Francois Pienaar
The most annoying aspect about this match was that Australia scored almost all their tries off mistakes made by South Africa. I’ll have to watch the match again but I can’t recall Australia actually scoring a try off set piece (lineout, scrum or even consecutive rucks).
Apart from our lineout which was only reasonable because we mauled the ball up twice –by the way that was the only time I saw Stegmann with ball in hand (truck and trailer behind the maul), was he even on the field- and our scrum which was at best average. We were just about ordinary in everything else we did.
Our four main problems: Firstly losing the ball within 3 recycles almost every time we tried to run with the ball, secondly not taking the ball up at speed and therefore unable to breach the defensive line, thirdly poor defence especially around the fringes and in the backline, lastly being too predictable and one dimensional on attack. Continue reading
Wallabies (15) 39 / Springboks (6) 20 (Final Score)
The Wallabies hosted the Springboks at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia at 12:00 SA Time (20:00 Sydney Time). This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
Sub-standard performance from the Springboks and a consumate Wallaby performance. 5 Tries to 2.
Springbok lock, Andries Bekker has been ruled out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup with an ankle injury. Team Doctor, Craig Roberts, said that Bekker will undergo surgery in Cape Town on Tuesday.
CJ van der Linde has signed a contract of just over 2 years to join the Lions from 1st August 2011 to 31st October 2013 the Johannesburg based Union announced in a media release this morning.
Herewith the full announcement as received from the Lions.
Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves has been drafted into the Springboks’ starting XV for Saturday’s Tri-Nations Series Test against Australia in Sydney.
Ashley Johnson admitted at his first media conference as a Test Springbok that it’s quite intimidating to prepare yourself for a match in the Cheetahs’ dressing room in Bloemfontein.
Folks, a lot of people seem to be all rugby’d out… but damn man, it is 5 days before a Tri-Nations Test against the old foe…
Wake up, shake yourself, get in the mood… it’s time for International Rugby again, time to watch the Green & Gold, time to stand behind our Bokke!
The Springboks’ scheduled arrival in Sydney on Saturday has been postponed.
Rugby World Cup winner Johann Muller and star flanker Heinrich Brüssow were included in the Springbok squad on the away leg of the Tri-Nations Series on Friday.
The pair have responded well to treatment and will be part of a 28-man party to take on Australia in Sydney on July 23 and New Zealand in Wellington a week later.
Auckland 3 / South Africa 6
The third tour match against Auckland at Eden Park was disastrous for many reasons and had in many ways a lasting negative impact on the tour. This match changed the perception the New Zealand public had about the Springboks essentially leaving the kiwis very negative about the touring side. Warwick Roger recalls how -as he walked home after having watched the match as an 11 year old- the realisation dawned on him that the Springboks were not gods at all and how in the ensuing weeks they started kicking each other on the rugby field like the Springboks did against Auckland. An Article in the Star stated on the Monday after the match that: ‘It was a rubbishy, unintelligent game… rugby at its most depressing… exactly the sort of game that makes league fans out of rugby supporters.’
All accounts of this fixture assert to the fact that is was an awful match with both teams being incredibly, humiliatingly bad and more concerned to brawl, kick, punch and shoulder charge than to play rugby.
Captain John Smit will lead a squad of 27 players drawn from the Springboks’ preliminary Rugby World Cup squad on the away leg of the Castle Tri-Nations Series, it was announced on Friday.
John Smit will lead a decidedly second-string Springbok selection on the away leg of the Tri-Nations series, but coach Peter de Villiers believes the side can still win in Australasia.
Sharks looseforward Jean Deysel has been added to the Springbok training squad in Cape Town because of injuries. Deysel, who made his Test debut against Italy on the 2009 end-of-year tour, joined the group on Wednesday.
South African rugby has this reputation of having a powerful scrum. In fact the perception is that South African rugby is totally dependent or at least of being over dependent on its scrum to the extend that if you can counter the South African scrum the Springboks are easy to beat.
Heinrich Brüssow, a ball fetcher par excellence, should be named along with team-mate Ashley Johnson when the Springbok team for the Tri-Nations is announced on Saturday.
Brüssow will undergo medical tests when the preliminary World Cup group assembles in Cape Town on Wednesday. He is expected to be fit to face the Wallabies and All Blacks on 23 and 30 July in Sydney and Wellington respectively.
Continue reading
Canterbury has officially launched their revolutionary new jersey that will be worn by the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later this year.
