Day to day we hear people say “Don’t give Springbok jerseys away” and others say “Give the youngsters a chance to show their mettle”
So, which one of the 2 do you want, make up your flippin minds!
The Springboks under Heyneke Meyer are in their 2nd season under this Springbok coach. Last year we almost expected some stutters along the way, being Heyneke Meyer’s first season in charge, coupled to very little preparation time, but this year we expect more, we expect an upwards curve in the way the Springboks play and in the manner how they put other sides to the sword.
This weekend will be the third Test of the 2013 season for the Springboks and we must start asking whether we have witnessed this upward curve, and if not, why not?
The 1st Test of the year was against Italy and there were glimpses of some good, but it was overshadowed by a very bad spell for the Springboks in the middle of the match when Italy’s forwards dominated the Springboks and started clawing their way back into the match. The Springboks rallied and closed out the game well, sparking calls that Scotland would be properly put to the sword, considering they have frontline players out at the British & Irish Lions in Australia and with their injury list also having grown somewhat.
Well, Scotland’s “Dirt Trackers” gave the Springboks a mighty scare amidst a referee and match officials who were blind as bats and who had no clue how to control the Test.
It took a mighty effort for the Springboks to overcome Scotland and the 30 / 17 final score was more a relief than it was comforting.
So, where does the principal problems lie and what smells like that?
Is it:
- Too many young hopefulls have been awarded Springbok jerseys
- Not enough form youngsters have been selected and rewarded with Springbok jerseys
- Certain Springboks look like ‘witbroodjies’ (favourites) and seem incapable of being dropped
- The forwards are not doing their primary jobs
- There is not enough emphasis on scrum practice and technique
- The Springboks don’t dominate the breakdowns
- The coaches are to blame
- The game plan is to blame
- The combinations chosen do not compliment each other
- The looseforwards are too similar or too dissimilar and as a result the looseforward combination does not work
- Individual players are to blame
- Something is wrong within the team culture and within the management of the team
- Injuries are to blame
- Springbok conditioning is poor
I suppose one could name some more obvious questions, but this is mostly what is out there on the streets and in the bloggesphere.
I think it is a deadly combination of a lot of the factors, but I will definately not ascribe it to giving too many Bok jerseys away. Principally I want to lay the blame on not enough emphasis being placed on the primary forwards facets of scrumming and managing and dominating the breakdown areas, protecting ball, winning ball… and yes, on the witbroodjie factor, where Jean de Villiers and Pierre Spies seem impossible to dislodge from their entrenched positions.
Firstly, the scrums: We all know Northern Hemisphere sides love to scrum, are good at it and that a huge amount of time in the Nothern Hemisphere is spent on fine tuning scrums and perfecting the scrum battle. So, would it not have made sense to concentrate here and drill the guys like a machine? It certainly seems to have been neglected by most of the Southern Hemisphere sides this June. In addition South Africa is rather thin on quality tighthead props at present and it’s getting worse by the day with more and more young South Africans leaving for overseas because of the lure of the Pound, Euro and Yen. South Africa has been hit hard by the departure of hard man props, hookers and more pertinantly locks.
Is Super Rugby to blame, where scrums are less and less important as time goes on, whereas this facet is increasingly being focussed on up north?
Whatever the answer, the solution lies in focussing more on this material aspect of play, and to employ a full-time scrum guru worth his salt. That leads me to Pieter de Villiers, Springbok scrumming guru – what has he added and is he the right man for the job? In answering that, compare him to the stellar work previously done by Os du Randt. I leave the answer in your hands.
Secondly, the breakdowns: In a regular Super Rugby or Test match there is more than 150 breakdown situations in each and every game, compared to under 20 scrums. This makes breakdown dominance probably the most important single factor apart from the actual score on the board. This means that the team has to value these breakdowns like it is a pot of gold!
Methods to control, dominate and execute the breakdowns, rucks and counter-rucks have to be mastered and mastered well, no question about it!
To be able to control, dominate and master these ground ball situations, it requires speed, accuracy and all 15 players on the field needs to buy into the common structure of handling these situations, but more than that it requires a balanced loose trio PLUS at least a hooker and the centres to act as additional ball pilferers or additional openside flankers when required. It requires sides to blow over the ground ball with the fluency of a racing machine, not only to steal ball, but also to protect and clean own ball speedily and effectively, as well as to slow opposition ball down to a crawl… all within the bounds of the laws of rugby as they currently stand.
