The Springboks were tactically pathetic and physically overwhelmed in what can only be described as an embarrassing performance.
Article by Quintin van Jaarsveld
The Springboks took their most significant slump of a disastrous 2010 season when their Grand Slam aspirations were dashed by a tactically superior Scottish side at Murrayfield on Saturday with the road to their World Cup title defence in New Zealand less than a year away looking more ominous than ever.
The 21-17 loss, only the Boks’ fifth ever defeat to Scotland in 104 years, was the worst display by the men in Green and Gold since the 49-0 shutout against the Wallabies in Brisbane in 2006.
They were tactically pathetic and physically overwhelmed in what can only be described as an embarrassing performance.
Serious question marks hang over the team’s management, their often-clueless game plan and depth in specialist positions with calls for coach Peter de Villiers’ axing flaring up and spreading across South Africa like wildfire. The blame for the defeat, however, should dually fall on De Villiers and the players.
The Boks’ renowned kick-and-chase game plan is flawed without the pinpoint precision of the injured Fourie du Preez and De Villiers’ stubbornness to persist with the strategy is perplexing.
This is after all the same De Villiers that, upon landing the Springbok coach position, promised to transform the world champions into an attacking side.
On the players’ side, Ruan Pienaar and Francois Hougaard have failed miserably in their attempts to emulate Du Preez while there is no definite second-choice flyhalf to take over from incumbent Morne Steyn when he is off his game in the current game plan.
The Boks are also desperately missing injured ace scavenger Heinrich Brussow. Deon Stegmann has failed to take the step-up to Test rugby, Keegan Daniel hasn’t had a real opportunity to show his worth, while only De Villiers knows why he omitted Francois Louw from the squad.
The much-praised character that carried the Boks to narrow victories over Ireland and Wales was also conspicuously absent against the Scots. They will need character, heart and passion in abundance to score an unlikely win over an ever-improving England on Saturday, but with the Grand Slam dream shattered, those qualities will be hard to come by.
England, in contrast, recently gave the mighty All Blacks a run for their money and are coming off their first back-to-back November victories in six years. Their destruction of the Wallabies, in which they demonstrated newfound attacking prowess in a commanding 35-18 victory, was especially worrying from a Bok point of view.
They have a great record against the Boks at Twickenham in recent years and will be licking their chops in anticipation of welcoming the wounded Boks into their fortress.
Disturbing flashbacks of the record 52-3 defeat to England at the same venue in 2002 pester the mind, but I doubt the Boks, despite their dire state, will stoop that low on Saturday.
A defeat to England, though, irrespective of the margin, would be the final nail in the Bok coffin on a Grand Slam tour in which the world champions suffered lasting damage and fell way behind arch-rivals the All Blacks, who are coasting to their fourth Grand Slam title.
Whilst no immediate solution to halting the Boks’ rapid fall from grace seems imminent as it is unlikely that De Villiers will receive a pink slip this close to the World Cup, definite and long overdue changes need to be made in the next few days whether it be in selection, strategy or both.
The ignorance and stubbornness of the camp can simply no longer be tolerated.
P de Villiers last 25 results before the start of the World Cup
2011
All Blacks
Australia
All Blacks
Australia
2010
England
1 17-21 Scotland(L)
2 29-25 Wales(W)
3 23-21 Ireland(W)
4 39-41 Australia(L)
5 44-31 Australia(W)
6 22-29 New Zealand(L)
7 13-30 Australia(L)
8 17-31 New Zealand(L)
9 12-32 New Zealand(L)
10 55-11 Italy(W)
11 29-13 Italy(W)
12 42-17 France(W)
13 34-31 Wales(W)
14 10-15 Ireland(L)
15 32-10 Italy(W)
16 13-20 France(L)
17 32-29 New Zealand(W)
18 6-21 Australia(L)
19 32-25 Australia(W)
20 29-17 Australia(W)
Jake Whites last 25 results before the World Cup
2007
1 105-13 Namibia(W)
2 6-33 New Zealand(L)
3 17-25 Australia(L)
4 21-26 New Zealand(L)
5 22-19 Australia(W)
6 35-8 Samoa(W)
7 55-22 England(W)
8 58-10 England(W)
9 25-14 England(W)
2008
10 21-23 England(L)
11 15-32 Ireland(L)
12 24-16 Australia(W)
13 21-20 New Zealand(W)
14 26-45 New Zealand(L)
15 18-20 Australia(L)
16 17-35 New Zealand(L)
17 0-49 Australia(L)
18 26-36 France(L)
19 26-36 France(L)
20 29-15 Scotland(W)
21 36-16 Scotland(W)
22 20-26 France(L)
23 33-16 Wales(W)
24 34-23 Argentina(W)
25 27-31 New Zealand(L)
@ Piet visagie:
Strauli 52%
Viljoen 53%
Mallet 71%
Nou kyk ek gaan nie nou weer vir Peter verdedig nie ek is net so gatvol vir die gesukkel maar Jake het ons n moerse onguns aangedoen. Deur games te gooi het hy n president geskep waarmee PdeV gaan wegkom. Jake se rekord voor die Wereld Beker games was erg power, inteendeel as dit nie vir die 7 wenne in die WB was nie dan was dit horibaal.
