Make us believe in a bold Bok era, Heyneke
17 Sep 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day newspaper column, writes denial is the devil that has to be avoided for the Boks to be winners and the best team in the world.
Once again South Africans will take comfort that the All Blacks are not quite as good and the Boks are not quite as bad. Once again we can reflect on a heroic defeat. Once again we would be deluded.
If the aim is to consistently be the best rugby team in the world then brave 10-point defeats against the old foe can’t be viewed as victories. If the aim is to be the best then the Boks have to set standards that include not playing well and beating the All Blacks by 10 points; not exceeding expectation and still losing by 10 points.
Come on.
There has to be a change of mindset, from within the current management. And there has to be a demand from the rugby public that quality of performance is never secondary.
There has to be some honesty about where it went wrong. Only then can it be corrected.
Meyer, as coach and head strategist, promised more than we saw in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, and the public rightly expected more of the Springboks.
I don’t get why there is an absolute fear of failure within the management. If ever there was a time where the public would have been accommodating it was in the year post a World Cup when most teams tend to be in transition and when coaches can embrace variation in selection, strategy and approach.
I am not talking about experimentation but variation.
All of the successful Bok teams of the professional era have played good rugby without having to be like the All Blacks and Wallabies and without having to give up the fundamentals associated with the South African game.
Meyer’s Boks are capable of so much more, but it starts with the coach and his support staff.
Passion should be a given and not the exception that gets the Boks close to beating the All Blacks in New Zealand or inspires the one-off win against the Kiwis in South Africa.
The Boks have players capable of producing a game that embraces moving the ball through hands and winning with skill and not relying exclusively on forward dominance and physical superiority.
Every good Bok team has employed an effective kicking game, and there is no crime in Meyer believing in the merits of playing for field position and minimising risk. But it has to be balanced with a trust that those selected are good enough to want to maintain possession and effectively use this possession.
Selections have to offer hope of victory and not limit the margin of the defeat.
I am not dispirited. If Meyer had done everything right and the Boks were three from seven, then we could talk about a catastrophe.
He hasn’t and acknowledging this would signal strength in character.
There is hope for the Boks and there will always be because the quality of player is good enough to beat any team once, but the measure of great Bok teams is that they beat all opponents more than once, home and away.
Meyer’s conservatism in selection cost him a famous win in Dunedin. I championed Meyer’s national appointment, but he’s struggled more than I ever anticipated in getting his selections right. He surely can’t get them wrong for the two home remaining Rugby Championship matches against Australia and New Zealand.
There can no longer be a case made for Morne Steyn’s retention. There can also no longer be the nonsense of Johan Goosen not being good enough, experienced enough or old enough to start. There can’t be an argument to ignore the claims of Elton Jantjies as his understudy and if Meyer does not rate Pat Lambie then he owes it to the player to send him back to Durban and allow him to actually play some rugby.
I never considered Meyer would struggle to break his association with the Bulls, but I underestimated the bond that exists. His loyalty to Morne Steyn was misguided and no newcomer picked at flyhalf would have been afforded seven Test matches in which to get it right. No newcomer would have been excused a goal-kicking success rate in the mid-50s.
Defeat will force change but there would have been greater comfort had innovation determined selection.
The Boks always produce inspired performances at home in the latter stages of what was the Tri Nations and now is the Rugby Championship. What we are seeing in 2012 is no different to what we saw a decade ago.
I refuse to believe Meyer will not get it right. He is a student of the game, a man who instills confidence when talking rugby and a man who appreciates the nuances of the game.
Which makes the last month that much harder to fathom. How the hell did he get it so wrong, in selection and in inspiration?
I can’t recall a coach being more unanimously embraced as a national appointment and Meyer needs to know the public wants him to succeed.
He needs to lose the fear of failure and trust his ability to win as much as the public did when lauding his appointment. If he does that, not only will there be hope for the Boks, there will also be conviction in the belief they can be the best.
778 Comments
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17 Sep 2012, 09:32 am
HM stupid dragon
17 Sep 2012, 09:34 am
heyneke out!
