Meyer’s men must enjoy the adventure
12 Nov 2012
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day newspaper column, says a defeat in 2012 should not be seen as a disaster by the Springboks.
What should be an adventure seemingly has the restriction of a chore. The Springboks are playing with fear of failure when they should be playing with the freedom of fantasy.
It starts with an inexperienced management whose passion for the job is being transferred with too much tension and not enough enjoyment.
Somebody within the leadership of South African rugby has to give Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer comfort that it is not life or death each time the Springboks play.
It may feel like we’ve lost someone on those Saturday evenings when the Boks stumble but sport’s cruelty that a team is only as good as its last game is also its kindness, because there is always the next game to win to allow us all to feel life again.
Meyer needs a soundboard. He needs a man of integrity, with the necessary international experience to allow him to talk out loud without a judgement being made that he is inadequate for the job.
He is good enough to guide the Boks to a position of strength in the world order but he must feel he is operating in a vacuum, a lot of it self-inflicted because of a belief that to ask is to show weakness.
I write this as an observation.
The desire to get it right for fear of letting down a nation is causing anxiety. The players deliver on passion but there has been minimal fluidity in the Tests played this season.
I worked within the Bok management a decade ago at a time when the playing talent was not as inspirational as now and when results were poor. No player ever lost deliberately.
They lose because in most cases they aren’t good enough on the day. The Boks won in Dublin because Ireland weren’t good enough, player for player, or as a collective.
The Irish passion lasted for 40 minutes — 20 minutes more than is the norm for any home team with fantastic support. The 12-3 scoreline, however, was not a reflection of any superiority.
The second half was comfortable for the Boks because they were stronger in the collisions and were never threatened in defence.
The Boks were rightfully expected to win but the pressure the coaching staff are feeling was illustrated in Meyer’s post-match admission it would have been a disaster had they lost.
It would have been difficult to accept given the Boks’ superior playing pedigree but it would not have been a disaster.
The coaching staff ideally want to win every weekend, but there has to be realism that the heart of the Bok pack is new to international rugby and that the coaching staff are feeling as vulnerable. If ever a team is given a pardon it is in the first year after a World Cup when most rebuild in the hope of peaking at the next World Cup.
Meyer’s approach that every Test has to be viewed as a World Cup final is not flawed in that he never wants to diminish a Test match but the execution is creating trepidation when there should be expectation.
There have been short bursts against England and Australia in Pretoria to confirm a player’s ability to play with width, keep the ball and be effective on the attack.
But the overriding sense when watching the Boks is of a conservatism that fears mistakes, fears getting it wrong and doesn’t want to contemplate defeat. The All Blacks, as they did in South Africa, would have punished the hesitancy we saw in Dublin. The context is it wasn’t an impressive rugby performance from the Boks, but it isn’t down to a lack of coaching, game plan or limited player pedigree.
The pack selections are a reflection of the best available but playing Jaco Taute at outside centre and Zane Kirchner at fullback is to limit mistakes and not create opportunity.
Taute at fullback in the place of Kirchner, and introduce the flair of Juan de Jongh, and the backline would be transformed.
The rugby isn’t hard to get right, but it’s the mindset from within that isn’t proving as easy.
The Boks will develop into a very good team, but they’ll get there quicker if the management and by extension the players accept that the stumbles are part of the adventure and not the curse of the adventure.
Meyer, in his first meeting with Bryan Habana this year, told him to find his smile again and he would find his international form.
Where others viewed complexity Meyer recognised the simplicity in the equation.
Smile, Heyneke. It could just be what transforms fractured performances into fluid ones.
258 Comments
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12 Nov 2012, 10:02 am
adventurous dragons?
12 Nov 2012, 10:10 am
‘freedom of fantasy’ …hoe gaan dit gebeur as die coach nie imagination het
12 Nov 2012, 10:12 am
“Smile, Heyneke” …you’re the @ss of the year
12 Nov 2012, 10:28 am
3. And there you have it, the reason why the coach feels the pressure so much.
As if you would have lost just the 3 games this year
12 Nov 2012, 10:32 am
NZ has NEVER lost to Ireland.
