Saracens took on the Springboks midweek team at Wembley tonight. Saracens won 24 / 23 after trailing 18 at half time.
Well, what do you say about a team that leads by 12 points at half time and eventually loses by a point?
Firstly, let me say, I predicted that the best TEAM who played as a TEAM would win and Saracens came through as a TEAM in the second half, a half they dominated solidly. The lack of combinations of players who are used to one another is often the cause of a team losing and it was no different on the night.
I’ll start by singling out Bokke performers in this game and mosey on to those who I felt did not perform:
- Bokke who performed well was Adriaan Strauss, Dewalt Potgieter, Juan de Jongh, Jongi Nokwe and Earl Rose.
- Bokke who were solid were Andries Bekker, Jean Deysel, Heini Adams & Wynand Olivier.
- Bokke who underperformed were Heinke van der Merwe, Wian du Preez, CJ van der Linde, Alistair Hargreaves, Danie Rossouw & Davon Raubenheimer.
- The rest, well they were neither here nor there.
The Bokke handled the first few minutes well when Saracens came at them hard and fared better and better as the first half continued, except in the scrums where their torid tour continued, unabated. Dewalt Potgieter led by example.
Ruan Pienaar did not have a good evening with the boot to the posts but he opened with a penalty and added one conversion from the second Bokke try by Nokwe. The first try however was scored by Juan de Jongh, who showed some good strenght to drive over the try line after the Bokke were camped on the Saracens line for a while. The second try of Nokwe came from a high kick which was well followed up but Saracens can feel aggrieved that the try was allowed because it certainly looked like Ashley Johnson had knocked the ball whilst contesting for the ball in the air.
Ruan Pienaar added a penalty before half time.
At half time Saracens only had 2 converted Derick Hougaard penalties for their trouble.
The half time score was Bokke 18 / Saracens 6
After half time a different Saracens team came out, they dominated every phase, they struck back twice in rapid succession with well worked tries by Bradley Barrit and a charge down try by Ernst Joubert… suddenly the score was 18 / 18.
Derick Hougaard who had a torrid evening with the boot missed a sitter of a penalty to try and put Saracens in the lead, which gave the Bokke the respite they needed to rally and score a good try by Jongi Nokwe, after a sublime long pass wide left by Wynand Olivier to Earl Rose, who cleverly ofloaded to his inside and a final pass going wide again into the hands of the speed merchant, Nokwe. Ruan missed the easy conversion.
With the Bokke leading 23 / 18 the “ghost of bad and multiple mindless substitutions” visited the Bokke coaching staff yet again… sending 4 substitutions on simultaneously… Maku, Raubenheimer, Bosman, Viljoen.
Maku and Raubenheimer were clearly less effective than Adriaan Strauss and Ashley Johnson. Bosman did not do much wrong but the rhytm was suddenly missing. Riaan Viljoen did nothing wrong and tried to ressurect the failing Bokke.
Saracens played a clever game though, they kept possession….. milked the penalties and Hougaard converted one, putting them only 2 points behind the Bokke.
Then Derick Hougaard finally struck gold with a drop goal after missing about 4 previous tedious drop goal attempts. Now Saracens were leading by a point with 4 minutes left on the clock.
In the final minutes Saracens kept possession of the ball and kept it in the forwards, running the clock down untl Derick Hougaard kicked the ball well into the stands to end the game.
Once again I heard moans from commetators about a Referee’s contributions and I shuddered! A good team wins, despite the Referee… and I hate silly excuses!
Well done Saracens!
The Bokke are now a pityful ZERO from THREE games on their tour.
Points:
Saracens: 3 Penalties & 1 Conversion & 1 Drop Goal Derick Hougaard, 1 Try Ernst Joubert, 1 Try Bradley Barrit
Springboks: 2 Penalties & 1 Conversion Ruan Pienaar, 1 Try Juan de Jongh, 2 Tries Jongi Nokwe
Teams:
Saracens:
15 Michael Horak, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Kameli Ratuvou, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Michael Tagicakibau, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Neil de Kock, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Justin Melck, 6 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 5 Hugh Vyvyan, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Richard Skuse, 2 Ethienne Reynecke, 1 Rhys Gill
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 George Kruis, 19 Andy Saull, 20 Kevin Barrett, 21 Alex Goode, 22 Rodd Penney
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 (captain), 6 Jean Deysel, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Riaan Viljoen.
