Winter is coming, and the nights are dark and filled with terror. That is how I normally feel at the start of each year’s Rugby Championship in the words of Lord Stark of Game of Thrones.
The dark terror being the All Blacks and the winter the Wallabies.
For this article I will mainly focus on the men in black and whether or not the Springboks can cause an upset.
Yes, the Boks can beat them provided Heyneke Meyer does not play Morne Steyn, and to a certain extent Francois Pienaar.
Morne, from first receiver, cannot attack the advantage line with speed and guile, as was witnessed last Saturday when Handre Pollard created a try from a line out.
Immediately after the try was scored I asked myself if we would have scored if it was Morne instead of Pollard. The answer is a resounding no. Morne is too slow and stands too deep for an international first-five.
When was the last time Morne executed a diving tackle to stop the ball carrier flat in his tracks, or performed a try-saving tackle? Steyn was a good servant and even won us the Lion’s tour, but surely by now Meyer must realise Morne will never win a game against the All Blacks in a Springboks jumper, unless it’s behind a Sony Playstation.
The All Blacks are the only team that can stand on their feet after 80 minutes of gruesome play. Other teams (Springboks included) can only match them for 60 minutes, then they shift into a seventh or even eighth gear with speeds unmatched.
For the Boks to beat them changes have to be made at nine and 10 at least.
At this point any 10 will do if one looks at the limited package Morne has to offer. It’s almost too late to blood in a suitable nine before the World Cup. Cobus Reinach reminds me a lot of the Joost van der Westhuizen of old. Sure he must still develop but he has heaps of talent and by now should have been Jacque Fourie’s understudy. Why oh why did Meyer waist time with Nick Groom at last year’s end of year Tests?
The older the breeding stock you include in a team the more young stock you need to make up for the lack of sprinting metres sacrificed. It’s all about maths.
I’m sure the All Blacks, without looking at stats, cumulatively runs the most metres and are more fit. Hell, even their minds are more fit, their skill level of catching a ball in high pressure situations where other teams cannot hang onto it attest to it.
The Du Plessis brother, Bismarck and Jannie, are carrying on with their throwing-toys-out-of-cots-strategy from super level to international and it’s affecting their game.
Jannie cannot shut up when reprimanded. Take a leaf out of Duane Vermeulen’s book. When the ref penalised Vermeulen for an infringement, he looked at the ref with well-oiled remorseful eyes of an undertaker to the bereaved family and quietly jogged back into position.
I have the feeling that if it was up to Meyer and the game against the Scots didn’t fall outside the scope of the international window, he would have chosen the overseas players and not given the young guns a chance. Meyer only makes bold changes when forced by injuries and non-availability.
Fellow Roarers, English is not my common tongue, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to convey.
Just one last thing, can players please pull their socks up? To me it looks sloppy. Luckily only two players from South Africa have that annoying habit, Sergeal Pietersen and Jaco Taute. What if players from all teams start to do it? Then what is the sense of wasting sock material?
fanie
Guest
Mr Meyer this is your experienced team give me the rest so that we can show you what good rugby players are in the country we do not need rugby writers to tell us how great your team played and please next time when your team wins by one point and the opposition loses the match not through your teams brilliance please be gracious enough to rather keep quiet.Your experienced team have got to play the best in the world and you measure yourself not against teams that could be beaten by super fifteen sides sides that tour SA with second stringers.No doubt if you carry on with your present combinations you will get a surprise.
Androidangler
Guest
Thanx Mo. Hope your team goes well.
Paul Nicholls
Roar Guru
Not many cricket articles on the Roar recently - with Morne and Steyn I thought I must have come across one. Oh well - but nice read nevertheless Android-angler! I do hope SA do well. Just behind the Aussies would be nice.
Chopper1
Guest
Pollard, willie, habana getting more ball than a point road hooker... Not bad
Chopper1
Guest
You want their socks up because... otherwise there's nowhere to put their combs? ;)
Harry Jones
Guest
That German striker who scores goals all the time has his socks down w no shin guards. He looks calm and slow
Harry Jones
Guest
I like socks down bc it's old school and makes the player look slow.
Redbull
Guest
What is the story with the shoes? Is it so they know not to stand on those ankles on a ruck? It appeared to be just the back rowers? Is it so they know which foot the shoe goes on?
IvanN
Guest
Never seen James o connor with socks up before.
Vic
Guest
Haven't noticed the socks, will keep a lookout. Too distracted by the neon glow in the dark different colour for each foot shoes, don't know which foot to focus on
I quite like trolls. ;)
Android-angler
Guest
Harry it irritates the crap out of me. What's the point of making long socks then. To me those players looks like fat waddling ducks especially when the legs is hoop shaped. Further more it makes the short guys look like trolls and the tall ones like beanpoles.
Harry Jones
Guest
Nice article, sir! But I love the socks down look.
PaulT
Guest
Mate agree with you about the socks. No respect for the fans - who ultimately pay their wages. Annoys me big time. I'm a senior manager in a mining company. I don't attend an executive meeting in jeans and thongs.
44bottles
Roar Guru
Each instance of untidy socks should result in a team warning, before a yellow card is issued. We must make sure our players look respectable - http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/57694/57694,1186504095,2/stock-photo-muddy-rugby-players-4413079.jpg
wardad
Guest
Please keep him in the Boks ! Even if watching him play is like having all joy sucked out of ones head .....
Androidangler
Guest
44bot dont you think the IRB should step in with this untidy sock attire before it gets out of hand.
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
Yep, I think the majority of Springbok rugby supporters would agree that Morne needs to duck. He was a hero in 2009, (even then Ruan Pienaar was the starting flyhalf and ignited play then Morne came off the bench to sink a few penalties). But his time is up, unfortunately for him. I'd be happy with Lambie starting. He is a quality player. But let's see how Pollard goes over these next 2 games at the Bulls - is he the flyhalf we've been waiting for since Honiball??
Androidangler
Guest
Gavin thanks for correcting me that can happen to a body when you write during the night. Its suppose to read Run Pienaar, Du Preez and Schreuder from the stormers.
Androidangler
Guest
Yes Joe its Du Preez.