Pressure no problem for Goosen
5 Oct 2012
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has brushed aside suggestions that the occasion and the responsibility will be too much for Johan Goosen when the 20-year-old fronts the All Blacks this Saturday.
This match-up has long been viewed as the ultimate, whether you’re a Saffa or a Kiwi, and it’s because neither side will be lacking for motivation that we can expect the traditional grunt and intensity at the Calabash.
While the All Blacks have already won the Rugby Championship, De Villiers feels the Boks are still under a lot of pressure to win this Saturday and take some momentum into the end-of-year tour to Europe.
This begs the question why coach Heyneke Meyer would throw a 20-year-old into the mix in such an intense and testing game, but De Villiers feels the time is right, and that Goosen is ready for the responsibility.
‘Can he handle the pressure? I can tell you that not a lot bothers the Goose,’ said De Villiers. ‘He just gets on with the job. And the bigger the event, the bigger the response.
‘He has a great head on his shoulders, he will be able to handle the pressure. But then it also has to be a case of the other 14 players taking as much of the pressure off him as we can.’
Goosen brought some direction and innovation to the Bok attack last week, but was helped in large part by a dominant pack of forwards. He will need a similarly powerful showing by his heavies this Saturday if the Boks are going to cut that All Blacks defence.
He struggled with his goal-kicking at Loftus Versfeld (zero from two attempts), and the management revealed afterwards that he was battling with a heel injury. He has since recovered from the ailment and will resume the goal-kicking duties this Saturday.
It is an aspect of the game that South Africa will need to improve in if they hope to edge the world champions. They have struggled for consistency this year, and the worst showing of the season was in Dunedin where wayward kicking cost them 21 points.
‘We lost to the All Blacks in Dunedin by 10, and our kicking for goal wasn’t up to task,’ said De Villiers. ‘You can say we were close to beating the All Blacks, but we lost by 10. They were the better side because they took their chances. It’s very important that we take our chances this Saturday.
‘I’m very confident in Johan’s ability. He kicked for the first time this week on Wednesday and it went very well.’
De Villiers added that the Boks are under illusions that they are the finished product. The All Blacks will come to Soweto having won 15 Tests in a row, and as holders of the World Cup, the Bledisloe Cup, and the Freedom Cup. There’s no doubt of who will wear the tag of underdog in this fixture. It would be an upset if the Boks managed to prevail.
‘We will need to take our game to the next level,’ De Villiers said. ‘That game against the Aussies, it was just one of those games where they suffered injury after injury. So we have to look at it in perspective: we’re not suddenly a great team after winning that one game, there are a lot of improvements to be made.
‘I do think we have made progress and it’s important that we continue to improve this week. Unfortunately or fortunately in South Africa improvements are judged by the results. So we will have to get a good one to carry us through to the end of the year.’
A win for New Zealand, however, would spell trouble for top rugby nations like South Africa and Australia.
Lowly Lithuania hold the record for most consecutive Test wins (18), while the All Blacks and Boks are tied for 17 wins on the trot. If the Boks don’t stop the All Blacks in Soweto, it’s likely that the Kiwis will smash the record and go on to post something formidable.
‘It’s scares the living daylights out of me, thinking of how far they can go,’ said De Villiers. ‘It’s possible that if they beat us on Saturday they may go on to win all of their games on the end-of-year-tour and eventually set the record at 23 Tests or something like that.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in Johannesburg
36 Comments
5 Oct 2012, 09:33 am
First
5 Oct 2012, 09:34 am
@strikers-1: and NO Dragons… that’s really so *** these days
5 Oct 2012, 09:38 am
‘It’s scares the living daylights out of me to see how far they can go,’ said De Villiers. ‘It’s possible that if they beat us on Saturday they may go on to win all their games on the end-of-year-tour and eventually set the record at 23 Tests or something like that.’
Why you even considering them winning this weekend JDV. Stop them in their tracks tomorrow. 15 is an awesome achievement, so they should be delighted, but it’s enough now. Time for us to have a bit of a winning streak
5 Oct 2012, 09:38 am
I see “the Boks are under illusions that they are the finished product”?? Wow.
5 Oct 2012, 09:46 am
AB’s trying to play silly mind games.
I’m thinking Goosen will make them pay. The guy is amazingly talented and lives for rugby. Whatever flaws he has in his game, he’s got the drive that allows him to fix it.
They say we shouldn’t talk up young players… but come on, we’ve got a gem on our hands.
Superstar in my books. Hopefully gets the opportunity to show the AB’s what he’s made of.
5 Oct 2012, 09:58 am
Was the best 10 in the S15 this year. Hands down.
I don’t see any problem for the Boks, but a lot of problems for the All Blacks.
5 Oct 2012, 10:03 am
Hi everyone!
It amazes me how little the general rugby public actually knows about our current springbok players and what they are capable of or more importantly who is behind them.
