JEROME KAINO: “Some people don’t rate the players they’ve picked to play over here, but in my mind I still see them as threats and I see that team as a good team

Jerome Kaino was doing his best to talk up the Baby Boks yesterday as a genuine threat to the All Blacks in Wellington this Saturday, but it’s a tough sell on the evidence of their 39-20 loss on Saturday night.

“They showed in patches how dangerous they are. I don’t think we will read too much into the scoreboard. They have a lot of threats in their teams, but the Australians played really well and stopped them getting their game going.”

Kaino’s too experienced to take any South African side lightly, but he touched on the most encouraging aspect of their first-up Tri-Nations effort from a New Zealand perspective. “From what I saw I didn’t see anything too different from the past,” he said.

That’s where South Africa underwhelmed most of all. They used battering rams rather than guile or creativity, a poor option for a young side that would have been better advised to have a crack. 

Stormers second five-eighth Juan de Jongh is a talented player who carved up the Blues at Eden Park, Bulls wing Bjorn Basson is a finisher and Stormers fullback Gio Aplon an elusive counter attacker. These second-stringers have nothing to lose.

Instead, South Africa played lock-cum-blindside Danie Rossouw at openside and an increasingly predictable Morne Steyn ahead of Patrick Lambie at first five-eighth.

Coach Peter de Villiers has chosen to rest most of his World Cup prospects and build some experience among his backups, but their first-up effort suggests his conservative mindset has not changed.

The same coach who criticised Sonny Bill Williams’ ability to offload must have been livid at the outrageous way Wallaby first five-eighth Quade Cooper ran amok with his off-the-cuff ability to read what’s in front of him.

The Springboks approach will not have escaped the All Blacks who plan to up the ante at the breakdown and will run riot if South Africa’s backs miss as many tackles at Westpac Stadium as they did in Sydney.  But Kaino cautioned against writing South Africa off as one-dimensional, saying the Super Rugby season proved the same players were capable of far more.

“But they have a lot of players who can create things from nothing like those wings, the backs, some of the [loose] forwards off the bench like [Ryan] Kankowski, Jean Deysel.

“Although they played that traditional South African game plan, we expect them to bring a lot more.”

They’ll have to to challenge an All Blacks side that halfback Jimmy Cowan said would crank up several gears from their 60-14 win over Fiji.

“Some of the fundamental foundations were still lacking in areas,” Cowan said. “But we’ve only had three or four training runs together, so that was expected. It’s about building that game going forward and I imagine you will see a remarkable improvement over this week.”

Cowan also refused to water down the challenge of playing South Africa, who he said would be better for their first-up effort.

“These guys grow an arm and a leg when they play the All Blacks.”

Article by Toby Robson

23 Responses to All Blacks refuse to write off Baby Boks

  • 1

    a comment on the article- I hope this is what happens on Saturday, and i hope that there is some continuity retained by Peter de Villiers. No point in dishing out easy Bok jerseys.

    Anyone thinking the Boks will play a similar game against the AB’s, is frankly kidding themselves. The game I watched on Saturday night,was as if they were out on a training run. No intencity ,drive, attacking around the fringes, typical of S.A. football.No attacking in defence, jogging along beside the attacking Wallaby player. I don’t think they put anywhere near the same importance on beating Australia, in Australia, as they do the ” old foe”. I think we will see a totally different team policy this week, always happened so,in the past.And us, well we need to play, play, play, no, where near game fit. The best footy we play is always on tour, when they play constantly.

  • 2

    This is not the game we must win. Rather save it for the WC.

    The fact it is that SA only won 3 times, in New Zealand since 1992

    SA WINS IN NZ
    Sat, 25 Jul 1998 3N South Africa v New Zealand 13-3 Athletic Park, Wellington
    Sat, 12 Jul 2008 3N,FC n South Africa v New Zealand 30-28 Carisbrook, Dunedin
    Sat, 12 Sep 2009 3N,FC s South Africa v New Zealand 32-29 Rugby Park, Hamilton

    at least we drew one
    Sat, 06 Aug 1994 TO 3 South Africa v New Zealand 18-18 Eden Park, Auckland

    We won a 4th away game vs the All Blacks in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
    Thu, 04 Nov 1999 WC 3&4 South Africa v New Zealand 22-18

    We can go on and on about it but that glaring record tells a grim story. We must hope to be on song , in peak condition when we take NZ on in the WC and hope they stutter and choke.