Date: Tuesday, November 17
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Kick-off: 19.45 (19.45 GMT; 21.45 SA time)
Expected weather conditions: Scattered clouds with a high of 13°C dropping to 11°C and a southwester of 21 km/h freshening.
Referee: James Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Rob Debney (England), Paul Dix (England)
TMO: Brian Abrahams (England)
Our friend and fellow blogger sent these photo’s directly from Wembley. Thanks Carol.
[cincopa 10518988]
Hello Puma and Irish.
Was an exciting match to watch, I enjoyed it, great atmosphere at Wembly.
But players out of position again, eisshhhhh!
(Check the Saracens and Springboks socialising and having dinner together on the rugbydump.com clip, John Smit and Barritt have some good laughs together, nice…)
Postmortem! How do you change things?
325 – Irish, Morning to you mate,
This is not our best Dirt Tracker side Irish. Many that should have got selected are sitting here at home watching on tv. Coach has to choose some players because of government pressure on him. SAD really when we have better players at home.
Jake never stood for that nonsense PdV should just stand up to them.
#333 – Puma – the world is looking on and smiling – the World Cup is around the corner and nothing is happening that is putting the fear into the opposition. Your second stringers should be playing their hearts out, to put pressure on the 1st string players. Well there is nothing for them to worry about.
332 – Irish select the best always. That is what we should have done for this trip. We have learned nothing with this Dirt Tracker team except that we know that some should never get selected ever again.
Also our Test side have played way, way too much rugby this season. Our CC is far more intense than what you saw last night. Our Boks in the test squad played the very next week after Tri-nations finished in the CC. Daft. They should have been left out of the CC that way those players would have had about a 4 week rest which they needed.
Cant play a dead horse which we are doing now mate. These players will be back with a bang next year once they have rested. Talking about our test side.
Also we are missing 4 great players in that side. If ABs lose McCaw they play bad or Carter so to miss 4 is huge.
334 – Irish the touble is we don’t have our very best 2nd side there. A lot were not selected. Missed the boat there as next year might be a little late to see how those players will fit in for the world cup. Now was the time to take them.
326 – Irish, exactly correct. Don’t bring on the subs if they are not needed. Use them only for injury or if the player is really dead on his feet.
Too many changes all at once cost us like it almost did in the first test against the Lions.
331 – Piet, Yes they would have had a good time after the game. They were almost all South African.
Get Barritt back to SA too. We need great players like that here not play in the NH. Too young to be there just like Frans Steyn far to young to be playing in NH just yet. PdV should try and get Fransie back. Sharks should try and get Barritt back too.
Now if Bekker is injured who will play for Victor this weekend who was going to be rested?
How can a coach even consider not choosing his best players. He is judged on what he producers. Well the production line does not look good. I see Barritt was outstanding – how did the SA let him go?
Italy suddenly thinks they can win! This is fact. You have to build momentum and keep it going.
This tour could have been a good opportunity for the coach to look at possible replacements for some of the journeymen in the premier side. Unfortunately, in my opinion, he is just concentrating on the present with no eye on the future.
Oh I’m chatting to myself. Well let me be off. Have a good day guys.
343 – Irish……hahaha. That happens to me here too. I blog on my own here too sometimes….LOL.
Your post 342 spot on Irish. We need to be looking at our 2nd best players but not selecting some we will never know.
Enjoy your day mate.
340 – Irish, Barritt is a superb player that never got selected. Many, many like that here and they will all leave if they don’t get selected.
Alberts, Vermeulen, WP. Nel, Mapoe, Stegmann, Vermaak and Kockott. Many more that should have got selected for this tour but never. They will all eventually go play in NH.
I agree guys, this EOYT is a waste in its present format and should be used to bring the youngsters through. The impact of this on the future tours will have to be seen. I do not think the IRB will sit back and accept us doing it.
341 – Irish, We will beat Italy. They have a great scrum but we play better than them in all other positions.
The thing is we were going to rest some players there. Now see Bekker injured so Matfield still will get no rest. That oke is dead on his feet. Played way too much rugby this year. CC final was end of October the very next week they were training for this tour. Bok players especially Bulls Boks have been playing since mid Feb and still playing. Injuries will come the body cant handle that amount of rugby or any sport before it breaks down. They need a really long rest after this tour.
346 – AB, Rest the Bok players in the CC. If they were rested after the Tri-Nations they would have had at least a 4 week rest. Would have been fresh and ready for this tour. Players bodies are just far, far too tired to play right now.
