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
Pages: « 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 11 12 13 14 … 16 » Show All
12 Sep 2012, 14:24 pm
@Yetirat-395: Feel the same.
12 Sep 2012, 14:25 pm
Again a big mistake wrt the loose trio. Alberts and Vermeulen are both not 80min players. Should’ve played Coetzee and Flo at 6 and 7 with Vermeulen starting at 8. Alberts to sub Vermeulen after 50 minutes.
Again wrong combo.
Why is JdJ even on the bench? We know he won’t be utilised. Could just as well have selected another forward on the bench.
In any case, GO BOKKE.
12 Sep 2012, 14:25 pm
@grant10-391: Then Morne Steyn and his woeful form are suddenly the least of the world’s worries…..
12 Sep 2012, 14:26 pm
@Yetirat-395: Lambie is an interesting one. I am not sure we can play him at 15 for the boks – he does not have enough pace to be an international fullback.
He should start at flyhalf but does Johan Goosen not have the wider array of skills? Surely, Goosen is the future at 10 for the boks. So, if Lambie can’t play 10 or 15 then where will he play. the centre positions are taken long term.
I am afraid that Lambie will be in no man’s land for while.
12 Sep 2012, 14:26 pm
Of all the injuries we’ve had to endure, not once has Morne Steyn been in doubt. You should never wish an injury on anyone, but with Steyn, the temptation is strong.
12 Sep 2012, 14:27 pm
@Puma-390:
The Sharks’ option sound tendentious to me, planted on purpose to claim a wide spread interest in Jantjies
And I am not too sure about the Stormers either because it’s a certainty that Grant will find onother taker.
12 Sep 2012, 14:31 pm
@Marty-404: Lambie can do a job at 15, I agree he is better suited to 10 and may never be the quickest 15 in the world but he is still our best bet at 15.
12 Sep 2012, 14:31 pm
@grant10-391: CNN Breaking news says
it was a rocket attack.
12 Sep 2012, 14:32 pm
@grant10-391: Yup, bad news but not surprising at all.
I’m no way defending bloody regimes in the world but all US operations more resemble brain-surgeries using sledgehammer while the “surgeon” himself has dirty fingernails.
12 Sep 2012, 14:32 pm
@nama1-402: Agree Nama. Mistake to have left Coetzee out. Should just have moved Marcel over to 7. He played most of his games there for Sharks too. Left Alberts on the bench and brought him on later for Vermeulen. Or Alberts at 8 and bring on Vermeulen later. Our loose trio now just way too slow.
12 Sep 2012, 14:34 pm
Style of rugby we will play on Saturday:
- Shakey scrums, potentially conceding many penalties in this area
- No competing at the lineout
- Helter Skelter in the loose trio. Good players individually, but inexperienced and haven’t had a chance to gel
- Slow Slow ball at the breakdown when we’re on attack, courtesy of Ruan Pienaar. This will allow the All Black defense to reset and we will not make any meters on attack. Pienaar will then resort to box kicks.
- Morne Steyn sitting in the pocket. He will either kick or deliver to Frans Steyn for crash ball.
- Frans Steyn and JDV still won’t gel together. We have two 12′s on the field.
- Habana will have a go when he gets the ball, hoping that this will finally be the moment when he breaks through and scores a brilliant solo try. This hope will be in vein as he holds the ball with two hands, thereby not allowing himself to hand off his opposition.
- Zane Kirchner will do his bit without setting the world alight.
- On defence, we will be soft and uncommitted as per last weekend.
- After the game, Jean De Villiers and Heyneke Meyer will both say they are disappointed with the result but they feel their were improvements in many aspects and they will build on this going forward.
12 Sep 2012, 14:34 pm
Morne is not the biggest problem here. The game plan is.
No matter who HM selected at FH, people would have been angry at the FH on Monday again for kicking the ball into the air every time he. It is actually a good thing that it is not Goosen or Lambie who will have to take the brunt of the supporter’s anger come next week Monday and we have lost the game.
