Well it is now time for reflection and hopefully the emotions have settled down a little. I thought it would be interesting to look at the match statistics and see what can be taken from them.
These statistics courtesy of scrum.com
Kicks from hand, SA 27, NZ 17 Passes, SA 75, NZ 170
Runs SA 69, NZ 114
Meters ran, SA 217, NZ 592
Clean breaks, SA 2, NZ 0
Defenders beaten, SA 8, NZ 5
Offloads, SA 4, NZ 11
Rucks, SA 64, NZ 90
Turnovers conceded, SA 11, NZ 13
Tackles made, SA 134, NZ 68
Tackles missed SA 5, NZ 8
Scrums, SA won 8, lost 1, NZ won 7
Line outs, SA won 5 lost 2, NZ won 7 lost 2.
Penalties conceded, SA 9, NZ 10
Statistics of the South African half back pairing.
From the base of the ruck, Hougaardt played the ball 53 teams kicking 10, passing 38 times and running 5 times. Morne Steyn handled the ball 23 times and kicked 10, passed 11 and ran twice. Januarie came on late in the second half and only made one tackle, not sure how correct that is.
So in total the South African half back pairing handled the ball 76 times between them, kicking 20 passing 49 times and running 7 times.
Statistics of the All Black half back pairing.
Cowan handled the ball 41 times, kicking 2, passing 36 and running 3 times Carter handled the ball 45 times, kicking 7 times, passing 30 times and running 8 times. Weepu who came on in the second half handled the ball 46 times, kicking 3 times, passing 39 times and running 4 times.
So overall the NZ halfback pairings handled the ball 132 times, kicking 12 times, passing 105 times and running 15 times.
What me must take in consideration is that territory belonged to the All Blacks and there were very few defensive kicks on their side, whereas the South Africans spent quite a bit of time in their own 22, albeit not with much ball in hand.
Overall the SA halfback pairings kicked 26% of their possession and the All Blacks a mere 9% of their possession.
This is a statistic I am not too unhappy about, it did show some improvement in variation from the South Africans and percentage wise 26% is not all that much if you take in consideration they were camped in their half quite often. It does show to me that there were much more intent on running the ball as to previous tests and with more possession and field position they can be dangerous.
What does concern me however, is still the lack of ball out wide, the Springbok back line excluding the half backs only handled the ball 30 times, whereas the All Black back line handled the ball 101 times.
The South African forwards handled the ball 60 times, that is twice as many times as the backs. The All Black forwards on the other hand handled the ball 65 times.
So looking at the balance of play, SA apart from their half backs play the ball with their forwards 66% of the time and the All Black forwards play the ball 40% of the time.
The problem I see with this statistic is that the close encounter attacks with your forwards will mainly set up rucks and little go forward ball but this is where defences are traditionally strongest and to find the gaps, create angled running etc, you need your back line.
Things are improving, but there is still ways to go for SA, they need their backline to get at least 50% of the ball, and allow them some room to create. Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon has played a strong defensive match, but with no ball in hand, they cannot create play as we believe they should.
The fact is Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen and Gio Aplon is not the worst back line players out there, but they need ball to prove it.
Question is, if you bring Frans Steyn back, will he just add to the kicking or will he bring creativity?
Lastly I was impressed with the passion and verocity that the South Africans tackled, yes at the end we missed tackles and lost the game, but for 75 minutes it was a great spectacle and gives me hope after the disappointment of the Antipodes.
To much kicking…..giving away our possesion, forcing us to make to many twice as many tackles as they had to….making the guys tired.
@ bos_otter: should have read..
To much kicking…..giving away our possesion, forcing us to make twice as many tackles as they had to….making the guys tired. No wonder they struggled towards the end
Morning everyone.
So Biltongbek, Tell us how many kicks Morne kicked infield? Why did you not get more out, right out into the stands to allow us for more lineouts? The more lineouts we would have taken we would have got better there. The more he kept kicking up infield and allowing them to run back at us in their half was plain daft. That what made us tackle our butts off and tired our players out totally.
Morne only seems to do that if FdP is playing. Once FdP is not he is just not the same player. Also if we want to keep possession and play attacking rugby we need a new flyhalf as simple as that.
Puma wrote:
Correct that to. Why did HE not get more out.
Puma, I agree.
Apart from the two balls he kicked over the dead ball which were crucial in getting the All Blacks back in our half, my concern is that we didn’t learn from the Wallabie tests match 2 weeks ago.
australia had more than 50 of the possession, and proved that the All Blacks are as fallable as any other team.
How did we plan our match to keep kicking possession away?
@ Puma: Hey Buddy…how’s things mate? You must be extatic over the Sharks win…see they are top of the table atm 🙂
bos_otter @ 7
😀 who’s B-TEAM did the sharks play this weekend? 😉
@ Ashley: rofl…true dat 🙂
@ Ashley:
sies, Ashley, hulle het mooi gespeel. Maar was dit nie jou span wat so bietjie op hulle les gekry het nie? 😆
@ bos_otter:7 – Howzit Bos, Yip that was a great win for my Sharkies.
