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, 18:45 pm
@TooMuchRugby-25 Yeah definatly disapointing. They both look like they dont know what to do and get backline pass fever…so they bash it up and get turned over, stead of an offload maybe
13 Sep 2012, 18:48 pm
flip van der merwe is just another useless heyneke meyer favourite who has done fokkol in a bok jersey except concede penalties (see bloem 2010 vs aussies) but is clocking the Bok caps
funny i haven’t heard any of the people who used to shout for chiliboy to do the “honourable thing and refuse Bok call up & selections” as they thought he was clearly not up to scratch…no such calls for domkop pottie or flip.
13 Sep 2012, 18:54 pm
@victoriabok-45: bwahahaha not a chance…the blou masjien management at the bokke has only coached 6 games & already you want to pass the buck?
we want the same thing heyneke said he believes in “winning rugby”
everything else isa bloody excuse!
13 Sep 2012, 18:56 pm
Ag **** man KEO. He will bring Goosen on in the last 40 when he will be most effective. What is the big song and dance you are making of all this in your article?
13 Sep 2012, 18:59 pm
@Kaizan-48:
Neither Ashton nor Robinson are bad coaches. They were both the victims of inheriting Woodwards RWC winners who believed their way was better than the coaches. Robinson has done wonders with limited resources in Scotland and Ashton was a highly successful and creative development coach.
13 Sep 2012, 18:59 pm
@The Analyst-54: Not cr$p,We don’t want Morne to play the first 40 minutes as well!
13 Sep 2012, 19:11 pm
@victoriabok-45: lol
13 Sep 2012, 19:11 pm
@wnbb-56: LMFAO…..well said!!!!
13 Sep 2012, 19:46 pm
Eventually, Meyer will be forced to take Morne out. I wonder what excuse he’ll give when that time comes.
13 Sep 2012, 19:53 pm
@Transformation-52:
flip brings nothing to the boks.
nothing.
13 Sep 2012, 19:55 pm
@lesiba-59: @lesiba-59: That’s going to take too long man!I see the Americans are sending the Marines to Egypt .Can’t we petition them to make a detour first to Dunedin?Just asking.
13 Sep 2012, 19:58 pm
When will this nightmare end? Even if Meyer replace Morne, who is to say that his stubbornness won’t cost us in the long term? The manner in which Meyer has started his tenure indicates that there is no clear vision here.
We’re dealing with a coach who feels he knows it all. We’re doomed
13 Sep 2012, 19:59 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-60: He does bring something to the Boks as a team.
Added fuckingpressure.
13 Sep 2012, 20:00 pm
@wnbb-61:
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
13 Sep 2012, 20:02 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-63: lol.Could not have said it better.
13 Sep 2012, 20:03 pm
@ David-55 ashton’s win record for england was under-par and he got a vote of no confidence from his own players (most notably Lawrence Dallaglio)’ whilst Andy Robinsons record for both England and Scotland has been decidedly poor (around 50% win ratio for both)… Both Brian Ashton and Andy Robinson were sacked from England for under-performing…. Still many people believe one win against a depleted Aussie side makes you a good coach.
Anyway, the point remains… Results are what counts, not experience… An experienced coach is not necessarily a good coach. Just because Heyneke has many games under his belt, it does not follow that he is infallible.
I, for one, welcome opinions from the South African rugby public and the pressurised atmosphere this creates for coaches and players. It ensures a focus on results.
13 Sep 2012, 20:12 pm
@Transformation-52:
Kak, if I remember correctly your beloved PdV gave him his first cap?
13 Sep 2012, 20:18 pm
@Masipa-62:
> When will this nightmare end?
If you read what HM said instead of listening to the voices in your head you would have known that HM is grooming Goosen. If Goosen wasn’t injured he would have started against the Poms, HM is wise not to blood him against the AB’s, unlike St Nick who f-cked up Gaffie by doing the same
HM also said this tour was Morne and Hougie’s last chance, Hougie’s out on the wing already
> The manner in which Meyer has started his tenure indicates that there is no clear vision here.
Compared to who?
You?
AC?
> We’re dealing with a coach who feels he knows it all.
They all do, if they don’t believe in themselves they wouldn’t be able to stand the pressure
13 Sep 2012, 20:21 pm
@lesiba-62: There would probably be more long term damage just throwing Goosen in at the deep end now. Look at the way Henry stuck with his favoured Auckland son, Spencer, in 2004 tri nations but blooded Carter more and more until he exploded in 2005. Part of me wonders if Carter could have won us the semi in 2003 if he’d started but part of me knows it could have damaged him forever
13 Sep 2012, 20:27 pm
@victoriabok-67: I am not batting for Transformation here,but that’s exactly the point you seem to be missing.He was kak under PdV and for that exact reason Heyneke should have avoided him like the plague,but we know why he didn’t,now do we?
