A lot has been said about the way the Springboks seemed to have stagnated in their play. The most obvious direction to pass blame is towards PDV and his assistant coaches. They are the ones who must give direction to the team. They are also primarily responsible for selecting a group of players that can fit into a game plan that is required to win tests.
What is unfortunately not very clear to the general rugby public and for that matter the vast journalistic contingent that are supposed to report back to Joe public on the inner most sanctum of the Springbok dressing room, is what happens behind closed doors is held very close and the only barometer we have are the inconsistent and incoherent ramblings of a coach under pressure.
There are a number of senior players in the squad such as John Smit, Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, and when you add Percy Montgomery and Os du Randt as specialist coaches, that allows us to assume that the world cup winning veterans all have a big say in what happens out on the field.
The general feeling outside of the Springbok camp is that Pieter de Villiers is perhaps not strong enough to withstand the veterans and as a result of his “cajoling” to get senior players on his side in the beginning of his tenure, is now biting him in the behind.
Any relationship, be it between employer and employee or in this case coach and player establishes a behavioural standard within the first few months. To change that behaviour and expectation is almost an impossibility. By virtue of the power PDV has granted his senior players in his “democratic” management style is there to stay until the end of the Rugby World Cup.
The only way for him to change the decision making within Springbok rugby is to get rid of some of the old guard and introduce new blood where he can “introduce” a new management style and structure of seniority.
Chances are very slim of this happening with the world Cup less than a year away. With the Springboks having only 9 tests remaining before the start of the World Cup Tournament one would argue that wholesale changes would be far to risky.
But what can we learn from previous world cups, and what do we know about our traditional strengths?
There are three very important elements that have proven to be essential for any world cup victory, experience, well organised defence and a reliable goal kicker.
We can tick the boxes in two of those departments, Morne Steyn although not the type of flyhalf that will set the world on fire with his general play is solid in all departments. He has an accurate boot, very competent in kicking for touch or territory and can get his line away competently.
We have vast amounts of experience in the squad and some may argue perhaps too much experience.
As far as the defensive organisation is concerned, it is rather difficult to measure our true effectiveness in this department during this winter due to the extreme circumstances around our continuity in selections mainly due to injuries, citings and some experimentations done by PDV during the last 2 months.
During this winter we have employed three different scrum halves in Ricky Januarie, Ruan Pienaar and Francois Hougaardt. We have had 4 different center combinations, Wynand Olivier with Jaque Fourie, Wynand Olivier with Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers with Juan de Jongh and Jaque Fourie with Jean de Villiers. We have had 3 different full backs in Zane Kirchner, Gio Aplon and Frans Steyn. We have had three different right wings in Gio Aplon, Jean de Villiers and JP Pietersen.
The only consistency thus far in the back line has been Morne Steyn and Bryan Habana who has both not been at their best.
The assumption that has to be made here is that in all likely hood, if the Springboks were to have continuity in their selections and the best players are selected, they should be back to the defensive structures and standards of defence we expect from them.
Although it can be reasoned that our back line has been the weak link in our defences, it can also be reasoned that our forward pack has been at sixes and sevens during this winter, with no Bismarck du Plessis, no Beast Matiwarira, no Bakkies Botha, no Heinrich Brussouw, no Juan Smith for most of the winter, an off form Pierre Spies, John Smit and a tired Victor Matfield, we have rarely dominated in the forward exchanges. Add to that a problem in selection on tight head, with BJ Botha, an unfit looking CJ v d Linde and the top of the pile Jannie du Plessis (who has not yet shown he can dominate opposing loose heads).
So where is the good news?
Players such as Beast, Bismarck, Juan Smith, Schalk Burger, a disciplined Bakkies, a dominant Victor Marfield all fit and selected allows Pierre Spies to be the athlete we know him to be.
There are a few players who are of concern. Whether it is due to their “older” bodies needing more time to recover or just being out of form, these are all issues that can be solved by PDV and his assistants being astute in their planning and management of these players.
South Africa has what it takes to win World Cups, but they do also have some areas that needs improvement. I don’t care if the All Blacks can run the socks off their opponents, I also don’t care if Richie McCaw can outwit every referee on the planet. What I do care about is what the Springboks are going to do to introduce a little, yes only a little variation to their play.
