Springbok Watch

[Rassie]

I just can't watch the Higgers or Cooper knee incident and then watch that one and say they are the same thing. Richie isn't even looking at Parra when he goes in on the slow-motion. In the gate or not I don't think the knee was intentional. For the record I was screaming my lungs out for France to win that test and Joubert should be brought before a tribunal because of that fucking game.

I just enjoyed the game. Have nothing against the Kiwi's. Have greatest respect for them. I lived through the 81 tour and such. Their country and supporters have a lot more in common than what not many realize. Just isolation has build provincialism among us and that is why we are always fighting among each other and the banter between the North and the South will always be there. Might sound like fighting to those from outside but its more friendly banter than anything else.

Kiwi's do not have that thanks to their centralized system and prioritizing their national team first. But they can select their best 15 we have to adhere to politics and are restricted from placing our best 15 out every time. Players like Stefan Terblanche and others have left and international carreers were shortened and denied their places in history. We have made our u/20 team as the 2nd team so anyone playing for them would not be eligible to play for other countries. Maybe to avoid another Rathbone situation action. Tim Swiel have withdrawn from SA u/20 squad due to him being uncertain about his Springbok career as he qualifies for England as well.

As for the incident. Like I said I did not mention any names nor compared it Cooper/Higginbottom situation. But I can tell you if that was Botha or Burger it would have been 9 to 20 weeks

 

[Ruggo]

At the moment Lambie is doing everything to play himself out of the Bok 10 jersey. I canlt decide if he is part of the Sharks problem or a result of their tactical ineptitude.

Steyn is doing everything that will see Heyneke select him.

I doubt he will be even considered but Burton Francis is doing a bloody good job for the Cheetahs. Playing a complete game expected from a 10.

 

[Braveheart81]

Lambie and in particular Jantjies have both gone backwards this year.

Also, what was the deal with Juan de Jongh's hair 'tattoo'? Someone did this in the NBA recently and was made to remove it.

 

[Blue]

Yeah. We kicked it down in the opposition territory and then apply the pressure forcing teams into mistakes. You started running from inside your half making mistakes we capitalize on it.

We did use other options in previous Tri Nations tournaments. Got smashed though we scored tries from everywhere we still ended up 3rd getting well beaten in NZ and Australia.

In 97/98 got us to play some excellent rugby using a good defense but we counter attacked more especially opportunities inside our own half. One game in Durban we threw the ball around NZ scored one try we scored 4 beat them by 1 point. We turned down 3 for tries in first half and that approach we almost lost the game.

But you are right in one sense. Our players are too limited and the choices with players were too predictable. Nick Mallett in that golden year had players we were not as predictable as Erasmus or Venter would not stand flat all the time and bash it up. Honiball stood flat and he was doing always something different. They used big Mulder as a decoy a lot of times to create space for them. But look at today. Picking guys like Potgieter and Alberts you know what is going to happen. 9 bash 9 bash. That is why they ran into ang tackles all day getting nowhere.

Which is why the Stomps and Shork both lost this weekend. They haven't got much more than 9 bash 9 bash. They do good bashing but when the defence is tenacious and they make first up tackles it's easy for them to hold on. Tries are for the most part scored because of individual brilliance in broken play. The Boks will play the same game. It is what most of the senior coaches believe in and dare I say the only thing most of them can coach.

Finding it terribly frustrating to watch. You can just see it going nowhere and you just wish someone would do something different.

 

[Rassie]

Which is why the Stomps and Shork both lost this weekend. They haven't got much more than 9 bash 9 bash. They do good bashing but when the defence is tenacious and they make first up tackles it's easy for them to hold on. Tries are for the most part scored because of individual brilliance in broken play. The Boks will play the same game. It is what most of the senior coaches believe in and dare I say the only thing most of them can coach.

Finding it terribly frustrating to watch. You can just see it going nowhere and you just wish someone would do something different.

The Stormers outscored their opponents 2 tries to 0. Lost. Bulls got outscored by Tah's and won. Difference? A place kicker and not a piece of individual brilliance. Stormers do not have the forward pack yet to make their power play Bulls type style rugby work. Kolisi securing ball or getting turn overs is not performing. Really Deon Fourie should be moved there. Bring in Scarra at hooker.

I note your are not a big fan of JdV. Do you think the Stormers had a great defense last year? Not asking about going forward asking about the defensive effort. Do you think it was good?

 

[Rassie]

I doubt he will be even considered but Burton Francis is doing a bloody good job for the Cheetahs. Playing a complete game expected from a 10.

Just a shame he is frail when the pressure is on him.

 

[RoffsChoice]

Team for the first test:
1. Tendai Mtawarira
2. Adriaan Strauss
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Juandre Kruger
6. Francois Louw
7. Pieter Labuschagne
8. Pierre Spies
9. Ruan Pienaar
10. Morne Steyn
11. Bryan Habana
12. Jean de Villiers (c)
13. Juan de Jongh
14. Willie le Roux
15. Zane Kirchner

16. Bismarck du Plessis/Chiliboy Ralepelle
17. Coenie Oosthuizen
18. Lourens Adriaanse
19. Flip van der Merwe
20. Siya Kolisi
21. Jano Vermaak
22. Pat Lambie
23. Lwazi Mvovo

EDIT: To be clear - PROBABLE team for the first test.

