By James Mortimer
November 17th 2008 @ 7:36am
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Average Springboks continue to win
Coming towards the end of their first year as World Champions, question marks continue to exist over the Springboks team and coach Peter De Villiers.
After coming last in this year’s Tri Nations, for the second week in a row the Springboks came home with a proverbial wet sail. A loss to England in Twickenham will undoubtedly mark a failed year in the eyes of the faithful and scathing attacks on the early reign of De Villiers.
The enigmatic coach is under heavy criticism for the playing patterns he is having the Springboks play; and again, there are question marks over the selection of his players, with key men again failing to impress against – with due respect to Scotland – second tier opposition.
The Scottish had clearly learned a lot in one week. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then coach Frank Hadden and his troops had clearly learned from their 32-6 loss to the All Blacks.
It has been quite some time since Scotland has looked so full of running, constantly taking on the advantage line to pressure the World Champions who ended up missing a huge 21 tackles. In the pivotal contest area, Scotland clearly outplayed the illustrious back row of the Springboks – dominating the ruck and forcing 16 turnovers from South Africa.
It was a very All Black like game plan that Scotland took to the Springboks.
But it was not so much the dominance of the home team that allowed them to enter the half with a 10-0 lead, as much as the overall ineptitude of the visitors. In the first six minutes the Springboks knocked on three times and made far too many errors with the pill in play.
With the Scottish set piece gaining parity against their renowned counterparts, the South Africans could not establish any pattern of play and the ferocity in which the Scots attacked the breakdown. However, questions will be asked back at the republic of why South Africa seems to shift their game plan week to week, with the Springboks either looking at running back at the opposition irrespective or kicking the ball back without thought to the overall tactical view of the game.
To use the classic truism of a “game of two halves”, it appeared to be the case as the Springboks came out firing thanks largely to the shining lights of the class of 2008 – the outstanding midfield combination of Adrian Jacobs and Jean De Villiers – the latter being ahead on points as the best inside centre in world rugby. It is contrast to last year’s world player of the year Bryan Habana, whose form is getting worse as the calendar goes by.
Likewise the Springbok loose forward combination, often hailed as the traditional strong point of the African game, came back into the contest courtesy of an improved second half performance from Juan Smith and the brusque Schalk Burger.
But in the last twenty minutes of the contest the Scottish launched an impressive counter offensive on the Springboks, but could not break the frantic defence of the World Champions who won the game courtesy of 14 unanswered points in the second half.
It now leaves Scotland in the perilous arrangement of being placed ninth in the IRB rankings which means it may be seeded in the same position for the 2011 World Cup. This is the jinxed number in which Scotland will now likely be placed in the same pool as the All Blacks and England at the next World Cup.
Nevertheless, nothing can be taking away from the Scottish performance, which showed their potential in a mixed 2008. While they almost took the Six Nations wooden spoon, they did defeat England in the tournament, and came back to beat Argentina in the second test on Latin soil.
And with a British Lions tour on the horizon, it is likely that Scotland will add considerable presence to the famed squad when they tour South Africa next year. Scottish captain Mike Blair is the form number nine in world rugby as evidenced on the autumn internationals, and the Scottish front row anchored by Euan Murray equalled both All Black and Springbok packs in consecutive weeks.
The Scottish back row was outstanding, with man of the match Alistair Hogg having his best international game to date – leading from the front and ruling the breakdown.
For all the impressing that Scotland did throughout the game – credit must at the end go to the victors. It is the mark of a good team that can win even when they go long periods without dominating, but improvement will need to be made, as England will have noted the Springboks lack of fluency; and for Peter De Villiers sake, the tour will need to be finished on winning note.
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van der Merwe said | November 17th 2008 @ 9:05am | Report comment
Do you see now why we had to win the last World Cup?
