Lood de Jager… a truly smashing tournament for him!
With the South African Springboks now confirmed as topping their Pool B in the Rugby World Cup and thus making the quarters, we take a general peek at the news from the camp.
Today allegations surfaced that tighthead prop Frans Malherbe was involved in a “biting incident” during the USA game on Wednesday evening, but those rumours have been dismissed by World Rugby as unfounded.
Lood de Jager ranks high in all facets of play, with a host of tackles, many ball carries, great lineout statistics and all round inspired play. He is having a whale of a tournament and is growing in stature with every subsequent game.
The Springboks know that they still have plenty to work on, despite rebounding nicely after their bomb-shell loss against Japan in their 1st Rugby World Cup encounter. They now end No 1 in Pool B, whether Scotland win with a bonus point or not against Samoa on the weekend and whether Japan beat USA on the weekend as well. They feel that all aspects of their play must and should still improve.
In the meantime Jean de Villiers has re-joined the Springbok squad, after an operation on his broken jaw in South Africa, as adviser and not as player and he was seen supporting the Springboks on Wednesday evening from the stands, next to his other Springbok compatriots.
With England leaving the Rugby World Cup scene after their last Pool game, against Uruguay on the weekend, the rumour is now that the Springboks will take over and occupy their posh preparation base for the rest of their Rugby World Cup participation.
Frans Malherbe ‘biting’ allegations dismissed:
Photo of Frans Malherbe allegedly biting in the game against USA… still images are very misleading!
Claims that Springbok prop Frans Malherbe was guilty of biting an opponent have been dismissed by World Rugby.
A still photograph from the Springboks’ 64 / 0 win against the United States on Wednesday, which appears to show Malherbe’s mouth making contact with the shoulder of American lock Matt Trouville, was published by British tabloid the Daily Mail.
Springbok management denied that Malherbe had deliberately bitten Trouville and the citing commissioner Peter Larter agreed.
In a statement from a World Rugby spokesman it was made clear that the USA team and their management played no part in the allegations.
“Independent Citing Commissioner Peter Later (England) is satisfied that no alleged biting incident occurred during the Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool B match between South Africa and USA on 7 October.
“Mr Larter’s determination follows a detailed review of all video footage, an absence of a team referral and proactive dismissal by the USA team of claims made via social media that a South Africa player bit a USA player during the match.
“The matter again highlights the need to exercise caution when making such claims based on still photography.
Lood de Jager – tackling machine:
Lood de Jager of South Africa during the RWC match against Scotland on 3 October 2015
South Africa’s baby-faced assassin Lood de Jager has been a revelation so far at the Rugby World Cup!
He has made more tackles than any other player at Rugby World Cup 2015 so far.
The 22-year-old moved to the Top of the pile after Wednesday’s 64 / 0 thrashing of the United States.
The Springboks have played all 4 of their pool matches now, but De Jager has only started in 3 of them.
According to the Rugby World Cup official website, De Jager has made 51 tackles at the tournament to date.
His partnership with Eben Etzebeth in the locks has made waves in the absence of injured veteran Victor Matfield and coach Heyeneke Meyer will have a serious decision to make ahead of next weekend’s quarterfinal, should Victor Matfield be declared fit, as expected.
The Springboks will play either Wales or the Australian Wallabies in the quarterfinals.
Most tackles at RWC 2015 (to date):
- 50 – Lood de Jager (South Africa)
- 41 – Mihai Macovei (Romania)
- 41 – Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia)
- 39 – Francois Louw (South Africa)
- 39 – Schalk Burger (South Africa)
- 39 – Jamie Cudmore (Canada)
Plenty to still work on:
Heyneke Meyer
The Springboks may feel they have wiped out the ghosts of the Pool phase with their comprehensive 64 / 0 thrashing of the USA at the Olympic stadium on Wednesday night, but they know they will need to be a lot more clinical when it comes to their quarterfinal next week.
The Boks can now enjoy a long weekend off as they await word on whether they will face the Wallabies or Wales in their quarterfinal next Saturday, with the loser of the much-anticipated top of Pool A clash destined to meet the Green and Gold at Twickenham.
And while this has eventually worked out rather nicely for Heyneke Meyer and his management team, they need to admit that their 1st half performance was both jittery and incomplete for a team of their stature, and a lot of work will be needed if they are to progress any further in the competition.
It may be true that they bludgeoned the opposition into submission on Wednesday, and the 2nd half performance is easily written off as the dam wall bursting after sustained pressure. But the Springboks now need some finess with their brutality if they are to succeed against the top sides in world rugby.
The Springboks also seem to use their 1-off runners almost exclusively at times, and while it has worked for them thus far, they are going to need more weapons in their arsenal if they take on 1 of the bigger sides in the playoffs.