17 Sep 2012, 09:39 am
Fear….
Spot on…
17 Sep 2012, 09:40 am
I also hope he stops acting like a parent in the coaching box.
Bring back Mallet.
17 Sep 2012, 09:48 am
“There can’t be an argument to ignore the claims of Elton Jantjies as his understudy and if Meyer does not rate Pat Lambie then he owes it to the player to send him back to Durban and allow him to actually play some rugby.”
That sums it up nicely, the Goose must start with Elton as his backup – already a massive improvement on the ever kak Morne – Lambie has to go and work on his fullback play and work on gaining some pace.
17 Sep 2012, 09:51 am
pat lambie 10
the goose 15
both players interchangeable
its the future
17 Sep 2012, 09:51 am
Biggest disappointment has been HMs lack of flexibility.
I really thought he had the ability to alter his game plan and selections from where he was with the Bulls 3 or 4 seasons ago.
Why did he sign JJ and Sadie to the Bulls and state he wanted to play a more ball in hand typ of game?
Why does he continue to believe it wont work with the Boks if he was so willing to try in with the Bulls?
Confusion reigns.
The worst thing is that in being so close to beating the ABs this week is that he will still feel the kicking game plan will still work.
The only reason we got close this weekend is because of the forwards(except for Greyling). Not because of the kicking game plan.
The ease with which the ABs back 3 snaffled the high ball was embarrasing.
17 Sep 2012, 09:56 am
@RL-5: Heyneke’s blind loyalty to the bulls can be compared to your ignorance of the talent that is Pat Lambie. Why is everyone talking so much about Goosen? He is talented, but has only had half a good season in the Super 15. Lambie has two great season’s under his belt. When he didn’t play, the sharks were half the team. You don’t need to be stupidly fast to be a good flyhalf, he reads the game better than anyone in SA at the moment. I’m pretty sure he is quicker than Dan Carter, has an excellent kicking record and is already more experienced than Goosen. Surely he should be the front-runner for the number 10 spot?
17 Sep 2012, 09:59 am
This is all so boring now, we have been on and on about this guy …
Can we have an update article on returning injuries ?
Chili
Coonie
Brussow
JPP
Kolisi
Elstadt
17 Sep 2012, 09:59 am
@RL-5:
Agreed on all counts..
At best, Lambie is 3rd best in both positions.
@ FB, he lags behind Aplon and Taute, and is wanted for pace.
@ FH, Goosen and Elton offers more.
17 Sep 2012, 09:59 am
HM will go to MS again at loftus.And even though we will see a better performance from him, we are still going to be stuck with Morras.The thing is the public want something new and exciting.And the Goose is looking like just that.
17 Sep 2012, 10:01 am
There’s a dichotomy here – there’s us the poor proletariat & there’s Heyneke who’s approaching the job as if the boks are a provincial team. Next coach must have NO recent affiliation with an SA team. Gert Smal
17 Sep 2012, 10:03 am
Meyer also said that by the end of the away games he would have a better idea of the players he wantsto moveforward with.
Personally i can see both the ozzies and kiwis getting a paksla in the republic.
Technical issues of concern are still our lineout as well. The lack of a decent tail jumper is making our lineout very predictable and easily contestable. Flip won his ball as 2 jumper but as soon as we put some depth on the throw we get in trouble. It could also be a timing issue with the hooker but it needs to get sorted.
Very impressed with flips effort this past weekend i personally saw him being very lucky to be included but he put in his best performance i have ever seen from him at any level.
So basically we are still in this rugby championship albeit we require a good result by the argies againstthemkiwis and as things are transpiring that does not look like a gimme.
