Turning adventure into torture – why?
14 Sep 2012
MARK KEOHANE writes Sunday will follow Saturday, regardless of whether the Springboks win or lose against the All Blacks in Dunedin. Which makes the conservatism and approach of the Bok management that much more baffling.
I could understand a coach refusing to change in his fourth year, a few months out from a World Cup. I could understand a coach refusing to change a winning formula, if his team was consistently winning and setting the standards. I can’t understand the absolutes associated with Heyneke Meyer and his Springboks in his first season in charge.
Meyer is going nowhere unless by his own accord. But his refusal to recognize, alternatively acknowledge restrictions in the Springboks’ first six Tests is making his life a lot more complicated than it has to be. There is pressure on Meyer, as there will be on any Springbok coach, but Meyer has turned up the heat himself in his response to successive indifferent Bok performances against Argentina in Mendoza and Australia in Perth.
The Bok coach has insisted that it is not his team’s tactical approach or the game plan that has counted against the Boks, but instead has focused on poor execution as being more definitive.
I disagree totally because the approach evident since the drawn third Test against England in Port Elizabeth has been one-dimensional, predictable and hugely unsuccessful because by and large the Boks’ pack has not fashioned a dominance which allows for a purely percentage based game.
There can never be a guarantee at Test level of forward dominance because of the relatively similar strengths of the top five teams, and the better teams often have to rely on winning with little ball possession. It is here where South Africa has shown no threat. In Mendoza they were just awful. In Perth when they had an initial edge up front, the kicking game proved effective. The moment they lost that momentum they looked clueless and ironically when they went behind late in the game after leading 13-3 after 30 minutes they finally produced their most inventive period of play.
Johan Goosen, at flyhalf, was very instrumental to this ball movement, largely because he takes the ball at pace, is prepared to stand flat on attack and will take contact. He is the complete opposite of Morne Steyn, who just doesn’t play that way. For Steyn to be successful the Bok pack has to be decidedly better than the opposition. A few years ago they were when blessed with Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Bismarck du Plessis, John Smit, Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, Danie Rossouw and the like. And then there was the massive influence of the world’s best scrumhalf Fourie du Preez on his inside.
Du Preez’s tactical kicking is unrivaled among scrumhalves and the Boks have had neither Du Preez’s kicking game nor his appreciation of game management this season. Meyer is hopeful Du Preez will return to international rugby by the end of the year or at the latest in 2013.
Steyn, in isolation, is not the Boks’ current problem, but currently he is also not the genie in the bottle. The Bok forwards in Port Elizabeth a year ago gave the All Blacks a touch up, had every advantage in the collisions and forced the Kiwis into errors and created the opportunities for Steyn to have five penalty kicks at goal and favourable go forward ball from which to also land a drop goal.
Steyn in Port Elizabeth enjoyed a pack in fiercely dominant mood. But for brief periods in the first two Tests against England the Bok pack has competed at best or been outplayed.
Until the pack improves Steyn will be a non-factor at flyhalf, as will the outside backs as a unit.
What I don’t buy is that while Meyer tries to find a forward unit capable of this dominance there is no flexibility in finding alternative ways of dominance. It is also nonsense that a 20 year-old (read Goosen) can’t start against the All Blacks in Dunedin. If he isn’t good enough to start then he shouldn’t be in the match 22 because there is no guarantee he isn’t required a minute into the Test because of injury.
I have read comparisons being made with Gaffie du Toit’s nightmare in Dunedin and a fear of things going the same way for Goosen. Nonsense. Du Toit had already played for the Boks in the home series win against Ireland. The Bok coach of the time Nick Mallett appreciated Du Toit’s natural ability but from the outset had concerns about the mental resolve of the player. He had to play him in Dunedin to get an answer.
Goosen’s mental resolve has never been questioned. He went from school rugby to Currie Cup to Super Rugby with no issues. And his Test debut of nine minutes showed huge promise and he showed comforting composure.
I would have not hesitated to give him a start. What an experience for the player. Saturday is not a World Cup final or the decider of this year’s Castle Rugby Championship. Why can’t there be supposed risk? What is there to lose?
