White-hot Boks thrill
29 Sep 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on a 31-8 victory for the Springboks over Australia at Loftus in which they produced the type of performance they hope will become commonplace.
The Springboks were good, but hold your unbridled praise. The result was not unexpected. This was the weakest Wallabies side the Springboks have faced in their last nine encounters, and at a venue they have never won at. The measure of these Springboks will come against the All Blacks in a week.
The Wallabies were never in this one, a brutal and organised defensive effort blunting their ambitions. It is in this facet of play that most Test matches will be won and lost. That the Wallabies scored once (through a slipped hit) gives me more joy than the bonus-point the Springboks earned.
And they could have and should have won by more, six missed kicks and host of squandered try-scoring chances ensuring that the scoreline flattered the Wallabies.
However, it would grossly remiss not to applaud this win, particularly since it provided reasons for optimism in some key areas.
Flyhalf Johan Goosen will have better Tests, but he certainly isn’t an impostor at this level. His tears during the anthem humanised the kid many what to believe has supernatural ability. He showed his rawness with two hooked penalties, too lateral a running line and poor option-taking at times. But he also stirred hope of a bright attacking future with a couple of linebreaks and generally slick play. He doesn’t have Henry Honiball’s defensive punch and will be targeted by their opposition, but he isn’t a defensive liability and his attacking skill makes up for what he lacks there.
Then there’s the Boondock Saints – Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen – who hunted in tandem, both outstanding at the gainline and on the deck. They lend the Springboks an air of menace and mongrel, with their efforts amplified by an industrious and highly effective pack.
What else? Ruan Pienaar looked composed and sharp. Andries Bekker was influential at the lineouts and in general play, Jaco Taute was impressive defensively in the most difficult channel for this discipline, and Bryan Habana reconfirmed that has left the fraud he was under Peter de Villiers behind him with a throwback effort.
And their much-maligned game plan? The tactical kicking was poor…when they did kick. This was a wholly different approach from the Springboks, a more expansive one than we’ve become used to. This doesn’t, however, herald the start of a bold new era from Heyneke Meyer’s men. The Wallabies allowed them to play in this manner. The Blacks will demand a tighter approach. They are some way off mastering either, but there are signs that should encourage.
Their rolling maul is unmatched by any team in the game, and it was from this platform that they opened the scoring, with a touch of tactical intelligence (two decoy runners) creating space for Zane Kirchner to score in the corner. Pienaar had taken over the goal-kicking responsibility from Goosen and duly banked the touchline conversion.
The Springboks were in business again seven minutes later after Habana finished a disjointed move that went right then snapped left. Pienaar’s conversion attempt struck the post and the teams went down the tunnel with the hosts leading 14-3, Kurtley Beale’s penalty all the Wallabies could muster in the face of an immense defensive effort.
The Wallabies huffed and puffed after the restart but the Springboks killed their ambition superbly, first Louw peeling off the back of another unstoppable rolling maul to score, then Habana catching them napping with a quick lineout feed to Adriaan Strauss, who drew a defender and offloaded to put the winger away.
The Springboks’ defensive intensity and precision tapered off in the closing stages, allowing the visitors to breach their tryline, but they never seriously threatened a comeback. With time nearly up the Springboks launched another expansive assault, this time Louw finding Habana with a left-pass most elite scrumhalves would be proud to boast.
The Springboks will believe this performance is a good example of what they can achieve when things click, and they’ll be right. But there is a sterner examination ahead in the form of the world champions. For now, however, they deserve to be lauded on the strength of this showing.
By Ryan Vrede, in Pretoria
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174 Comments
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30 Sep 2012, 07:21 am
@katman-49: correct
30 Sep 2012, 07:22 am
Bottom Line a lot of positives for sure
HM has finally realized there he cant win with a team full of Blue bulls
Gone hopefully are Spies , Postgieter, Steyn and Greyling
Kirsher still there and did play well
Flow
Bekker
Vermeulen
Goosen
Tauta
All positive additions
Even Jantjies there, who is on form
How could he not see past M steyn??
And the game plan still the same says HM and Jdv ?
No aimless kicks )except a few from Pienaar) and running the ball
How can that not be different?
30 Sep 2012, 07:28 am
After watching the ABs play the Argies well its going to be tough
The ABs were very very good
Boks will really have to step up and play a full 80 min of hard rugby
The least mistakes, not give the ball away, and defend like men possessed
Its possible to beat them, hopefully kicking game is better
30 Sep 2012, 07:34 am
I can say this with full confidence
You cant compare either game and say one team is so much better than the other
Anything can happen in sports and they must still play the game this coming Sat
30 Sep 2012, 07:54 am
Bokke by 8. Its now time for the AB to travel and for the Bokke to moer them considering their lucky escape in Dunedin.
