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, 11:52 am
laws of the game…
what a farken larf
8 Oct 2012, 11:57 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-245: Not punting anyone(Well maybe Kanko) Read my reply
post 247.Please.DV was invisible during test.Maybe one run,one link.
Do not agree that Lambie should be there,nor Willem A lberts for that
matter Nor Ruan Pienaar – Hope that puts to bed the bias debate. DV overhyped.Oh for a Gary Teichman. .DV overhyped.
8 Oct 2012, 11:58 am
And maybe not even Beast.
8 Oct 2012, 11:59 am
Ideally this would be my backline in the EOYT:
15 Taute
14 Habana
13 Pietersen
12 De Jongh
11 Basson
10 Jantjies
09 Hougaard
20 Pienaar
21 Lambie
22 Mapoe
but that’s just too many quotas for the average saffa fans and coaches…
8 Oct 2012, 12:02 pm
@rangerman-246: JPP’s return will be huge. Daniel will not be selected for the Boks again, however sad, due to that piggyback on the Argie maul so I wouldn’t tout him any further.
Kanko isn’t here, so can’t even be mentioned until next year.
EOYT – it will be Duane with Arno Botha hopefully covering.
Still not convinced that Alberts is a starter – to me he is a 30 min off the bench player.
I would still have Heinrich over Flo (speed), but he is out for now….
In general, Habs has been our best backline player.
Taute is not a 13, and should either play 15 or nothing IMHO.
Lambie and Jantjies should both be given a shot at 10 on the EOYT.
Juandre Kruger is less physical than Bekker, and they are both much of a muchness for me – either or, they are both average at best.
Jean Div played his last test for the Boks on Saturday.
Don’t blame the players…….blame the coach.
8 Oct 2012, 12:02 pm
@rangerman-222: He tackles well and steals the occasional ball on ground , he has no hands, imagine what would happen if he had to kick the ball. Take Read , he was everywhere, he ran and he can pass.
Vermeulen never falls back to cover the back , cross cover is also part of his job but he’s to slow.
Maybe in Europe he’s lack of pace will not be as preveland.
He did not once pick up the ball behind the scrum, did you see the try Karemaker scored ?
No he’s average.
8 Oct 2012, 12:02 pm
@ryecatcher-252:
Fat Albert is not quite the force in Internationals as he is at S15 level.
8 Oct 2012, 12:03 pm
Now completed my review of the second half. Plenty of infringements spotted plus more incorrect calls by ref, but can’t be bothered getting off couch to get more paper. Perhaps when beer runs out?
Final conclusion – the boks looked tired and bewildered after the third AB try. Meyer’s substitutions created confusion, and there was no-one obviously leading from the front or rallying the players.
I was left to wonder whether the all blacks played a “rope a dope” strategy, encouraging the boks to attack them in the first half expecting the boks (some of whom have had a long season, and others who have just come back from injury) to run out of steam as obviously happened. If so – cunning.
It would be craziness to send the frontline players back to the curry cup. You’ve got to get back to stringing multiple wins together. The NH is the perfect place to reset your standards, and to bond the team around success. Too often the boks have been a shambles on these tours, being beaten by teams that have no right in h@ll to claim a bok scalp. I would love to see the boks, Aussies and AB’s nil the NH this eoyt
8 Oct 2012, 12:03 pm
@mxhosa-254: Now THAT’S a potential kickass backline. But you’re correct – not on Meyer’s watch.
@ryecatcher-252: Fair enough.
8 Oct 2012, 12:04 pm
@cane-257: Agree, he is a 30 min player at best.
8 Oct 2012, 12:05 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-255: i agree on most of what you say and have echoed it above.
if kanko was here he would have got the nod imo.
as for keegs, whattawaste. the guy is one of south africas most skilful players and has a rugby brain second to none imo.
he is a typically wasted south african talent.
8 Oct 2012, 12:06 pm
Whats the latest on Goosens knee injury?
Taute’s (could be someone else) failure to kick for touch had terrible repercussions.
1. Whitelock scored.
2. Changed the momentum of the game completely was 10-0 at that stage.
3. Caused Goosens injury because of the tackle on Whitelock.
8 Oct 2012, 12:07 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-236: Spies is much better than Knock onn Vermeulen,
8 Oct 2012, 12:08 pm
@cane-257: Good afternoon pal.
Still hurting.Imagine you guys are basking in reflected glory of the
bes t team I have seen.Dont usually gush like this.Certainly not about
opposition teams.
