Watching rugby with my wife is hilarious. She has an opinion or two, and she dished out some gold during the Springboks and All Blacks game.
She follows rugby like I do the Kardashians (not at all), so I forgive her for having a limited view of the game. She thinks the guy on TV is called Sonny-Bill Wilson and played rugby for the Wallabies. Bless. Love you Darl.
And yet her observations of rugby are simple and honest. Sometimes they’re about things like the state of the Kiwis’ hair and that Jacques Nienaber looks like a Bond Villian, but against the All Blacks she made some obvious and salient points.
Comment 1: “Why did they kick?”
Why indeed, Darl. Five minutes to go and the Boks are in the lead. Not only should they keep possession, but on two occasions they manufacture a six-on-three overlap inside the All Blacks half and they then decide to kick the ball away.
The Springboks game plan is a good one. It won them a Rugby Championship, World Cup and Lions series all in a short period of time. However, they need to improve their awareness of when it’s time to run and pass.
Those moments in the game frustrated me because they’re the ones the plan is there to create. The coaches need a slight change in approach to move the players’ instincts away from always kicking first.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Comment 2: “70 per cent? Isn’t that a bit low?”
Yes, Darl, it is. Handre Pollard’s conversion rate is well below what you’d expect at international level.
He has a lot of supporters, so I’ll whisper this: he has a very limited skill set for a flyhalf. Yes, he’s been a part of the Boks’ recent success, but despite being a solid player, what else does he bring to the team?
I watched him closely and he kicked well out of hand, but it’s the other parts of his game where he is lacking.
In those last five minutes when the Boks created overlaps, Faf de Klerk and then Handre Pollard both kicked the ball away. On each occasion he should have recognised the play was on and called it. But he didn’t.
Furthermore, when he did run and pass his game was littered with poor option-taking and execution. He grassed and misplaced passes, and in the final play he hit a spent and isolated Franco Mostert when he should have gone behind him to the backline in space.
Perhaps this all explains why the Boks use Willie le Roux as the chosen ballplayer in broken play.
I’m not saying Pollard is a bad rugby player, but my point is that if the Boks want to develop their game, they might need a better rounded ten.
While they’re at it, they should give Damian Willemse a crack at No. 12 – Damian de Allende is quality, but I’d like to see what Willemse can do in this position – and Aphelele Fassi a crack at fullback.
Comment 3: “Why did he drop it?”
True, Darl, Mostert did drop the ball in the final play, but it’s perhaps a touch harsh given the guy’s played his guts out and the pass from Pollard might have been unexpected.
It got me thinking: if the Boks move away from a 6-2 split and have only one lock on the bench, should he be there? Mostert is a grafter and will never let the team down, but he does not have the athleticism, speed and soft ball skills of RG Snyman, who is the ideal replacement lock.
Comment 4: “He’s a little fella!”
Not that I’d say it to his face, Darl, but Bongi Mbonambi is a little fella. He rolls around the park like a boulder smashing into anything that’s in his way. He generally wins his battles and hits his jumpers. But he lacks the athleticism and on-the-ball skills of Malcolm Marx, who is too good to leave on the bench playing a limited number of minutes.
Joseph Dweba might be an option off the bench given he has a similar playing style to Marx and is young enough to be there at the next two World Cups. It might be time to run those two in tandem.
So there you go, Mr Bond Villain. Here’s my wife’s simple and honest five-point plan to improve the Boks: keep the game plan but help the players identify when to run and pass, find a No. 10 with a better rounded game, give some pacy players a run in the backline, and find an athletic lock and hooker with good ball skills.
Back to you, Sonny-Bill Wilson.
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
Hahah KCOL...when you said mk11...I thought you were referring to mortal Kombat 11
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
She’s missed a few games then?
