A bus trip from Edinburgh to London after a heavy night is a tough thing to undertake, and it becomes tougher when you hear the people you are sharing the space with talking about you.
“That was complete rubbish that we watched yesterday. It was like an under-10 match. The Boks were hopeless. But what I couldn’t believe was that I went onto SuperSport Zone last night and the guys there were praising the Boks. They clearly didn’t watch the same match I did.”
They didn’t know who I was and I didn’t feel like a conversation. It was tempting though to shout out “Oi, I don’t know what part of SuperSport you looked at, but I thought I was critical enough. And while I wouldn’t like to see a 10-year-old take the hits some of the Boks took yesterday, I agree with everything else you say about their performance.”
Gavin Rich writes on SuperRugby that maybe what they had seen was the story on the post-match press conference, when the players and management have their say. As captain of the team, John Smit does have to put a positive spin on things. What more could he say than that the victory made it two out of two on tour and that was what the Boks were looking for.
But I must admit that when Smit and his coach spoke about the resolution of the players and how proud they were of them for putting their bodies on the line I started to wonder if maybe it wasn’t really the Springboks that I had seen play the Murrayfield game.
If a team such as Romania had played like the Boks did in Edinburgh and beaten the Scots, they would have had every right to be immensely proud of the way the game went. The Springboks are not Romania. They should not be going to Murrayfield to just win, particularly on a tour which should be all about regaining the pride that was lost in a southern hemisphere season where at times it was as if they were using a 12-bore shot-gun to blow apart their own feet.
And it should not happen in a match where you have chosen your strongest available combination, so ignoring the fringe players in what was sold to us in a press conference last week as a quest to take the performance to the next level.
Fourie du Preez’s absence did have a massive impact on the Boks at the weekend as it left Ruan Pienaar without the mentoring influence he had drawn off the previous week. But then it is the fault of the selectors that there was no experienced flyhalf present to step into the breach. Ditto for the front-row, where Brian Mujati continues to struggle at this level. That the Boks would struggle in the scrums if Smit had to move back to hooker was something many could have pointed out to the Bok coach before this trip.
In face of the anger I encountered from bemused Bok fans in Edinburgh on Saturday night, I cannot agree with those who make excuses on the basis that “We have come on end of year tours before and lost”.
That is not comparing apples with apples. The 2004 Ireland team that the Springboks lost to in Dublin were the reigning Six Nations champions, the Bok team that lost to Scotland in Edinburgh in 2002 was one of the most poorly selected starting line-ups in the history of South African rugby. The team that conceded 50 at Twickenham the following week was also a patch-work combination that was reduced to 14 men after 10 minutes.
The bulk of the combinations in this team played together at last year’s World Cup, the squad that has toured was not ravaged by injury before departure like previous Bok touring squads were. Scotland raised their game, but compared to the South Africans, they were a no-name brand.
Considering how close the scores were this week and last, it was tempting to wonder if maybe I got it wrong when I predicted that the South Africans should expect to win every game convincingly. But that thought died when I learned that Australia had just beaten England 28-14, and then later watched New Zealand coast to an easy 22-3 win over Ireland.
As world champions and a nation that should aspire to be the best, it is the other southern hemisphere teams we should be measuring ourselves against. When last did Scotland come so close against a southern giant? Last week a second string All Black team that had not played together before beat those same Scots by 30 points.
Those results put it all in perspective. There is so much talk at the moment about the British Lions tour and the need to beat them, but the last time the Lions played, they were comprehensively smashed 3-0 by the All Blacks. South Africa should not be worrying about the Lions, but working towards staying apace with their southern rivals.
And if that is the quest, then two narrow wins over Scotland and Wales aren’t good enough. We are not Romania and there is way too much natural talent in this Bok squad for supporters and other stake-holders to be content with mediocrity.
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Gavin Rich seems to think fans should recognise him
I’m not a big fan of buses and avoid them at all cost.
Nice one Peter
Posted: Tue 18 Nov, 2008, 10:34AM
Our national rugby coach has done two things I whole heartedly agree with.
- by Steve Smith -
Firstly he’s admitted to something a national coach would never normally do. He has admitted he doesn’t understand the rules of the very game is supposed to be the nation’s top coach of. Yesterday De Villiers went on record saying he no longer understands the breakdown laws… and I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I don’t know what the hell’s potting either and I was beginning to think it was just me. I can’t recall how many “what the f***?!?” moments I had watching Saturday’s game, but it was quite a few.
Secondly, De Villiers is being critical of the referee. And that is the part I particularly appreciate. I know I harp on about this a lot, but refs are way too protected. Making the correct call is such a crucial part of modern sport that refs simply cannot afford to cock it up any more. If the referee makes unfathomable decisions that leave both sides confused and frustrated, then the teams must be allowed to voice their opinions. The IRB, like most admin bodies, is too protective of their officials and they punish players and coaches should they be openly critical. They also very rarely publicly admit to their failings of their officials, and this all means the standard of refereeing will remain inconsistent and therefore questionable.
Besides, swearing at the ref is a national pastime in most countries and I don’t see any reason why the players and coaches can’t do the same.
End Of Story
it is a simple solution. rugby laws need to be re written so there is no room for interpretation. breakdowns need to be simplified. basically the laws need to be simplified so that refs can only blow one way. currently a ref can choose what he wants to blow. he can either blow the player holding on at a breakdown or wait a second more and blow the player going off his feet. depends which team he prefers.
@try time (Comment 5) :
Now if only the tackler actually does roll away or the tackled player releases the ball or the player doesn’t go to ground then the refs job would be so much easier and he wouldn’t have to make the choice.
