Springboks 2010 End Of Year Tour

[disco]

I've never written the Boks off even with PDV as coach. Wait till they have Du Preez back he'll get the backline going & as mentioned before Bismarc, Bakkies & Juan Smith who missed half of the Tri-nations plus they have been without their scavanger Heinrich Brussow.

In 2006 we smashed the Boks 49-0 a little over a year they were crowned RWC champions.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

That was an excellent performance by the Boks in the tight stuff and the pigs generally. They fronted up big time and just suffocated England. Matfield was imperious in the lineout and they had a lot of really good quality ball.

The backs, on the other hand, were dreadful I thought. The pack provided bags of possession and they just didn't look like they knew what to do with it. JdV was excellent, but he had little help. Too slow, too sideways and too inaccurate. They did defend very well though, but the scoreline should have been much, much greater in the Boks favour. They totally dominated that game but came away without a huge amount to show for it.

 

[Blue]

According to local papers Matfield played with a broken rib.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

That just shows how hard the bloke is. What a champion.

 

[rustycruiser]

Bok squad reduced to 23 players for the Baa Baas match. Victor Matfielsd and Jean de Villiers are on the way to SA due to injury (Broken rib, and groin respectively). Frans Steyn (Racing Metro) and Ruan Pienaar (Ulster) back to their European clubs. Pierre Spies, Morné Steyn and Deon Stegmann back to SA

Juan Smith will lead the Boks in Matfield’s absence.

Backs: Gio Aplon, Francois Hougaard, Adi Jacobs, Elton Jantjies, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Charl McLeod, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane.

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Keegan Daniel, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Alistair Hargreaves, Ryan Kankowski, Bandise Maku, Tendai Mtawarira, Coenie Oosthuizen, Juan Smith (c), Adriaan Strauss, CJ van der Linde, Flip van der Merwe.

 

[rustycruiser]

So the interesting thing to me is the Jean de Villiers injury. He picked up the groin strain in the Currie Cup semi. The only reason he didn't go off was that Juan de Jongh was injured as well, and worse. He only went on tour because de Jongh, Fourie, Olivier were all out already. He was touch and go before the Ireland game, before playing. And now he is out again with the groin. I think he has been playing injured all tour, because we had no other option. I hope he has time to recover before the RWC, after his injury history keeping him out in 03 and 07.

 

[Blue]

Bok squad reduced to 23 players for the Baa Baas match. Victor Matfielsd and Jean de Villiers are on the way to SA due to injury (Broken rib, and groin respectively). Frans Steyn (Racing Metro) and Ruan Pienaar (Ulster) back to their European clubs. Pierre Spies, Morné Steyn and Deon Stegmann back to SA

Juan Smith will lead the Boks in Matfield’s absence.

Backs: Gio Aplon, Francois Hougaard, Adi Jacobs, Elton Jantjies, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Charl McLeod, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane.

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Keegan Daniel, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Alistair Hargreaves, Ryan Kankowski, Bandise Maku, Tendai Mtawarira, Coenie Oosthuizen, Juan Smith (c), Adriaan Strauss, CJ van der Linde, Flip van der Merwe.

Mvovo, Aplon, Ndungane
Jacobs, Lambie
Jantjes, Hougaard

Alberts, Smit, Daniel
Hargreaves, Botha
Oosthuizen, Strauss, vd Linder

That gives everybody a go.

 

[rustycruiser]

With "Save my Job" Piet in charge, I expect to see as many 1st team starters in the run on side as possible. Guys like Daniel will be on the bench, and maybe get 10 minutes.

 

[PaarlBok]

Bok forwards performed just as expected. Pretty satisfied and sure nowithstanding all my Brute broers coach moaning and groaning Snor is on the right track. This weekend showed you go to the WC with as much experiense players you can lay your hand on. That Pom players looked like some mad rabbits once the Bok slow poison of forward grunting and rush defense got in their faces. They siumply dont had the answers and they surely hope they dont see the front of a Springbok once the WC tournament arrived.

Glad we saw some backs (Jean and Frans) off loading in the tackle, most went hayward but the one that sticked (Frans to Spies) was great to watch. Pretty sure if Spies saw Muskiet scissor running that would have been a fantastic try and we spoiled a few.

Anyway I dont worry that much about the BaaBaa match but I would have except a 3 - 1 win ratio anyday specially if it include Ierland and the Poms.

At least hats of to the coaches for sticking with the same players throughout and gets the reward right untill the last one. Always sweet for any Boer to see the Poms get bashed, the more the merrier and I rate the Bok pack up there at this very moment.

 

[Blue]

Fair enough Paarl. However, with all the posession we cannot score.

And I think we are still going to be vulnerable when attacked out wide. The French looked like we did against the Australians thso year. For much the same reasons (only they were actually much worse that us).