There is always this feeling of fear when so called know it all rugby writers and the general rugby public talks about facing the current All Black side. This, coupled with the thought of the All Blacks doing the haka sends shivers down their spine even before the game has started. Respecting the opposition is one thing which should apply to all opposition but when it comes to the All Blacks it seems that many in their minds have lost the game for the Boks before it even started. Sure, nobody would argue that the All Black achievements warrants credit and like the old saying give credit where credit is due but this negative mindset only says one thing…how little you actually know about the capabilities of our current players even though so many of the top players (in your mind) are currently injured. These same people will be the ones that will use the currently injured players as a reason or excuse if and when the Springboks lost or performed badly. The All Blacks have already won the Championship but the stakes are higher than they have ever been. In All Black minds, if a so called second string Springbok side beats them on Saturday, it will destroy their season, their win record will come crashing down, and of course the biggy it would question their status as being the top side in world rugby at the moment especially as they have their best possible team bar Sonny Bill Williams playing. In their minds they cannot have that happen. I mean if they can’t beat a second string Bok side what will they do when all the “top” Bok players come back, right?
Wrong! Allow me to open your eyes and wake you up a little. The Boks have a new head coach and management. With new coaches and management comes new styles, new rules, new everything. How it will impact a team and the time it takes before positive results show depends on how good the new management and coaching staff are. New coaches and management will unsettle a team and affect their results, any team. Allow yourself to imagine removing all the current All Black coaching staff and team management and and swapping them with the current Bok management and coaching team or the other way around. The All Black or Bok results will instantly be affected in a bad way. Sure even a fool will agree to that. Now, let’s forget about previous Springbok coach De Villiers and his coaching staff as the whole world even non rugby followers knows that he was a clown and didn’t have a clue and didn’t belong there. The new Springbok coach and management team however are not clowns. They are the real deal. They are what the All Black guru’s would fear and with good reason. They know what they doing and they know where they going. Heyneke is no clown. He is a rugby brain with immense talent that the Bok supporters have longed for since Nick Mallet was replaced as coach. Glimpses of him and his coaching staff brilliance was shown in the last test in Dunedin and the last test against the Wallabies. Now let’s forget about injuries here as the Wallabies have as many as the Boks. The Bok performance in Dunedin and last test against the Wallabies confirms what very few are starting to realize. This Bok side without all the so called top players not only has the potential (but not consistently showing it yet) to beat anyone, but in fact this current Bok side as a result of a great head coach and coaching staff aren’t joking when they claim that they will be the best team in world rugby. They are the real deal even though many don’t see it yet! I do. I didn’t think it will happen so quickly after new coach and management but it is happening whether you like it or not.
So here is a calculated prediction for you for Saturday. This current second string Bok side (even though in my mind under Heyneke not second string as he has a unrivalled skill in bringing out the best in everyone) will not only beat the All Blacks on Saturday, they will hammer them and will win by at least 15 points. Write this down, copy this post and mark my words carefully. Oh I know I will be one of very few willing to make a statement like this, but there are very few people who actually know what the new coach is capable to get from his players.
A new era is about to begin, the signs are there, jump on is going to be a hell of a ride. The Springboks will dominate world rugby as long as Heyneke is there, forget about targeting Goosen or Habana or Taute as the media suggested earlier this week, Heyneke will be the All Blacks worse fear for years to come.
5 Oct 2012, 10:12 am
@MADaboutrugby-7: Oh you will get murdered on this site, but I believe you. Many say Heyneke was lucky to have Matfield, Bakkies, etc but who made them. Who said to Bakkies you are not a flanker, but an enforcer lock. Who showed him clips of his weak workrate and motivated him to be one of the locks with the highest workrate. Who brought Richard Bands from a club near Lichtenburg and converted him from hooker to prop only to see him scoring one of the best tries in Bok history a couple of years later.
Our current young pack is showing some of the skills the young Bulls pack showed in 2002 and there is no motivator like Heyneke and he will be on top form this Saturday.
I assume you are one of those 21 guys predicting a win with more than 15 points, well I am one of the others.
5 Oct 2012, 10:16 am
@hendrikp-5: fan boy?
5 Oct 2012, 10:18 am
@Horings-8:
You also believe this is a Bok B team?
5 Oct 2012, 10:21 am
@Hurricane-10: No, but we can improve our side if certain players are available. There is however no such thing as a Bok B-team under Heyneke Meyer.
5 Oct 2012, 10:28 am
@MADaboutrugby-7: Agreed, I’m calling a big win too!
5 Oct 2012, 10:50 am
A month ago this site was depression central.
Demands for Meyer to be sacked were as thick on the ground as winter snow in Finland.
The game plan has not changed, which was from all accounts was the worst strategy imaginable.
What exactly has happened?
5 Oct 2012, 11:01 am
@Brads-13: kick and chase versus run and pass / ? i’d say the game plan was changed even tho meyer said not
5 Oct 2012, 11:03 am
Goosen is good…Carter is better as is Cruden
5 Oct 2012, 11:04 am
Abs by quite a few
5 Oct 2012, 11:11 am
@Brads-13: No No. There are quite a few amongst us who remain firmly grounded with regard to the Messiah Meyer and his tendencies.
5 Oct 2012, 11:13 am
@MADaboutrugby-7: It amazes me how little you know about some of the bloggers on this site.
