Steyn blows Dunedin lifeline
15 Sep 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on a deeply disheartening 21-11 Springboks defeat to the All Blacks in which Morne Steyn surely kicked his way into the Test wilderness.
Heyneke Meyer’s painful education as a Test coach continues. Tonight’s lesson was in accountability for selections and it was a harsh one. Meyer didn’t swing Steyn’s rudderless boot, which pushed four crucial goal kicks wide. But he did put him in a position to take those kicks when there were alternatives, one of which, Johan Goosen, embarrassed the incumbent by landing a 50m penalty and nearly sinking a near on 60m effort. Yet it wasn’t only his goal-kicking which vexed. So far was he in the pocket for most of the match that he may as well have been back in Pretoria.
Then there was the mistimed introduction of Dean Greyling, the prop whose inadequacies at Super Rugby level made his initial selection to the squad perplexing. Greyling would further entrench the widely-held perception of Springboks players as thugs with a cowardly forearm smash on Richie McCaw. Then he coughed the ball up with the tryline beckoning in the dying minutes and conceded a string of penalties. He must be heavily punished for his assault on McCaw and never see a Springboks shirt again.
There were others who failed – his beloved Zane Kirchner didn’t inspire once more, hooker Adriaan Strauss looked like a tanked up darts player, Juandre Kruger had no presence at the lineouts.
Where there positives? Perhaps. The forwards were outstanding in the tight exchanges on attack, setting a platform. But it was one that was never exploited thanks to a now chronic lack of attacking imagination. Defenders are seen as targets for rampaging Springboks carriers. Over and not around seems to be the law. The Blacks attack space so well and consistently free their hands to look for an offload opportunity. These things can be coached. The Springboks have the players with the capacity to play this way. That they are reduced to brainless machines that show no ability or desire to veer from a directive doesn’t bode well for the future.
On review they will primarily lament a butchered 7th minute opportunity and Steyn’s poor goal-kicking. The former was particularly frustrating in light of how few clear scoring chances they create. This one could not have been clearer, with Bryan Habana free on the wing. But passer and recipient lacked composure. Habana would, however, later score a try that was a throwback to his best form – break, chip, collect, brilliant.
Outside of the Blacks’ try that was birthed from a poor box kick, the Springboks were undoubtedly the better side for the first half – dominant in the forwards, competitive at the breakdown, sharp to loose balls and desperate on defence. They rumbled and roared through the heavies, driving into good field positions and forcing a string of penalties.
Here was the much-maligned Steyn’s opportunity to repay and justify the faith Meyer had showed in him in the face of severe criticism. Kicking all the points against the Blacks in Port Elizabeth in 2011, Steyn had saved his Test career. It was ironic that his kicking effort tonight, the primary strength of his game, would almost certainly end it, or, at very least, cease it until he rediscovers his form of 2009. There is no strong argument Meyer can mount for his retention. His time is up.
The Springboks trailed 5-3 at the break, but should have lead comfortably. Yet, for all their endevour, nothing about this game was unexpected. The Springboks were always going live with these Blacks for 60 minutes. The final quarter was always going to be the decisive period of the match.
The Blacks grabbed the initiative through a soft Aaron Smith try. Greyling should have been defending the fringe yet was caught in the backline. He further undermined the Springboks’ cause five minutes later when he stupidly, inexplicably, nailed McCaw, who was not involved in play. Idiocy appeared to have found it’s home in Greyling.
To their credit the Springboks redoubled their efforts, but the Blacks grew in confidence and while they never looked fluid on attack, they certainly had the measure of the predictable Springboks on defence.
There were opportunities to cause an upset, but those were squandered. Oh what could have been. This Blacks side is not the force they have been made out to be. They were there for the taking. Meyer’s education continues, but he cannot keep failing examinations through faults of his own.
345 Comments
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15 Sep 2012, 11:44 am
Was worse than Gaffie’s performance in the same city.
15 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
Not much to say… Morne Steyn is a liability and has been for a long time.