We weren't threatended out wide in this tour so it doesn't tell us much of where we are.

We scraped home in the first two. Got outmuscled by the eight ranked team in the world and then we lifted for England because that is simply what we do. They make us mad those fucking Englishmen. It goes deep for us Dutchmen and all that.

Anyway I spoke to an old mate of mine last night who is close to the Bulls setup and he says that there is no way that Meyer, Erasmus or Coetzee will touch the bok job now and that SARU knows this. Apparently they all declined a second time.

Piet kept his job simply because nobody else wants it 10 months out from a World Cup. Who can blame them?

PS This is our best best pack when you add Schalk and Brussow and a fit Bekker off the bench.

 

[PaarlBok]

Well Snor at least have the basic thing right. He have the senior players backing and pretty sure it will be a disaster if Saru change anything now. The core of our team have been there, done that before and that is a huge benefit for any team going into the big one.

Also think they have the Bokke WC squad basic frame work and where they want to go. The loss to the Skotte and the win against England tell me we underestimate the Skotte and if we have the hunger we can beat any team if it is a WC final tomorrow.

The most difficult one for us will be the timing to put the experienced lot in cottonwool. Soldiers like Habana, Jac Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Morne, FdP, Spies, Schalkie, Brussouw, Juan, Bakkies, Matfield, John Smit needs to be racer sharp when the real war starts.

 

[Blue]

The best thing that could happen is Snor and his cronies spend a lot of time hanging around the Super 15 to learn how to attack under these laws.

Oh and they will do well to convince John Smit it's time to retire.

 

[rustycruiser]

Aikona!

De Villiers will remain in control until the end of the 2011 World Cup, although he will be assisted by a technical committee made up of, among others, former Bok coaches Harry Viljoen, Carel du Plessis and Rudolf Straeuli. Heyneke Meyer and Rassie Erasmus are also set to offer input.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

That will either go well or spectacularly wrong. A head coach, whatever you think of him, must have the freedom to run the team his way. If people don't like that, replace the coach.

 

[Thomond78]

Aikona!

Quite. Maar hier kom 'n klomp dinge...

Ons Bloutjie - beware of what you wish for; because sometimes it comes true.

 

[PaarlBok]

Right so the season is finally gone and a few positives from the tour.
1. We finally broke the Irish HooDoo.
2. Got England back in their boxes after the Wallaby shambles against them.
3. Gave Scotland some confidense going in the 6 Nations.
4. Our forward pack looked like a dominating one again. 1st Phase (lineouts and scrums) was excellent.
5. Defense look much better (bar the BaaBaa shambles)
6. The selectors finally look like getting the opensider or fetcher pick need when they keep on selecting Stegman. We need such a player to get the right combo.
7. We unearth Willem Alberts. He sure look the goods.
8. We realize that CC aint test rugby level. Players like Lampie and Jantjies need some more developement (Super Rugby) before they can lock horns with the big men.

 

[PaarlBok]

Oh and probably the biggest one is that our players look finally adobting to the refs and showed some good dissipline with no yellows all tour.

 

[Ruggo]

Your scrum looked good and getting back to the stanard it was during the Lions seies last year. That is what stood out for the Bokke on this tour.

 

[PaarlBok]

Your scrum looked good and getting back to the stanard it was during the Lions seies last year. That is what stood out for the Bokke on this tour.

Yep Beast was outstanding at LH. Guthro also had a good year, so LH not a problem. Battleship sure made a huge differense and cement his spot with John Smit. TH still a bit of a problem altho Jannie did well and improved. Myself expect CJ van der Linde to lift his play in 2011 being the Stormers front runner TH. We have a wealth of player depth in the Lock and loose trio departments. Put FdP behind a dominating pack and patch up our defense and I am pretty sure we are on the right track to WC 2011. My best 30 Bokke pick:

15: Frans Steyn
Wings: Habana, JP Pietersen, Basson, Aplon
13 Jac Fourie, JdJ
12 Jean de Villiers, Wynand Olivier
10 Morne Steyn, Lampie
9 FdP, Pienaar, Hougaard

(we have so many versatile backs and most can play a few postions)

8 Spies, Alberts
7 Juan Smith, Schalkie
6 Brussouw,
5 Matfield, Bekker
4 Bakkies, Rossouw
3 Jannie Doep, CJ vd Linde
2 Bismarck, John Smit, Strauss
1 Beast, Guthro


Appoint the Stormers defensive coach and bring on WC 2011.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Nothing wrong with Bokke rugby, coaches or administration. Awesome EOYT. Steady as she goes for a smooth sail into RWC11 glory.

Don't do anything to change or you will jeopardise your long term strategy developed by PdV et al to regain Bill.