Springbok defense coach John McFarland.
In the years of the old Tri-Nations competition competed for by South Africa, New Zealand and Australia it was universally agreed that the Springboks were at a disadvantage because of the travel schedule.
That may not have changed now that the premier southern hemisphere competition has morphed into the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
At least that is the view of Bok defence coach John McFarland, who believes that the South Africans have it tough in being the only side in the new competition, which now also includes Argentina, who have to play three consecutive matches away.
SuperSport
McFarland was speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s Championship clash with Australia at Newlands, and responding to a question about why the Boks looked set to come short once more in their quest for the trophy.
McFarland noted that on their recent travels the Boks had come closest than they had previously in the time that Heyneke Meyer has been in charge to winning all their games on the road. Although they lost two out of three, the two defeats were matches which could have gone the other way.
“We were a minute away from winning in both Perth and in Wellington, which was very frustrating as all we needed was a bit of luck and the eradication of a few errors here and there and we would have returned with a clean slate and in line to win the trophy,” said McFarland.
McFarland’s own field of expertise, defence, was the bedrock of the Bok challenge in the Australasian leg of the competition. The South African tenacity and refusal to give away anything on defence were essentially what made the match against the All Blacks close.
Against the Wallabies in Perth it was errors at the beginning and end of the game that marred an otherwise perfect performance.
“We played very well on defence for 78 minutes of the Wallaby game, but giving away a try in the first minute and then the last minute cost us.
You can’t afford those sort of mistakes. People are concerned about our attack, but you need to put it in the perspective of us having to make more than 100 tackles in both Perth and Wellington.
“We only really had any control in the Wellington game in the last 15 minutes, where we were on the front foot. Most of the other ball we got was turn-over ball, and these days a lot of breakdown turn-overs, particularly in your own half, are penalties.
So the game shape was different to what it might be at home, where we sleep in our own beds, are excited by the support and thus it just translates into more confidence.”
McFarland said that the Boks’ current position on the Championship log, six points behind front-runners New Zealand, needed to be seen in the perspective of the Boks having already played all their away games.
Both the All Blacks and Wallabies have only played one game on the road up to this point, as is the case every year at this point of the Championship, which is run on similar scheduling every season.
“The way the Championship works is so difficult for us because we actually play three away matches on the trot, which nobody else does. Everyone plays two or one, and they then fly back home. So we are at a massive disadvantage on that front, if you consider all the time zones we experienced in the three weeks over which the matches against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand were played.
“We went to Argentina, which is on the opposite end of the time zone scale to Australia and New Zealand, where we travelled to after a short stop back at home.
You end up spending a lot of time fighting jetlag and fatigue and it does have an impact. In that sense, no other team in the competition has to contend with what we do.”
What McFarland says has validity, and it shouldn’t be forgotten either that the short hop across the Tasman Sea isn’t much longer than a domestic flight, so there isn’t the amount of travel involved for the Wallabies and Kiwis.
However, the time when those teams do feel the impact of travel in the competition is now. The All Blacks are in Argentina at present and then fly to South Africa at the end of the weekend. Their coaches have spoken in the past of the challenge that they face in ensuring that their players are fresh for the Ellis Park or Soccer City test that ends off their Championship schedule every year.
It normally means they do much of the work for the Bok game while still in Argentina and then pull back on the training once they are in South Africa.
If you look at their record here over the two years of the Championship, they appear to get that element of their preparation spot on, as indicated by them dominating the second half of both their last two matches at altitude.
What a terrible excuse.
At least by allowing Argentina to join we will never be last again, but using travel as an excuse for not being able to beat the All Blacks is a poor call.
We will have been home for 3 weeks by the time the All Blacks arrive from Argentina, yet in 2012 and 2013 they still ran us ragged on our home field while they were at the disadvantage.
McFarland should just shut it and the Boks must man up, we are not good enough to beat the All Blacks and it’s not because of travel
@ nortierd:
I wonder if THIS is maybe the real I_love_you_Bakkies_Botha?
@ BrumbiesBoy:
Nah, this one uses travel only as an excuse….Bakkies would have thrown in cheating Kiwi scum, McCaw’s eyes that are too close together and bent referees
@ nortierd:
True….BUT…McFarland’s blood is also blue, remember?
The Bokke are the only side that starts their campaign at home every year, Mc Fart…ever thought about that.
Dom moer soos jou baas.
“…you need to put it in the perspective of us having to make more than 100 tackles in both Perth and Wellington.”
Why was that Mc Fart? Us giving the opposition possession by kicking the ball back to them? What do you expect when you do that? Off course you’ll have to tackle.
Dom moer soos jou baas.
“So the game shape was different to what it might be at home, where we sleep in our own beds, are excited by the support and thus it just translates into more confidence.””
Hahahaha…. one of the funniest comments by a coach ever…as an excuse for losing against the old enemy.
“…we are at a massive disadvantage on that front, if you consider all the time zones we experienced in the three weeks over which the matches against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand were played.”
Ever considered the fact that the AB have to fly half way around the world to come and play the Bokke in SA. That, without the benefit of a week off. It is the considered opinion of many South Africans that flying against the rotation of the earth (west to east like SA to Australasia) is more negative than flying from east to west (Australasia to SA).
