Meyer: We avoided massive setback
10 Nov 2012
Heyneke Meyer admitted the Springboks would have been ‘three steps backwards’ had they lost against Ireland but stressed the importance of victory in the education of his team.
The Springboks trailed 12-3 at half-time with very little evidence that they would turn it around in the manner they did. However, there was an inspired effort in the second half to seal a victory that Meyer said has significance beyond the obvious.
‘Our performance in the first half was unacceptable and I can’t tell you my words to the team. There were too many penalties, we couldn’t get going. But I’m proud of this team. At nine points down we showed a lot of character to come back. We’ve learnt a lot from tonight,’ Meyer said.
‘This means more than when we beat Australia at home scoring five tries. It was a tough week Beast was out, Gurthro failed another fitness test today, Heinke hasn’t trained with us and in the first three minutes Jannie was injured and wanted to come off. We were under the sword. It was the worst half I’ve ever seen this year.
‘I was desperate at one point. I want us to do well, especially for the supporters back home. There could have been a lot of excuses, with almost a whole team out and a lot of guys that moved on. But we don’t want to offer excuses. Losing would have been a huge setback for me and the team. It would have been three steps backwards for us.’
Meyer singled out his young players for praise, explaining that their composure and ability to execute instructions was central to the win. He added that there has been patent progress from June to this point.
‘We would have lost from this situation at the beginning of the year. What we did in the second half was special,’ he said.
Captain Jean de Villiers echoed Meyer’s sentiments. ‘It’s one thing to be selected for the Springboks but more difficult to put in a performance worthy of wearing a Springbok jersey. The first half wasn’t. The response was fantastic,’ he said.
‘In Mendoza [against Argentina] we were in the same situation but we failed to respond. I said at the beginning of the tour that we needed to take it to the next level and I think we did that tonight.’
Meyer, however, stressed that perspective is needed when assessing where they stand at present.
‘This is the type of game we needed to win. There were a lot of soft moments this year, but in the second half here there were none. But I what to make it clear that a more highly-rated Springbok team beat Ireland a couple of years back, and then lost to Scotland,’ he said.
‘We have to be humble, keep our feet on the ground and learn from here. Scotland are waiting and they’re a good team. I can tell, though, the team took a lot of confidence from this.’
By Ryan Vrede, in Dublin
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333 Comments
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11 Nov 2012, 12:57 pm
Pdv was a clown….. Without smit, matfield etc he would be a even bigger joke… Now there is a petition by some of the tikkoppe on facebook wanting pdv to replace heineke…. 165 members has joined…lol sure that will convince hoskins….
11 Nov 2012, 12:58 pm
@skopdiekan-199: Brilliant post Skop.In total agreement.
11 Nov 2012, 13:02 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-183:
You do realize that you are the only one who rate him at this stage…oh and Ludeke of course
@suffer_guy-196:
Eks bly ek kon help, ou balsak.
11 Nov 2012, 13:05 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-193: Hahaha I love it!
Of course in that back line you would need Frans Steyn as your scummy.
I mean he has the biggest boot of the lot, so put him in the pozzie where he gets the ball first, right……
We’ll skop the living **** out of all comers, and hopefully Heineken will stop head butting his Motorolla
11 Nov 2012, 13:06 pm
@suffer_guy-201: I would be prepared to pay good money (and I might throw in a few of my better album collections as well) to see you sucking an oxygen mask.
11 Nov 2012, 13:07 pm
By: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
2012-11-11 10:05
Cape Town – Another commanding performance by open-side flank Francois Louw characterised South Africa’s come-from-behind 16-12 triumph over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
The English Premiership-based player has been a revelation since he rejoined the national set-up, increasingly proving an astute pick by coach Heyneke Meyer.
Louw was influential even while the Springboks were on the back foot in a pallid first half from them, and retained his prominence as they commendably seized a grip after half-time in what former captain John Smit lauded as an “unbelievable turnaround”.
