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, 13:51 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-149:
hell, keep emailing jdv enough times and eventually he is bound to concede that, that is exactly what happened. for no other reason other than hoping you would now just Go Away!
getit?
12 Nov 2012, 13:51 pm
@skopdiekan-143: What you posted is almost a mirror of what I said earlier. The difference in strategies between the two halves and the similarity between the second half and the way the Stormers played this season is too much of a coincidence.
12 Nov 2012, 13:52 pm
Meyer should have had JC Janse Van Rensburg as his premier Loose head on tour, with Heinke as back up
Tight head Cilliers is better than JdP, so he needs CJ and JdP and perhaps Malherbe as back up
But he should have started with
1. Steenkamp, Heinke, Janse van Rensburg
3. Cilliers, CJ, JdP
12 Nov 2012, 13:53 pm
Malherbe is a tighthead right? Replacing a loosehood right?
Strange…
HM has also stated that he will not be making wholesale changes to the run on side this weekend, so don’t bother posting your teams.
Much of a muchness…
Well we saw what AB’s did to Scotland – anyone’s thoughts on the score on Saterday…
12 Nov 2012, 13:54 pm
@blik-144:
Yes in SA.
If you are on Twitter, get hold of Tim directly. Very cool guy @TimGoodenoughZA
@mikeybrass-148:
Yes that came through later. Piss-poor communication by SA Rugby. Frans was not called up to replace Beast, Frans was called up as injury cover to Jannie at tighthead.
12 Nov 2012, 13:54 pm
… but what HM says and does baffles most… Not the most honest oke around now is he?
I wait in anticipation…
12 Nov 2012, 13:55 pm
This is not the time to have fun Keo. This is a new coaching staff and a new group of players who’ve enjoyed mixed results since they’ve come together. They need to put the hard yards in first before they start thinking about fun. That will come with time once they’ve developed the necessary attributes and earned the right to do so. Afraid to say, at this stage they need to focus on winning only and building themselves as a collective. No shortcuts.
12 Nov 2012, 13:56 pm
@Yetirat-157:
…they were not having fun on Saturday mate…
There is something seriously wrong with the team… Doesn’t look like a happy side at all…
12 Nov 2012, 13:58 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-149: Poor Meyer apologist don’t wanna see the reality, if it were PdV for any reason in the hot box then of course it was the players who did the mutiny and played the game they knew how in order to win..
In this case exactly the identical solution.. Coach was f’ng it up bad, so players decided to do it their way and pull the sunken game strategy out the fire.. which they duly did.. which HM can thank the good Lord above they didn’t listen to him and rescued the game the way only they knew how.. under JdV and his senior players on the field they switched plan and chucked all Meyers hogwash out the window and rescued the game from a dead loss position, through their own sheer will of purpose and non of HM’s dead ended strategically defunct ideas.
12 Nov 2012, 13:58 pm
@Yetirat-157:
hear,hear
well said
12 Nov 2012, 14:00 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-147: Thanks, will look
12 Nov 2012, 14:00 pm
@PissAnt-155: Thanks
12 Nov 2012, 14:01 pm
@Gumboots-154: No
I enjoy reading people’s teams….
Skop’s ‘dream’ team posts are a highlight of the rugby week. Love some of his selections (serious)
12 Nov 2012, 14:01 pm
Mikeybrass and Skop. Please refer to post 44.
12 Nov 2012, 14:02 pm
@skopdiekan-159:
excuse me but if you can’t acknowlege the difference in players twakkie was given to start off with compared to those meyer has to start off with you then there is nothing further to discuss.
the real truth is that when the boks won in dunedin 2008 they went back to doing what they do well. Outside of that it was twakkies illconcieved expansive philosophy at all costs that saw us lose to ozzie at home for the first time in eons and get nilled by nz at home.
12 Nov 2012, 14:02 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-163: Howzit going in your neck of the woods? TV must have juuuuuust survived on Saturday?
12 Nov 2012, 14:04 pm
@skopdiekan-143:
well skop, you have an opinion, fair enough, but lets be realistic in saying that, short of jdv or f louw telling us this as fact, we can only accept it as an observational assumption on your part.
whether it is in fact true is debatable as is the fact that anyone else could offer their own versions of their own observational assumptions.
personally, i dont think any of us gain by bandying about such assumptions in the absence of some verifiable source. it’s just too controversial.
