Wales (3) 12 / 6 (3) Springboks (Final Score)
Wales and the South African Springboks did battle in the End Of Year Tours at
Millennium stadium, Cardiff, Wales at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 BST & GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Take Note that the England vs Australia game was at the same time slot as the Wales vs South Africa game, therefore we concentrated on the Wales vs South Africa game, with SCORE UPDATES at the Bottom of the Article on the England vs Australia game.
Scorers:
Wales:
- Penalties – Leigh Halfpenny (4)
- Drop Goals – 0
- Tries – 0
- Conversions – 0
Springboks:
- Penalties – Pat Lambie (2)
- Drop Goals – 0
- Tries – 0
- Conversions – 0
Teams:
Wales |
South African Springboks |
| 29 November at 16:30 | |
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Expected weather: The roof will be closed, as always, but it will be damp underfoot and even though the surface has improved, it still cuts up at times. High of 12°C and low of 7°C
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Pascal Gauzère (France)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
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England (13) 26 / 17 (3) Wallabies (Final Score)
England and the Australian Wallabies did battle in the End Of Year Tours at
Twickenham Stadium, London, England at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 BST & GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 & CSN on TV in SA.
Kaplan commented on the decision via his website, http://www.ratetheref.co.za.
Kaplan pointed to the fact that World Rugby has made it clear that they want to protect the vulnerable defending jumper in the air, which in this scenario was Halfpenny.
“It is a good decision,” Kaplan wrote. “However some of the decisions around this principle is making the game not only a lottery but it is also denuding the game of the very important element of the kick-chase. It is once again prone to over-sanitisation, and has the capacity to ruin a Test match or at the very least rob the spectators of the much desired contest.”
Kaplan felt the referee’s decision to yellow card Hendricks was harsh.
“On Saturday I thought Hendricks went for the ball, jumping simultaneously with the Welsh jumper Leigh Halfpenny who unfortunately missed the ball. He may not have got as high but I really cannot understand the relevance of this at all.
“The result was a poor decision to card Hendricks especially as this was viewed in slow motion which makes it even more difficult to fathom.”
Former Springbok lock Hannes Strydom is in the intensive care unit of the Groenkloof hospital after being injured in an attempted hijacking.
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Springboks/Ex-Bok-in-ICU-after-hijacking-20141202
@ superBul:
@ superBul:
542 FECKERS May they rot in hell
superBul wrote:
No I agree with you wholeheartedly, the thing is just, this has not come out of nowhere, it has been a figure of springbok rugby over the last 14 years.. Even Super Rugby.
@ MacroBok:
They simply outwit us time and again. We should be the best. Nothing but our conservative and pre programed ways are stopping us. We beat ourselves.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers will require surgery on his injured left knee and will be in a race against time to be fit for the Rugby World Cup in England in 2015.
De Villiers left the field in the 58th minute of the Springboks’ final Test of the season, last Saturday against Wales in Cardiff, aftertwisting his left knee and dislocating his knee cap.
Scans shortly after the match revealed significant ligament damage to the knee.
De Villiers returned to South Africa on Monday and was assessed by an orthopaedic surgeon in Cape Town, who advised that the Springbok captain requires surgical reconstruction of the knee.
“We are currently consulting with the best specialists in South Africa to determine the best way to approach the surgery as there are potentially a few options available,” said Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts on Monday afternoon.
“It’s imperative that the best course of action is decided on so that Jean can start recovery and rehabilitation as soon as possible to give him the best chance to be fit for the World Cup.
“At this stage it’s still difficult to determine how long he will be out of action, but it would probably be at least eight months.”
Roberts added that because De Villiers has had surgery on his left knee before “would make the whole process a lot more complicated in terms of the surgery and correcting the damage.
“As you know he dislocated the knee on the field, but we popped his patella back right there and then. That’s fine; it’s the ligament damage that’s serious.”
Roberts said De Villiers had strained medial as well as cruciate ligaments, adding, “It’s not a simple thing … mainly because it’s the same knee as before. Obviously Jean is devastated by the injury and he felt a lot of pain on the field. He’s a fighter and and he’ll work hard to come back again,” said Roberts.
Bok vice-captain Victor Matfield, favourite to take over as leader if De Villiers does not make the World Cup, said: “There’s nine, 10 months to go, so let’s wait and see what happens. Jean’s a fighter.”
superBul wrote:
Thats the thing, “we” should be teaching the guys to run into space and how to run efficient support lines from a young age to re program them.