Steyn has played 40 Tests, including a World Cup in New Zealand and Test matches against the All Blacks in New Zealand. Meyer knows what he has in Steyn and by entrusting an alternative in Goosen or Lambie all he would have done is see if there is a Plan B or additional depth at No 10. Now he won’t know until the next visit to New Zealand in a year. That is what has been so damn frustrating about the unwillingness to view an alternative. If he had picked Goosen or Lambie and it hadn’t worked out, then he reverts to the man who has played 40 Tests.
Meyer remains committed to Steyn, espouses the virtues of the player and defends how well Steyn is playing, but that is also nonsense. Steyn’s goalkicking accuracy is 63 percent in the last six Tests, and Meyer would not have allowed Goosen, Lambie or Elton Jantjies six successive Tests with such a return.
And it is here where Meyer is doing himself no favours because you can’t defend 63 percent, when the player’s primary asset has been his ability to kick at 85 percent.
The issue though is not as simple as select or drop Morne Steyn and I am not saying get rid of Morne Steyn, but look beyond him as the depth of the squad is built. The key to any successful team is depth in the number of players capable of playing Test rugby.
Why this absolute anxiousness from Meyer and within the Bok set up? As much as I hate the emphasis put on the World Cup it is a reality of the sport and the game works in four year cycles. If ever a coach has a luxury it is in the first year post the World Cup when so many players have retired or moved abroad and made themselves unavailable for Test selection. Meyer, in this first year, is treating it as if the World Cup is played in a few months and any window for exploring variables is gone.
I use the word explore and not experiment because there is nothing with which to experiment. The players are known quantities and so no international coach is working with the unknown.
Saturday in Dunedin offered so much promise because Meyer could have turned the week into an exciting one with the prospect of so many possibilities. And he could have done it in a way where no expectation was created either. He could have focused on the chance given to new kids and the growth they’ll get out of 80 minutes of playing the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Instead he has put World Cup-final like pressure on Steyn to save his career and he has turned a Test match into a life or death situation. Why? It never had to come to this. If Steyn fails then it is hard to see how Meyer can’t drop him. And given the strength of the Bok pack I don’t see how Steyn can succeed, given that his type of flyhalf play needs a pack that is dominant.
A more enlightened approach would have allowed for this week to be one of adventure and not torture.
The psychology of it all seems so wrong when it wasn’t particularly complicated to get it right.
290 Comments
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13 Sep 2012, 15:37 pm
What are the chances that Meyer will be sacked after a single win in the Championship i.e. the first match against Argentina?
13 Sep 2012, 15:42 pm
HM is saying that his gameplan is good, but the players are not executing it correctly. This is effectively saying that he knows how to win rugby games, but the players are not good enough to implement his game plan properly. Therefore we shouldn’t be criticizing the coach, who is clearly smarter than the rest of the rugby world. We should be laying blame at the feet of our team, who don’t have the skills, passion or ability to perfect this amazing game plan. No wonder the team don’t look happy!
13 Sep 2012, 15:51 pm
He also said Morné was playing well…with a 63% kicking record and a 50% win rate for the boks. Maybe Morné is giving him a kick back from his match fee.
When Heyneke gets booted they might call up Mallett.
Probably why he hasn’t accepted any other rugby jobs at the moment…
13 Sep 2012, 15:52 pm
Fear based coach…..
HM will have to exorcise his own demons…..the paranoia will spread like a rust otherwise….hope it has not already started …
13 Sep 2012, 15:53 pm
Keo has it spot on….
No one expects Boks to win Sat ….perfect scenario to have been bold…
13 Sep 2012, 15:56 pm
Keo doing an ABRUPT ABOUT TURN
Heyneke Meyer was Keo’s favored darling Messiah come to exorcise the ghost of PdV past
Now Keo chucking in the towel once more on the Bok coaching genius who he was front of the queue waxing lyrical about..
13 Sep 2012, 15:57 pm
@Soda-1: I doubt it…..but of course if we go to Europe at the end of the year on tour and we lose there………….
That could be a different story!
13 Sep 2012, 16:00 pm
This is the first article in a long time from Keo that i actually agree with…
Heyneke is going to hang himself. He is busy tying the knot now!
He’s fear for trying something new or not to give players chances he doesnt know, is going to kill Bok Rugby. Everytime he has to select between players he coached before or not, then he wont pick the latter. He is already panicking and is becomming irrational.
13 Sep 2012, 16:01 pm
Well said.
My biggest concern with HM so.
His lack of flexibility and experimentation early in his Bok career.
Doesnt have to be massive sweeping changes. Just enough that lets us know he is capable of coaching a different/better style of rugby.
