Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has taken time off his busy schedule to answer some of your rugby related questions.

Meyer’s Springbok team just finished their Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign with a famous win over New Zealand at Ellis Park.

The Q&A session once again proved very popular with our readers with hundreds of questions streaming in. We picked out the widest possible range of questions to put to the Springbok coach.

Here is what he had to say:

SuperSport

 

Robert Huckle asked:

Firstly I would like to say that you have been one of the first coaches that I have almost always agreed with in terms of selections and game plans.

Now that Fourie du Preez is injured, with you preferring kicking scrumhalves, Ruan Pienaar is most likely the starting 9. Have you guys been working on his speed at the breakdown or are you happy with his recent form?

I feel that a slower 9 (in terms of getting the ball out of the ruck) will stop much of our forward dominance with defences given time to realign and force us back into static rugby of kick and chase.

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Good question Robert and you’re 100% right.

I’ve said it before that there is a lot of pressure on our scrumhalves to perform in this series. Ruan showed what he can do at Loftus, in Perth and in Wellington recently, but unfortunately he’s now injured.

He showed his skills in wet weather experience. I’ve also said that we want to score tries and play attractive rugby, and that quick ball is essential in this.

So we’re working hard on the skills of our No 9’s to ensure they can provide quick ball, which is paramount, with a good kicking game and all the necessary other skills.

 

Ed James asked:

Hi Heyneke

I think Boks supporters are unanimous in their thinking that SA has the biggest and deepest talent pool, yet we are considerably behind NZ and Aus in terms of actual skills.

What do you see as the biggest obstacle to improving our players’ skills?

Best of luck with The Rugby Championship.

Best,
Ed.

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Thanks Ed – we really have great players in this country, but that goes for England and New Zealand as well, especially if you look at the way in which they have dominated things at international U/20 level.

I believe that core skills should receive a lot more focus on lower levels and while we do spend time on skills, the coaching of it needs to start at school and carry on through the age groups.

If we can get kids from a young age to do the basics right and coach a proper skill set, I’m sure things will go even better higher up. We only have the players for a week before a Test so there isn’t really a lot of time to work on skills – passing, catching of high balls, kicking and even specific scrum and line-out skills.

 

Gregory asked:

What is your relationship with the other international coaches like Hansen, McKenzie, Lancaster etc? Do you guys get the chance to have a drink after the game and talk rugby?

Heyneke Meyer answered:

I must say, we have good relationships with most of the coaching teams of the other countries.

We mingle after most Tests and always have time for a quick chat, at least, and a glass of wine or a beer. A big reason for this is that we all go through the same emotions around Tests, spend a lot of time away from home and are under the same kind of pressure.

 

Jake asked:

If everything went according to plan and the Springboks win the World Cup and go back to number 1 in the World rankings, and if asked, would you consider staying the Springbok coach for another four years?

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Yes I would definitely consider it and it would be an honour for me to continue as Bok coach as I believe this team can become unbeatable if given time to grow.

But it won’t only be about the World Cup and the No 1 ranking – for me it’s about making a difference in people’s lives, be it players or supporters, and if I can coach a team that makes South Africa proud, I’ll be a happy man.

I also like to serve my country and play my small part to help make South Africa proud of the Springboks.

 

Gustav asked:

Hi Coach. Do you think a team of bulk or muscle vs a team with ball skills, speed and thinking rugby will be key to winning the World Cup?

Thanks Gustav

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Gustav, I think you need a combination of all of that, as well as a little bit of luck.

The days where we were bigger and stronger than the rest of the world are gone so we can’t place too much emphasis on our physicality.

That is why we place a lot of emphasis on decision making, ensuring we look for space and ultimately scoring tries (we had the most in the world last year).

That goes for the big guys as well as the silky runners, because in the end, you can be as big and strong or as fast and skilful as you like, it won’t help if you don’t do the right things on the field.

 

Robert Ellis asked:

Ek kry partykeer die gevoel dat ons Suid-Afrikaners onsself moeg dink (motiveer) voor ons teen die bestes in die wêreld gaan speel.

Indien moontlik, dink u dat u manne daardie apie van die skouer af het en sielkundig is daar waar n wêreldklas span moet wees met selfversekerdheid.

Ek is jou grootste ondersteuner en wens jou net die beste toe.

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Baie dankie vir die steun Robert, ek waardeer dit baie.

Motivering is geweldig belangrik in professionele sport terwyl die balans tussen selfversekerdheid en voete op die grond hou ook ‘n groot rol speel.

Ek glo ook daarin om spelers te kies wat karakter toon onder druk – ek gebruik gereeld die voorbeeld van steenkool, wat op sy eie nie veel werd is nie maar onder druk word hy ‘n diamant.

Dis wat ek in spelers ook soek.