12 Nov 2012, 14:04 pm
@Gumboots-154: If we click like we did on Saturday’s 40 – 80 min mark the Scots are in for a 15 point snotklap.
12 Nov 2012, 14:05 pm
@skopdiekan-159: Do you actually believe the tos you are posting Skop? I cannot for the life of me think how……..aag dont bother
12 Nov 2012, 14:06 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-166: All good thanks, ok not really ‘good’, but ok
Shhheeeeeez dude. Very little anywhere within 30 metres of me ‘barely survived’ the nuclear tantrums I was throwing in 50 second cycles.
And then the cricket went for a ball of sh yte as well, so things are not looking good for ‘man and dog’ in my home.
12 Nov 2012, 14:06 pm
@nama1-146:
of course, what was i thinking… duuhhh…
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-150:
nonsense
you’re just reading into the things he says whatever it is you want to believe.
12 Nov 2012, 14:08 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-170: Another game like this on Saturday dan kak die buurman ook….hehehe.
12 Nov 2012, 14:08 pm
@Gumboots-158: It will come with time naturally once they find a rhythm and they become more comfortable with each other. Think of a new team in an office environment. First focus is always on getting the job done, once they become comfortable with one another and comfortable with each other’s roles and their own roles, they will reach a level where fun is achieved naturally.
12 Nov 2012, 14:11 pm
@skopdiekan-159:
You’re saying the senior players like JdV and Pienaar hijacked the team from Meyer, Skop? They’re doing the coaching and determining the game plan now while Meyer entertain us with his utterances during interviews?
12 Nov 2012, 14:12 pm
@Yetirat-173: One of his biggest issues up until now is settling the right combinations. 4 and 5 worked on saturday. 12 and 13……not convinced.
12 Nov 2012, 14:13 pm
@nama1-174: Was that not the same thing said about Divvy….thinking up kak to talk to the press while Vic and Smitty are busy coaching the team….
12 Nov 2012, 14:13 pm
@Yetirat-173:
Tell that to your boss!
So after about 12 games we can still continue to make excuses that the team has not been together long enough!!!
What is long enough? Two years, four years???
I’m a supporter, similar to a consumer. If the consumer is not happy then they start demanding. Well I’m demanding something to cheer about. I understand where you come from as we in South Africa have become used to mediocre… When we start falling into that mentality we will continue to make excuses. If that is the case then we shouldn’t actually worry about being the best and accept that 3rd, 4th is an acceptable ranking for us…
12 Nov 2012, 14:14 pm
I think the gist of the team talk at half time on Saturday went something like this
Meyer came down from the coaches box all haggered and forlorn swaying from side to side like in a drunken stupor staring his young Springbok coaching career going up in smoke before his eyes.
So he said to the players and to JdV in particular
Guys I got no idea what you got to do to win this thing but JdV and some of you guys have been in this position before.. so just do what you have to do to win this game, forget everything I ever told you and revert to your natural rugby playing instinct and save this goddamn sword of Damocles from over my head otherwise I’m out the back door. Do this thing for the Boks and for your careers and for the people back home who have faith in you.. I got nothing more to add.. just go out there and do whatever you have to do in order to win..
And low and behold, that is what happened, they chucked all the straight jacket garbage out the window and played rugby the way they knew how.. and brought home the win, under JdV, Louw, Vermeulen, Strauss, Coetsee, Pienaar and the 2 reserve props. they saved the day and saved HM’s arse in the process.
12 Nov 2012, 14:14 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-171: Bakkies, you deserve a medal of honor for your unwavering support. If I was a thieving, skelm and utterly kak politician,I would want YOU in my corner or running my campaign
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-172: Die buurman is erger as wat ek is. Saterdag aand het ek gehoor hoe hy halftyd na sy ‘vuurtjie’ buite gaan omsien het terywl hy ‘n moerse Oscar award winning tantrum gegooi het buite. Die tale…….
12 Nov 2012, 14:15 pm
@nama1-174:
i mean seriously..?..
some of these bloggers would s.hit rugby balls in a court of law
12 Nov 2012, 14:16 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-168:
Well I think Scotland are about 9th or 10th on the world rankings and we are 2nd or 3rd…
Don’t you think we should be almost guarenteed of a win? I’m not… We could actually lose…
12 Nov 2012, 14:16 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-170:
Walkin’ like a zombie today ’cause of the cricket. Like I just arrived from a long flight from the States.
Adelaide will take spin so Tahir better be hitting his straps.
