As one thundering run after an another by a massive Springboks forward smashed the Pumas defensive line, one of the thrilled commentators yelled out: ‘It isn’t pretty but it is effective.’
And it was. The Springboks scored nine tries in amassing 73 points to 13 in wiping the memory of last season’s 18 – 18 off the board.
One of the lesson of the Test is that every year teams get the chance to start off with a clean slate.
The Springboks, at least against the hapless Pumas, put away the boring kick/chase/penalty game and replaced it with a game that emphasised thunderous running by their big forwards, some smart finishing work by the back and the traditional driving maul from most lineouts (with the occasional variation to confuse the Pumas).
When this game is backed up by deadly goal-kicking by Morne Steyn, it is extremely difficult to defeat, especially on the high veldt.
One of the pleasing aspects of the play as far as the Springboks were concerned is that eight different players scored tries.
It is always difficult to rate a performance, which looked pretty good on the part of the Springboks, when the opposition was so poor.
The Pumas had two of their best players in the stands with their inspirational captain and number eight Juan Martin Fernandez-Lobbe and the prop Marcos Ayerza out injured.
Lobbe might not have stopped all or most of the ferocious charges by the Springboks forwards but he would have provided the leadership and the tackling to inspire his teammates to stand up to the challenges they backed away from on the day.
It is not often that you see a Pumas pack monstered by their opponents, but this is what happened.
Either the Pumas did not know the new regulations about waiting for the referee’s call of SET after the BIND call, or they don’t understand English or they were inept but on virtually every scrum they gave away a penalty by making the hit before the SET call.
This is totally inexplicable. What is Graham Henry doing in his job as a coaching guru with the Pumas?
So without their traditional powerful scrum, the Pumas were like Samson shorn of his hair.
They contrived, too, to have two players yellow-carded, so they played for 20 minutes against a rampant Springboks side, in a stadium that was fervently supporting the home side. Talk about making things hard for themselves.
The first yellow card was the relevant one. It came after 30 minutes of play, with the score 9 – 6 in favour of the Springboks who were hot on attack when a pass that would have created a try was knocked down.
The floodgates opened immediately after this incident.
Then when the score 23 – 6, and the Pumas still with a forward in the sin-bin, a curious – perhaps telling – incident took place.
The Springboks won a penalty near the posts and on the Pumas 5m line. The obvious play was to put down a scrum and try to score a try. This is what the commentators presumed would happen. But the Springboks decided against this, and true to type, opted for the penalty which Steyn converted.
We see here the mindset of the modern Springboks, or the Springboks coached by Henneke Meyer. I am all for kicking goals when the opportunity presents itself, especially in Tests. But this was a clear case of going for the maximum seven points for a converted try rather than the three points for penalty.
The Springboks awe and thunder game works best in South Africa. It does not translate quite so well out of the Republic. It also doesn’t work well when the opposition confronts the might of the pack and either defeats it or holds its own against it.
So right now I’d say that the Wallabies and, especially, the All Blacks should/could defeat the Springboks in Australia and New Zealand.
But in South Africa? It is going to be very hard for the two visiting teams. And this will be made even more difficult by the fact that Fourie du Preez, the greatest halfback of his generation and one of the all-time great halves, is back.
He came on late in the Test against the Pumas and gave a lovely cameo performance.
Luckily for the Wallabies and the All Blacks, du Preez is only available for matches in South Africa.
IvanN
Guest
good call. I've said all along that Ruan is a flyhalf. He still lacks the pace to turn a RC game on its head, unfortunately, he is no du preez, he is no genia either. Alot more speed from Vermaak, and Goosen set to return sometime - Boks could start to produce backlines to match the pack ?
IvanN
Guest
SARU negotiated with his japanese club to release him for the home legs only, as they would not allow him to play all the matches.
IvanN
Guest
Dont write Duane off - in todays era the 8 rarely gets a chance to hit full tilt bar the base of scrums before offloading. What Pierre had over Duane wont be missed, but what Duane has in abundance is power. This SA pack is going to be tough to stop - Remember 'that match' in WC2011 where the Boks totally outmuscled the Aussie pack and then lost? I think you can expect a similar performance next round, with a more competent ref and no pocock.
Ivan, I won't feel vindicated until we beat Australia 10 test matches in a row, my therapy bill after that Quarter final cost me heaps.
