The media is a buzz with content relating to how happy and positive the Springboks currently are, that there are no injury worries, that the Springboks are grounded and yet want to go up a step or two and continue to improve. Scribes from all over say the All Blacks are on edge and South African supporters seem to be favouring a win for the Springboks in New Zealand on the weekend.
The weather and possible game plan variations are being discussed at lenght, questions are asked whether the Springboks will continue to play more ball in hand rugby or whether this weekend will see a slight shift towards a more conservative approach.
The All Blacks say they will stick to their game plan and they will match the Springbok physicality.
Let’s face it though, it will be tough… it will be war, it will be hard as nails between the two best sides in the world.
The pleasing signs from the Springboks is that their forwards are doing so well in all aspects of a complete game and that the backline suddenly seem capable of executing the running game too.
I do not think there can be a semblance of complacency in the spirited Springbok camp at present, there is a deserved respect for the All Blacks, rightly so.
The 2 arch rivals bring out the best in each other, in the scribes of the game and in us, the rugby mad supporters of the beautiful game.
One thing we do know is that the Springboks would have to be clinical and deadly accurate on the weekend to win and vice versa.
I am hesitant to call a winner for the battle and think that the All Blacks have a very important edge, playing this game at home in Auckland, New Zealand.
… The proof of the pooding lies in the eating thereof…
These two sides are worthy of the number one and number two spots in world rugby!
It’s good to be positive about your team… and for your team to be positive about themselves, yet I go into this match with anticipation… reserved anticipation!
It would be wonderful if the Springboks manage to put one over the All Blacks… in fact we would be in jubilant mood after the game and well into next week!
But I warn for caution… it will be difficult…
If the Springboks manage to show the same intensity as the past weekend and the same intensity they showed last year IN New Zealand, I feel we should win. The only thing which stopped us last year was wayward goal kicking and Dean Greyling’s doff Yellow Card.
Freegin hell I am excited…. you guys too?
Well I think we will be ready and feel we could win this one. Just reading on Sports24 about the ref. Had no idea we having the same French ref that almost cost us against the Scots here in June. I truly hope the ref does not spoil what could be a great game. I am a bit worried now about the ref. Really we should not be worried about a ref in a international game. They should be up to standard. Both teams deserve the best. Pity it is not Clancy for this game as it was supposed to be. The Scots should have been heavy penalised and they were not. So the ref does ref the breakdowns fair.
This from Sports24
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
French ref a concern for Boks
2013-09-10 14:58
Brenden Nel – SuperSport
Cape Town – Richie McCaw may be out of Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and All Blacks, but there is a concern about another breakdown influencer during the game.
According to the supersport.com website, Frenchman Romain Poite – who refereed the Boks’ win over Scotland in Nelspruit in June, has been appointed to handle the match.
Ireland’s George Clancy was originally scheduled to be the man in the middle, but when Alain Rolland withdrew due to injury before the Brisbane Test last Saturday, Clancy stepped into the role and fulfilled his duties, with Welshman Nigel Owens flying in to be touch judge in the Boks 38-12 demolition of Australia.
The IRB decided on Poite as he was the next available referee and is highly regarded by the reffing selectors as he was also given one of the Test matches between the British and Irish Lions and Australia this year.
But it is the way that Poite reffed the breakdown against Scotland that has the Boks worried. Adaptability is the key in all respects when it comes to the whistleblowers, but it took the Boks almost an hour to adapt and ensure they got on top of Scotland in that game.
If the Boks take anywhere near that long this time around they will be in big trouble. Not only are the All Blacks the masters of the dark arts when it comes to the breakdown, but they are very effective as well.
What Scotland did in Nelspruit was take out the defender behind the ruck, opening up the gap for their halfbacks to attack. It was a ploy that should have been penalised severely but Poite let it go, confounding the Bok problems on the day.
The All Blacks are very experienced when it comes to taking up space beyond the ruck, and removing defending players, so the Boks will have to once again ensure they face the threat and put extra effort into protecting their ball if Poite is in the same mood this weekend.
But while the Boks will ultimately remind Poite of Nelspruit and hope he will make the breakdown a fair contest, they have a pretty solid argument for doing so.
Looking at the stats of the Brisbane win the Boks made 17 turnovers in the game, a massive 14 of which were at the breakdown. Two of those turnovers resulted in tries for Jean de Villiers and Willie le Roux.
