ABs: The myth and legend
8 Oct 2012
JON CARDINELLI says the All Blacks’ perfect balance between kicking and running, as well as their high level of execution, has allowed them to become the undisputed champs of world rugby.
As if the World Cup, Bledisloe Cup, Freedom Cup, and Rugby Championship title were not enough. The All Blacks didn’t just win that Rugby Championship trophy, they didn’t just win six out of six, they once again made a statement about how the game should be played.
It’s seems an obvious thing to say about the All Blacks, but then there is more to this side than what is perceived at a first glance.
They have some of the most gifted attacking players on the planet, but many forget that a team cannot win championships without a balanced approach. If attack was all you needed to be a success, the Lions would be reigning Super Rugby champions.
Before you celebrate the All Blacks as outstanding innovators and finishers, consider how they get themselves into those scoring positions. It is through a great mix of power, intelligence, and a fair bit of trickery that they win the forward battles. It is through sharp decision making that they can switch between kicking for territory and counter-attacking. And don’t underestimate the role experience has played in the All Blacks’ 16-Test winning run.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said earlier this year that experience helped the All Blacks win that 2011 World Cup, and went on to explain that it is experience that boosts a team in areas like defence, kicking, discipline and game management. You can have all the attacking talent in the world, but if you can’t succeed in these other aspects, you aren’t going to win championships.
Take the Rugby Championship finale at Soccer City as an example. The Boks were in fine attacking form early on, and that try from Bryan Habana will go down as one of the best of their season. But as flat as the All Blacks were during the initial stages, they stuck to their defensive task. They absorbed the pressure and then struck back before half-time, and then again after the break.
Meyer praised the world champions afterwards for the way they went about closing out the game. Meyer said Dan Carter was the key man for the visitors, as his decision making and execution during this period allowed the All Blacks to play the game down in opposition territory.
The stats substantiate the statement. According to ruckingoodstats.com, the New Zealanders kicked the ball from hand on 30 occasions (the Boks kicked 23), keeping 11 of those kicks in play. It was the tactics of Carter and company to put the ball behind the Boks and ask them to counter-attack. And when the Boks made mistakes or bad decisions, the All Blacks were quick to pounce.
It was another thing Meyer pointed to: this All Blacks side has made a habit out of punishing opposition errors. Again, the stats suggest that the All Blacks were better off in this department, making just four handling errors to the Boks’ 11. What those stats don’t say is how the All Blacks turned Bok mistakes into point-scoring opportunities.
Defence was an issue for the hosts last Saturday, with the Boks missing 12 tackles. The All Blacks missed 10, but that number needs to be put in perspective, as the visitors spent more time on defence (they had just 43% possession). While the Boks missed one in four tackle attempts, the All Blacks missed one in six.
The goal-kicking has been poor throughout the tournament, and again the Boks missed four of their eight attempts.
All in all, the Boks were guilty of spurning their own chances, and also guilty of providing the opposition with scoring chances. It was like two teams were playing against the Boks last Saturday: that is the All Blacks and the Boks themselves.
The All Blacks were good enough to first claw their way back into the lead, and then punish the South Africans to the tune of 16 points. That’s a hiding.
Meyer says his team has a long way to go, a statement that was later followed by Steve Hansen’s assertion that this All Blacks side can get better. The New Zealanders have won 16 in a row, and having brushed the Boks aside you’d have to expect them to breeze through Europe and overtake Lithuania for the most consecutive Test victories.
The Boks were No 2 in the world on Saturday night, but were overtaken when the Wallabies beat the Pumas in Argentina later on. Nevertheless, the Boks and the Wallabies are in the same boat in that they are nowhere near the All Blacks in terms of balance and experience.
The Boks are playing the right game, but their execution is not where it should be. I agree with Meyer that the forced introduction (because of injuries) of a number of youngsters has left this Bok side light on experience in key positions. That in turn has compromised their consistency as well as their ability to close out tight Tests.
A 16-point defeat at home is never going to be excused or be anything but embarrassing. At the same time, there has to be some perspective about where this young Bok team is in relation to what is (or at least will become after breaking that world record) the best All Blacks side in history.
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401 Comments
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8 Oct 2012, 09:37 am
…and still people talk about postives from losing… the mind boggles. If you lose by one or ten or twenty you lose…
8 Oct 2012, 09:38 am
@WP-Forever-97:
So what was the reason he was kicked to touch despite having a 100% winning record?
8 Oct 2012, 09:39 am
COME CLOSER OU DEVOTEES
SOME HARD NON SUBJECTIVE FACTS: 4 WINS OUT OF 9 MATCHES (DRUM ROLL PLEASE) 44.44%
I.E DIS N DOP!
