After the umpteenth “review” on Pieter de Villiers it is clear the coaching panel is now cast in stone for the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand. It is therefor imperative that we now find within ourselves the passion and patriotism in our character to support our Springbok team and the coaching staff. Our personal feelings in this matter must be set aside as we look towards next year as the Springboks will need our positivity more than ever before and any negativity towards either Pieter de Villiers or anyone else involved will only deter them on focusing on the job at hand.

It is likely that SARU may still find a knowledgeable coach who will be prepared to act as a consultant to the Springboks. Whether it happens though is neither here nor there.

There are positives when you want to look for them. Starting with our players we have the talent and depth of talent to send a squad second to none to the RWC. They have the experience of winning the Rugby World Cup, something none of the other teams have. New Zealand has not won the World Cup since 1987, Australia has not won since 1999, England who is the most recent winners apart from ourselves in 2007, will also have no world cup winners in their squad.

So the one advantage we have is almost half the likely squad who will participate in the tournament have won the RWC and knows how to win it again.

Our opponents in our pool are, Wales, Fiji, Samoa and Namibia, and between all of them only Wales has recorded a victory against the Springboks back on 26 June 1999.

Between all four these opponents we have won 31 Tests, lost 1 and drawn 1. The likelyhood that any of these teams could beat us down under is realistically very small. Wales should be our toughest opponent in the pool, but even then they struggle against the physicality of Fiji and Samoa, their respective records against these two Nations are 4 wins and 3 losses against Samoa, and 6 wins and 1 loss against Fiji.

I would therefor expect South Africa to top their pool.

Our Quarter final opponent will come from pool C which features, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Russia and the USA. Australia’s biggest threat comes from Ireland and the record between these two Nations is Australia leading with 20 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw. The last time Ireland beat Australia away from home was in 1979 in Sydney. Australia has a young team playing exciting rugby, the Irish team has not impressed this year and seem to be sliding. So we can assume that we will meet Ireland as the runner up in pool C as our quarter final opponent.

Ireland has a poor history in the tournament and although they have made the quarter finals 5 times, they have been beaten by Australia twice, France twice and Argentina once. Although their record of late has been very good against us, they haven’t played SA outside of their borders for nigh on 6 years and in 7 Tests away from home they are yet to beat us.

Up to the quarter finals we would expect the Springboks to win and face New Zealand in the semi final.

Realistically we were always aware that any Rugby World Cup tournament hosted in New Zealand would be tough. They have home ground advantage and have the best home record by a long shot. Their worst home record is against the Springboks with 73%, overall they have an 82% win ratio at home.

The reality is to win in New Zealand has always been very tough, but going into the Rugby World Cup with the knowledge that Pieter de Villiers has beaten the All Blacks twice in five outings in New Zealand in his tenure as Springbok coach, improves our chances to 40%.

If that is the odds against New Zealand in 2011, I’ll take it. New Zealand also has the “chokers” tag hanging perilously around their necks and the public expectation will be an added mental hurdle they will need to overcome.

Think back to 1995, when Kitch Christie took a team mostly made up of the then Transvaal Super 10 champions of 1993, the All Blacks were overwhelming favourites to lift the Cup for a second time. They froze, we were the ones that showed the world how to stop the Jonah Lomu juggernaut. Who will ever forget when Joost took him down the first time, and when Japie Mulder rubbed his nose in the ground, how little James Small had the task of hanging on until the big boys could bring Lomu to ground.

It will be moments like these, little victories that will make the difference. We have the best win ratio in New Zealand, we have the best line out in the world with Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield. We should have a top loose trio, the incomparable Fourie du Preez. Morne Steyn is a points machine and the right man for the job at knockout rugby. Our backline has experience, but most of all we have done this before and New Zealand wants to win this badly, in fact that is the reason why we will most likely beat them.

So come on, let us here on RT get behind Pieter de Villiers and his team. He is after all the man who will be leading us to the Rugby World Cup, for better or worse.