13 Sep 2012, 16:05 pm
Personally I think that like a lot of good players that can’t make that “step up” to being a good international……..so are there coaches who fit that exact mold.
Meyer is starting to look just like a really good super15 coach that just can’t make the step up to the international level. Perhaps pigheadedness and fear of losing along with his “laagered” “I’m always the underdog and written off” kuk don’t fit into an international coaches profile?
I think that being an international coach the one factor you HAVE to have is flexibility…..and Meyer is showing that he’s about as flexible as a railway sleeper! He has a squad of players……and instead of analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and then preparing a game plan based on this……he’s decided he HAS a game plan already (from 20 years back) and he is going to panel beat this squad into playing it…….even if it doesn’t suit their skill sets at all!!
Dumb-a$$ coaching if you ask me……
13 Sep 2012, 16:08 pm
Nice one Mark! HM is clueless. He is sticking to “what” and “who” he knows. True doesnt matter who you pick at Flyhalf, HM approach to the game will harvest the same result.
13 Sep 2012, 16:09 pm
Totally agree with this, although I think you cant drop a young guy like Goosen into #10 in a Test vs ABs in NZ. The ABs would target him and it would be chaos.
I think Lambie should start at 10, and Goosen should get the last 20 mins.
However, the success of any of that depends on:
- Pack providing some kind of go-forward
- Scrummie actually trying to pass quickly (not pushing the ball back into the ruck!)
- Centres running good lines on attack
- Some innovation, imagination and even (gasp!) some offloading from the backline
13 Sep 2012, 16:10 pm
@John Galt-9: The problem is I don’t think Meyer is capable of coaching any other style of play other than the stupidly outdated kick ‘n chase rubbish that he’s defending so desperately.
He’s quickly proving himself to be a one trick pony that apparently is incapable of learning…..and I certainly hope that if it carries on this way that he is NOT left in this position long enough to make an even worse mess of the Boks……..Lord we had enough of that with Divvy being given four whole years to f$ck the Boks up…..
13 Sep 2012, 16:15 pm
Ouens nous die tyd, as jy wil weet alles, lees verder, kykie
die lAAAAsste tyd kan ek jou tonteldoosies help out, they gonna gooi plat this next level shitttt by gister mourning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVWWvo5EhoQ
13 Sep 2012, 16:22 pm
@Chris4Lions-8: “Everytime he has to select between players he coached before or not, then he wont pick the latter.” K A K! Louw bo Stegmann, Etzebeth bo vd Merwe. Oosthuizen bo Greyling! Dit is as jy bedoel Bul bo nie-Bul want hy het maar bitter min van die huidige Bulle actually gecoach.
13 Sep 2012, 16:22 pm
@PielNeus-14: Jy moet seriously hulp kry!
13 Sep 2012, 16:25 pm
@John Galt-9: WHERE THE HELL IS THE GUY WHO WAS SAYING THESE THINGS in this interview?
will the REAL heyneke meyer please stand up?
DIRECTOR of rugby Heyneke Meyer told Business Day yesterday he planned to turn the Blue Bulls back into a dominant franchise which plays a fluid, high-intensity running game.
From next year the Bulls will be without some of the trustees that have served them with aplomb — Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw — and who have delivered trophies that some teams still dream of winning.
Meyer’s recruits thus far, Johan Sadie, JJ Engelbrecht and most recently Lionel Cronje, are fleet- footed backline players, a clear indication of the direction the team would be taking.
“I brought Pine (Pienaar) in who was a backline coach because I want to improve the way we’re playing. If you look at the guys we’ve recruited, they are very exciting backs.
“You always have a vision of how you want to play and then get players around that.
“We will always have a tough forward pack but we’ve looked at how the game has evolved,” Meyer said.
“If you stay the same you’ll never get ahead.”
The Bulls are in the same position they were when he started as coach in 2000, said Meyer, in that an overhaul is needed to reposition the team to the top.
Meyer listed five focal points he felt would give the union the edge over its rivals:
1. having the best coaching staff at all age group levels,
2. recruiting the best young talent,
3. implementing a winning culture,
4. ensuring an environment where players can grow to their full potential and changing the way the Bulls played.
“It’s not finalised yet but we are looking to get Victor Matfield in to help us with the lineouts.