So what have we “learnt” or should we rather say come to fruition now that the 1st part of Messiah Square Plug In Round Hole’s national coaching tenure has passed
To quote some words of Eshwin Willemse:
Post the Aus away match: “I mus need new glusses, cause i cennot see any gameplen. what is it?”
Post the AB match: “Is der a defensive struchure? I cennot see it”
The team is poorly coached. The Messiah Of Merit has been found terribly wanting:
1. Defensive structures are poor (still persisting with the mickey mouse belief that defense is about individual sizes rather than team cohesion and execution … see stormers with their mini me players)
2. Team lacks attacking cohesion (to be expected when caps are handed out like party packs and players rotated like a revolving door)
5. Poor player management (numerous examples, recent taute leap frogging over JdJ being the latest … ends with a talented player looking like a muppit)
4. Players lack belief and self confidence (good kickers producing mediocre kicking performances)
5. One attacking dimensional play (so simply highlighted by Mallet over the weekend … the Messiah Meyer 1 man bash it up attackin “suprise”)
By comparison,
Jakes record over same period was superior
PdV’s record was superior
And for those devotees who believed its was the players coaching the team (in Pdv’s time), even the player-coaches record was superior … making meyer look even more inept
The irony,
The same ou’s always screaming metocracy and aspiration towards world class standards, are now talking up the “positives” whilst overlooking the cold, hard fl*cking measure of WIN PERCENTAGE
(taccy, briggy and rest of the devotees please take a bow)
The way forward,
Messiah Square Plug In Round Hole will falter till the end of 2013, to be replaced by Brendan Venter in 2014
Alternatively, the “Messiah” continues and we can get ready to compete with Romania in the Emerging Nations Cup in several years time
You couldn’t script this sh*t
8 Oct 2012, 09:39 am
@Dawn-95:
At least they showed a bit of respect and gave us the “Kap hom met die Panga” haka.
First one for the year.
8 Oct 2012, 09:40 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-93: Meyer is really woeful when it comes to utilizing the bench. He seems to radomly take guys off the field, and replacement with no consideration for what exactly he wants to change on the field.
8 Oct 2012, 09:40 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-90:
Yeah i said the same thing on another htread when they were saying defensive coach needs to be sacked.
This AB team was going to do that to the best defensive team around. We attack.
I said that if South Africas attack was upto standard or lets say better, the first 30 mins the Boks could have been up to 20-0 scoreline. That alone can kill the opposition.
Attack…attack,this is the area that needs to be looked at.
8 Oct 2012, 09:41 am
SARU must not be idiots now. Rest the boks for the currie cup and make sure the guys are 100% for the EOYT. No point playing them now in the currie cup.
Look at NZ’s player management. It is great.
Only guys who need game time can play in the currie cup.
8 Oct 2012, 09:42 am
@Jeraldjay-104:
I knew we should’ve used the strikers
8 Oct 2012, 09:42 am
@Dawn-100: Hi Dawn,
Please excuse the ignorance but just what exactly is this Cory fend story I keep seeing?
Saw it all of last week but never got round to asking u!
8 Oct 2012, 09:43 am
The devotees are spinning like tops this morning
Would have, could have, should have … keep that for the braai
Give it a rest
Professional sport has 1 key measure: WIN”s
8 Oct 2012, 09:43 am
@Gumboots-92: @Dawn-95: @WP-Forever-97:
This dear friends, is the summary of Meyer’s tenure thus far (in his own words nogals):”Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer believes the inexperience of his young backline was the difference between them and the All Blacks.”
Excuse, excuses and more excuses……never taking ANY responsibility himself……
Who selected Taute out of position, when he had Juan de Jongh? Who insisted on finding place for an out of form Hougaard on the wing?
Who made van Graan the ‘attack coach’?
Who neglects the backline TOTALLY? (as is evident in our performances this far)
And NO, I’m not a Capetonian on a whinge…..I’m a BOK fan on a whinge.
8 Oct 2012, 09:43 am
@Dawn-100:
He needed to be challenged in the tackle with ball in hand as a prerequisite.
Not his week to see the ball.
8 Oct 2012, 09:44 am
@Sasuke-107:
Do you really think that is going to happen? SA is too provincialistic to allow that. Local trophies are sometimes more important than international pride… Fact! Just read – we have won this and we have won that to get your answer…
8 Oct 2012, 09:44 am
@Hurricane-106:
Hurri can you post that link again for the Cory fend?
Brumbiesboy wants to have a look.