40 Responses to The time for positivity is now

  • 1

    I will join in biltongbek, all your reasons are valid.

    Add to that, the negative factors waiting for NZ and we are there for the fight. It is now also time for some of the senior Springboks to come out in Public and show their support for Peter.

  • 2

    You forgot to mention that this beautiful bus is being driven by a “GoldDicking Clown” 😉

  • 3

    Yes agree, we have to be positive. BUT really think we need a new backline and forward coach.

  • 4

    Just reading on Sports24.

    See Syd Nomis had one of his legs amputated just above the knee. Seems he got blod clots in that leg. Op was done in Zurich Switzerland.

    All the best to him. Wish him a speedy recovery.

  • 5

    @ Puma:
    Sad for Siddie, wish him all the best.

  • 6

    Sad about Sid, I know his family in JHB and he truly is a hero.

    Talking about a great guy from a great era makes it even harder for me to say this :

    A small part of me wants to see the Boks blow up on the EOYT, surely SARU will have to fire all 3 stooges then not just change Muir and Gold.

    Quite simply Div is the problem – if you sack Muir and Gold is he really going to listen to a forceful and competent coach like Rassie or Heineken Meyer ? I think not and we will probably end up with an even bigger mess next year when he goes complaining to Regan and tries to get his new assistants sacked. No competent coach is going to work under Div and everyone surely sees him as the problem. HE MUST GO !!!

    I dont want to get into the whole Afriforum/ABSA debate (i dont know enough about it) but if ABSA are the new Bok sponsors hopefully they will get involved and put pressure on SARU as there is no way they will want to be associated with a losing team and a lunatic coach with his crazy mouth. He will embarass them and hopefully they will force SARU to act.

  • 7

    nice article. and it is a very good idea. but i doubt if the general rugby public is really ready to stand behind snor.

    he first needs to admin that there is much more wrong, than just a conspiracy against the boks.

  • 8

    I’m FULLY behind the Bokke in my support for my Nation, therefore I will now have to settle and accept that Snorman and his 2 stooges will take us through past RWC 2011.

    Fully supporting a team and a Nation and the cause we are fighting in world rugby does not however dictate that I have to become blind and dumb to blatent farkups perpetrated by Snorrie and his staff and / or SARU.

    In other words DESPITE Snorrie, Muir and Gold….. I support the Bokke (and always have) and I place the Bokke right up there on a pedestal.

    Go Bokke!

  • 9

    bloubulblog.co.za wrote:

    nice article. and it is a very good idea. but i doubt if the general rugby public is really ready to stand behind snor.
    he first needs to admin that there is much more wrong, than just a conspiracy against the boks.

    I agree with you that he needs to admit there are many things that need to be looked at and can be improved.

    But DEN ON DE ARRE HAND DERM how would I react to a public that is continuously negative toward my appointment.

    The fact is PDV is there and he is not going to leave, a couple of guys have mentioned a few factors that influenced our performances and I could probably add a few more. There are true facts that impeded us such as, discipline, yellow cards, injuries, poor execution and slow starts. But there were also some good moments in the matches where we did take control, and we need to focus on those. the players will also have to take some responsibility, that is what the Englaish players did in 2007 after their poor performance against the springboks in the pool match.

    All is not lost, but complaining more won’t help the issue.

    Springbok rugby is not the domain of the white rugby supporter anymore, we need to realise that. If we can’t accept that, then perhaps it is time to support another team.

    I for one cannot forsake my beloved Springboks.

  • 10

    We are all passionate Bok fans who want to see the Boks winning.
    However we need to understand how the world works today when it comes to professional sport.
    There is no place to hide or rest in a professional game like rugby where success on the field can be measured in millions of Rand.
    It is similar to employing the best executives in the world to run an international company.
    The teams with the best management will more often than not be on top.
    The best managers and coaches are constantly re inventing the game and moving it onwards.
    This is where the road to success starts and ends, with innovative, intelligent men running the show and reaching for the next advantage to do better than the opposition.
    No amount of passion in the team and support from the public can escape the cold facts of what is needed to win in a professional sport.
    There is no sentiment.
    There is no place for political appointments or favours.
    The very best coaching and management are a non negotiable START to winning.
    If you don’t have that, you are in trouble from the start.
    There is no place to hide coaches or players who are not the very best.

