Ruan Pienaar’s prodigious kicking highlights a flaw in the Springbok rugby mindset.
Forget what you think about this test match.
There is so much more riding on tomorrow night’s capital contest than a handful of competition points.
This is a battle between total rugby and totalitarian rugby, a stylistic skirmish between one team that enjoys the sweet freedom of expression and another which squirms in the grip of moderation’s gorilla mitt.
NZ Herald
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen calls South Africa “our greatest foe”, and statistically speaking it’s an assertion that cannot be argued against.
They have the best record of any nation against New Zealand hell it was only 18 years ago that the All Blacks managed to win a test series on South African soil and they remain the real test of All Black strength.
The Springboks have always brought the best out in the All Blacks, so the question is this: when are they going to bring the best out in themselves? That this team has one date to savour in the last nine meetings of world rugby’s current No1 and No2 says plenty.
Victory against the All Blacks has gone from regularity to rarity.
To put the importance of this test in perspective, New Zealand lines up tomorrow night looking, for just the second time in the history of this great rugby rivalry, to post a fifth consecutive win against South Africa.
Not since a remarkable three-year period at the turn of the century in which the All Blacks won nine straight matches, has one side so clearly dominated this match-up.
And it is a domination of the worst type – South Africa keeps bringing cannons to the knife fight and the All Blacks keep driving in the dagger.
After an unconvincing series sweep of Argentina and an agonising loss against Australia (and, let’s be honest, referee George Clancy was kind enough to play the scapegoat last week), South African fans aren’t just demanding a win against the All Blacks, they are obsessed with the notion.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has indicated that he wants to bring something “unconventional” to the match and holds up, as exhibits A and B in his case for innovation, his selection of 20-year-old first five-eighth Handre Pollard and 21-year-old centre Jan Serfontein.
There is no doubt Pollard is a talent, but Meyer’s implication that his selection will lead to a ball-in-hand gameplan is a smokescreen.
May I introduce Exhibits C and D: Ruan Pienaar and Willie Le Roux, who between them have unleashed 77 kicks in three matches. Not even the great Steyn can compete with those outlandish numbers.
And then there’s Serfontein, who can’t possibly have been given the nod for his offensive output.
Oh, he can play, but he is there because he’s made 18 tackles and hasn’t missed one. Meyer has chosen the 21-year-old not to fire the shots, but to take the hits.
This test presents a conundrum for the South Africans. They can persist with a power game that revolves around the lineout and seeks to win the penalty count (though as was shown last week against the Wallabies, you can’t rely on a referee blowing his whistle when you need him to) because that’s what they know best.
Or they can find a way to expand on their powers, to break the shackles of conservatism and build sustained periods of pressure on the All Blacks defence.
They have the talent for this. Duane Vermeulen is a destructive force on attack, and is allowed to be through the defensive work of the tireless Francois Louw and Marcell Coetzee, Bryan Habana is one of the great wingers, Cornall Hendricks is worth more than 11 touches in 240 minutes of match time, Willie Le Roux is better with both feet so why rely so heavily on one?
Meyer says he wants to play attractive rugby. He told reporters this week he was hoping for a dry track “so we can play some attacking rugby”. But surely this side is capable of playing attacking rugby rain, hail or shine.
I asked one former All Blacks coach this week about his approach to wet-weather rugby.
He said: “Most people call the rain a leveller, I think it’s the other way around. That’s when the team with the best skillset has the advantage.”
Or maybe the advantage lies with the team that believes it has those skills in the first place.
MacroBok wrote:
Off course.
But I don’t go mental all the time.
Makro as a Bull I understand your support for HM.
Butt only a fool IMO are blind to his obvious limitations.
Its easy to criticise Jake the Snake, but at this stage he looks like a genius coach wise against Heynekes coaching.
Will he be remembered as the SA coach never to beat the All Blacks in 4 years? Hope not!!
@ Scrumdown:
Why is that a problem now? Johan Akkerman is another man that gets very very excited when he watches his team.
Scrumdown wrote:
Agree 100% with everything you say.
@ Snoek:
Its not support for Meyer because I am a Bull, I just dont see why him getting excited is an issue when we lose but great when we win.
At this stage of Jakes tenure he was getting pummeled left right and center.
@ Snoek:
Is that worse than being remembered as an SA coach that lost to Scotland?
And no coach we have had has a poker face like Meyer in post match interviews.
MacroBok wrote:
No its the same.
I’m not defending any coach oppose to HM.
All coaches make errors, HM just looks like he is really loosing the plot.
Why do he keep on choosing players not up to it?
MacroBok wrote:
The same poker face as Oscar!
Makro, are you from Northern KZN?
@ Snoek:
No ways is it the same. never. id lose to the number 1 team in the world ten times before I lose to scotland.
Indo want us to win them though.
But I strongly disagree with comments like The running game coached out of Willie when a fee weeks ago willie was supposedly the best running fullback in the world according to some saffas…playing for the springboks.
I dont understand what the loge affair with Ruan is though… nor eddie andrews or john smit… but coaches do it.
@ Snoek:
maybe 😉
MacroBok wrote:
With this I agree
I also dont mind seeing Meyer going crazy. it shows me he hates losing. thats what I want.
MacroBok wrote:
Bliksem – if so, what went wrong in the latter part of your life
Snoek wrote:
Forgot the smiley
@ Snoek:
haha i turned out well considering I grew up between a bunch of sharks
MacroBok wrote:
That is properly your good side you sometimes reflect on this site. 🙂
School?
@ Snoek:
Newcastle high.
I must admit I endured a lot of pain and suffering in the 90’s and early 00’s being harrassed by emoboys… but fark me, 2007 made it all worth it 😀
MacroBok wrote:
Cool, that school has now gone to the dogs.
I was in Ferrum – 80’s
32 @ MacroBok:
And likewise, he shouldn’t.
Some of his substitutions also are purely “by the clock” and totally defy logic at the time.
Don’t get me wrong re HM, I’m not anti him. I’m anti what and how we “do” Rugby in SA.
@ Snoek:
small world 🙂 I havent been back in 5 years
Oscar not guilty of MURDER.
@ MacroBok:
So, wat nou?
Waar is ons ” in-house prokurower ” GBS? Sal graag sy opinie wou hoor.
@ Snoek:
Jammer ek het jou gemis vanoggend ou maat. Wou jou vra oor Glencoe High.
Ek, Macro en Nama het nou die aand bespiegel oor wat daar aangaan met skolerugby, gedog jy sou kon bietjie meer lig werp op daai debakel.
Snoek wrote:
Danhauser Primary.
‘And it is a domination of the worst type – South Africa keeps bringing cannons to the knife fight and the All Blacks keep driving in the dagger.’
One of the best comments regarding the Boks I have come across, and so apt.
MacroBok wrote:
Oscar should take this conviction thankfully and run away from that court as quickly as possible, hoping the State doesn’t appeal against the judgement.
GBS, you agree?
@ Pietman:
the family might appeal? would be pointless imo not worth the hurt
@ Loosehead:
indeed a small world 🙂
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