    We have 7 games to play, how we use them will determine our fate.

  • 3

    Just to put it in perspective we played 20 games in New Zealand won 3 drew 1 LOST 16.
    On neutral ground it is 2-1-1-0

  • 4

    Our playing schedule is just great, just look at the time to rest, i would use the A team from the third TN test and give them the day of against Namibia. That will leave them all match hardened and fit plus good breaks in between.
    13 AUG TN Home
    20 AUG TN Home
    —3 week break
    11 SEP Wales
    17 SEP Fiji
    — almost 2 week break
    22 SEP Namibia Rest A team
    30 SEP Samoa
    8/9 Quarter Finals

  • 5

    I have written the Boks off for Saturdays game.

  • 6

    Geez, I turn my back for 36 hours, the Boks fall to pieces, the Lions win one away from home, then I log on, and there’s blood “all over the dance floor”.

    Emotions, emotions!

  • 7

    The Springboks losing is not a National disaster.

    Norway had a National disaster this weekend.

  • 8

    RYAN VREDE writes that it is nonsensical to measure the Springboks’ against their results achieved with a significantly weakened team.

    In the build-up to Saturday’s Test in Sydney, lost 39-20 after an insipid performance, we were bombarded with the same rhetoric: ‘We are not a B team’. This they so clearly are, and indeed, on evidence of their showing at the weekend, the argument could be made that calling them a B team is generous.

    However, to continue to peddle that argument is futile. The pertinent question to ask is how do they want to be measured and how should they be measured. You then make a judgement in that context.

    The first part of the question has been made a complex one by the coaches and players’ insistence that they be judged as a bona fide Springboks team, not a holding measure while the incumbents prepare for the World Cup at a training camp in Rustenburg with Rassie Erasmus.

    Bearing in mind that one should never tolerate defensive incompetence and attacking ineptitude like was seen from the Springboks in Sydney, I’ve written before that the results of the tour should not be of primary concern given that the vast majority of the touring group will be watching the World Cup from the comfort of their lounges.

    The primary focus should be on the likes of John Smit, Gio Aplon, Danie Rossouw, Juan de Jongh, Pat Lambie Chiliboy Ralepelle, and, with a view to his possible involvement against New Zealand on Saturday, Heinrich Brüssow. Barring Smit, who will start at the World Cup, this is the core of players – along with whoever Peter de Villiers feels is a competent replacement for Andries Bekker, most likely to be either Alistair Hargreaves and Johann Muller – who will provide cover in case of injuries or a dramatic slump in form.

    When judged in this way, there is more reason for optimism. Smit was industrious throughout the Test, carrying strongly and scrummaging and feeding the lineouts well in light of the fact that he was playing with a combination of forwards lacking synergy.

    Like Smit, Rossouw was workman-like as a key strike runner. His cause was undermined by the Springboks’ tight five’s struggles at the gainline and the team’s inability to ensure a regularly quick ruck recycle, which would have offered Rossouw more opportunities to attack an unset defensive line

    Aplon looked to be the Springboks’ most potent force, albeit that the bulk of his attacking opportunities came in the form of kick returns, rather than precise and purposeful play by the collective. To impress in a team as sterile as the Springboks were is an appreciable feat. The same can be said of De Jongh, who toiled manfully in the face of poor attacking platforms. The duo offer dynamism that is so sorely lacking in the squad and must be included in a match 22 for World Cup matches.

    Ralepelle and Lambie injected physicality and invention respectively into the contest when they came off the wood, the latter varying his play well, something Morné Steyn attempted to do with only limited success.

    There is an air of pessimism around the Springboks’ World Cup chances after the heavy defeat. This is misplaced. The result and future ones achieved by these dirt-trackers will have no bearing on their prospects at the global showpiece.

    The touring collective should not be under the microscope, only a select few should.

  • 9

    @ superBul:
    And there you have it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

    One man’s terrorist, another man’s freedom fighter.

    One man’s great line out thrower, another one’s naartjie thrower.

    Opinions and emotions.

    Isn’t Rugger great?

  • 10

    8@ superBul:
    What Vrede knows about rugby is very dangerous… hell, the man battles to even speak English… and I would think he is English.