12 Nov 2012, 14:17 pm
My fok Siener van Rensburg is hier!!!!!!
12 Nov 2012, 14:20 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-179: Solank hy net nie die partytjie woord gestoot het nie.
@Gumboots-181: Scary thought but very true. We should sit back and enjoy, what should be an easy win. But the first 40min the played Scots vs our first 40 min…….not a pleasant thought.
12 Nov 2012, 14:20 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-179:
‘your honour, my client was never actually coaching them when they were losing, only when they were winning..’
12 Nov 2012, 14:21 pm
Meeting. Gotta run.
Cheers all
12 Nov 2012, 14:22 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-184:
A very worrying thought mate… Never did I ever think the Scots would win on Saturday, even after AB’s lost a man…
Man but in our game I was k akking myself throughout the game and losing was a huge posibility.
Do you see what I’m trying to get at?
12 Nov 2012, 14:25 pm
mallet had a different take on why the boks came right in the second half.
they stopped giving away so many penalties.
and i agree with him.
none of this wp senior players going back to wp style rugby nonsense.
12 Nov 2012, 14:28 pm
@charo-188: Also, they started playing the game at pace.
In a kick-chase game, you don’t do things at optimum speed. You are lethargic on both attack and defense.
In a phase-oriented game, you do things at a faster pace.
12 Nov 2012, 14:29 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-176:
@skopdiekan-178:
“So he said to the players and to JdV in particular
Guys I got no idea what you got to do to win this thing but JdV and some of you guys have been in this position before.. so just do what you have to do to win this game, forget everything I ever told you and revert to your natural rugby playing instinct and save this goddamn sword of Damocles from over my head otherwise I’m out the back door. Do this thing for the Boks and for your careers and for the people back home who have faith in you.. I got nothing more to add.. just go out there and do whatever you have to do in order to win..”
Skop, you’re going to give these guys heart attacks. Brilliant half time speech btw.
12 Nov 2012, 14:32 pm
@KWAGGA ROBERTSE-164: I did and was immediately sorry I wasted the time doing so.
12 Nov 2012, 14:32 pm
Senior players indeed.
Talking of senior players…
How good was Barney’s commentary?
Poor Grantie must have watched the game with the sound off.
12 Nov 2012, 14:33 pm
@charo-188: They stopped giving away penalties ’cause they changed how they played. Simple, really.
12 Nov 2012, 14:33 pm
Bakkies and Tacitus sound like the former Zimbabwean Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo.
No matter what k@k the Mugabe administration did, listing to that guy speak, you’d swear that the media reports were all lies and all was well in Zim…
12 Nov 2012, 14:34 pm
@nama1-190:
You sound gutted that the Bokke came right on Saturday.
Shampies.
12 Nov 2012, 14:41 pm
@gunther-195:
Was gutted by the inept performance of our so called best players.
But then again, I was not really surprise. Just pissed (excuse the pun) at the performance.
12 Nov 2012, 14:42 pm
Nama@140
(on mobile now)
yeah… which is why I said they should get local companies to sponsor them…
also didnt say small towns… said (and meant) communities … right across the country… not just towns…
go to Wales and virtually every village or group of houses has several rugby fields… seems they have more fields than churches or shops…!!!
point is the rugby field should become the de facto meeting place for every community and rugby should become a part of each community…
but seems there is no real will to achieve this… people see obstacles instead of possibilities..,
Anyway out for now mobile too slow
12 Nov 2012, 14:45 pm
I’m still waiting for the Lambie hallelujah choir boys to tell us of the big difference he made on Saturday.
Not that I’m blaming him for anything. I said yesterday that he was playing under orders.
12 Nov 2012, 14:48 pm
So, I agree with the part that we must peak for WC 2015 and build now (and that results 2012 \ 2013 are not that imporant). Keeping this in mind what players do we include into the squad now already?
For the future -9. ? (sorry, Pienaar not the answer and Hougie still needs to step up) 10. Goosen (Lambie back-up) 11. Rhule 12. Frans 13. Paul Jordaan 14. ? 15. I still reckon JPP wold make a bomb of a fullback. Great defense, good under the high ball and great counter attacker. He is 26 now and will be in the mix for 2015.
I am not worried about the forwards with Coenie, Bismarck, Eben etc. Pleanty of young players coming through.
12 Nov 2012, 14:49 pm
@ufo-197:
Got you.
Yes, it seems the will is not there.
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