Brave Boks edge Twickenham epic
24 Nov 2012
RYAN VREDE watched the Springboks hold on for a 16-15 victory over England at Twickenham that secured an unbeaten tour.
The tour is over and the examination is passed. It was hardly a convincing pass. Certainly there are areas of their Test syllabus in which these Springboks and their coaches are desperately lacking. But they’ve gone unbeaten in Europe and achieved this with the least experienced side they’ve ever fielded and men ravaged by the excesses of the longest season in their careers.
They had no right to have the work-rate they did, the physicality they displayed, the sharpness of mind that marked their play at critical junctures. They refused to lose, and England, the better side for large periods, simply could not overcome that wall of will.
The value of this tour and the victories that accompanied it is immeasurable. Pat Lambie grew in confidence with every game, tonight looking a Test flyhalf of considerable promise. In Francois Louw, Willem Alberts and Duane Vermeulen they have a back row of brilliant balance. In Eben Etzebeth, the next step in second row evolution.
Then there’s that defence, the cornerstone of their success in the last three weeks. England at times looked like they were attacking on a tennis court, so condensed was their space and so limited their options. That England opted to go for a penalty with two minutes to play will be perceived by some as a act of immense belief and by others one of breathtaking cowardice. Wherever you stand, save a little praise for the impact of the fearsome Springboks defence on the England psyche.
There was something special, something desperate, something determined about this rendition of the England national anthem pre-match. It was as much a declaration of war as it was an ode to their beloved Queen. And England were fittingly belligerent throughout – bullish in contact on attack and defence and absolutely rampant at scrum time.
With torrential rain belting this famous ground and a breeze that sent the temperature plummeting to the low single figures, this inexperienced Springbok side were always going to have to win a battle of attrition and a tussle for territory. They mastered neither.
Furthermore the attack once again lacked imagination, precision and tactical intelligence. In a season where they were battered for their pragmatic play, it was ironic that in conditions and against a folding defensive line (pushing in hard from the outside), that they would look to ‘play’ more than they have at any stage on tour. England’s defensive pattern screamed for the Springboks’ primary kickers to look for the space that was left vacant behind the hard-pressing outside backs. Instead their strike runners were frustratingly often tackled before they could build momentum and they subsequently never asked any telling questions on attack.
They were fortunate that England were equally impotent, the hosts enjoying appreciable possession and territory, but they never seriously threatened to score outside of a couple of broken-field opportunities. So organised and so brutal was the Springbok defence – led by the loose trio and amplified by the rest of the team – that England were reduced to hopeful high kicks, painfully few of which found their mark.
It therefore became increasingly apparent that the result of the Test would hinge on the goal-kicking of Pat Lambie and Toby Flood. Lambie banked three penalties to Flood’s two before half-time. The England pivot, however, missed two, both stemming from scrum infringements. It was the only area of the game that England enjoyed clear dominance, but Flood’s failure to capitalise on those opportunities saw his side trail 9-6 at half-time.
The Springboks’ inability to engineer anything close to impressive on attack – not even their powerful rolling maul – was concerning, but then they profited from a bit of luck that gave them the ascendancy when Willem Alberts collected a ball that had squirted off an England player after a hacked attempted clearance. The big blindside flopped over the tryline and Lambie kicked his fourth penalty goal of the Test to give the Springboks a 10-point lead.
Meyer will lament the Springboks’ inability to pin the English in the half more than they did after establishing that buffer, ill-discipline and poor decision-making ensuring that there was never a let up in pressure.
With 12 minutes to play and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot sweeping through the stands, England found their stride. Alex Goode made it a four-point game with seven to play. This was a defining seven minutes in the Springboks’ tour, some would argue their season. A scrum on their 22m held firm when it most needed to. Ruan Pienaar cleared but England came again.
Then, inexplicably, England choose to kick a penalty with the final whistle imminent. Did they really think they would have the attacking prowess to score from at least 80m out? There’ll be a mass inquisition in the English press on Sunday. But the Springboks won’t care. Most will be nursing sore heads from a celebration they’ve earned.
