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The Springboks struggled to come to terms with Australia's creativity and clever judgement.
Fundamental questions concerning South Africa’s playing style and in particular who fills the key No10 jersey emerged from the ashes of this Tri-Nations defeat need to be asked.
Given that so many senior players had stayed at home, Morné Steyn must have wished he had suddenly discovered a long standing hamstring injury and also cried off the trip.
For Steyn’s non-performance against the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday has opened up the debate about which player coach Peter de Villiers opts for to start the Rugby World Cup.
The fact that the Springbok coach is a highly conservative man means the field is, in reality, reduced to a list of two, Steyn or Butch James. De Villiers won’t look beyond those two because he wants to play a conservative game based on forward power and tactical kicking.
Hard as Patrick Lambie tried when he came on as a second half replacement for Steyn in Sydney, he isn’t in the running for a place in the Boks’ World Cup starting line-up. Even so, in the final 20 or 25 minutes allowed to him, at times Lambie showed up the glaring inadequacies in Steyn’s attacking game.
Steyn stood so far back behind the gain line that he never really threatened to commit the Wallaby fringe defence. Even when he did run, he often did so with a diagonal slant that was ruinous to the chances of those outside him. The Springbok attackers had to battle ferociously to get to the gain line, never mind past it. Little wonder when your outside half refuses to advance from the safety of the ‘pocket’.
But this was not the only major problem faced by the South Africans. They employed tactics that were far too predictable, like the box kick which was overdone and too often poorly executed.
They used their big forwards, like Danie Rossouw and John Smit, to drive the ball up hard into the defence. Trouble was, it was often lost in contact, a heinous crime at this level. And when the diminutive Australian wing James O’Connor stripped the ball off powerful Boks prop Dean Greyling in the second half it said everything about South Africa’s inability to hold onto possession.
The key question arising from this game is, can South Africa continue to play so one dimensional a game at the World Cup now that other teams, chiefly New Zealand and Australia, have clearly moved the game forward?
At their best, with their first choice players available, of course the Springboks will be big, strong and physical. That is their hallmark. Yet this game threatened to expose the suspicion that forward might, however brutal, just won’t be enough at a World Cup where holding onto the ball consistently, being creative and showing initiative, cunning and clever judgement all over the field, seem likely to be the game-breaking qualities required.
If that proves to be true, will either Steyn or James be sufficiently attacking minded to launch such a game? Or will the Springboks simply ignore modern trends and just keep churning out the power pack/kicking outside half combination which proved enough to win in 2007?
If you base your judgement on Steyn’s poor performance in Sydney on Saturday, you would need an awful lot of convincing that the Springboks will get away with a policy of sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring the modern game.
The Springboks were exposed all over the field, in close among the fringe defence and out wide, where Bjorn Basson looked horribly out of place at Test level.
There wasn’t anything much to commend this desperately ordinary performance. So many elementary errors were made, so many balls coughed up in contact that Smit and his men had no chance of making a serious contest of it.
The Wallabies, who have not lost to South Africa in Sydney since 1993, scored five tries and threw away probably another four, such was the low level of Springbok defence.
This was the fourth match in a row where the Australians have scored 30 or more points against South Africa and it highlighted the need for a really fast, effective forager on the ground able to slow down the Wallabies’ ball. But without the likes of Heinrich Brüssouw, Schalk Burger or Juan Smith, South Africa had no-one to stem the flow and half-back Will Genia got a free ride.
These Springboks have no hope against New Zealand this weekend. But it’s surely not asking too much to expect them to do the basics properly this time and at least show some variety in their game.
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Anonymous, wrote
SACK PETER DE VILLIERS. Not just that, the Springbok team was crap. Lambie on the bench, while RUAN PIENAAR and PAPTROK JOHN SMIT plays...Use more Shark players.
