Brutal Boks blunt Scots
17 Nov 2012
RYAN VREDE, in Edinburgh, watched the Springboks deliver an almighty defensive performance in the second half to beat Scotland 21-10 at Murrayfield.
This was not a wholly clinical performance from the Springboks on a number of fronts, but one that will nonetheless please Heyneke Meyer and galvanise his side ahead of the sternest Test of the tour in London next week.
It was undoubtedly a victory built, once again, on brutal, accurate and disciplined defence. This has been the hallmark of all the Springboks’ victories this season, and they will have to sustain this if they are to become the dominant team they envisage being.
At the heart this success has been Francois Louw. Irrepressible and seemingly omnipresent since his installment in the side, Louw is now surely among the world’s pre-eminent opensiders and undoubtedly the most valuable player in the Springboks’ ranks at this stage.
Louw was not alone in his excellence. His back row brothers Willem Alberts and Duane Vermeulen shone on attack and defence. The trio are gradually growing into a triumvirate, formidable in their combination, all possessing power and fearlessness in equal measure. Their form and indeed that of Eben Etzebeth, who surely was created for the sole purpose of playing Test rugby, and others like the industrious Adriaan Strauss and unrelenting Jannie du Plessis, is promising, not only for the showdown with England but beyond that. Meyer has the makings of a truly great Springbok pack, and the addition of Bismarck du Plessis, Andries Bekker and Schalk Burger next year will further amplify their potency.
There was little to excite from an expansive attacking perspective, but this is how it will be until the back division settles and finds cohesion and synergy. Meyer has been criticised for myriad reasons, but today he deserves praise for what was a clear directive to pound Scotland into submission through his heavies. The hosts never looked capable of repelling their surges in the first half, losing the gainline battle which consequently robbed them of contesting the breakdown in a meaningful way. When the momentum swung they looked equally inept at bossing the tackle fight, which undermined their cause.
For the first 40 the Springboks were able to control possession and, more pertinently, territory, from where they relied on the best rolling maul in the game to ravage the Scots. Pat Lambie banked two penalties before converting Strauss’s try after a maul.
So dominant were the Springboks that their hosts’ first entry into their 22m came in the 35th minute and their ambition was duly blunted by the brilliant Louw, who earned a breakdown penalty on his 5m line. It was 14-3 at the break, with the Springboks looking supremely comfortable.
That changed in the second half, with Scotland summoning a spirit that was reminiscent of the one that drove the Springboks to a second-half turnaround at Lansdowne Road last week. Strauss got his brace, anticipating and intercepting a pass, and Lambie added the extras, but that was the sum total of the time the Springboks spent in Scotland’s territory.
The home crowd’s belief was stirred with a well worked try off the lineout, scrumhalf Henry Pyrgos slicing through a hole engineered by intelligent splitting of the Springboks’ lineout formation. Greig Laidlaw converted and Scotland’s siege continued unabated. The composure and unfailingly accuracy the Springboks exhibited under extreme pressure was inspiring. They will take heat for what will be perceived as a struggle. But this Scotland team scored three tries against the world champion All Blacks last week. That is the perspective that should inform any assessment of this match.
The tourists held on, even when Flip van der Merwe was sin binned for cynical play. Are there major improvements needed in the week ahead? Absolutely. England are a far superior side and more capable of exploiting the Springboks’ deficiencies. An attacking edge continues to elude them. They again failed to convert their first-half time in the goal zone into more points, which would have made their passage more comfortable.
But this inexperienced Springbok side has passed another important test, one a superior team failed in 2010. Their education continues. The journey is long.
743 Comments
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17 Nov 2012, 20:55 pm
@digger-145:
We all know that they are just filling the gap until the real contenders are back in the picture again…. but us you stated they are indeed very good super rugby players!