13 Sep 2012, 20:30 pm
@victoriabok-67: and still meyer sycophants like yourself inanely say pdv never blooded any talent during his tenure yet flip, dewalt, flo, lambie, coenie, hargreaves, johnson, de jongh, kirchner, aplon, kruger, mvovo, greyling, stegmann, bekker (if i recall correctly), beast, alberts, mcleod & fecking morne steyn were ALL capped for the 1st time by Dippy Divvy! hehehe
flip is useless at the bulls why is he in the bok squad NOW?
13 Sep 2012, 20:34 pm
@victoriabok-68: you must be getting senile…gaffie played against NH opposition – meaning he was “blooded” & had super rugby under his belt before playing against new zealand. mallett explained just this saturday just to dispel the fondly held myth.
13 Sep 2012, 20:44 pm
@Transformation-52:
@victoriabok-67:
Actually PdV gave him 11 (eleven) caps, not a case of a one off
13 Sep 2012, 20:46 pm
“if New Zealand want to run the ball they must run it. We will see how far that gets them”
hehehe, vok.
13 Sep 2012, 20:48 pm
@victoriaprick-68:
Listening to voices in my head? If you won’t address my points without throwing remarks about my character, then save your comments for someone else who cares about your opinions are with regard to HM’s plans. And YES, I have also read (and listened) to what his plans are. You A**WIPE. Just because you and I disagree about what his plans are doesn’t by default make YOU right. Arrogant pr*ck.
You say all coaches think they know it all otherwise “if they don’t believe in themselves they wouldn’t be able to stand the pressure.” Believing in yourself has nothing to do with you thinking you “know it all.” So I don’t know how you took my comment so out of context. Sheesh.
13 Sep 2012, 20:54 pm
@Hondo-73: Maybe he got something on PdV and Heyneke?
13 Sep 2012, 21:03 pm
@lesiba-75: aahh now u are learning fast on keo
13 Sep 2012, 21:34 pm
HM has become the george bush of rugby.
Best article from keohane I have ever read
13 Sep 2012, 21:52 pm
@hanneslom-78: So Keo called it wrong again at tyhe beginning of the season by stating that HM is the genius that we’d all been waiting for, clearly forgetting he is a brandy-gulping Pretorianer. Keo has now swung back to reality and is almost at the point where he is calling for his head. A clear difference is their comparisons of the two flyhalves. HM has stated that Morne and Goosen are very similar flyhalves, yip, no typo. Keo calls them opposites and I agree. I also think that most on this site agree with Keo, or is it that Keo eventually has come to his senses and agrees with us. So, this means that HM is delusional and totally out of touch with reality if he cannot see the glaring differences between these two players. The same can be said for the gameplan, that’s ‘not the problem’. A similar gameplan to WP under JDV Is JDV doing the same as Smit by pushing a gameplan that suites his limited playing style?
13 Sep 2012, 22:28 pm
@Kaizan-31:
- Heinrich Brussouw – Agree.
- Gio Aplon – In the last 20 minutes if we are ahead – so not in the next 10 tests.
- Josh Strauss – Probably.
- Ashley Johnson – Nope.
- BJ Botha – 50-50.
- Paul Jordaan – I’m super glad you mentioned him. Could be the next Gerber.
- Schalk Britz – Absolutely.
- Craig Burden – Yes.
- Keagan Daniel – Not really.
- Joe Van Niekerk – Yep.
- Brian Mujati – Was great the season before last and has gone backward since.
- Elton Jantjies – Definitely.
- Quinn Roux – Don’t know who he or she is.
- Tonderai Chavangha – No.
- Brent Russell – Not so sure as I haven’t seen him play in a while.
13 Sep 2012, 23:03 pm
@victoriabok-68: Actually quite thougjt provoking.
14 Sep 2012, 03:46 am
Actually he has selected a fetcher at last. He is no Harry Potter but this will change the dynamics of the usual NZL v RSA match.
14 Sep 2012, 05:29 am
“Turning adventure into torture – why?”