Meyer said that the 33-year-old midfielder, who had earned his 106th Test cap against Wales, was in good spirits yesterday before flying home to Cape Town. “Everything is gone (in the knee), and the hamstring as well (is torn). It’s a huge injury.
“So, it is an unbelievable setback for the team. But Jean is a fighter and I can’t believe that he was so positive (after the injury). His wife is expecting (their third child in the coming weeks) and he’s been under so much pressure, and this injury can happen every day.
“So, he just said last night that ‘It’s not about me, the team must move on’, but I must say emotionally and mentally, it’s a huge setback. And for me as well – you’ve grown so fond of your captain and all your planning is with him, and now you’ve got to take the team without him.
“We will do everything in our minds to get him there (to the World Cup), but it’s going to be tough.
MacroBok wrote:
If we do this all of a sudden we will catch them with their pants on their knees.
HM was praised so many times by me that he can work in his players heads. But somehow this bunch is to thickheaded 😆
We must try it, at least we wont look like headless chickens
UK media optimism suddenly knows no bounds in terms of the perception early this week that the north-south gap is finally narrowing to a notable degree, with the Boks and the stubbornly still wobbling Wallabies considered ripe for further plucking a bit further up the line.
As scribe Simon Thomas pointed out on Wales Online on Monday (www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/autumn-internationals-2014-warren-gatlands-8202084), there have been five victories for northern teams over southern heavyweights in November, “which is pretty much unprecedented”.
He said that even the All Blacks looked human at times.
Thomas believes the Boks are “a team with problems” and that a 50 percent return on their latest Euro venture will be viewed as a real regression.
“A lacklustre and error-strewn performance (at Millennium Stadium), devoid of virtually any cutting edge in attack, will have come as a real concern, following on from their tour-opening defeat in Dublin where they paid the price for complacency.
“There were some individual (tour) plusses, with Duane Vermeulen, Eben Etzebeth and Schalk Burger confirming their status as top quality forwards, while Willie le Roux remains a gifted fullback despite his Cardiff calamities.
“But overall, not a happy autumn almanac.”
If the Boks commanded any sort of halo north of the equator, it has clearly slipped at a fairly inconvenient time …
http://www.sarugbymag.co.za/blog/details/boks-needed-wake-up-call
On Sunday at the team hotel in Cardiff, Heyneke Meyer spoke about the hard lessons learned on this four-match tour. The Bok coach was patently disappointed with the results in Dublin and Cardiff, although with a view to the long term, he feels those failures will eradicate any complacency or belief this Bok side has arrived. These defeats will spur them on over the next nine months as they prepare for the all-important World Cup.
The Boks didn’t pitch up mentally or physically in Dublin. They were tactically outplayed at the Aviva Stadium, and again at the Millennium Stadium.
They struggled to adapt to the ‘no rules’ mentality that prevails at the breakdown in this part of the world, or the referees who are really not too concerned about offside lines or hands in the ruck. The Boks’ kicking game wasn’t up to standard, and their insistence of running the ball was largely counterproductive.
The match against England was the exception. The Boks dominated the collisions, and this meant the breakdowns weren’t as much of a contest. Their halfbacks enjoyed plenty of clean ball, and had the time and space to make good decisions.
The Boks’ tactics in that Test were also spot on. There was a respect for the opposition, and that meant a drive for territory before they attempted anything adventurous.
They battled for consistency in the subsequent Tests in Padova and Cardiff. The intense breakdown contests in those matches meant a dearth of quick ball, but they could have done far better in terms of their kicking and decision-making.
Intelligent rugby is all about decision-making. It involves striking the right balance between kicking and running. It also means taking into account the conditions, as well as the way the game is officiated in a particular region.
The Boks got their tactics right on the 2013 tour to the northern hemisphere, but then they were fortunate to have a host of experienced players at their disposal. Even when Fourie du Preez, the Boks’ chief tactician, was unavailable for the final tour match against France, Meyer had the option of selecting another experienced and tactically astute scrumhalf in Ruan Pienaar.
superBul wrote:
Ruan is much more respected by others
All the rugby sites agree we were dismal. All question the old players. Almost all feel we are in deep trouble. Most say we are playing brain dead games. Almost all here agree that we are playing like this for years.
Few have hope.
Most of us are hoping that all the big contenders disappear like in 2007 before the play offs.
But i hoped that HM would keep to his word and take every test serious. He said in the beginning he wants to win every test. Did he say like the All Blacks? I think he said that is his goal.
Building a team like the AB,s did was also one of his goals.
He resurrected old players careers and build a squad of about 40 players alright.
But he does not have a clear 23.
The All Blacks does.
They know exactly who is who.