15 Sep 2012, 11:48 am
HM. Does not trust his troops. Control freak. Therapy.
15 Sep 2012, 11:51 am
I think the only way Meyer can move fwd is to send out a formal apology to the sa rugby public and explain why he takes so ******* long to learn. Ok maybe we do need a decent fly half and a balanced loose fwd combo. I you guys were right. I just need about 6 tests to realise the obvious
15 Sep 2012, 11:54 am
3 poeple responsible for los: Meyer, M Steyn, Kirchner. Also poor: Pienaar and Greyling! Shocking. Meyer must see the light or go. Simple as that! Enough of Steyn!
15 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
@willievz-1: Ja Willie !! I agree – when will HM see the light ?? Why did he replace Beast. Greyling should be fined and should NEVER wear a Springbok shirt again. I have just said on the other thread that everybody complained about the inexperienced Malherbe, but I’m sure he would have done better than Greyling: not many props would have done worse!!
15 Sep 2012, 11:57 am
@Maljan-5: This time Lambie had even less time than the previous test: I think 5½ minutes !! Why keep Kirchner on for so long ?? Goosen has to start the next 2 tests and Morne should not be in the match 22
15 Sep 2012, 11:58 am
Only you, Ryan, saw this as Morne’s last chance. Meyer has no intention of dropping Morne and the rest of us would have dropped him long ago.
15 Sep 2012, 12:00 pm
@Maljan-5: Couldn’t agree more. Pienaar had a poor game. His tactical kicking was poor. I remember the Kiwi commentator (Grant Nisbet I think) saying about one of his kicks: “That was a nothing kick. Straight to Dagg in space.”
15 Sep 2012, 12:00 pm
Morne should have done the honorable thing, faked an injury and gone off.
15 Sep 2012, 12:02 pm
On the positive Habana is back to his best! And alot of you fools wanted to write him off.
15 Sep 2012, 12:02 pm
Sad thing is no matter what, morne and spies will always be in the plans. Really scary thought. I pray for now that goose and vermuelen stay fit. Seem to be the only 2 players Meyer will make an exception for
15 Sep 2012, 12:03 pm
Meyer’s record this year is Played 7, won 3.
He continues to select Morne Steyn.
Morne Steyn’s record this year is 53%
Could there be a link between these two records?
15 Sep 2012, 12:03 pm
Goosen should have started or at least come on straight after the break. We would have won it. Also need to start Lambie. Why give Lambie 5min? What the heck can a player do in 5min?
15 Sep 2012, 12:07 pm
@CharlesM-7: Goosen and Lambie should have started or at very least come on straight after the break. Why give Lambie 5min? What can a player do in that time?
Ruan also not doing it at all. Might have to move Hougie back to scrummie. Think JPP might be back for the Loftus test.
15 Sep 2012, 12:09 pm
how many kicks did we miss tonight?
fark
i lost count
15 Sep 2012, 12:11 pm
Pienaar I am afraid is one of those really good provincial players but does not have the temperament for test rugby. He has no flair sadly! this kicking the ball back into the loose scrums really freaks me out. Hougaards kicking technique is extremely poor but if we are to play a fast paced game with our back, he would be ideal. We have the players – wrong coach. SA rugby must wake up and smell the Roses!
15 Sep 2012, 12:11 pm
Only person to blame is Meyer. Wake thefuckup
15 Sep 2012, 12:12 pm
Today was an incredibly hopeful sign for SA rugby.
The much maligned Meyer demonstrated how you fluster, dominate and set the platform to beat the mighty All Blacks in their own back yard.
If not for Morne Steyn and Dean Greyling we would have beaten the All Blacks at home today. Both errors can be rectified with the tickmark of a selection pen.
Put Goosen in and send Greyling back to the Currie Cup and this Bok team has the makings of a great one. Especially once the Bismarks and JP Pietersens of this world are back.
15 Sep 2012, 12:17 pm
gurthro as loosehead to rotate with beast and bobs your uncle.
goosen to be given more game time.
pienaar to fall off a cliff somewhere and hougaard back to sh, or the cheetahs sh.
flip for the first time actually had a good game for the boks but etzebeth to slot back in.