So Sad, wrote
How many times do i have to say this, GET RID OF PETER DE VILLIERS. He has taken a franchise associatd with world class quality and turned it into a laughing stock. Case in point: The quality of our rugby is amazingly strong from school, through club to S15. So why cant he do anything with this talent? He is underqualified, useless and we all know why he got the job. Say cheers to the world cup chaps....
deesfreeze, wrote
The boks also brought their B team out before the last world cup, before Tri nations. This team were humiliated by the Aussies on Saturday nite. Watch out for the All Blacks, they gonna make the bokke fans cry on Saturdaynite. Iam an expat, I support Australia. Aussie Aussie Aussie , Oi Oi Oi.The standard of coaching , fitness of the SA players was plain to see in Saturdays game. Why wait for the WC four weeks away. The games have already begun.
Doc, wrote
Excellent article Peter Bills. You are 100% correct and anyone who disagrees clearly has their heads buried so deep in the sand that only their big toes are sticking out. I believe the rot started when Jake White took over as coach and developed this one dimensional style of rugby i.e. All brute and no brains attitude. Defensive rugby at the finest which ended up with the Boks winning 2 RWCs because of it. The problem now is that the other countries have caught up with the Boks physicality, and defense but have the added ability of skill, flare, and intelligence which has been allowed to develop by AustraliaNew Zealand coaches. In particular, Ewan McKenzie of the Queensland Reds who has taken a wooden spooner team and in a couple of years turned them into Super Rugby champions due to his attacking style of play and letting the players play to their strenghts and use their rugby talent and flare and to think on their own feet when out on the park. The only current player in South Africa that I can think of that has the X-Factor is Patrick Lambie. In my opinion, the best rugby player in South Africa at the moment by a country mile. Unfortunately the X-Factor isn't something you can teach, you either have it or you don't. South Africa need to identify which young players have this X-Factor and nurture their natural talant and skill to become future Boks.
Greg, wrote
I live in Australia now after shifting from New Zealand where I lived for 17 years so have had the opportunity to live within the rugby media and culture of Australasia while still supportiunmg the Boks. The biggest difference between SA and NZ andor Wallabies is the lack of ability to change thew style of play needed in todays modern game and fitness. For years SA teams have suffered against teams due to a lack of fitness. How many times have we seen SA sides remain pointless or score very few points in the 2nd half of a Super Rugby or Tri Nations match. This comes down to coaching, conditioning and player mentality. The SA teams need to be hungrier for victory, out think and out last their opponents and have the ability to change a game plan when things go wrong or dont work. Unfortunately we have this ability to be so one dimensional we are too scared to think outside the square and make a change. The same applies to the selection policy as very rarely do the Boks choose the best 22 players available, they choose the best 22 politically correct players available, and I am not talking colour here but rather who has been there in the past. Unfortunately the past does not win you the present. This very poor performance highlights the gap that exists between the top 22 players and the rest. Ask the All Blacks to field a B team and they will be a close to the A team as you could get. Its not numbers, its coaching, training and mentality that makes them this good.
Spock101, wrote
I'm afraid that I have to agree that the main problem lies in the coaching staff. While I have always felt that coaches in this country have maybe been blamed too easily for poor team performances, in this case I feel that the coach is NOT adequately qualified to perform his duties. Once players get to this level, they surely know the basics of the game and how it should be played. What they need is someone who can help them develop their skills to a level that goes beyond schoolboy club level. They need to be able think on the field, think out of the box. I did not expect them to win Saturdays game, but like TonyC, it is how badly they played that is so disappointing. Why is Morné Steyn first choice No 10? When Lambie came on he made a huge difference. Why did he not start with Morné on the bench. Everyone knows that Lambie is a better all round player than Steyn but Steyn gets the nod because he can kick goals. The problem is that you have to be awarded kickable penalties &or score tries to be able to utilise that ability. Surely logic dictates that against a team like Oz or NZ, all round ability is more important. Someone who can defend AND attack, who looks for gaps & tries to create them rather than just waiting for them to happen. I'm sorry but Morné should not be there, I have said it right from the start and Saturday proved it. Don't try and blame others for his inability. It's not someone else fault that he had a poor game, but his alone (and the guy who made him be where he quite honestly looked like he would rather not be).
adrian, wrote
Warren, Maybe if South African paying crowds stayed away from test rugby at home (after last year's losses), you might just see some wins at home. Here, the Aussies certainly stay away from rugby-union games when they don't get what they want. Rugby-league and AFL rule in Australia, and rugby-union tends to take the back-seat here. So winning is imperative to draw the crowds. Just remember, there was a time that nobody would have believed that cricket matches were fixed either. ;) No worries mate.