IvanN
Guest
Heres what is going to happen - and you can quote me after the RC. Boks will have an 'average' performance in Mendoza, critics will say they are going to get a hiding in Aus, and as England for one knows all too well, the Boks respond harshly to the underdog tag, and never quite seem to click when they are overwhelming favorites. I almost think its necessary for us to do badly in Mendoza, we seem to need those mediocre performances to come up with something special, and something special will be needed to win in aus/nz. Boks to win in Mendoza by 10-15, with the scoreline flattering them, and then a serious forward performance against Aus will reinstate the calls that they are possible tourament winners. I for one still want revenge for WC2011 - my soul cannot rest... This wallabies pack does not have the mettle to go toe to toe with SA, but Hooper alone could keep them in the game, Boks to beat Aus by 10-15... and to run NZ close at eden park for 70 mins. SA vs NZ in south africa will be epic. this is my prediction
Ben.S
Roar Guru
I'm a huge fan of Pienaar, but I think he'd be better suited to 10. At Ulster everything goes through him, as their fly half, Paddy Jackson, is a bit of a passenger. He plays a lot like a French 9/10 in Europe, so he tends to have periods where he becomes quite casual. I also think that because he's so used to being the dominant figure at Ulster that the lack of space and time at Test level unsettles him.
Ben.S
Roar Guru
Rugby is still a very young professional sport so who knows how long it will take for Italy and Argentina to rectify their issues? Significantly, the majority of Italy's best players in recent years are actually Argentine. Apparently they have issues with youth development and player pathways, with most young players spending all their time in the gym. With Lo Cicero gone, Castrogiovanni having his best years behind him and Bortolami also at the end of his career the Italians are losing a lot of intellectual depth in the pack. They still don't have a proper 10 either. Bizarre for a footballing country.
NHINZA
Guest
It'll be the latter from the famously 1 eyed xenophobe.
richard
Guest
Son of Warwick Taylor (1987 WC AB) and nephew of Murray Taylor - AB in the late 70s,early 80s.
scottmit
Roar Rookie
yup 4 penalties converted not 5 - http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/rugby-union-match-centre/live-wallabies-v-british--irish-lions-20130705-2phe5.html 12 points from a lottery is a pretty good haul. The points were all in the 22-16 lead the Lions had at 50 minutes. Imagine if they'd been 6 points down instead.
Brendan Hope
Roar Guru
It's also my theory that Pienaar looked a lot better last weekend due to the fact that FDP was there. I think Ruan is realising it's time to shape up or ship out. Vermaak could be good for this side and the way they're trying to play. It may be his time to shine. I hope so anyway.
Harry Jones
Guest
Ja, we need to get up early, and run those subs for 40+ minutes. Would love to see Vermaak get in the groove. And Jannie needs rest.
James the Elder
Guest
I will keep an eye out for him. Spies is not the answer.
Brendan Hope
Roar Guru
I was expecting the same team to be fielded (regardless of the injury scares). What I was more interested to see was who made up the bench. It would've been good to see Van Zyl on the bench but I'm guessing he's there, purely as backup. I was also hoping Lourens would take a spot but that was wishful thinking too I guess. All I hope is that Vermaak, Kolisi & Bismarck get lengthy runs this weekend!
Brendan Hope
Roar Guru
Please no!
Brendan Hope
Roar Guru
Ms Esther Another game that still haunts me. This one, for me, was worse than the 53-3 loss to England in November 2002. The one in Aus was completely out of character, where the England loss was when we had reached our absolute depths. I am not sure what it is about Brisbane that gets to us? The stadium is quite imposing for a visiting side I guess. The Boks will have that on their mind before they even take the field. It's interesting to hear you say a hard surface will suit us. It shouldn't hamper us that's for sure. I do think this is a decent Aussie side in the making. This weekend's game was an experiment gone wrong. We will see a much improved performance from them at the Cake Tin & a very ready and determined side in Brisbane a week later. Perhaps the only pro, this time, for us is that we have a game away against Argentina before we play Aus. Any win on the road to build confidence will be good before we reach Aus!
Brendan Hope
Roar Guru
Well, I certainly wish they had scheduled the game on 7th September to be played in Perth! Great stats you two. You had to remind me of that 2000 loss, didn't you? I remember Mortlock sticking that penalty right between the posts. Very sad.
Harry Jones
Guest
Bok squad named for Saturday: W. le Roux, B. Basson, JJ Engelbrecht, J. de Villiers (c), B. Habana, M. Steyn, R. Pienaar, D. Vermeulen, W. Alberts, F. Louw, J. Kruger, E. Etzebeth, J. du Plessis, A. Strauss, T Mtawarira. Subs: B. du Plessis, G. Steenkamp, C. Oosthuizen, F. vd Merwe, S. Kolisi, J. Vermaak, P. Lambie, and J. Serfontein. 500 Test caps among starters (only 193 in the pack); 154 caps on the bench. Steve Walsh is the ref. SA's record with Walsh is 10-1-3. He reffed last year's 16-16 draw in Mendoza.
Kebab
Guest
Japan wtf why not throw in China as that has a huge market, though like the japs can't play rugby for quids.
steve.h
Guest
On the plus side, we do now have a coach dedicated to the breakdown area