Folklore has spoken … Boks by 15
27 Sep 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in Business Day Sport Monthly, writes it will be the Boks by 15 against the Aussies at Loftus on Saturday. At least that’s what history says.
Perception too often is accepted as fact. The perception of excellence in Springbok rugby is an illusion. The fact is the Springboks lose a lot of Test matches and have done so consistently over the last century.
They have a win percentage that has on occasion threatened 65% but is closer to 60%. It has always been this way. There have been some magnificent teams. Equally there have been some shockers, who have taken beatings abroad and been humiliated at home.
Time dulls the memory. Results are forgotten, folklore ensures only the good times are remembered and the good in one era become very good. The 30 metre kick to beat the All Blacks is now 60 metres. The tough men of the early 1900s were man mountains and when the current pretenders deliver a depressing result, the obvious is to hanker back to the days when Bok midfielders were more imposing than town marshalls – all 76 kilograms of them.
The modern player would not survive the amateur era. ‘In my day,’ says a player, who forgets he ever lost a Test.
‘Steak, chips and a bottle of wine,’ says another. ‘That was the pre-Test meal.’ Those were the days apparently when men were men, the Springboks were something mystical and pasta was something only the Italians ate.
And so we romance the game, listen to the stories told by those who were there, who saw the 60 metre kick, although it could have been 70 metres and take comfort that the Springboks, if not today, then most days were destroyers of opposition dreams and the ultimate challenge in world rugby.
‘You win in the Republic. Then you can call yourself a rugby player. The South African public acknowledges you can play … boy then you can play.’
You’ve heard them all …
‘A wounded Bok is a dangerous animal … There is nothing as imposing as a Bok team written off … Beware the mighty Boks … Wait till you get to altitude …’
Then we recall a glory moment when the Boks were given no chance of victory and won; when the world dismissed the challenge of those giants in green and gold and were forced to concede the greatness of those rugby men from the Republic.
The storytelling goes beyond rugby. Historically, it has been a life identity. A Springbok … it is what every white boy dreams to become. Post apartheid it is what every South African boy wants to be.
In sporting isolation the legend rose more than it grew. Mortals were immortal and no team could claim anything until they had proved it in the Republic.
Thus, for 20 years, the Boks were the best team in the world. Our rugby was of superior quality; our players dominated every South African media World XV.
Our boys kicked 70 metre penalties (forget the small matter of altitude). Those blokes overseas, they can’t even knock them over from 50 (forget the small matter of sea level).
The television images don’t lie.
The rugby media, be it in print, on television or radio, reinforce the legend.
‘You can’t call yourselves the world champions until you beat the Boks.’ That’s our response to New Zealand’s claim to have won the first ever World Cup in 1987.
And then we hosted the 1995 World Cup final and beat the All Blacks 15-12 in a final that went into extra-time. Andrew Mehrtens, ironically born in Durban, had the chance to win it for New Zealand with a drop goal attempt from 20 metres out and right in front. His kick, with less than a minute to play of normal time, missed and the game ended 9-all.
It was God’s will, said the older folk. It was written in the stars said the team management. There was no way we could lose, said the players. A greater force was guiding them.
And don’t forget that when a Jew plays for the Boks, that’s even greater confirmation defeat is never a consideration.
The All Blacks, a year later in 1996, beat the Boks four times in five, with three of the wins in South Africa. They won in Cape Town, Durban and in Pretoria.
But when they lost the last of the five Tests in Johannesburg, order was restored and the Boks had again shown the Kiwis and the world just who was the best.
As the legend grew, so too did the belief that nothing but an emphatic victory every Saturday would suffice. A failure to deliver was treated with disgust; apparently such was the rarity.
‘How? We are the Boks … We don’t lose.’
But we do, too often when reality is measured against perception.
‘Not in my day,’ screams a newspaper headline. Another of yesterday’s heroes has given up on the jersey he once wore as symbol of superiority in everything rugby and most things generally.
‘I don’t watch the kids of today. They’re soft. I’d rather mow my lawn.’
The media fuels the frenzy. Another of the all-time greats, with a Test record of nine wins in 17, says he is embarrassed to call himself a Bok if the lot that just disgraced the jersey are still called Boks.
He is so disgusted at the Boks losing to Scotland he tells the media he is considering giving back his Bok blazer.
‘Scotland!’
