Boks will win well
28 Sep 2012
MARK KEOHANE, writing in Business Day newspaper, says a weak Wallabies side could take a hiding at Loftus.
Heyneke Meyer has picked a team good enough to win against Australia at Loftus. Australia, even more depleted through injury than SA, could cop a big one.
It has happened before at Loftus. In 1997 the Wallabies, disillusioned with coach Greg Smith and battered by New Zealand a week before, fell apart in the last 30 minutes as the Boks romped to a record-breaking 61-22 victory. It was the first of 17 successive Bok wins.
It has also happened at Super Rugby level, with the Reds taking 90 points against the Bulls a few years back and this season conceding 60 in Pretoria. If it goes slightly wrong for overseas teams at altitude and the hosts get on a roll, it can get very messy.
Given that Meyer has not selected any Japan- or France-based South African players, there isn’t a whole lot more he could have done with his run-on XV and match 22 selections.
I believe Pat Lambie is deserving of a start but Meyer has refused to entrust him with the No 15 jersey. Meyer has also been reluctant to introduce Gio Aplon, despite the player’s more than capable performance in the 14-14 draw in the third and final Test against England earlier in the Test season.
Zane Kirchner is once again the go-to man and once again there are those who claim Meyer has a Bulls bias. That is absolute trash and Meyer cannot be accused of giving Bulls players preferential treatment. It is his right as coach to rate one player ahead of another.
He also remains committed to flyhalf Morné Steyn, but that is not a Bulls thing but a mentoring issue, in that Meyer pretty much shaped Steyn’s provincial and Super Rugby career, believes in the ability of the player and has backed him without fail. The coach was clear to emphasise that the support remains steadfast, even in omitting Steyn from Saturday’s Test. The player had not been dropped but given a breather, said Meyer.
However you look at it, for now it is the right choice. We know the value of Steyn, but his primary strength has always been his goal and line kicking, and that has failed him in the last seven Tests as never before in his international career.
At the start of the Test year, Steyn had a career Bok goal-kicking average of 84%. In the last seven Tests he has averaged 54%. Something is amiss that a player of this goal-kicking quality is 30% down. He has missed match-winning goal kicks in Port Elizabeth and Mendoza and missed a crucial kick in Perth. They were kicks Steyn usually nails and if he isn’t kicking at anything in excess of 70% then he shouldn’t be in the starting XV.
It is not to say that he can’t return or that he won’t return, but selecting Johan Goosen for his first start was an obvious and progressive selection. Goosen will do well. The two great flyhalves of the last decade, Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Carter, were both playing Test rugby at 20. Goosen’s raw potential in his all-round game is comparable with Wilkinson and Carter at a similar age and he certainly looked comfortable in his two performances against Australia and the All Blacks.
I am pleased Jaco Taute is finally fit and in the mix. There has been criticism that Stormers centre Juan de Jongh has been leapfrogged but Taute (for me) offers more. He can play at 13 and 15 but I like the prospect of him in a No 13 jersey.
Meyer, into his eighth Test, has blooded several new players and introduced a post-2007 World Cup generation of player. A lot of it has been forced on him due to injury and the unavailability of experienced players but there can only be benefits to the youngsters experiencing Test rugby now. It builds international depth. Meyer knows what he has with the older hands and a youthful injection has never disadvantaged any team.
I’d like to see Meyer look at some of the France-based club players on the end-of-year tour and give some of the local players a decent off-season.
Andries Bekker gets another chance to convince Meyer he is worth the investment, and hopefully there is more X factor to Ruan Pienaar’s contribution. Pienaar has been decent at scrumhalf, but the expectation has to be more than a decent return from such an accomplished player.
I don’t expect much from the Aussies. They really have been hurt by injuries and the match 22 is among the weakest to tour SA in the last 10 years.
They’ll play an expansive game and the reward may be a couple of early scores, but this is one that the Boks will win — and win well.
98 Comments
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28 Sep 2012, 10:11 am
Go Bok Dragons!!
