Jean De Villiers
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers is clear that his team need to take a massive step up before they face the Wallabies in Perth in their next Castle Lager Rugby Championship game on 6 September.
The Bok captain arrived home from the great Salta escape – where the Boks needed a penalty four minutes from time to beat a plucky, aggressive Argentinean team – knowing that the weight of public outrage at the result would be waiting for his team.
But De Villiers is a pragmatist, and, as he points out: it wasn’t the greatest of performances, but a win is a win.
SuperSport
While there is a lot for the Bok management to work on before they take on the Wallabies, and even more before they head to Wellington to face the All Blacks a week later, it isn’t all doom and gloom in the Bok camp, even though it may seem so for their fans.
“We’re not happy with our performance but definitely happy with the two wins,” De Villiers said on arriving back in Johannesburg.
“I think we all know that this is a very tough competition and if you keep on winning – if you are not firing on all cylinders, that is a positive result. We’ll take the two wins but there’s still a lot of hard work that needs to be done before the next game.”
While De Villiers is still adamant that the Argentineans are a lot better side than their 12th place on the IRB rankings portrays, he accepts that the pressure is on the team to show they can do better when they head to Perth. Argentina’s lowly log position comes mainly from the fact they play a B-team in the June internationals and only have their European based stars for the Rugby Championship, meaning their ranking has been in freefall for the last two years.
The ranking clearly isn’t something Los Pumas care too much for, and most rugby fans will agree that on the evidence of the last two weeks they would give most teams ahead of them on the rankings a massive fright, if not condemn them to defeat.
Still, for a team that constantly talks about concentrating on their own game, the Boks have a lot of work to do. They aren’t satisfied with how they played, something that De Villiers took every opportunity to underline.
“I think that’s a good thing (that the public expect more from us),” De Villiers admitted. “If the supporters and public can put as much pressure on us as possible to achieve better and perform better, then I see that as a positive sign. I think once we are happy with mediocrity and just putting up an average performance then I think we are in trouble. We see it as a good thing and we know we didn’t play well. We need to up our game and we need to improve.”
The Bok captain said he did take note of the impressive All Black performance on Saturday in putting up a half century against the Wallabies in their demolition at Eden Park, but that for now, they are in the distance. First priority is the Perth game, and that is where the Boks need to focus their attention right now.
“They were impressive but we are only seeing them in three weeks’ time,” De Villiers said on the All Blacks.
“The focus for us right now is Australia and putting up a good performance against them, after that we’ll take on the next one.”
“At the end of the day we’re happy that we won two out of two and we’re top of the log at the moment in the Rugby Championship.
“But we are very realistic in the way we played and what lies ahead for us.
“There needs to be improvement and if we want to walk away with the trophy at the end of the tournament we need to put up better performances.”
109 @ nortierd:
Keep in mind that our only good win this year came against a 2nd string Scottish side while their no. 1 side was touring the USA and Arg.
@ Nama:
116
I may call it differently 😆
Do you believe that Walsh must pay back his ‘Match fees’?
Or you believe that ‘ineptitude’ might be rewarded? it’s not unusual in SA after all?
@ Angostura:
I would have thought any current rugby discussion should be based on current form and latest results.
By that token, we can claim that we are almost on par with NZ if we take all the results of the previous 100 years as a yardstick
118 @ Angostura:
For the record, the European sides who toured Argentina were also fielding second, and third string teams, so does that not even things out?
Shouldn’t a decent rugby playing nation who aspire to run with the big dogs be able to, at home, at least compete with second string teams touring there?
@ Angostura:
Are you suggesting that we should take their semi final place in 2007 into account as prove that they are such a powerhouse currently?
nortierd wrote:
And Arg played pretty well, albeit against a poor Bok side, don’t you agree?
BJ Botha?
Hondkak showing his stupidity yet again?
@ Nama:
Actually not Scotland sent a much weakened side in their American tour.
Nama wrote:
Argentina beat Australia on the 8th November 1997 by 18-16
Whether it’s pertinent to current affairs, I’m not sure?
MacroBok wrote:
Fantasties.
They might beat Australia, you never know, they ran them close last year and beat them in 1997, so anything is possible.
Stranger things have happened
gunther wrote:
Yep, and it’s that much weaker team that won in Argentina 😉
@ nortierd:
Ran them close two years in a row actually.
@ gunther:
And that “much weakened side” ALSO beat the Argies by 2 points.
MacroBok wrote:
Did Australian rugby inspire confidence these last few years though?
We walloped them last year, yet you are calling that an anomaly and question if we can do it again this year.
nortierd wrote:
Not at all, the boks did not inspire much this year either… but were Argentina piss poor?