And here we are saying it would have been all fine had we lost AGAIN to Ireland?
Wake up.
12 Nov 2012, 10:33 am
Ja Mark. In principle I cannot agree much as this is something seen in most SA teams and one of my ongoing criticism of the Stormers.
There is a difference in the mindset when you play to win rather than playing not to lose.
But realistically, just have a read around blogs and newspapers and just about any SA media channel and social media. You think this fear is born out of Meyer’s insecurities or for the fact that there is no way in hell the SA media and supporters will ever allow him the freedom (of failure) you refer to above.
12 Nov 2012, 10:35 am
@PissAnt-6:
Sorry, should read in principle I cannot DISAGREE much…
12 Nov 2012, 10:35 am
6. Exactly.
12 Nov 2012, 10:44 am
5 yip terrible attitude all we’ve heard this year is how the Bokke are rebuilding and losing is ok, that excuse won’t wear next year and you can’t use the travel excuse now with the Argies involved. Meyer is a 60%er who may fluke a world cup.
12 Nov 2012, 10:45 am
in all my time on this blog I have seen reference to the amazing depth of talent in SA rugby time and time again..
will there ever come a day when results actually highlight this so called “depth”?
12 Nov 2012, 10:47 am
@poppa69-10:
The day they start fixing the game where the real problems lie, you might. But it’s easier to blame coach after coach after coach.
You sell more advertising space that way and people can continue on that gravy train for longer.
12 Nov 2012, 10:47 am
JdV’s leadership got the boys over the line on Saturday.Great player and inspirational leader I say.Must be difficult for him having more intelligence than the coach.
12 Nov 2012, 10:48 am
so keo, are you saying the bokke have no BMT? is SA rugby k@k? using your template one would have to say it is..
12 Nov 2012, 10:50 am
Pops, apparently they have the most talented players and the most depth of any country and if it wasn’t for poor coaching they’d be the New Zealand of world rugby.
12 Nov 2012, 10:52 am
@PissAnt-11:
You might be happy to see that I quoted Pierre Villepreux on the “Boks still in search of balance” thread.
12 Nov 2012, 10:52 am
@PissAnt-11: grassroots is the key,as Im sure you know PA… until that structure changes you guys wont ever reach your potential
12 Nov 2012, 10:53 am
@WP-Forever-15:
Which comment, I will go read up!
12 Nov 2012, 10:53 am
@poppa69-16:
Grassroots, and the fact that SA Rugby is controlled by a president’s council who makes executive decisions for personal or union gain ahead of national.
The rot goes deep in this country mate.
12 Nov 2012, 10:54 am
@NZINCHINA-14: they should import all the talent like we do when we raid the islands
12 Nov 2012, 10:58 am
When is the next raiding party, dragging back to NZ in chains.
12 Nov 2012, 10:58 am
@poppa69-19:
Is that an admission of guilt?
12 Nov 2012, 11:02 am
because there is always the next game to win to allow us all to feel life again.
That would ring true apart from the fact that the Boks have not given 80 minutes if good rugby for years now. Closest we came this year was that brilliant first half performance vs England. I for one and getting really fed up with us not being able to improve the very basics of our game and learn a trick or two from the ALl Blacks. Its really not that hard to analyze their play and see just why it is theyre playing better rugby.
12 Nov 2012, 11:03 am
@PissAnt-18:thats a shame PA.. Ive always said a strong SA is good for NZ rugby… it pushes us to keep evolving, and isolation basically created a divide in SA rugby that needs to heal before you guys can once again become the powerhouse you used to be..
countries like Ireland, Scotland etc are not intimidated by your rugby anymore, and have a firm belief that they can beat you..
