135: We don’t have Ricky…
That win came from a brilliant individual try from Ricky.
12 Sep 2012, 09:45 am
@Sharkie10-109: HEY! the wallabies kicked more than US!!!
12 Sep 2012, 09:46 am
against Aus, the forwards delivered enough abll, but the backs were hopeless. now they’re playing the ABs, with a pack that is no stronger. and they’ve got the same pedestrian backline.
Meyer clearly likes learning the hard way. and it is a big assumption that he’s actually learning.
12 Sep 2012, 09:46 am
Kat we did warn you about him and to think he was touted as a possible Bokke coach a few months back by plenty around these parts, the Bokke should headhunt Rennie he’ll coach the AB’s at some stage.
12 Sep 2012, 09:47 am
Changing three players in the Bok starting line-up will improve things by 20%, which is more than enough.
1. We need a proper, bad-*** tighhthead.
2. Elton Jantjes needs to replace Morne
3. Taute (or even Lambie or Coetzee) needs to replace Zane.
That’s all we need to do for now. Obviously we’ll benefit even more when some of our loosies like Schalk and Kanko are available again, but for now those three changes will make a world of difference.
12 Sep 2012, 09:47 am
Wheres HM’s groupie – Tac – to come and explain HM’s cunning plan?
No-one else can understand it.
I feel sorry for Morne though, he will play every time he’s picked. Its up to the coach to manage him properly.
12 Sep 2012, 09:48 am
HM – has a chance this year to move the team and selections. As we dont expect much as we are going through a transformation period. But he still refuses to change his game plan. move or get rid of his FAV players.. I think F Steyn could make a good 8, but who knows HM wont have the balls to try him there…
12 Sep 2012, 09:50 am
@pokkel-137: Actually probably not. Please don’t take my post as optimistic, rather realistic.
We will lose this weekend, almost sure of it. I’m think more of damage control at the moment. We have the best chance with the current team IMO.
I bet against the Boks last weekend on the ‘bru, as much as it pained me to do so, and will do so again this weekend.
Morne must go, that seems clear but we don’t want to throw a new guy to the wolves in doing so.
Our scrumhalf plight is worse than people think. I have long been critical of Ruan at 9 (I believe he’s a better 10 and should have grown his skills there more). I know that he was Irish player of the year blah blah blah but the fact remains that he slows the game down to a point that almost every ruck ball becomes a first phase move rather than a speedy attacking sequence. It drives me flipping insane. The thing is, he’s been doing it for years now, this is nothing new. For me he’d be a utility bench player at best. Allowing a 5-2 split.
Frankie Steyn is also on thin ice IMO. He needs to sharpen up or ship out.
FIFO as we would say in the industry.
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