@ Ashley:8 – Ash, Who said B team…..hehehehe. Yes agree, true test will come from the last game. Sharks at Newlands probably with some of your Boks back.
@ Puma:
So what do think of Lambie and Mvovu?
Bismarck also looked in good form.
@ biltongbek:6 – Bek, Have no idea why we kept kicking up infield that was the problem. Had we kicked it far out and taken more lineouts we could have controlled it better, we would have got better with it and probably solen a few from them. We allowed them far, far too much possession by just kicking it back to them. Made us have to tackle way, way too much.
@ Puma:
But why do we keep doing it, why aren’t we learning from it, it is not rocket science.
puma @ 11
was pulling your (and all other sharks supporters’) legs
bilongbek @ 10
😀 cant help myself, lol
@ biltongbek:12 – Bek, I think Lambie is doing just well at flyhalf. Needs more time there but he is showing just what he can do. Has made a difference to our game there too. I have rated Mvovo from last year’s CC. Right now think he would be playing far better than Habs at 11. Bissie was very good on Saturday. Once he keeps the discipline he is really great. Think he may get a call up this week for the Boks but what happens to Chilli then??????
Lambie and E. Jantjies probably for the future for the Boks. Have to play em both somewhere. Maybe one at inside centre and the other at FH. Lambie has that BMT already. I would take him on the eoyt and Mvovo HAS to go on that tour too and probably E. Jantjies too.
@ Puma:Add Basson to that list too. He is playing very good rugby. Should get a call up for the eoyt as well.
We sure do have some great youngsters coming through.
@ Ashley:15 – Ash, I know boeta 😀
Tackles made and turnovers made tells a lot about the heart of a team.
I was happy with how we tackled them back aggressively in the 1st half, how we competed for ground ball.
Something stats cannot show is the quality of possession a team enjoyed and that alone steaks volumes in a game.
@ biltongbek:14 – Ja, I have no idea either. Maybe need a new flyhalf. Just have no clue really. If we want to keep more possession then we need a new flyhalf. If we want to kick it up then Morne has to get it right again. Need to kick it way out so we can take the lineouts.
@ Puma:
How about this for a future backline
Francois Hougaardt
Patric Lambie
Mvovu
Juan de Jongh
Jaque Fourie
JP Pietersen
Frans Steyn.
JUst after the RWC when everyone retires.
@ biltongbek:12 – Bek, Your feeling on Lambie and Mvovu?
More GBS, ja die stats vertel vir my twee belangrike dinge.
Ons behou ons besit met ons rucks goed genoeg, maar ons skop die besitting weg, en ons agterlyn spelers kry nie bal nie.
Weereens nie genoeg variasie nie.
@ biltongbek:21 😀 😀 Makes me smile that..LOL. Bugger that lineup looks awesome. We have talent for sure. Now really hope after the world cup we have a new coach with that talent.
22@ Puma:
Puma I watched the junior World Championships and could see the difference in maturity with Lambie vs the rest of the guys already.
If the Sharks do not stuff him around as much as they did Pienaar, we may have an allround flyhalf in SA for the first time in yonks.
Mvovu, I like him, my concern is that he is already almost mid twenties, and if he doesn’t get an opportunity soon, it may never come.
23@ biltongbek:
Ja, besit word weggeskop, maar onthou dit is die Game Plan, soos onder instruksie van Snorrie en sy Assistente.
Verkeerde Game Plan in my opinie met Fourie du Preez nie daar nie, maar verder aan die anderkant Tricky Dicky is agterlyn afrigter… die vraag is of hy ENIGSINS ‘n agterlyn kan coach om vlam te vat op die aanval, hy kon dit duidelik nie regkry met die Lions in die Super 14 nie (0 uit 13) en sover ook duidelik nie met die Bokke nie (0 uit 4 in die Tri-Nations)….
25@ biltongbek:
Lambie is a very tentative and inacurate goal kicker…. very limited there
24@ Puma:
You could also add Gerhard van den Heever to that back line.
@ grootblousmile:
Korrek, maar daarom sit ek Frans Steyn op Heelagter, dit gee ons die geleentheid om die agterlyn te laat loop en Frans kan pale toe mik, en ons het nog steeds sy “boot” vir distance.
@ biltongbek:25 – Bek, My feeling too. Hope Sharks don’t mess Lambie about too. Think we will leave him at FH. Think that was where Plum wanted him to play from the start. Bring him in first at FB where he could have more time then inside centre. Got the flyhalf postion a bit early dut to injury but what the heck that is fine with me. He has shown he is the one that should be playing there. Think he is way better than Meyer.
Mvovo is 24 turns 25 next March I think. Time for him to get a chance. Though we know it wont happen. Habs will never get dropped but he has been awful this Tri-Nations. He too cost us that try with McCaw being out of postion and leaving a huge gap there. I would try out Mvovo in the eoyt. Think most senior Boks are going to be rested so take the very best youngsters on that tour. NOT like we done last year.
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