8 Oct 2012, 12:09 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-260: Sorry to go on about this.Kanko was out injured
for most the season.Dont think Plum ignored him.
8 Oct 2012, 12:11 pm
@ jeralday 262: wasn’t goosen already down in back play, I think he got up from being attended to by the physionto attempt that tackle on whitelock. Gutsy, but I think the damage was already done?
8 Oct 2012, 12:13 pm
@capebull-263: In the knock on stakes, Pierre Spies has NO equal; he has terrible hands. He might be fast enough to cover in defence, but when he gets there the oppo player run straight over him, through him or around him, leaving Spies clutching to a piece of material. No my friend, that blow up doll is not an international player’s backside.
Please prove me wrong
8 Oct 2012, 12:14 pm
@ryecatcher-265: Yes he was, apologies.
8 Oct 2012, 12:14 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-255:
@ “Daniel will not be selected for the Boks again, however sad, due to that piggyback on the Argie maul so I wouldn’t tout him any further.” the horrors of newlands
8 Oct 2012, 12:15 pm
@ryecatcher-265: correct.
and when he came back he played 8 and keegs played 6.
and our lineout was a thing of beauty.
8 Oct 2012, 12:16 pm
@ Bakkies….considering the ref did not award the first All Black penalty until the 58th minute…you may have a
point on the rules. But then by that time, we had scored 4 tries. So…..go wipe your backside with your rule book. Or even better give a copy of the rules to blitzbok so he too can wipe his backside, that way the both of you can be playing the same game with the same set of rules and be world champs at it.
8 Oct 2012, 12:18 pm
@Transformation-269: funnily enough we won at newlands and then keegs made a wonderful turnover in an argie maul in mendoza when he was introduced.
what a waste.
8 Oct 2012, 12:18 pm
@Hurricane-124: @Dawn-125: My goodness there’re some great ones there, I think I know what you’re on about now!
Oh, and some brilliant tries as well!
Thanks
P.S. Coach Jake, are you thinking what I’m thinking?
8 Oct 2012, 12:18 pm
@corporal punishment-266:
Think he buggered his knee during that attempted tackle. The injury could have happen before. I’m not 100% sure.
But in his 1st full season of proper rugga his had 2 concussions, a shoulder injury, which kept him out for a while and now this knee injury.
His got a truck load of talent and composure to compete at the highest level but he appears to be very brittle, which is a major concern.
8 Oct 2012, 12:18 pm
@Jeraldjay-262: did you see that as dagg fielded the ball from the taute clearance from our goal-line there were FOUR 3 all blacks lined up across the field from izzy? the all blacks have worked out how to nullify our skop & pray gameplan and i can tell you the rest of the world will cotton on to it.
8 Oct 2012, 12:19 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-267: You are clthing at straws , Spies ‘ was weak in tackle , he worked on that , Vermeulen is just to slow, are you serious about liking Vermeulen , surely you are joking
8 Oct 2012, 12:21 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-268: Got to respect you.You are a gracious blogger.
8 Oct 2012, 12:22 pm
@Jeraldjay-274: Perhaps he is like Johnny wilkinson, too committed in the tackle? If you watch carter, he rarely attempts offensive tackles. He is a good tackler, but generally relies on his loosies to make the big hits.
8 Oct 2012, 12:23 pm
@capebull-276: Don’t take my word for it. Ask anyone other than the Brig, Taccy, yourself and other rabid Bull’s fans what their opinion is on Spies. In fact, ask respected journalists from all over the globe……then report back.
I would take Vermeulen on one leg, blind and high on crack before I would see Spies in a Bok jersey every again. The End.
If not Duane, young Arno Botha is the future……….that’s if your Bulls coaches have the b @lls to drop the invisible man.
8 Oct 2012, 12:24 pm
@ryecatcher-277: Not always
8 Oct 2012, 12:24 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-268: Wot was the piggy back? I missed that!
8 Oct 2012, 12:25 pm
@Transformation-275:
Transie they thrive on broken play and if the kicks aren’t accurate the chasers, normally wings are out of their defense lines.
When they move the ball through the hands across the field we have NO answer.
And by the way, I also think Aaron Smith is no average scrumhalf.
8 Oct 2012, 12:26 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-255:
Speed? Brussouw? You cannot be serious…you must have been joking.
Louw annihilated the Aussie loosies and he had McCaw’s number on Saturday. Put your biased spectacles away and see the wood for the trees please
8 Oct 2012, 12:26 pm
@rangerman-272: The only Bok look in Daniel will ever get again, is if a fellow like Mallet coaches the Boks. Until then, his name won’t even be mentioned in selection meetings.