Our game is in crisis. Legends want to mow the lawn and give back their prized green and gold Bok jersey.
‘It’s the blacks,’ say some. ‘They’ve destroyed everything and now they’ve even destroyed our rugby.’
Another of those giants of yesteryear is inspired to let the nation know there won’t be a future for the Boks by the year 2000.
The team will be black, they will be called something else and they will play in another colour jersey is his prophecy. But he no longer objects because at least the legacy of the green jersey, the Bok and the King’s crown won’t suffer more embarrassment.
‘This lot … in my day … when the game still had scrums, when a punch sorted the kings from the queens and when players could run, pass, dummy, side step and tackle … In my day.’
Bok rugby is again in crisis, screams another newspaper front-page lead story.
Apparently another legend of yesteryear is embarrassed. He is even thinking of moving to Australia because if he had ever produced such a passionless display he would have fled out of fear for his life; alternatively he would have done what men of those days did and claimed himself unworthy of the jersey and all things South Africa. He too would have fled the country, but the measure of his quality is that it would have been before they kicked him out.
The great grandfather is sullen. The grandfather tells the son it is because of the hurt at the Boks losing to Australia.
The blacks and ANC government are no longer to blame. It’s the cash. Professionalism and money are the evils.
The players are spoilt and greedy. Then the grandfather tells the eight year old. ‘Ah you would have loved it … Victor Matfield (paaaaleeeeeese). He wouldn’t have lasted a minute. Frik du Preez, now that is a lock. A giant of a man. Taller than anything these days, stronger, heavier and quicker than Habana. He could run, tackle, kick and pass. And boy could he scored tries, and he could drink.’
The boy logs onto the internet and wishes it was Frik out there earlier in the day.
The Boks he believed could not lose were not the real Boks.
The headline demands change. The coach must go; those imposters in green and gold must go. Alternatively, rugby in South Africa, as it was once known, will be dead.
Another of yesterday’s heroes says he fears the rest of the world thinks of us as Wales. He says there is no future for the game and he gives his 10 point plan to restore order the next week. It involves kicking out half the team and replacing the coach.
‘In my day,’ he tells the reporter. ‘Doc Craven would not have tolerated this. That guy’s career would be over. Those were the standards Craven demanded. This legend then boasts about the physicality of the Boks of his era and the brutality of the tackles and the magic ways of the wings and the length of penalty goals our flyhalves used to have to kick … in the wet, with a heavy leather ball, into a wind (not the breeze we get today … a wind) and in conditions that were mudbaths … not the carpets you call a rugby field.
Oh, and in those days you played for 80 minutes, he adds. You got up after being knocked out and you played. You broke your collar bone and you played. That was what the jersey meant to him and his teammates.
Now guys last 50 minutes and even that is too much because it is so easy to play club rugby in Japan for outrageous sums of money. It’s rugby’s blasphemy.
This legend too is thinking of heading to Australia where rugby union’s not even the first choice sport; yet those okes still beat us. What next?’
The national coach fronts the media, as if on trial for treason. A nation has been lied to, betrayed and insulted.
The coach promises the players will work harder, restore credibility and be true to the history of the jersey.
We hold our breath, we pat ourselves on the back that even in these foreign and dark times we can show such loyalty and we vow to watch the Boks the following week.
The grandson asks the grandfather if we can win.
‘We are the Boks,’ he says. ‘We don’t lose.’
And the grandson smiles. Order has been restored.
The legacy of the Boks is not dead. The game apparently is no longer in crisis and we will not be the Wales of rugby.
He logs onto the Internet and smiles even more. The legends of yesteryear won’t be going to Australia after all and one of the finest legends has laughed off reports that the Boks are a team that historically loses 40 percent of their Tests.
‘Not in my day,’ he has told the reporter. ‘And definitely not on Saturday. Boks to take it by 15 because we never lose.’
– This article first appeared in the October issue of Business Day Sport Monthly. The magazine is distributed free with Business Day newspaper on the second last Friday of each month.
703 Comments
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27 Sep 2012, 11:13 am
I’d have had Aplon at fullback (prior to him being injured). Out of the current squad, Lambie at fullback. Duane was always Meyer’s first choice and rightly so, so bye bye Daniels.
Glad Flo is in. Wish Gurtho was part of the squad though.