Teen die einde van 2006 die jaar voor die WB het sy rekord gelees 59.5% wenne. Dit is amper op dieselfde stage waar ons nou is.
superBul wrote:
Sy laaste game voor die Wereldbeker teen Namibie het ons met 105-13 gewen wat hom in die WB laat instap het met presies 60% wenne.
Hoe meer jy na stats kyk hoe meer lyk hul aanloop na die WB dieselfde.
Net Jake het aanhoudend verkondig , assess my na die WB.
Jake was skoon terug geroep van sy laaste EOYT. Hulle het hom op die rooi tapyt gehad.
in die woorde van leon shuster “how can you play rugby without the bloody bal”
superbul.dankie vir die stats.al wat ek wil he is dat die bokke weer moet begin wen en tog nooit weer so speel soos saterdag nie.maar met snor-eish ek weet nie,hy weet dan nie hoe ons laaste gekom het in tri nations nie.daardie strauli was crap.tog volgens stats doen snor nie te bad nie.vergelyk met strauli en viljoen.
@ Piet visagie:
Die verskil tusen Snor en Struili is dat Snor het ‘n ervare span ge-erf en Struili nie. Snor het ook na senior spelers (Matfield & Smit) geluister, en Struili het geglo hy alleen weet wat is die beste.
Volgens my is die 2 ewe k@k en hoe verder hulle weg bly van die Bok span hoe beter.
Ek wonder nog steeds wie is in beheer van die Bok span, wie besluit die taktiek, of is daar ‘n komitee wat besluit wat gebeur?
Ek is nog steeds die moer in oor die naweek. Ek moes baie nonsens vandag by die werk opvreet!
@ Piet visagie:
34
Piet jis jong ek soek 80% plus, flok as die All Blacks dit kan doen kan ons ook. Ek was een van Jake se grootste kritici , ek kon dit nie hanteer toe hy games gegooi het ter wille van die WB nie. Die WB is vir my n 6/7 weke toernooi, dan is dit verby en vegete. Tussen in is daar 50 toetse of meer, dit maak regtig nie vir my sin dat die 7 wedstryde in die wereld beker meer belangrik is nie. %$#@ ek word sommer weer moerig….
Dus is daai stats vir my horibaal, kyk na die laaste klomp AB afrigters se gemiddeld, hulle lag hul gatte af vir ons man. Ons het net een strooihalm om aan te klou. WB.
Laurie Mains 68%
John Hart 75%
Wayne Smith 70%
John Mitchell 82%
Graham Henry 85%
GH played 90 won 77 lost 13
13 losses
SA- 7
Aus- 4
FRA- 2
Nou kyk teen wie verloor ons, bykans elke tom dick en harry
PdeV –
All Blacks – 5
Aus – 5
Lions – 1
FRA – 1
IRE – 1
Sco – 1
Totaal 14
Jake
All Blacks – 6
Aus – 5
IRE – 2
ENG – 2
Fra – 2 + 1 draw
Totaal 17
The Nightmare – by Pedro
I am living a nightmare! I want to wake up, but I can’t, there is still a half to go. All I can see is a Welsh team playing against a team in green. They go by the name Springboks, but are they? Springboks usually play with great passion. They don’t run up and half tackle opponents to let them make ground. Springboks don’t chase a kick and then stand and let the catcher run past them. Springbok centres try to create, not just crash into the opponents willy nilly. Springbok backs communicate on defence. Springbok backs play for the team, they don’t selfishly cut back in to try to score when there is a man ouside them completely unmarked, especially just before half time when a score is urgent.
Springbok forwards play as a pack. They do not stand around watching the opponents going forward and then try to stop them. They go in immediately and stop them at source. Sprinbok loose forwards link with and support the backs. They don’t stand and wait for the opposition to come to them, they attack.
I thought I had woken up, the real Springboks had returned . No its back! For the second time in a week Habana’s wing is found wanting by a simple cross kick. Is he no longer capable of learning? Noooooo! he misses a pass with an open line! Nooooo! another dropped pass on attack. Does the ball turn into soap by some magic when we have it? It doesn’t happen when the Welsh are in possession. Is Merlin hiding somewhere in the crowd?
Nooooo! Four points ahead. A replacement with four minutes to go. A new hooker to replace one that has been brilliant and immediately we lose an important defensive lineout. Is Merlin’s real name Peter de Villiers? It must be, we have just lost another lineout!!!!! Noooo! We’ve won the ball with 90 seconds to go. Pick and drive! Pick and Drive! Keep the ball! Nooooo! Why, oh why, kick for touch! It gives them the ball! Oh nooo! here they come! Defend!! Tackle!!! Tackle!!! Tackle!!!
Its over! We won!!
I need a good night’s sleep. My guardian angels, Gio Aplon and Willem Alberts, will keep me safe!
superbul.Dalk is dit tyd vir huis skoonmaak maar wat is kanse dat snor sal bedank of gefire word?nie goed nie,die man is bullet proof by sarfu.saterdag van n nightmare en ek kry die gevoel dit gaan net erger word.jake het mos verswakte span tri nations toe gestuur?
@ Pietman:
29
Jake took over.
John Smit, Juan Smith, Schalk Burger, Bakkies, Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Jacque Fourie, Os du Rand in 2004.
These guys all played in the 2003 WC under Straeuli – Jake got them to perform a little bit better. Like a 3N in 2004.
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