28 Sep 2012, 10:16 am
Agreed Keo.
We need to drill these okes a new poepall tomorrow. Time to stop this win streak that they have been on against us.
They must be so physically and mentally broken when they leave Snor City tomorrow that the Argies then give them a 10 point snotting next week…..
28 Sep 2012, 10:24 am
Amen.
28 Sep 2012, 10:32 am
and if we lose?..logically, these wallabies are very smart and in Beale at 10 have a dangerous general to direct.
I think Goosen will be different although I fear he could be raw and erratic at the start of game.
@Blokkies-2:
Lets hope you right and we need a convincing win!!
But this wallabies are hoodoo side
28 Sep 2012, 10:33 am
Carter made his Test debut at age 21 & about 3 months old
Anyway this is a more coherent article than yesterday’s dopey ramble
28 Sep 2012, 10:36 am
ag keo, pipe down about morne steyn and how much heyneke rates him
, morne being dropped is tacit admission by meyer that even he can’t “coach morne back to form” the excuse about needing a “mental break” is horseshit.
…the guy is kak, he was kak at the bulls before the english series, had a SHOCKER against the crusaders in the quarter-finals and as you’ve listed above has dropped 30% of his international kicking ratio…he deserves to get dropped and needs to play currie cup to regain his form!
28 Sep 2012, 10:37 am
@viewer-5:
lol agree
28 Sep 2012, 10:38 am
I hope Meyer realises he’s approaching Straueli-esque territory with regard to handing out new caps
28 Sep 2012, 10:39 am
Much better article Keo.
The Boks should win by 10+. This is a very very weak Aussie team.
@viewer-5:
Agreed. I have never read such a disjointed article. It was all over the place.
28 Sep 2012, 10:40 am
Pull back on the reins guys, expecting a win, that is realistic., but expecting a thumping is absurd.
It is not as if the Bokke have been a rampant team this year.
Suppose they lose, will it be Goosen’s fault?
28 Sep 2012, 10:43 am
I’m not sure about Zane. If he played for the Stormers, would he be in the starting 15? I doubt it.
He picks Zane because he plays BULLS rugby, which is the type of rugby Meyer likes. So he’s not choosing Zane because he’s a Bull, but rather because he plays Bulls rugby. But that’s kinda the same thing.
Anyway, he is the most average 15 to play test rugby in quite some time.
28 Sep 2012, 10:43 am
@Transformation-6: agreed.
morne was never the answer for the boks imo.
28 Sep 2012, 10:44 am
Im not so sure this is the weakest Aussie team Mark, Beale to me is a better 10 than Barnes, And Hooper is a threat in the loose. Samo is a large player that can nullify the effect of Vermeulen, Sharpe is an old head, and can easily disrupt our lineouts the way that NZ did last week. I also think we will give Aus a pasting, but lets not be disillusioned by the Aussie media, they know they have a strong team, and they are playing the pre-game excuses card. We will wallop Aus by 20 at least, but only because this is a fantastic Bok team. Our pack is on the up, the work that Pieter de Villiers is doing with our scrum is also a big plus. Our loose forward combination is world class, and dominated the greaet combination of McCaw and Richards.
Dont give Aus the benefit of the injury card. They have brought a good team across, and we will give them a good old fashioned PK.
28 Sep 2012, 10:44 am
@6 Trans
That tacit admission will never be made by Tacitus
28 Sep 2012, 10:45 am
@Brads-10:
You missing the vibe here. It’s more about the Aussies being very very weak this year. Injuries have killed them.
The Boks love to make a game out of what should be a cake-walk though, so we’ll see.
But if both teams pitch up, the Boks should win by 10+.
28 Sep 2012, 10:47 am
@Jake_White-13:
Nah, the loss of Genia and Cooper is huuuge. James O’Conner will be missed as well.
The Aussies will give it a good go, and will stay in the game thanks to the Boks inability to finish teams off rather than them being any good.
28 Sep 2012, 10:49 am
@londonshark-15: Dont buy into that, they have brought a strong team.
