I hope this is a joke. No seriously, I hope that Peter de Villiers was sarcastic in his interview in the build up to the Baa-baa’s test.
Don’t know what I am referring to?
Let me help.
Morné on ruggaworld
Peter de Villiers at the announcement of his team to face the Barbarians at Twickenham told reporters that the Springbok way of playing rugby (he has learned) is to run through players, not around them…
He did make reference later in the interview of playing a more direct game which is what suits the Springboks, and what I agree with, the old ‘earn your right to play wide’ mindset, but to say South Africans and the Springboks should rather run through players than around players goes against the very thing he preached in 2008 about taking this team to another level – the ‘head’s up rugby approach’.
It simply re-affirms our country’s limited approach to the game of union where we are just too happy to create little robots and not thinkers.
It is this type of mindset that does not allow for experts like Sherylle Calder, Tim Noakes, Tim Goodenough or Ross Tucker to provide valuable input and insight into a very complex dynamic which mentally, is as taxing as the physical demands of the game and is the 2% people refer to in the difference between a good team, and a great team at test level (or any level really).
It is the type of mindset that has turned some of the most exciting and talented young rugby stars South Africa has produced, into mindless androids.
I said it a million times, brains will always beat brawn, and expecting to run through players in the professional game at the highest level and believing you will get away with it, is definitely not using your brain.
Morné, I took the liberty of placing this Article here under your name.
Firstly let me also agree with you, I take a dim view of Snorrie’s statement, whether in jest or serious or whether philosophical or whatever.
It speaks volumes of the lack of intelligence amongst the Bokke coaching staff.
Of course we MUST play to our strenghts and our primary strenghts lie in the forwards where all our set phases are very bloody good and where we have the physical specimens to dominate, if cleverly and correctly employed.
On defence this means doing better at the breakdowns and cleaning and rucking better… with good technique and then securing and jealously guarding possession of the ball.
On attack it is ludicrous to think that we should steamroller everything, one can still play tight and around the fringes of the set pieces without resorting to running over players, rather attacking these close-in spaces around set pieces better and also through midfield. We’ve been far too “crash-and-bash-oriented” through midfield.
Sonny Bill Williams sticks out as the clever player in midfield, he takes half a gap, gets his hands through the tackle and offloads superbly, causing mayhem in what follows. The result is that after Sonny Bill they now effectively play against the 2nd line of defence and not the 1st line… and if still the 1st, a broken one at that.
Bashing it up robs a player of the opportunity for this type of clever offload or any offload for that matter and the logical result is that the players and ball goes to ground to be recycled from there only, giving much more time for defences to align properly.
Rugby is simple when you do things well…. and natural flair flourishes as soon as structures are already half broken.
Morne, Good article. Last paragraph 100% correct.
hi guys
just going out on lunch
will chat later
..
btw have any of you seen the new “dont drink & drive” advert?
bloody brilliant!!
..
enjoy!!
http://visfinger.blogspot.com/2010/12/brandouse-new-drink-dry-tv-ad.html
@ Ashley:3 – Ash, Brilliant..hehe. Makes you think. Good ad.
@ Ashley:
Hi Ashley, our drink drive ad’s are a little diffferent in the UK!!
On the whole I think we are far more aware about drinking and driving over here…..you guys seem to take far more risks than we would!
…and your prisons are far worse!! 🙁
Hey GBS,
No probs for some reason I had timing out issues on here this morning so could not do it myself.
Main thing for me is this is a fundamental (forget whatever else PDV has said in the past) turn-around from the man that got appointed in 2008 – and I have serious issues with that.
@ Blue Bird:5 – Hello BB, How you doing?
@ Puma:
Hi Puma, just saw I missed you on Voldy.
All good, really hacked off that I cannot meet up with 4man, JL1, PaulD and the rest of the ‘Nomads’ before the Barbarians game on Saturday.
They will have to wrap up…it is incredibly cold at the moment. The poor Boks must be sufffering!
Hey…4 of us logged on…
‘Let’s Party’!! 😯
It’s official, I am fed up with winter already…..Ice, snow, wind 🙁
Some one for heavens sake make me laugh…..please
@ Blue Bird:8 – BB, Pity you can’t be going with them, then in that weather, I think you better rather stay by the log fire…hehehe. Saw the weather on Sky News last night. It looked really terrible all over the UK. Now that is just far, far too freezing for me..lol. I enjoy colder weather than we have but not freezing weather.
See the forecast is for snow and rain for Saturdays game. Hope it goes ahead, can’t see them play in those conditions if the snow continues.
How do you cope on your bike in this weather?
OK, I will talk to myself and just get my hits up….just behind 4man!
@ Blue Bird:10- BB, Log fire, red wine, does that make you a little happier? 😀 😀
Serious your weather is not for me right now.
@ Blue Bird:9 – 😆
@ Puma:
Puma, my training schedule is pretty messed up. Too icy to cycle, I rode on Sunday and was wearing so many layers I could hardly move.
Was going to run today, but running in the snow is pretty rubbish too!
Snow not bad in London yet, Twickenham I imagine will be fine. Would be fun to go to the Bok’s hotel and have a chat to them in the bar, would PDV allow them in the bar for a beer do you suppose?
Halloooooooooo Blue Bird, hows life?
@ Blue Bird:15 – Get a treadmill. 😀 In those conditions it wont go to waste…hehe.
Not sure about the team going to the bar after..lol.
@ Tripples:
Hey, Girlie….How are you doing?
As you see I am grumpy and cold, Percy is probably in the country and I have STILL not met him, he is probably sitting in some boring hotel in London wishing for some sparkling erudite female company and here am I blogging and freezing!!
@ Puma:
Puma, I knew my conservatory was going to be of some use…I can turn it into a gym!! 🙂
Handbriekie and BonzaiHandbriekie toiled right through the night on Bonzaihandbriekie’s Thesis, the last step in her qualification.
She went and presented it this morning at 09:00 in Pretoria, sat in in the Panel discussion about it and was given a huge thumbs up! So much so that she has been asked to come give the official talk to the 3rd year students beginnig of next year about what the Hospitality Industry offers and entails.
I am so proud of her….
…. now only one “little-un” to get through Matric next year, BonzaiGBS, and then through his studies… he’s made up his mind that he intends studying Graphic Design after matric…
…. and so we get older….
Percy, if you are reading this and want my phone number!!
@ Blue Bird:19 – BB, Very good idea that…hehehe.
Just so you know, Lee Westwood from England go the biggest cheer this morning at the Nedbank Challenge. For a minute thought he was one of us… 😀 Think he has been coming to this golf tourney for many years now. Nice to have the worlds number one golfer in our biggest tourney.
@ grootblousmile:
‘and so we get older’!!
GBS you sound a bit down old chap…..
Well done to Mini HB, Bonsai has quite an act to follow…..How is his rugby?
@ grootblousmile:20 – Nice gbs, Congrats to her.
@ Blue Bird:
he is only interested in womens bodies…not their minds.
18 hahahahaha nooooooooo not Percy, he is very freaky looking!!!!!!
Mooi Gbs, its nice when they are all over and done witht he schooling and swottings, beilieve me
beilieve = believe eish
23@ Blue Bird:
His rugby was so-so this year, but next year in Matric he should do bloody well again.
He is still gymming furiously 6 days a week.
He’s currently working for a week or so at a Graphics Design company in George, before jetting off to Cape Town and then a few days later to here for the holidays.
School officially only closes on the 10th of December but they’re finished with exams and do not need to go to school as a result.
Lee Westwood, 3 birdies in a row now on -4 and just 2 shots behind the leader.
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