Three disasterous Tri-Nations Tests in Anzac and some terrible experimentation in the June Test window, and here we sit…. after a super Super 14 season where 2 South African Teams ruled the roost…
Is it time to wield the knives and chop a few heads in control of the Springboks?
Should Peter de Villiers (coach), Dick Muir (assistant coach), Gary Gold (assistant coach) and even our National captain, John Smit be told “You have reached the end of the road.”?
I am asking these questions, not stating them as fact. I am a disgusted Springbok supporter and I am frustrated!
Let’s look at this as clinically as possible, putting personal grudges aside, placing National Rugby first and let’s forget about Provincial bias.
So, tell me… who do we blame?
Who do we ascribe certain evident shortcomings in the Springbok make-up to?
Do we make wholesale changes or cut 1 or 2 assistants and one or 2 players?
My feeling is that the core of the Springbok squad and Management team should remain, and only cut the really dead wood, which means a player or 2 and an assistant coach or 2.
Let’s ask, where does Springbok rugby’s failings lie at the moment:
- Motivation and mental preparedness seems to be lacking
- Balance is absent in key aspects of play
- Fitness and fatigue is being questioned
- Media blunders are the order of the day
- There is a clear lack of dicipline in player ranks
- Game plans or lack thereof is a problem and those that do exist are stale and last year’s recipy
- Defence is woeful
- On-field combinations do not perform
- Set pieces (lineouts and scrums) are weaker than it should be
- Injuries to key players are hampering play and the style of play
- Lack of depth in a few positions seems to be evident
- Intelligent rugby has made way for thuggery and brainless play
- Tactical kicking has been found severely lacking
There are probably more to consider, so consider the above a shortlist.
We need to ask who is responsible for fixing these shortcomings and a fair assessment has to be made whether those responsible does indeed possess the capacity to fix these problem areas.
Motivation and mental preparedness:
I do not think that there is any doubt that the National coach is responsible for proper player motivation and mental preparedness, whether by man-managing the team players correctly or by utilising experts to help with that.
We have heard from all over that Peter de Villiers is such a good man-manager, such a good motivator… but I’m not of that opinion anymore. There are even rumours of a rift in Bokke camp, but until those are corroberrated it must be held to be mere speculation.
One can clearly see from the media outbursts that Peter de Villiers himself has lost focus, that he’s chasing all sorts of shadows, rather than fulfilling his No 1 priority, that of motivating and coaching the team. In stead we see the blame shifted on Northern Hemisphere referees and all sorts of external factors.
I leave it up to you to brazenly come out and say what you think in this regard!
Balance is absent in key aspects of play:
We have bemoaned the method of player selections…. think about the selection of Jean de Villiers on right wing, that of Ryan Kankowski on blindside flank in stead of at No 8, that of Wynand Olivier, that of Ricky Januarie and Chiliboy Rallepelle. The absence of fetcher flanks have been a hot topic for discussion, the balance of looseforwards have been questioned, the absence of SA’s 2 premium Super 14 hookers have been rued.
These factors, although we have all differed in our exact application thereof, runs through all our general discussions!
Who is in charge of these critical aspects… the National coach and the selectors, of course.
Have they got it right and are we moaning just for the sake of moaning and should we be far more patient with these selections or are we, as armchair critics, hitting the nail squarely on the head, you tell me!
Fittness and fatigue is being questioned:
I do not believe for one minute that there is a lack of general fittness in Bokke ranks, maybe an odd lazy fattie yes, like Ricky Januarie and John Smit, but the rest of the players make up those superstars who competed for the Super 14 title, those whose praises and fittness and endurance we lauded and applauded, those same players who were so expertly managed by the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks.
I say fittness and fatigue is just an excuse to justify other glaring shortcomings!
Tell me how you feel about this, baffle me with your brilliance or bullshit!
Media blundrs are the order of the day:
Peter, this is for your ears, fella, you are almost solely to blame here, the world’s media laughs at you, they say you are a joke and a commedian, a costly joke who puts South Africa in such a bad light, it is’nt even funny.
Won’t you please just shut your trap and concentrate on coaching!
Get your own focus right, get your own house in order… and get down to the business of rugby!
Lack of dicipline:
We can blame 3 different referees all we like, we can contend that they are Northern Hemisphere donkeys for as long as we like, and we might even have a point or 2 in saying that their performances was partly to blame, but let’s look at the Yellow Cards and Suspensions dished out…. Bakkies did in fact headbutt Jimmy Cowan and both Jaque and Jean did in fact tip-tackle their 2 opponents…. those infringements and subsequent bannings cannot be laid at the foot of a referee… those were obvious and blatent indiscressions!