17 Nov 2012, 20:56 pm
would have liked to have seen Taute come on in last 20/30 for Kirtchner, he is more physical and likes to run the ball and he can break the gain line more affectively in a tight game I think. Will not know until see him at 15. Kitchner needs to stop kicking possession away when the situation does NOT need it.
17 Nov 2012, 20:56 pm
@ufo-144:
I m good but also a bit disappointed
Bit I do see that we are missing a number of good players, and a few better choices in a few places
My worry is our very predictable game plan and i dont have to explain it
We have a great defense and we are always looked upon as a team that can beat any side
17 Nov 2012, 20:56 pm
@Guns-149: Scrum was A.Ok till the advent of CJ
17 Nov 2012, 20:57 pm
@Guns-149:
CJ van der Linde must never come close to a Bok scrum again. He is a poor scrummagers.
Gruthro was charging in for tackles today, but being bounced off all the time. Hopefully it was due to him carrying an injury, but he wasn’t good in my view. But we know what he has to offer when in form.
We need Coenie, Beast, Jannie and Gurhtro as our 4 permanent front rankers.
17 Nov 2012, 20:57 pm
Does anybody have Bambies stats? How many Kicked, passed and how many meters gained?
17 Nov 2012, 20:58 pm
@ryecatcher-146:
not encouraging wrt his injury?
@poppa69-148:
i could tell you i am an honest and forthright man but this would be a subjective opinion… no matter how objectively understood…
17 Nov 2012, 20:59 pm
i think it’s wrong to blame the players though…
i didn;t blame morne when he was struggling… i blame heyneke for persisting with during his crisis of confidence…
lambie and de jong are playing to instructions with no leeway to express themselves creatively… so how are they too blame…
because de jong didn’t score off the only good break he got he had a bad game…??? why are guys like lambie and de jong expected to create and /or score tries every time they touch the ball and if they don’t they are perceived to have failed… they both know that their careers are on the line and they will not get th needless opportunities meyer has given others… so are under waaay more sever pressure than they need to be… which is just very bad man management form meyer…
if meyer is honurable he will pick them both next week again… but I bet you now he won’t pick them…
17 Nov 2012, 21:00 pm
What bothers me most is the poor execution of our kicking game, which is supposedly what we are practicing all the time. We should be on top of our game in this department, but we’re not.
So the value of the kicking game is getting undue criticism because it is not the gameplan itself that is so poor, rather the execution thereor.
Lambie’s kicks were not going far enough, and our regathers are poor. We should be much better at this, given that it’s our primary game.
17 Nov 2012, 21:00 pm
@phil72-156: What does it matter?
Playing to HM game plan…
17 Nov 2012, 21:00 pm
@ufo-158:
Yeah I am thinking he will pick Steyn and Taute at 13
17 Nov 2012, 21:00 pm
@phil72-151: I guess we shouldn’t worry at all then until all the “real contenders” are back. Heck why even play matches without the real contenders. Why even debate the result of a test match when we know the “real contenders” were not playing. What is the point then, by your logic do tell.
17 Nov 2012, 21:01 pm
@Guns-149:
he certainly had murray number at scrumtime and only got bounced about two times.
17 Nov 2012, 21:01 pm
I think we should pick Morne for the England game.
Our attacking game looked a lot better against England at the beginning of the year (with Morne at flyhalf) than it has on tour so far.
17 Nov 2012, 21:02 pm
@ufo-158: i blame Ricardo for backline moves not coming off. i blame van Graan for our way of attack as Van Graan is the attack coach. i blame HM for selecting both of them!
17 Nov 2012, 21:02 pm
@kaksioek-104:
disagree.
17 Nov 2012, 21:02 pm
@Tacitus-159:
Yes very true
When I coach I tell my players if you kick it better be a good kick with good chases, or dont kick at all, because you just giving away possession
17 Nov 2012, 21:03 pm
I must admit that I believed we were going to lose today, so while I’m happy we won, that was some really poor rugby… needed Chris Farley to score both our tries today, interesting that.