My question is this, do you see that in the current Springbok side, if not, why not?
Thirdly, the ‘Witbroodjie Factor’: Some players seem so entrenched in their positions in the Springbok side that one would almost fancy that they have some hold on the Springbok coach and his team of assistants. The name of Pierre Spies and Jean de Villiers are the prime ones mentioned by everybody…. and I agree with them, but I want to add a couple more. Jannie du Plessis has had a relatively shocking Super Rugby season, yet he keeps the tighthead berth like it is welded to his arse, notwithstanding the fact that he is clearly tired and overplayed, badly in need of rest and recuperation.
Ruan Pienaar continues to get the nod in the squad and what’s more in the starting lineup or at least on the bench, as if he has bought all the shares in that position from the Springbok coach. He is however slow, cumbersome, cannot make basic sound pivotal decisions in a position which requires so much brilliance. At least in his case it can be said that injuries to other players in the position has helped his cause to retain that berth. One feels though that he needs Red Bull or something to help him wake the hell up and smell the roses.
Morné Steyn, yes I will indeed venture there, even though as a Bulls man I think a lot of the critisism he suffers is from fools who do not know what the hell they are talking about and we are forced to suffer their vitriol ad nauseam. The fact of the matter though is that Morné Steyn is also heading overseas in the not too distant future and it is necessary to find someone who will carry his torch. So who are the candidates? We know Johan Goosen is injured, we know Elton Jantjies has been woeful in 2013 and we also know Patrick “Timotei” Lambie has had a battling year at The Sharks. We also know Demetri Catrakilis is an option but has not properly been involved at the Springboks enough to stake his claim well enough.
The solution for now would probably be to play young Lambie back into some kind of form, but to have Morné Steyn on standby, to cover if Lambie blows cold. But then why do we have exactly the opposite, with Morné Steyn being preferred and Lambie getting more bubble-butt on the bench, week after week?
Willem Alberts, the Sharks blindside flank, again starts on the coming weekend, IF he is fit to play. Now you tell me, did it not make perfect sense that Bismarck du Plessis first played 3 Club games before getting a start from the bench last weekend? So what makes Willem Alberts, the perrenial sick note so different, why does he get preferential treatment?
OK, I’ve had my rant now, and I feel better… your turn to get it out of your system!
@ Pietman:
Ag nee Pietman, Jammer om te hoor……moeilike tye
Hoor hier as jy wag vir Zoomer om op te hou kuk aanjaag gaan jy laaaaaank wag
@ Tripples:
Santori-klub in Japan het baie geld ( whiskey is hulle moedermaatskappy se hoofinkomste en Japanners suip vir n vale, glo my! Ek het dikwels barman gespeel vir hulle, koop elke man sommer n bottel oor die bartoonbank @ R7000 n shot en suip dit net daar skoon uit, al wat jy hoor is ‘kam-paih’!!!. en weg is die bottel, waterglase vol…).
@ Pietman:
Eish hahahahaha, ja mens kan nie die spelers blameer nie, hulle het net sovbeel tyd om geld te maak uit rugby en hulle moet dit maar melk
@ Tripples:
Dankie man.
Sal maar sien volgende naweek, vanoggend met die dokter gepraat, broer ook oppad soontoe nou.
Btw, wonder waar is GrootBlouOliekol vanoggend, werk seker weer aan eks-vrou se skedonkie om haar voor sy huis weg te kry, hehehehe!
Morning guys.
Let’s not overreact on the Brussow issue, it appears that he has only done a “Peter Grant” and gone for the rest of the year. He will be back next year and available for the Cheetahs.
@ Stormersboy:
Dis te se as een van daai geishatjies hom nie voor die tyd aan sy klokke beetkry nie, dan is dit ghoebaai Cheetahs!
@ Stormersboy:
Well I hope thay pay him handsomely!!!!
37 @ Pietman:
Bwahaha. Ja nee. The big wide world is calling with all of it’s (oh so nice) potential pitfalls.
Seriously though, what motivation must he have to stay here? And I don’t only mean Rugby.
@ Pietman:
I was having this discussion with a mate yesterday. I was saying that often when a player elects to go overseas many people assume that it’s because of him not being selected at National level or something like that, when it may well be, to a greater or lesser extent due to allure of a different country other than SA.
A tool for emigration if you will.