@ nortierd:
Winning in NZ and Aus is an anomaly, the great P divvy was the last to do it… but then in 2010 he lost, 32-12, 31-17 (giving away 10 points) to NZ, 30-13 to Aus and in 2011, 39-20 to Aus and 40-7 to NZ…
Never easy winning there.
@ nortierd:
The European teams have greater depth than Arg;
Same as Eng, SA & NZ have greater depth than Aus;
The 2nd string teams of greater depth nations should be considerably stronger than the 2nd string teams of limited depth nations – that follows in logic.
Your antagonists are not nay-saying the ranking of Arg, we are just bringing a qualitative element to the assessment of what happened on the field when, say ARG fielded their 2nd stringers & when ARG field their best team. We feel that is a rational approach – take or leave it.
PS: I suspect Argentina is in a unique situation (as the Pacific Isles teams would also be) – most of their professional players play in foreign countries & their local leagues are relatively weak. Hence the ARG coach needs to spend extra time with his almost exclusively foreign based team during June/July just to pick up loose ends, familiarise everyone, to assess the players & to build team spirit & prepare tactics/strategies/plays. It is during this period of preparing for TRC that the ARG B-team plays other less important tests that serve the important purpose of broadening their player depth.
Short term it costs them in the rankings, but long term it will improve the depth & quality of their rugby, and hence their world ranking. I believe they are doing the right thing in focusing on TRC – that’s where they pit themselves against the Top 3 Nations. That is how they’ll learn & improve.
One can say this is the opposite of the Hilton College rugby strategy. 🙂
@ Nama:
What’s with the inverted commas?
Are you saying otherwise
😆
@ Angostura:
“The 2nd string teams of greater depth nations should be considerably stronger than the 2nd string teams of limited depth nations – …”
It there also means that the 1st choice team of the greater depth nations should be considerably stronger than the 1st choice team of the limited depth nation.
Or do I have it wrong?
@ gunther:
No. Just quoting you.
😉
@ Nama:
No, that does not make them a powerhouse now, but it does place them up there with other teams that reached the same level (semi finals) during the RWC’s history. They are due some respect.
Also the fact that ARG has over the years beaten Eng 4 times & drawn with them once, beaten AUS 4 times & drawn with them once, drawn with SA (the current #2) once, & also drawn with NZ (the current #1) once, implies that ARG is not a Mickey Mouse team & should be taken seriously.
Also, it clearly NO FUN playing a rugby Test in ARG – it is kinda reminiscent of taking on the Griquas in Kimberley – it’s harsh & cuts one down to size. Strange things happen in Kimberley, & sometime in the future we’ll say the same of Argentina.
@ Nama:
Yes, partially correct, but partially incorrect:
The chasm in quality will logically be greater at 2nd string team level
**
OK, time to mosey on home – ciao
On a side note… Mitch Johnson still looks menacing.
@ Jeraldjay:
50
My problem with HM plan is that we play save and try and keep the score low. His plan does not put the pedal down and smash the opposition to pieces. We protect a score the moment we are in front.
The AB,s can strike at any time and swing a 14 point diff.
So although we win and most probably win the first 60 minutes vs the ABs but they hit back time and again.
Just like all the NZ super rugby teams
@ ufo:
81
@ Angostura:
“One can say this is the opposite of the Hilton College rugby strategy.”
@ nortierd:
117
Jy gaan n moerse tongue lashing kry as GBS terugkom. Jy beter kalmeer, jy gaan ook as Ass Webmonster gefire word oor al jou negatiwiteit. 😯
140 @ Angostura:
Haven’t Samoa and Fiji and even Canada also made the play off rounds of the WC?
Are they being afforded half the “respect” that Argentina is? And, lest we forget, the USA who are the current Olympic Champions, do they deserve some accolades?
Yes, they have beaten Australia……but as far back as 1997
Do those stats mean anything in today’s game?
My issue is not with Argentina and “how well their A team or whoever they choose to select” plays, it’s with my country’s A team that doesn’t produce against them.
Their combined A and B teams have lost almost every test in a 2 year period, so I’m sorry, I don’t see the strength or why they should be afforded so much respect, if Samoa or Fiji or Ireland or Scotland lost 15/17 tests we would also make them out as palookas, but not Argentina?
77 @ ryecatcher:
100% correct Rye.
@ superBul:
He he
Smaak my ek moet my Bok trui bere en n Argie trui kry, hulle is nou die force to be reckoned with
143 @ superBul:
If only we had built up a lead and protected it, lately we claw and scratch our way back into the game.
Then hail it as character building.
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