More impressive from the stats was the defence, which saw Australia only make two line breaks in the game. The Bok tackle count was 115 and they tackled at a massive 93% success rate.
If they can replicate these statistics this weekend they may not have to worry about Poite, although the wish would be that like any referee, he be consistent, allow a contest and allow teams to get quick ball to play with.
Meant = So hope the ref does ref the breakdowns fair.
Coming from a different angle as the rest have been discussed to it’s max
What could make teams loose:
Bokke:
Not adjusting to the ref in terms off competing for the loose ball. If he blows last last time we have to change the way our loosies compete and must protect Ruan Pienaar (who will play btw) a lot more. Not adjusting will make the All Black win the loose exchanges and nullify the stronger Bok pack – Refer to Scotland earlier and Mendosa tests
If the Boks get rattled – and if I was the All Blacks coach I would target, Vermeulen, Etsebeth and Bismark du Plessis, know for short fuses and like to get involved, unsettle them and they don’t focus on the game.
Focus the penetration point on JJ Engelbreght, weak point on defense and/or try milk the interceptions to create overlaps
All Blacks:
Nonu having a moment and getting a yellow card.
All Blacks trying to speed up the game and being over optimistic on attack.
Trying to out muscle the Boks
Fail at their tactical plan
Pretty decent summary made here by a non bias NZ supporter
http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/09/10…-of-eden-park/
1. Form
The form guide is rather simple. South Africa looked better against England at Twickenham (the All Blacks were hammered physically); against Argentina, at home (9 tries to 1), than New Zealand did (a laboring win); and against Australia (the Boks got the bonus point in Australia and it could easily have been worse, but for a couple of handling errors).
The Bok pack looked more powerful than the All Black forwards against Argentina. And Morne Steyn looks like he is having one of those sweet-striking, huge range, kind of seasons; the All Blacks have been a bit disjointed at the number ten playmaker.
2. The players
There are six groups of players in a Test rugby match:
• The front row
• The locks
• The loose trio
• The halfback duo
• The centers
• The back three
There is very little to choose from, between the two rivals, even with both teams missing half a dozen top-flight players, each.
Front Row (edge – Springboks)
South Africa has the edge here. Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, and Beast Mtatawira look like the new scrum rules were designed for them. Around the park, Bismarck has been like an extra loose forward.
Their replacements, Coenie Oosthuizen, Adriaan Strauss, and Gurthrö Steenkamp are actually bigger as a trio, and Strauss is in the form of his life.
Literally, Bismarck and Strauss are the consensus top two hookers in the world.
New Zealand has an accomplished group of front-rowers to choose from: Ben Franks, Charlie Faumunia, Tony Woodcock, and Wyatt Crockett.
They did not look as comfortable as the Boks did against the Argentine scrum machine (and did not massacre the Wallabies’ front row as comprehensively as the Springboks did).
But it’s at number two that South Africa has the edge. Andrew Hore is busy at ruck-time, but both he and Dane Coles are wobbly at line-out time (this is not evident against Argentina, who do not challenge in the air), and simply don’t match-up well with the Boks’ abrasive hookers, who carry the ball with speed and power, and are game-changers.
Locks (even)
South Africa has one complete lock, as does New Zealand. Eben Etzebeth is very young, but he ticks all the boxes for a world XV lock: at line-out, he takes and steals, at scrum, he is fantastically strong, in the tight-loose, he is a big scary monster, in the loose, he can gallop and handle, and he can play all 80 minutes.
But you can say the very same things about Sam Whitelock, except Whitelock is even better in open play, and maybe not as strong as Etzebeth in mauls or the tackle. Who isn’t looking forward to Etzebeth versus Whitelock? I doubt either will take a backward step.
So it comes down to the other guys in the second row. South Africa can start Juandré Kruger, a lanky athlete who is mostly a line-out expert and open-play man (he snagged Bryan Habana’s chip kick, one-handed, at speed, to create Jean de Villiers’ try against Australia); or bring the grunt with Flip van der Merwe (also good at line-out, but more of a coal-face miner than a footballer).
New Zealand has Brodie Retaillack, Jeremy Thrush, and Luke Romano to complement Whitelock; they force the same sort of mongrel versus skill-man choice.