With that headline I thought the story might be a book review of “Fifty Shades of Grey”. A close, tight test between NZ and SA is always 80 minutes of torture, isn’t it? And adventure. I admit I’d like to see the Boks play a more expansive game, and not just because of the spectacle from a rugby fan’s point of view. If you lose to a side playing positive rugby instead of a 10-man game, somehow the defeat never feels as painful. I believe SA has the players to adopt a more open style, but now Heyneke has begun with a tighter, kick-laden game plan it would be hard on the players to suddenly switch the pattern on them mid-stream. Seriously, that’s a big ask and one that might be better left to the start of next season if you’regoing to rewrite the team blueprint. Steyn’s not the greatest flyhalf ever to pull on a jersey but he is certainly one of the greatest (THE greatest?) goalkickers the game has seen. He’s a proven matchwinner and dumping him would be a tough decision to make. He’d be ideal if rugby was like American football and you could wheel him out for the shots at goal, while having Goosen or Lambie direct proceedings at 10. And you can’t really hide him in another position such as wing, although he did play a test v Oz at 15 last year. Anyway, I never write off the Boks and wouldn’t be surprised if they won this weekend. When the heat’s on, and they’re underdogs, that’s when they’re likely to burn you. I’ve seen it happen often enough.
14 Sep 2012, 06:35 am
@Transformation-77:
LOL. I just don’t understand how some people can’t have a debate without making it personal. Most (if not all) of us are not rugby experts here but as fans, we each have a right to voice our opinions as we are supporters of the team. I find it laughable that when all things are gud, it’s fine for us to cheer. But when things look bad, we’re labelled “couch coaches” and basically told to shut up. To hell with that.
14 Sep 2012, 07:43 am
Let’s play….
Guess the Quote!:
Springbok coaches, without exception, have discarded players because of an expectation that they should be at 21 what they will only become at 27 or 28, when a mentality does not exist that guides a player towards staying an international player and not just becoming one.
The rugby media is equally culpable of influencing the selection or axing of a player because victory means everything in a country that needs good sports results on a Monday from their national teams.
You only have to read how easily established international players are written off for a youngster who towered above mediocrity in a domestic competition. Too rarely is there an applicable comparison and in my time as a rugby writer I’ve been as guilty as the next in looking for the next sensation to satisfy the thirst of writing about victories.
14 Sep 2012, 07:50 am
Let me know if you like this game, I got plenty more…
14 Sep 2012, 08:15 am
@PissAnt-85:
Very embraboer.
Keo is about as consistent Gaffie du Toits goal kicking.
14 Sep 2012, 08:31 am
Why can’t the journos say it like it is. This is simply a case of sticking with what he knows and who he is loyal too and that is the Bulls Rugby Union. He did not even look beyond the Bulls coaching staff when he selected his management & assistants so he has nobody who is either prepared to, or can give him a different perspective on player selections or game plans. It’s all about him. In business we call it micro management. Meyer is a control freak. Bekker slips a few tackles on guys half his size and Meyer dumps him and in comes Flip for Etzebeth. Bizarre!
14 Sep 2012, 08:36 am
@Stormtrooper-88: Soo what is Rassie Erasmus then?
14 Sep 2012, 08:37 am
HEYNEKE OUT!
14 Sep 2012, 08:39 am
@Stormtrooper-88:
Actually he asked alistair coetzee.
Who said no.
Wake up.
14 Sep 2012, 08:41 am
Zola Yeye is gatvol. The former Springbok team manager believes the South African Rugby Union has reneged on its development pact by giving the Eastern Province Kings only one guaranteed season in Super rugby. And he warns that South African rugby is in a state of denialism when it comes to transformation.
Save & Share
Tweet EmailPrint”They’ve thrown the Kings a hospital pass,” says Yeye, the SABC’s Eastern Cape regional manager.
“It would be a miracle if the team find the right mix and stay up in the first year. It’s like giving birth to a baby and expecting it to be winning academic prizes when it is a year old. Saru didn’t give the same conditions to other franchises, who are doing whatever they like.”
If Super Rugby history is any guide, the freshmen Kings are likely to finish bottom of the South African Conference.
They would then have to win a play-off against the Lions to stay in the tournament.
The rationale behind their promotion – that the Kings should blaze a trail for black rugby – would be defeated if they were relegated.
For Yeye, the decision not to protect the Kings project is symptomatic of the lack of transformation in rugby.
“In the 20 years since unity, we’ve seen only cosmetic changes,” he says.
“There have been sparks of change here and there, but we haven’t produced much.
“It’s ridiculous that now people are even asking, what is transformation? Why can’t we define it? This country is in transformation.”
