While 2013 may rate among one of the best years for Springbok rugby, enforcer flanker Willem Alberts said the team would not be satisfied until it had secured a perfect record.
“The season as a whole was very successful, it is one of the best years the Boks’ has ever had, but we will never be satisfied if you don’t win all our games,” Alberts said on arrival in Johannesburg on Monday.
Sport24
“We’ve worked hard as a team — from the management down to the supporting staff — so it was a good season for everyone.”
The Springboks ended the season with a 19-10 victory over France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday evening.
This was the Springboks’ 10th victory from 12 Tests this year, making the 2013 seasons statistically their most successful since 1998.
Finishing their November tour with three wins out of three, the Springboks had only been beaten by one team this year, world champions New Zealand.
Springbok lock and 2013 IRB World Player of the Year nominee Eben Etzebeth said as they had failed to topple the All Blacks this season, they would have to do it next year.
“We set ourselves goals at the beginning of the year and one of those was to be unbeaten on the end-of-year tour and we’ve done that,” said Etzebeth, who arrived in Johannesburg on crutches after sustaining a foot injury.
“We’ve won 10 out 12 games which is quite good but we wanted to go for 12 out of 12.
“I am going for scans tomorrow and hopefully it is not too bad as I want to enjoy the December holiday without these crutches.”
Etzebeth, 22, was the youngest of the five IRB World Player of the Year nominees, which included Kieran Read and Ben Smith (both New Zealand), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales and the British & Irish Lions) and Sergio Parisse (Italy).
He said the team used the outgoing tour — which included the victory over France, a 28-0 crushing of Scotland and a 24-15 win over Wales — to get the players used to the playing conditions ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
“The next world cup is in the northern hemisphere and we’ve won all our games there over the last two years. So everything is going well for us in our preparations as we work towards the next world cup.”
THAT’s the spirit, chase a win in EVERY single game in 2014, the rest will take care of itself!
I’m already excited about the rugby of 2014, Six Nations, Varsity Cup, Super Rugby, June Internationals, The Rugby Championship, Currie Cup and End Of Year Tours!
Think 2014 will be a biggie here on Rugby-Talk!
Een ding is seker , die druk en verwagtig gaan BAIE groot op HM wees. Ek is bly ek is nie in sy skoene wat die druk betref nie.
Hy moet eenvoudig n wydstryd teen die All Blacks wen, geen ander uitweg sal goed genoeg wees nie.
Hy is behoorlik met n mes teen die keel volgende wedstryd teen die AB,s
3 @ superBul:
Elke job het sy risiko’s en verwagtinge…
Neem jou of my besighede as voorbeeld… maak jy nie ook maar jou besigheid werk en create jy nie jou eie “Perfect Year” nie… en die prys daarvan om te faal is groot geldelike verlies of finansiele ondergang. Strewe jy nie maar elke jaar vir ‘n beter jaar en beter resultate nie?
So, die pressure is maar op almal, jong.
Die ekonomie is soms teen ons en omstandighede is soms teen Heyneke Meyer… soms kry ons die ondersteuning van die mense om ons en soms nie en dieselfde met Meyer.
Jy moet noukeurig beplan en jou besluite moet gesond wees… so ook met Meyer.
Meyer se rou produkte (spelers) of potensiaal (talent en vaardighede) kan hy sekerlik nie oor kla nie… en hy bestuur en motiveer ook maar mense, soos wat ons van tyd moet doen.
Gelukkig het ek en jy nie politieke inmenging en dwarstrekkery van ons werkgewers nie… hehehe
Kyk ou vriend ek soek nie sy job nie. maar as n man met baie te se hier weet ek wat wag vir hom, 2 jaar van sy 4 is verby. Jake het 9 kanse teen die ABs gehad 3 keer sukses behaal. PdeV my ou tjom het 11 kanse gehad en 5 gevat. HM is seker gewaarborg om 8 te speel teen die AB,s en as ons dalk iewers mekaar raakloop in die Wereldbeker toernooi sal dit 9 wees, dus 5 bly oor. Die werklike toets moet nog geslaag word.
“I’m tired of being good losers but once again there were positives to take from this match and we need to make sure now we learn best we can ahead of the Six Nations next year.”
5 @ superBul:
Ek wil ook nie Heyneke se job hê nie… maar ek moet bysê daar is ander joppies wat ek nog minder wil hê.
Ek wens hom sterkte toe en hoop hy kry die ondersteuning wat hy verdien van die bo-oor hom, asook die begrip en ondersteuning van SA Rugby ondersteuners.
Ek gun hom die geleentheid om nog beter te doen as in 2013 en ek hoop hy kan ‘n werswyse beraam om wel suskses teen die All Blacks te verwesenlik… dit sal wonderlik wees.
Blyk of hy reeds die volle inkoop van sy spelers en afrigtingspan kry, ons weet egter reeds dit is een van sy sterkpunte.
Hy is nie perfek nie, maar nie een van sy voorgangers was of enige van sy opvolgers sal wees nie. Hy kommunikeer vir my goed met ons almal en met die wêreld, sy etiek blyk diep gewortel te wees, sy bedoelinge suiwer.
Ek verstaan soms nie sy onwrikbare lojalitiete teenoor spelers soos Ruan Pienaar en sy in- of uitsluiting van sekere spelers nie, maar hy het baie meer geleetheid as ons om te motiveer hoekom en waarom hy keuses maak.
@ grootblousmile:
Kyk ons oe het gerek met sy keuse van hulp afrigters. Ek hoop hy toon dieselfde guts en kry iemand van NZ wat n agterlyn of hanterings deskundige is. Ons het mooi driee gedruk vanjaar maar ek dink as jy tel sal jy baie maklik 20 op die vloer sien le. Daardie driee is wat ons gevrees gaan maak. As ons soveel afronding het soos die ABs gaan ons hul ontroon. Hoor my lied die ABs finish baie beter af as ons. Ek hoop en bid HM sal nie huiwer om nog skills afrigting in te bring nie.