189 Comments
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24 Nov 2012, 18:37 pm
Dragon Stormers
24 Nov 2012, 18:38 pm
Dragons. Its raining like crazy here but we won.
24 Nov 2012, 18:39 pm
Sorry staal.die keer myne.happy for da boys.long season.first uk tour.unbeaten.happy days.
24 Nov 2012, 18:41 pm
And dodgy rèf.bluddy useless…
24 Nov 2012, 18:42 pm
Not the most convincing win but we will take it.
Coming home unbeaten is a step in the right direction for Meyer. He obtains an “average” rating for his first year in charge. Had the team lost tonight he would have received a “poor” rating.
As someone who remembers the horrendous run of consecutive losses at Twickenham between 1998 and 2006 all too vividly, I’m pleased that we have restored the normal order so conclusively.
24 Nov 2012, 18:43 pm
If this match is considered ‘epic’ then standards have fallen drastically…
24 Nov 2012, 18:44 pm
Just horrible to watch.
I guess I should be happy given the circumstances this team is under that they won, but it was just sh*t to watch.
Ruan Pienaar is just awful. Give me Hougaard anyday.
24 Nov 2012, 18:45 pm
Caper.maybe not epic.but still a spectacle. history,occasion.a great excuse for a piss up.
24 Nov 2012, 18:56 pm
Pienaar is such a C U N T
Hougard must be Bok scrumhalf
24 Nov 2012, 18:57 pm
Howmany times did England knock on?
Boks just gave them back the ball
24 Nov 2012, 19:06 pm
Well done Heyneke and the Boks. Bad conditions and a tough game. Well done Duane, Patrick, Eben and others.
Despite the narrow win i believe the Boks have stepped up in this game… and s with Stormers through the year… we can really say an ugly win but we’ll take it.
I feel better after this game than the previous two.
Tough luck to the England team and fans. But I still sincerely believe they have the right players and captain despite a bad decision or 2 when you think it’s only Robshaws 10th international. The Boks were quite lucky today and this English team is going to continue to grow and will be a force come 2115.
24 Nov 2012, 19:16 pm
@ufo-11: 2115? That’s a lot of time to build a team!
24 Nov 2012, 19:18 pm
2015…
24 Nov 2012, 19:27 pm
@Boksarenumber1-9: disgusting comment. You should be ashamed of yourself. Clearly you have no class.
24 Nov 2012, 19:58 pm
Mistake after mistake in the final 25 minutes almost cost us the game. Again we were playing to survive instead of taking the game to the opposition. We are not going to be this lucky forever.
24 Nov 2012, 20:28 pm
A team that wins when they play badly is a sign of a good team
SA did well in those conditions
England beefed up the pack and they certainly fronted up to SA physically. Joe Launchbury was excellent on his first start he has got great hands for a big man
We got New Zealand next lol
24 Nov 2012, 20:34 pm
I must say that I love the look of our latest stormer recruit,Cilliers.
. Oh,I see that we have a new poll out already.Hmmm,wonder whether Bulls and Sharkies still consider the Conference title as a waste of time?? 
24 Nov 2012, 20:41 pm
@wnbb-17: only if your team can’t win it, then it’s considered a waste of time
24 Nov 2012, 21:04 pm
@nortierd-18: Well,if the sharks had won it then they would not have criss crossed the Southern ocean…..and offered that as an excuse for their non-showing in the super final.
24 Nov 2012, 21:08 pm
I feel for de Jongh and the wings. Must be terrible to play rugby but not get ball. This gameplan is whack.. Not a single ball went from scrumhalf through the hands to the wing on the entire tour..
24 Nov 2012, 21:19 pm
@wnbb-19:
consistency is rewarded, boring or not
rather win boring than lose playing exciting
24 Nov 2012, 21:25 pm
Ryan who is lining your pocket?