Now Bekker might be injured so Victor wont get a rest this week against Italy. I see more injuries coming before we play Ireland.
Morning evertyone….
Eish Puma, I dont know anymore if we will beat the Italians hehehehe
Did not feel so bad last night as the it was like two SA teams playing each other heheheh
No I am just joking, awful awful awful, our oey tours are allways a stuff up!!!
Thanks Bokke. Plaas jul n demper op my Birthday!!!
En ja, dis n skimp.
Ek wag vir die well wishes.
Morning all, message for Puma. I managed to get some photos and I have sent them to GBS.
To loose by 1 point……ouch!!!
Really good atmosphhere at Wembley, and lots more supporters than I would have thought for a Tuesday Night.
Saw John, Schalk, Bakkies etc sitting watching the procedings, bet they wished they were getting a game!
Off to work now, till later.
HAPPPPPPPPYYYYYY BDAY PILLETJIE!!!!!!!
Hi Pill,
Many Happy Returns of the day!
Take the rest of the day off!! Heheheh
Morning Tripps. Think the players hearts are not in it for the eoyt really. They have played enough rugby by that time and most of them hate playing in the cold and wet and want to be here home resting in the summer sun. Though we are having a damn cold snap out of the blue here…….hehehehe
Morning Carol, Thanks for the pics. Yip, It looked like it was a all South African CC there……hahaha.
the_pill @ 350
happy birthday, pilletjie
hoe lykit … are you now old enough to be a grandpa?
Happy Birthday Pill.
Morning Ash, Eish our Dirt Trackers and Boks are not doing well on this tour boet.
I feel for the players and just wish they could be here resting for next year.
Net om almal in ‘n ligte luim te kry…..
Arm, Armder, Moer-arm
Nou ons was moer-arm. Agt kinders. Daai tyd was ek in Std 2 en moes ons van daai glas bottelkies Gom met die rooi proppie en rooi kwassie hê vir skool.
My Ma het amper flou geval toe ek haar vra vir gom. “Waar dink hulle moet ons die geld vandaan kry?”
Maar natuurlik – Boere maak ‘n plan. En Ma was nie stupid nie. Sy kon tot gom maak. Ruk daar flour uit, gooi suiker by en kook die spul op die stoof.
Ek staan eenkant, baie impressed met my slim Ma.
Laat dit toe effens afkoel en sit dit in ‘n ou NCR Yeast Blikkie wat so bietjie “verblyk” was.
Ek was die enigste kind met ‘n Yeast Blikkie op my tafel. Al die ander kinders het die regte bottelkies Gom gehad. Ek het nie baie omgegee nie, want my gom was baie beter as hulle sin en het geplak soos Superglue nie kan plak nie!
So drie weke later, terwyl die biesies buite bewe van die hitte, sit ons klas in doodse stilte, besig met eksamen.
Fokkit mense, een moerse ontploffing ruk die hele skool tot aandag. Daar trek my donnerse blikkie se deksel en hy agterna tot teenaan die sielieng.
Dis net gom wat neerkom op ons soos ‘n donnerstorm! Alles is wit. En dit stink ongelooflik – suurhol se moses! Ek’t nog nooit iets in my hele lewe geruik wat so gestink het nie.
Die Juffrou se brille is vol gom. Haar hare spierwit. Dit drup van haar af asof sy in ‘n shower staan. Ek kon nie glo dat sy soos ‘n beeld lyk nie.
Oral waar ek kyk in die klas is almal faaktap van die gom. Almal is wit en gil van die skrik. Ons boeke is faaktap. Ons klere is faaktap. Ons stink faaktap.
Juffrou wip toe haar gat en jaag ons almal uit en sê ons kan maar huis toe gaan. Van die kinders wat bus gery het se gom het goed drooggeword van al die gewag.
Ek was woedend toe ek by die huis kom. My Ma het gedink dis ‘n moerse grap en het haar dinges amper geskeur van die lag toe sy my sien EN ruik.
Die klaskamer moes uitgeverf word om van die suurholreuk ontslae te raak, maar ons kon dit nog vir weke dwarsdeur daai PVA ruik.
Ek was glad nie gewild nie. Niemand wou eers meer met my speel nie…
Dis nou wat gebeur as jy Moer-arm is!
puma @ 358
it went a bit better yesterday, puma
yes, you still had the feeling that the guys didnt always know what the next person is going to do, but there were quite a few players that put their hand up. think earl rose mightve done enough to be included in the line-up for the italy match?
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