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, 12:51 pm
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by Jason Humphries 12 September 2012, 11:24
The general consensus in New Zealand seems to be that the pressure is off South Africa and that they have nothing to lose when they play the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday but Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said that there was always pressure in a test match, regardless of the situation.
New Zealand are unbeaten in this year’s Rugby Championship with two impressive wins over Australia and a hard-fought 21-5 victory over Argentina last weekend.
Conversely South Africa have won just one match and are coming off a draw against Argentina and a loss to Australia and Meyer said while it was great to be regarded as the underdogs for Saturday’s match it did not make the Springboks’ task any easier.
“It’s always nice if the pressure is off, but I would be very naive if I had to feel that!” he quipped at a news conference in Auckland on Wednesday.
“Being the Springbok coach, the pressure is always on. I am used to it in my career – I have always been written off, and my teams have always been written off. So, for me, it’s all the same.
“But a team usually plays when people write the team off. We haven’t had a good record in New Zealand even with experienced teams, so it can be a win-win for us. I have a lot of respect for the All Blacks, but if you don’t believe that you have a chance to win, then you will never win. So, obviously it’s never great if people write us off, but you need some sort of luck and need to play well. I still believe that we can win this game,” he added.
Meyer explained that he thought that New Zealand had earned the right to be regarded as the best team in the world but the only way for his relatively inexperienced team to get better was to test themselves against the world’s best.
“In this competition, the All Blacks are way ahead I believe – if you look at their team, they are well balanced and have a lot of experience. I have a biggest respect for a guy like Richie McCaw. I think he is probably the best player that’s ever played rugby. He is a leader from the front, so it is an unbelievable team at this stage.
“But…every game has its own personality, and there are always one or two big moments that can change the game. It’s a huge difference playing the All Blacks in South Africa compared to here, as we don’t have a good record in New Zealand. You have to be tactically astute, 100 per cent disciplined and you need some luck.
“The guys know that they have beaten them at home, but away from home, with all the other results, there was some sort of luck – a lucky bounce, a few long-distance penalties. There isn’t a big difference between the top three teams in the world, but the All Blacks are still away ahead,” he said.
Meyer explained that if South Africa wanted to beat New Zealand on Saturday the players would not only have to show a lot of skill they would also have to display a lot of BMT.
“Mental toughness is non-negotiable, so that is why I don’t want any excuses. You must just deal with anything. I’ve said to the players in language that they understand that after these two tests, I will know exactly with which guys I will go forward with. Winning the home tests will be a big focus, but you can see on tour who can handle the pressure every week,” he explained
12 Sep 2012, 12:53 pm
Sing Hallelujah
12 Sep 2012, 12:55 pm
@grant10-301: Hmmm maybe the way HM handles the pressure in the coaching box?
12 Sep 2012, 12:55 pm
@grant10-291:
The Cape based franchise has a distinct advantage – they can include a 2 year hair cut benefit as part of the package
By being in the Cape, Jantjies will know that the one thing he need not worry about is his hairstyle which he nurtures quite carefully on a weekly basis
Every week the basics are the same, but I’ve noticed a few details changed from time to time. The only caucasian male that may also notice that in SA is katman.
Elton’s hairstyle resonates quite strongly with katman…
12 Sep 2012, 12:56 pm
See last comment by HM on post 301…..
Fear based motivation……
I dont like that…..at all…
12 Sep 2012, 12:58 pm
@STBUR-278: I think that possibly it’s not so much the archaic game plan but the way in which it’s carried out which maddens us even more…..
Kick ‘n chase is only as effective if it’s carried out correctly…..ie: the kick needs to land in a specific spot with enough chasers to put pressure on the catcher to make mistakes or get caught in possession way behind the gainline……THEN it’s effective.
We’ve all found out that Morne Steyn is NOT as effective kicking out of hand and his execution of his kicks comes across as aimless and erratic.
For some or other reason our chasers seem lethargic and uninterested…..perhaps because none of them actually believe in the game plan….who knows? But to have a single person chasing a poorly executed kick makes us look like rubbish and so far we’ve done this over and over ad nauseam!
I suspect that the reason Goosen and Lambie are not forming part of the Boks is that Meyer & Co. do not have the nous to be able to develop a game plan to utilize these youngsters properly. These are two players that like to attack the goal line, put players into gaps and make running meters against the opposition. This is totally alien to Meyer…..
Also – we have a 4th rate backline coach in the shape or Ricardo Loubser…..what on EARTH could this moron possibly coach into these guys? Absolutely nothing!
So…….we have a dated game plan, a head coach that’s terrified of changing it and keeps making strange selections….all backed up by a 3rd rate coaching staff.
