Sack Meyer and five other steps to fix South African rugby

BB. You really need to chill! If others have opinions, which they wish to air & debate, why 'let it go'? This is just an open forum for friendly discussion on Heaven's Game, without vitriol or defensiveness. What exactly is a 'foreign' player in the world we live in? I say if eligible, select 'em. That's the ONLY way smaller unions survive...(not that SA is a 'smaller union'...)

The AB's "catch and pass" has been woeful this season. They are their own worst enemies with the amount of possession they are giving to the opposition with their endless handing errors. Not to mention the number of scoring opportunities wasted.

Surely you can find some one to help them commit Hara-kiri. Eddie Jones' Mother is Japanese and he had the Cherry Blossoms doing everything but Hara-kiri!!! Just a thought!!

Loved the bit about your Oom . But Villagers nê met die r . Also my favourite team in the old days . When you would watch club rugby at Newlands on a Sat arvie with a crowd of 25000. And the programme was on a piece of green or pink or orange paper the size of a tabloid. And the schoolchildren sat around the field on benches .

Biltong As I recall more recently there was to be a cricket school established near Newlands cricket ground , Cape Town which would be for talented young cricketers with a strong emphasis on education as well.I do not know if this school has been established yet but was to start with the last two years of schooling gradually extending to the last 5 years. WRT to the points you make the one omission is coaching .The only coaches in SA in recent years who have attempted to break the Danie Craven mould of " subdue and penetrate " are Johan Ackermann and Naka Drotske ( who seems to have lost his mojo these past 2 seasons ). The best coaches in rugby are the Kiwis .No doubt about that and SA needs to look to them . The transformation issue is another story . The last point I raise is whether the SARU constitution permits a coach from overseas to coach the national side .Many years ago this was the rule - has that changed ?

Great article Biltong. I have tried to believe in Meyer. I really have tried.....But this article was the final straw. http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/WorldCup/Meyer-Why-I-backed-Jean-20150923 Does Meyer even know how stupid this sounds... ""I just decided that if you go into a fight that you have to win … that your whole career and the whole country depends on … that I really want to take a guy that’s had six knee operations, that had a knee operation and a knee injury in his first game for South Africa," Meyer said." Heineken, just in case you don't know, most other coaches prefer to select players that haven't had a knee operation. Having a knee operation is not a criteria for selection in Australia and New Zealand. Completely Crazy town I know. but with other countries selection policies, the more knee operations you have the LESS likely you will get selected. We are doomed? Completely doomed. Lunatics are running the asylum. On a personal note, my late Grandfather (bless him) was an Afrikaaner, Claude Cloete. Claude looked a splitting image of Dale Steyn the cricketer, complete with the fiery eyes. He played Hooker for South West Districts in the 1930’s before he went to the war. I have a very clear memories of going to Newlands with him later in life. My brother in Law has the Newlands season ticket that the family has held for 70 or 80 years in the family. Old man Claude used to get very emotional when watching his favourite teams, Villages, Western Province and the Boks. When they lost he would often stand up and look at the heavens and shout : “Vanaand gaan ek myself aan die drank oorgee!” Translated as “Tonight I will hand myself over to the alcohol” I fear a similar situation could occur in the early hours on Sunday morning.

I reckon Jean de Villiers is faster than Conrad Smith of the ABs, BB.

Well said, Charl. Moan, shout, criticise, but never abandon....

But Richard - as a Bok supporter, we never, ever stop watching the Bok. We moan, we complain, we threaten, we plead, we blackmail - but we never desert the Bok. Loyalty to the Bok is unquestionable. Coaches come and go, the players come and go, politicians come and go - the Bok stays. Otherwise I suggest you pledge your loyalty to some or other little flower somewhere........

biltong You had said that you had heard there was a split in the springbok camp, could you provide more detail?