In addition the penalty count hardly favours us, it hardly would with such little possession of the ball.
3 Tests down under and 3 times we had to play for a duration of the game with less than all our players on the field. This only means ONE THING, our dicipline sucks!
John Smit, our National captain, should be able to control his charges on field and Peter de Villiers should make it clear that undiciplined players will be severely dealt with.
In stead, John Smit is one of those unfit players who barely manages to keep up with the pace of the game and Peter de Villiers tries to deflect criticism by moaning about other matters and coming up in defence of clear diciplinary blunders by players.
Personally I have had enough of on-field ill-dicipline now to last me a lifetime, I am deeply disapointed by the thuggish behaviour perpetrated by 3 of our most experienced Springboks.
I want SA rugby to clear up their dicipline considerably, what do you think?
Game plans or lack thereof is a problem and those that do exist are stale and last year’s recipy:
Anybody who is of the opinion that the Springbok Game Plans are sound and need no correction? Come on, hands up!
Go and stand in the corner with the sign around your neck, which reads “I am an ass!”
It is patently clear that with application of the rules, as they currently stand, that possession has been far more important than in previous seasons. Yet the Springboks choose to apply exactly the same game tactics as last year, with the exception that they now do not have the availability of a few key players to execute those game plans!
Juan Smith, Heinrich Brussow, Fourie du Preez, JP Pietersen and Bismarck du Plessis are not in the squad, neither do our current wings seem interested enough this year to follow kicks up as dilligently as last year. In stead we opt for players who just cannot fulfil those obligations and roles and we shun those who would have been almost equal substitutes to be able to fulfil those roles with distinction.
Change the mindset Mr Coach, approach the game much more with the breakdown battle in mind, with sound defensive structures sorted out… and for goodness sakes, play to strenghts where the Bokke abound with ability.
You cannot continue last year’s recipy, the barley is stale, the hops are all “vrot”, the brew is sour!
Defence is woeful:
When last in our whole rugby history have the Springbok defence been so terrible?
Did we not see a blueprint for this type of terrible defence earlier in the year at the Lions….. oh yes we did, hey Mr Dick Muir!
How many more first time tackles must be missed to realise that this is simply not good enough?
Boys, why in heavens name have you not studied the Stormers defensive patterns and talked to Alistair Coetzee, Robbie Fleck and the brainstrust at the Stormers, hell their defence was top-notch barely 2 months ago against the same foe!
Buckle up, we’re in for a bumpy ride if this trend continues!
On-field combinations do not perform:
Does our backrow forwards inspire any confidence, do they gel as a unit?
Does Ricky combine well with Morné Steyn and the forwards in front of him?
Does Wynand Olivier and Jaque Fourie combine well as centres and are they a potent weapon on attack together?
Does our front row achieve at least parity in set pieces?
… no, none of these questions have a positive answer, in fact quite the opposite is true….
Select looseforwards who compliment each other, play a scrumhalf who plays in the mould of our injured General, Fourie du Preez and play a combination in the centres who shone for their Super 14 Franchise together, Juan de Jongh and Jacque Fourie!
Set-pieces are weaker than it should be:
So, old Os du Randt is with the Bokke as an assistant…. fine player he was… but is he a coach of substance at all?
Not if you look at the state of our scrums, not if you look at how far back we’ve been scrummed in only 3 Tests!
Victor Matfield, what’s wrong with you, you seem to have lost your lineout lustre bud…. time to step up to the plate again and study why they manage to neutralise you so easily now!
John (Barney the fat dinasaur) Smit… Cappie, your lineout throwing is just absolutely ghastly, fella. Tell us if you’ve reached sell-by date or get with the program, for goodness sakes! No wonder the media are wondering whether you should still be in the fold!
Injuries to key players are hampering play and the style of play:
Oh where is Fourie du Preez, where is Heinrich Brussow. Come on, get better soon… we miss you…. we need you!
We need a right wing like the JP Pietersen of a couple of seasons ago, not the one mascarading as JP Pietersen this season!
We need Fransie Steyn back in SA, one who’s head is swithed on and not up the arse of his agent. One who is not so focussed on the skirts in Paris and one who will give his heart back to rugby in SA!
Bismarck du Plessis, as much as I do not like your ill-dicipline, get better fella, John Smit is dragging the boat down at hooker. We need your extra fetching capabilities at the breakdown points…..
Else, kindly bring Gary Botha or Tiaan Liebenberg to the table, things cannot continue as they are in the hooker berth!