27 Sep 2012, 11:13 am
@Brads-197:
His comfort zone is up to about the halfway line. All the kicks he missed against the All Blacks were well within this range.
Sorry, it’s got nothing to do with an “awareness by the opposition teams” and all to do with him kicking like sh*t for the last 12 months or so.
27 Sep 2012, 11:13 am
@Tacitus-196: Glad to see you back?
Feelings on Saturday? I think we are gonna smoke this Aussie side!
Vermeulen is only gonna get better me thinks… Anf FLO? Like his game?
27 Sep 2012, 11:14 am
Tac’s been meditating for the last few weeks.
Going by his posts today it has worked.
27 Sep 2012, 11:14 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-198: the part where wp and the sharks are put together in a cabal?
27 Sep 2012, 11:15 am
@Tacitus-170:
we’ll see.
look, kruger and greyling may not be international standard but kruger has proved that he is good enough to get the job done to win superrugby.
And mccaw and reid still get blown off the ruck stats when they play at loftus.
there is also always a natural progression of events. Young players start replacing the older ones in the starting 15 this does not mean that you need to get rid of all the more experienced ones.
You mentioned Pedrie van but fail to mention that he was a bulls backrow starter in the early part of his career, then he became a very useful bench sub when he was replaced in the starting group by dewie potgieter.
I can see the same happening albeit with a different group of players.
27 Sep 2012, 11:15 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-198:
Rubbish
27 Sep 2012, 11:16 am
@Provvas-203:
Agree. Fact is, Meyer’s plan against the All Blacks worked. We dominated them.
But for Morne kicking like 1 out of 5, we would have beaten them in NZ in Meyer’s first year in charge.
The loose trio also looks better now with Vermullet and Flo there (although I’ve never rated Louw, but he seemed to do ok in NZ).
Our pack of forwards is almost where it needs to be. Now with Goosen, let’s see how the backs can improve.
I’m very hopeful for the future of this team. Just a pity that we threw away the chance to beat NZ in NZ, by hanging on to Morne for a few games too long.
But what’s done is done, and at least we are moving in the right direction.
27 Sep 2012, 11:17 am
@rangerman-190:
possibly it should read…
the wp/heavensgame kabal
27 Sep 2012, 11:18 am
@Tacitus-202:
50 metres is within his comfort zone?
Where at Loftus?
27 Sep 2012, 11:19 am
@Jeez-166: It’s not about “seeing how many players of colour we can include in the Boks”. Apart from a brief period when Khompela and Stofile were given a soap box, it never was either. It’s only about selecting the best Bok team. Full. Stop.
All the non-selections you mention are as subjective and possibly irrelevant as, say, the non-selection of Brussow or Willie Le roux or Josh Strauss (who are white – I mean that’s the point I’m trying to make).
27 Sep 2012, 11:20 am
@Brads-210:
lol….wait to you see this goosen kid, his comfort zone is 60 meters even further than fransie with twice the accuracy.
it is scary
27 Sep 2012, 11:22 am
@Tacitus-176: Thank you for exposing your deceit, in the same way Meyer is exposing his on a national stage… Yours and his deceit… Yours and Meyer’s “Folklore”…
Plum is no anti soutie… Neither is he anti any other grouping because they do not fit a “glorious” vision of superiority… A glorious vision of superior body type, superior attitude, superior obedience…
Players of all sizes, colours and language types are picked by him – from a pious Christian Black Beast to a farken trendoid skirt chasing/possibly bi Ross Skeate… From a massive Alberts to a smaller skilful Daniel… They all have room in his team…
He has room for Chadwick, Daniel, Lambie, Burden… Room for old veterans like Peter Dixon, but also room for youngsters coming through like Monde Hadebe…
I call you on your comfortably arrogant bullshitting superiority obviously rooted in exclusionary legends of the past… Same as I call the SA National Rugby Coach…
I see you… and I through you, and Meyer too.
27 Sep 2012, 11:24 am
@mikeybrass-201:
abso(bloody)lutely agreed on gurtho.
@rangerman-205:
come now ranger, dont be coy
you guys have become serious gatgabbas over the last month or so.
singing the same tunes
claiming you’ve all ‘seen this movie before’ wrt the boks and meyer.
@Dawn-207:
really dawn…?..
some serious sharing of wavelengths going on at the moment between durbs and ct.
27 Sep 2012, 11:24 am
Oh dear, where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?