Only in Africa…..only in Africa……
12 Sep 2012, 12:59 pm
@Sheriff-304: That Jantjes is 1 class act….man I would be thrilled if hecomes to CT….so sick of being the pretenders….he may just be the missing part of the Stormers jigsaw puzzle…
12 Sep 2012, 12:59 pm
@grant10-292: Boks need to watch the counter attackers like Jane, Dagg – they know what the centres have got, and if JdV on song – he is due a good game, he owes himself and the Boks a good one – then he and Frans Steyn can contain their centres…
Pienaar, might be many things including soft upstairs sometimes, but fark me if he isn’t a miles better 9 than the Podgy in Black…
Just Morne against Cruden – he is going to have to play the game of his life…
Forwards – Flo going to have to be a one man army on the ground, and Alberts, Beast, Jannie better wake up from their 3 game slumber now.
They do that and we achieve some lineout parity, hold within a score going into the last quarter, and after bringing on the young tyros at the end to absolutely GO for BROKE… We can take these farkers….
One things for sure: Whatever teams the Boks play against – there are two that they are guaranteed to come out rabid – England and AB’s
Jeez wouldn’t it be funny if this Bok ragtag A/B/C team with a coach under pressure (own fault) beat the “World Champs” in their own back yard…?
I actually am beginning to reckon so.
12 Sep 2012, 13:00 pm
@grant10-291: WP need him more with Grant in and out the country and Lambie being given the 10 jersey at the sharks from now on
12 Sep 2012, 13:01 pm
Agh….sorry….. two players that like to attack the “GAIN” line……. lol
12 Sep 2012, 13:01 pm
I cannot watch another game with these two at 10 and 15. Painful. To 10′s defense though, why pass to 2 centres that runs the 100m in 20 secs? Respective times that is.
12 Sep 2012, 13:02 pm
I hope the All Blacks put us to the sword. Anything less, a narrow win or a tight defeat and Meyer wont consider changing his approach. Honestly, we’ve got far more to gain long term if we’re properly exposed on Saturday.
12 Sep 2012, 13:02 pm
@grant10-307: Mate your missing piece is an attack coach…..
You can have all the most wonderful backline players you want…..but if you still have that donkey Fleck coaching them they’re still not going to perform……
12 Sep 2012, 13:02 pm
@grant10-307:
No doubt he is the missing piece
He is the missing piece in Mr Meyer’s team: daai klong issie beste flyhalf innie land ou pel
12 Sep 2012, 13:02 pm
@CT Shark-306: I have always maintained that M Steyns tactical kicking excellence is a myth…..
He actually is pretty average …..at everything…..
but deemed good enough to keep the 3 young guns, who all offer so much more, either out the squad or on the bench…..
Despite all the draws and loss……and being a damn side worse than average for 2 years…..
mind blowing
12 Sep 2012, 13:03 pm
@Heavens Game-308: Everybody keeps talking about the counter attacking prowess of Dagg and Jane……..did we all forget about Julian Savea?
Egads…..he’s a harder runner than both of them and more difficult to bring down….
12 Sep 2012, 13:05 pm
@Heavens Game-308:
JDV has to make this test count or leave the bus permanently.
MS is forever in HM debt…..
Mindset is going to be crucial…..
and make the changes at 50 minute mark……give the benchers a real chance to influence the game…..
12 Sep 2012, 13:06 pm
“Mental toughness is non-negotiable, so that is why I don’t want any excuses. You must just deal with anything. I’ve said to the players in language that they understand that after these two tests, I will know exactly with which guys I will go forward with. Winning the home tests will be a big focus, but you can see on tour who can handle the pressure every week,” he explained
What BS. If the team fails there are a lot more problems that needs criticism than mental toughness! Like crrap coaching= selections, tactics etc etc !
12 Sep 2012, 13:07 pm
@grant10-307: According to the generally reliable Brenden Nel of Supersport, Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies has been offered a spot in the Sharks’ Super Rugby squad for next year, although a deal from the Stormers is understood to be on the table as well.
Jantjies has been seen in both Durban and Cape Town in recent weeks, prompting speculation about his future after it was revealed a clause in his contract with the Lions will allow him to play Super Rugby elsewhere next year.
12 Sep 2012, 13:07 pm
@grant10-315: Morne Steyn was protected by the presence of Fourie du Preez…..HIS was the excellent tactical kicking boot that was deployed.
Somehow over the years everyone came to think it was Morne…..and now that Fourie has left…..Morne has been exposed for the mediocre puppet that he is. Without FdP pulling the strings….Morne has had to think for himself…..and he’s proved that he was nothing more than a goal kicker…..while FdP was the brains behind that Bulls backline that racked up 3 Super Trophies…..and a bunch of Bok victories…..