Here’s how we rated the Boks:
Zane Kirchner 6.5
Still didn’t provide anything unexpected, but give him his due: importantly businesslike performance in a grim scrap. Positionally sound, and good competing under high ball.
JP Pietersen 6
Certainly came out breathing fire … perhaps just a little over-amped, actually? Stuck determinedly to defensive guns but a few little gremlins, plus unwelcome yellow card for early tackle.
Jaco Taute 6
Highly debatable selection ahead of in-form Juan de Jongh, but utility man showed far better technique and resolve on defence at No 13 than in last game against All Blacks.
Jean de Villiers 6.5
So-so first half, along with so many Boks, but rallied troops splendidly for the fightback and led by example with forceful ball-carries and crunching commitment in the tackle.
Francois Hougaard 5.5
Problematic first half, and left for dead once as Keith Earls flashed by him. Some improvement after break, it must be said. Jury still out over No 11 jersey, maybe?
Pat Lambie 6
Found it very hard to be assertive as Boks outsmarted and pressed back in first 40. Looked much better as momentum shifted, though has had better days with both place- and tactical kicking and confidence somehow didn’t seem wonderful.
Ruan Pienaar 7
Satisfying game on terrain pretty familiar to him. Took initiative nicely at times, which was slightly overdue, and rewarded with game’s only try at close quarters.
Duane Vermeulen 6.5
Got through a fair bit of unglamorous, perhaps often unspotted graft. Some key turnovers or determined “hold-ups” as well. Still await best of him at Test level, though?
Willem Alberts 6.5
One of better, more assertive Bok forwards in unproductive first half, with some trademark big hits and mini-surges. Came off 15 minutes early, job largely done, to facilitate fresh legs for run-in period.
Francois Louw 7.5
Another really illuminating Test by the Bath-based customer. Seriously hard-working on the deck, facilitating some turnovers, ace tackler and alert in cover-defence capacity as well.
Juandre Kruger 5.5
Ho-hum game from the Bulls man. Went missing in action at times, and not a significant lineout factor. Still, strong driving mauls are a pack effort so must have pulled some weight there.
Eben Etzebeth 7
Just kept his cool when things got tetchy, though like all good enforcers wasn’t ever going to be too far away! Showed off his great muscularity in close combat several times, and again excellent at pressurising or actually stealing opposition lineout ball.
Jannie du Plessis 6.5
This yeoman workhorse of 2012 is clearly tired – though still didn’t take any backward step at scrum-time. Wisely the first Bok to be subbed on 55 minutes. How about a day off against the Scots to be fresh for England?
Adriaan Strauss 7
Dominated his Irish (!) cousin Richardt in the keenly-awaited match-up at hooker. Did all basic chores professionally, and one or two forceful drives.
CJ van der Linde 6
Acceptable showing from the late call-up at loosehead prop, especially considering he so seldom plays full (or even fullish) matches these days. Helped stop some Irish mauling initiatives in their perky first half.
Subs with reasonable game-time:
Pat Cilliers 6.5
Accomplished enough in scrums when he entered fray on tighthead side. Big plus was cleanout lustre and urgency in tackle.
Heinke van der Merwe 6
One particularly promising scrum at loosehead, leading to morale-boosting penalty gain.
Marcell Coetzee 6.5
Threw himself about like Duracell bunny for 15 minutes; clearly desperate to bag a start again some time.
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing
Sport24
11 Nov 2012, 13:08 pm
@Blokkies-204: Howonearth could I forget THE Boot Frans Steyn……
Now that’s a whackline
11 Nov 2012, 13:09 pm
@Blokkies-204: LMFAO, nothing makes sense anymore.
11 Nov 2012, 13:12 pm
Can’t we convince Heyneken to apply for asylum in the UK after the English game???
11 Nov 2012, 13:13 pm
@suffer_guy-201: At least Div wont coach our players out of form, not that i want Divvy back, i want to leave the past in the past. However …Meyer is yet to prove to me that he is in any way better than Divvy.