The quota players let us down big time, and that unfortunately includes Habana. Beast, was the sole exception, getting past the advantage line every time he touched the ball. Were it not for Steyn and Fourie coming off the bench I have no doubt we would have lost. All the merits performed. Matfield has found form again; Spies cleared rucks and competed for the ball like never before; Bakkies and Burger worked hard as always and Smith had his best game in a long time.
This whole thing would be laughable if it weren’t so pathetic. Pete de Villiers is like Harry Viljoen version 2.0. He comes in, takes over a successful team with a successful formula; goes on about how he is going to change the face of rugby with his “expansive” rugby; fails, then has his team playing like headless chickens mindlessly kicking the ball away and defending! Besides this, the defence is not even well organized! Completely out of his depth. This is what happens when you judge a person upon his appearance.
B Johnson said | November 17th 2008 @ 6:34pm | Report comment
I hope the Boks are leaving the big one for England because this was utter agony to watch,especially the first half. I do not agree with Van der Merwe because most of the Boks were below average, missing tackles, going off their feet and general indiscipline.
In the end though 2 HUGELY motivated home nations failed against a team that probably is looking at England and would be relieved that the 2nd tiers are out of the way so that the might of England can be tackled at fortress Twickenham. Tally Ho!
Benjamin said | November 18th 2008 @ 3:48am | Report comment
Quota players letting SA down… successful formula.. what planet are you on?
USRugbyFan said | November 18th 2008 @ 10:12am | Report comment
You have to wonder what is wrong with Habana. He equalled Lomu’s record for tries at the World Cup, won the 2007 IRB Player of the Year Award, and was generally regarded as the world’s most dangerous wing. All of this under Jake White and Heyneke Meyer. Now he’s being coached by the likes of Peter de Villiers and Frans Ludeke and he’s coming apart. The player or the coaching?
James Mortimer said | November 18th 2008 @ 6:41pm | Report comment
Another reality is - that outside a new coach, South Africa suffered practically no players losses and had an entire World Cup winning nucleus.
Yet even with all their players being battlehardened throughout the Super 14 and Currie Cup - they are still struggling to put together convincing performances.
It will be interesting to see if the SARU will sack or give PDV a ultimatum.
B Johnson said | November 18th 2008 @ 9:04pm | Report comment
Poor coaching is the reason the Boks are struggling
PdV is a average provincial coach with a crazy vocabulary. I cannot stand him and this has got nothing to do with quota players.
TembaVJ said | November 19th 2008 @ 8:53am | Report comment
God please keep this idiot from opening his mouth….
This is what SA has to deal with, this is why we lose, this man is not good for the sport.
On Tuesday Peter de Villiers’s first encounter with the Fleet Street media mob since his appointment as Springbok coach was predictably colourful.
De Villiers told an incredulous audience that it was a struggle for the exhausted players to motivate themselves this week; that the Springboks were still suffering a World Cup hangover and that he was not responsible for results.
he blamed the media for painting a negative picture.
“Writing bad news is what sells newspapers. People don’t want to hear about the good in the world or about progress. Over here you know about that. When Lady Di died, the media concentrated on the rumours instead of focusing solely on the tragedy,” he said.
‘What I have found is that when we win, people are happy, when we lose they are unhappy, and when we win, but not well, they are unsure whether to be
happy or unhappy,” the coach profoundly observed.
TembaVJ said | November 19th 2008 @ 8:57am | Report comment
Yes Puppet so why are the All Blacks winning?
“The guys are breaking down,” the coach said.
“It had been predicted long ago that they would struggle in November after starting their first game in February, and the heavy, muddy fields are not helping.”
But it is mental fatigue that De Villiers is most concerned about.
“It is difficult to keep these guys going. They have been playing around the clock all year and so they tend to lift themselves for certain games, and we hope this last game of the year will be one of them. They are already thinking - five more days and the season is over and we can be home with our families.”
TembaVJ said | November 19th 2008 @ 8:59am | Report comment
he is not holding back is he, first Jesus, now Pricncess Dianna… whats next, Hitler and then he might go on to god?