  • 11

    @ tight head:
    But then we live in South Africa, our situation is unique. We do not have the luxury at this point in time to select the Best coaches, or even in some cases the best players.

    So either we suck it up, and do the best with what we have, or we go home with our heads hung low.

    Dis hoe dit is….Vra vir Steve.

  • 12

    @ biltongbek:
    mmm… as for your question of how you would react, that is unfortunately part of his job. only an utter imbecile would have been unaware of the pressures on a bok coach.

    he is in a public role, and should act like a professional, same as expected from his players. you don’t see john smit or victor matfield or schalk burger blaming conspiracies for our losses. if he is going to be saying silly things like that, he should be expecting the backlash.

    not too sure what you mean by the following:

    Springbok rugby is not the domain of the white rugby supporter anymore, we need to realise that. If we can’t accept that, then perhaps it is time to support another team.

  • 13

    Hey GBS, Biltongbek

    no pain no gain as they say. I definitely dont ever like to see the boks get beaten and am also fully behind them everytime BUT if Snor is to get the chop maybe a few more days of pain and disappointment are worth it ??

    If I said to you we lose to Ireland and say England (it really hurts to say that) and Div definitely then goes would you accept those odds ?

    I will feel it even more keenly than most as I am about to stump up £200 plus for ticket, hotel and vast amounts of grog. I’ve done this about 10 times before and only have 2 or 3 wins to show for it.

    Last year we embarked on the EOYT in an even better position than this year and ended up still getting dicked and that was against 2 clubs sides as well. There is no guarantee that we wont come up short again this year – I never want to see SA lose ever but it may be necessary if change is to come. In other words if things do go tits up on the EOYT it might have a silver lining.

    btw I was at a talk yesterday where an English premiership ref claimed than Jonathan Kaplan bets on the outcome of test matches he is officiating in, when the room gasped he said Kaplan has a house on the Gold Coast thats why he favours Oz and has been in trouble for betting on S14 games. ever heard this before ?

  • 14

    @ bloubulblog.co.za:
    What i mean is that we will have to get used to the fact that our coaching teams won’t be lilly white from now on, please understand I want exactly the same thing as you. A forward thinking coach who is technically astute, with good man management skills and knows what to say to the media.

    I have no choice in the matter, as much as i will try to lower my expectations and convince myself we have no chance in the RWC, I know come the time where the whistle blows to start every match, I will be on the edge of my seat willing the Springboks all the way, no matter what my head tells me.

  • 15

    @ biltongbek:
    Biltong I hear you, but simply put if we do not have the luxury of the best coaches then we must just accept losing.
    Because losing is a result of not having the best.
    We cannot have it both ways.
    We cannot say we do not have the best coaches but we will still beat the best in the world consistently.
    As I said before there is no sentiment in a professional sport.
    The world will not feel sorry for us because we are trying to make compromises.
    They will simply say, look at the scoreboard.

  • 16

    Mielie Pap Mike wrote:

    If I said to you we lose to Ireland and say England (it really hurts to say that) and Div definitely then goes would you accept those odds

    Who wouldn’t, but it is not going to happen. He will have to lose the next 8 tests before the RWC, and then it will be too late to get another coach.

  • 17

    15@ tight head:
    I know, and I hate that. The rest of the world is smiling while we have politics still ruling our sport.

  • 18

    To sum it up in a few words:

    Would you accept a disastarous EOYT if it means Div gets the chop ?

    By disastarous I mean losses to 2 NH teams say ireland and england, baabaas are a massive banana skin as well

    I am all in favour of a black coach provided he can do the job – Allister Coetzee has been building to be Bok no 1 and I would have no problem with him, but if in a year results stink then he should be sacked.