15 Sep 2012, 12:20 pm
Meyer,Loubscher,Basil and Van Graan should return to the Blue Cows……….bring in Mallet,Alan Solomons and Campese,Campo would bring value to the backline.Solomons very astute coach too !
15 Sep 2012, 12:20 pm
17. We have the players – wrong coach. Spot on, that’s exactly what today showed
15 Sep 2012, 12:20 pm
The buck stops with Meyer. He is the man who cost us the test. He put a badly out of form steyn on the field. He selected kirchner at 15 when we have Lambie. He took the beast off. He need, s to wake the F up now, or just pi$$ off.
15 Sep 2012, 12:24 pm
@Tacitus-19: The much maligned Meyer demonstrated just WHY he IS much maligned – nothing more.
15 Sep 2012, 12:27 pm
@Tacitus-19: Meyer is the only reason the Boks didn’t win today.
15 Sep 2012, 12:31 pm
9. Hougie
10. The Goose
11. Habs
12. Jan Serfontein
13. Paul Jordaan
14. JPP
15. Fransie
Hopefully Meyer will have this as his backline in time (provided he’s still the coach)
15 Sep 2012, 12:33 pm
Can someone rig the walkie talkie like in the James Bond films where the bad guys always have a meeting………then one of them gets shocked by a pissed off villian like Largo…..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW9-llaIS-g
15 Sep 2012, 12:33 pm
@Tacitus-19: Talking shyyt Tac, PDV has already showed SA Rugby how to beat All Blacks in Dunedin, he won, Meyer has done diddle-squat chump, go sell your rubbish somewhere else, we not buying it.
BTW, did you notice the line out difference once Bekker came on for Kruger, won’t even mention Morne, Zane and Mean Dean
15 Sep 2012, 12:35 pm
It’s absolutely mind-blowing that everyone except the supposed rugby genius appointed to coach the team can see that Morne Steyn should not be playing. And still, he thinks that everybody else is wrong and he is right.
15 Sep 2012, 12:35 pm
@Tacitus-19: You make as if beating AB in NZ is an impossible task, ask Peter De Villiers he did it , not once.
15 Sep 2012, 12:38 pm
It’s simple. We lost tonight, because of Meyer, Steyn, Kirchner and Greyling.
All 4 from the same franchise background.
All 4 playing a gameplan that was last successful in 2009 or so.
For the aforementioned franchise
15 Sep 2012, 12:41 pm
@Tacitus-19:
The Irish and Argentinians did exactly the same, and the Irish did so with Carter kicking a last minute drop. And the much maligned Meyer wouldnt be so ‘maligned’ perhaps if he didnt continually select Greyling and Steyn.
15 Sep 2012, 12:42 pm
Maak die Bulle almal fokkof.
15 Sep 2012, 12:45 pm
@Vetkoek-31:
We lost tonight because our game plan was pathetic. They did contribute though.
Any other coach woud have ensured we won this game and not let bias get in the way of his pride.
15 Sep 2012, 12:47 pm
The AB’s were poor by their standards today
AB’s will win in Soweto
A gees win against the Aussies at home
And that’ll wrap up the the 1st tourny of the long awaited new dawn of SA rugby
15 Sep 2012, 12:47 pm
I used to get so angry with PdV, but the hype around HM has made him look more pathetic than PdV.
Pieter is p issing himself with larfter…
15 Sep 2012, 12:48 pm
Tacitus Meyers Bulls rugby style is outdated…………..are you perhaps
1-That bloke with the ring in his nose with the bulls helmut with horns….
2-The Bulls Mascot
3-The Bulls wannabe media mogul
Bulle en bokke met meyer vreet van die vloer af !
15 Sep 2012, 12:48 pm
So what has changed since PdV era…
Oh yeah only the coach as all the rest is pretty much the same…
15 Sep 2012, 12:50 pm
Heyneke is taking longer than usual to learn from his mistakes.
