Tonight saw the 1st match on Tour for the Springboks End of Year Tour 2009. The Springboks took on the Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. The Tigers were full value for their win by 22 / 17 against a lack-lustre Bokke side which was scrummed to bits and taught a lesson in forward domination.
The Bokke started well, taking an early penalty and thereafter scoring a good try after a deft little kick from Earl Rose, for Nokwe to pounce on over the goal line.
From the first scrum however, the Springbok front row battled, then absolutely crumbled in subsequent scrums.
It is clear that the wrong front row players were taken on Tour, no doubt about it! Where was Wian du Preez, Adriaan Strauss and WP Nel when the Bokke needed grunt up front? Not on Tour, is the easy answer!
At Blindside flank Davon Raubenheimer was absent… in the ground-ball battle it was clear that the Bokke loosies were the wrong combination. The only credible loosie was Ashley Johnson, he was everywhere, did everything.
At scrumhalf, Heini Adams was slow, at flyhalf Ruan Pienaar had a nightmare with sub-standard tactical wawareness and kicking.
In the backline nothing much happened simply because the Bokke never got front foot ball.
In the last vestage, Earl Rose was one of the better players in the Bokke lineup.
Take nothing away from the settled Tigers, they played what was in front of them, monstered the Bokke in the scrums, clearly won the ground-ball battle and played it cleverly.
The lesson which should be learnt from this is simple, the best Dirt-Tracker Bokke side was not taken on tour…. The Cheetahs front row was needed, an abrasive lock like Sykes was missed, a true fetcher was required, Francois Hougaard needed to start at scrumhalf, Jacques-Louis Potgieter was needed at flyhalf…..
No need to speculate about players out wide, the ones on the field never saw the ball, because the battle was lost up front!
If ever it was’nt evident before, Ruan Pienaar has slumped to a sub-standard player and continuing with him in the pivot position is pure folly.
Scathing comments from me, but true, I’m afraid.
Points:
Tigers: 5 Penalties & 1 Conversion Ben Youngs, 1 Try Lucas Amorosino
Bokke: 4 Penalties Ruan Pienaar, 1 Try Jongi Nokwe
Teams
Leicester Tigers: 15 Scott Hamilton, 14 Lucas Amorosino, 13 Andy Forsyth, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Johne Murphy, 10 Aaron Mauger (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Brett Deacon, 7 Ben Pienaar, 6 Geoff Parling, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Calum Green, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Mefin Davies, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Dan Cole, 18 Tom Armes, 19 Dan Hemingway, 20 James Grindal, 21 Greig Tonks, 22 Lote Tuqiri.
South Africa: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Davon Raubenheimer, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (captain), 1 Gürthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Riaan Viljoen.
Date: Friday, November 6
Venue: Welford Road, Leicester
Kick-off: 19.45 (19.45 GMT, 21.45 SA time)
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Assistant referees: Roy Maybank, Robin Goodliffe
TMO: Andrew Turner, Graeme Hughes
Bokke lyk beter, solank hulle net nie scrum nie.
Fok, nou kom Bosman op en Meisiekind gaan af… hoekom gaan Pienaar nie af nie?
Australia met Matt Dunning scrum beter!
Thought we were going to score there and then it gets turned over. Just as well Brussow is in the Test Squad going to need a true fetcher.
MOER HULLE!!
Altwee Bokke kapteins af…. Dewalt nou kaptein
Pale toe??
Is it nie bietjie ver nie ou seun??
Pienaar moet AF. Hy wil nie en issi lis vir losskakel nie!
wel wel wel!!
212 – Pienaar has not been great. How can he. Plays scrummie for the Sharks. FH and FB for the Boks. He wont ever be the same player if he does not play only one position.
Then we have to ask where are the players that should have been on this tour. They would have made a difference.
Tigers 22 / 14
Punte, nog een vinnige drie en ons is in die game
216 – Potgieter should have been Captain to start with.
Need a try and we right back in the game.
Hie kom ‘n droppie!!
Kom Bokke!!
Kom bokkies
Bliksem, ons moet NOU gaan score!!
Amper vloek ek baie vieslik!!
Like taking candy from a baby
En amper weer!!
Ruan verlang nou hard Durban toe!
Vanaand sien ons ‘n game tussen a side wat speel met alles wat hul het om te wen, en ‘n ander wat net opgedaag het om nokkol te doen.
Skande hoe die bokke speel.
En ons stap na die lynstaan
Die Pumas sou beter vertoon het as die “Bok” B span!!
Bekker speel alweer vleuel??
consilation penalties
Waars Steyn as mens hom nodig het
‘n hope of glimmer
Tiger 22 / 17
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