TembaVJ said | November 19th 2008 @ 9:02am | Report comment
looks like England might get a big SH win this season….
brad said | November 19th 2008 @ 11:48pm | Report comment
Both Jake and PDV won the U21 world champs. PDV also won some silver with the Emerging Boks and neither coached provincial rugby. Jake won the world cup and tri-nations but when you dig deeper he was crap and hence has been able to find a coaching job since. First the Tri-nations; SA won by virtue of a losing bonus point hardly dominance they lost to the All Blacks and Wallabies but got a bonus point win in NZ that edged them. The RWC; England did all the hard yards and eliminated all the compettition before running out of steam at the end SA won the cup and only had to play England thats 1 team out of the traditional top 8!. Jake white had a 48% record against the Tier one nations (Eng,Fra,AU,NZ) and an impressive away record of 25% (of wich 3 wins out of 4 was aginst England). He oversaw 2 losses to the Irish being 2 out of the 3 losses in Hisory for the Boks. He had a 33% win rate over the All Blacks with no away win and manged to beat the french once in 4 attempts. not to mention a loss to the Sots. PDV speaks the biggest load of crap at times but he has at least beat the scots and beaten the All Blacks away and unlike Jake who conceded the biggest ever losing margin to the Wallabies (49 - 0) actually recorded a second hisghest winning margin. To all you racist idiots out there cut the dude a break
B Johnson said | November 19th 2008 @ 11:58pm | Report comment
I will be the first person to admit that I do not enjoy the way the Boks are playing the game but I do not understand that they are not using tactics displayed earlier such as having Habana running at speed and receiving the ball from Spies which led to a great try against I think the Scots in an earlier game. There is no innovation from them and that is why I am expecting them to lose on the weekend. I will be very surprised if they do not get caned for being a dour bunch.
TembaVJ said | November 20th 2008 @ 8:24am | Report comment
Benjamin Ruan Pienaar did well on 10 against wales becuase he had Fourie Du Preez at 9, Du Preez also does a lot of the kicking work, January is just not in the same class. But yes he is a very gifted player and will do well, so will Cipriani, he is still young.
If Du Preez is fit for the England match yes we should win, but if we replicate the crap we displayed against the Scotts then ENgland should enjoy a easy win at twikers.
Yes Brad South Africa were lucky to win the world cup…. The scots could of done it where they in our position. That sounds like a bit of sour grapes my friend. Please if you want to discuss south african coaches get some more info, dont just blab out what you have heard here or there.
Jake White RWC, took the team to no.1 ranking, IRB coach of the year, win ratio 77%. Puppet de muppet, Took them back down to 2, beside the fact that JW left him a winning team. under PDV 2 world class players are strugling to find form, he has come last in the 3N, this is while NZ and Aus both rebuilding… Easy pickings and should of been done deal. Win ratio round the 60 mark.
Dont give me “he won in NZ” that was the worse game of rugga played by the blacks in years. McCaw was out and other players were a joke.
PDV is shit, he is a tool, he is not a good coach, he is a political pawn, he is a joke.
TembaVJ said | November 20th 2008 @ 8:28am | Report comment
sorry PDV 55%, thats 10 less then Harry Viljoen, the worse SA coach ever.
brad said | November 20th 2008 @ 2:51pm | Report comment
My bad despite terrible win ratio Jake White is the best coach the world has ever seen. Just like sir clive is the best lions coach ever but then he actually won a game in NZ. Temba do not be an idiot you can only look at stats after the fact. you can’t say he is a crap coach because at half time his team are losing.
TembaVJ said | November 20th 2008 @ 3:17pm | Report comment
ill try not to be an idiot brad, i just find it amusing that PDV win record besides the win in NZ have been against poor or understrength opposition. Every big task in his path he has failed, his selection mistifies most and his tatics are failing. If it was not for a very experience senior players group he would of lost every game so far. He blames everything from the weather, Refs and now the tired players not once has he been a man and said he has made a mistake. Jake White often admitted to getting it wrong. He blames his players in the media and grinds on their self believe.