Time for that coffee with Mallett.
15 Sep 2012, 12:54 pm
@I am a stormer-39:
HM seems like a guy who doesn’t like being exposed. He wont take up the offer mate. He will continue to validate his Steyn bias. Wait for Spies to return. Imagine the outbursts then. Spies is his life and soul… His bossom buddy – may be the wrong term there…
15 Sep 2012, 12:57 pm
It is about time someone at SARU haul HM before some committee and gave him a dressing down in public. To become coach of one of the top rugby countries you need to be professional in your actions and decision making. The frequent TV shots of him during a game are as embarrassing as his stupid selection decisions. He is as bad as Strueli ever was. His selection of Steyn was stubborn and incompetent… yet he will probably do it again. He needs to apologise for selecting Steyn and Steyn should apologise to the rugby public and excuse himself from international rugby. I am sickened to my stomach by today’s and last week’s performance.
15 Sep 2012, 12:58 pm
@Gumboots-40:
Mallett mentioned in the studio that he and HM are in regular contact via sms’s and Mallett mentioned getting together for a coffee. Heyneke just needs to accept the offer.
As for Spies, he has slippped down the pecking order. Let him play Currie Cup if he really needs to play rugby.
15 Sep 2012, 12:59 pm
surely many saw this coming??
15 Sep 2012, 13:00 pm
@maybe-41:
Would you like your perfomance appraisal done in public?
Ian Macintosh was also an entertainer in the coaches box.
15 Sep 2012, 13:02 pm
@I am a stormer-42:
I listened to Ashwin suggesting they meet for coffee and yes i heard they sms each other. I doubt HM will take any advice from anyone.
@maybe-41:
I stated it last week that I was embarassed with is unprofessional behaviour when the camera pans onto him. It can only affect the players. He was lucky in Super Rugby to have a great team. He is being exposed now…
15 Sep 2012, 13:03 pm
@greatest13gerber-43:
Yes we did. When we showed our discuss in the Cape we were called whiners…
Now the world sees the fake the guy is… Strange how it took three games to realise it. I knew from his first sqaud he had no idea…
15 Sep 2012, 13:04 pm
disgust, sorry
15 Sep 2012, 13:06 pm
@Gumboots-40: Oh dearlord, that is when I molotov SARU’s offices.
But I agree with you, he digs his heels in the more he is exposed. Creeps into his little ‘safe, circle of trust’.
With the way our forwards were doing their thing in the 1st half, there was ZERO reason for him to continue with Steyn. Had our forwards been under the cosh, his “Goosen in so inexperienced” kak would in his mind have been justified. But with the pretty good platform our big boys were getting, Goosen would have flourished. No excuse to not pull Steyn off, and if he didn’t trust Goosen enough after 25 minutes – Lambie was once more sitting RIGHT there. I feel for Lambie, the kids face is a picture of unhappiness, and who the hell can blame him.
Meyer will also have to start answering questions as to why the Bok backline is so neglected. It is obvious there is ZERO focus on them, and they don’t feature in Meyer’s blueprint at all. If he had his way, he would change rugby to 11′s – so that there was no need for those pesky centres and wings.(He would keep a fullback because IT can kick….)
If Meyer admitted he might have been wrong on certain things, and he made a few statements to this extent, he might buy himself some mercy, but if on returning he talks about execution……he will have used up all his lives.
15 Sep 2012, 13:08 pm
@greatest13gerber-43: Yes we did. In fact, quite a few of us have been anti as hell from day 1. Somehow a few of us saw this coming. Yes we did….but we were called traitors, whiners and unpatriotic for our doubts at the time…..
15 Sep 2012, 13:09 pm
@Tacitus-19: Hi Tac. Yes I agree up to a point. But how do you explain Meyer’s thinking in : 1. selecting Morne in the first place for this Test 2. Not taking him off at the half 3. selecting Greyling ahead of other far better players 4. the kick and chase game which clearly isn’t working 6. not playing Lambie ahead of Kirchner
Just kken to hear your view.
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