12 Sep 2012, 13:08 pm
If they loose will the players start believing that they just dont have the mental toughness??? That mindset can only damage a players’ confidence in the longrun !
12 Sep 2012, 13:08 pm
@CT Shark-316: Savea a strike runner par excellence but not a counter attacking spark like Dagg and Jane…
12 Sep 2012, 13:09 pm
@Sheriff-314: Watching that Jantjes doing a Samba in the Bull Kraal was a delight…..I was glued to that game…..he provided more skills in 80 minutes than MS will ever do in his career….I was bloody enthralled….
we have the talent….
But also the fear….and the fear stops us…..
12 Sep 2012, 13:09 pm
@Transformation-319: Damn…..not sure if I want Jantjies in Durban…..means Lambie will move permanently fullback…..and I think he’s a better flyhalf…..
12 Sep 2012, 13:09 pm
@Spiesisworthless1-312:
Is Dan Kara playing this Saturday?
If available but not selected as part of the run on team then it only means that the ABs simply don’t rate the Boks or differently stated: they know for sure that they will win
It would not be unreasonable to say: why should they?
12 Sep 2012, 13:10 pm
@Heavens Game-322: Ahhh…see your point…..Savea would run off Dagg and Jane then? Scary…….!!
12 Sep 2012, 13:10 pm
@grant10-317: You know Jantjies is probably going to Durbs?
He’s top of Rudi’s Lions shopping list along with a Prop, Lock and another smoking backline player…
12 Sep 2012, 13:11 pm
@Jeez-318: NOOOOOOOOO meyer in his own words, “i have studied ALL the gameplans of the top ranked rugby playing nations and they are ALL THE SAME! everyone goes on about the All Blacks and Wallabies but they play basically the same gameplan as us their only advantage is that their players are more advanced at playing the situation than ours, i am still trying to get them to master the lineout”
meyer has got it figured out in his mind, the players are fecking up, hence he dropped daniel.
12 Sep 2012, 13:13 pm
@CT Shark-316: savea doesn’t mix up his game a lot, as a finisher yes he is a problem…the other two are wily, elusive and quick…
12 Sep 2012, 13:13 pm
@Transformation-319: Yes….I know about the Stormers offer…
With Plum on record saying Lambie is his 10 for next year….I would be unhappy if Jantjes were to go to sharks…would make no sense repeating the Bissy / Plod scenario again….
Lambie would be pissed off…for sure…..
Then Stormers should make a move on Lambie….
I think the Catrikillis move to Kings depends on what happens with Jantjes as well mate…..
Congrats on getting Sykes…that is a huge coup for you guys…
12 Sep 2012, 13:13 pm
@grant10-323:
We will lose again on Saturday and as always with dignity.
We will say that we are a young team, we are learning, building and a year or two from now will be a different prospect.
Again they will cite one or two key moments in the game that to their minds, could have resulted in the game going either way. Theoretically that will be true, but in reality the results always go against us – so the theory is invalid.
12 Sep 2012, 13:16 pm
@Sheriff-325:
Dan Kara is also sometimes referred to as Daniel Carter, in case you will searching for that on Google
12 Sep 2012, 13:16 pm
@CT Shark-320: I agree….
I also know quite a few Boks believed Butch was a far better tactical kicker than M Steyn….
12 Sep 2012, 13:18 pm
NZ TAB (betting shop)
Head to Head-Live betting
1 New Zealand $1.15
2 South Africa $5.00
Well only a fool would take NZ at those odds.
SA 4 to 1.
Tempting…………………………………but most of us Kiwi’s just cannot bet against ourselves.
12 Sep 2012, 13:18 pm
@grant10-317: Yup, JdV owes the Boks a big one…
This is where Meyer’s Mantra “No excuses” really meets the road…
Now we see whether his vaunted psychobabble motivation skills are up to scratch…
You know what, even if the Boks lose, if they leave everything on the field, if they play as if their lives depend on it, if they play like they could die to win, then my Saturday will be okay despite Meyer’s fckups… Monday a different story – will whine, shout and scream but will forget everything up to the last whistle on Sat.
Why?
This is THE Pinnacle of Rugger… Boks vs ABs… In NZ.
Fuckit, go Bokke… Go Heyneke… Go knock these farken arrogant over confident Kiwis straight off their farken pedestal.
12 Sep 2012, 13:19 pm
Where is Tegnikus aka Tacitus?
It’s amazing how vocal he is when his team is winning, but life is a bit tough at the moment.
