More grey matter at gainline
24 Sep 2012
Eddie Jones says Springbok players have the intellectual and technical skills to generate a quick turnaround of their sterile attacking play but stressed their tactics, particularly at the gainline, have to improve.
There has been widespread dismay at the Springboks’ perceived attacking conservatism. The bulk of the criticism has been aimed at predictable forward punches at the gainline and a heavy focus on tactical kicking.
There certainly hasn’t been a lack of time spent in the opposition’s 22m, but their play in that zone has largely been uninspiring and lacking a clear plan or consistently good option taking.
There is virtually no chance of the Springboks winning the Rugby Championship title, but there have to be significant improvements across the board, with their attack a focal point.
Jones speaks with authority on this subject given his success in his role as an attack consultant with the World Cup winning Springboks of 2007.
The team were the top try scorers at the tournament in France, winning many admirers with the fluent and potent style. There wasn’t a dramatic departure from their traditional strengths, but Jones refined and added subtle dimensions to their attacking play. The two combined to be a potent cocktail which the former Australia head coach believes this generation of Springboks can rediscover if they make some changes.
‘The basic problem at the moment is a lack of [a discernible] attacking philosophy in terms of how they want to play,’ Jones, now Japan head coach, told keo.co.za. ‘Their play at the moment is early 2000 Bulls forward attack – one-off runners that rely on brute strength to win the gainline.’
Meyer’s early Bulls teams (to whom Jones refers) were predictable and struggled as a result, losing heavily in their formative years. They gradually improved their attacking repertoire and became one of Super Rugby’s most prolific try-scorers, particularly in their three championship-winning campaigns.
Time, however, is not a commodity Meyer has in abundance. His team have lost two and drawn two of their seven Tests, testing the faith of even Meyer’s most ardent supporters. Jones, however, is optimistic. The improvements he was the catalyst for happened off the back of only a couple of weeks with the team. He said there has to be a purposeful shift towards adding greater variation though.
‘South African players are skilful and good learners, so a quick turnaround is there. [But] they need to get a cohesive attacking philosophy based on approaching and hitting the gainline with options. [If they do] the team’s attack will improve considerably.’
By Ryan Vrede
164 Comments
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24 Sep 2012, 19:09 pm
Pops have a meltdown again?
24 Sep 2012, 19:11 pm
Bakkies have a meltdown again?
24 Sep 2012, 19:12 pm
@papaown-149:
I made the same point a while ago. Players at this level shouldn’t need coaching. HMs job is to coach tactics and moves, not bring players up to Bok standard.
24 Sep 2012, 19:15 pm
no, nothing of the sort.
only returned serve to that scummy polynesian vermin.
24 Sep 2012, 19:18 pm
@papaown-148:
Over the years our teams performances in the Super Rugby season had no bearing on the Boks performance in the Tr-Nations.
2010 is a perfect example. The Bulls played the Stormers in the final yet we had a miserable Tri-Nations that year.
24 Sep 2012, 19:23 pm
@Jeraldjay-155:
no, disagree.
2007 we contested the s15 and went on to win the rwc. same for 2009 with bulls and the 3n. 2010 was all about ‘getting the japies’ and no amount of anyting done on the field of play was gonna change anything in this regard.
it was a farce to attempt competing at all.
24 Sep 2012, 20:40 pm
127 NZinChina
hilarious bud. Where are you in that screwed up racist land?
There was not a single beautiful town I came across except the one the Germans have taken care of. Somewhere near the so called “deepest gorge” in the world, but it is not. Really stunning, but only the “old town” section.
Would you do me a favour bud and teach those Ching Chongs that wildlife is important. Since they have landed in Africa by the thousands some of the wildlife is under threat after years of restoring. Rhinos horns are flying out of here. Mozambiques sharks(shark fin soup) have plumeted drastically, Sea Horses are in dire need of protection etc.
