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
Follow Ryan on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter
333 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 » Show All
11 Nov 2012, 14:54 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-238: Post 246 was in reply to your post 238.
By the way, I am not judging Heynekes whole career – I don’t care about that. I am judging his performance in the last 10 months, which as a Bokke supporter who pays to go to games and buys overpriced merchandise I have every right to do.
11 Nov 2012, 14:55 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-234:
Ahhh – the age old excuse of blaming the previous coach.
@Brigadier Van Zyl-238:
Followed swiftly by the we ALMOST one more games excuse.
And if SA is not capable of putting together a decent team with our MASSIVELY talented pool of resources, then I must be watching different franchises in the Super 15.
I mean, EVEN ZANE KIRCHNER could probably hold his own if our top 4 fullbacks were injured…….
Oh wait….
11 Nov 2012, 14:57 pm
What exactly is HMs playing style, what’s the tactics,his signature coaching prowess? One dimensional is treading on treason, simply, it’s assisting the opposition with a easier task to manage the game. Flat backline, flat footed receivers, one out crash n bash rugby, which only stunts the fitness levels of the vaunted SA pack, we all know that Alberts and Vermeulen can play for 80 minutes, but the intensity in their play warrants an early shuffle on the bench. Attacking strategies is lacking or non existent. Alot of reaction rather than proaction. His selections are shrouded in controversial tones. If HM goes, who would be the next in line? I know having a kiwi coach would be sacrilege, maybe a return to mr. mallet?! Three years to next RWC, last time SARU made a drastic change, it paid off and JW was a national hero after a croc load of you know what results. Dejavu?
11 Nov 2012, 14:58 pm
@skopdiekan-243:
I seriously question weather you could find dublin on a map never mind coach the boks there.
11 Nov 2012, 15:01 pm
@Vetkoek-247: Louw was just another knee jerk reactionary inclusion which Meyer has reluctantly been forced to recognize as absolutely necessary since his first squad had the likes of Potgieter, Spies, Coetsee, Kankowski and Alberts as his starting loosies.. and he never had any intention of including Brussow, his handling of Kolisi was pretty weak to say the least, as has been his handling of Jantjies, De Jongh and a couple others like Lambie and Daniel.
11 Nov 2012, 15:02 pm
Okes like Brig thinks that when we criticise Heyneke that we are personally insulting their father or grandfather .As fans we have the right to criticise our coaches if we are not happy.AC got criticised by WP supporters during the season as well.Shark coach ditto.The difference between bulls and other fans is the fact that other fans only see their coaches as coaches and not extension to their families.
11 Nov 2012, 15:04 pm
@skopdiekan-255:
and no matter how much he says so, I reckon Vermeulen would also have been out in the cold if his pet Spies was available for selection.
11 Nov 2012, 15:05 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-254: question all you like you stupid neanderthal moron.. I would teach stupid imbecilic white supremacist schmucks like you and your Heyneke moron messiah plenty about rugby.. as I would teach stupid imbecilic neanderthal idiotic white ingrained supremacist fuckheads like you about life… not that I would want to .. it would be a complete waste of my time and energy teaching idiotic pathetic morons like you anything worth any realistic value.
11 Nov 2012, 15:06 pm
@wnbb-256:
Meyer was so horribly exposed at Leicester that they happily parted ways with him as soon as the opportunity arose.
So apart from a period of about 3/4 years at the Bulls where he was fortunate to have some of the worlds best players available to him at a time when the rules meant skop en jag was the best gameplan available, what are his credentials?
11 Nov 2012, 15:09 pm
@cab-244:
come now Cab you have been blogging since 2003 or something, I expect more from you. Measuring a coach by how many selections he has in his side from the CC winning team? Seriously?
If Skalk was fit he would be there. so would bekker, habana, jaque fourie.
Calm yourself down. DeJong is an impact player and bench man because he covers 12 and 13. Everyone slams heyneke for “gameplan” and lack of excitement but then critisize him for not selecting the 1 center in the country who does never even look to make a pass. seriously?
Twakkie DeVilliers was a clown, that has historically been proven and recorded. We lost to Oz at home umpteen times with him in charge.Even that idiot Strauli didn’t do that.
11 Nov 2012, 15:13 pm
@Vetkoek-259: Absolutely.Let me tell you this,some or even you might criticise me for what I am going to say.Most expats around the world have to deal with personal tragedy back home at some stage of their lives but they stick it out no matter what.That excuse of Meyer suited both parties at the end of the day.