Of course, that opinion only comes up when the Bokke (or any other SA team) have to travel from SA to Australasia. Apparently it does not work the same way when the AB have to travel over the Pacific Ocean to Argentina and then to SA.
What will be the next dumb excuse?
Hello nama see you didn’t quote this part of the article:
“The All Blacks are in Argentina at present and then fly to South Africa at the end of the weekend. Their coaches have spoken in the past of the challenge that they face in ensuring that their players are fresh for the Ellis Park or Soccer City test that ends off their Championship schedule every year.” – seems their coaches feel they are affected to
However from this : “It normally means they do much of the work for the Bok game while still in Argentina and then pull back on the training once they are in South Africa.
If you look at their record here over the two years of the Championship, they appear to get that element of their preparation spot on, as indicated by them dominating the second half of both their last two matches at altitude.” it seems they have found a formula that works for them.
6 @ Nama:
“Apparently it does not work the same way when the AB have to travel over the Pacific Ocean to Argentina ” – am not expert on long haul travel and its effects but the big difference is that All Blacks will be facing far less formidable opponents at the end of their east-west trek this weekend that the Boks do after theirs. When you are trying to beat a team that has been Simply The Best for a while all these factors however small and irrelevant we may consider come into play and make it even harder that it already is to beat them.
@ Bullscot:
Hi Bully in Scotland. How are you?
We also fly to Aus in the week leading up to the match…spend 5/6 days there preparing for the match and the complain about “travel fatigue” when we lose.
The fact of the matter is that the AB cross more time zones in the two weeks leading up to their clash against the Boks in SA and yet we hear nothing about that (from our coaches)…and still we cannot beat them.
McFarland should not really be allowed to speak at press conferences as he clearly has nothing more to offer than to repeat the same old tired excuses that we have heard so many times before.
@ Nama: Hi Nama. You well chap? Flying west to east is certainly worse than the return journey in my humble experience. But I take your point. Argie is East of Kiwi and SA is east of Arg. So what’s the difference? I think the difference is in the head. AB’s have a better mindset is all. Which ultimately translates into a better team. That’s all there is to it really. This could change. But it hasn’t changed yet.
robzim wrote:
I second that, but at least he didn’t drop the words “character”, “awesome” and “best scrappy win over shit opposition” at least 40 times.
Boy, where is PDivvie when you need some decent sound bites?
5 @ Nama:
The Aussies as well, but they start against decent opposition, not a easy game against the Argentines (well, not easy for us when it rains or if there is some scrums somewhere during the game)
9 @ Nama:
Hi Nama doing alright thanks and yourself? Sun is shining here today. Ja the debate about travel fatigue goes on and not always so cut and dried, if you read more about what is being said it points to a perception that our players are able to do better when they have their home comforts around them rather than being on the road living out of a kitbag etc, know they are pros but they are also people too. What am saying is that these things shouldn’t be seen as an excuse but part (even if very small) of many reasons why we are lagging behind.
With the time zone travel problems maybe we should ignite the debate of SA teams playing in Europe again, hey and while we at it why don’t we try get the Boks to join the 6 Nation, far less travelling involved then.
Author also refers to a short hop across the Tasman but it all depends where you are coming from and going to, Perth or Brisbane to Christchurch or Dunedin is not exactly a long haul trip but still quite a trek, not exactly the same as going from Sydney to Auckland. But in the old days players would spend weeks on ships and trains on tours, but we don’t live in those times anymore.
@ Bullscot:
The author can talk about a short hop over the Tasman all he wants Bully, the bottom line is, the team that awaits you on the other side of that short hop.
It’s not the amount of travel it takes to get to NZ, whether you fly 2 or 20 hours, you must still face the All Blacks, and therein lies the real problem, they are too good whether you are rested or tired.
Travel is a be’atch
No matter where you go
No 2 person take it the same
Talking about experience
I am the world traveller
WORLD TRAVELLER
Hehe
@ Atlas:
It may be, but it is not the reason they lose, they have also traveled plenty of times and won, even in SR.
The opposition being better than you is the reason you lose, not the travel
@ Atlas:
Hey, World Traveler, onthou om Saterdag saam tot Centurion te travel 😆
@ nortierd:
Shoe maar dis ver
Shoe
Shoe
Haha
@ Atlas: Shoe……….dit is baai ver as jou ‘shoes’ loop Centurion toe van Slaapstad af. 🙄
@ Atlas:
Wees net bly dis Centurion, na Daspoort kort mens n paspoort 😉
nortierd wrote:
Ja, en bring asseblief jou fotos van die Loftus poppies saam!
Nama wrote:
Fokket Nama, is jy twaalf? :New-Arrival–Baby-Boy:
“We were a minute away from winning in both Perth and in Wellington, which was very frustrating as all we needed was a bit of luck and the eradication of a few errors here and there and we would have returned with a clean slate and in line to win the trophy,” said McFarland.
Then there should be no excuse, but for poor handling from Lambie and Lood we were on the edge of winning that game.
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