Lack of depth in a few positions seems to be evident:
Do I really have to convince you that we are a bit short in depth at tighthead prop in SA, or that we have not prepared someone in Brussow’s absence… or heaven forbid Morné Steyn breaks down with injury at flyhalf.
What happens if Jaque Fourie is injured or suspended….. wait, that has just happened!
When are we going to address proper depth in these positions?
Intelligent rugby has made way for thugby and brainless play:
Having looked at the styles of play of the All Blacks and this past weekend the Wallabies and compare the style of Springbok play against that, I can only come to one conclusion, we play dumb, brainless rugby.
Come on Peter, you have to come up with more intelligent play, something which will jolt the other teams into errors, not this same old, lame routine. Are you with me or still running around blaming referees?
Come on, forget what Dickie says, he does’nt know much about rugby anyway, phone Pieter Slapchips at the Bulls and Fleckie at Province… fix the thing man… and use a proper mechanic!
Tactical kicking has been found severely lacking:
Tactical kicking, when done well, is a wonderful weapon in the rugby armoury, but then you need the personnel to effect tactical kicking well…. and Rickie Januarie is not one of them!
…and if you do not have the personnel to do it, stear away from it, because doing it badly means only one thing, turnover possession!
This is not rocket science, fellas… give us what we want and what the Nation deserves!
Jan wat rou
Sal jou artikel more lees. Lyk te lank en ingewikkeld vir my die tyd van die aand. Cheers, tot later.
Op news24 kan n mens die video sien van hoe Burger weer iemand se oe probeer ‘gouge’ het. Hy is net laasjaar daarvoor geskors! Dis darem lafhartig en swak. Ons senior bokke stel geen voorbeeld nie. Eers Botha, nou Burger. Om vir iemand se oe te gaan is darem nie aan nie.
agree with everything you say gbs
..
hmmm wonder what you gonna do to me now … perhaps let me stand in the corner until i learn to think for myself? 😆
sooooooooooooo
you believe we need a bit of “heads-up” rugby, gbsie?
Grootblousmile.
Motivation and mental preparedness seems to be lacking.
Balance is absent in key aspects of play
Fitness and fatigue is being questioned
Media blunders are the order of the day
There is a clear lack of dicipline in player ranks
Game plans or lack thereof is present and those that do exist are stale and last year’s recipy
Defence is woeful.
On-field combinations do not perform
Set pieces (lineouts and scrums) are weaker than it should be
Injuries to key players are hampering play and the style of play
Lack of depth in a few positions seems to be evident
Intelligent rugby has made way for thugby and brainless play
Tactical kicking has been found severely lacking
Half of these problems originates directly from coaching, gameplans, defensive organisation, combinations etc are something thecoach decides.
Ill discipline, lack of motivation and fatigue can only come from two areas, an unhappy team, poor player management.
If SA rugby want to retain any credibility they have to face the facts. And that is there is no innovative thinking and progressive game plans shown by coaching staff, and the lack of motivation comes from within, if players are unhappy and it could be for various reasons it once again comes from the frustration from within.
Die nag van die langmesse is hier …
bdb @ 7
jy bedoel
die nag waarvoor jy gewag het, is hier?
helloooooooooooooo gassie
ek sien jou!!
Hoofafrigter: Heyneke Meyer
Voorspeler afrigter: Rassie Erasmus
Agterspeler afrigter: Slaptjips
Spanbestuurder: Wynie
Dan is daar hoop vir die WB en kan ons dalk vir ‘n slag ordentelik wen. Met die Boswell Wilkie sirkus afrigters gaan ons dit nie maak nie.
Dick and Gary can go. Leave our Captain we need him. Actually just get of the backs of the players now really. They need a rest and they need our support.
Remember dropping Teich in 1999? Well it cost us that cup I am so very sure about that. Mallett admitted a year later that was his biggest mistake he had ever made.
Get in Proudfoot and P. Rossouw and plenty others to help our Coach.
Remember we are in panic mode here and we are playing without 6 of our players from last year. Had they been there we may not be in this situation.
No – FdP, Frans Steyn, Juan, JPP and Brussow.
