By Mike Greenaway in Brisbane
Fed-up Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has written to the IRB’s refereeing boss, Paddy O’Brien, in an effort to sort out the one major blemish on his team’s performance in Perth at the weekend, the slew of penalties against the Boks. “We honestly don’t know what many of them were for, particularly the ones against us for set scrum infringements,” the coach said of Kiwi referee Bryce Lawrence’s 15-4 count in favour of the home team.
“We want clarification from Paddy before our scrumming session tomorrow morning because we can’t understand it,” De Villiers added.
“We want to know what is going on before Saturday’s return Test against the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium.
Until last week the Boks had kept their penalty count to single figures in all their matches and the run of penalties against them, mostly in a 20 minute period either side of half-time, stopped their momentum and allowed the Wallabies back into the match.
“We can’t play the game like that,” De Villiers said. “With all that free possession gifted to them they gained confidence and we had to defend really well to keep them out.”
Saturday’s referee will be Wayne Barnes of England, who is quite likely to have a different set of interpretations to Lawrence, but De Villiers is taking no chances.
Lawrence, incidentally, was the referee for the first Test against the Lions in Durban in June and that day it was the Lions front row that was repeatedly penalised, so who knows what the same Bok front row is now doing wrong.
The Boks are winless in Brisbane in the post-isolation era. They have lost all seven games they have played here since 1993 and their only two wins were in 1956 and 1971.
“Records like that do not bother us,” the coach said. “We had never won in Dunedin either until last year.
“There were lots of things the Springboks had not done for a long time before this team. We can win anywhere as long as we keep our focus.”
The Boks had their first training session of the week on Monday and there were four players missing. Two of them, wing JP Pietersen (hamstring) and lock Andries Bekker (shoulder) have left for home and the other two, Bakkies Botha (knee) and Bryan Habana (groin) are expected to recover in time.
Botha has an ongoing complaint that is managed from week to week while Habana was rucked in the groin.
De Villiers said that at this stage he would not call for replacements.
“Danie Rossouw is fully fit now after missing last week because of a hamstring strain and at wing we have options: Odwa Ndugane, Frans Steyn and Adi Jacobs. I don’t like calling players over unless it is absolutely necessary.”
The Wallabies, meanwhile, are licking their physical and mental wounds after losing their fourth consecutive Tri-Nations match.
“Losing is tough emotionally and physically,” said flyhalf Matt Giteau on Sunday. “Mentally we are not staying the distance in games.
“We turned our backs at a quick tap for Fourie du Preez’s try when we should have been switched on. Then we miscommunicated in the backs on who had who to give them two tries from set pieces.
“Each individual has to take responsibility and stay committed for 80 minutes if we are to turn it around in Brisbane.”
- This article was originally published on page 16 of Daily News on August 31, 2009
@grootblousmile – 27
😀 You make me laugh boet. Really pleased I found your and Ed’s blog.
Now really out of here. Cheers all.
@Ed_the_Lion – 30
Really trying to log out but just cant 😆
Just enjoy the summer Ed. Boston’s winter must be very cold.
Now really out of here. Back Later. Cheers Ed.
@Puma – I will thanks Puma.
Cheers for now. I know we will see you a little later.
@Ed_the_Lion – Hallooooo Eduard
Congrats on your teams awesome win!!!! hehehehe
@grootblousmile – True GBS , there are no passengers in the Bok team. If there were then how come the boks are so dominant ?
Middag mense, waaroor gesels ons vandag
36 @bdb – Miskien moet jy begin deur die Leeus geluk te wens met hul goeie wen oor jou span ?
36@bdb –
oorie bulle wat hulle g@tte gesien het!!
😆
37 @bdb – OK, geluk aan die 5 Leeu ondersteuners in die land met jul oorwinning oor die Bulle.
39@bdb –
4 om presies te wees
Ed is nog steeds besig om somersaults te doen, so mens kan hom weer eers van môre af bytel!
38 @ashley Рmiddag asbak, nou moet ek seker geluk s̻ aan jou span ok: geluk wp met die wen oor die visse.