28 Sep 2012, 10:50 am
AAAAH! Thanks for clarifying Keo.
If OTHERS think its bias, then its absolute rubbish, but when KEO thinks its bias, its fact.
Thanks for clearing up the confusion you schmuck
28 Sep 2012, 10:52 am
If we lose against Aus at Loftus, then I’m still blaming Morne Steyn for the defeat despite him being left out of the 22. I’ll think of a reason by Monday.
28 Sep 2012, 10:53 am
@londonshark-15: @viewer-8:
As distinct from the Bokke being very very unlucky?
Sorry, a cameo by Goosen does not mean didldy.
Cruden had the most magical 20 minutes of any player could hope for against Ireland before he was injured and left the park.
We have yet to see him come close to that shining effort.
Truth is, he is lucky to be on the bench
28 Sep 2012, 10:53 am
If the Boks play proper rugby for a change and finish off, then well beat the Ausies easily by 20+.
The Ausies wont be a match for the bokke upfront.
Zane Kirchner is lucky to have ever been called up to a Bok team. Nothing more than an CC player. Reminds me of Earl Rose. Will do you good thing and be below average for the rest of the time
28 Sep 2012, 10:53 am
@londonshark-11: He picks Zane because JPP is injured.
28 Sep 2012, 10:54 am
I meant “One good thing”
28 Sep 2012, 10:57 am
The national team is no place to be playing favourites, even if it be a mentorship issue! It is the pinnacle of SA rugby and not a nursery, if HM really wants him in the side then he should send MS back to the Bulls to regain his “Je ne sais quoi”. Until then let those with both the skill and the form get the job done!
28 Sep 2012, 11:00 am
Morne has played more matches than any other SA player. Those saying he should be playing CC rugby miss the point: he is completely and utterly overplayed and requires a long break, mentally and physically.
28 Sep 2012, 11:01 am
@mikeybrass-25: He needs a complete break from rugby for a while.
28 Sep 2012, 11:04 am
“Zane Kirchner is once again the go-to man and once again there are those who claim Meyer has a Bulls bias. That is absolute trash and Meyer cannot be accused of giving Bulls players preferential treatment. It is his right as coach to rate one player ahead of another.”
AMEN. Hope This ends all this trash talking the player
28 Sep 2012, 11:05 am
@mikeybrass-26: I don’t care what he does so long as he is not be a part of the Springbok set-up until he can command a place ahead of the youngsters!
28 Sep 2012, 11:06 am
Goosen will be pivotal
Beale likewise for Walabies will be the key.
We need to denie Beale ball…very dangerous as one poster said above about Beale being better option at 10.
28 Sep 2012, 11:08 am
@greatest13gerber-27: Kirchner does not deserve trash talk IMO, he is a solid performer and he tries his best. My issue is that i do not think he is our best option at 15. I would have Lambie and Taute ahead of him.
28 Sep 2012, 11:09 am
Seemed a mere formality that Test
Odds are 1:3, the Match Referee Rolland already collected his 1st installment and the Wallabies are just woeful while Beale at 10 makes them even worse
With Jantjies and JdJ coming on in the 2nd half we still have the hope for some fun though
Boks by 18 plus, I am taking no wager
28 Sep 2012, 11:11 am
@Skeppie-30:
I do agree with you on Lambie(one of our most talented backs!) and Taute. But i think we should respect Meyer choice a little. gameplan selection IMO
28 Sep 2012, 11:11 am
Hell, Loftus isn’t sold out yet, probably because Chiliboi and Spies are both absent?
28 Sep 2012, 11:18 am
@greatest13gerber-32: Agreed.
@Westlyn-28: Morne needs a long break and only then a stint back at lower tier rugby to regain his mojo. Perhaps a call to Naas to sort out his tactical kicking…. Actually, Meyer should speak to Naas about the right way to kick in matches dammit.