@ superBul:
who is your 23?
superBul wrote:
I dare all here to pick their 30 players now.
Anyone who gets 20 right at WC time is wise.
Getting 50% right might even let you look like a “kenner”
take #10, who off Pollard, Lambie, Steyn, Steyn, Boshoff?
and #9 FduP, Pienaar, Reinach, Hougaart, Paige, Pretoruis…..? I know almost all here will discard Hougaart, but will HM?
@ superBul:
Learn from the All Blacks
The All Blacks have a wealth of experience.
They have probably the most experienced loose forward combo to have ever played the game.
Jerome Kaino (31 years old 56 test matches), Ritchee (33yo 137 test matches), Keiran Read(29yo 72 test matches)
Their first choice center combination must also be one of the most experienced to have played in the game.
Ma’a Nonu(32 yo, 92 test matches), Conrad Smith (33yo, 85 test matches)
What about the front row?
Tony Woodcock(33yo 110 test matches), Kevin Mealamu from the bench (35 years old, 125 test matches)
Second Row
Sam Whitelock(only26 years old but 62 test matches of experience!)
The All Blacks have a wealth of experience all over the park, where would they be if they dropped all these old players in the quest of youth?
They have a consistent team because they have been managed better with the bigger picture and they might take a dip after 2015 when all these guys leave, but the team Hansen has built is simply incomparable.
I often praise Aaron Smith for being the glue that binds the All Blacks,
but how much easier is it when you have 250+ test caps in your loos forwards and 180 Test caps in your centers?
Not a bad old age home there in New Zealand.
to try to compare Reinach had a loose forward combo with a combined test experience of 59 test matches when we played wales and about 126 test matches experience in the centers.
Old toppies eh?
To take into consideration: Schalk Burger is 31yo, Juan Smith is 33yo.
Why are they “too old” when they played the same age group rugby as their All Black counter parts?
Schalk Burger and Juan Smith (& Pierre Spies), unlike the All Blacks loose forwards in their age group that you’ve mentioned, have all been injured for extended periods between World Cups & are no longer 1st choice Bok players – they’re 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice players.
Best policy is to (as far as possible) select from the ranks of the fit & available players one’s top 2 players per position, bearing in mind the specific RSA selection constraints placed upon the Bok selectors. Ideally one obviously wants neither an overly old, prone to injury, nor an overly young, inexperienced squad, but a sensible mix in between.
One would also like to see HM leave a legacy (players still on the up, & able to feature in the 2019 RWC).
@ MacroBok:
If he performs up to standard a player can never be too old or too young. The risk that an older player’s performance can suddenly drop is however higher than it is with a younger player and therefore it’s not wise to put all your eggs in one basket. I believe that HM has a good mix though and therefore I am not overly concerned about the so called ageing team.
superBul wrote:
Meyer will pick the following (More or less)
1. Beast
2. Bismark
3. Jannie
4. Eben
5. Victor
6. Flo
7. Burger
8. Vermeulen
9. FDP
10. Pollard
11. Bryan
12. Frans
13. Jan
14. JP
15. Wille
16. Malherbe/Coenie
17. Adriaan
18. Trevor
19. Alberts
20. Oupa
21. Pienaar
22. Lambie
23. Mvovo
That is assuming those players are fit and available.
Other players to be in the 30 will most likely be:
Scarra
Lood
Carr
Reinach
Damian
Senatla
Boschoff
There are some that are up for debate and some bolters like Kriel who could force their way in but it is likely to look a lot like the above, as I said, injuries allowing.
NB that is not necessarily the team I would choose.
566 @ Stormersboy:
At this stage that is without a doubt Meyers team for the WC
@ Angostura:
An old prone to injury player?
Like PSDT? Arno Botha? Malherbe? Coenie?
Look if we are going to start leaving old “injury prone” players out, Saru may as well employ these younger guys as reps.
MacroBok wrote:
Yip no special skill required to put that team on paper.
There are players like Kolisi, Kriel, Kolbe (who may have a great SR season) Hougaard, Sithole, Some Lions players like Julian et al who may cause some hype leading up to the selections but Meyer know that his best chance is to pick experience over youth, or even form, and bet on his staff to coach them into form.
@ Angostura:
The problem is that we have also been a victim to circumstances.
Had PSDT stayed fit or Bekker not flopped for the boks in 2012 (likely due to his back injury), would Matfield have been asked to come back in 2014?
Why are our players getting injured so regularly?
and who do we replace them with? @ Stormersboy:
I did not pick it upearlier, but you only have Lood and Alberts as our lock cover?
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