11 Nov 2012, 15:15 pm
Ok so let me see if I understand this:
When Divvy inherited a WC winning team and things didn’t go according to plan, it was his fault, and not that of the players. He must somehow have “uncoached” them or something.
Now when Heynecke takes over a team of lesser experienced players and they don’t do so well, then it’s the players’ faults?? These same players that amongst them have gotten to 3 of the last 3 Super Rugby finals of the last 3 years?
The fact is, the buck stops with him. He had more experienced players available, who had more tests under their belts but he didn’t choose them.
Then he tried to force them to play a style of Rugby that has seen it’s best days, and only changed his tune (thankfully) when defeat was staring him in the face.
I don’t dislike Heynecke on a personal level, but seriously, no one here can argue that he has been somewhat disappointing in many ways since he has taken over.
11 Nov 2012, 15:16 pm
@Vetkoek-259:
what shite, post it enough times and some ignorant will actually start using it as truth.
go check who meyer won the cc with in 2002 and follow the evolution of the players and team.
meyer was also only in charge of leicster for 1 calender month of the official season. 2 games both of which were won if memory serves me correctly.
Alan Solomens on the otherhand….he was chased out of there across the sea to ireland.
11 Nov 2012, 15:17 pm
@skopdiekan-258: Why can’t you just have a normal debate or conversation without blowing a gasket?
Half the stuff you say doesn’t even make sense.
Do you walk around talking to people like this in your normal day, or are you just a keyboard Chuck Norris?
11 Nov 2012, 15:19 pm
@Treehugger-224:
Tree, Puma left this highly esteemed and knowledgable forum with his tail between his legs because of an infatuation with a certain rugby player.
He ran into the comforting arms of an alternative forum only to have the same thing happen to him.
I find that amusing. A weird sort of amusing.
11 Nov 2012, 15:19 pm
@Vetkoek-259: Louden carried Meyer.. he is now finding himself in the cauldron of international rugby WAY out of his depth and it is showing bad..
The team that ran on yesterday were like a bunch of deer in the headlight idiots not knowing which way was up or down.. and Ireland exposing them for all they were worth as a totally clueless coach less nonentity of brain deficient imbeciles..
Luckily the players took the bull by the horns under De Villiers leadership and Louw and Vermeulen and the 2 reserve props turned the tide and the sinking ship around second half..
It had blow all to do with Meyer and everything to do with the fact that the Bok gees was under threat of collapse and a loss here would have been insurmountable as a psychological devastation to overcome. and Jean De Villiers with some of his senior players surrounding him.. most notably those he was familiar with changed the momentum by going for broke when penalties were offered in kickable range he decided to go for the try instead.. which fortunately through sheer will of intent.. came about.
11 Nov 2012, 15:23 pm
@Blokkies-264: tell that to these deficient supremacist morons who think their white backsides smell like cherry blossom konfyt.. I call a racist punk a racist punk in whatever language they need to hear the unadulterated truth.
11 Nov 2012, 15:23 pm
They can say what about PdV but he never only blamed the players for defeats unlike Meyer who blames everyone under the sun except him.Meyer wants to be perfect but he suffers from the same sickness that those type suffers with;the can’t except criticism.You can categorise Bulls supporters like that as well who absolutely believe that they support the perfect rugby team..
11 Nov 2012, 15:27 pm
@skopdiekan-266: Wow that is so much more readable than your incomprehensible rankings.
A clear, balanced view. Nice one, skop, this personality is definitely the more favorable one
11 Nov 2012, 15:28 pm
rankings = rantings
11 Nov 2012, 15:30 pm
@wnbb-268:
…yeah, right.
Twakkie never once blamed skalk for his eye gouge?
hilouriously he said it was “all part of the game”.
whom has Meyer actually blamed for defeats?
11 Nov 2012, 15:32 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-263:
He also watched the Bulls get STUFFED in Super rugby as a coach.
You see, what both you and Meyer fail to understand (and I apologise for speaking on behalf of the majority of Bok fans here), is that we are not prepared to wait 5 years for him to get it right. This isn ‘t the bulletjies we are talking here.
It’s a team made up of the BEST that SA has to offer. And given that we have been pretty up front and centre as a country in the Super rugby champs for the last however many years, this BS excuse that he is missing key players just doesn’t hack it.
He will blame everyone and everything, before he assesses whether he may just be getting his selections and tactics wrong.
Zane Kirchner and Morne Steyn anyone????
11 Nov 2012, 15:33 pm
@Vetkoek-257:
That is not the case at all. HM rates Vermeulen highly. And he knows Spies’s weaknesses only too well. I think we all do. Spies played against England because Vermeulen was still injured.