28 Sep 2012, 11:19 am
Only 2 run on BBs in the team tomorrow – not really a BB bias from Coach Heyneke. However, the perception was created earlier this year that he has a BB bias when he announced a squad containing more than 15 BB players – this included fools like Jacques “Takhaar” Potgieter, JJ “Banggat” Engelbrecht and who else not! Link that with the whole BB management team, and next thing, perception becomes fact! He has a lot of work ahead of him to dispel the notion that he is BB centric. Any way, tomorrow’s team as good as we can get bar one or two positions (like Jean DiV who is starting to show his age unfortunately). Comfortable win for us.
28 Sep 2012, 11:23 am
@Pietie-35:
are you a WP supporter??
“JJ “Banggat” Engelbrecht” btw has x factor and is great young talent. You will see him playing many tests.
Jacques “Takhaar” Potgieter has not lived up to expectation but I believe he will become more of Alberts like clone in time.
28 Sep 2012, 11:24 am
@mikeybrass-34:
agree about consulting Naas – the greatest wear Bok 10 jersey
28 Sep 2012, 11:35 am
“Goosen’s raw potential in his all-round game is comparable with Wilkinson and Carter at a similar age and he certainly looked comfortable in his two performances against Australia and the All Blacks.” – but if he is forced to kick possession away all the time by following the coaches gameplan then i’m afraid we back to square one. Its as good as having Steyn in the no. 10 jersey.
28 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
@Pietie-35: fark me, why did he take that plonker greyling along who is a penalty machine, yet says he won’t pick brussow because he leaks penalties? that’s the rubbish that was called by many..inconsistencies!
before dunedin, flip hadn’t justified his selection.
28 Sep 2012, 11:38 am
I know he is a coke addict but never thought he was bipolar too. I was just getting used to the idea that the Boks are useless and we should expect to loose. Now he sais we are going to thrash them. I don’t know what to think with Keo anymore….
28 Sep 2012, 11:40 am
@Transformation-39: I thought Ratel was injured?
28 Sep 2012, 11:40 am
@viewer-8:
*****. First idiots like you complain that he wants to keep on selecting players like Matfield or du Preez and then when due to a horrific injury list and a host of retirements Meyer has no choice but to select new caps you complain that he giving out too many caps? Get a life.
28 Sep 2012, 11:46 am
@Airwell-41: for the england series he was fit as a fiddle and wasn’t picked because meyer said under the new breakdown rules heinrich was leaking penalties and a liability, meanwhile greyling who leaked more penalties than ratel gets picked.
28 Sep 2012, 11:49 am
@Transformation-43: But to be fair to him since then he picked flo as a fetcher. So your logic does not make sense.
28 Sep 2012, 11:53 am
@Transformation-6: Ag fokkit Trans he played non stop without a mid season break or anything for four years. Your anti bull sentiment is clouding your judgement, or whats left of it.
28 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
I believe strongly Heinrich will be back in the mix
think Meyer is giving him a break
28 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
@Airwell-44: i said!
“why did he take that plonker greyling along who is a penalty machine, yet says he won’t pick brussow because he leaks penalties? that’s the rubbish that was called by many..inconsistencies!”
brussow was told to curb penalties and PROVE he can play the new rules, greyling waltzes into the Bok team, no quibbles about him being among the top penalised players in the WHOLE of Super Rugby, he comes on in Dunedin, what happened?
28 Sep 2012, 11:55 am
@viewer-8: He realy has no choice though. Must say I am all for his current approach but he needs to start settling combinations etc. and the only way to achieve that is to break away from the norm and look the alternatives. I hope for his sake the new guys grab this with both hands starting tomorrow with a solid win.
28 Sep 2012, 11:57 am
@greatest13gerber-46: Hope so too.
28 Sep 2012, 12:01 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-45: i’m not anti-bulls! why didn’t meyer factor in the issue of morne being fatigued?
who created that problem? why didn’t ludeke MANAGE morne?
morne was getting shown up LAST YEAR already to be a one-trick pony and what was his answer for lacking an attacking edge to his game?
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