Ja jong, die jong bulle was pateties. Maar die bonuspunt was baie belangrik. Nog net 2 naweke se verloor oor. 😉
41@bdb –
ja, die bulle gaan bliksems wees as hulle weer volsterkte is, dis verseker!
en nee
ganie die bulle afskryf nie, veral nie teen wp nie!
40 @ashley – Ek hoor ou Ed het sommer verjaar ook. Wat hy nie weet nie, is dat ons Bulle ondersteuners agter die skerms met Ludeke en Kuun gereël het om saterdag te verloor, omdat ons geweet het ou Ed verjaar, en dit ‘n gepaste geskenk vir ons mater sou wees.
Maar asb, moet vir niemand iets hiervan vertel nie, dit is net onse se geheim !
(ek) helllooooooooooooooooo!!!
(echo) ag f*k, moenie alweer begin nie!!
43@bdb –
nogal so gedink ja … maar wat sou jy doen assie ou homself vrek gaan suip het?
verjaardag, plus wen saam is nie altyd ñ goeie kombinasie nie!!
42 @ashley – die vrystaat lyk baie goed op hierdie stadium, en as juan en brussow ook terug is, gaan hul ook moeilik wees om te klop.
Dink dit gaan wonderlik wees as ons eers die 3N titel gewen het, om dan die stryd om die CB te sien. Daardie laaste paar rondtes gaan ‘n paar groot wedstryde wees:
Sharks vs Cheetahs
Bulle vs Cheetahs
Sharks vs Leeus
Leeus vs WP
middag aan al die maats hier op die blog…..
Die WP moet net aanhou wen en ek is happy, even al is dit n boring wen gee ek glad nie om nie….
Middag Almal…LIONS!!!!
@Rum And Maple – middag, lyk my die lions is nou nog in die sewende hemel met jul span..
Ek kan nie glo die BBRU het Hendrik Roodt laat gaan nie. Hy gaan glo vir die Tahs speel in S14. Twee meter lank en 120 kg. Ek het hom al sien speel vir o/19 en o/21, baie vuriger as Wilhelm Steenekamp.
Sulke dinge gebeur nie elke Saterdag nie… so gun ‘n man sy vreugde.
47 en 49: middag middag.
@bdb – Om eerlik te wees ek sien nie hoekom die ophef oor Steenekamp nie ja hy is nog jonk maar hel al wanneer mens hom op die veld sien is as hy n call in die lynstaan moet doen en dan werk dit nog n f@kop uit ook…
@Rum And Maple – Glo my ek loop ook trots vandag rond nadat die WP die guppies gewen het niemand het dit sien kom nie…..
Die Sharks en Kwasse behoort albei vol punte te kry die naweek, wat hul onderskeidelik op 32 en 29 punte sal los.
Die wedstryde tussen WP/BB en Ctahs/Lions sal bepaal wie die ander 2 plekke sal inneem na rondte 9.
ja die games van hier af in begin net al hoe meer belangriker raak, en n slip up kan die verskil wees tussen weg of tuis semi….
54 @Scrumsaam – Kyk, ek gun elke speler die kans om te ontwikkel, maar daar is tans ‘n paar spelers in die BB span wat regtig nie hul kans bring nie. Dit is eintlik ‘n wonder dat die BB tans nog derde op die log lê. Maar dit kan baie verander in die volgende 2 rondtes. Die feit dat hul ten minste bonuspunte kry, al verloor hulle, help darem.
Van die huidige BB span is dit net Flippie, Dewald, Burger, Hougaard, vd Heever en Tiger toe hy gespeel het, wat werklik hul kant bring. Die ander is passasiers.
@Scrumsaam – Yip, dit was ook nogal ‘n verrassing, dalk nie net die wen nie maar die manier waarop die guppies heeltemal van die park af gespeel was.
@bdb – kyk SA het werklik baie talent en dis hoekom ek sê, as n jong man die kans kry moet hy dit vat met al twee hande of iemand anders stap in sy plek in……
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