So amper, maar alle aanduidings is dat die Springbokrugbyspan weer op die regte pad is ná sy naelskraapse nederlaag gister teen die All Blacks.
Dit is die eenparige mening van ’n klompie kenners by wie Rapport gaan kers opsteek het ná die Slag van Wellington.
Krynauw Otto:
“As ons die All Blacks só kan vat in Wellington, kan ons hulle op neutrale velde in die Wêreldbeker-toernooi klop,” meen die voormalige Bok-slot Krynauw Otto. “Dit was weer simpel foute wat ons, nes in Australië, die wedstryd gekos het. Tien foute minder en ons het gewen.”
Rapport
Otto was nietemin in sy noppies met die Springbokke. “Die pak was goed, ons skrumwerk was goed en Victor Matfield was weer skitterend. Ons moet leer om beter gebruik te maak van omgekeerde besit, maar dis ’n baie goeie All Black-span.”
André Markgraaff:
Die gewese Bok-afrigter André Markgraaff was ook taamlik tevrede. “Heyneke Meyer het duidelik ’n paradigma-skuif gemaak. Die spel het die laaste jaar of twee baie verander en die meeste van ons afrigters is steeds te geneig om net te wil druk toepas en skop.
“Vandag (gister) het gewys jy moet in jou spelers glo en in hul vermoëns om aan te val.”
Markgraaff meen dit was dalk die beste vertoning van die Springbokke die afgelope twee jaar in die Rugbykampioenskap. “Ons moet egter onthou die All Blacks was nie vandag baie goed nie. Sonder Sam Whitelock is hulle veel meer kwesbaar in die lynstane en Steven Luatua is ook nie so goed soos die beseerde Liam Messam nie.
“Ek hoop ook ons het nou klaar besluit op losskakel en senters. Ek het gedink dis dalk te vroeg om Handré Pollard in te span, maar hy was verbasend goed.
“Sy voorspelers was weliswaar op die voorvoet, maar hy was kalm,” sê Markgraaff.
“Jan Serfontein hoort ook op binnesenter. Jean de Villiers is ’n goeie buitesenter en het daar meer spasie en vat daar minder stampe.”
Nelie Smith:
Nóg ’n gewese Bok-breier, Nelie Smith, meen dit was ’n skitterende toets.
“Die uitstekende verdediging weerskante het my verbaas. Dis selde dat jy in ’n toets sien spanne speel so dikwels so wyd, maar dit het amper nooit gelyk of daar gapings is nie.
“Victor Matfield was weer ’n toring van krag.
“ ’n Jongeling wat teen die All Blacks speel soos Handré Pollard, is die ware Jakob.
“Jan Serfontein se verdediging was fenomenaal en ons moet nie vergeet van daai yster Duane Vermeulen nie. Ons is op die regte pad, maar moet leer ondersteun soos die All Blacks.”
Rob Louw:
Die oud-Bok-flank Rob Louw meen die Bokke het dié ene weggegooi. “Ons skrums was goed en ons losvoorspelers ongelooflik. Richie McCaw was amper nêrens nie, maar ons het op kritieke tye nie kop gehou nie.
“Ek voel ’n bietjie jammer vir Morné Steyn, maar Pollard het ’n regmerkie verdien.
“Daar is nog probleme op skrumskakel sonder Fourie du Preez, maar as hy terugkom – asook manne soos Schalk Burger, Jaque Fourie, JP Pietersen en Frans Steyn – lyk ons goed vir volgende jaar.”
Die Bok Rapport kaart:
Habana 7 for some critical steals
Pienaar 7 cleared very quickly and gave us momentum when we had the ball
The coetzee and flo combo was awesome, starting to combine very well attacking the ball and in defense even if I was a little worried for the NZ game.
If JDV got a 4 so should willie.
Beast 7… awesome in the scrums but two weak moments that nearly lead to tries… once where someone passed to him out of the lineout and he just left it and once where instead of diving oj the ball he slapped it backwards and nz could get the kick through. Crucial errors.
Had they scored beast would have loitered around the 5-6 area
Pollard 8/10
He still missed that penalty
@ MacroBok: in most part I agree with you MB. But I’d stick with 9 for Pollard, despite the missed penalty. It just shaved the upright, from 50+m out. Give the oke a break bud. He was phenominally good. Forget his age and experience. He was good when compared to the best and way more experienced. He’s the find of the decade IMHO. We’re desperately short of quality halfbacks. This is like gold. I have one problem with him though. He signed up for the Bulls. 😥
@ Tassies:
You got me wrong, I am a big fan of him and I am happy he had a great game.
Just think the difference between 8-10 for a flyhalf is the difference between winning and losing.
The 9/10 is basically the author giving an up yours to Pollard critics pre match who said he does not deserve it.
I know he deserves to be there.
