Heyneke Meyer
Lood de Jager
The joke is going around that Heyneke Meyer describes everything the Bokke does as “AWESOME“!
Well, the South African public have reason to be AWED by the AWESOME display of the Springboks and their AWESOME coach!
Not only are the Springboks playing a very well-rounded and balanced game, 2 and a half years into Heyneke Meyer’s tenure, but it appears that the Springoks can now call on 40 odd players to do National duty for them at any given time.
Not only do the Springboks have locks of absolute world class to burn, the looseforwards are equally impressive, the midfield options have been greatly bolstered… and the flyhalf stocks are suddenly no concern anymore, with well-rounded performances by Handré Pollard and Marnitz Boshoff.
The biggest problems still for the Springboks, seem to be adequate depth at both loosehead and tighthead prop.
With almost 30 frontline Springboks out with injury and / or not available due to the International Window having closed before the start of the Test on the weekend, the mix-and-match Springboks certainly excelled on the weekend.
The 5 Springbok debutants, Handré Pollard, Marnitz Boshoff, Marcel van der Merwe, Stephan Lewies and Teboho ‘Oupa’ Mohoje also distinguished themselves on the field of play.
At the end of the June Internationals, the Springboks and Heyneke Meyer finally have reason to smile!
Lood de Jager – Scotslayer:
If Frik du Preez, now 78, remains Springbok rugby’s most luminary example of perfection in the broad requirements of second-row play, then young Lood de Jager went out of his way to try to emulate him in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
The towering Cheetahs customer, in his first start for South Africa against an outclassed Scotland, put in a dynamic, magnificently untiring and versatile shift to only confirm that coach Heyneke Meyer will have the most pleasant of headaches at lock when all candidates are fit for the assault on World Cup 2015.
De Jager, the 21-year-old from Alberton, did not win the official player-of-the-match award after the rousing, eight-tries-to-nil triumph – it went to JP Pietersen on a day when the task was agreeably tricky.
The choice of JP Pietersen was puzzling though, and it is our measured opinion that Lood de Jager deserved those honours in his first starting Test.
With 10 minutes or so to go in the game, I’d already counted at least 19 great tackles by Lood de Jager! Add that to his 2 superb tries, and he towers (pun intended) above anybody else in the game.
Springbok depth looking great:
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer admits he faces a pleasant selection headache ahead of the Rugby Championship following the team’s commanding 55-6 thumping of Scotland in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
The Springbok coach watched his side, missing as many as 30 players through injury and unavailability, run in eight tries as they overwhelmed the visitors to record their second biggest victory margin over the Scots.
The dominant display has also convinced Meyer that some of the debutants, including the impressive Handre Pollard at flyhalf, are good enough to compete in the Rugby Championship against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina later in the year.
“We have close to 30 guys out so it will be difficult to pick a squad once all of them are fit again,” Meyer told reporters.
“Handre is already a matured player and he combined well with (centre) Jan Serfontein today. They are pressuring the first choice players and a lot of the new guys will be contenders for the Rugby Championship.”
After leaking soft tries the weekend before in the narrow 31-30 win over Wales, Meyer was pleased with an improved defensive effort, key to any potential success in the southern hemisphere championship.
“One thing that stands out for me was us not conceding tries,” he said. “We kept the Scots out for those last minutes when other teams would have leaked a try. Our defence was awesome, but we also played very well on attack.”
The Boks do have a worry, however, over veteran scrumhalf Fourie du Preez’s ankle injury, the extent of which is not immediately clear.
“We hope the injury will not prevent him from playing in the Rugby Championship. He will undergo a scan as soon as possible to determine the extent of his injury. His control of the game is important to us for the Rugby Championship.”
Scotland coach Vern Cotter was able to pick out the positives from the defeat for his inexperienced side, saying they would learn from it as they build towards next year’s World Cup.
“It illustrated a lot of the things we are going to have to go away and work on to become competitive before the Rugby World Cup,” he told reporters.
“But honestly, much as we hate losing and especially by a score like that, there are some very positive things to come out of it.”
“Adam Ashe played his first game at 20, Grant Gilchrist has come in as captain and done exceptionally well. I think all the players have done well. If we take away what we gave South Africa and add more of what we tried to develop on the field, then we can improve.”
“We have to keep doing the good things and take away the bad stuff we didn’t do well. If we don’t offer as many opportunities to the opposition as we did today then we can shift in the right direction.”
@ grootblousmile:
1
“Now for the bigger task at hand… hauling in the All Blacks”
Remember: HM is still 0:4 last I checked 😉
Only a week ago the Boks needed a scoundrel referee to win against Wales in Nelspruit – of all places – by ONLY one point when a fabricated penalty try was ‘awarded’
@ Nama:
26
Most of them are playing in Europe for 9-10 months a year, they need to rest and recuperate.
The Irish and the Scots sent theretheir B/C teams, not a real test by any measure
@ Hondo:
Yes, but our overseas players do the same, not so? They played against Wales.
It’s always better playing the game than have some drills on the training field, I think. Even if i is against lower strength competition.
@ cane:23
“Next WC Final…………………………………………………… The Lizards of OZ vs Old Blighty.”