“We are looking hard at the way we are going to play. We are busy with a lot of camps that (are set up) to have the whole union playing the same way.”
However the changes will not be without their casualties.
“The hard decisions we had to make (were) which players we want to keep and which we will let go,” Meyer said.
13 Sep 2012, 16:32 pm
Its 15 men against 15.
They all play their opposite number in Super rugby during a looong season. Tests are different compared to super rugby, but do the players differ? Steyn hasnt been the best 10 and poor Jantjies or Lambie should have had 6 extra caps to their names, because lets face it MS just havent been the best 10 for a while now. And now Goosen is taking the backseat.
Its frustrating. HM:
”Test matches are not about who plays the best, it’s about who handles the pressure best,”
What pure nonsense. Jantjies, Lambie or Goosen deserve a chance to prove themselves!
Id like a coach who picks the best and win or loses with the best. And that should not be too much to ask from a supporter.
13 Sep 2012, 16:36 pm
Good article. I feel sorry for him because he is clearly passionate about the job and I am sure has the Boks best interests at heart. However, the early signs are that he is a bit of a Trescothick and not capable of producing the goods at this level. Its sad because he is obvioulsy a good coach as his CV suggests, however pressure seems to be getting the better of him. Adapt or die, as the saying goes. Meyer is choosing to die.
13 Sep 2012, 16:41 pm
If they good enough to have made it on the bench then they’re good enough to start, **** this is professional rugby, the boks…. Amazes me.
13 Sep 2012, 16:45 pm
“I’m a big believer in a guy sticking to his strengths, and I think Morne is a great player in his own right. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, so I don’t think that he needs to change the way he plays. It’s more about the outside backs who must use their opportunities,” Meyer said.
13 Sep 2012, 16:49 pm
@wnbb-21: Meyer clearly has no knowledge if backline play.
13 Sep 2012, 16:49 pm
@TooMuchRugby-22:
if = of
13 Sep 2012, 16:50 pm
Lol morne is meyers best friend… But Yeah also the 12 and 13 that can’t pass a ball and takes it into traffic to b turned over, man atleast try offloading in the tackles… Must say we got players in the curriecup that could make up a bok team that could thump these guys
13 Sep 2012, 16:55 pm
@Gazelle-24:
I don’t know if that’s the way they are instructed to play, but man, they have been dissapointing thus far. I had high hopes for them as a combination.
13 Sep 2012, 16:57 pm
@wnbb-21: Yeah…..Morne doesn’t make a lot of mistakes….he also doesn’t make many line breaks….doesn’t put many players in gaps, barely ever gets over the advantage line, doesn’t score many tries…..and lately….doesn’t even have that many successful kicks for posts……
So…….what the f$ck is it that’s keeping this doos in the squad…..????
13 Sep 2012, 16:58 pm
@fitz1ella-6: Meyer had the credentials and was the best option given our team, but has since proven to be a fraud! Meyer is no rugby genius, he is a trick poney that has ridden the wave of success on the backs of superior rugby minds who happen to be players.
13 Sep 2012, 17:12 pm
Mallet as coach:
1 Guthro/ Beast (athletic LH)
2 Straus (solid hooker)
3 Mujati (scrumming first TH)
4 Etsebeth (enforcer #4)
5 Kruger (lineout secialist)
6 Brussouw (specialist fetcher)
7 Alberts (steam train ballcarrier)
8 Kanko/ Coetzee (skilled #8)
9 Pienaar (old head)
10 Lambie/ Goosen (attack minded FH)
11 Habana (hard working wing)
12 F Steyn (physically strong and skilled #12)
13 JDJ/ Jordaan (fast, stepping #13)
14 Mvovo (strong, fast winger)
15 Taute/ JP if fit (creative running FB)
16 Coenie (impact)
17 Beast/ Guthro
18 S Brits (impact)
19 Elstadt/ Bekker
20 Vermeulen (impact)
21 Hougard (impact)
22 Goosen(Impact)
13 Sep 2012, 17:13 pm
@grant10-5: I am betting that they will be bold and surprise everyone. Boks by 6. Piri Weepu? Come on – man for man we are not far off NZ
13 Sep 2012, 17:21 pm
@CT Shark-26: No clue.