There is certainly a notion that the bigger sides probably won’t suffer as much in the scrum and lineout mauls as the Americans did and will offer a sterner physical presence. Either the Springboks will need to change tact or ensure they take their chances when they are there for the taking.
On the bright side, the team seems to be gaining momentum and using that wisely. They’ve scored 19 tries in the last 3 games, but have probably butchered a dozen more. And when the competition gets to the playoff Rounds, they will need to cut these error rates.
Those who arrived with tough tasks to get match fit again are looking decent, and Fourie du Preez and Duane Vermeulen both are starting to take a controlling role as well, so it isn’t all bad. Bryan Habana’s finishing is once again a talking point and they’ve lost the 2 most experienced members of their party and simply carried on.
Meyer admits his side needs to be clinical when asked about their readiness for the playoff Rounds.
“As a coach you never feel you are ready, I know we will be much better prepared but we will probably face 1 of the best teams in the world. We were so close in The Championship, losing against Australia and New Zealand right at the end.
“We’ve been so close, but we’ve learnt from that. Championship rugby is about discipline and defence, you get 1 or 2 chances and you need to take that. We had a few chances we didn’t take, we need to be more clinical and use every opportunity.
“The top 8 sides, and even a side like Japan, on the day, any team can beat any team. I believe the fact we have been under such pressure and that every week has been a must-win, has been tough on the players. But luckily we have a little break now and I think we will learn from that.”
The Springboks stopped the penalties after conceding 7 in the 1st half to only 2 in the second half and as they became more clinical, they lessened the mistakes. But this was the USA and they know such mistakes could be costly against bigger sides.
“You can’t afford to make mistakes in knockout games,” Meyer adds.
“The great thing is that after we played Japan, we made slight changes to the game plan, went back to what suits us, and also mixed it up a bit. It will be a cracker of a game, it will just be what happens on the day and nothing matters what happens before.
“We are building momentum now, and the confidence is there, but we have to stay humble, because we haven’t achieved anything yet.”
The time off will do them well, but they know when they return the hard work returns. And there is still plenty to work on.
Jean de Villiers return in support role:
Jean de Villiers
Jean de Villiers has rejoined the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad in London in an advisory capacity.
De Villiers, who was forced out of the tournament after fracturing his jaw against Samoa, underwent successful surgery in Cape Town last week.
He subsequently announced his retirement from international rugby and now hopes to provide valuable input off the field.
He arrived on Wednesday and was seen in the stands in his Springbok Blazer at the Springboks va USA game on Wednesday evening, seemingly in good spirits, sitting amongst his other non-playing Springbok compatriots.
Jean received a rousing welcome when the television cameras focussed on him in the stands and he promptly returned the acknowledgement with a wave of the hand.
Bokke might get England’s posh base:
The Springboks have qualied for the quarterfinals and could find themselves being given the keys to the magnificent England training base that must rate as possibly the best in the world.
According to reports, the luxurious 5-star Pennyhill Park hotel has been England’s training base for a few years now, but before the Rugby World Cup it was redeveloped at a massive R 50 million cost to include a 2-storey indoor training centre and outdoor rugby pitch that would be England’s own for the tournament.
Since England have suffered the humiliation of going crashing out of the competition, the hotel facilities, in Bagshot outside of London, will see the hosts leave on Wednesday and vacate their base, effectively handing it over to 1 of the sides in the quarterfinals.
The Springboks will be vying for the spot alongside Wales and Australia and some are already suggesting the Springboks have the inside lane to take over the luxurious facilities.
Pennyhill Park Hotel
The 2-story indoor facility includes a gym, weight area, changing rooms as well as an artificial 3G grass pitch indoors over a 40 x 40m radium, as well as a manicured full pitch outside. The pitch alone cost R 22 million to develop and few members of the press have been allowed into the base, with England keeping their activities secret.
However, World Rugby has made it clear that 1 of the other sides will have 1st call on the hotel, which was built in the 19th century and stretches over 120 acres, close to Wentworth Golf course and 40 minutes from Twickenham.
Some in the local media have suggested this is the “final humiliation” for coach Stuart Lancaster but the Springboks, if they are given the hotel, are sure to enjoy the many facilities, which include a Links Golf course on the grounds and outdoor heated swimming pool.
The restaurant in the hotel has 2 Michelin stars and is manned by award winning chef Michael Wignall, earning 4 AA Rosettes and often playing host to Hollywood celebrities.
Among those who are frequent guests of the hotel, Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake stand out, while more recently Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Lewis Hamilton and Russell Crowe have had lengthy stays there.
The hotel also hosts several other “recreational activities” from Tank driving to archery, golf cross, clay pigeon shooting and interestingly, duck herding.
A decision on who gets to use the facility will be taken at the end of the pool stages.