41 @ Stormersboy:
Precicely.
It’s reaching epedemic proportions within certain spheres of the population. (Emmigration I mean)
@ Scrumdown:
Sure and who could blame them??
I learned last week of a very good friend who I went to school and varsity with, shared lift clubs, attended each others weddings and saw regularly still who was high-jacked and thrown off a bridge to his death in Cape Town. He left behind his wife and 3 young kids.
I have no words to express my anger and disgust towards those who seem to hold life in such low regard in this country.
I am seriously reconsidering whether this is the country that I want to raise my children in.
Help please. Any idea how I can get in contact with Joggie Jansen?
35 @ Pietman:
Nee, ekke is hier, hard aan die swoeg.
Ons Begrafnisonderneming se drywer vanoggend gestuur na Pietersburg om ‘n ou te gaan haal wat in ‘n motorongeluk dood is, besig met allerhande finansies en dinge vir klomp dienste wat ingekom het en waar klomp uitgawes aangegaan moet word in die proses. Ons het selfs ‘n Lindeque diens Saterdag…. dinge gaan moer besig en rof.
Ons het nog ‘n week of so gelede ook ‘n flippen diefstal by ons besigheidsperseel gehad, waar my vennoot se besigheids Notebook, R 5700.00 van die besigheid se cash, sy hele wallet met alles in en die ondvangsdame se handsak met haar beursie in gesteel is, deur ‘n ondier!
Dan aan die IT kant is ek besig met bestellings, asook is daar klomp Notebooks op die werksbanke wat moet klaarkom asook 3 gewone PC’s, ‘n Galaxy Pad, ‘n Colour Laser Printer wat oopgemaak en gefix moet word, 2 x 3TB Hard Drives wat van voor af ge-initialise moet word, ‘n 2TB Hard Drive wat netnou na Nuffield toe moet gaan vir ‘n Server daar, ‘n Packard Bell all in one PC wat se Power supply geblaas het, ‘n D-Link Cloud Router wat na ‘n besigheid hier in Brakkenjanpan se buitewyke toe moet gaan en dar configure word.
Ek moet leer vir ‘n eksamentjie by Binnelandse Sake…
Ek help met kontrakte en dinge van Handbriekie-hulle se nuwe besigheid…
So…. ek dink nou weet julle dit gaan effe mal hier…. en ek werk effe soos ‘n slaaf.
43 @ Stormersboy:
Deepest condolences. I read about the case on the net.
I think just about every member of the population knows someone, either directly or indirectly, who has been a victim of violent crime in SA.
The sad part is that even if those of us that still have a relatively high standard of living would be neglecting our responsibilities towards our families if we didn’t investigate alternatives.
For me, I’ll always survive as well as possible, but what of my kids? How can my daughter of nearly 18, born 2 days after the 1995 RWC final be penalised in terms of tertiary education and work opportunities because of the colour of her skin?
Eish. Enough of this sh1t. We must just carry on. Winners WIN, finished en klaar.
30 @ Pietman:
Jinne Pieta,
Jammer om van jou Pa se siekte te hoor, man.
Hel, die oues raak nou klaar jong!
My Skoondier het ‘n ding in een van haar ore wat haar balans versteur, nou raak sy vallerig, Skoonpa was gister weer by die spesialis, wat hom wou opneem maar nie kon nie omdat daar een of ander varkgriep uitbraak by die spesifieke hospitaal is en die oukêrel se longe nooit so iets sou kon oorleef nie. Lyk of Handbriekie hierdie naweek die 2 oues direk in ons huis in gaan trek, oorkant die straat is nou te vêr, hulle kort meer gereelde direkte aandag.
@ Scrumdown:
Thanks boet, yes he was a good friend and I will miss him but my heart goes out to his family.
44 @ frikkie:
Hello Frikkie, welcome to Rugby-Talk.
The only clue I have for you is that there is a Dr Joggie Jansen in Pretoria…. he must be family of old Joggie.
I know he (the Doctor) has his offices in Codonia Avenue, there in Waverley in Pretoria….
Will look for the number for you quickly.
44 @ frikkie:
OK, here is Dr Joggie Jansen’s contact particulars… try to ask him.
Dr JOGGIE JANSEN. Phone: (012) 3320777, Address: 740 Codonia Ave, Waverley, Pretoria, 0186
Postal Address: PO Box 33159, Totiusdal, Pretoria, 0134
45 @ grootblousmile:
So working for a change eh?