Bulls are getting one hiding after another and the iconic Heyneke Meyer’s game plan is also not bearing fruit
12 Sep 2012, 13:20 pm
@Heavens Game-327: Ja….I know of the WP approach…….it seems the Agent is weighing up the offers as we speak….an announcement to be made within a week ….
Lambie must be the most frustrated oke on the planet right now….not sure how he will react to the news if Jantjes signs for Sharks…..
If that happens I would make a move on Lambie if I was WP…
12 Sep 2012, 13:22 pm
@Sheriff-325: I imagine the Kiwi’s are quite bemused about our tactical approach and continued selected of Steyn and Kitrtchner. The losses of giants like Kaino, Thorn and Carter would usually mean something but not against this tactically shackled Bok rabble.
12 Sep 2012, 13:23 pm
I have dis-invested any patriotic allegiance to SA rugby until such time as they get a decent coach who knows wtf he’s doing
Been watching these goddamn clowns like Maakgraaf, Viljoen, Streauli and White and now this moron fck our rugby into reverse gear like no tomorrow and even PdV who promised much and delivered little because the goddamn JW circus players overruled and ran a coup over his head.
Enough of the garbage.. I be quite happy if AB’s fck this moron to kingdom come on Saturday the bigger the cataclysm the better.. Just hope AB’s don’t choke at the prospect of dishing Boks a nice fat hiding of note..!!
12 Sep 2012, 13:25 pm
@grant10-291: well what can I say but it has to be the guppies – will need him for the playoff match and it will force the Lambster to 15.
12 Sep 2012, 13:26 pm
@cane-334:
New Zealand – I understand from some research the place furthest away from Yerushalayim but have not verified – has entered another season of peace, prosperity, joy and tranquility.
Wallabies are in shambles and the Boks have a coach that believes irrevocably in an outdated game plan.
Cows are grazing securely and peacefully on the hills, lambs are frolicking uninhibitedly in the country side…
12 Sep 2012, 13:27 pm
@Heavens Game-335: Yes…
This is the real deal…..
And I am betting the Kiwis will get an almighty farken huge fright come Sat….
We must just hope J Dup is 100 % fit….fark we cannot go back in the scrums…that is poison…..
Get parity up front and we go toe to toe….tackle for tackle….
Farkit….where there is life there is hope ….fark HM and all his kak…these are our boks out there…all strength to them…
12 Sep 2012, 13:29 pm
@grant10-330: I also reckon De Klerk may have a little hand in where a player goes…
After the Sharks being one of the few provinces to stand by the Lions in this Kings debacle I reckon they have the upper hand here over WP.
Watch.
And having 2 top class 10′s at the Sharks for a now long rugby season is a farken PLUS not a minus…
They will also drive eachother to the next level – no slacking. Will be the best thing for both of them…
12 Sep 2012, 13:30 pm
@RL-340: Lambie will blow a gasket I reckon….the oke will jump onto a plane to France or England in a flash….
12 Sep 2012, 13:31 pm
@fitz1ella-339: Hi Skop.My love affair
with Bok rugby died this year.Lies a mouldering in the grave.
12 Sep 2012, 13:32 pm
Any close arm wrestle or narrow win and we fall right back on our laurels and everything’s alright with the world again? Heineken will just dig in his heels even more, (unless the win comes off the back of some innovation from guys like Lambie, Goosen or disruptive openside prowess from Louw, ) and we’ll be stuck with this grim kick and hope game-plan till kingdom come. The gameplan that makes us eminently beatable to any half decent rugby nation on any given day, that robs us of the joy and spirit of the game, that turns out naturally gifted players into tackling and kicking machines with no idea what to do with the ball, and above that has yielded mediocre 60 % returns for as long as a I can remember.
12 Sep 2012, 13:32 pm
305 – grant10 you are right – I do not like those noises at all. As for his comments in 301 and is going forward with these players only we are def up shitcreek with no paddle.
12 Sep 2012, 13:32 pm
@Heavens Game-335: I’m not sure any kiwis are arrogant or over confident (despite maybe some trollful boasting from a few here). We all know it’ll be a tough game, it always is. The NZ media has no middleground, the ABs are either gods or dire, so don’t read anything into that. Right now i’d say we’re somewhere in between.
Even PdV picked up a couple of wins in NZ. We won’t take the boks lightly
12 Sep 2012, 13:32 pm
@fitz1ella-339: so are supporting Namibia now. Give us the skinny on it.
12 Sep 2012, 13:33 pm
I think bok rugby is headed for a new low……Think bulls rugby in the early 2000′s. And you thought Rudolf Strollie was bad……
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