No Jake was not the worlds best coach but he was twice the man PDV is and led his men, stood up for them and they trusted in him. The team had unity under Jake, they trusted in him and he in them.
I am not going to argue with you, you have the right to favor who you want but PDV has not proven anything even when given the best tools in the world. This is not about Jake White, the man has a Web Ellis and a IRB coach of the year, he has proven more then some of the best coach dream of. HE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF and history will rember that. PDV on the other hand is not doing well, the lot is falling appart.
Last year we beat England a number of occations 2 of them with more then 50 points and once by 36 in the RWC, now we are
not even sure we could beat them. We strugled against Wales and Scottland, both those coaches believing they should of won those games.
TembaVJ said | November 20th 2008 @ 3:26pm | Report comment
You can start with the name calling but at the moment you are looking like the idiot, looking down on a man that has achieved the ultimate and supporting a man that has only failed so far. I cant even remebr the last time the boks scored a planned try, one that came of a set piece planned move. No, they kick away the ball, defend and score from mistakes made by the opp. His constant complaining is very funny as Aus and NZ seem to do well under the same conditions….
So you call me and idiot, I say what do you know?
TembaVJ said | November 20th 2008 @ 3:31pm | Report comment
Its not like PDV had to rebuild, what is his excuse for doing badly?
Seeing as you are the man in the know Bradly…
Poet?
brad said | November 20th 2008 @ 3:33pm | Report comment
Habana and Devilliers scoring intercept tries are hardly planned moves. Temba it is clear you are not a rugby man so I will let you go on and rant. Just because Jake won the world cup does not make him a good coach. if we judge performance purely on world cups then SA and Aus are the most succesful rugby sides of all time despite NZ 70%+ win ration over all compettion. Face it the stats show that the Springboks were never a great side under Jake white. The 1995 side was a true class act.
brad said | November 20th 2008 @ 3:40pm | Report comment
Players get tired. in 2007 the super rugby teams made the finals and the Bulls actually won the thing for the first time ever. The same players played in the 2008 Super rugby comp but got nowhere. Why does the blame fall on the springbok coach who scored a record win over the wallabies and an historic win over the All balcks (only the 2nd in 30 years). If these players were so great why no super rugby final? and only 1 out of 5 sides making the semis? come now. And by the wat just maybe it is possiblle that the players are jaded just like Butch James said. go to http://www.pickandgo.info there you will see jakes paltry record aginst tier 1 country’s. PS when the boks score a record victory over the poms please please appologise for your dribble. if they do not i am man enough to front up. lets call it a blog bet
TembaVJ said | November 20th 2008 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
Well Brad its clear that you cant seem to make sense, as I said before this is not about Jake White, its about PDV. Seeing as you keep reverting back to smashing poor Jake White i take it you dont have an answer to the boks coaching problem… it makes me wonder how much of a “rugby man” you are.
With England not being the side they once were, SA should beat them with a good 15-20 points, so in that ill take your bet. Ill also inform you seing as you seem to be the man in the know, that a good team performs consistaly not sparks of flair once in a blue moon.
I can tell you one of those people that wont move from your mark and will fire back with snide remarks and clever sidesteps so lets leave this now, you are alowed you opinion and so am I and mine is that SA deserves a better coach as PDV is not good enough.
brad said | November 24th 2008 @ 3:02pm | Report comment
Series victory against Six nations chamapions wales. 1st Win over All Blacks in new zealand in 10 years, record points over wallabies, Records points at twickenham. All in his first year. crap coach…
TembaVJ said | November 24th 2008 @ 3:46pm | Report comment
O brad, I am sure you have been waiting for 2 days to say that and good on the boks, I am a bok supporter and ill admit I did not think they would put in such a performance but… consitancy is what make a coach good, knowing that that is what they are capible of why dont they play like that everytime?