114: I spent 6 months travelling about China extensively, I prefer India by a long long shot. Tibet was my favorite place, but I cant say what the Chinese have done to it in the last 10yrs. They had ruined Lhasa(capital of tibet) when i was there already with their crappy ugly buildings. They had built the “chinese town” adjacent to the famous Potala place, ruining Lhasa forever. Everything you see today, even the movie 7 yrs in Tibet have edited Lhasa drastically to what it really is today. Bejing was ****, nice to see the forbidden palace, summer palace and the nearby great wall. The wall you can drive a car on it is so thick and is filled with many things including dead people. I had my longest bus journey in China, 92hrs, non stop, stopped twice a day, once to pick up food, thee other for a piddle! 5 mins each stop. this journey happened when I was kicked out of Tibet because I refused to join a tour group which is obligatory. At the time It would have cost me 5 times cheaper to travel on my own. The Chinese then did not understand what travelling ment, or what some of you kids do similar today, call backpacking. The Chinese dont respect wildlife and in the 6 months I saw nothing, anywhere! They had eaten it all. Grasshopers are even caged in 10x10cm cages!!! In Nepal I went to a game reserve and met a group of Chinese tourists there. I went to check out the wildlife, they went to photograph the local people, had zero interest in the wildlife! Like the Tibetians, the Chinese go there to photograph them, and I mean sticking their cameras in their faces. They just have no respect. The tibetians arent even of Chinese descent, they are Mongolian. The food however is another story. No where in the world does Chinese food taste like it does in China. One factor could be that a poision is used in every dish called MSG which is forbidden in many countries. ummmmmmmm! The poision is noticable to taste and a chinese person wont be happy if they cant taste it, lol. I still cook with SMG myself when making some dishes.
One of my great moments was walking in some paddy fields in the middle of nowhere, totally off the beaten track and came across a mother and child beating their rice they just had harvested. With a large beard and the rest of me, they looked at me once and ran off screaming, and i mean — sprinting. They had offically seen their first White Man… I spead after them and discovered their little village. Was an enjoyable day….
24 Sep 2012, 21:16 pm
@Greenies-157:
thanks, sound amazing.
i really would love to go there sometime and see it extensively.
regarding the poaching, i am close to stripping my moer and taking these farking chinks out locally. seriously, i will farken take them.
24 Sep 2012, 22:05 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-118:
Where you surfing for eel up mans bottom again?
24 Sep 2012, 22:28 pm
@willievz-131:
Willie please.
Believe what you like, but there a few things that make your belief funny.
1) the RWC was played in NZ. Even now you guys struggle with leaving home.
2) Only 7-8 of the Cavaliers team you played in 1986 were part of the squad in 1987.
See these are 2 big differences.
Its like SA sending over a B team to NZ, we beat you guys and then say, yep we are going to the Boks in SA next year now, silly dont you think?
24 Sep 2012, 22:54 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-156:
2010 was about what?
Get the Japies?
What are you talking about
25 Sep 2012, 01:28 am
@Greenies-157:
the condescending white guy who knows better huh get over yourself mate
25 Sep 2012, 03:08 am
go for it trupisero
your. countryman continues to mouth off daily about kiwi filthy scum, so I will continue to highlight that with the present stats available, there must be a fair few bloggers who have contributed to the despicable society SA IS!!
they’re the filthy scum, in fact subhuman seems appropriate.
where’s this famous SA hospitality we here o? all we see is Bakkies continual racist hatred, so expect it back, you dumb knuckle dragging Neanderthals.
26 Sep 2012, 13:48 pm
Oh dear, poppadoos going off on a racist hate filled anti saffa tangent because a few bloggers get under his skin? you will never change you faarking drop kick. Pi ss off back to the sewer!
And hurricane, there were only 6-7 caviliers picked in 87 cause they needed a rebuild after getting smashed in 86, ask Gary knight if he still has nightmares about gert smals left! Put the poncy f uk on his arse.
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