12 Sep 2012, 14:35 pm
Read it and weep:
http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/09/12/wallabies-accept-springboks-gracious-gift/
On Saturday morning 8th September, 2012, Heyneke Meyer sits in his Perth hotel room pondering the upcoming Rugby Championship match against Australia. He makes the following notes in his personal diary:
Dear Rugby gods,
Please consider my petition. If it be your will, would you encourage the Wallabies to play in this particular fashion, according to this list of rules?
1. Try to out-kick us from their back three and in midfield.
2. Kick when in attack instead of using their best runners with the ball.
3. On that point, only give Digby Ioane the ball one or twice in the first 20minutes.
4. Play a ‘tight’ game that aims to keep the game close initially.
Thank you for hearing my plea.
What’s astonishing about all of these requests – South African fans would agree, they are four things that you’d ask the Wallabies to do if you could – is that the Wallabies played entirely into the Boks’ hands for the entirety of the match.
They seemed happy to attempt kicking further than their Boks counter-parts, weren’t willing to run it back from deep, didn’t get Ioane involved in any meaningful way and were happy to mostly run through one pass from the ruck.
And the Wallabies won!
That’s the remarkable part: the men in gold effectively played away from most of their strengths and won a Test match against a side playing to their own. This goes some way to prove that they do have the requisite passion and desire to perform for their country, after two listless performances against the All Blacks.
The Wallabies certainly did put a lot of effort into their defence, when the ball is near pay dirt most importantly, but they need to work on this pressure in the midfield. If the defence would stiffen across and outside the 22m line, potential turnovers, errors or penalties from the opposition would result in less clearing kicks and more attacking chances.
Holding another Rugby Championship team to a single try is still something these 22 can hang their hats on. Not an easy feat.
That single try confirmed that the Wallabies must become a wall further from their line. The South Africans won a kick chase and had clear ball near the Australian 22m line. From there the Wallabies defence was all over the shop – until the ball was right on the try line. At that point the line of Gold stiffened and it took a very concerted effort from the Boks to get it over the line.
Further study of the Wallabies defence shows they actually missed more tackles than their counter-parts, with a total of 19. They drop off a runner once every 54 seconds of defence; or one-in-five tackle attempts. South Africa only missed 14 tackles.
Adam Ashley-Cooper repeatedly bails the side out on defence. He did so against New Zealand a number of times and in Perth he made a super-human tackle of two attackers at once. He saved an almost certain try scoring opportunity.
Tim Horan wrote an article earlier in the week about how a Test match can be swung on a moment of greatness. The Ashley-Cooper tackle was that moment for the Wallabies this weekend. Make no mistake; this match was that close to a different result.
Ashley-Cooper finally got to play a test at outside centre again, I think is his best position. I hope he gets to stay there for the rest of the year.
He cops a lot of flak, but I think he is exactly the kind of glue player every good side needs. His effort won’t ever be found wanting; chasing kicks and restarts like a demon and making all of his tackles. He is the well rounded version of what Robbie Deans was hoping Rob Horne could become, but hasn’t.
That Ashley-Cooper knows how to run smart attacking lines, almost always gets over the gain line and has a good fend is a bonus.
The utility value that Ashley-Cooper brings is quite remarkable at this level of rugby. I wrote during the live blog, after a great late clearing kick (his first kick of the game from memory), that he was actually a better fullback than Kurtley Beale right now. I haven’t changed my mind since then. Leave him alone at centre for now though.
We do need to give Beale some time to get fit and sort out his head. I would advocate giving Bernard Foley or Luke Morahan a chance back there.
Coming into this match, the Springboks averaged a kick from hand every 35 seconds in 2012. The Wallabies averaged a tactical kick every 49 seconds. During this game both sides drastically lowered those figures.
The Wallabies kicked 42 times (every 23 seconds in possession) and the Springboks kicked it on ‘only’ 38 occasions (every 27 seconds). I’m not sure why, because the Wallabies only enjoyed 36% territory for the match employing this tactic. This indicated they weren’t able to find the free space or kick as far as the Boks, but continued to give away the ball anyway.
Why keep doing something that doesn’t work?
The Wallabies kicked from hand once for every two rucks they formed. I repeat: The Wallabies had 87 rucks/mauls and kicked it away 42 times in the same game.
That is fairly poor from a national team. This wasn’t played in ugly weather; conditions were perfect in Perth.