We can dominate breakdowns, we have the players to do it, we can dominate line outs, Victor Matfield has proven that over a number of years. We know how to organise effective defences, two world cup trophies tell you that. Although we may not play the most expansive rugby on the planet, we are effective in scoring tries from opponent mistakes and first phase possession. Our kick and chase is effective and accurate to the point where we can put teams under sufficient pressure to make mistakes in the red zone and effect turnovers.
The one area of development needed for the Springboks in attack is more creative play our wide and a better balance between forward attack and using the back line to go wide.
It is important that we acknowledge our strengths and accept there are areas that can be improved, but we also need to accept that we have certain limitations in our ability to emulate the All Black style of play. The reality is over the past 100 years, our play has been based on forward domination and strong backs who may not set the world on fire in the creative aspects of back line play, but has nevertheless been good enough to be the main opposition to the top team in the world, and only as far back as 1 year ago worked effectively.
The basics of rugby remain the same irrespective of law changes, you scrum, you jump in a line out, you protect and turn over ball at the breakdown, and you find ways to score points.
More teams have won the world cup by employing the fundamentals of organised defence, reliable goal kickers and experience, than running the socks off the opponent with high risk rugby. And in that lies the Springbok’s strengths.
If Pieter de Villiers can get his players on the same page and to collectively hunt as a pack in the forwards, manage his experienced players well, and hopefully have continuity in selections, bring in a little new blood, we will be ready to take on whomever we face in the RWC 2011.
One last thought. Pieter you have pulled up Laager, that also means you have now shut out the elements that influence your thought processes, so please, please keep yourself out of the media and focus on your job at hand.
Nice article, Biltongbek. We need to rest the Matfields and Smit during the EOYT. I know its a grand slam tour, but that core of senior players need to be rested, but Juan Smith and players that have been off the paddock for various reasons must be taken with, plus the fringe players like Hougard, De Jongh etc.
We should be able to beat most of the Home Unions quite easily, but the right players, and the correct tactics need to be employed.
I’d say, apart from the 3 factors you have mentioned for winning the World Cup (experience, well organised defence and reliable goal kicker), one can add 3 more factors which are common to World Cup winning teams, namely:
1. Consistency in selection
2. Viable and adaptable Game Plan A with an Option B
3. A Team of Menatally Ready players
So, to get our ducks in a row in these 3 departments, the following needs to happen…. Snorrie needs to EITHER stick with his current crop of players and not make a single change… just get these fatigued guys up to speed OR replace the 3 – 5 or so stragglers NOW and bring in their replacements NOW (after this weekend’s Test of course).
My preference lies in replacing 5 stragglers NOW…. Bryan Habana, John Smit, Pierre Spies, Ricky Januarie & Butch James. Replace them with Bjorn Basson and / or Lwazi Mvovo, Bismarck du Plessis and / or Gary Botha (one needs 3 hookers in a World Cup squad), Duane Vermeulen and / or Willem Alberts, Dewaldt Duvenage or Jano Vermaak or Sarel Pretorius (Till Fourie du Preez is back and fully functioning… one needs 3 scrummies in a World Cup squad anyway), Patrick Lambie.
End of year tour is a conundrum…. remember, next year we have continious Super 15 Rugby, then Tri-Nations and 2 weeks later the World Cup starts… so the bodies will take a pounding in the 1st 7 months of next year.
Therefore I would rest quite a number of Bokke for EOY Tour… all the fatigued veterans (Matfield, Schalla, Spies [if he is not totally left out], Habana [if he is not put out to pasture], Gurthro Steenkamp), all those with half-niggles, all those who are mission-critical for the World Cup who might not show fatigue yet (Danie Rossouw, Juan Smith, Morne Steyn, Jaque Fourie)…. so one would miss about 11 or so stalwarts for the EOY Tour but replaced with possibly the exact depth you might just need or the diamonds you might just uncover.
Youngsters or Replacement players I would most definately take on tour are:
Flip van der Merwe
Stegmann
Duane Vermeulen
Willem Alberts
Bjorn Basson
Lwazi Mvovo
Bismarck du Plessis
Gary Botha
Beast Mtawarira
Juan de Jongh
Patrick Lambie
Francois Hougaard PLUS 2 scrummies: Jano Vermaak & Dewaldt Duvenage
Frans Steyn
Zane Kirchner
Gio Aplon
(This is not my complete EOY squad, just the guys that I would not leave at home under any circumstances)
We cannot win the WC with PDV as coach.