This is a wash, with the wild card being the maul. The Boks set up mauls better than anyone but the All Blacks collapse them best.
Loose Forwards (edge – Springboks, only because McCaw is absent)
No loose trio is playing as cohesively as the Boks’ back three right now.
At number eight, Kieren Read is the only man outplaying the Boks’ physical, but smart Duane Vermuelen.
But as a unit, the combination of Vermuelen, Willem Alberts, and Francois Louw is in top form.
Alberts crosses the gain line every time, and with Richie McCaw out, Louw should have the experience and heft to trump Sam Cane on the deck.
New Zealand has a tough call between Liam Messam and Steven Luatua (a revelation). I’m guessing Messam will be used, to try to stop the blunt force trauma of Alberts and Luatua will come on when the game opens up.
I think the real advantage in the loosies is on defence. I don’t think the All Blacks have played as good a defensive squad as the Boks, in a while (since 2009?) Vermuelen-Alberts-Louw can really bring the wood; and drive back the big Kiwi ball-carriers.
They’ll even get to Carter and Nonu at times.
This is an edge for South Africa, but only due to McCaw’s injury.
Halfbacks (clear New Zealand superiority)
The only advantage at nine/ten that South Africa has is goal-kicking and punting power of Morne Steyn and Ruan Pienaar.
Dan Carter and Aaron Smith are a lethal duo. Aaron Smith in particular (as are all other Smiths in the team) is playing out of his mind. His quickness will give the pedestrian Pienaar problems.
His box kicks are getting better. He is a real fighter on defence. Dan Carter is Dan Carter.
South Africa cannot match these two players, without Fourie du Preez back in South Africa, a prisoner of his Japanese club contract.
All that Steyn and Pienaar can do is make their tackles (they are solid), be accurate kicking out of hand and off the tee, and use quick ball.
This is the matrix of the New Zealand game plan, and even if Carter limps off, Beauden Barrett can fit right in.
Midfield (edge – All Blacks)
South Africa have a national treasure: the classy, big, opportunistic, safe-as-houses Jean de Villiers.
But they have defensively-questionable JJ Engelbrecht at 13, with super-young Jan Serfontein as the replacement.
The All Blacks have their own national treasure, Conrad Smith, who just doesn’t make mistakes in Tests, and Ma’a Nonu, the barbarian, in a combination that is balanced and ultra-dangerous.
I think Francis Saili looks even better than Nonu, but probably isn’t ready for this cauldron yet.
De Villiers knows how to corral Nonu (you tackle him high, not low); but I think Engelbrecht will struggle to contain Conrad’s darts and passes to the wing.
The Boks can be punctured directly in the middle, if a key tackle is missed, or if Carter can kick behind the defensive line.
This is where Engelbrecht’s inexperience may hurt South Africa. On the other hand, I think JJ has a big pace advantage on Conrad, as well as size.
This could decide the whole thing; but you’d have to give New Zealand the edge, here. Oh, how Jaque Fourie is missed.
The back three (edge – All Blacks)
The All Blacks trot out dangerous Julian Savea (how can he be that strong and fast?) and try-poacher Ben Smith on the wings, and the best fullback in the world, Israel Dagg. It’s hard to imagine any back three being better.
South Africa has an argument that Bryan Habana will be the best wing on the field, but the remainder of their back three, Zane Kirchner and Willie le Roux cannot make a similar claim.
I would rather have the fine footballer Pat Lambie start at 15, because I think Carter will cross the field with long, intelligently angled kicks. But Kirchner probably won’t let his side down.
He just cannot really make New Zealand pay for bad kicks.
All of South Africa believes in the magic of le Roux. The stage is set for him to become a legend, by lighting up dark Eden Park. But until we see that, the superb Dagg makes the All Blacks better in this group.
3. Game Plan
An arm-wrestle, with smashing force from big ball-carriers, and pressurised punts high in the sky for 40-50 minutes. A moment of magic.
A couple of errors by the home side, or a sliver of a chance for the clinical Boks. A maul close to the line. A 45-meter penalty. This is the basic plan. And it is the right plan.
Getting into a 35-32 shootout with New Zealand is a crapshoot that the Boks usually lose. A 17-6 or 20-9 score line, with a lot of line-outs and scrums, is what the Boks want and need.