8 Oct 2012, 09:45 am
@Brads-102:
He alienated a large portion of South Africa by dropping Gary Teichmann from the Springbok squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
He then alienated SARFU by accusing them of being greedy ******** for selling tickets at inflated prices. He ended up resigning at the start of a disciplinary hearing claiming he brought the game into disrepute.
8 Oct 2012, 09:47 am
90.
Errm,well….where was mitchells defence in superrugby?
Looked superkak to me just a couple of months ago.
But now we take mitchel and mallets opinion as gospel. I rate them both but it is so easy to be an armchair critic. Lest everyone forget that in mallets second year we got drukked.
8 Oct 2012, 09:47 am
@Jeraldjay-104: They did the same Haka in Argentina.
8 Oct 2012, 09:48 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-111:
Does the rest of the world really care who wins the Currie Cup, yet it is placed at premium in this country. The Bok side should come first, yet it never does… During the dark years the Currie Cup was like the world cup to most and had flavour – now it is a second tear trophy…
8 Oct 2012, 09:49 am
@WP-Forever-115:
He sounds like just the man SA needs.
Stands up to what he believes, and then pulled the plug on his coaching job rather than endure the experience of a Kangaroo Court
8 Oct 2012, 09:49 am
@capetown-103: Not much about that post one can argue with.
As for the weekend’s game, only two things were really clear from that:
1) The ABs do have some progress to make still, with the first 20 minutes they were barely in the game
2) The rest of the game, especially the second half, no Bok combination or coach would have been able to devise a win over the current All Blacks. They were just that dominant and overwhelming. They are definitely in a league of their own at this moment.
Well done All Blacks. You have made a very emphatic point this weekend.
Question is, are they already peaking at this moment? Or will we see an even more powerful team next year?
JC, you do make a point. A complete team is needed. Not a defensive orientated, not an attacking or kicking orientated structure. Everything should be in place. So please don’t post a bunch of articles again about how we should focus on defense, because that is rubbish.
8 Oct 2012, 09:49 am
@rossoneri-117:
Didn’t see the start of the Argie test…..
And I thought the Bokke were special.
8 Oct 2012, 09:50 am
Heyneke alienated a large portion of South Africa by:
“selecting” Siya and then chucking him back to CC rugby one week later, where he got injured.
Racist.
8 Oct 2012, 09:50 am
tear = tier
8 Oct 2012, 09:51 am
@Dawn-114:
Of course
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dsSp1j9kyg&list=LP7NySN0Z5wAg&index=4&feature=plcp
8 Oct 2012, 09:52 am
@Hurricane-124:
There you go Brumbiesboy!
8 Oct 2012, 09:52 am
@BrumbiesBoy-81:
Thank you Bumbie,
Who’s got egg on their face now?
8 Oct 2012, 09:54 am
Hey, some of us hate Meyer, some of us support him.
Doesn’t really matter. He was signed for the next 4 years, and it will cost SARU a lot of money to drop him.
Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with that coaching team for some time.
The only positive currently is that he and Rassie developed systems to grade each player in SA and allow players to see where they stand and how they can improve. This should have been done YEARS ago!
8 Oct 2012, 09:56 am
@Gumboots-113: I am hoping my man but you are right. I read on supersport that they were considering not playing the boks in the currie cup but they have since did an about turn. There is too much rugby for the boks to still play currie cup.
8 Oct 2012, 09:56 am
106. Hurricane….
Exactly, this is not soccer where good defences keep a clean sheet. Good defences in top rugby i believe should keep a 1-2 try ratio given all the permutations that go into having a good defence, dicipline,etc….
It was a good game with both sides playing well, our finishing wasnt good enough, neither was our goal kicking when it mattered and mental toughness wise we where left wanting. That was the most dissappointing aspect for me, when the tough get going i like to see boks get going. They didn,t, to me the belief didnt look as if it was there and there was a noticeable slump after the kiwis scoredmfrom their only 2 chances of the first half. That is where thencoach is correct in saying that we are much less experienced and notnyet testmatch battled hardened.
8 Oct 2012, 09:57 am
@Bouts-127:
I’m sure most rugby supporters would donate R10 to get him out while we still can…
Bring in a real coach sooner rather than later…
8 Oct 2012, 09:58 am
@cane-126:
Dont disturb him he’s watching the Cory fend
8 Oct 2012, 09:59 am
Will be suicide to play the boks in cc if we want to win any further games thisnyear at all. Some players do need to play some cc but some need a few weeks off badly.
8 Oct 2012, 09:59 am
@Gumboots-118: On a personal level, I see the Currie Cup purely as a trial run/test of squad depth for the upcoming S15. Yes, winnig it might hold ‘lower grade’ bragging rights, but in the grander scheme of things it means Z-E-R-O.