13 Sep 2012, 17:30 pm
Players who could add value to the Springbok Squad:
- Heinrich Brussouw
- Gio Aplon
- Josh Strauss
- Ashley Johnson
- BJ Botha
- Paul Jordaan
- Schalk Britz
- Craig Burden
- Keagan Daniel
- Joe Van Niekerk
- Brian Mujati
- Elton Jantjies
- Quinn Roux
- Tonderai Chavangha
- Brent Russell
13 Sep 2012, 17:36 pm
@Horings-15: And don’t forget dropping Kruger for a clearly unfit out of form Bekker, after Kruger did fairly well in the England series.
13 Sep 2012, 17:42 pm
@Kaizan-31: Brent Russel? I agree with that list other than the last 2. I would add Jaco Taute to that list as well.
13 Sep 2012, 17:42 pm
Torture definitely another word for watching the Boks kick and pray.
13 Sep 2012, 17:45 pm
The only thing Keo can can give an expert opinion on is cocaineandharassinghookers. I don’t respect anything he and his team has to say about rugby, ***** he was probably a hockey player in high school.
Secondly everybody can moan and groan about Meyer as much as they, but he is gonna surprise us all, im sure of it. But he needs sometime and thats a given.
13 Sep 2012, 17:53 pm
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Mujati will never play for boks again because he doesnt have SA passport.
And doesnt want one .
He wants to be brittish.
So ffs keep him off your fantasy teamsheets.
Its annoying.
13 Sep 2012, 17:54 pm
@lieflingblou-35: I think the only surprise we might get from Meyer is if he up and quits……
A man this stubborn and this pigheaded will surprise no-one. He’s determined that the ROUND peg WILL fit in the SQUARE hole……and he’s going to be the first person in history to prove it……!!
13 Sep 2012, 17:54 pm
@Marty-33: I’ve always been a fan of Brent. Apparently he is in good form at the moment… I was careful to use the word “could”… The players in that list COULD add value and should at least be considered, although there is no certainty about their form/ fitness etc…
I honestly think Chavangha has a few special attributes. He is ridiculously quick and has a very sharp step. Also, a few years back he topped the tackle list for wingers in the Super 12… Only problem is he struggles under the high ball. Hopefully a year at Newport Gwent will turn him into a more rounded player.
Check out a Youtube video called “Chavangha pace vs the blues”.
13 Sep 2012, 17:55 pm
@Hammer-36: But he’d fit in so nicely at the EP Kings………
13 Sep 2012, 17:57 pm
@Hammer-36: A good coach should at least have a go at convincing the player otherwise… He is a quality tight-head…. The biggest problem is whether he would be a disruption to the Boks due to his provocative attitude.
13 Sep 2012, 18:00 pm
I dont think he has passion for the jersey.
I could be wrong though.
13 Sep 2012, 18:02 pm
@Kaizan-38: I sat next to Brent at a wedding of a mutual mate – 2009. Awesome oke – he mentioned that S.A. shafted him with regards to shunting him around in different positions and not letting him settle in one position. He is 33 now I think – I don’t think he’s fast enough anymore. Chavanga has the inofficial ‘title’ of being the fastest rugby player with a recorded time of 10.28 seconds over 100m. What ever happened to him?
13 Sep 2012, 18:02 pm
@Hammer-41: I think you’re probably right.. Same DNA as Puke Watson. Damn shame.
I like the look of Marcel Van Der Merwe… Just been bought by the bulls. Could be a future Springbok tighthead. I know Os rates him highly.
13 Sep 2012, 18:05 pm
@Marty-42: True – South African tradition of moving a talented player around every position until he’s drained and then dropping him. One fears the same fate for Lambie.
Chavangha plays for Newport Gwent. Scored on debut for them… Hopefully he’ll develop over there and turn into another option for us.
13 Sep 2012, 18:08 pm
@goodstuff-28:
@Kaizan-31:
With everyone here knowing better that a guy with a couple of hundred games as coach under his belt, a guy who came through the ranks from coaching koshuis rugby at Tukkkies to building a very good Bulls team, maybe it’s time to let HM go and appoint the new coaching staff from Keo?