Ashley-Cooper and Deans both said at the half that they needed to stop kicking the ball away and take it down the field in hand more often. The second half saw little real change.
Kicking this often, especially when it isn’t part of the plan (let’s believe Deans here and ignore the evidence), is a symptom of not trusting team mates.
One of the foundations of rugby is support. That means being available for a pass and being available to help retain possession. The Wallabies are so fractured at this point that they don’t believe they will receive enough support when they run.
Berrick Barnes was the worst perpetrator, because he not only returned kicks with kicks, he was also guilty of kicking the ball away in attacking areas. He is surely just keeping the jersey warm until a better option presents itself.
If he is able to stay fit, Ben Tapuai is eventually the man to eventually play inside centre. For the Reds he has consistently been unable to stay on the field. Hopefully that trend can be arrested. When he played for the Wallabies against Canada last year he seemed to be exactly what our backline needed. He straightened the attack, was explosive and showed offloading ability.
If Tim Horan is indeed our greatest ever inside centre – as most people agree – then Tapuai fits the mould better than Barnes. An inside centre needs to be strong and able to pass competently, but doesn’t necessary have to carry the playmaker tag.
As I said at the top, South Africa had everything go their way to win this match. Why didn’t they?
Meyer prevented them from winning by not delivering the killer blow until it was too late.
In the middle of the second half, the Wallabies were almost out on their feet. I thought it was time for Johan Goosen and Patrick Lambie to enter the game if the Boks wanted to finish the Wallabies off.
Meyer didn’t pull the trigger until Ben Alexander had scored in the 69th minute. Too late.
Once the Wallabies got in front, they were able to repel the fresh green reinforcements just long enough to hold on.
Between them, Goosen and Lambie made 39 running metres from 19 minutes of game time. Contrast that to Morne Steyn and Zane Kirchner who produced 40m across the turf in 145 minutes on the field. That is why South Africa lost this match.
It wasn’t just their own running metres that improved the side either. As soon as Goosen went on his first gallop, Jean de Villiers and Francois Steyn had more room to operate because of the inside threat.
Meyer needs to start Lambie at the back in their next match and bring Goosen on much sooner. That is only if F. Steyn or Goosen are considered too unreliable off the tee to jolt Morne from the starting 15.
12 Sep 2012, 14:36 pm
@Skeppie-407: I agree that he would do a better job at 15 than Kirchener at the moment. But what happens when for example, Jaco Taute comes through the ranks with unbelievable performances. Lambie will be shunted.
I am actually thinking that placing Frans at 15 (right now) might be an option and looking at Lambie at 12 for the long-term future. You wouldn’t want to lose a young talent like that – but I don’t see a future for him at 10 or 15.
12 Sep 2012, 14:38 pm
@STBUR-351: other teams counter-attack far more than SA, it’s true the Australians did kick a lot at the weekend but Deans told them to cut that ish out and they did and won the game in the 2nd half.
I have sympathy with your view on personnel, but Meyer is still not making the most of what resources he has.
12 Sep 2012, 14:38 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-403: Puts everything into perspective,doesn,t iy?
Marikane should have done the same.
12 Sep 2012, 14:42 pm
The worst part:
Between them, Goosen and Lambie made 39 running metres from 19 minutes of game time. Contrast that to Morne Steyn and Zane Kirchner who produced 40m across the turf in 145 minutes on the field. That is why South Africa lost this match.
It wasn’t just their own running metres that improved the side either. As soon as Goosen went on his first gallop, Jean de Villiers and Francois Steyn had more room to operate because of the inside threat.
12 Sep 2012, 14:43 pm
What happened to “we are resting Bekker so that he can be ready for next week.”
Another porker by our coach?
With Flip and Jannie both starting the AB are assured of at least 4 penalties. Just hope that it will be in their half of the field.
12 Sep 2012, 14:44 pm
@Sheriff-400:
Oh so now it’s MY fault????
I ANNOUNCED THE NAME???
Pull the other one.
12 Sep 2012, 14:46 pm
For your information, chlora, I never out people’s personal details on this website. I never have, I never will.
I see you were trying your luck earlier with Transformation’s sister, trying to squirrel details out of him like the snuffling pig you are.