“Well done Boks… And HM…
Knowledgeable, Proud and Honest fans can see glory portals of where he wants the Boks to be… And it looks frighteningly, ominously good….
BOKBEFOK…
512.Sharks fans are genuine Bok supporters. said:
17 Jun 2012, 10:36 am
Hehe!
508.Treehugger said:
17 Jun 2012, 09:32 am
Fantastic game, loved it !!!!!!!
Love this team, love the new coach.
27 Sep 2012, 11:24 am
@Heavens Game-213: Which is probably why the Lions kicked his arse on Saturday.
27 Sep 2012, 11:25 am
@Dawn-207:
save for the sharkies you hate
27 Sep 2012, 11:26 am
@rangerman-190: I too nearly coughed up my muesli when I read that.
27 Sep 2012, 11:27 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-215:
hehe
pull some of HG’s early love letters to meyer
i love those
27 Sep 2012, 11:28 am
@Heavens Game-213:
sorry dude…but we see this “deceit” in all sports.
how many 5ft linebackers do we come across.
or 5ft central defenders
hell dude, the reality is in most sports that require a level of physical stamina……the bigger you are the more likely you are to go further.
having “skill” is only half of the equation in modern sport.
keegan daniels and pat lambie are no lionel messi.
sorry.
27 Sep 2012, 11:28 am
@XhosaKid-195: JDJ, Aplon, Lambie, Daniel… What do they share in common?
Not language… Not colour… But they do share
- Lack of size : a bad fit to visions of physical superiority
- abundance of creativity : danger to visions of obedience
- Possibly free spirits on and off a rugby field… (contrary to visions of unity)
Too free in spirit by the looks of things…
No fuckit… Better go buy me a Goldcoast Gold and Green jersey and go practice “Tie me Kangaroo Down, Sport”, the more I think about it…..
27 Sep 2012, 11:29 am
First half of the article was reasonably good, I thought it was going to end with a key conclusion but in an attempt to make a point without actually making the point it just fizzled out into repetition and nothingness.
27 Sep 2012, 11:31 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-209: fair enough.
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-214: i am nobody gatgabba buddy.
wake up.
27 Sep 2012, 11:31 am
and in all honesty, which bok supporter cannot say that it was embarrasingly scaring watching a bok forward get caught in a maul as if it was some southeast asia tsunami screaming for a life jacket.
27 Sep 2012, 11:32 am
We are too obsessed by size. See ol’ Matt Giteau, Breyton Paulse etc etc etc
27 Sep 2012, 11:32 am
where are Transie and Willie this morning.
sleeping in late?
watching deal or no deal reruns?
27 Sep 2012, 11:33 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-214: Its been all a Sharks Bulls love afair on here since the first bok team was announced.. and Wp supporters were told to shut up or fear being called Bok haters etc etc because so little Stormers were selected even though we knew the likes of Bekker and Vermeulen were on the injury list… since the sharks and bulls started to be whittled doen, now all the sudden you wanna call foul and class us with the sharks? No siree!!
I believe from day one Meyer is the right guy.. .and we will get better with the likes of Bissy back and JPP back and Goosen and Kolisi etc…
Hippocrates in the making you bulls lot
27 Sep 2012, 11:35 am
@Big Hit-222: Have to agree.. .was waiting for the crushing stats of the last five years or so.. or how many times we lost to NZ in previous years home and away etc etc…
But no real journalism at the end..
27 Sep 2012, 11:36 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-220: How many 6 ft or below opensides do we come across… Quite a few.
How many opensides/no 8′s as skilfull as Daniel – not many…
No imagination this farken ideal phenotype obsession…
Talking about NFL – Troy Polamalu fits no mould of a superman – until he actually farken plays the game… He is then farken Superman…
His physical stats: 1.78m, 94kg… He is 5ft 10
27 Sep 2012, 11:36 am
@mikeybrass-225:
we are not “obssessed” with sized, everyone is.
but it is not exactly if we have lionel messi or giteau playing for us. Oh, and oz won squat with gits in nearly 8 seasons.
so maybe……
27 Sep 2012, 11:36 am
@Tacitus-94: fairweather fan
27 Sep 2012, 11:37 am
@rangerman-223:
@Provvas-227:
there’s always one or two exceptions sure, but the general theme has been one of unity in opposition to meyer’s coaching by most sharks and wp people in the face of difficult results.
i commend you for your stand.