30 Sep 2012, 07:56 am
Calm down boys.
Next week’s game should be VERY good. Maybe the game of the season so far, becasue this week:
- Boks FINALLY finding form and will be at home.
- ABs FINALLY finding the all round game they have been hoping for.
My prediction …….ABs by 3. But it could just go the other way.
30 Sep 2012, 09:05 am
Adriaan Strauss had a good game but gave away lots of penalties.
Personally I would pick Liebenberg to get his first start, he isjust as mobile and just needs to be told no aimless penalties & perhaps Burden should be given a shot off the bench? He would have been great in the last 20 yesterday.
30 Sep 2012, 09:18 am
@Rhys7-157:
He gave away a couple, yes, but he’s much much better than Tian.
Bismark
Daylight
Strauss
Chilliboy
Daylight
Tian
Burden
IMO of course
30 Sep 2012, 09:40 am
Liebenberg is the province version of Greyling, overly aggressive in all the wrong situations. We don’t need players like that, rather guys who think a bit about what they do.
30 Sep 2012, 09:46 am
Much improved performance by the Boks, but would it have been good enough to beat the AB´s?
There were too many errors and missed chances yesterday, but there´s definitely hope for a new era of running Bok rugby. Despite what de Villiers tried to say, it was a completely new game plan and we had two debutants in the backline, so a few teething problems are to be expected.
We´ll need to learn to exploit the dominance of our forwards to its full extent. Although Pienaar had a very good game, he also took some wrong options during phase play, passing to the side where the Wallabies had superior numbers in defense.
We will have to be far more clinical in our finishing as well, although it was comforting to see how many more opportunities we did create to score.
Meyer needs to back his reserves more. I agree with Fitz1ella that Jantjies and de Jongh should have been brought on much sooner. I don´t give a **** what colour players are, as long as they can do the job.
Both the aforementioned made a difference in the measly few minutes they were on the field. De Jongh almost scored and Jantjies created more space in that time than Morné Steyn has in two years.
A feels good to be a Bok supporter today, but we mustn´t lose sight of the fact that it wouldn´t have been as easy yesterday against a non-depleted Aussie side including the likes of Genia, Cooper, O´Connor, Pocock, etc.
The AB´s won´t be as forgiving when we don´t take our chances.
30 Sep 2012, 11:05 am
@Big Hit-44: haha, dont you mean, SA will have a false sense of security.
Admit BH, the AB’s are supreme, just supreme
30 Sep 2012, 12:29 pm
@fitz1ella-61: Been coming onto this site for years and I could swear every time this same this same piece of sht is ranting the same old tune. This is a horrible case of inferiority. Whites this, whites that, boere this supremacists that. What’s wrong with you boy? Go do something worthwhile and then you maybe wont be so ashamed of yourself, boy.
30 Sep 2012, 13:10 pm
Meyer still needs to wake up and smell the coffee. He missed quite a few tricks yesterday and although Boks suddenly look like a rugby team through a few hand forced changes, Spies Gone injury enforced decision, useless combo of Daniel/Kankowski, Potgieter, Coetsee gone, the correct players Vermeulen and Louw providing the correct bolster to the pack eventually. Morne Steyn gone, eventually the penny drops that the dumb idiot coaches couldn’t see how he with FdP have been crippling Boks game for 3 seasons already. Now he instates Pienaar as the No.9 kicking general to run the game and relegates Goosen to a bit part nonentity not enthusing him to be the playmaker or general he should be can actually cripple Boks again. Watch out!!
Also his sheer lack of any courage by hanging both Jantjies and De Jongh out to dry till minute 76 is outright goddamn cowardice and conservation fear ruling his brain and its going to bite him in the arse next weekend.
Backline should be
Taute / Kirchner, Habana / Taute, De Villiers, De Jongh, Habana / Rhule, Goosen / Jantjies / Lambie, Hougaard / Pienaar
30 Sep 2012, 13:24 pm
Taute was less than ordinary yesterday. Kirchner had a good game purely because he does have one good game in five or six bad games. It was his time to have a good game yesterday.
de Villiers is slower than a prop forward. His one break down the left side of the field was as interesting as watching paint dry. He is only good for one thing…to run into defenders like a moron.