I agree with your take on both Pienaar(heavily slated by everyone, including your’s truly) and Habs. Pienaar had his best game I’ve seen him play. He was excellent. Habs saw little ball but that which he did, he was industrious and worked bloody hard off the ball, including a brilliant steel. 7 is a well-deserved scorecard.
The one blight on Pollard was when he was forced onto his left foot. We got a penalty, so the end result of the kick didn’t matter, but the real end result is that opponents all over the world would have taken note.
He will have to work doubly hard to get his left footed kick working, but that will be sorted out in time. He must just realize that teams playing against him will be trying to pressure him onto that left boot from now on
@ nortierd:
yes he made that mistake with Arg as well were people were vocal that he should not play because you have less time in international rugby 🙂
Needs to work on his left boot.
6 @ MacroBok:
“Just think the difference between 8-10 for a flyhalf is the difference between winning and losing.”
Not always? I doubt anyone would give Cruden higher than a 6 yesterday, he didn’t have a good game, and Pollard was the better fly half between the two teams, yet, Cruden’s team won.
@ MacroBok: ja, its a fine line. I was simply hellava impressed is all. I backed HM’s selection because I’ve been impressed with his play since first watching him play (at school). He’s an absolutely exceptional player and I would not be surprised if he reaches the same level Naas did, in his heyday. You might not have seen Naas play(live) but I did(many times) and Naas was a genius. We ‘hated’ that genius because he often wrecked our saturday afternoons.
@ nortierd:
That does not mean a winning teams flyhalf should always get a 9…
@ Tassies:
and he does not get injured every 2 weeks… touch wood
@ nortierd: more Nortie. Yes, good point. But nobody’s perfect mate. Least of all a novice. But, that said, I agree.
We can all look forward to an improvement in the way the Boks go about their business from now. I think you, I and others, had a problem with the elected style of play. Now that’s changed.
11 @ Tassies:
“We ‘hated’ that genius because he often wrecked our saturday afternoons.”
So true, many an afternoon’s train ride back from Newlands was a sad occasion because of him 😆
14 @ Tassies:
More Tassies.
That’s the whole point summed up, the way we played.
If we had played with the same passion, commitment and game plan against Argentina and Australia, we would have probably beaten them with greater ease.
Don’t know why we must wait till it’s too late and against the All Blacks before we play like that?
@ Tassies:
How much has it changed though?
Our defense was awesome, but hougie had a shocker for half, id have given him 0/10… Who are we going to play now?
IF Vermaak is not recalled.
@ MacroBok: so right. The AB’s won because the collective is playing incredible rugby and have ‘that belief’. We come second in that department. The fact that they have brilliant players(Richie, Reid, Smith, Dagg, Conrad, Savea) helps a bit. Names I left out are not too shabby either. This AB side is the best I’ve ever seen. So our guys aren’t doing too badly.
@ nortierd:
How did our gameplan change though? Except for the inclusion of Pollard.
@ nortierd: I think that’s when Newlands invented booing. 👿
@ Tassies:
If we had Aaron Smith in our team we would be unstoppable, that guy is the heart and soul of the AB team.
MacroBok wrote:
Maybe intent is a better word then?
They were more positive in their play as well.
@ nortierd: its the challenge I guess. They’re seen to be the best. They are the best. For now.
@ nortierd:
Our defense was outstanding I hope we can keep it up, I still believe in this team…
and as you wished, Meyer is also critical of our errors post match.
Tassies wrote:
Ha ha
How we, as scholars, banged those advertising boards (until the marshals came close) but to no avail, nothing could put Naas off 😆
MacroBok wrote:
The NZ press I read this morning is very critical of him, say he had a shocker
@ nortierd:
and he was still better than our scrumhalves lol
That guys standards is on a whole new level.
@ MacroBok: By selecting Pollard the message was sent that we’re going to attack the gain line. And not simply kick every ball away to the opposition. FDP was an exceptionally good player at the kicking game. I mean exceptional. Few can do what he does so consistently. He is also a very clever player. He knows exactly when to kick and where. Everyone else comes way second best. We cannot afford to play that game and expect to win when our guys don’t have the skill to consistently execute. Pollard plays a different game and its going to work. Besides, its a lot more attractive to watch. Our backline’s not too shabby. Bursting with skill and simply requires time.
28 @ Tassies:
Except Aaron Smith 😆 Watch that guy, he is even better than FDP, he modeled his game on fdp.
I think the FDP and Pollard combo will be exciting, fdp has added a lot of speed to his game from what we have seen, problem is we havent had the players to keep up.
@ nortierd: Ja, I remember those days very well. I was driving a car by then and legally drinking beer(at Forries and the Pig). We seriously detested Naas Booter. But he destroyed us. I think we had Robbie Blair. A running 10. He was no match for Naas, especially in the Newlands rain.
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