27 Sep 2012, 11:37 am
I am afraid your piece will have little affect on South African readers Keo.
You forget, the fans owns rugby in this country.
27 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
@Heavens Game-229:
so you say.
(yawn)
27 Sep 2012, 11:39 am
@Heavens Game-229:
The brutally honest truth:
Keegan Daniel punches way above his weight, he has a lion heart, terrier-like tenacity and give shis all on the field.
But he is too small to be a top class international loose forward. Dewald Potgieter has the same problem, which is why he hasn’t featured in Heyneke’s Bok team – even in the greater squad – despite not being a “soutie” and playing for Heyneke’s Bulls.
There’s no room for these players in the new, improved, more powerful, more physical Bok pack of the next 4 years. And rightly so.
27 Sep 2012, 11:39 am
@Provvas-227:
and even better when pierre spies is back…
yes, you know it.
lol
27 Sep 2012, 11:40 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-198: I find no solace, especially with the masses of emotional obvious WP hypocrites on this blog…
I post as I see it… And what I see I don’t like…
27 Sep 2012, 11:41 am
Allfuckingrightythen
Bulls and Sharks at war….
27 Sep 2012, 11:43 am
@Heavens Game-221: Afrikaner Calvinism is the word that all those blokes do not conform to.
27 Sep 2012, 11:43 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-230: We are. We’ve been obssessed with big, strong, dumber than an ox players for a long long time.
Australia made a WC final with ol’ Gits. Better than our lumbering oxes in ’03. Small skillful players have their place.
27 Sep 2012, 11:44 am
OH dear. HG is having a Poppa-like meltdown.
27 Sep 2012, 11:45 am
serious rugby talk question!
now that we have seen all our locks in action.
I think it is fair to say that kruger and bekker are okay…at best.
Is it beyond the realm of possibility to get either flip or eben calling the lineouts and having them both on the park starting?
i would have thought this would be the obvious route.
27 Sep 2012, 11:45 am
Oh well, Keo is an entertaining writer, good read.
Boks have awful coach, awful selections but still ALMOST beat the best team in the world on their home patch. Shows you what could be but probably never will be. I agree with Keo various factors will ensure the Bok win ratio remains at about 60%. ABs will remain at about 85%. World Cups could be anyone, a lot of luck comes into it.
27 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
there is just too much anger around here.
bad karma.
all started by the little poison dwarf.
27 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
@Big Hit-231: Unapologetic, fairweather.
27 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
@mikeybrass-240:
yes they did, but finally they lost, at home nogal.
but eddy was lucky enough to get involved with the lumbering oxes 4 years later and win big.
27 Sep 2012, 11:47 am
@Delki-243:
This Bok coach got our pack of forwards to dominate the All Blacks at home.
He is an excellent coach. His loyalty to certain out of form players has come around and bitten him in the arse, but he has to carry the can for that.
That has now been rectified, hopefully.
27 Sep 2012, 11:48 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-232: HM did not win anything in his first few season at the bulls.. I know the Boks is no time for building.. at least he is not preaching the 4 year plan like P Divvy
@PissAnt-233: We wish… we fans have no say in how our rugby is run.. if only!! The admin mess would be sorted.. I really wish for the day the fans actually stop going to stadiums to have an effect on the administrators.. that will be a day to remember in our country!!
@Brigadier Van Zyl-236: Spies is forgotten my friend!!
@Heavens Game-237: After this weekend the Bulls Sharks alliance will be strong again..
27 Sep 2012, 11:48 am
@Heavens Game-221: cmon bud, ease up.
the boks look pretty solid to me and getting better.
players like chili and JPP will be back to add a bit of diversity to the mix and as for JdJ and aplon i simply dont see any space for them.
lambie will play this weekend, i am sure of it.
27 Sep 2012, 11:49 am
@Tacitus-235: It is farken obvious that there is “no room for these players in the new, improved, more powerful, more physical Bok pack of the next 4 years”. That is until Meyer changes his mind yet again due to what he perceives as pressure… or some sort of New agey evidence base he makes up as he goes along…
From no fetcher – to fetcher…
From Steyn is my man – to out of the 22…
Nothing wrong with changing his mind… Its the farken overall picture I see which I dont like… And I actually dont support…
The philosophical underpinnings…
They are fascist without a goddamn doubt…
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