But Richard, if you stopped watching the Boks when Meyer started coaching, then how do you (or could you, even) know what the state of play has been since ?

kane and moaman - yes cullen had lost pace but was still the best fullback in the country. u cant tell me that benBlair or leonMacDonald were light years behind what cullen could do. sure he'd lost a bit of pace but cullen wouldve evolved if he'd been given the chance. he had all round skills of being able to pass, tackle and backed up every ball carrier. cullen was the complete rugby athlete

As a Bok supporter, I have been watching rugby since the early 1960's. My uncle covered several Springbok tours for the Cape Times. I am completely hooked on rugby. Completely. And I began to stop watching the Boks from the time Meyer started " coaching" in 2012. From the time he stated he was going to persuade every old boy who had played for SAfrica, to make a comeback. From the time he started the bulldust. From the time just about every backline player, especially scrumhalves, began to look clumsy and clueless. From the time the pack started to physically fail to impose, fail to scrum, fail in ball skills, fail in the rules. From the time the coach looked like the most panicked coach in world rugby, and his attitude seeped downwards. These guys have looked lost on the international stage since then. When you get to a World Cup as a two time winner, and think it will all come right on the night, that passion and guts and working hard are statements that are thrown out there to blind the supporters.....when you feel you have to apologize to the nation on a regular basis. Agh no, man.

Hi French, thanks for the post. I don't think you need to worry that the core values of the Springboks will ever change. When I say we need to learn skills it is not to detract from our core skillset in anyway, just to add value to what is already there. The problem with relying on brute strnegth only is that your running lines become predictable, an additional skills set allows the player more tools, vision, a better feel where to support, what lines to run, where to exploit gaps etc.

No Alec, I won't apologise, I see no need to apologise. If you read what I said there . Meyer has a closeminded ness when it comes to his game plan and selections, this is not a guess on my part, this has been told to us by someone inside the Bok camp. I want South African rugby to get past this conservative brand where our players have a fear of failure. (not my words, PdV to the Sports committe prior to the 2011 RWC.) Meyer's propensity for experienced players have thwarted the development of yong players as his priority selections have always been if an expeirenced player is available pick him. Just look at the state of our team and ask yourself how many top tier teams would have included Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Reez, Victor Matfield, etc. Not to talk about Jaque Fourie, Bakkies Botha etc. There is nothing I said here that I need to apologise for, if you can organise me a meeting with SARU or Heyneke Meyer I would read this article verbatim to them, and given the opportunity say a lot more.

He is our captain on whom HM hung his hat long before it was necessary to do so. Nice guy. Great ambassador. Rugby selection on current form??????

But didn,t he have a fine turn of phrase?

"Victor soaring above everybody" I counted 2 lineout steals both of which delivered unplayable ball. No contribution at ruck time.Was provided by Bakkies in the past.. Arrogance on both his and HM,s part.

Hello Mania., An empathetic post which is appreciated. The sun rose as usual day on Sunday. Like most Saffers I will support the at Boks all times. Whilst my anger, and yes embarrassment,has since dissipated,my contempt for our coach has increased exponentially, BB and I had a contretemp earlier,which I accept was mostly due to a misunderstanding on my part. Needs to be said in oblique support of BB,s argument that only 1 of the overseas contingent played like a Bok.(.Fourie du Preez.) But then again,only Lood of the local players impressed.. Raises concerns about the entire selection issue The squad of 31 in paricular . .Hence my antipathy towards HM.

Biltong, interesting article. Solution based and pragmatic ideas at the same time. In your proposal there are a lot of functional ideas centered around skill development from grass roots to college. My view of the Springboks (and South African Rugby in general) is that it has always been the scariest team in the world to play against. No matter who you are you know you are in for "a treat" and playing against Hell's angels. To me, the attitude and ferocity of the Boks has always been a stronger assett than any functional skill, however i am concerned this is going to disappear no matter what the color of the complexion of the players and this even if all your ideas are beded down. Indeed, reading your article i would argue that your skills are up to scratch somewhat if as you mentioned SA already has a good college system but it is the mental application, the culture of SA rugby, that has gone out of the window. I am no expertin what is going home back in SA hence i am asking you what would be your solutions to ensure that the springbok spirit keeps being instilled in the south african rugby moving forward.