@stormersboy-262:
I have been one to give Heyneke a bit of space. to see how things unravel. I remember saying when his first squad was announced – packed full of Blue Bulls – was that some of these are going to fall off the bus. Hate to say it but injuries to certain players were fortuitous eg Spies and Potgieter. Others like JJ Engelbrecht and Kolisi can be seen with different eyes depending on your provincialism of course. There was one good decision and one poor decision.
Much criticism of this last selection has been commented on with which I agree. eg JDJ at 13. Taute at 15 or definitely on the bench. M Steyn off the bench to be replaced by Elton. That sort of thinking.
The Boks need a decent win against Scotland. The AB’s, in an hour’s time, will show us how it should be done.
11 Nov 2012, 15:36 pm
@Blokkies-269: yeah I apologize for going over the top but its an unfortunate scenario that rugby in this country is distinctly divided by ingrained racist ideological entrenched views and opinions.. it makes my blood boil when I see these pitiful ingrained white is right goddamn morons perpetuate a sick infested ideology in a spectrum of life which is supposed to be an uplifting unifying ideal for everyone in this country yet they want to revert this trash back to the stone age idiotic ideological infatuation of their ingrained upbringing and supremacist viewpoints.
I will kick and thrash like hell whenever I see even a hint of it expressed as righteousness and when they insinuate that anyone with a dark complexion is devoid of intelligence or capability or capacity to play or coach rugby then they will get it in the teeth with as much venom as I can possibly muster.
11 Nov 2012, 15:37 pm
@Vetkoek-272:
well that is also an untruth. The Bulls were already on the UP superrugby wise from 2003. Check the logs.
And the boks are probably back at No.2 after this weekend.
So nobody is actually waiting 5 years are they now? In fact after only 10 games in charge with any number of debutants this year we are already better placed than the same time last year with a vastly inferior squad availible this year.
11 Nov 2012, 15:41 pm
The only quote I’m interested in seeing from Grampa Simpson is ‘I finally realise whatacunt I am. Here’s my resignation’. Really, of what value is any other soundbite?
11 Nov 2012, 15:42 pm
@Vetkoek-272:
Also, if you actually did any thinking before posting you would realize that the boks are woefully short of experienced players and I am not even reffering to “test match” experience.
Hence the continued selection of Kirchener…who hasn’t actually done anything wrong by the way. Certainly a more attacking threat than Montgomery ever was from 2004-.
And Morne who he had hoped could bring some more stability and experience…but when it became blatantly obvious that morne needed bench time he wasn’t selected.
11 Nov 2012, 15:42 pm
@Soda-276:
very classy
11 Nov 2012, 15:43 pm
Also, backwards into what exactly? That would imply the Boks were worse before HM. Which they weren’t. He takes them three steps backwards every time he coaches them. In fact, they probably spent the first 40 minutes undoing what the assfuckingtwat did to them during the week.
11 Nov 2012, 15:44 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-275:
HM has goals.
He wants the Boks to have an 80% win record.
He also wants that no.1 ranking.
Which is fair enough. Everybody needs stretch targets.
But this is not going to happen in his 4 year tenure. The best he can hope for is to narrow the gap between us and the AB’s.
11 Nov 2012, 15:44 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-275:
So what about 2000, 2001 and 2002, when he was Bulls head coach?
Or have you conveniently left the 3 years the bulls finished 11th, 12th and 12th under his coaching out?
Add your 2003, 2004 6th place “on the up” finishes and you have 5 years of waiting, buying and recruiting, which is not a luxury at the Boks.
And we may move to second, because the Aussies (who beat us) are WOEFUL. In fact, I think the only people who should be more embarrassed than us after yesterday are the shackle-draggers, except that when they say they are missing key-players through injury, it’s a valid excuse, because they have about 1/100th of our playing pool.
11 Nov 2012, 15:44 pm
@Soda-279: You must be real fun to be around……
11 Nov 2012, 15:44 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-278: Sometimes the truth can never sound classy.
11 Nov 2012, 15:46 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-277: I wonder if Kirchner would have all this kak thrown at him had he not played for the Bulls?
11 Nov 2012, 15:46 pm
@I am a stormer-273: Yes they will
11 Nov 2012, 15:47 pm
Pdv rated lobberts and earl rose… Enough said… He is clueless… A clown
11 Nov 2012, 15:48 pm
@Vetkoek-281:
those woeful ozzies are the same ones that took us 6 in a row. At altitude nogal under Twakkie.