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Eating during a test is not good for you. Well it’s sure not good for me. I can’t eat when a war is on.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Marx=Bismark Mk11 Another battleship.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Excellent Jonty! My wife, who astoundingly grew up with rugby thought back in the day that the Super 12 was a game of 12 a side.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Jonty, my ex had a hatred for refs and would scream at every decision she decided was incorrect showed limited understanding by the ref or he was OTT (on the take). Drove me nearly mad and needed counselling after we broke up just to get me back to enjoying rugby without the air brakes on her truck going off.... Congrats to the Boks, one of the truly great games of rugby ever..
Jonty Shonty
Roar Pro
Good to hear!
Armtwister
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the article JS, you made my day, whilst waiting for the big event to start today. The comments your article provoked made me laugh, and I read a few to my wife and son. Thanks. Keep it up. At the end of the day it‘s just a game, but the best for me is this community. All well when it stays civilised. Let’s hope it stays that way. Good luck to all.
Bill Shut
Roar Rookie
Great article Jonty - it really does encapsulate the good things about rugby. Many on this site will relate to your comments, and it brings home the common love of the game we all have, and the only difference is our "tribalism" that leads to our biases. I have a wife who watched me play as a young guy, and we have travelled to many stadiums in both hemispheres watching matches. Unfortunately Covid stopped our plans for SA last year. She screams so loud at the TV that the volume on the TV is irrelevant. And she knows her stuff... For those who go to Fiji for a holiday (many aussies and kiwis), I highly recommend attending a provincial match. I used to regularly go to Lawanqa Park to support the Nadroga Rugby team. Nadroga is considered the home of rugby in Fiji. The experience at these matches is hard to beat, from the cheering of the big hits, to the spectators up in the trees outside the ground, and the absolute joy they have for the game. Thanks Jonty
Jonty Shonty
Roar Pro
Good to hear you enjoyed the humour.
Gavin
Guest
Excellent article, a few legit laugh out louds from me. The Boks balance between kick and pass has regressed. It was perfect against England in the rwc but it must have come from the Bond Villain. I think Pollard is class but off form at the moment.
Jonty Shonty
Roar Pro
Thats cool Carlos!
Jonty Shonty
Roar Pro
The only thing I can think of is that they like his impact off bench.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Actually, my missus has been an author on the Roar! She wrote half of the NZ Maori and USA game in Chicago a few years ago.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Well, women and rugby in a family can cause problems. My mother raised 4 rugby players and two field hockey ones. All boys. She knows. She may be knitting in front of the TV but will tell you what is going on and who made a knucklehead play. I introduced rugby to my missus in 2007, when we met. As she is quite smart, she studied it. Has gone to many internationals. She buys the tickets (lovely girl). She has tracked my refereeing. So, when we watch rugby together it is like an examination. Better be on your toes. She yells at the screen, complains about referees, players, everything. She is puzzled that rugby fans are so passive compared to Duke basketball ones, her alma mater. It can get embarrassing in a stadium.
Android-angler Cartman-brah
Roar Rookie
I need to find wife material. Almost 45 getting old now.
biltong
Guest
WL, can't really say why Marx doesn't start, I remember reading an article once where it was mentioned that Mbonambi was seen as the better scrummager, but cannot confirm that. As for the penalty against le Roux, mate I have stopped concerning myself with why penalties are awarded. We lost that match because of our own inability to manage the game when leading and refusing to use our opportunities, end of story.
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
Biltong...I remember Marx single handed gave AB nightmares at the breakdown in some game..I just can't believe he is not starting and play more than 40 minutes..another thing biltong did you have alook at last breakdown penalty last weekend...Willie was at no point allowed to place the ball before it can be jackled...yet he was penalised for holding on...
biltong
Guest
Doubt it has anything to do with line outs, Boks lost one line out in the entire RWC, and Marx never started.
Wallabies_Larkham
Roar Rookie
JS....i can't understand why your coaching staff does not play Marx from the start...AB are usually on extra alert when he is on the field..maybe Marx throwing is poor...