Let’s forget about Australia for a minute but let me focus on New Zealand and how South Africa are gearing up for them specifically during their away leg of Tri-Nations 2009.
South Africa have always had the toughest away season in world rugby. Invariably the Springboks have had to face a tag team which no other international rugby nation could contemplate – New Zealand and Australia in three weeks.
Perish the thought of any other team, let’s say Scotland, Wales or Ireland, attempting what South Africa do year in and year out. They would no doubt shudder at the thought.
For South Africa, especially in 2009, things look different. I’m not referring to the unquestionable dominance of the South African squad at present OR the relative strengths of Australia and New Zealand.
What I’m talking about is a shift in national mindset – a strange common agreement in South Africa that New Zealand are fair game and the Springboks aren’t going to be diplomatic about handing them a lesson.
In nearly 50 years of watching rugby in South Africa, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. And the largest national TV News channel in South Africa has set the tone.
Mind Game Janne
SlimJan??
Hulle moet net pasop dat die Jan nie sy baas vang nie!!
Aan die anderkant, ‘n Jan innie hand is beter as twee Janne innie bos!!
25. Tacitus :
August 11th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
What I admire about Peter de Villiers is his grudging willingness to accept when he was mistaken and to learn from those around him.
I say this because a lot of what he had initially intended has since been modified by the stark reality of the situation. Sometimes he took a bit longer than I would have liked to concede, but in the end he has arrived at a point which is remarkably close to where the more conservative among us had hoped the Boks would eventually be.
Let’s look at some of his changes in plan:
Div originally wanted 10 players of colour in the starting 15 – he now has 3, all of whom deserve to be there.
He originally had Bobo, Bolla, Chavanga, Mujati, Schalk Brits and Luke Watson in his squad – all of them are gone 1 year down the line.
Jacobs, Bekker and January still linger, but the situation is a whole lot more sensible than it was 1 year ago.
Div originally wanted to play an uber-expansive game – look at the games we won this year and the style of play employed was clearly light years away from his original stated intention.
In line with the above, Div wanted Ruan Pienaar as his general at no.10. He has reverted to Morne Steyn against his will, and has done so in good grace.
He wanted Burger over Brussouw – we now have Brussouw over Burger.
He wanted January over Du Preez – Du Preez is once again entrenched as not only the best no.9 in SA, but the best in the world by a long shot.
Even Jantjes has taken a hike – thank goodness – in exchange for the somewhat erratic, but very powerful Frans Steyn.
All in all, I like where De villiers is going, and I appreciate how far he has come in the last 12 months.
Well done Peter. May the upward trend continue. I wish you luck.
Gaaaaaaaap
Tipies Tacitus, eintlik spyt ek het dit gelees. Nie tyd vir sy provinsialistiese drek nie!!
4 Baie waar wat hy se oor PDV. Hy het heeltemal sy denke verander sedert laasjaar.
Hy sou sy gat gesien het as hy nie het nie. Maar ja, hy het gat omgegooi, for the better.
6 PDV verdien seker krediet daarvoor. Na hy sy subs so swak opgebring het teen die BIL, het hy nie weer so gemaak nie.
Nou net van Chilli, Mechanic ens ook ontslae raak.
Gee vir PDV wat hom toekom. Dit was ‘n goeie begin vir die 3N’s. As ons die ding nie wen nie, moet hy gaan.
8 Middag
10!
Middag Supa!!
#10 Supa
Baie mooi.
Dankie. As n ou 10 kry, is jou kanse goed om 100 ook te kry.
Hoe sal Skoppie die situasie stel.
As PdV so goed doen, dink hoe goed sou JW gedoen het. JW is die beste van alle tye.
#13 Supa
Ek weet dit.
Snorre het regtig vinnig geleer uit sy foute. Ander afrigters het nie so gou geleer nie.
Sy gameplan, spelersen die manier hoe hy ouens van die bank af opbring het alles baie verbeter.
Hy het ook lanklaas n verwarrende Bybelse gesegde in die publiek geuiter! 😆
#16 😉
Ja jong kyk. Ek kyk die naweek weer voor die game as daai man begin Engels praat. Ek kry hom jammer.
#17 Ja nee, hy sukkel erg met die rooitaal, maar ek weet hoe hy voel, dis moeilik om n ou in engels uit te druk as dit nie jou eerste taal is nie.
En hyt nog die hele wereld wat luister…
MAar party goed was darem pure twak ook…hehehe
Die naweek is daar geen Drie-nasies wedstryde nie, ne?
#18 Baie goed was pure twak.
Die rooitaal is nie so maklik as jy op die spot gesit word nie. Dan is daar die mense wat vir hom lag, want hulle kuier so bietjie voor die game (ek sal dit nooit doen nie). Shame man, die ou moet maar net by rugby bly.
#19 Nee, net Currie Beker. Die groot game van die naweek is die Leeus teen die Tjarkies.
Ed check jou mail!
#21 Ja, en die GW/Bulle game gaan ook goed wees.
Gaan die Leeus wen?
Nou waar is Pietepedia, GBS, K9, Trupi, Ex-player en daai lot. Ex-Player sien ek nooit hier nie. Is hy te goed vir die blog?
Ex player blog nie regtig nie. Mail net so nou en dan.
23# Kuk vraag sit!
Ek sou loshande verby SAB gewees het in Superbru as dit nie vir die Leeus was nie.
Back hulle nie meer ‘n moer nie.
Ek dink ex-player se rekenaar word deur sy werkgewer gekokonotch.
#26 Dink Ed gaan verskil. Hy se hy rate weer nie die Haaie nie.
Ek wonder nog…sal maar sien wie speel almal.
#22 Isi
Great e-mail. Hoe kan jy dit van Supa sê. Sies man. bwahahaahahaha
#28 Supa,
Kyk as die haaie speel. Hulle lyk net nie goed nie. Miskien is hulle beter die naweek met John Mitchell wat uithelp.
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