17 Sep 2012, 10:04 am
@Pot Blou Gevaar-10: It is difficult to prove otherwise right now, but I disagree with you. Next year Plum is going to play Lambie at 10 for the season, and then he will be able to show what he can do in that position. I think he will be a great 10, which should always be his first choice position. 2013 we should be sitting with three excellent flyhalves to choose from and Steyn will not be one of them…
17 Sep 2012, 10:05 am
@jonnyBravo-8:
Note that Lambie shifted from 10 to 15 midway through this season, with Michalak running at FH. You can deduce that there was a call made from Heyneke to Plumtree requesting this switch. The boy has a well rounded game no doubt, but @ 15 you need gas. In one-on-one situations, Dagg, Beale, Aplon will smoke him.
17 Sep 2012, 10:05 am
HM has made his name a bit “gat” so to speak. There is so much talent at his disposal yet he refuses to select them. I refuse to believe that HM is this stupid or stubborn! The forwards were pretty good other than Greyling. How does he even select this oke? And then MS, he was warned that this would happen and still selects him. How stupid do you have to be? Jean de villiers is dogsh1t and does nothing at centre. Kirchner catches and kicks away possession all the time. Where’s Lambie, where’s Juan De Jong, where’s Jantjies or Goosen altho I do believe Goosen should not have been selected with the limited amount of rugger he’s played since coming back from injury? 3 wins from 7 is not acceptable. Shout if you need help HM…think most people could help you!
17 Sep 2012, 10:06 am
I would keep Flippie at 4.Cant drop a guy after a performance like that.
17 Sep 2012, 10:06 am
Good article.
Not only does the rugby public want a coach who believes in the quality of our players (especially the backs), but the rugby public wants a coach who can admit he made mistakes and convince the supporters that changes will be made to move into the right direction.
HM cant be blind to the short comings of the performances. . The backs should be given more credit and be involved in a coaching setup to enable them to become world beaters. In any defeat any coach will try to rectify the problems and I cant believe that he will be so ignorant not to admit that his tactics and selections are to blame. Especially after a defeat against the ABs which should have been a victory for the boks. Greyling,bad goal kicking and bad tactical kicking is a useless excuse. Poor handeling and skill from the backs are to blame. And no one except the coach should admit to that.
HM does not only need to select the right players but make them play ‘winning rugby’ and not ‘do what it takes not to lose rugby’ like the stormers played and the are boks playing now.
17 Sep 2012, 10:10 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-13: You still confident about Meyer and Morne, colonel?
17 Sep 2012, 10:12 am
@mako-14:
An extended run in his prefered position would certainly do him good.
17 Sep 2012, 10:13 am
16, last weekend vs ozzies we picked cilliers on the bench to sub our prop and to be honest wemdidn,t get much from him. This week we had greyling on the bench to sub beest. He obviously had a shocker of a cameo but the selection had logic to it. Hardly the coaches fault that he flies over a ruck especially when the ref had already given us the penalty advantage.
17 Sep 2012, 10:14 am
And who do you blame for the backs crappy skill level? Not once did the put it threw the hands to create space… It was awful. Will HM take the blame? Perhaps there is not enough emphasis in attacking play during training…? Is our backline coach just not good enough??? Will HM realise this and amount someone else?
17 Sep 2012, 10:16 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-21: The boks are still in it how? Are you saying they’ve a chance to win it?
17 Sep 2012, 10:17 am
Mark my words, Steyn will get another chance at Loftus. He will kick well and we will be told that Heyneke is vindicated.
It’s like a nightmare unfolding.
17 Sep 2012, 10:17 am
ALot of you people are are rather wrong.
HM showed us on Saturday that the Boks can compete with the ABs and the like. HM even apologised for not bringing on M Steyn earlier but hey ho HM has realsied The Goose is the new Bok 10!!
The Boks played very well on Saturday morning, the Bok pack blew the ABs off the park, only to be let down by M Steyn.
If HM starts with The Goose and the Boks can win both their home games then mission accomplished as far as i am concerned.
17 Sep 2012, 10:18 am
19, very confident about meyer although morne,s confidence is obviously shot to pieces. Really feel for morne, it is uncanny really, you see him strike the ball on target and at the last second it just goes. Luck is something morne could use a little of. Nonetheless, the goose must start.
Boks will hurt both the antipodean sides atmhome badly i feel.