“I’m not saying that black players should be parachuted into teams,” he says.
“But all the franchises have to show commitment. Players don’t select themselves, they get selected by individuals.”
Yeye also bemoans “poaching” of Eastern Province rugby’s finest schoolboy talent by the big unions – who then fail to pick them at senior level.
“Our players get frustrated in Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town, then come back here and end their careers.”
But surely Eastern Province rugby officialdom have only themselves to blame for losing their stars – most recently Siya Kolisi and Lwazi Mvovo – to richer and better-managed unions?
Until the election of Cheeky Watson as president, the Eastern Province Rugby Union was ruled by a procession of suits almost as incompetent as the political leadership in the province.
That legacy cannot be blamed on the actions of Bulls or Sharks executives.
Much has been made of the powerful base of rugby schools in the province, but the pockets of excellence, such as Grey and Dale, allow for official complacency about the neglect elsewhere. Township schools rugby remains hugely under-resourced, with some notable exceptions such as Ithembelihle, Molly Blackburn and Ndzondelelo.
And, whenever black and coloured schools or clubs do defy the odds and excel, they haemorrhage talent to their largely white rivals and fall back into mediocrity. The Uitenhage coloured club Progress defeated mighty Maties a few years ago, and promptly lost all its kingpins to neighbouring Despatch.
The pattern is similar in other provinces, but the region is a special case. It’s one of those rare corners of the rugby world where the game is deeply rooted in the working class.
That’s why the fate of the Kings matters so much to the future of the local game: the franchise must “energise the base” and make the game an engine of social mobility in a deeply depressed community.
“Rugby is no longer an innocent sport. It’s economics, it’s tourism, it’s so many things. It’s huge. People who’ve never come to Port Elizabeth before will come here. Businesses on the brink of collapse will have the chance to survive,” says Yeye.
“I’ve been with Cheeky in the trenches for many years. He’s a committed individual. But he cannot change rugby alone. He needs assistance from everyone. The Kings must survive, they must succeed. We’ve been waiting for this too long.”
It helps that one of the city’s working-class heroes, 2010 World Cup supremo Danny Jordaan, has bequeathed a R2-billion stadium as the city’s new temple of rugby.
The authorities say Nelson Mandela Bay stadium will start to break even next year. If it does, it will be first World Cup ground to escape white elephant status.
Watson traces the weakness of amateur black rugby back to unity in 1992.
“The previously disadvantaged have always focused on reconciliation more than restitution. The non-racialists have made every effort to ensure unity.
“But what unity did was to destroy rugby in the townships, because white clubs were far more advantaged. Back in the day, extended families were involved in black clubs.
“Members would get together to help families in need. But that whole social structure was broken down by unity. Clubs merged and poorer clubs had to compete against those who were steeped in the benefits of the apartheid economy.”
Saru reckons that the dizzying sum of R500-million has been spent on rugby development since 1992. During that period, a total of about 50 black Boks have been selected, most of them very briefly.
“This is the only region where you have equal support for rugby across all different races.
“The crowd for the Bok test here this year was magnificently mixed. This region can effect reconciliation in a tremendous way.
“It can be a beacon of hope,” says Watson.
14 Sep 2012, 08:44 am
Hmmmm…. SABC’s Eastern Cape regional manager.
I’d say you’ve got bigger problems on your plate pal.
14 Sep 2012, 08:45 am
@Peter Mkata-92: The whole South African Government is in a state of denialism when it comes to transformation.
So nothing new there.
PS don’t you just love the colour of the Union’s new signings???
Excellent for transformation.
14 Sep 2012, 08:46 am
@Peter Mkata-92:
An article in today’s edition of The Times.
14 Sep 2012, 08:49 am
@stormersboy-94:
One black and one orange?
14 Sep 2012, 08:53 am
Heyneke Meyer’s game plan: “we must bash the ball straight up the middle to suck in defenders. Once we have created an overlap, we must kick it because we have more chasers than they have people to catch the kicked ball. If this does not work, then you have failed to play to our strengths and failed to correctly implement this game plan. But do not fear, you will have another chance to implement this genius game plan next week.”
14 Sep 2012, 08:54 am
@gunther-96: Yip.
Orange-you glad you support the Bulls??
14 Sep 2012, 08:57 am
@stormersboy-98:
Joh.
The way they are playing I would ship the whole bunch to the Kings.
14 Sep 2012, 09:01 am
@gunther-99: Don’t be Cheeky…
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