Don’t think that will happen Caner, baring one major upset, those two teams will face each other in the one semi with the Boks v AB’s in the other.
@ nortierd:
kia ora nortie, last two world cup finals have consisted of teams that were in the same group. SA vs Eng
@ nga puhi:
dont know what happened there 😳 (continuing ) NZ vs France. World cups throw up some surprises, like in 2011.
I see Etzebeth is injured again.. broke a toe.
Won’t feature for the Stormers again in this year’s Super Rugby
Only 5 teams really stand a chance to win a Rugby World Cup… All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies, England & France (much to Nortie’s disgust).
Wales, Ireland, Scotland & Argentina will make up the numbers.
The rest, it’s out like cookies in an orphanage!
@ nga puhi:
True….the best laid plan go awry
Hopefully you play the frogs somewhere, will make our job of winning the comp easier
😉
baie goeie rugby gewees, oor pollard net dit, dit is baie min wat dit gebeur dat n land geseen word met twee sulke goeie loskakels soos ons was met goosen en pollard, asb asb asb asb leer uit die fokops wat gemaak is met goosen en laat pollard eers groot word, nog n jaar van op die bench sit gaan hom nie skade aan doen nie, moet hom asb nie goosen nie…..
@ nga puhi:35
To be fair Pops, in 2011 Australia stuffed everything up by losing to Ireland.
France didn’t deserve even getting out of the group stages, lose to Tonga, getthefuckoutahere I say.
If wales weren’t red carded so early, they probably would have beaten the French in any case
@ Nama:
33
I can’t see any comparison between the RC and the June Tests,
Some differences in the commitment of the touring European Test teams compared to that of NZ, Aus and the Argies
@ smallies:
Ja, ek weet ook nie wanneer ons klaar leer nie.
In 2009, teen die Leeus, het Ruan Pienaar ‘n baie goeie algemene vertoning op losskakel gelewer in die eerste toets teen die Leeusen al (byna al) sy skoppe pale toe oorgesit. ‘n Week later, in die tweede toets, het Pienaar ‘n baie goeie algemene vertoning op losskakel gelewer, mr meeste van sy skoppe pale toe gemis (2 was teen die regop paal vas). Morne Steyn het opgekom en die toets (en reeks) gewen met ‘n strafskop in die laaste minute.
Skielik het ons, volgens ‘n sekere klomp ondersteuners, TWEE wereldklas losskakels gehad wat Bok rugby vorentoe sou neem en die houvas wat die AB op ons gehad het (steeds het), breek. Dit het nie so uitgedraai nie en vandag (5 jaar later) wil die meeste Bok ondersteuners nie een van daardie twee spelers naby die Bokspan he nie.
Lambie en Goosen, wat slegs ‘n jaar of drie gelede gesien is as die volgende groot redders van Bokrugby, word noual weer beskou as oorbodig met Pollard op die toneel.
Jy kan maar net jou kop skud met die kaliber Bok ondersteuners wat ons het.
@ Hondo:
It is said that HM and his management team went around the country to ask school teams to implement some of the attacking/defensive plans/tactics that they have developed for the Boks. The reason for that was to see how it will work in a real match situation.
By the same token, the Argie coach would’ve been able to see how his plans/tactics worked out in real match situations against the Irish and Scotland before the RC starts.
@ Nama:44
“By the same token, the Argie coach would’ve been able to see how his plans/tactics worked out in real match situations against the Irish and Scotland before the RC starts.”
He has Nama…..they will lose in the same way they lost in the June tests
@ Nama:
44
You can’t be serious, can you?
“went around the country to ask school teams to implement some of the attacking/defensive plans/tactics “
@ Hondo:
Jip. That’s what Brendan Venter wrote in one of his columns on the Supersport website.
The second step pertains to preparation. In this regard, Meyer has left no stone unturned.
“I can reveal that while Super Rugby was in full swing, Meyer and his coaching triumvirate of Johann van Graan, Ricardo Laubscher and John McFarland experimented with various attack, defence, kick and set-piece strategies through the assistance of a number of under-19 rugby teams around the country.”
(05. 06. 2014)
40 @ smallies:
Stem 100% saam… almal moan oor die ou spelers in die span, maar n paar spelers kan in 2019 ysters wees en sommige selfs in die 2023 wereld bekers Ons het nie nodig om die ouens so gou te druk nie.
@ nortierd:
I think the margins will be bigger.
Hondo wrote:
Any proof the Irish sent their b/c team?
sending a b/c team suggests resting ALL the first choice players
Nigeria and France on at the SWC in Brazil.
A soccer thread for the week, GBS?
Great pace to this game.
WHAT A PLAY! WHAT A SAVE!
Great 1st half.
0-0
52 – 55 @ Nama:
Namascara, your Poofball Thread is up and running!
Sheeeet. Talk about exchange rates killing Rugby.
Vark what the players can earn overseas. I just checked the ticket prices for SA’s RWC 2015 pool games.
SA v Samoa GBP 115 and 150
SA v Scotland GBP 125 and 175.
You can rest assured that the ZAR is not going to strenghten against the worlds major currencies, si I guess our estimate of ZAR 50k for the trip, excluding flights may JUST about come in on budget.
EINA.
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