Jantjies should get a chance to shoot for posts. He is almost all South Africa has right now that can kick straight in the Bok team. Goosen seems to have some issue or injury or something. Pienaar was off again. Besides that his tactical kicking and delivery to the flyhalf was crisp and accurate. He delivers the ball about ten times quicker than Hougaard. Hougaard is no scrummie.
The forwards were simply outstanding. 8/10.
30 Sep 2012, 13:41 pm
@fitz1ella-33:
You are a f-uck-ing ******. Goosen is superior player to Jantjies. de Jongh is still only a “decent” international player. Taute is on the same level but more versatile.
30 Sep 2012, 14:15 pm
@STBUR-165:
You the dumbfounded morose moron here you numbskull stupefied idiot. Wasn’t it moronic idiot like you that was raving about this meyer messiahs first squad with Potgieter your new f’ng revelation to emerge with Coetsee and Daniel as Meyer’s goddamn genius selected back row? Where all that pathetic genius gone to now…??
Did I say drop Goosen anytime ever you dumbfounded moron personified? I been the most prolific Goosen punter here since LAST YEAR already when he was still playing junior Boks. You a goddamn moron if ever I seen one on this site
Meyer’s handling of Goosen sucks, its going to bite him inn the arse, and the way he handled both Jantjies and De Jongh’s little desperation f’ng 4 minute cameo yesterday smacks of a coach who’s too chicken to **** in case he gets colon cancer, or else its just his inbred witsblitz supremacy blindness Fckng up his dumb deluded brain, just like you are doing to yours much better.
Taute should not be ahead of de Jongh if he looking to ignite the Backline, and neither should Frans Steyn. Either of Taute or Steyn to 15, or Taute to 14, JdV to 13, De Jongh to 12, Habana back to 11, Goosen to start at 10, Hougaard to 9.
Bench Pienaar, Lambie, Jantjies – unless he needs a speedier option on bench then bring in Rhule and drop one of Lambie or Jantjies, preferably Lambie but they both much of a muchness.
That’s it. Now go get your dumb fck delusional ostrich brain out the sand or rather go call Potgieter to come back and play blind side flank like you were calling for at beginning of international series.
The way Meyer is going about instating Pienaar as his FdP type general and taking all kicking duties away from Goosen / Jantjies is going to fck himself up in the eye. Plus the way he deliberated till the 76th minute to introduce both Jantjies and De Jongh smacks not only of outright conservative chickenarse cowardice but also of inherent dumb Boer deficiencies unless its worse than that and they’re only in his team setup to camouflage his real inherent backward unscrupulous thinking.
30 Sep 2012, 14:31 pm
@fitz1ella-166: He’s right though. You are a fcking reeetard. Easily the thickest blogger on keo.
30 Sep 2012, 15:08 pm
@Rhys7-157:
Schalk Britz and Bismack are 2 best hookers in World.shame Britz such a wasted talent at test level.
Meyer building good depth now.
30 Sep 2012, 15:09 pm
@umfezi-160:
very good and balanced analysis. I agree with thoughts.
I think Goosen project is coming along well and now we need to halt the Blacks winning streak
30 Sep 2012, 16:08 pm
169 easier said than done, if they play like they did this morning you have no chance
30 Sep 2012, 19:50 pm
#166 Skopshite your comment about meyer and colon cancer was a new low even for you,it just proves what a evil minded depraved barely human being you really are.My wife had colon cancer and it nearly killed her,the damage it did to her was horrible,and yet you have the audacity to mention HM and cancer especially as his wife i think had cancer truly proves that you are one son of a ***** and a 1st class scum bag.I hope you do not get colon cancer but if you ever do i say good luck to you cos you `ll need it.You and i have had some wordes in the past but after this i hope you piss off and never darken this website again.
30 Sep 2012, 23:16 pm
@blueboy-171: He’s a miserable little man. Life has a way of sorting them out.
30 Sep 2012, 23:25 pm
@katman-172: really fuckwit.. you wanna come try it..does your wife not see what a little runtcunt arsehole you are.. when its so blatantly obvious from here I’m surprised she can’t see it close up…
@blueboy-171: That was a joke about somebody not being able to f’art .. so I used a lousy metaphor.. you decide how much of a heinous sin it is in your books… it had no personal connotations to it ..
and sorry about your wife for whatever it is worth…
1 Oct 2012, 11:40 am
blueboy – Sorry to hear about your wife, very tasteless post by fitz1ella.
Back on rugby. Glad Boks are finally looking forward.
Problem with this Saturday is that generally the ABs play better in SA than they do in New Zealand!! They seem to be able use the energy of the crowd to lift themselves up!! It is like they thrive on the manic SA supporters!!
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