So what does SARU do?
Hoskins probably has nightmares about PDV every night.
He must get up in the morning and wish that PDV does not embarrass us that day.
Just now even Hoskins will get gatvol.
@ grootblousmile:
I fully agree we need to decide which senior players are crucial for the RWC, those guys must and this is not even negotiable, must take a 3 month break from the game.
Tim Noakes said this in the beginning of the year, and he specifically said John smit needs a three month time out.
We need John’s leadership, Victor’s ability to read line outs, Juan smith’s all round physicality and ball crrying abilities, Schalk burger’s helter skelter physical tackling, Jaque fourie’s defensive organisation and strentgh with carrying the ball, Frans Steyn’s boot and confidence he gives Morne Steyn etc.
Those guys must take a break.
I beleive in that lies our success for next year.
@ tight head:
I diagree with you that we can’t win a RWC with PDV. Look at what england did in 2007, with a mediocre team with some almost over the wall experienced players they took out Australia and France. They also kept us at bay in the final, even after we thrashed them in the pool match.
Our difficulty will only start when we meet the All Blacks in the Semi final, so that gives us 5 matches for the team to collectively get themselves prepared for the one off test against the All Blacks.
The matter of fact is that this is an All Black home test, but they do have a tendency to struggle in the knock out stages.
See Snorre is in trouble again for the “Bokke support Bees 100%” comment…
@ biltongbek:
Biltong, I have no doubt that we have the players to win the WC.
However I cannot see us winning a knock out tournament with this coach.
tighthead @ 6
be nice or
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will be ‘called in’ by his employers for another talking to about his public and media utterances.
However, De Villiers will not face any disciplinary hearing, at least not in the immediate future.
The latest outcry against the outspoken Bok coach came after he told a media gathering in Bloemfontein that the Springbok team is “100 percent” behind Blue Bulls prop Bees Roux, who faces murder charges after a metro police officer was killed in Pretoria last Friday.
(To listen to Peter de Villiers’s comments, CLICK HERE!)
Earlier reports suggested that De Villiers was expected to face a disciplinary hearing, because of his statement that the team is behind Roux.
However, South African Rugby Union President Oregan Hoskins revealed that there are no plans for a disciplinary hearing involving De Villiers.
Hoskins added that he will have a “heart-to-heart” with De Villiers about his statements in the media.
“We will talk after the Tri-Nations,” Hoskins told us.
The Bok coach’s latest faux pas came on Monday, ahead of Roux’s bail hearing in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.
“The team supports him 100 percent, maybe not on the deed, but rather on the circumstances that led to the situation developing,” De Villiers said.
De Villiers also said the team had talked about the Roux situation, even though the Blue Bulls prop is not a member of the Bok team and has never played for the Boks.
De Villiers’s comments did not go down well outside the team structures and newspapers reported that De Villiers might face charges of bringing the game into disrepute.
This, along with his extended list of embarrassing public utterances, caused some members of the Saru hierarchy to call for De Villiers’ head.
However, he is set to escape any formal hearing, although it won’t be the first time that his bosses will call him in to discuss his public statements.
Last month, De Villiers also faced a disciplinary hearing – instigated by Sanzar (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) – because of his suggestion that the All Blacks got preferential treatment from referees.
He also escaped censure on that occasion.
The Times newspaper quoted ‘senior’ officials as saying they are not only unhappy with what he said regarding the Roux incident, but also over his previous comments.
“Imagine if [former Bok coach] André Markgraaff had made this comment about Roux? He’d have been dismissed before the weekend,” the Times quoted a source as saying.
Markgraaff was sacked in 1997 after being secretly taped using derogatory language about blacks.
“Die tuisspan sal met 750 toetse opdraf en die rekord van 700 wat hy vroeër vanjaar in Wellington, Nieu-Seeland, opgestel het, verbeter.”
2@ grootblousmile:
I like those replacements you’ve named for the “stragglers”. I think they would do the Bok jersey proud.
Now what about PdV’s replacement from the current crop?
10@ Scrumdown:
For me 2 Candidates stand out, head above shoulders over the rest… Heyneke Meyer or Alistair Coetzee.
We know that Heyneke would insist on his own support staff… and that I like as well.
But I do not think Snorrie will be axed at all…..
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