 

Justin asked:

First of all thank you for bringing pride back into the Springbok jersey… What have you done to ensure that your contribution to the Springboks will be felt long after you have retired from Springbok coach?

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Thanks for the compliment Justin, it should really go to the players.

I’d like to see my contribution not only confined to the rugby field, but hopefully I’ll be able to help others become better people – and the same goes for myself. The legacy of the Springbok is a long and proud one and it is bigger than any individual.

I just hope I can make the country proud in our team and I firmly believe that, with time, the group of players we have at the moment can become world greats, which is why we’re working hard on putting the right structures in place to ensure they get the opportunity to improve weekly.

 

Bruce Campbell asked:

Hello Mr Meyer.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. I have always been concerned with the manner in which South African ball carriers run into contact.

It appears to me that many players run at the defender (instead of the space) in the hope that they’ll run over the tackler, don’t look to off-load and often get isolated. Is this something that you and the Boks consider and are working on?

Heyneke Meyer answered:

It’s a pleasure Bruce.

Our first aim when running with the ball is always to look for space, but defences are so good these days that it’s easier said than done.

That is why it’s also important to create momentum and win the collisions, thereby creating go-forward for our backs, especially in northern hemisphere conditions.

But it’s all about making the right decisions, as I said earlier. Sometimes taking contact and smashing your opponent is a better option than attacking space, and sometimes it’s the other way around.

 

Herman asked:

Hi Heyneke.

Great job so far! Can you maybe elaborate a bit more on the relationship between the bok coach and the franchise coaches, when it comes to resting some players? Surely the National Team should enjoy preference?

And are the players in any way involved? Good luck this year, bring us that Kiwi scalp!

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Thanks Herman.

We have a very good relationship with the franchises and we work well together.

Unfortunately we don’t have a say in how they manage the players, but we trust them to do what is best for the players, as they will also benefit from it.

I believe that is one of the main reasons New Zealand is doing so well at the moment, because they have complete control over the management of their top players.

 

Johann van Zyl asked:

Without letting the cat too much out of the bag – what is different in your strategy compared to last year to win The Championship, keeping in mind that the trend is to have fewer collisions and more speed in the executions of game plans and running lines?

Examples: Stormers (later part of the year), Waratahs, Bulls to a lesser extent, ect.

Heyneke Meyer answered:

I don’t think our strategy will change all that much Johann, it’s more about execution and decision making. The margins in Test rugby are very small – just think how different things could’ve been had we scored a fourth try against Australia in Cape Town or if New Zealand didn’t get their fourth try in Buenos Aires in the 79th minute.

Ultimately, scoring tries remains our main goal, like we did last year and in June.

The wet conditions we encountered in Pretoria, Perth and Wellington made things a little bit more difficult in that department though.

 

Jan asked:

Hi Heyneke

How much does the Northern Hemisphere conditions play a role in your selection?

The obvious school of though would be to select bigger players. A guy like Willie Le Roux has also proven himself in the NH when maybe he would not normally be considered a typical NH player.

All the best

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Well Jan, the World Cup will be in the North, but at this stage I’m only focused on the next game.

We will always look at what is the best for the team and although conditions play a role, it’s not the be all and end all when it comes to team selection.

We also look at the opposition for the coming week and what would be the best way to approach that specific game, within our main framework of playing.

 

Charles Mangold asked:

Good day Heyneke,

It was good to read that you are concerned with the tactical kicking of the Boks. Do you perhaps have statistics available of (1) how many of our tactical kicks were actually retrieved by the Boks and (2) how many “tactical” kicks lead to tries by the opposition (after their counter attacks).

Thank You,
Charles

Heyneke Meyer answered:

Thanks Charles,

Yes, those stats are available and it’s something we are working very hard at improving on. Tactical kicking is a vital part of the modern game and we’ll always keep on working on it, as well as our skills in the air.

I really don’t like kicking the ball away (and I know a lot of people will be surprised), but for me it’s about ensuring you get the ball back in a better position.

For instance, in the Wellington Test Handré Pollard kicked a superb cross-field kick deep into their 22 which went into touch. They won the ensuing lineout and kicked it out around the 22 which was a net gain for us… and from that line-out Cornal Hendricks scored.

I hope that illustrates what I mean.

 

Jan asked:

Hi Heyneke,

How do you find the balance between -blooding new players in the Springbok squad and thus increasing depth with an eye on 2015 WC -and the need for the Springboks to win every game?

Heyneke Meyer answered:

It’s a difficult balance to find Jan, but in a sense we’ve been “forced” to do that because of a lot of injuries.

It’s great to know we’re getting to a stage where we have a number of experienced players as well as a crop of youngsters in most positions – for instance lock, where we’ve had the more experienced guys such as Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Flip van der Merwe, while bringing through Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the last three years. There are similar examples in every position in the team.