My point is that you should not try and blame the boks for suddenly playing kak, they have been playing kak for quite some time already. The only difference is that the new coach has to start from zero to fix it and with such limited experience currently availible to him everytime one of his new selections goes down injured it is all the way back to zero again.
11 Nov 2012, 15:50 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-284:
well,exactly.
It will be interesting next season if the bulls come back strong.
11 Nov 2012, 15:50 pm
soda speaks my kinda language.. call a spade a fckng spade and get done with it.. wtf is all this pussyfooting around pretending we watching a bloody self acclaimed genius going around in circles putting one foot forward and two steps backward every time he tries to learn how to do the international rugby coaching foxtrot.
the man is confusing and bamboozling himself while he’s trying to confuse and bamboozle the rest of the country.. enough with the confusion and the self delusional bamboozling.. get rid of the dunce already.
11 Nov 2012, 15:53 pm
Kirchner is a very weak fullback.. anyone incapable of seeing this much don’t know very much about rugby.. seems the coach is exactly in that category of imbecilic incapacity of being unable to see clearly also.
11 Nov 2012, 15:58 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-277:
Sorry pal, but an Argie side with WAY less experience than our boys pummeled the Welsh.
France who were without Dusattoir and Harinordaquy also put out one of their least experienced teams in years, thrashed the Aussies.
The Boks starting line-up yesterday had a total of 428 caps between them. That’s an average of almost 30 caps per player. Only 4 of the starting team had less than 10 caps.
Your and Meyer’s inexperience card is no trump I’m afraid. Not even close.
The all blacks starting 15 today has 556 caps between them, but that includes 343 caps between 4 players…..
And I will bet you a case of beer they don’t sneak through by 4 points. And if they do, I will bet the experience excuse won’t be waved around or accepted very readily.
So before you tell others to think before they speak, maybe you better consider taking your own advice.
11 Nov 2012, 16:05 pm
@I am a stormer-280: Biggest contribution Meyer can make to SA rugby is to implement a central contracting system, if he manages that he will have safeguarded the Springboks future.
Right now he is talking about avoiding a massive setback…when in fact in coaching terms he IS the massive setback.
11 Nov 2012, 16:05 pm
Brigadier
I get shrill when completely crazy selections are made – de Jong should not be playing off tge bench (ESP with frans and jacque unavailable) -these are terrible rugby and political selections.
The same thing went for pdv when he selected smit over Bismarck – these coaches get blinded by favouritism and in the process severely handicap the boks, make everyone unhappy and put themselves under the most unecessary pressure.
11 Nov 2012, 16:08 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-287:
Jake White took over from Rudolph “33%” Straueli.
And promptly thrashed Ireland and won the Tri-Nations at his first attempt.
With a team that had at least 12 players in Straueli’s last squad, including Bakkies, Matfield, FDP, John Smit and a few more key players.
11 Nov 2012, 16:09 pm
@skopdiekan-199: reasoned post
11 Nov 2012, 16:11 pm
@Vetkoek-294:
P.S. The boks that PDV got in his first year in charge were oozing experience, but came last in their first tri nations under his eye.
And he got as much flak for that.
He did however win it pretty convincingly in 2009.
11 Nov 2012, 16:17 pm
@cab-293: De Jongh didn’t even play off the bench .. he didn’t make the field
and neither did Steyn who was a wasted place on the bench .. only there for insurance policy in case Lambie bombed out badly.
and neither did Brits.. all the hooha about Brits eventually being a Bok and bringing his unique game breaking style didn’t materialize
The 2 most telling contributions off the bench came from the 2 props who were almost the catalyst for the turnaround in Cilliers and Heinke.. who would not have even been around had Beast not cried off with heart palpitations.. so Heinke being included was one more case of fortuitous selection through default and not by any Heyneke Meyer wisdom or strategic ingenuity.. just like Louw before and couple other knee jerk reactionary realigned thinking after his first ideas proved to be very weak selections.
11 Nov 2012, 16:19 pm
@Treehugger-240: schadenfreude
11 Nov 2012, 16:28 pm
265@I am a stormer……….Puma left this highly esteemed
punish yourself….highly esteemed and knowledgeable 
and knowledgable forum………..:lol:
11 Nov 2012, 16:30 pm
Yeah Brits heinie and cilliers would be my selection for Scotland – why don’t he keep his safety options for bench and let’s actually pick some players hungry to take it to them.
The non-selection of de Jong is without doubt tge worst stupidest omission of tge last 2 years -play him – at least give him a gdam chance.
It’s pure lack of faith in an outstanding player of colour.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.