11 Nov 2012, 13:13 pm
Sharkspedigree hou op so po3s wees … Gaan bietjie uit… Die vars lug sal jou goed doen
11 Nov 2012, 13:16 pm
Bokke…. How many injuries do we have… Schalk b, habana,bissie, beast, bekker, goosen, f steynEtc…. Pdv also had the following … Matfield, bakkies, fourie dup, j fourie… Even grant10 will do good with all those players
11 Nov 2012, 13:17 pm
@wnbb-206: yep, Louw was my man of the match too. Only loosie that really pitched up and gave a Springbok worthy performance. Marcel wasn’t bad either.
11 Nov 2012, 13:20 pm
@suffer_guy-211: Already been for a long run. Had a lovely breakfast in Stellies as well….so sorry old fella, for the next little while at least, my entertainment will consist of beating you up in an internet takedown…. No place else I would rather be.
11 Nov 2012, 13:22 pm
‘Duracell bunny’.Just as well Sharkslover and Puma left.
11 Nov 2012, 13:29 pm
@wnbb-215: Puma is being given stick on that other blog….about his blind adoration towards Lambie. He went in guns blazing after the test it seems, defend defend defend.
Some fella told him that if he punts Sharks players in the aggressive way he does, he must take the flack when they suck. Eish.
I thought of Puma when I read in an article what the Irish commentators apparently said about Lambie not offering anything or something to that effect…..
(I don’t mind Lambie, but the adoration got a little creepy…)
11 Nov 2012, 13:30 pm
@suffer_guy-212: I think for obvious reasons Heynecke would have been brilliant with Divvy’s springboks, and with Heynecke i would bet my house on it, that Smit would have played no part in the boks, possibly even as early as 2008. That said, i actually think Divvy would be a good match for our current crop.
11 Nov 2012, 13:34 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-216: I taped the game so I will definitely check that out as well as George Hook and Brent Pope’s take on the game.Hookie is a bit of an interesting character on this side of the world.
11 Nov 2012, 13:46 pm
So gepraat van ander websites,op voelmyhoring het ons keo vriend ,exkreniwp besluit dat dit so stil is dat dit beter is om kaalgat fotos van vrouens te plaas .Altyd gese dat daai ou ietwat van n perv is.
11 Nov 2012, 13:48 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-216:
hahaha. That is so funny. Puma getting put in his place. This is stalker material we are talking about. Lambie being referred to as Puma’s grandson!
He’ll be back here soon enough. And he will get a warm roasting, I mean reception!
11 Nov 2012, 13:50 pm
it was the worst match having De Villiers coaching Whites team, he should have rather let Meyer take that team and see what he could do with it., taking a team so set in its ways and trying to accommodate Smit at all or any cost was the worst thing for Pdv to try and achieve, he should have refused that post and rather bide his time, and had Meyer run with the 2008 Boks. De Villiers would have been far better with a fresh start and new players now than Meyer is who is needing to reassess and re learn everything he thought he knew when he took over this job.
11 Nov 2012, 14:02 pm
@I am a stormer-220:
Yep, no wonder the poor kid has been looking so nervous since that thread.
11 Nov 2012, 14:02 pm
217 so mucth speculation about what he would have done, clearly hes not a very good coach.
11 Nov 2012, 14:09 pm
Amazing how some people get a kick out of dissing a very sweet man just because he rates a player and is expressive about it, and then take pleasure in the fact he is getting a hard time about it elsewhere. Vicious and unnecessary.
11 Nov 2012, 14:17 pm
@Treehugger-224:
disgusting is it not?
Heyneke getshammered even when the Boks win?
Provincialism is rife in SA.
11 Nov 2012, 14:20 pm
When you see Bulls supporters beginning to question Meyer on other rugby sites,then you know that we are in big kuk.
11 Nov 2012, 14:23 pm
Puma is a good oke but he’s so biased at one stage he was suggesting all xv sharks dynamite be in the boks and some of DHS for the bench.
Meyer is also biased – there were 3 wp players on the park for the boks – etsebeth, vermeulen and jdv.