17 Nov 2012, 21:03 pm
@digger-162:
The logic is that their is no crisis as some of us are trying to motivate….. With the bulk of the team back next year it will be a completely different story!
17 Nov 2012, 21:04 pm
@phil72-125:
yip
with all those players back we could easily put together two world class teams.
17 Nov 2012, 21:04 pm
@Tacitus-164: HM probably will, I would be putting Lambie at 12 personally..JDV has become another Smit and is not contributing to the Bok team…Lambie imho would make a great 2nd 5/8th..
17 Nov 2012, 21:04 pm
@Tacitus-164:
I dont think we should pick Morne He is not our future
Either try Elton or stick with lambie
Try Taute at 15 he has always mentioned that now try it
I would also give De Jonge another shot and Mvovo too
Hougaard is not progression at wing
17 Nov 2012, 21:05 pm
Nothing is wrong with the backline, its the instructions that’s wrong!Plumtree let’s Lambie play his natural game,that’s why he always performs for the Sharks..Heyneke does the opposite,that’s why he doesn’t perform for the Boks.
17 Nov 2012, 21:05 pm
Can someone give me a definitive overview of our results on the last 5 end of year tours.
While I recall some bad losses against teams we expected to beat each year, I can’t actually recall exactly when and against whom these losses occurred.
What I’m trying to ascertain is when last we went unbeated on an end of year tour.
17 Nov 2012, 21:05 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-157: Thats it Bakkies.Hope its nit a Juan Smith type injury.But as I said.
Eternal pessimist
17 Nov 2012, 21:06 pm
@Tacitus-174:
Bad typing on a Saturday night -for obvious reasons. Unbeated should of course be unbeaten. Hehe.
17 Nov 2012, 21:07 pm
@Jatman-173: great post
17 Nov 2012, 21:08 pm
@poppa69-171:
i sadi that earlier tonight during the game.
to my mind he’s either a center or a fb, a flyhalf (or at least the type the boks need) he cettainly aint.
17 Nov 2012, 21:09 pm
@phil72-169: I get you, all is going to be fine next year or perhaps at the World Cup?
17 Nov 2012, 21:09 pm
@Tacitus-147:
“we should have beaten new zealand” … a sense of entitlement much…?
but yes… we SHOULD have beaten england in the third game… and we SHOULD have beaten the argies in argie… that’s what we SHOULD have done…
not at all melodramatic tac… perhaps you are being overly defensive of the coach because of your statements about him earlier in the year…?
i supported him 100 percent and said so when he was appointed… but his contradictory pronouncements and selections have eroded my confidence in and respect for the man…
as in my earlier post… the very basis… the heart and soul of rugby… its raison d’etre… is to RUN WITH BALL IN HAND…
heyneke’s version is to kick the ball and chase it or hold it and run into people…
quite simply heyneke’s version is NOT rugby as it should be played…
until meyer allows and empowers the players to do that… the blame can only be placed in heyneke’s shoes…
17 Nov 2012, 21:10 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-178: Totally agree!
17 Nov 2012, 21:11 pm
@Jatman-173:
funny plumtree prefered the frenchie to play his natural game instead of lambie playing his though. also, he was poor in both finals.
@ryecatcher-175:
oh ok
fingers crossed then.
17 Nov 2012, 21:11 pm
@ryecatcher-150:
hey rye…
yeah… this is some of the most sterile, boring rugby i have ever seen from the springboks…
a great shame for such a rugby-proud nation…
17 Nov 2012, 21:12 pm
@ufo-180:
Disagree with your view of the basis of rugby.
The basis of rugby in the beginning was in fact to get chances to kick at goal.
In fact, tries were only called “tries”because it gave you an opportunity to have a “try”at a goal kick.
So the conversion was actually the point of the try, not the touchdown itself.
The point of rugby is winning by whatever means possible and not this running with the ball concept that many seem to believe in.