That was evident after Arno Botha was called up.
8 Oct 2012, 12:31 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-245: Lets see some stats:
Spies vs England vs Vermeulen and AB’s\
Tackles made
V= 7 Sp = 6
Rucks and Mauls
V 2 Sp 10
Runs
V 2m Sp 65m
Turn over
V =1 Sp 0
8 Oct 2012, 12:31 pm
@COUCHCOACH-283: Errm.Please remind me of the score.In the 2,nd half we had Zero ball from the
loosies,until 4 tries had been scor ed against us.
8 Oct 2012, 12:34 pm
@COUCHCOACH-283: Disagree. Mccaw doesn’t really play a fetcher role any more. He plays more like a SA no7, playing more of a tight role.
The fetcher role in the AB’s is simply the job of the first or second tackler, if they keep their feet. The all black backs turn over as much ball as mccaw theses days (tho hore was probably leading this stat on Saturday).
Yes, low won some great turnovers/penalties, but he wasn’t as influential overall as mccaw (who is a vital link along with the other loosies between the forwards and the backs).
8 Oct 2012, 12:34 pm
@COUCHCOACH-283: I am a Stormer fan, and I wouldn’t mind Flo captaining the Boks (and the Stormers if he ever came back)
Between the 2 of them though, I prefer Heinrich as a deck player, and IMHO he is faster. Louw has been epic, and is hitting the same heights he did for the Stormers 2 seasons back, and with an extended run in the Bok jersey he could be the answer to all our prayers, and I will forget all about Heinrich – but because he has been neglected, I would still like to see a fully fit Heinrich given another crack.
I don’t think my opinion is biased, and I am looking at this wearing Bok spectacles.
8 Oct 2012, 12:36 pm
@ryecatcher-286: Ha ha, agreed!
8 Oct 2012, 12:36 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-195:
Its not a PAN but a FAN…and Spies had had his time and has been found wanting FOR YEARS!!!! One good half in 2009 doe snot equate to being a Springbok in 2012 FFS are all BLouBull supporters as doff!?1?!?!?!?
8 Oct 2012, 12:37 pm
@capebull-285: You are fooling yourself with those stats. They lie.
As I said, don’t ask me or take my word for the opinion on Spies.
Ask OTHERS, if you feel I am being too harsh on the useless eejit.
(Stats tell you nothing, apart from what you want to read…..taken out of context – they are worthless)
Do you seriously rate Spies as the best 8 in the country? And if so – are you his brother or his USN supplier?
8 Oct 2012, 12:37 pm
doe snot, hehehe… does not
8 Oct 2012, 12:37 pm
Ps I do think Lou’s has been very good. But he ain’t mccaw just yet.
8 Oct 2012, 12:38 pm
@capebull-263:
Dude, if you believe that, then you must have your head read and soon. I agree that Vermeulen is not the best no 8 we have seen in this country and to add to that, he is not even at his best after his injury. But to even contemplate that Spies offers anything other than running into the picture every now and again is absolutely ridiculous. He offers nothing – absolutely nothing. He deliberately avoids contact, his workrate is pathetic and his ball carries are forgettable. He is the worst no 8 when it comes to picking up at the base of the scrum. PULL THE OTHER ONE MATE
8 Oct 2012, 12:38 pm
@Golden Boy-290: Yes they are it seems. This @Capebull fellow is even more rabid in his support for Spies…..quite sad actually.
8 Oct 2012, 12:40 pm
@corporal punishment-281:
He got carried on the backs of an Argentina maul and got penalised for it. Meyer dropped Keagan after that Test and the Heyneke faithful said it was because of the embarrasment caused by that incident.
8 Oct 2012, 12:40 pm
@COUCHCOACH-294: I vote for spies back to bok no8, preferably as captain, and with a guantee he will hold that role until wc2019
8 Oct 2012, 12:42 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-295: Oh dear! Odd thing for the national coach to say in public!!
8 Oct 2012, 12:44 pm
@wpstormerbok-296: haha, that incident was nowhere near as bad as philip burger being turned into a bicep curl-assist by the sharks on sat
8 Oct 2012, 12:45 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-295:
And what the hell is this fascination with STATS!?!?!?!?!? According to STATS, Spies is the best 8 we have ever had. But ask any supporter (those without the bull-tinted glasses) and they will tell you the exact opposite.
STATS should be used as one of a set of tools, but it seems that the current management has this unhealthy obsession with it to the detriment of anything else.
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