South Africa
The adrenaline seemed to be still pumping for South Africa coach Peter de Villiers the day after his team’s 17-16 victory over Wales in their opening Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool D match at Wellington Regional Stadium.
De Villiers was at his animated, playful best at the team press conference in their Wellington hotel on Monday, cracking jokes and expounding on team tactics and rugby trends.
“It was a Gilbert ball before he kicked it but the G was gone after he kicked the ball,” de Villiers said of one of full back Frans Steyn’s long-range punts in the swirling Wellington winds on Sunday night.
And still on the weather in ‘Windy Welly’, “well this is Wellington, where you can get five seasons in one day. Some places you only get four, but here you get five”.
He was philosophical about the refereeing on Sunday night, as a winning coach can afford to be.
“You get it wrong sometimes and you get it right sometimes and I think you have to go sit down and see how many times you got it right and how many times you got it wrong.
“It would be unfair if you got it three times wrong and 10 times right to say it wasn’t very good.
“But as a coach you sit there and you think, ‘that’s hard done against us’, but then you look at it again and say ‘no, it was not as bad as that’.”
Flooding the breakdown
He said teams flooding the breakdown were making it harder for referees to determine who is offside, while he had also noted the calls from referees at this tournament for players to stay longer on their feet.
“But then again, being South African, we like to go through people and not around them, because it’s shorter.”
He also revealed teams no longer confine their pre-match analysis to opposing players.
“What’s worrying at this moment is that you have to start analysing the referees too. That wasn’t part of the game 10 years ago, five years ago. Now you have to analyse his character, all those kind of small things.”
He said his team deserved the win because of their defensive effort and the contribution of the bench players who came on in the second half.
“I think that is the way to go, you can have something up your sleeve. If you don’t have that you become as ordinary as everybody else,” de Villiers said.
He said Wales had thrown “the kitchen sink” at South Africa but had failed in what he argued was the toughest first-round match in the toughest pool to win.
“I’m so glad I’m not the Welshmen this morning to think that I have to face Samoa this week,” he added.
“What’s worrying at this moment is that you have to start analysing the referees too. That wasn’t part of the game 10 years ago, five years ago. Now you have to analyse his character, all those kind of small things.”
I personaly love this comment. How many times did i say blow the rule or law and leave the interpretations of the law out. Some funny stuff was said by the clown that reffed our game.
And this one answers all who want Bismark to start.
“I think that is the way to go, you can have something up your sleeve. If you don’t have that you become as ordinary as everybody else,” de Villiers said.
What he said there is so true, imagine the outcry if Bismarck is taken of and his replacement is not adding anything. O we went through that already.
PdeV made up his mind and if he changes now and fail he will let himself down. He would rather stick to his sword even if he has to die by it.
ebullient – thesaurus – cheerful, happy, jovial, cheery.
Note to self, learn “een groot woord” per day.
Thanks superbul, for the education that is.
@ biltongbek:
oli bo ga nah.
Hoop dis hoe jy dit spel. Dit is “die dankie is vir jou” in Sesotho.
Jy se dit glo waneer jy die kompliment “return” so dankie vir jou nou weet ek virseker wat die woord beteken. Ek sou wel later gaan loer het maar soos ek gese het oli bo ga nah.
mense mense mense, my hart het amper gaan staan hahahahahahaha
What I feel should happen is the following:
Bismarck should start – Chilliboy on the bench (John Smit must go and sit next to PDV in the coaching box)
Hougaardt to start – FDP on the bench
Gurthro to start – Beast on the bench
Lambie to play in JDV’s place
Boks showed great character to win this one, think this will make them strong!!!!
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