17 Sep 2012, 10:19 am
@Jeez-22:
theres clearly no emphasis on backline moves or room for experimenting
touch rugby is probably banned from training
all the backs do at training is see the ball, chase the ball
nothing more, nothing less
17 Sep 2012, 10:20 am
Jean De Villiers is becoming another John Smit unfortunately.
The passion and belief is still there, but his mind cannot will the body any longer – he overstayed his international career by a season, slipping tackles, no strike running from his channel, unable to create space for his wings, etc. A chronic ailment being brought from the Stormers over the last few seasons.
Can the real 13’s please stand up?
Enter De Jongh, Ebersohn, Jordaan, etc.
17 Sep 2012, 10:20 am
When the opportunities came knocking ,and they where to close to the goal line to kick the ball away, they panicked and skip passed. That allowed the ABs to close down the space and defend their tryline with ease. It seemed like they only trained to do skip passes!
Wow and JDV had one of his worst games in a bok jersey.
Do you want your captain to be one of the weaker players on the field?
17 Sep 2012, 10:21 am
@jonnyBravo-8: Chief forget Pat Lambie, that ship sailed sometime ago, in the 10 berth, he’s behind Jantjies and Goosen, in the 15 position, he is purely a solid player but nothing special. The whole aura around him has come to a justifiable end, and NEVER mention Lambie in the same sentence and thought with Dan Carter, just simply rude and disrespectful.
17 Sep 2012, 10:21 am
25….and if the argies turn over the kiwis which is not beyond the realm of possibily we are right in this tournamnent still.
The boks needing a bonus point win a soccercity maybe.
17 Sep 2012, 10:22 am
The sooner our coach starts appreciating the strengths of our players and plans his gameplan around their strengths, the better for us. He needs to quit this horrible habit of ignoring the player’s strengths and trying to mould them into doing things they’re not good at.
Until he does above, the players’ morale will be low as they will feel they’re not playing to their best, even if the Springboks win. We need players to go out there and enjoy their selves, with the style of play that they’re comfortable with. I don’t think our coach understands this and if there is anything that will cause his downfall, it will be this.
That’s why I’m not very optimistic even if the coach makes the relevant personnel changes in the team. The real change that needs to happen is the mindset of our coach. If that mindset changes happens, the correct team selection will then automatically take place as the coach will be able to see which players really deserve to be in the team based on their strengths.
17 Sep 2012, 10:22 am
@Mr Black-24: Absolutely.
Morne will not be dropped.
17 Sep 2012, 10:23 am
@Jeez-22:
Have been campaigning to get Hawies Fourie involved for a while now.
He has a bunch of “no-name” Cheetahs backs running intelligent moves for a few seasons. On merit, probably the best backs coach in SA.
17 Sep 2012, 10:24 am
If you want a Dagg-like fullback, look no further than Coetzee of the Lions. And if you want someone big, solid and fast with a big boot, then Taute offers so much more than Zane. Those should be the options at 15.
And I agree with Keo’s take on the flyhalf pecking order. Goosen to start and Jantjes on the bench. These two are head and shoulders above the other candidates, Lambie included.
Once we have Bismark, JP, Eben and possibly Schalk back in the starting line-up, plus the changes mentioned above, this will be an entirely different Bok team.
17 Sep 2012, 10:27 am
Ouch , we wanted a new coach and we got what we asked for. Nothing wrong with Meyer as a coach , but his selection and his staff that he has under him is not the best in the country. He sticked with his Bulls players and bulls coaching stuff. We need the best to beat the best. Hopefully he will open his eyes and see that his going in the wrong direction with this team.
17 Sep 2012, 10:28 am
I agree Lambie is a fantastic talent. You have to have him in your starting 15, anywhere from 9-15. He is just that good. But, Goosen and Jantjies are the complete no10s. There is no doubt about that.
Must say, I’m still confused though. Even though Lambie played well in every position he played, the best I’ve ever seen him play… and when he was actually noticed, he played inside center for a few games for the Sharks. His kicking is great, but his running is incredible. I for one would love to see him run his lines with feeds from either Goosen or Jantjies.
