Article from Sport 24

Boks look ‘sick and tired’

Two All Blacks legends wrote in New Zealand’s Herald on Sunday that the Springboks were “tired” and “looked a bit sick” after the defending Tri-Nations received a second drubbing in eight days from New Zealand and Bok Captain John Smit’s performance was again singled out.

Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick who is a columnist for the Herald on Sunday, wrote: “This South African team looks tired to me. John Smit looks tired and Bryan Habana, Ricky Januarie and Jean de Villiers all seem off the pace.” He wrote that the All Blacks were smarter and more physical than the Boks.

“That’s where the All Blacks were superior. They were better and smarter at getting the ball over the advantage line – whereas the Boks just kept banging it up the old No 1 channel; and got crushed.”

His team-mate and fellow front row forward prop Richard Loe, also in the Herald on Sunday, questioned Bok team selections and especially the lack of aggression of the Springboks.

“The Boks look a bit sick to me. The Boks were too cocksure last week and did not know how to fix it this week. We got used to seeing them take charge in the Super 14 but it hasn’t happened in the test team.

“They didn’t carry the ball well in the first Test and it wasn’t much better this week. The All Blacks got in among them, their aggressive nature put the Boks under real pressure and they didn’t really have an answer; there’s no real structure there right now.”

This begs the question: Was Professor Tim Noakes right? 

Many are blaming the team selection, the influence of Alain Rolland or poor execution of the game plan.  To a degree this is correct.  But what is the cause? Are the Boks playing to much rugby? Are they fatigued?

“Humans can generally play and train really hard for about 10 weeks before they start to show signs of fatigue”    Professor Tim Noakes

The manner in which we lost can mostly be ascribed to fatigue. Another poor showing next week will surely strengthen the “fatigue” argument.

Bok players will undertake a phased conditioning programme after the Vodacom Tri-Nations campaign as part of the South African Rugby Union’s long-term planning for 2011.

This move by the South African Rugby Union must be applauded.  This will hopefully rectify the much debated “fatigue”  issue we are currently seeing in the Tri Nations this year.