  • 19

    snor will not be fired before the WC. even if he loses all the tests on the year end tour. now was the last window of opportunity to give another coach a fighting chance to rescue something.

    i am not sure if my posts pointed to the contrary, but even though i despise snor, i will always support the boks. when they run on to the field, winning is all that matters.

    but that does not mean i have to support snor and his antics. how can a coach not admit that we need a defense coach? how can a coach be so ‘deur die k@k’ and think there is nothing wrong with Bok rugby?

    with the talent at our disposal currently, we should be thumping anyone travelling to SA, and be damn competitive anywhere else on the planet.

  • 20

    @ bloubulblog.co.za:
    I want to say this.

    I think SARU and Snor know these things, they are very, very aware of the problem areas. The problem is they can’t say or admit it in public. I have said before i don’t beleive it is SARU’s priority to win the RWC, but I think I am wrong. They do want to win the RWC, probably more than we want to, I am sure, in fact I fully beleive they know exactly how the public feel, and all the more reason for them to want to prove that PDV can do it.

    I am also sure a lot goes on behind cosed doors to get structures and consutlants in place to help, that we don’t know of. They just want to do it in a manner where they and PDV saves face.

  • 21

    If Snor is not going to be sacked before the WC then I am going into deep hibernation until 2012. Wake up when he’s gone.

    Thats the problem – being a Bok supporter at times calls for nothing more than blind optimism that we will win when all the odds and omens are against us.

    I suppose I remain optimistic that Snor will be sacked one day but from what you are saying that wont happen so I will have get used to another year of nonsense all round.

    At least he gives Nik Rabinowitz material to work with so he does have some positive impact.

  • 22

    the springboks belong to the people of SA. if that is the case, that SARU and snor is trying to fix things in the back, and not telling the rugby public about it, then it is a slap in the face for us as supporters.

    we as supporters pay anything between R350 and R450 for test tickets, we buy the supporters gear, etc etc.

    if they are only looking to save face, they have the wrong motivation.

  • 23

    Mielie Pap Mike wrote:

    ABSA are the new Bok sponsors hopefully they will get involved and put pressure on SARU as there is no way they will want to be associated with a losing team and a lunatic coach with his crazy mouth

    You dont want to HEAR what Ramos said today.

  • 24

    tight head wrote:

    Because losing is a result of not having the best.

    Would you say that Australia have a better coach, well his pedigree looks great but his results even worse than OUR Bad coach. There was never a chance for Peter after Hoskins had his say.

    We have a Rugby Boss and Coach who said the wrong things and we are blinded by that.

  • 25

    Did she say some of the guys went wild,wild,wild and some went wilder still or some similar nonsense.

    You know when a banker is lying….their lips move.

    I really have done zip work today – this is such a distraction.

  • 26

    @ Mielie Pap Mike:
    Absa GCE Maria Ramos has made it clear that whoever pays the piper, calls the tune in SA’s rugby transformation.

  • 28

    Well maybe we should start preparing ourselves to suck the hind tit of the four nations, mentally accepting that we won’t ever be the best in the world again.

    Nah, BullS..t, I won’t accept that.

  • 29

    biltongbek wrote:

    Well maybe we should start preparing ourselves to suck the hind tit of the four nations, mentally accepting that we won’t ever be the best in the world again.
    Nah, BullS..t, I won’t accept that.

    Sure is a tough thing to imagine…but hell, if they want to put players on the field for the sake of transformation, I will rather support the All Blacks and watch the old games on ESPNC!

  • 30

    Mielie Pap Mike wrote:

    btw I was at a talk yesterday where an English premiership ref claimed than Jonathan Kaplan bets on the outcome of test matches he is officiating in, when the room gasped he said Kaplan has a house on the Gold Coast thats why he favours Oz and has been in trouble for betting on S14 games. ever heard this before ?

    Thats interesting Mike, where was this talk held and what is the name of the English premiership ref? Its not right that you can just make such statements about an alledged accusation but not name the accused and the platform from which it came.

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