Heyneke het nie die wydste keuses gehad toe hy sy afrigtingspan moes saamstel nie… noem dit geskiedenis of “legacy”, noem dit huiwerigheid om belang te stel in die posisies, noem dit sabotering of na-ywer of watookal (vloeiend uit die vorige bestelle)… hy moes maar kies en klaarkry met die wat in hom reeds geglo het.
Ons kon almal daai tyd aan beter Agterlynafrigters, Voorspelerafrigters en bystandspersoneel dink… maar wie van hulle was werklik beskikbaar of bereid en wie sou dalk teenproduktief gewees het onder omstandighede?
Ek dink sommige van die wat hy gekies het het mooi gegroei in hulle posisies in.
Ek dink jy is dalk reg, daar was baaaie drieë wat verlore gegaan het en steeds verlore gaan… die afgelope Saterdag ook, maar ek dink daar is positiewe groei wat deurentyd op baie fronte gewys word…. merkbaar die bemeestering van grondbal situasies (Richie Gray het baie waarde toegevoeg in 2013) en ewe merkbaar die aanvalsmoontlikhede en geleenthede geskep in 2013.
Ons skrums was ook al beter as die All Blacks s’n.
Beter disipline, akkurate uitvoering (finishing execution) en paar fynere skills kan die Bokke onhanteerbaar maak vir enige opposisie, All Blacks ingeslote!
@ grootblousmile:
Kaarte kaarte kaarte dis die probleem
grootblousmile wrote:
Wat n lekker vooruitsig.
Regtig daar is geen rede dat ons hulle nie kan ontroon en vir n paar jaar domineer nie
As die politici net hul uit dinge hou….
Boks: winning good, bad and ugly
By Jacques van der Westhuyzen
Reuters
Jacques van der Westhuyzen looks back at the Springboks 2013 season.
Win ugly or lose pretty? I’m sure when it comes to the Springboks 99percent of the fans would go with the former. One percent wouldn’t be happy either way. It’s just the way it is.
The Boks won ugly at times in 2013, none more so than in Paris on Saturday, but they won and looking back over the entire season, 10 wins from 12 Tests isn’t at all bad. It was a very successful Bok year, with the two defeats coming against the All Blacks, who, everyone will agree, are currently a step ahead of Heyneke Meyer’s team.
But, after what I’ve seen this year, I’m confident the gap is, indeed, closing and, hopefully, next year we’ll see two more epic clashes between the sides. But this column is about the Boks and the 2013 season.
The Boks had moments of brilliance this year, when they played freely and with width and adventure. And there were also less enjoyable performances, but few will argue that the Boks are without question the second best team in the world and are playing some excellent rugby. When Meyer’s men get it right, the forwards are just about unstoppable and let’s be honest, the backs are not too far behind. This team is growing into a unit that could seriously be favourites heading into the World Cup in 2015.
My player of the season is Duane Vermeulen, who stood out just a little more than a bunch of other seriously good men. The No8 was big in his ball-carries, strong in defence and powerful as a line-out jumper. We must all hope he stays fit going into 2015.
The newcomer of the year was without doubt Willie le Roux, who has added a new and different attacking dimension to the back division. He was sensational in Super Rugby and grew steadily as a Test player the more he played.
To end off, as this is my last column for the year, my Christmas wish list: Firstly, I really hope we’ll see a better refereeing performance in 2014. The whistlemen, and those sitting high up in the stands in the TMO booth, received far too much attention this last season. I hope common sense will come into their officiating and decision-making and that they don’t feel the need to get involved or make decisions simply for the sake of television-time or being controversial.
Secondly, I wish for the Boks to, finally, beat the All Blacks in 2014. I truly believe that under Meyer, Springbok rugby is in a good space and heading in the right direction but not until the Boks beat New Zealand will the criticism of Meyer and the team come to an end. But then, I’m sure, there will be those who still won’t be happy … but that’s the nature of Bok rugby in South Africa.
He says there are two main areas where the All Blacks are better – they are fitter and they have a superior kicking game, which is ironic because for decades kicking was just about all the Boks could do while the Kiwis, conversely, have historically kept the ball in hand.
Meyer feels the Boks have caught up in other respects, and pointed out the mental toughness his team showed in being able to “win ugly”, as he put it, when the France game regressed into an uninspiring arm wrestle in the freezing cold of the Stade de France.
Meyer said the reason the All Blacks beat the Boks in the humdinger at Ellis Park last month was because they were better conditioned, and literally ran away with the game in the final quarter.
“
We will not beat the All Blacks until we can catch up to their level of conditioning,” Meyer said.
When he talks of conditioning, the coach also means literally the “condition” of the players. Many a Bok player this year was played into the ground. It simply would not happen in New Zealand, where the top 150 players are contracted to the NZRU, as are the franchise coaches, and the national interest always comes first.
In South Africa, the provinces own (and pay) the players and the coaches.
“We need a national conditioning plan,” said Meyer. “I only have the players for 12 weeks, and when they come to us, some of them are not fit enough, but what can we do about it when we are playing a Test that week?
OK i think everything has been said or quoted by me, i will rest my case now and leave it in the capable hands of Heynecke Meyer.
I wish him luck and hope
1. we dont lose key players to clubs and injuries
2. i hope that the tidal wave of protest against bad refereeing was not a waste of time and we get better refereeing
3. and he gets the magic input from a back line or skills coach that helps to complete the Bok puzzle
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