12 Nov 2012, 11:04 am
HM en zane le seker bakkie op toer
12 Nov 2012, 11:05 am
@poppa69-23:
All true. Had an interesting discussion with an ex-pro a week ago. We both believe rugby in SA is going through an evolution. What we seriously lack in the game currently is concise leadership to steer this.
12 Nov 2012, 11:06 am
We simply don’t have the class of coaching staff in this country that New Zealand has, and there is no proper succession plan in place. We try re-invent the wheel every four years without any proper continuity in playing philosophy. We also don’t pick the best coaches we have due to fear of personality clashes. Jake White and Eddie Jones proved that you can get passed your ego to achieve a greater goal. Meyer has picked his buddies on his coaching staff, not the best men for the job.
12 Nov 2012, 11:09 am
Good discussion Pops and Pissant.Interesting to note that it is possible when clowns like Gunther,Katman etc etc are absent.
12 Nov 2012, 11:09 am
@WP-Forever-21: yep, Im feeling guilty that thousands of people chose NZ as a place to advance their lives
12 Nov 2012, 11:11 am
@poppa69-28:
Did you attend any Remembrance Day commemorations yesterday?
I ended up playing The Last Post at 10:58, then a minute’s silence, and then The Rouse, at home.
Lest we forget.
12 Nov 2012, 11:16 am
@PissAnt-25: you guys need another Doc Craven, but with a 21st century attitude to the game and to the possible talent that you could have in abundance..
thats where NZ is lucky imo, no matter where in the country you are there are facilities and dad coaches with a deep love of the game that are willing to be the unsung heroes..
I read Mccaws book, and he cant praise enough one of his first coaches, the meticulous way he kept notes on all the players in his team etc…its this dedication by ordinary citizens that keeps us near the top I think.
12 Nov 2012, 11:17 am
@wnbb-27: Too late. I’m here, you little maggot. So what are we talking about?
12 Nov 2012, 11:19 am
@WP-Forever-29: Remembrance Day? That’s when they convince Kiwis not to drink for one night, so they can remember it the following day?
12 Nov 2012, 11:19 am
Any more defeats for Heyneke would be a disaster, because he has only now – after beating Ireland – achieved a 50% win record. That’s right – 5 wins out of 10 Tests. This was also his first away win. That is piss-poor. The end result is that he will only become more conservative – not less. He is caught in a trap of his own making.
12 Nov 2012, 11:20 am
I also feel that Meyer’s selections make no sense.
- In form players not being selected or given minimal opportunity.
- Players being played out of position
- out of form players being selected game after game.
And there seems to be no “link” between whats happening with the forwards and the backs. The forwards seem to be settling nicely and doing pretty well for a fairly experienced bunch having only played a handfull of tests together. Heaven only knows what is happening with the backs.
12 Nov 2012, 11:20 am
THis is such BS
APologetic nonsense
Ox wagons circling for the Messiah Meyer to protect im from even himself
Springboks are answerable to the public,this are not the Blue Corridors of Loftus
Even though with van Graan Jnr,Loubscher,McFarland one maybe be excused in thinking its the Loftus canteen
12 Nov 2012, 11:21 am
Let me write like Keo.
And make every single sentence (almost).
A new paragraph.
Or maybe it’s for a reason?
Perhaps it makes for easy reading for a few of our intelligent folk that frequently post on this site and unknowingly keep others amused
12 Nov 2012, 11:22 am
@WP-Forever-29: indeed I observed the minutes silence at 11am…
12 Nov 2012, 11:23 am
@poppa69-30:
One of our biggest stumbling blocks Pop is the fact that a lot of South Africans feels like they were hard done by or that someone owes them something.
It is a long journey we must still complete. Even I suffer from this where I know I could add to my local club or school but I just could not be bothered. As citizens we need to get to a point where we believe we can all add to a cause – relevant to this discussion, is taking our passion for rugby and contribute in any small way we can – and its amazing how many opportunities there are to do just that.