(Take note, the picture on the left and the picture on the right are just cartoons and DO NOT APPEAR on the jersey!)
With the Super 15 nearing its conclusion, a lot more clarity has been provided to Springbok coach Peter de Villiers with regard to the make-up of his World Cup squad. The emergence of exciting talents like Coenie Oosthuizen and Bjorn Basson have added to the burgeoning pool of talent, but there are plenty of headaches for “Div”.
I enjoyed this article a lot, the reason why I am sharing it here. I have not read anything of Lungani Zama before, read it and give your opinion.
9 June 1956 – Waikato 14 / South Africa 10
The first match against Waikato is remembered mainly for two reasons; firstly, the massive three and a half hour welcoming procession; secondly, the fact that the Springboks lost the match. Here is a picture of the welcoming procession.
Ricky Januarie has withdrawn from the Springboks’ preliminary Rugby World Cup squad after announcing his retirement from international rugby.
Twenty-one Rugby World Cup winners were among a preliminary Springbok squad of 49 players named for the 2011 tournament by the South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Monday.
The final Rugby World Cup squad of 30 will be named on August 23.
Not much is available on the Australian leg of the 1956 tour. McLean in his book “Battle for the rugby crown” devout a chapter to this part of the tour but writes very little about the actual matches apart from the table below which is a summary or record of matches played in Aussie. Continue reading
The Springboks Rugby World Cup training camp had to be cancelled on Monday as the Springbok team management forgot to account for the busniess end of the Super Rugby competition.
With less than 90 days to go before the Springboks have to defend their title in New Zealand and the squad reduced to 37, the debates will start flowing towards which players are currently out of form and will really need to start showing some willingness and ability to appease the supporters on whether they deserve to go to the World Cup. Continue reading
The 15th of August 1992 was South Africa’s official return to first class international rugby after 11 years –since the 1981 tour to NZ- of rugby isolation. The Springboks did play two “Test matches” against a world XV in 1989 (6 years prior to 1992) and 4 “Test matches” against the NZ Cavaliers in 1986 and of course there was the two Test matches against a 1984 touring English side but these matches were in all fairness not the real thing.
Springbok loose forward Juan Smith says he’s nearing a return to light training after a torn Achilles’ tendon in February threatened his chances of playing at the Rugby World Cup.
Frans Steyn is set to rejoin the Springboks for this year’s TriNations and the Rugby World cup after playing for Top 14 club Racing Metro.
I wrote a piece a few months ago entitled : “Most enjoyable Test against England”. It was an Article about two Test matches South Africa played against England in 1984.
Danie Gerber scored 4 tries in the two Tests; overall South Africa crossed the English goal line 9 times.
Damn, double damn!
Bulls fly half Morne Steyn has been linked to a move to English Premiership Club Bath for next season as a replacement for Butch James.
I found this website on News24 and all Peter de Villiers fans are invited to listen to this interview with Peter. Take your time , it is in three parts and is 31 minutes long.
Listen to Peter when he is calm and not under pressure.
All the overawed Sonny Bill Williams fans Peter, has a point! Watch these videos with an open mind.
Peter de Villiers has confirmed that John Smit will captain the Springboks at the World Cup. Rassie Erasmus was appointed as technical adviser.
At a press conference on Monday, Peter de Villiers confirmed the appointments of his captain and management staff. Smit will continue as captain with Victor Matfield named as vice-captain. Erasmus has been brought in as a technical adviser and conditioning coach Derik Coetzee is the other new appointment.
Interesting article in the New Zealand Herald this morning states that New Zealand Maori rugby side is in line to play a historic series in South Africa later this year.
According to the article Rugby News reports that the Maori will play two matches against a “shadow” Springbok side after the World Cup. The article then further states:
If you read all the Rugby pages and Newspapers you can clearly see the urge to pick a Springbok World Cup squad. It is more than 142 days before the Tournament begins, 144 days before the Springboks play Wales in our first match and 170+ days before the Quarter Finals. But let it out, I know you want to! I constantly read about the teams everyone would pick, all the time.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers, is starting to push the panic buttons.
The words of Irish international Fergus Slattery echoed perhaps best the general feeling about South African rugby at the end of the 1976 tour. Commenting to Phillip Jones of the Sunday Times before he left South Africa Slattery said: “The first thing I would tell a young player is not to play like the Springboks. They are five years behind the times.”