@ Puma:Forgot Bakkies name up there.
bdb @ 10
jyt iemand daar in wat nie vannie bulle issie? 😯
jislaaik bru, voel jy nie dalk koorsig nie, huh? 😀
dink jy moet bietjie gaan lê boet. jy’t beslis ñ virus erens opgedoen!! 😆
ok, op ñ ernstiger noot
dink as sarugby sou optree
sou die vlg paar weke die ideale tyd wees.
dink enige tyd NA die 3n gaan beslis te laat wees (ingeval van nuwe coaches ens)
vraag bly net … indien sarugby besluit op die dramatiese …. gaan dit die regte besluit wees
as
jy in ag sou neem dat selfs jw se span in jaar 3 maar kakkerig vertoon het
EN
dat engeland, die ENIGSTE land is wat nog die wc gewen het deur as favourates in die toernooi in te gaan … elke ander land het ñ kakkerige jaar of twee voor die wc gehad … ja, selfs die all blacks voor hulle in ’87 as kampioene gekroon is!!
ashley @ 14
ja, en
wie van julle onthou nog daai
jw must gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
comments van ons?
..
(sug) jaaaaaaaaaaaaa mense,
daai was goeie dae gewees nê? (sug) 😆
ashley @ 15
ja en selfs TOE het ons geweet waarvan ons praat, het ons nie?
ons was dit eens
jw is ñ idioot
en
jsmit sou ons nie eens naby ñ netbalbaan toelaat nie!!
..
jip,
een ding kan nek sê …. ONS KEN ONS RUGBY!! jip!! ONS KEN VAN!!
AShley, onthou Kitch Christie het 6 toetse gehad met die Springbokke voordat hy die wereld beker gewen het.
Ek dink dat dit somtyds makliker is om in n’ kort tydperk met genoegsame talent n’ plan te beraam en dit is ook makliker om n’ span gefokus te hou oor n’ korter typerk as vir jare.
Francois pienaar het die ander dag in n’ Australiese koerant gese, die wereld beker en voorbereiding daarvan het net 4 maande nodig.
biltongbek @ 17
dink kitch was eerder die exception gewees,
maar ja
as 1 persoon dit kon regkry
hoekom kan iemand anders nie ook nie?
As SARU n’ koukus hou met die beste afrigters van SA, se maar
Heineke Meyer, Frnas Ludeke, Allistair Coetzee, Rassie Erasmus, Pieter Rossouw ens.
Hulle kom op met n’ plan vir die wereld beker. KIes die aangewese coaches. Laat die top 4 spelers in elke posisie die geleentheid om in n’ toernooi teen mekaar te speel, en toets alle moontlike kombinasies. Kies die 30 beste, en bere hulle vir n’ rukkie, coach hulle met nuwe idees en gaan wen die fokken beker.
Personally I would cut the 2 Assistant coaches, Tricky Dickie Muir and Gary Glitter loose… and I would have a word in Snor-tor’s ear… saying that he better shut the hell up in the media… and with the clear message that he is close to being cut as well.
In addition I would consider removing the out of form players in the squad with an eye on the RWC, namely Chiliboy, CJ van der Linde, Ryan Kankowski or Pierre Spies (one of the 2), Rickie Januarie, Butch James and Jean de Villiers…. good bye, thanks for coming!
I would replace Dicky with either Fleckie or Slapchips.
I would replace Gary Gold with Heyneke Meyer or at least with Mathew Proudfoot
I would replace the ousted players as follows:
Chiliboy replaced with Gary Botha or Tiaan Liebenberg – and promote the chosen hooker to a starting berth, with John Smit relegated to the bench.
I’d replace CJ with Werner Kruger or the incumbant Cheetahs tighthead prop.
Replace the dropped loosie with Juan Smith or a true fetcher like Steggies (how serious is his injury?), till Brussow is properly fixed.
Ricky would be replaced by Sarel Pretorius but I’d give Hougie a go in a starting berth at scrummie, with Ruan on the bench.
I’d replace Butch with Lambie to get the youngster into the fold as fullback / flyhalf sub… and I’d forget Butch existed altogether.
I’d replace Jean de Villiers with JP Pietersen or Lwazi Mvovo and I’d play this player to start in place of Gio at right wing.
I’d promote Juan de Jongh to start at No 12 in place of Wynand who moves to the bench, however I’d play Wynand – No 12 and De Jongh – No 13 in the 21 August Test, which Jaque will miss due to suspension.
OK GBS you spoke about a lot here.
I think what has happened (its actually obvious) the NZ and Aussie teams have had since the world cup to watch our game plan and they now counter it, they dont kick the ball out, they run it and their backline is disciplined in attack and defense…they can be broken down, we just need to study them and individual players.
We should now adapt our game plan before the world cup, but be careful not to play to the opposition strengths but to our strengths if we can. Essentially we have to keep the other teams guessing.