I’ll never forget him in his breakout season against the Cheetahs where he simply broke the line every time he touched the ball. My point… put Lambie on inside center and move FSteyn to fullback.
17 Sep 2012, 10:28 am
@Pot Blou Gevaar-28:
Unfortunately there are a few John Smit’s in the team… It really does look like JDVs just not up to international standard anymore. You could say its because he’s out of position, but imo he’s just out of form. Could he regain that form to be a quality test player again… Perhaps he should just focus on regaining form next year and compete for the 12 jersey…
Luckily HM said his appointment as captain is just for this season… Luckily he wont have the pressure of dropping his captain and we could see some new talent at 13. Id go for youth and play Jordaan…And have Fourie/JdJ as backup…Especially with Steyn back with the Sharks. Looking forward to seeing Steyn and Jordaan alongside each other!
Appointing a new captain will be another tough call for Meyer. .
17 Sep 2012, 10:28 am
Another guy who is probably one season away from a Bok berth is Ruhle of the Free State. He runs with such intent and commitment, and can step beautifully off both feet.
Plus names like Jordaan (Sharks), Serfontein (Bulls), Kolisi (WP) and Arno Botha (Bulls) – these guys are all a season away from the Bok team, and are real exciting talents. We need a game plan that understands what they offer.
17 Sep 2012, 10:29 am
More Vokkers en Vokkits, Dames en Spektrekkers – the time is now. YES WE CAN.
Soon pretty lekker soentjies from PielNeus shal reign down on you.
Yes my v-riends, I am about to show more shocking scandals of Heyneke Meyer
The GROOT Quessie ‘Waddavok se hy, and to whom’ on the walkie-talkie. Wonder in the dessert nie meer hier – I reveal all. You will loose you breathing, your pulses deurmeklapmuts.
Please, asseblief not view if you boereskaam of sensetiewelikke freaks OK?
NGOZI DANGER GEVAAR
Dont say I didn’t waarsku you, there seriaaaas consequencies. Your eyes shal be opened forever. As jy die blou piele sluk, daar is nooit going back china…. dont click the link.
I have go diep onder now, but will come back met entries for almal
please be pashiont, not long …
17 Sep 2012, 10:31 am
@Jeez-38: I agree. JdV will only be class for me if he acknowledges his own lack of form. He’s always talking about the game plan and the ‘team’ failing to stick to it, but he is one that fails in both attack and defense.
Either play him on inside center or drop him totally. He isn’t a test captain.
17 Sep 2012, 10:32 am
@katman-35: I’m not so sure. Think back 2 weeks ago against Aus, the game still there for the taking but time running out (5 or so minutes left, I think), Goosen got the ball but made yet another nothing kick up the middle of the field. Maybe I’m making too much of it, but was he playing under instruction? We all see him as our most attacking, most all round FH. Why kick then? I think lesiba got it right. HM need to change his mindset and allow our players free reign to play the situation. Now where have I heard that before?
17 Sep 2012, 10:33 am
41, but who else then frans steyn as captain
17 Sep 2012, 10:34 am
I must say it looked like our scrummaging too a stepup as well on the weekend
17 Sep 2012, 10:34 am
@katman-35: Willie le Roux is another one. Formed the core of the Griekwas’ attacks against the Bulls on Saturday.
Also scored a bunch of tries during the S15.
Probably too attacking-orientated for Heyneke but a real talent.
17 Sep 2012, 10:35 am
Why is our best loosehead guthro steenkamp not getting picked is it because he is injured or is it because he is an overseas player,can anybody tell me.
17 Sep 2012, 10:36 am
@katman-39: Rhule does look brisk indeed.
17 Sep 2012, 10:36 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-44: Only until Beast was replaced by Greyling.
17 Sep 2012, 10:36 am
@katman-35:
I think the Schalk ship has sailed, will be very surprised if he comes back as good as years ago.
17 Sep 2012, 10:36 am
45, willie leroux is horsekak on defense
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