25 August 2009 – www.supersport.com
Popular opinion may be that the injury-hit Wallabies don’t have much firepower to scare the Springboks in Saturday’s Tri-Nations test in Perth, but there were alarming signs that the South Africans may have allowed some complacency to creep into their camp when only their reserves arrived in Western Australia on Tuesday.
Complacency is, of course, a lethal danger for any successful team and Peter de Villiers and John Smit will no doubt be keen to kill off any such mental slackness in the side, particularly since the Tri-Nations is still far from won.
Which makes it inexplicable that De Villiers and Smit chose to send nine players who will almost certainly not start on Saturday to Perth as the advance party. It means the starting XV will arrive at lunchtime on Wednesday after a nine-hour flight and, by the time they have gone through customs and checked in to the Sheraton Hotel in the city, it will leave them with just Thursday to train seriously for Saturday’s hugely important match. Friday’s captain’s run will just be an opportunity to go through the lineout calls and get accustomed to the Subiaco Oval.
The fact that Schalk Burger was in that group of nine suggests that if the 2004 IRB Player of the Year is to play any part in Saturday’s test, it will be in the role of substitute coming off the bench.
De Villiers said earlier this week that the breakdowns would play a key role in Saturday’s test and, with Heinrich Brussow in such destructive form in the home leg of the Tri-Nations, the Free Stater will once again be an important cog in the Springboks’ plans.
There had been speculation that both Burger and Brussow could play together in the loose trio, particularly with Juan Smith struggling with an ankle injury, but this now seems unlikely.
Burger, who has had little game time this year, is the only player of real note to be sent over early – the others are obvious non-starters in lock Andries Bekker, centre Adrian Jacobs, scrumhalf Enrico Januarie, flank Ryan Kankowski, wing Odwa Ndungane, centre Wynand Olivier and props Jannie du Plessis and Gurthro Steenkamp.
If any of those players were to be brought into the team, disrupting the momentum created by three straight victories, it would be a major surprise, but one has to wonder why they have been given an extra day in Perth to prepare for their peripheral roles.
The original reason for sending the squad over in two batches was the lack of business class seats on the flight to Perth, but the sight of the “wrong” group of players arriving on Tuesday puts question marks over the preparation of the Springboks.
This is our most likely win on the tour, we need to close it out this weekend, leaving only a bonus point to be achieved.
It’s strangely quiet in Oz re the rugby, maybe still recovering from ” The chosen nation” being No 1 in the world of rugby and cricket, hehe.
So far no crying from Spiros or Crowden on the “boring” or “dirty South Africans”……….it’s making me nervous.
“The original reason for sending the squad over in two batches was the lack of business class seats on the flight to Perth…”
Now you have to ask the question who was responsible for this slip-up? Tis not like they only found out last week they should be in Perth by this weekend 😯
Spiros and Growden do not see Perth as part of Australia, they think the game is in SA.
Spiros wrote a good piece on the fitness of the Wobblies, I may put it up a little later.
Schalk off the bench sounds about right to me.
Let him do the damage in the last 30 minutes or so.
But Wallabies are going to win this one, I fear, unless Morne manage to kick 12 points at least.
We won’t outscore them with tries,
mark my words.
They are just sharper and more match ready then us at the moment.
Jong die bokkemoet nou nie met my neuk nie 😆 regtig hulle moet hierdie een wen die Saterdag…..hulle moet met alles kom en die flippen convicts vermorsel en hulle ‘spirit’ heeltemal breuk, veral na die Ashes hehehehe
Edward Kennedy passed away lat night, at the age of 77.
Another legend gone.
@Pietman – More Pietman, dink die Wobblies gaan alles uithaal om te wen, maar, dink die Bokke het genoeg skietgoed om hulle te trap.
Ons moet net nie nou kop verloor nie…asseblief tog!!!
@Rum And Maple –
Dagse daar.
Gaan taai wees, ek verwag ons gaan net-net verloor….tensy ons agterlyn hulle verdedigingspatroon kan breek en driee druk.