Warren, wrote
Adrian you are a GENIUS - matches rigged to have a home side win makes a lot of sense - er how do you explain SA losing at home last year to Wallabies and All Blacks. So we agree to lose away from home and then at home too! Caution; ensure brain is engaged before writing.
sipho syphfliss, wrote
yes I agree PDV is a " colourfull fellow" so why dont the administrators, hah, give another 'colourfull fella" Allister C a chance to coach the Bokke ??
sipho syphfliss, wrote
could Peiter Bills, give us a bit of his history and success as a Rugby player, position , wins etc ???
Anonymous, wrote
Perhaps it is time to ask whether we should stop blaming the B team players and start looking for a new coach .. one selected soley on merit this time .. like Alister Coetzee
Taff, wrote
I dont rate Steyn either, but first look at Pienaar, but by the time he had crab-walked three or four steps across the field the Aussie backs were shaking hands with the Bok back-line.
Graham F, wrote
Re Anonymous 08.49 - They are professional athletes and we are told that half the squad is injured!!! Its a slap in the face of fans who are expected to favour the Boks not to play the best team and not pretend they are unfit.
adrian, wrote
Rugby is just entertainment. It is there to make money from filled seats at the stadiums. Therefore the winners will always be who is playing at home to give the crowds their money;s worth of what they would like to see. That is why Australia has won in Sydney since 1993.Try finding alternative entertainment as it is a waste of time shouting for a team when games are manipulated to give the paying crowds what they want to see,which is their home team to win.
adrian, wrote
As usual, I have to bring colour into this. Why? Because if PdV were another colour he would have been fired long ago and rightly so. Alister Coetzee would never behave or coach so poorly as this out of his depth coach does. The problem does not lie at PdV's doorstep, it lies at the gutless administraters doorstep and they should take the blame for allowing this coach to remain. It's all about colour
craig, wrote
This is no tome to panic - we all well know that our boys will rise to the CORRECT Occasion. there should not be a tri nations tournament in a world cup year. YES i want the Bokke to always win! - but i also want a fit and strong injury free team to pitch up for the one that counts.
Anonymous, wrote
Don't worry people. The players are earning a well deserve rest and when the full strength Springbok team takes the field in the RWC, you guys will be singing their praises instead of looking at all the negatives when playing a second string team.
TonyC, wrote
We all know how this worked for Jake & the Boks in 2007, so let's not get too excited about the loss. We were NEVER going to win the game & can't expect to do so this weekend either. My only complaint is just HOW BAD the team played. This was the ideal opportunity for players who have been excluded from the Bok RWC squad to show what they can do & they BLEW it BIG time. I have never rated Morne Steyn as a genuine Bok flyhalf - his ONLY talent is goal-kicking & that's it. He is nothing more than a liability to the backline & in games like this when the Boks play most of the game in their own half, he's useless with absolutely no defensiveattacking ability! I was glad to hear the chaps in All Our Rugby discuss the positive change when Lambie was brought onto the field. At some point the selectors MUST choose all-round ability over one talent.
Laksman, wrote
The Boks were pathetic!!!!!They could not get the basics right - tackling!!!!Our coaches are a bunch of idiots and not even good enough to coach school rugby. Morney Steyn must be the scariest player on a rugby field, hence always standing in the "pocket".He is flippen scared!!!!!!John Smit.... well,well!!!!Please John,het a hoppy and forget about rugby.The world is laughing at you!!!!!!!Peter Bills, you hit the nail on the head.Not sure that I want to watch the game on Saturday - it will be to humiliating!!!!!!!!
Pat Pillay, wrote
Well written. The Boks just aren`t creative enough.As for the basics, like ball retention, that is another problem. Some of the guys are also not ready for Test rugby yet, like Basson.
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