12 Sep 2012, 14:46 pm
@Marty-414: Agree with option for Frans at fullback, at inside center he hasn’t created opportunities for JdV or wings. What also concerns me is our decision making. 7 or 8 minutes to go, kick-able penalty with a fly-half who is selected primarily to kick and 7 points down, what do we do, go for touch. No self confidence. We had to score twice to win, kick the penalty get possession back from kick-off, keep possession and suddenly Aus is under pressure. Why keep Morne if we not going to take pressure kicks?
12 Sep 2012, 14:47 pm
@Sheriff-400:
Go back in the archives, go on son, go check.
Show me.
12 Sep 2012, 14:47 pm
@Marty-404: Hey bud, I guess the pertinent question here is, “is he any slower than Kirchner”?
Pace is only one element of a fullback’s desirables. Look at what he offers holistically in all facets of play, to my mind he is far better than Kirchner. Clever linking play from the back is far more valuable than out-and-out pace for Fullback. On attack he’s not necessarily a finisher and needn’t be. If he can link up cleverly, suck in a defender or 2 and put someone into space then already we’ll be ticking boxes that are currently empty.
Agree that Goosen is probably stronger at Flyhalf. He’s a classic flyhalf, look at his build and his versatility in terms of distribution and kicking out of hand. He shares all the traits of a classic flyhalf – South Africa don’t produce many of them. Pretorius for me was the last out-and-out flyhalf our country produced.
12 Sep 2012, 14:48 pm
@kaksioek-417: I read that and posted it here earlier too.
Just make you wonder how we can be starting with Morne and Zane, when we have Goosen and Lambie there. Or at the very least bring those two play makers on with at least 30min to go. Afraid bringing them on with 30min to go against the ABs it may already be way too late.
12 Sep 2012, 14:50 pm
@Dawn-420: Love truffles.
12 Sep 2012, 14:51 pm
@Puma-424: Sorry, I missed that. Just sad really …
12 Sep 2012, 14:52 pm
@Puma-410:
Can’t understand it Puma.
Why would you take away speed to the break down? This is where our biggest problem lies and we need to get players there quickly. Now we have Flo who will fight a lone battle against Read, McCaw and others while the rest of the pack are still lumbering to the point of break down.
It’s just stupid.
12 Sep 2012, 14:55 pm
I’m not sold on the argument that just because we have a running flyhalf that our win ratio will immediately increase either. One of the biggest areas for concern currently for the Boks is their attacking breakdown. Keeping the ball to hand will only result in more breakdowns (regardless of a few extra offloads). At the moment I feel nervous every time we go to ground, and for the most part I think it’s justified.
12 Sep 2012, 14:55 pm
@ryecatcher-425:
I’ve never tasted it
12 Sep 2012, 14:56 pm
@nama1-427: I said it here earlier Nama. Was very stupid of Meyer to drop our best loosie for this game. Marcel is also our best defender not only in the loose trio but out of the whole team. He is fast, comes with skills too and never misses a tackle. Not SMART from our coach. Should just have moved Marcel to 7 where he plays better than openside anyhow with Flo at 6. Vermeulen or Alberts at 8 and replace one for the other later on. Meyer missed something for sure. Now our loose trio will be too slow against the best in the world. Stupid, stupid move by Meyer to have dropped Marcel to the bench.
12 Sep 2012, 14:59 pm
@Dawn-429:
the french use pigs to locate truffles by sniffing it out cos their sense of smell is good.
‘snuffling pig’
12 Sep 2012, 15:01 pm
@Yetirat-428: Spot on – we have lost so much ground at the breakdown which means quick ball is scarce. Who knows, if we become more aggressive at the breakdown (which will lead to quick ball) perhaps we won’t kick as much on attack. Why are we being PK’d at the break down? It surely can’t only be because of the lack of a fetcher – although Brussouw would make a difference because he has proven time and again that he does.
12 Sep 2012, 15:02 pm
@kaksioek-426: Yip sad to leave players like that on the bench until the game is almost over and bring them on. Not much they can do then, well even in the short time they were on they were far better than the players they replaced. Now they both back on the bench. Also he now has Marcel on the bench!!!!! The mind boggles at the stupidity of that as well.