Brave and epic?? 2 words I would not use for this win
24 Nov 2012, 21:44 pm
Look there was some dodgy calls on the day at a packed stadium. We played the most tiring season games wise with a lot of players not there still I think we showed guts. Defense sorted / Forwards sorted except some of the scrums. Now to get the back line going.
24 Nov 2012, 21:48 pm
Sooo the refs cheated in the NZ and wales game and the ref cheated here as well?
Lucky world rugby dont take some of you South African supporters seriously.
24 Nov 2012, 21:49 pm
@CoachPete-22: Howzit Pete. We so often agree but this time I’ll beg to differ and go with Ryan’s summary of events.
This was an ‘epic’ win from where I was sitting. Which was in a packed HBYC rugby venue pub. Patron consensus was pretty much about a close, exciting, ‘epic’, brave performance by both sides, in the tradition of classic Test match rugby. It might not have been ‘pretty’ but it was enthralling in terms of the above IMHO.
24 Nov 2012, 21:51 pm
@Hurricane-24: don’t personally believe the refs cheat Hurrie. But Nige baby didn’t enjoy his best outing today boet. I’ve seen better. Much better.
24 Nov 2012, 22:09 pm
So, will Eben get cited again for “making contact with the opponents face”?
24 Nov 2012, 22:20 pm
@TASSIES-26:
Nigel Owens had an absolute shocker. My God. The scrums were a joke. Even when the Poms dropped their bund, he penalised us. Then he penalised Eben after Ben Youngs grabbed his face. Not to mention the number of skew lineout throws he ignored in favour of the Poms.
Absolutely disgraceful, dishonourable cowardice.
24 Nov 2012, 22:24 pm
@Hurricane-24: Hurricane its so easy to run your mouth when you are not the one whio has to endure the constant bias shown against your team.
You think we are crazy to suggest that refs could ever cheat, but I remind you of the “teach the Japies a lesson” scandal…. Are we crazy to complain about that too?
24 Nov 2012, 22:24 pm
@TooMuchRugby-27: Eben never made contact with anyone , if anything he was very in control in volatile incident.
24 Nov 2012, 22:25 pm
The double dive:
http://prem0.hiboox.com/images/4612/diapo59d7134d7d7ad7462d7b433a95a96726.gif
24 Nov 2012, 22:27 pm
Last week it was Brutal , this week Brave , good thing there is no more rugby cos I can see the Headline for next week – ” Befokte Boks down…..”
FYI there was nothing absolutely nothing to get excited about in the game , As good as Duane was it was like watching him in form against Boland. Twice now in a week I actually fell asleep watching the Boks , Ryan you need to pull your head a little bit out of HM a$$.
24 Nov 2012, 22:28 pm
The Halfbacks were so **** that Jean only touched the ball for the first time 5 mins before halftime. I long for super rugby.
24 Nov 2012, 22:29 pm
@sparticus-30:
I agree, but it seems he is now a target
24 Nov 2012, 22:30 pm
@TASSIES-25:
Hi Tassies
It sok to disagree
I just think we are much better then the poms
24 Nov 2012, 22:32 pm
@wnbb-17:
Agreed. he was everywhere and made some crucial tackles, and also held his own in the scrums
24 Nov 2012, 22:36 pm
@wnbb-17: I get confused with Cilliers and Heinke , was that Cilliers that played in the tour games ? Thought it was Heinke lol. Can see my interest in Bok rugby have dropped tremendously
24 Nov 2012, 22:37 pm
What was epic about that???
Conditions always meant that it would be a k.@.k match to watch, but SA made so many unforced errors, it was terrible. Poor reffing from the openly *** ref, especially at the scrums. A far cry from the great performance of Craig Joubert in the Wales vs NZ match. Why do consistently poor refs from the Northern Hemisphere continue in their positions forever instead of bringing in new talent that will do a proper job, if that is at all possible for a nh ref.
I’m still not convinced by Juandre Kruger, he is nothing special at all. Rather have Franco vd Merwe there, I think he is loaned to the Sharks for Super 15, so will be able to show what he has with a winning team even more than in the past.