12 Nov 2012, 11:28 am
@kaksioek-33:
not particularly great analysis….
the boks have won 5 but lost only 3 with 2 draws.
and as we have now seen the argies beat the 6 nation champs away from home and we drew 1 at home against the 4 ranked side in the world.
2 of our 3 losses we in all probability should have won and were definately the better side up until the 70th minute.
not a bad return at all considering the situation with player retirements and injuries as well as no continuety from the last coaching setup.
We will be significantly better next season in my opinion.
12 Nov 2012, 11:32 am
@PissAnt-38: I cant fully grasp the complexities of that PA..
12 Nov 2012, 11:33 am
@poppa69-30: Hi Poppa, when you speak about coaches, coaching the younger players, do the young ones start with a free flowing game asap ? In other words, isn’t there a stage when the coaches use their big boys to run over the opposition or is the attacking, off-loading in the tackle attitude taught from a young age ? The reason why I am asking is, I have been coaching an U/14 side for the first time this year.
I started off coaching at primary school level (12 years ago) but at U/19 level (the previous 4 years) as well. What I have found is that certain good players (who happen to be quite big for their age) did not have a lot of skills: they were used to bash the ball up from nearly every phase of play – 2 big centres as well as a no 8. They used the 8 (he is at a different school now) from scrums, from the following ruck the one centre would take the ball up and the other centre from the next ruck etc.
We were doing skills’ training once a week for close to 90 minutes the past season. The skills of the boys have improved a lot but eventually we had to move the inside centre (at primary school) to the wing because we’ve realised that he did not have quick hands. This might be some useless info but I was just wondering about the way the coaches of your schools’ teams go about their training. There is no short route to success
12 Nov 2012, 11:34 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-39: You’re a Meyer apologist, but that’s your prerogative.
The facts are that, since 1997, only Carel du Plessis (37%) has had a worse record than Meyer’s current record.
Rudolf Straeuli (52%) and Harry Viljoen (53%) finished with superior records.
12 Nov 2012, 11:40 am
@kaksioek-42:
ja, lucky a coach doesn’t get fired after just one game he would have a 0% win ratio.
12 Nov 2012, 11:40 am
@wnbb-12: When its good its JdV, when its bad it’s HM…..Your anti Meyer sentiment is clouding the little judgement you have.
12 Nov 2012, 11:41 am
@kaksioek-42: Operative word being ‘finished’ in your post. Meyer is not done yet.
12 Nov 2012, 11:41 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-39:
Difference is OZ had more injuries than Boks with an inferior talent pool and still finished ahead of us in RC (Genia,Cooper,Simons,Horwill,Moore,Higginbotham,Pocock,Palu,Mitchell,Oconnor,Horne,Timani,Barnes etc)
Oz hav had 5 locks playing,4 captains,a multitude of halfbk combos
France would also belt the Boks the way they played vs Wallabies
So excuses excuses for Boks,sorry doesnt cut it.
Boks are poor.50% record is along Straueli territory
12 Nov 2012, 11:42 am
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-44:
ja imagine how matfield and dupreez must have felt under Twakkie…hell, even the physio knew more…..
12 Nov 2012, 11:42 am
THe most exciting game this weekend was Argentina v Wales. Boy have the argies gained from being in the RWC, whoa!! The Argie backline moves are way better than the Boks. at the moment!!
I don’t think Argentina need a team/s in the S15 at all, most of their players are in the top teams in France anway. Why bother getting their players stuffed up flying back and forth through time zones in the SH!!
12 Nov 2012, 11:42 am
@PissAnt-38: Very very true words there PA.
12 Nov 2012, 11:42 am
@CharlesM-41: skills training once a week? not enough, should do skills at every training session.. also when I was young we used weight for age groupings, so you played against others roughly your size, hence the focus on skills like stepping, swerving etc became more prominent..
get your laaities (hope thats right) to finish their training with a 20 minute game of touch rugby…this teaches them to run into space to advance the ball because they cant run over the top of someone.. I think you will notice the improvement fairly quickly..
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