4. Coaching
Nobody has coaches as good as New Zealand. Their scrum coach is superb. Their attack gurus really understand space and mismatches. Their head coach is obviously great at man management.
In contrast, South Africa’s coaching is rarely up to the standard of its incredible players.
Meyer may not be a technical genius. But he brings passion and belief and no shame in South African rugby philosophy.
The players absolutely love him. The Bok coaching team is not as good as New Zealand’s, but it is so much better than its predecessors. This is almost a wash, now.
5. Young, Old, and Hungry
Seven Bok players in the match day squad for Brisbane were 23 or younger. This young and hungry group set a record for a South African win in Australia. They’re so young, they don’t believe in statistics or history.
But South Africa also has grizzled veterans on the team, like de Villiers, Habana, Pienaar, the du Plessis brothers, and the late bloomer Vermuelen.
There are five or six potential captains in the team; Louw captains Bath, Strauss leads the Cheetahs, Pienaar has captained Ulster, Bismarck has been Sharks captain, and Vermuelen has led the Stormers.
The wonderful thing is that guys like Habana run, and chase, and tackle as hard now, as ever.
Prediction
This Bok team will lay siege to Eden Park, and colour it green and gold; and win fame with their valor.
South Africa 17 New Zealand 9
Hi pal @ Puma:
5 @ Gena_ZA:
Absolute brilliant read. Thoroughly enjoyed that. One of the best posts I have ever read on any sites. Agree almost 100% with that blogger.
The Roar do have some real knowledgeable rugby bloggers there. One of the great rugby sites and I am talking about the bloggers on that site. Always enjoy reading there.
6 @ grumpy:
Hello my friend, How you doing? Hope well.
How you see our Boks go against the Abs this weekend? I feel we have a really good chance to win this one. Not by much think it will be closer than the blogger predicted above.
Hope our Sharks go better this weekend against the Griquas.
Hi Pal.Not going to talk rugby until +-11.30 a m on Saturday. @ Puma:
Your adversaries comments went on for more than 24 hours.Dont let cretins get you down,Kind regards
@ grumpy:
Hey boet is this who i think it is? A whiskey drinker?
🙂
The same @ Stormersboy:
11 @ grumpy:
Iemand wat Whiskey kan drink, kan netsowel aan hout ook suig… flok daai goed is sleg!
Ek drink nie vir die image nie, ek drink iets wat lekker proe op die tong…
@ grootblousmile:
Agge nee GBS!!!! Sletsappies kwalifiseer nou glad nie as drink nie man!!! hahahaha
13 @ Tripples:
Nee jinne, mens moet desperaat wees om Whiskey te drink… ek was nog NOOIT sooooooooooo dors nie!
hahaha ja nee, ek drink dit ook nie hoor, ek looooooove tokillher!!!!!!
15 @ Tripples:
Janee, Tequila, Jaegie Bombs, Suitcases, Springbokkies, Melktertjies en al daai shooters is lekker hooligan juice!
Maar in die gewone gang van sake drink ek maar ietsie soos Vodka & Lemoensap of Vodka & Appletizer… of sletsap.
Die hooligan juice is vir wanneer mens stout is…. en in my geval gebeur dit nogal dikwels…. hehehe
Daasie ‘n manier dat ek Whiskey, Brandewyn of Rum drink nie…
wat probeer jy nou se.?Dat ek image concious is?What a sad world we would live in if we were all the same. @ grootblousmile:
17 @ grumpy:
Nee, ek sê nie jy is image concious nie… as ek egter daai kak sou drink, sou dit net wees om image to projekteer… en dis gelukkig nie wie en wat ek is nie. Ek drink iets omdat ek dors is en omdat dit vir my lekker proe.
Ek drink ook kondensmelk, en mense vind dit weird, maar dis vir my moerse lekker.
Geniet jou Whiskey… hoe julle dit egter KAN geniet is vir my moer vreemd, dis al. Vir MY spreek enigiets wat ‘n sogenaamd “Acquired Taste” het boekdele van image of peer pressure.
Maar, soos jy tereg opmerk… different strokes for different folks… en dis blerrie goed so!
Nou kan jy maar ophou GRUMPY wees, grumpy….
Whiskey maak my bef%k grumpy…. die volgende dag
19 @ Pietman:
Hehehe
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