Nice to know I’m not the only one trying to keep the GDP figures stable.
51 @ Scrumdown:
Flok, dissie snaaks die kant nie….
Hey, ek moet gou Banke ook toe… chat later
43 @ Stormersboy:
Sorry to heaar about your friend… eish
@ grootblousmile:
Dankie boet. Ek vlieg huistoe vanaand.
Did I have a post deleted?
55 @ Loosehead:
No, not by me!
ek hoor wilhelm steenkamp gaan force toe …..moes maar by die cheetahs gebly het ouboet hier het jy ten minste speelkans gekry
56 @ grootblousmile:
Damn strange!
Tank Lanning
Meyer is missing a trick
2013-06-20 09:36
Sport24 columnist Tank Lanning (File)
Related Links
Meyer: Strauss a great person
Brüssow heading for Japan
Gallery
Match-ups: Boks v Samoa
2013-06-19 14:51
See all the key match-ups ahead of the Test between the Boks and Samoa.
Tank Lanning
So we are giving both Jean de Villiers and Willem Alberts until Friday to prove their fitness for Saturday’s game. Must be a big one like a Rugby World Cup semi-final or Rugby Championship decider?
Err, no…
It’s a game against Samoa in a meaningless quadrangular put together because we could not get any top tier opposition given that the Lions are touring Australia!
And this with no disrespect to the Pacific Islanders, who have come on in leaps and bounds, and probably pose a bigger threat than they did in the 2011 World Cup, but in reality, even South Africans will probably be more interested in the first Lions vs Australia Test at 12:00 than the 17:15 Test against Samoa.
So why then, I ask with tears in my baby blues, are we giving our national captain and a player who has not played all season, until Friday to prove their fitness?
De Villiers is up there in terms of SA rugby legends, having played 86 times for the Boks, and if he plays on Saturday, he will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 71 Tests in this position. And I realise he is keen on that 100-cap benchmark, and not particularly keen to miss a game, but he is also a national treasure who we should be looking after.
De Villiers should have been in Mauritius on Monday with his young family while Jan Serfontein, Rob Ebersohn and Juan de Jongh trained with the national side in Pretoria. What a fantastic opportunity to see if the much spoken about Serfontein could mix it with the boys tagged as chiropractors – for good reason. Instead we want to send an oke carrying a sternum injury out to face that music?
It would also be an excellent opportunity to try out a new captain, with coach Heyneke Meyer on record as saying: “Luckily we have a strong group of leaders in the squad and if Jean doesn’t make it, Adriaan Strauss will take over the captaincy, with support provided by Francois Louw, Pierre Spies, Bryan Habana and Bismarck du Plessis.”
Try it out I say…
Bismarck du Plessis played three games for three different Durban clubs on three successive weekends before coming back into the Bok side as a sub against Scotland on Saturday with not even a hint of strapping on his reconstructed knee. What a fantastic (and foolproof) reintroduction to the game after a big injury.
Club players in the land of Kings Park might be thanking their lucky stars, but why not the same for big Alberts? Especially given the game that Siya Kolisi had last week as a debutant given 75 minutes from the bench. And this weekend it would be with open side extraordinaire Louw back in the side, thus providing a fairer platform on which to judge the Grey High School product. Instead Alberts is given until Friday to prove his fitness.
And do not even get me started on the selection of two loosehead props on the bench for the third week in a row while Lourens Adriaanse carries both the bags and his Bok blazer given that you cannot actually wear the thing until you get a cap. This while we play our only quality tighthead into the earth. I bored you to death on this topic last week, but still no one can explain to me how this can be good for Springbok rugby.
Also no start for Pat Lambie at all? And no look at another No 8 despite Pierre Spies not dominating from the base of the scrum? We started so well against, admittedly, what has now been proven to be a pretty ordinary Italian side, but instead of using the opportunity to grow squad depth and test new players in games that will quickly be forgotten, no matter the result, it seems we are back to trying to win every game, no matter the costs.
Expect blunt force trauma against Samoa on Saturday…
59 @ Loosehead:
I don’t necessarily agree with everything that Mr Lanning writes, but in this instance he has a few valid point.
I can’t for the life of me see why they want to rush Alberts back into the National tesam.
If I was the Sharks management I wouldn’t even want him playing (for them) meaningless SR games too soon either.
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