Stormers won tge CC, have come top of tge s15 two years running with an 80% win record and they got 3 players on the field, one if which is completely wrong for 12.
It don’t take a genius to conclude 1+1 does not equal drie.
11 Nov 2012, 14:24 pm
It’s not about provincialism but a coach totally out of his depth at international level.
11 Nov 2012, 14:26 pm
@David-222:
You saw what you wanted to see and it’s your prerogative to have an opinion
However, it exposed your lack of rugby knowledge outside the Jonker/Joubert winning rugby prevails at WP/Stormers territory
Pienaar confiscated the flyhalf role no doubts following HM’s instructions which makes sense cnsidered he know the players, the Irish gameplan and the ground better than Lambie.
Lambie did well under the circumstances, interpretation of his expressions and body languish is subjective, again: you saw what you wanted to see
11 Nov 2012, 14:28 pm
Had a laugh reading Puma’s posts in RT.It’s just ‘damn’ and ‘bloody’ all over the show as he defends Lambie’s virtue.No man should take such an unhealthy interest in another man.
11 Nov 2012, 14:29 pm
@Treehugger-224: @Brigadier Van Zyl-225: The man is paid a ridiculous amount of money to manage our national team.
If he screws up the incredible opportunity he has been given due to Neanderthal thinking and idiotic decisions then he must expect to get hammered.
And I expect him to up his game quite frankly because he has bumbled blindly from one corner to another……..
I was truly stoked when he got the position but I have been mega disappointed in HM’s contribution so far. At least with Divvy we knew it was gonna go pear shaped. I expected more from Heyneke.
He has been a flop so far.
11 Nov 2012, 14:32 pm
@cab-227:
Yep,
It would been helpful if the Boks could get Jonker/Joubert/Peiper to ref their Tests, just like WP and the Stormers do
However, they had to win it without this time, tough luck
11 Nov 2012, 14:34 pm
Lambie is no carter and no michelak or goosen either.
Unfortunately he’s Most effective quality, distribution, has been completely handicapped by meyers instructions to HOOF when not in right half of field – which is not going to happen – way too consevative. Let them try play outside their own 22 and especially on halfway – but no – doer daar gaan hy..
11 Nov 2012, 14:34 pm
@skopdiekan-199:
what absolute shite.
Twakkie inherited a worldclass side that basically selected itself and fcked it up.
heyneke has had no continuety whatsoever to buildon coupled with the fact that he can’t catch a break injury wise. The latest being a loosehead prop part of the combination he could bank on.
You talk way to much rubbish, you grandstand here unchecked publishing hypotheticals as bonafide fact with an unmatched arrogance and poor attitude. Your basic understanding of management and leadership is laughably naive, a sure sign of someone who has never had to manage, lead and coach. Unfortunately the nature of a website such as this gives so many the opportunity to play proffessor superman and victimize someone who could never be here to defend himself and bydefault show up so many so quickly.
How brave and clever would many of these antagonists be, sitting in a room with the bok coach I wonder?
11 Nov 2012, 14:36 pm
@cane-133: You what, Cane? Since weather will not be a flooding of biblical proportions, given that Scots play pretty good underwater rugby, anything less than double digit win is not acceptable with any chosen team, period.
As for English, agree, they are masters of pulling down to their level, kudos to them. It will be harder task to beat them by double digits.
11 Nov 2012, 14:37 pm
@wnbb-230: Based on age difference, he may turn out to be his father.
11 Nov 2012, 14:39 pm
@Treehugger-224:
Stay above it, you know who are those guys
Fact is the Boks won a hard fought test where they played like the men possessed in the 2nd half,
11 Nov 2012, 14:41 pm
@Blokkies-231:
Seriously? Neanderthal thinking? Are you seriously qualified to be calling/assuming meyer is a neaderthal when analyzing his career.
The boks were playing shite long before he got here. He’s starting from scratch and has lost only 3 games this year and with a little more luck that could have been only 1.
I am sure he is terribly sorry his selections aren’t helping your superbru stats.