Keo could be the head coach, after all he knows better than anyone
Grant 10 could coach the forwards
Skoppie would have three jobs, backline coach (to play all the running rugby and score all those tries), head selector (to hand Neon Deon the no 2 Bok jersey) and also the team’s PRO (see how fast the journalists would wear out the “f” on their keyboards)
Transie would be the fitness coach and the team manager could be ET
13 Sep 2012, 18:13 pm
You have to take your hat off to John Smit now, he had so much to deal with, A the public .. sure he should not have been there was not good enough.. but we needed a captain. and with the likes of Matfield/botha/Spies/Rossouw and Du preez, they had PDV drummed into the HM and Bulls way of playing. but with Smit still there he could say no, and change it a little where he could.. thats why Aplon, JDJ made some game time. and Butch was called to play FH… now we have HM in full control G-d help us all.
13 Sep 2012, 18:26 pm
Meyer is a “dead coach walking”. He surrounded him with fools. They will all walk the plank in 2013.
13 Sep 2012, 18:28 pm
@victoriabok-45: Haha good post…. Don’t forget though, a person’s length of service is not always a determinant of his or her aptitude…. There are some coaches who have been around for ages but are still poor coaches (an example being Brian Ashton or Andy Robinson.. or PDV even)… Conversely, there are up and coming coaches who bring in new ideas and new ways of thinking and add loads of value. Jacque Nienaber is one example….. Ultimately what counts is results.
Public pressure is a good thing overall. Without it, anyone would be able to coach the Boks.
13 Sep 2012, 18:39 pm
Flip relishing NZ challenge
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2012-09-13 16:42
Cape Town – Eben Etzebeth’s two-week suspension means that the impressive lock will miss South Africa’s Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday, but his replacement Flip van der Merwe is relishing the challenge of filling his team-mate’s boots.
According to the supersport.com website, the 27-year-old Van der Merwe has amassed 17 Test caps in his career but he has started only three of those matches.
Ironically, Van der Merwe’s last Test start was also against New Zealand, a 29-22 loss at Soccer City in 2010 and he said that there is probably a bit of unfinished business from that game.
“We were probably a bit unlucky in that game so I am very excited about Saturday’s Test,” said Van der Merwe.
South Africa are coming off a draw against Argentina and a loss to Australia while New Zealand are unbeaten in this year’s Rugby Championship, but the imposing Van der Merwe explained the current Springbok team were up for the challenge of beating the All Blacks in their own back yard.
“Every rugby player wants to wants to test himself against the best in the world and that is the challenge that we face on Saturday. New Zealand in New Zealand is probably one of the biggest challenges that there is.
“The belief that we can win is definitely there. We learnt a lot in the past two Tests and we have got better each week. The guys are starting to understand one another and our training this week was probably the best we have had on tour.
“If you pull on a Springbok jersey then you go out to win and that is what we will be doing on Saturday. Myself and (flank) Francois Louw are in the team to being a bit of experience and we are going out to win,” he said.
Van der Merwe has had to become used to being used off the bench but, although he acknowledges that he has got a chance because of Etzebeth’s suspension, he wants to prove that he is deserving of a regular starting role.
“The way the world works you have to take your chances but it’s very unfortunate for Eben. I think that I am in good shape and I think I am playing well. I have had an impact role in the previous tests and I am looking forward to bringing my playing style at the Bulls to the game. I want to show that I am capable of being a starting lock,” he explained.
Van der Merwe’s elevation to the starting XV will be helped in that he will lock the scrum with his Bulls’ team-mate Juandre Kruger, something that Van der Merwe is looking forward to.
“I am very happy to be playing with Juandre. Our lineouts worked well during Super Rugby and I think we can form a good partnership at four and five.”
New Zealand have named Sam Whitelock and Luke Romano as their starting locks with Brodie Retallick on the bench and Van der Merwe has a healthy respect for their abilities.
“Luke Romano and Brodie Retallick are in their first season of Test rugby but Sam Whitlock is an old hand and someone that Victor Matfield has said is one of the best locks in the world.”
New Zealand are expected to make full use of the covered Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to unleash their dangerous backs but Van der Merwe believes that South Africa are up for the challenge.
“I think that (fitness coach) Bazil Carsis and Heyneke have ensured that we are definitely one of the fittest international teams so if New Zealand want to run the ball they must run it. We will see how far that gets them,” he smiled.
13 Sep 2012, 18:41 pm
@Kaizan-48:
Brian Ashton, ya I remember that oke, once heard him say something very interesting which I think holds sway still today actually saw it in the Crusaders game v Cheetahs recently when Carter put Robbie Fruean away for a try.
He said that the most dangerous backline players are the ones that can drift/move whilst the ball languishes in the air after a player has passed them the ball.
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