In general the Bok forwards are lazy and do not want to perform their given duties at ruck time, which makes everything very slow and does not provide the go forward that a team like NZ has.
24 Nov 2012, 22:38 pm
@sparticus-37:
Both played. One is a loosehead, the other a tighthead.
24 Nov 2012, 22:50 pm
@Kaizan-29: yep, holding on to something like get the japies all those years ago as proof positive today, coupled with the fact the ABs never win, especially against your unskilled dinosaur players (the ABs cheat and the refs are in their pockets, read it 100s of times daily on this blog) and the rest of the world is laughing at SA supporters..
just the sad remnants of what was once a great rugby nation now looking for any reason other than their own incompetence as to why their standing has slipped..
dont look now, but every team in world rugby thinks they can beat the Springboks, and its your own fault..
its hilarious in fact, couldnt happen t6o a nicer bunch of fckwits…
24 Nov 2012, 22:58 pm
@poppa69-40:
Poppa – are you able to just have a regular discussion? Must it always be a cuss-word slugfest with you?
There were reffing errors today. Simple as that. Nice and easy to preach when things are going your way with the refs. Of course there is no chance of any foul play when the ABs get the rub of the green….
Never mind the fact that Bryce Lawrence made an unprecedented 47 errors in the WC semi final (all of which went against the Springboks, how peculiar).
Never mind the fact that your referees have been caught colluding with Australian referees.
Never mind the fact that since Paddy O’Brien was running the show in the IRB reffing board, the ABs had more penalties per yellow card than any team in world rugby.
Never mind the facts.
No let’s just sit and preach from our armchairs shall we.
Awaiting your foul-mouthed response…
24 Nov 2012, 23:01 pm
@Kaizan-41:
Ignore Poppa. He is the Village idiot in New Zealand. Not worth your energy.
24 Nov 2012, 23:03 pm
@the authority-42: Haha agreed.
24 Nov 2012, 23:09 pm
@Kaizan-41:
http://images4.hiboox.com/images/4111/diapoe8f8259bd3e71b0961f8be9d89034ade.gif
Failure to see this counts AGAINST the Boks?
Why you guys just can’t stop bleating for a single day?
24 Nov 2012, 23:11 pm
@TooMuchRugby-39: Ahhh okay , I see now. Thanks bud. Is it me or is Juandre Kruger a serious Journeyman in this team ? I dont see anything of value from him , not a dig at the guy , just an observation.
24 Nov 2012, 23:15 pm
@Nils-44: No penalty given for that. None deserved. What’s your point?
24 Nov 2012, 23:15 pm
@Kaizan-41: this from the country who pre isolation had refs that only spoke Afrikaans?
never mind the fact that Barnes only penalised France twice and not once in the last 60 minutes? we all have things we can complain about…
now that the tables have turned and you are getting the karma returned for all that ***** years ago really pleases me.
again, couldnt happen to a nicer bunch of neanderthals….
but hey, lucky your union shortened the tour to the NH, now you guys can say you had an unbeaten tour
of course, the less games you play the more this likelihood increases..
haha SA rugby is a dinosaur, it should be put out of its misery..
it is K@K!!
24 Nov 2012, 23:19 pm
@the authority-42: says the d.utchman with superiority issues..
how strange, got your ak47 ready?
24 Nov 2012, 23:21 pm
@poppa69-47: After the France v NZ quarter final, you kiwis complained more than anyone has ever complained before and now you sit there and use that game as leverage in your argument??
You are dumber than I thought.
And thanks for calling South Africans neanderthals. More racist slander and shows you can’t keep up with the facts… South Africa is made up of 80% black people. Are you saying that they are all neanderthals? Personally I don’t slander anyone because of race or nationality, but that’s just me. If you prefer to take the racist approach, then all power to you man.
No point debating anything with you. You’re free to go.
24 Nov 2012, 23:21 pm
@poppa69-48: More racist slander.
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