 

[tigerland12]

Good to see more Cheetahs in the squad, especially le Roux and Labuschagne who have been brilliant all year.

 

[Blue]

The Stormers outscored their opponents 2 tries to 0. Lost. Bulls got outscored by Tah's and won. Difference? A place kicker and not a piece of individual brilliance. Stormers do not have the forward pack yet to make their power play Bulls type style rugby work. Kolisi securing ball or getting turn overs is not performing. Really Deon Fourie should be moved there. Bring in Scarra at hooker.

I note your are not a big fan of JdV. Do you think the Stormers had a great defense last year? Not asking about going forward asking about the defensive effort. Do you think it was good?

What does last year's defense have to do with it?

It's still good. problem is the attack and especially if you fall behind you just donlt have a way of catching up. Nothing's changed.

I have no problem with JdV at all. It's a combination of coaching and game plan that's stuffing you guys.

 

[Blue]

So we have a squad.


Forwards: Lourens Adriaanse, Willem Alberts, Arno Botha, Marcell Coetzee, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Juandre Kruger, Lappies Labuschange, Francois Louw, Tendai Mtawarara, Trevor Nyankane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Chilbioy Ralepelle, Pierre Spies, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe.
Backs: Gio Aplon, Bjorn Basson, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, JJ Engelbrecht, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Zane Kirchener, Pat Lambie, Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, Jan Serfontein, Morne Steyn, Jano Vermaak.
The Good: Willie Le Roux and Lappies Labuschange. Awesome. Now let's hope they get to play.
The Bad: Zane. Why oh why?
The Ugly: Zane. Why oh why the fuck?
The unlucky: Robert Ebersohn could not have done more. There was no space for him with the other four but he should really have had a chance before JJ Engelbrecht who has the same man-love advantage with the coach as Zane. Frans Malherbe was in the squad last year but is he injured? Brussow should be pissed right about now and I reckon his agent will be peddling him around soon. Piet van Zyl is very unlucky as well.
The very lucky: Franscois Louw had an average season at Bath from what I gathered. Travesty to give him a chance of Brussow.

 

[Blue]

Team for the first test:
1. Tendai Mtawarira
2. Adriaan Strauss
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Juandre Kruger
6. Francois Louw
7. Pieter Labuschagne
8. Pierre Spies
9. Ruan Pienaar
10. Morne Steyn
11. Bryan Habana
12. Jean de Villiers (c)
13. Juan de Jongh
14. Willie le Roux
15. Zane Kirchner

16. Bismarck du Plessis/Chiliboy Ralepelle
17. Coenie Oosthuizen
18. Lourens Adriaanse
19. Flip van der Merwe
20. Siya Kolisi
21. Jano Vermaak
22. Pat Lambie
23. Lwazi Mvovo

EDIT: To be clear - PROBABLE team for the first test.

Yup expect I would have Jan Serforntein at 12 and JdV at 13 and W Le Roux at 15 with Basson on the Wing.

There is talk of Lambie moving back to 15 as well. Anyone but Zane.

 

[Ruggo]

He didn't get there and maybe a bit green but the player who shows shitloads each week is Dejarger for the Cheetahs.. Big unit and bloody good work rate.

 

[Blue]

He didn't get there and maybe a bit green but the player who shows shitloads each week is Dejarger for the Cheetahs.. Big unit and bloody good work rate.

Yes De Jager is quite a good prospect and he has an absolutely brilliant, fantastic, super-human surname

He'll get better and will push for higher honours next year I reckon. Good to know we have some backup because the cupboard looked bare at the end of last year. Better looking now.

 

[Ruggo]

Who do you see calling the Springbok lineout into the future Blue? I thought Bruno did a good job for the Stormers against the Reds last week and may get the gig with the Stormers more into the future? That would bode well for the Bokke.

 

[Blue]

Who do you see calling the Springbok lineout into the future Blue? I thought Bruno did a good job for the Stormers against the Reds last week and may get the gig with the Stormers more into the future? That would bode well for the Bokke.

Erm, who is Bruno?

Etsebeth?

He got the job for two weeks ago and seems to have done well. He will jump at 4 in the lineout for the Boks before long. Matfield will get hold of him and do a brain implant over the next couple of years.

Incidentally, his explosive jumping apparently measures better than Bekker and Juandre Kruger, however they measure these things. I don't know if that means anything.

 

[qwerty51]

Haha Bruno. Dead ringer

 

[Sidbarret]

Erm, who is Bruno?

Etsebeth?

He got the job for two weeks ago and seems to have done well. He will jump at 4 in the lineout for the Boks before long. Matfield will get hold of him and do a brain implant over the next couple of years.

Incidentally, his explosive jumping apparently measures better than Bekker and Juandre Kruger, however they measure these things. I don't know if that means anything.

Read somewhere that Etzebeth was high jumper at school, but only started jumping in line-out as a senior as he was considered too heavy to lift.

I expect the calling duties to fall to Kruger, and in his absence, probably Spies.

 

[Braveheart81]

That's pretty good.

 

[USARugger]

How far out is Goosen from playing again? I will tune in purely to watch him play, he is superb.

 

[Blue]

That's pretty good.

HOLY SHIT

That's disturbing.