Boks in need of some magic

Jacques van der Westhuyzen says the Boks performance against Australia was not as diabolical as some have suggested. Photo by Scott Barbour/Gallo Images

Jacques van der Westhuyzen says the Boks performance against Australia was not as diabolical as some have suggested. Photo by Scott Barbour/Gallo Images

Published Sep 9, 2014

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I wonder what the reaction would have been had the Springboks won in Perth on Saturday? I think it would have been viewed as a fairly good performance, certainly one of their best of 2014. It would have been seen as a step in the right direction; much better than we got against Argentina.

But the Boks lost and the game plan, the kicking, the tactics and the personnel were criticised. Heck, even Heyneke Meyer’s taken a roasting. Fair? I don’t think so.

The Boks were minutes away from winning and would have done so had Morné Steyn kicked into touch and not gifted the Wallabies a last chance to attack – and score, and win the game. Steyn made a massive blunder, as did referee George Clancy, in sin-binning Bryan Habana – those were the two key moments why the Boks lost. Those are the margins.

But the performance was not as diabolical as some have suggested. Yes, some of the tactical kicking was poor, but the style adopted by the Boks was the right one. The conditions weren’t great and overall, the Boks controlled the game and got on top. They’d opened up a nine-point lead with minutes remaining and didn’t look like losing – yet they did. It was an 80 minutes that left one frustrated and angry; deflated and upset. It was a match the Boks should have won. Simple.

Meyer’s men dominated the scrums and line-outs, and they won more penalties than the Wallabies did. Being overly critical of the performance isn’t on, even if it was far from flashy and exciting.

Now, that is something we can attach some importance to. Forget about the poor weather that didn’t really allow for open, running rugby, but the Boks seem to be missing someone at the back, in midfield, who can create something special on attack.

The back three of Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks and Willie le Roux are world class runners – and finishers – but why are they the ones the Boks rely on to create a spark. Why, we must ask, is Meyer employing Jan Serfontein, an inside centre and a “crash-ball” specialist at 13? And before him, Damian de Allende, a specialist inside centre, and before him, JP Pietersen, a wing.

Meyer’s got a problem at 13, a major one. It would seem he’s banking on Jaque Fourie playing there at the World Cup next year, but what if Fourie’s out of form or injured?

But the strange thing is he shouldn’t have a problem for there is a specialist 13 playing at Western Province, Juan de Jongh, who has been this country’s best outside centre for years. Why he’s not playing at Test level only Meyer knows. It boggles the mind. He is the logical choice, considering he partners De Villiers at provincial level.

Meyer needs a serious rethink about the man playing at 13 – for the Boks need a man there who can create magic. - The Star

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