Take a ticket and stand in line. Your predictions are nothing new, many of the posters here have been posting stuff like this for months.
Maybe you are used to blogging on the Bulls forum??
Sharksworld maybe??
5 Oct 2012, 11:16 am
@13 Brad,normality will resume after test.
5 Oct 2012, 11:23 am
@Brads-13: Some are still calling for his head. I have tried to defend him, even calling for him to stand down and return to the Bulls as it is not worth it, but if we win the Saturday the Meyer supporters will have a chance to see how the others will try to do a 180 degree U turn. Skopskiet will say it hapenned by design. Some other will give Meyer the credit he deserves and others will just stay silent until we have some sort of losing streak again.
5 Oct 2012, 11:28 am
@MADaboutrugby-7: “This current second string Bok side (even though in my mind under Heyneke not second string as he has a unrivalled skill in bringing out the best in everyone)”
Really?
5 Oct 2012, 11:30 am
@Horings-20: lets look at Lambie?? he missed his first kick in Ireland as a sub also bad conditions and he got slaughtered in here by the hairy fairy Bok supporters, Goosen misses his first 2 and is hailed a hero as a starter.
Keo tells us Goosen feels no pressure??
Pienaar missed a kick against the Lions and was dropped , and so called supporters in here again slaughtered the oke in here.
Surely thsat will tell you a little about the so called supporters in here
5 Oct 2012, 11:31 am
@Horings-20:
Well I agree with you in one respect.
The match on Saturday will be a watershed event.
If the Bokke win we can expect a continuation of what we have seen so far.
If the Bokke lose, big, big questions will be asked.
5 Oct 2012, 11:33 am
@Brads-23: Here is a fact, who ever wins it will be a close affair, forget about this big win for either team.
5 Oct 2012, 11:44 am
@Horings-20:
I can understand where Meyer is coming from, the Bokke have been close but have messed up one way or the other through player skills.
But that has happened withe the AB’s as well.
Missed kicks at goal in a static environment stand out like a pedigree bulls testicles, but sloppy play in the back line that has the potential to demolish all and sundry should not be ignored ever.
Saturday is unlikely see a repeat of the rampant play NZ imposed on Argentina last week, but they are certainly capable of it, if the SA drop their game.
5 Oct 2012, 11:47 am
@Te Rangatira-15:
as is B.Barrett
5 Oct 2012, 11:52 am
@sharks_lover-24:
Absolutely, I expect a close game.
But being a shallow A-hole, I also hope the AB’s prove me wrong and win with a comfortable margin.
5 Oct 2012, 11:57 am
Boks by more than 7. Sorry.
5 Oct 2012, 12:01 pm
I would love the Boks to win, especialy to halt the ABs winning record, but as long as the Boks play well and push the ABs all the way to the end, i will be happy.
5 Oct 2012, 12:24 pm
@race of tan-29:
The target here is to break the record, and while losing will not be the end of the world, SA beating NZ in a dead rubber match might be inconsequential in the short term it will be magic personified for SA .
History tells me losing on Saturday has no upside for NZ.
5 Oct 2012, 18:16 pm
Meyer is just another coach who’ll be replaced like every other He is still in the honeymoon period, sooner or latr its all gonna go pear shaped
6 Oct 2012, 00:15 am
‘funny how 20 yr old Goosen has what it takes to handle it and 21/22 year old Jantjies has to be has to be “managed”blah blah blah to handle rigours of the big time.what hoghwash
Goosen is a class act but Jantjies is no different.But some players seem to be elected/annointed as chosen ones with propaganda spewed to support these notions with little tono support for statements
I guess Kolisi also has to be managed as well while Coetzee is ready and Eben too.
Double standards
All Blacks will show up-pack will stand up.If they achieve parity expect them to win by 10-15 points.If Boks dominate upront itll be close,but ultimately lose to better efficient team at closing out games and makeing good of scorinhg opportunities.,
SA will continually waste chances with likes of Pienaar,De Villiers,Taute,Kirrchner.
Aussies werre hopeless last week with an average recod on highveld anyway add the fact that oz camp innturrmoil and more than a doen top tier players out in an already shallow player base
this is totally different.lWe had our shot in nz and blew it
6 Oct 2012, 01:21 am
@mshiniwami-32: Goosen is better than Elton – deal with it.
6 Oct 2012, 01:42 am
the boks have a 10-15 point head start for being at home, at altitude and with ABs having to fly 9 hours east from buenos aires.
so the ABs will need to be 10 points better than the boks. so probably 20 points better than they were in Dunedin where they had a 10 point start.
The boks are paying 2.70 to the ABs 1.42 at the TAB. that is crazy odds on NZ. whilst slight favorites I think the bookies have got it plenty wrong! i’d have ABs similar odds to Argies over Aussie. Argies 1.80 favs to aussie paying 1.95.
6 Oct 2012, 10:42 am
@munkiboi-34:
Which is why the Bookies are not hammering at your door begging you to be their odds setter.
6 Oct 2012, 12:43 pm
Boks by five.
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