11 Nov 2012, 14:41 pm
@Hurricane-185: It’s alright, remember BH kept telling the last time Poms had an A team playing was back in 2003.
11 Nov 2012, 14:43 pm
@Blokkies-231: I was expecting a bit more from Meyer myself, have not written him off yet though.
Was referring to Puma about the dissing. So human to enjoy anothers misery and mock them, nothing to be proud of.
11 Nov 2012, 14:46 pm
@Nils-236: You never know,Nils.
11 Nov 2012, 14:46 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-225:
HM gets it right now, but no denying he brought it onto himself earlier
Picking test players who are not good enough at the Super Rugby level (Jantjies, Mvovo, Chiliboi, Aplon) created huge expectations among the POCs while those players rewarded him with great performances: Mvovo at Perth and Jantjies at Soweto and that was only 2 months ago
Now he has the whole wagon load of aps screaming and yelling, hope he will not buckle
11 Nov 2012, 14:46 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-234: I would coach this Bok team better than Meyer is doing and my selections would be better also
You are a Meyer apologist and a De Villiers antagonist and its pretty clear as daylight where that stupid warped sense of laager entrenched rationality is emanating from.. same place as it is emanating from this self confessed racist.. @Hondo-232: yours is identically the same observation
11 Nov 2012, 14:48 pm
238 gdam that’s rich from you okes tearing into twakkie snor dippy devilliers since game one.
Now all of a sudden it’s rebuilding when before the season started there were figures of 80% being bandied about – 80% liewe fok, tge only 80% figure we going to achieve is 80% hoofing.
Where’s de Jong? Why is taute, a fullback, being selected over a player who has been groomed for tge role, in outstanding form, and not being selected. Why are 3 wp playersbebg selected for the boks despite being overwhelmingly the best side in sa.
These are valid questions. What is going on here?
11 Nov 2012, 14:48 pm
@Hondo-237: yeah you thick prick treehugger is referring to puma and you and this other neanderthal idiot think she’s talking about your messiah who is collapsing in a heap as we speak.
11 Nov 2012, 14:50 pm
I don’t play Superbru. All I care about is that we have a coach who should be improving the way we play, but after almost a year in charge I reckon we have gone backwards.
He has not made 1 single good decision of his own accord – everything he has done has been reactive instead of proactive.
Meyer is playing a gameplan that is outdated, predictable and primitive, hence my Neanderthal comment. Maybe his way of playing worked for the Bulls 5 years ago, but I am still waiting for the Bokke under Meyer to put together 1 respectable performance. He is stuck in the past.
And don’t start bleating about injuries. That is part and parcel of being a coach. It’s the style of play (stampkar) that he has adopted that has resulted in so many losses ( and draws) NOT injuries.
11 Nov 2012, 14:50 pm
@wnbb-206:
Houwing calls Flo an astute selection on Meyer’s part? Hogwash. By his own admission, Flo (for me one of the best Boks this year) would have been 4th in line barring injury. And let’s not forget he picked Potgieter as well!
“We were very keen to give Siya Kolisi an opportunity on this tour, but he is also out injured. We opted for Francois because he is a specialist openside flanker, in the absence of Schalk, Heinrich and Siya, that can cover blindside and number eight as well, while he is also a very useful option in the lineout,” Meyer said
11 Nov 2012, 14:52 pm
Meyer is going to get hammered from pillar to post till he realizes this isn’t his little pet outing for his favorite little blue eyed wannabe’s he’s grooming into his sieg heil consciousness collective..
when he realizes this is the South African national rugby team he is in charge of and not his pet little Heyneke Meyer project for personal immortality that might be when the dawn opens up and he comes face to face with some overdue reality.
11 Nov 2012, 14:53 pm
Meyer could coach Leicester to anything worthwhile ,now they(SARU) expect him to coach the Boks to a WC title.Stupid idiots ,giving the position to a person with the surname Meyer!
11 Nov 2012, 14:53 pm
@wnbb-249: could not
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