@Pietman – Dagsê Pietman. As ons teen hierdie verswakte swak Aussie span verloor sal dit ‘n skande wees.
OK guys, the rumour that I heard about why Tiquiri was stepped down by the ARU, that I heard from 2 different sources in Syney, and was reluctant to print here yesterday, has been confirmed by a third source now on Voldys
11. KevinRack :
August 26th, 2009 at 7:13 am
He banged a prominent Australain buinsessman’s 17year old daughter?
@Manlybok – #9 Oooopsie
Hallooooooo almal
@K9-MonsterLeeu – Stem 100% saam, hulle kan nie verloor nie, jy weet mos, een verloor dan begin die twyfel in hulle koppe……hulle is nou so mentally sterk hulle moet aanhou wen
@K9-MonsterLeeu –
Ja, dis waar.
Terloops, lyk na n groot bedrywigheid daar in Ed se kontrei met die Kennedy-begrafnis (hier op CNN tans)..
Ed is mos nie ver van Cape Cod-area af nie, waar die oorlede senator se woning is.
Darem self n mooi kusgebied daardie.
@Manlybok –
They banned him for THAT?
But how come, it is Australia’s 2nd national sport, next to quakka bashing….
Piet #12
In my misspent youth at 20 years old I worked on a Whale watch boat in Cape Cod for 3 months, lived on the boat that went out 3 times a day with 250 people a time, saw enough whales to last me a lifetime.
It is a beautiful coastline, maar nogal koud.
Lekker crayfish up that way too but kak beer.
#13 Piet,
It’s alleged here that the businessman had something to do with the ARU.
@Manlybok –
Those crayfish are the ones with huge pinchers, aren’t they?
Called rock lobsters. I think….
Giant crabs there as well, I recall.
@Manlybok –
@15
Still, it is a non-rugby related incident, unless it was rape of course, which it clearly wasn’t.
Why ban the guy?
17 @Pietman She was under aged Pete, tronksake if someone wants to push it! Besides he is a married man with kids…
17 @Pietman Sorry, I should also add Pete, league has had major problems with drunk players and woman. I can understand that O’Neil made a firm stand even if it only had a slight smell to it! Now is not the time for rugby to have any such issues.
@Koos –
@17 O hell, then it’s a no-no for sure.
Sorry, I missed that.
20 @Pietman Correction, the age varies between 16 and 17 between the States so she may have been ok. Still a tricky situation and as I said O’Neil will not take a change…besides, he saved millions in the process!
MMMMM, in that case I should have been Banned from this planet, not only rugby, in my days…. if banging a 17-year old is such a sin…
The fact that Lotta Tequila is married and has kids of his own is his OWN moral issue and dillemma…
Banging a 17-year old… that’s not so much the sin here… it’s rather banging some BUSINESSMAN’s DAUGHTER, WHO HAS CONNECTIONS IN THE ARU.
Smells of revenge and retrebution.
Having sex with kids have enormous repercussions…..
just visit the Jacaranda Childrens home and see for yourself……
17 is imo still a kid…….
@Staal – #23 I agree with you and he is waaaay older than her…..GBS jy het dit gedoen toe jy ook 17 was, moerse verskil
@ Pietman – Does it not count as statutory rape?
23@Staal – Are you telling me you were never “vryerig” when you were a youngster, never overstepped the line… not very many like you around then…
Sex is very common amongst youngsters, in this day and age… and when you and me were young…..
There are a lot more to it that will probably never come out. Suffice to say his contract was cancelled because of a breach of protocol contained in his contract. The moral issues and dillemmas is a discussion for another time and probably another blog.
@grootblousmile – die kind is 17 … nie hy nie!!!!!
sorry – dis te sê as die hele storie waar is…….
@Staal –
Staal @17, agreed.
17, with our without consent, is just not on in Western culture.
Pietste @25. If she is under age, I would think it could well amount to that, yes.
But still, it is conduct unbecoming for a man his age and position in the team.
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