17 Nov 2012, 21:13 pm
Personally I cant wait for a fully fit Goosen …
17 Nov 2012, 21:15 pm
@digger-179:
Our rugby is much healthier that you think…
Like i said we are mainly playing with second choice and sometimes 3rd choice players in their respective positions at the moment… Whenever other coaches tried this we mainly lost against other first tear test nations… we are winning with our b team at the moment!
17 Nov 2012, 21:16 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-182: lambie was back from injury for the S15 final so you arent really showing honest objectiveness there.. all players are rusty coming back from injury..
12 is imo the perfect position for Lambie…has the distribution skills, is brave on defense and has the right instinct for the position… also adds an extra kicking option, I see him as very similar to Mauger for the ABs skill wise.,.
17 Nov 2012, 21:16 pm
Anyone see this? the plot thickens.
John Mitchell is set to join Sale “in the next 48 to 72 hours”, according to Sharks chief executive Steve Diamond.
17 Nov 2012, 21:16 pm
@grant10-185:
agreed.
from the bit we’ve seen so far and looking at this bok team, i can only think he will help take them to a whole new level when fully fit but will benefit as much from the team (especially the forwards) aiding his game.
17 Nov 2012, 21:16 pm
@bangkok-bok-181:
yip
17 Nov 2012, 21:17 pm
@poppa69-187: I take my hat off to you for a decent post without vulgar baiting. Somethihgn positive. An astute observation. Thanks
17 Nov 2012, 21:18 pm
this Bok team is fear filled….strait jacketed…..not cool to watch anymore….I really thought HM would take Boks to a new level…..instead it has become staid, boring and I am not sure players are buying in …..2013 will be interesting ..
17 Nov 2012, 21:19 pm
I think that HM, much like with his Bulls teams is building a dominant powerful pack to to control the game up front and have our 9 and 10 push the ball forward with kicks , so we play in other teams half .Then as our pack wears down the opposition the gaps start to appear maybe close to rucks or out wide in the centers Add solid defense to all of that
I dont think he has got the pack he has wanted yet but its getting there. and he has had the injuries
Maybe adding F steyn and and tauta at 15
So it may bet a lot better
17 Nov 2012, 21:19 pm
@poppa69-187:
well ok, perhaps plum should take some of the blame for playing him in the final, but he certainly takes all the blame for other final.
yes agreed, 12 would be the best position for him and if too small for meyer’s liking then 15.
17 Nov 2012, 21:19 pm
@CoachPete-153:
yeah bud…
we all know….
but i don’t think we should be excusing players out injured… fact is we’ve got to play with the players available… every game… history does not record how many players were out injured…
heyneke said when he started that his goal would be to win every game… now suddenly it is all about developing for the next world cup… i think he has gone back on his word… i think he has betrayed springbok rugby and the supporters…
and as i’ve always said… whether for the boks or wp/stormers… it is indeed about how we play the game… i want to see us play great, inventive, creative, RUNNING rugby… then if we lose to a team that does that better than us the loss is slightly easier to accept…
but i can’t even accept winning when playing such dour, spiritless, boring, stale, sterile rugby…
it’s just not rugby… seriously…
17 Nov 2012, 21:20 pm
@grant10-185:
Yes a greed I worry he is fragile and injury prone
17 Nov 2012, 21:20 pm
@papaown-165:
exactly…
17 Nov 2012, 21:20 pm
@Slumtown-188:
wow!
can somebody say ‘curveball’…?..
17 Nov 2012, 21:21 pm
Culture is driven from the top down
The coach is a square plug in a round hole
The coach is trying to force round plugs into his square holes … Lambie, De Jong, Daniels, etc
Hence good players are being made to look bad by the coach
The irony of all the criticism against Kirchner, in the context of the game, he has been one of the top players this test season
The problem is at the top … H. Meyer
17 Nov 2012, 21:22 pm
15 Taute
14 JP
13 JF
12 Steym
11 Habana
10 Goosen
9 Pienaar (for now)
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