The coach…the players are listless and that indicates lack of leadership to me and that rests entirely on the coaches shoulders and in our particular team to a degree on J Smits shoulders. I mentioned it in one of your other blogs…the motivational guys must be brought in NOW.
Unfit and tired players…in our last 3 tests the players that were trying the hardest were the new guys in the team, the established players were lacklustgre, so there needs to be rest and recuperation, mental work done with the guys and the game plan must be revised (the senior players must participate in this as this is the Saffer way).
One thing we mustnt do is make wholesale permanent changes nolw, as we then might as well kiss the world cup goodbye. Hoskins must have a chat to PDV and say “denigrating refs and the rules is not going to help anything, we must adapt or die” (to coin an overworked phrase) Smit must be rested and must do fitness work in the gym, he must go and revisit his people skills. Both these guys must be asked…”are you prepared to change and give it a go” and if they arent, then they should be shown the door…but not arbitraily kicked out. Fitness wise Victor is looking to me like he is past it and maybe there isnt a way back for him, but a good rest and rehabilitation will fix that…Bakkies has had and is getting plenty of rest and fitness work.
Decisions must be made now what we are going to be doing next year, are we going full out for the S14 and play 2nd team players in the Tri Nations and other tests, I think this is the route we should go.
We cannot do without a fetcher and we should ahve two good ones in the squad, finished. Butch is not our backup flyhalf so we must find another and Ruan must be backup scrummie…settle on a centre combination and then depending on Victor we might need another lineout king.
Rassie should come into the coaching mix and dare I say it…Eddie Jones
If PDV goes (his own decision, adapt or die) then Meyer should get the nod.
JMHO
But overall I think tiredness and injury is the major problem here and read mental tiredness into that equation too. So let the young guys play the rest of the tri-nations and the guys that need time at the top level before they are at 100% again (eg JPP etc)
For Victor read “rest and rehabilitation MIGHT fix that”
Sjoe julle wil baie dinge aanvang.
Sal een ding nie dalk die hele lot wat wereld sterre was laasjaar, laat wakkerskik nie.
Kry iemand wat geglo kan word en haal die grootbek Dick uit.
Onthou dat net een man se insette vir Jake White gered het, Eddie Jones.
Looking at the timeline till the RWC in NZ, now would be the time to do all the changes envisaged… otherwise those changes will be too close to RWC 2011…
Latest Poll on PR
What now for the Springboks?
*Axe the coach and captain
*Fire the coach
*Drop the skipper
*Wholesale changes: Under performers must go!
*Nothing! They’ll be better at home
*Same players, new gameplan!
net my vyf sent hier in gooi
1 miskien is daar te veel senior spelers te veel leiers en te min volgelinge ek weet nie of julle gesien het hoe matfield vir john uitgek@k het ne die mossie geel kaart nie
2dalk net so n tikkie provinsialisme daar met die bulls en stomers wat die meerderheid is (kort nog ‘n paar cheetahs om hulle plat te hou
3face it pdv is nou maar n harde kop en niks sal hom van sy sieninge laat afwyk nie
4ek dink regtig dat vic en bakkies en danie john almal baaie naby aan hulle sell by dates is
5blood die youngsters soos vermeulen sarel stegman van velse nou sodat hulle darem ‘n bietjie ondervinding het volgende jaar
@ smallies72:
Ek hoop nie hulle gooi nou die apelkar om nie.
1. stem dat die seniors nou te groot rol oorgeneem het. Maak reg deur n streng nuwe hulp afrigter in te bring.
3. Ek dink PdV het vroeer gese hy will van sy afrigtings personeel verander, n berig in Rapport gewees. Maar iemand het n stok in die wiel gesteek. Hoop hy doen dit nou.
@ superBul:
die probleem is dat ek dink die senior ouens begin nou in maraton terme die muur tref ek hoop hulle kan nog hou tot na die wc maar ek begin dink dit gaan dalk net 10-15 toetse te ver weg wees
@ superBul:
Hulle se ‘n vis vrot van die kop af. As die hulp afrigters moet waai, moet PdV eerste waai. Hy is op die einde van die dag verantwoordelik vir die game plan. As sy assistente nie die mas op kom nie moet hy hulle fire.
@ smallies72:
kyk Victor het nou wel n paar balle verloor maar JS is so erg af van sy vorm dat hy in alle fassete sy skerpheid verloor het. Sy ingooie sy kapteinskap alles ly nou. Maar n goeie oefen program kan hom dalk daai ekstra jaar gee. Major besluit.
Kyk ek was nog nooit mal oor hom nie (JS) maar om nou te verander kan radikaal wees. Dalk goed , dalk disastrous.
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