    Seriously… you have no clue until you’ve been in a Press Box and / or a Press Conference with the little toddler….

  • 11

    @ Scrumdown:
    I must say that the blogs are red hot about the Bok B team, and in fact this is a setup game for some players to fail. I feel for every player that played on Saturday. The Aussies trained like hell in the rain with their best team. We stayed indoors and watched video analists. They were already much better than us and the seriousness that they played with is 100 times more than our feeble atempt.

    Playing players with no regard to combinations is a sure way to get a distorted view of a players ability.

    I hear that Rassie is busy at Rustenburg with the A team. Well there is 80% of the run on team we will play. I hope that the intensity in training is high. We will have to wait and see what is been done with them.

  • 12

    10@ grootblousmile:
    Geen Vrede met daai klomp k@k wat hy geskryf het!

  • 13

    @ grootblousmile:
    Elke ou het sy mening, party kan dalk simpel klink as jy met hom praat maar as hy pen op papier sit kry hy sy gedagtes goed uit.

    Wel dit is blogging alles wat ek of jy se is ook nie ja en amen nie.

  • 14

    10@ grootblousmile:
    Sorry… regstelling… Cardinelli is die ene wat sukkel om Engels te praat… Vrede is daai skerpneus-seun.

    … anyway ek het VREDE met wat enige van hulle skrywe…

  • 15

    13@ superBul:
    Moenie worry nie, ek vergewe jou vir jou snaakse idees en skewe perspektief… hehehe

  • 16

    14@ grootblousmile:
    As long as it isn’t an anti Blue – Green and gold rant?

  • 17

    @ grootblousmile:14
    Alle rugby skrywers dink ek tel maar eers die mood op van die ondersteuners op web bladsye. Dan pas hulle hul storie aan by wat ons se en wat ons wil hoor.

    Was Keo nie n groot PdeV man nie? lees die artikel van hom, o ja ek weet jy lees kwansuis niks van hom nie maar maak maar n uitsondering.
    http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=149121

  • 18

    17@ superBul:
    Stel nie belang nie dankie…

  • 19

    @ grootblousmile:het jy enige nuus oor my ou laptop? 4man is die week in Johannesburg dalk kan ek reel om hom te kom hallo se as daar enigiets gebeur waaroor ons gepraat het.

  • 20

    19@ superBul:
    Sal vandag later nuus hê… kyk, ek het hom weer aan die gang gekry… en hy werk… maar MOET vandag ‘n NUWE BIOS FILE vir die ding inprogrammeer.

    Gewoonlik is dit maklik, download die file, boot op met ‘n Eksterne 1.44Mb Stiffy Drive met ‘n Stiffy in wat geformat is as ‘n Dos Startup Disk… en wat ook die nuwe Bios file bevat… flash dan die Bios, so maklik soos dit.

    Probleem was, selfs LG se eie support staff het nie vir my ‘n ander Bios file gehad nie en dis nêrens te kry op die web nie.

    Wat ek toe maar moes doen is om ‘n ander eenderse LG model in die hande te kry, sy Bios file te Backup… nou moet ek dit nog flash…

    Dis die enigste manier om HOPELIK van die Bios errors ontslae te raak….

    Die ou eenderse LG wat ek gekry het, gelukkig verniet, was ene wat ‘n klient gegooi het dat hy doer trek, so dit was nogal ‘n mission om die Bios file te kon aftrek…. skerm was moertoe.. en moes so bietjie kreatiewe soldeerwerk doen om die moederbord aan die gang te skop.

    Positiewe kant is, ek kon so paar parte wat behoue gebly het uitstrip en tussen die 2 masjiene een beter een bou… vir jou.

  • 21

    19@ superBul:
    SuperBees,

    Hier’s die nuus…

    Ek het die Bios Geflash gekry… alle ERRORS is WEG! Notebook werk soos ‘n droom.

    I am invinceble!!

  • 22

    @ grootblousmile:Great man hardloop hom so paar dae en laai net die basics ek sal probeer om my dinge te reel die week, dalk kan ek jy en 4man n lekker ete saam geniet voor Vrydag.

  • 23

    @ superBul:
    gaan jy vir my seriously n selfoon oplossing verduidelik en dalk apparaat he om te toets hierdie kant?

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