In terms of the WP, only Liebenberg and de Jongh should play and possibly Duane (as he has only had 4 games of rugby since May…and he is still building on his match fitness and rehab)…
But expect to see all of the above including Jean, Bryan, Bekker and Etzebeth in the mix ASAP (because our lineouts are KAK….)
That’s the way we roll……
8 Oct 2012, 10:00 am
@Sasuke-128:
We are a fickle lot mate – we want bragging rights on local trophies, yet international bragging rights are the only with value. Super rugby is great and rightly so has bragging rights – right Bulls? Currie Cup rugby, well the least said the better… Does anyone really care who wins it?
I want to win each international and bag the World Cup. This is what Kiwis put at a premium and that is why they are so successful…
8 Oct 2012, 10:01 am
Heyneke is a racist
8 Oct 2012, 10:02 am
@Dawn-131:
Hi Dawn, are you back at work yet?
8 Oct 2012, 10:02 am
@cane-126:
Well done Cane. Was one of the best performance against us in a while. That crowd in Soweto must have been so intimidating but the players pulled through.
Steve Hansen is a bit of a doos though. I sat next to him during a Super Rugby game a few seasons back and he came across as being very pompous.
That nose touch gesture during Saturdays game was a bit over the top.
8 Oct 2012, 10:03 am
@Dawn-135:
…and hasn’t endeared to anyone – well Pretoria maybe…
8 Oct 2012, 10:03 am
135…erm why?
Will be interesting to see if kolisi even makes the stormers lineup next season with skalk back, is allister a racist them as well.
8 Oct 2012, 10:03 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-133:
Eben worked hard in the lineouts on Sat
8 Oct 2012, 10:03 am
The one big difference between the AB’s and Boks is coaching. I guess it is to be expected when they appoint the best candidate for the job and then they appoint his successor from the assistant coaching staff – the players know what to expect from him and they know him. We, on the other hand, have to contend with political appointments and assistants who are appointed because they are useless so as not to threaten the head coach – they are never in contention for the head coaching position. The end result is that we in reality start with a new philosophy, a new MO and a new game plan every four years. When pressure is on the coach because he does not do well in his first year, he tries all kinds of things and in the end everyone is confused and we are nowhere in terms of building an innings in terms of coaching and game plans. We end up selecting 70 to 80 players in the four year cycle – purely out of desperation. Players are selected who are not on form and who are not completely over their injuries – purely because the coach places all his hope in them to squeeze victories out. It is not sustainable and we end up with egg on our faces at the WC and the baton is passed to the next poor sod who repeats the cycle.
We also have to contend with essentially five different playing philosophies at the five Super franchises and it is difficult to then find one playing style at the Boks with which all players are comfortable.
I do not share HM’s belief that the Boks will be level with the AB’s next year – that level comes with a unified effort by all unions to respect possession, play with intelligence and not convert players into little robots on the field. Even if Meyer can bring the Boks to the AB’s current level in a year’s time, the AB’s are also not the final product yet as they made many mistakes early on in the game on Saturday and they will want to be more clinical.
It is going to take a strong personality, innovation and a skin as thick as PDV’s moustache to make the Boks real contenders for the best team in the world.
8 Oct 2012, 10:04 am
@cane-136:
Still on strike
Aluta continua
If I was at work I wouldn’t be blogging!
8 Oct 2012, 10:05 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-139:
Siya would cruise into the Stormers lineup
For me anyway
Schalk who? Burger? Is he back?
8 Oct 2012, 10:07 am
@Dawn-142:
Are you a SATAWU member?
8 Oct 2012, 10:07 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-139:
And your Heyneke is messing with Elton too.
He was a pitiful figure on Saturday chucked into fray against ABs of all people after 2 minutes against Aus.
The messianic Goose cant seem to keep his bones together
8 Oct 2012, 10:08 am
@Jeraldjay-137:
Thanks.
I think some of you, are being a little harsh on your Team and Meyer.
8 Oct 2012, 10:08 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-132: Jannie Dup and Beast are crying out for a time out. They have been at it non stop since February, plus a hectic travel schedule at the end of the Super rugby competition.
8 Oct 2012, 10:08 am
Well, seeing how deon fourie is going at 6, with skalk coming back, add in a fit elstadt,etc…
We will see.
Just brace yourself though,okay.
8 Oct 2012, 10:09 am
@WP-Forever-144:
Yep
Truck is parked at home.
8 Oct 2012, 10:10 am
@Dawn-131:
hehehe
Cory is my favourite player.
He is suppose to be a laugh on tour as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wWK30ox_LM&feature=BFa&list=LP7NySN0Z5wAg
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