Koen keeps faith in Morne
2 Oct 2012
Springbok kicking coach Louis Koen thinks pressure and fatigue could be the primary reasons for Morne Steyn’s goal-kicking struggles, but said he will recover and he could play a pivotal role on the year-end tour.
Steyn has battled this year but was backed by Heyneke Meyer on the basis of his match-winning ability with the boot. However, he crashed in Dunedin with the All Blacks on the ropes, missing a string of kicks that would have altered the result.
Koen was lost for an absolute explanation on Steyn’s form, but speculated that he was feeling the heat.
‘It is difficult to pin-point the exact reasons. We’ve been logging every single kick in training since before the England series, and for example, Morne has kicked around 620 kicks from all over the field since then and averaged about 88%, by far the best of the kickers,’ Koen said.
‘Technique-wise we’ve done a lot of analysis and I haven’t changed anything. So when it comes down to performance in a match, it is probably due to pressure and expectation. However, outside of the 2010 Tri-Nations, Morne has never achieved above an 80% success rate in any series he has been involved in. There’s a perception that he achieves 95% every time he is involved. The expectations were high and the pressure built on him. It became a question of handling pressure and he found that tough.
‘Also, a guy like Dave Alred (widely regarded as the world’s best kicking coach) believes the kicking game is as much mental as it is technical, so fatigue could be an issue. In Morne’s case he has played a lot of rugby in the last three years. [Fatigue] certainly could have been a factor.’
The Springboks’ coaching staff have, however, consistently stressed that Steyn’s Test career is far from over. Koen echoed that sentiment, suggesting that he may be re-installed at flyhalf sooner than some expect.
‘I believe with my whole heart that he’ll be back,’ he said. ‘He needs to regain his confidence in the Currie Cup. He still has a lot to offer South African rugby. If you look ahead at the year-end tour to Europe, where a more tactical approach is needed, I can’t speak for the coach but he can be very effective in that environment.’
The Springboks’ goal-kicking woes have extended to their other kickers as well, with Frans Steyn, Ruan Pienaar and Johan Goosen, who kicked at 86% in Super Rugby but missed with two from two attempts at Loftus, all failing to consistently hit the mark. Steyn and Goosen have, admittedly, tried a number of long-range pots, while Goosen also battled severe bruising on his planting foot at the weekend. Koen says Pienaar is likely to take the kicks against the Blacks at Soccer City.
He is also confident their success in this facet of play will improve over time.
‘[The goal-kicking] has been more disappointing than worrying,’ he said. ‘But it gives me confidence that a guy like Peter Grant, whom I’ve been working with since 2005 at the Stormers, was consistently one of the best in Super Rugby. It says I’m on the right track, but it is a process. It will take time to establish a relationship of trust. I want to get to the place where if one of our goal-kickers is struggling, I’ll be able to make immediate changes. I’m not there yet.’
By Ryan Vrede, in Johannesburg
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317 Comments
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2 Oct 2012, 19:30 pm
@willievz-259:
Beautiful part of the world that Lived there for a few years.
2 Oct 2012, 19:30 pm
The drive from work was very soothing. I have had tea and watched the Proteas lose again at a world tourney(what’s new) and I am totally relaxed and happy. Supper will be in about 30 mins.
So, what can I do now to help improve the ability for deficient ‘pinkie’ to become more logical(STBUR & his conflicted buddy)?
2 Oct 2012, 19:32 pm
And the proteas go out with a whimper.
2 Oct 2012, 19:54 pm
Not a single opinion, one way or the other, is expressed by me about the “constitution”, “BEE” or “marxist-liberal ” (whatever that is meant to be).
Yet, like a stuck record, it is written twice in separate posts(187 & 212) ” You’re still a racist for supporting BEE.” . On what is that then based if not pure lies?
Where is the logic in that claim? How does that defective brain function, or more correctly, dysfunction?
Further, I read that denial of BEE opportunities disenfranchises a group of people. How does not being able to make money the lazy way take your vote away from you? Mind-boggling.
STBUR if you can simply follow this, try nicely to convince your other R E T A R D , Atreides, that he is as illogical as you are.
I will not be holding my breath for you misfits though. You are doomed.
2 Oct 2012, 21:11 pm
Goodness gracious, does one really have to read page after page of STBUR’s k*k
Nee man, just ban him already
2 Oct 2012, 21:19 pm
@capetown-305: no.lets stimulate debate here
2 Oct 2012, 21:28 pm
there won’t be any debate it will be one jaundiced self propelled opinion vs the other.. very little debate will get stimulated here.
2 Oct 2012, 21:33 pm
That’s not debate catcher man,but nearly five hours non-stop BEE beating.As soon as I asked him solutions in terms of alternatives to BEE,he disappeared.He is like a child crying for hours for sweets.He quickly changed his tune when Cab called him out for using the idiotic marxist-liberalism statement.No,if you want to witness true debate you watch Obama tomorrow night against that Republican guy,not this irrational stbur rant.
2 Oct 2012, 22:33 pm
thats whats debate is, one jaundiced self-propelled opinion vs the other.
3 Oct 2012, 09:15 am
@Neilanate-304: hahahahahhahahaha
The fact that you even think I agree with STBUR in any way, on anything (other than about what a complete loser you are, of course) just confirms my suspicion that you really are as dense as I thought. I didn’t think it was possible.
I do feel sorry for you though. Failed abortions are a tragedy.
3 Oct 2012, 09:20 am
Is Neilanate and ET the same blogger?
3 Oct 2012, 09:53 am
@wnbb-308: Hello wnbb.,Any idea of the time of Obama/Romney debate?CNN?
3 Oct 2012, 10:03 am
@wnbb-284: and fuckadilly by Skop
3 Oct 2012, 12:55 pm
Some funny stuff here. News24 waiting for you guys.
To rugby. I’m glad Koen admits its mental with Morne. Because he’s also admittimg he can’t help him. Then get someone who can duh! A kopdokter, toordokter, witchdoctor, I don’t care. Unless he’s hiding something Meyer is no better than PDivvy. He takes good players and doesn’t improve them, plenty get worse (uh, Steyn for one). Why is this?
I say it’s beacuse he doesn’t know how to improve them. Neither did PDivvy. JW was the last coach to actually have players improve (Perce and Habana come to mind) and that was hit and miss. FFS, SA has a host of potentially great players. Can’t boneheads like Meyer see that and get the skills needed to improve these players, not simply push them in and out of the Bok team like Skop with a blow up doll. van Graan, Koen et al don’t impress me one bit.
3 Oct 2012, 14:01 pm
@wnbb-272: A guy called Marx played for Tvl many seasons ago.True.Not a left winger though.
3 Oct 2012, 14:07 pm
My granddaughter read on BBM that 14 cars set alight in Grayston drive and driver s/metro cops fled for their lives.As for all social messaging,cannot confirm that this is true.
3 Oct 2012, 23:08 pm
@Atreides-310:
The tone of your post cogently suggests your ego(a mere false image) is terribly wounded.
In backtracking to save face after clearly siding(post 232) with a racist you end up with more than rotten egg on your face.
Your being disingenuous, lacking in simple candour comes shining through.
For 2 days STBUR has been boring the **** out of all you hypocrites with his naked racism. Your first post(232) shows you agreeing with his 225 about nothing but an utter figment of your desperate mind.
His 225 does not refer to ‘loser” as you infer in your 310.. He merely restates a lie he first made in his 187( my “supporting BEE” which I exposed in my 304).
Closet racists like you only fool your fellow hypocrites and not even yourself.
‘ Nag ou grote. Ek gaan nou heerlik slaap en dankie vir die geleentheid.’
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