12 Sep 2012, 15:03 pm
@Sheriff-400: You’re a creepy little fck. You’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to expose bloggers here before, clearly thinking it puts you in some misguided position of power over them. And you’ve been banned for it too. So piss off with your sanctimonious explanations. You’re nothing more than a delusional Internet weirdo.
Find someone else to play your stupid games.
12 Sep 2012, 15:04 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-431:
I know.
I said I’ve never tasted truffles.
12 Sep 2012, 15:05 pm
@Yetirat-423:
Frans is not a better attacking FB than Kirchner.
He has a bigger boot but that’s all.
Kirchner’s positional play is much better than his. Their defense and catching from the air are fairly equal.
Frans, in all the games that he played FB, never ever put a wing away to score a try. Whenever he joined the line, he either tried to run OVER a defender and got tackled, went to ground with the ball in the tackle and the ball got turned over or he got penalized for holding on or he gave a kick for touch or kicked a grubber and turned over possession.
Oh yes, he also only joined the back line on the right hand side (JPP’s side) of the field.
Sorry to say, he is not your answer as an attacking FB.
12 Sep 2012, 15:05 pm
@katman-434:
You left out liar.
And conveniently shifting the blame to me.
And stalker
12 Sep 2012, 15:06 pm
@Marty-432: It’s at least partly because of the much-vaunted game plan – you know, the same one that all of the teams use because apparently there is only one
At the first hint of contact our players go to ground, supposedly to secure the ball. Offloads are strictly forbidden and no attempt should be made to stay on your feet in case the ball is stolen off you.
Of course, it is actually much easier for an accomplished fetcher to steal the ball off a prone player, but Meyer hasn’t realized this yet.
12 Sep 2012, 15:07 pm
@Dawn-437: Los hom. Hy’s gemors.
12 Sep 2012, 15:07 pm
@Dawn-435:
fark, now i’m confused .
huh..?..
12 Sep 2012, 15:08 pm
Sharif the Halaal shallow pig.
12 Sep 2012, 15:08 pm
@Dawn-419:
I don’t have the date when the bloke’s son was born.
That’s why I suggest he must go because he should know when his son was born. How arrogant/pathetic of him to think that I would dig that up!
What I do recall is that you came on and announced the name but it’s at least a good 3 or 4 years back.
Similarly there was a day when rangerman’s daughter (I think) was born and we congratulated him accordingly ( more recently).
Are you of sound mind? Clearly not …Trying my luck with ‘transformation’s sister’ – I merely wanted to know whether she plays an instrument or is a vocalist; he stated her employer but that was not necessary.
How else would I get an arbitrary blogger’s child’s name? Get the DOB from him and go and see for yourself.
12 Sep 2012, 15:10 pm
@Sheriff-442:
Go get the post
Show me
Prove it
12 Sep 2012, 15:10 pm
@nama1-436: Sorry to kill your whole post but I was referring to Lambie not Frans.
12 Sep 2012, 15:11 pm
@Marty-414: My course of action now would be to start with Lambie at 10 with Goosen on the bench, I would bring Goosen through during the EOYT and during the course of next year. Then I would move Lambie into 15 with Goosen at 10. If Taute (who I think can be brilliant for us) comes through then either Lambie will be our second choice at 10 and will ride the bench or I might find a home for him at 12.
12 Sep 2012, 15:11 pm
@kaksioek-438: Haha – got you. I’m sure things will change – boks to suprise everyone on Saturday and sneak it by 6
12 Sep 2012, 15:12 pm
Would it be wrong if say, you met someone from on here, and you say, they are really very very short and oddly dwarf like, and their posts resemble the mental picture you have of the person, and say also, this other person has also in the past given out personal info on here.. would that be wrong?
12 Sep 2012, 15:12 pm
@Yetirat-444:
He has Steyn on the brain.
12 Sep 2012, 15:15 pm
@Sheriff-442:
You asked if she was on Idols.
Carry on fishing!
Are you of sound mind yourself?
12 Sep 2012, 15:15 pm
@gunther-448: Steyn in the brain, Steyn in the membrane.
Pages: « 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 11 12 13 14 … 16 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.