I had the head line all ready to go in my head, “The Springbok empire strikes back!” It was not to be though. The outcome was decided by certain external forces; Irish refs.
The game was virtually over in the first three minutes when Danie Roussow was yellow carded. A very questionable yellow card at that. I watched the game with my dad and little brother on Saturday night and like me and many other Springbok faithful, they were not happy. The game is being refereed on a week to week basis with different laws being applied by different refs.
Zero consistency. Last game at Eden Park the Springboks were let down by terrible execution of tactics and ill discipline that saw them lose a man early. From that point they were forced to play catch up rugby. Saturdays game was much the same, except the yellow carding was a complete farce and left an ugly scar on what should have been a great rugby spectacle.
De Villiers pulled no punches, calling for greater consistency:
“We have played six games this year and in the six games we’ve had six different types of plays on the ground. It’s frustrating,” said de Villiers.
“We’ve got the same skill we had last year when we won the Tri-Nations. We’re so used to playing the new laws in the Super 14 and now in the six games we’ve played they are different. I don’t like to prepare guys to cheat and it seems to me that’s the only way going forward if you want to be on top of those kind of things. That’s 70 per cent of your game,” he added.
Richie McCaw could vouch for the less than happy Boks coach after he was given three “final warnings” and an “official warning” but was never sent off.
Its hard to say how the Springboks played on Saturday night, because we are once again not able to judge them on a full fifteen man performance. They were far more improved in the lineout and were very solid in the scrums to round off a stark improvement in their set piece.
Handling was an issue in the slippery conditions but again, the most disappointing aspect of the Springbok game was their defence. Normally the best defensive side in the world, they missed tackles and leaked like a siv. This was highlighted by the ease of which Isreal Dagg slipped through the tackles of Pierre Spies and Schalk Burger to score an impressive try in his first Tri-Nations outing.
The Springbok attack was also more improved, particularly toward the back end of the first half and the second half. So what went wrong?
Poor refereeing aside, the Springbok brains trust made poor selection decisions, again. The area of greatest concern, which I highlighted in my match preview, was at 9 and 12. Ricky Januarie was slow to the break down and often ran when he simply should not have. He lacked vision and appeared horribly unfit. When Ruan Pienaar was introduced the Springbok attack came on in leaps and bounds.
Morne Steyn had more space to operate in and the Springbok backs were able to make telling runs which even led to the Burger try.
Why did Pienaar not start? Your guess is as good as mine. Had Pienaar started it could have been a totally different game.
The other trouble spot for the Springboks is at number 12. Wynand Olivier is very good at Super 14 level, but the swap from a blue to a green jersey is just one step too far. He had no impact on the game what so ever and you seldom heard his name.
Jean de Villiers would be the obvious answer to problems in this area, but he has been suspended for a dangerous tackle on Rene Ranger. De Villiers pleaded guilty to the charge and was only given two weeks due to his immaculate disciplinary record, conceding only one yellow card in a career spanning more than 10 years. De Villiers will likely call on Juan de Jong as a replacement.
Where to from now? The Springboks will play the Wallabies in Brisbane this week on Saturday night. Brisbane has not been a happy hunting ground for the Boks in the past, but that has to change if they are to have any chance of defending their Tri-Nations title.
John Smit said after the Wellington test that away points are gold in this tournament, and Brisbane is another opportunity to snare a few.
The Wallabies have not exactly been a force to reckon with in in recent times, but they are always difficult to beat in Brisbane.
The Springboks I am sure will turn up in force and hopefully a couple new selections will see them play with new spirit and vigour to keep their Tri-Nations defence alive. My early prediction, 45 – 10 to the Springboks, four tries to one.
Check back later in the week for my final prediction, which might be influenced by squad selection.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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