ANY sport is about a profesional team in that sport trying their best to get around the laws in some way or another. changing the laws won’t change that.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 6) :
It’s bad enough that the players are always trying to get around the laws…when the refs are doing it too — it becomes a complete mess.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 6) : Rugby refs have to much power…just because there’s a lot of room for “interpretation”…
@wpw (Comment 4) : I agree the laws are a schambles, you could blow any team at any ruck or maul and be able to justify it using the rule book.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 6) : I disagree, the laws are way to open for interpretation and I don’t blame the players and coaches for being confused.
I challenge anybody out there to find ANY sport with more rules than Rugby
@Pokkel (Comment 10) : Gymnastics has more… oh, and BTW, rugby has on rules. Only laws
@McLovin (Comment 3) : I did Joburg-CT on a Greyhound in my younger days. Wasn’t pretty. God bless kulula, mango and 1time.
@Pokkel (Comment 10) : Ultimate Frisbee
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 13) :
I had a mate out here who played that.
@Pokkel (Comment 10) : Cricket.
@klempie (Comment 15) : He he…the cricket laws are pretty simple but somehow the umpires still stuff up and miss LBW’s…or see imaginary ones.
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 16) : They’re simple. But there are more of them. The problem is that you hardly see most of them because they deal with very exceptional circumstances. You are right about the LBW’s though.
@robdylan (Comment 11) : @klempie (Comment 17) : @klempie (Comment 15) : Clearly I’m too stupid to be a rugby or cricket fan…..I’ll have to switch to something a bit simpler like soccer
@Pokkel (Comment 18) :Gooooo Bafana Proteas Gooooo
@Pokkel (Comment 18) :
Lawn bowls ain’t to difficult.
Field Hockey is also good, they have two umpires on the field.
@Pokkel (Comment 18) : Yeah…soccer is pretty simple…the only thing the refs screw up are the offside decisions…and penalty appeals…
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 21) :
HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Proof that even when it is as simple as you were in front of the last defender when the ball was kicked or not. They still get it wrong.
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 13) : what a workout… fantastic sport
@Pokkel (Comment 18) : My opinion of soccer is that it’s so popular cos it’s a game that simpletons can also follow. Don’t paint yourself with that brush bru.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) : Hockey rocks. I need to get back into it.
@klempie (Comment 25) : My knees are shot from high school hockey though.
@klempie (Comment 25) : hockey is just like soccer…
@KSA Shark © (Comment 22) : which proves that there’s nothing wrong with the rules – we must just get rid of refs…
@klempie (Comment 26) : mofstok! Ag nee, man! What school did you go to?
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 27) : Except that you can lose teeth and be knocked unconscious and yet the players still don’t roll around like girlymen and cry. Oh and no diving too.
@robdylan (Comment 29) : Bryanston High. Dad banned us from rugby. And a good thing too. If you saw me you’d understand why.
@klempie (Comment 30) :
Diving convincingly is a skill
South Africa 1st innings R B 4s 6s SR
GC Smith not out 40 75 6 0 53.33
ND McKenzie not out 30 84 5 0 35.71
Extras (lb 1, nb 2) 3
Total (0 wickets; 26.1 overs) 73 (2.78 runs per over)
To bat HM Amla, JH Kallis, AG Prince, AB de Villiers, MV Boucher, PL Harris, M Morkel, DW Steyn, M Ntini
@klempie (Comment 31) : you a little oke? How sweet!
Bryanston High? Thought you were a Tshwanite…
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 32) : Like Ballack in the 06 WC against Sweden. Seems to be an exact science.
@robdylan (Comment 34) : Listen china. I am a Natal boy born and bred. I only live in this hellhole for the same reason everyone else does.
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 33) : oh – is that other “sport” on today?
@robdylan (Comment 34) : No I am a skinny oke.
6ft, 66kilos.
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 33) : Not exactly convincing is it?
@klempie (Comment 35) : Yeah – remember that one well ( Deutschland fan
)
@klempie (Comment 36) : To make a lot of babies that side until the Sharks outnumber the Bulls in their own hometown ???
@klempie (Comment 36) : ah – of course. Sorry, chum. I forgot you work in Tshwane.
@klempie (Comment 39) : Not at all – but I have no idea what the conditions are like in Bloem…
@klempie (Comment 38) : holy hell… you must have hollow bones, dude. Do you run?
I am only 5’10 and I weigh around 90 at the moment
@robdylan (Comment 37) : Yeah…and The Mighty Proteas led by the Might Biff have not lost a wicket.
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 40) :
Money, money, money…it’s so funny…in a rich man’s wooorld. Come to think of it. I am not that rich anyway.
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 42) : Not known to move around…
@robdylan (Comment 43) : I used to. Long distance cross country and 1500m at school. Haven’t exercised since. Am in the process of changing that soon though.
@blckshrk – BAFANA (Comment 44) : Biff’s awesome. Thought he was a bit of a dick the first couple of years but he’s done well recently.
@klempie (Comment 45) : I have absolutely no desire to live in Gauteng. I get pissed off if it takes me more than 10 min to get to work.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) : I play Business league Bowls in Newcastle. It’s an absolute blast and nobody takes it very seriously….. and you can play and drink and drink and drink
@Pokkel (Comment 50) : The bar at the Bowls club still sells Amstels @ R7 a bottle.
@Pokkel (Comment 50) : We should talk. My company has even developed a Bowls analysis package that we sell to people who have more money than sense.
@robdylan (Comment 43) :
does he run?????????????????? He can’t go outside when the wind blows.
I am 5′ 10″ and am about to dip below 100kgs for the first time in a bout 2 years.
@klempie (Comment 52) : I’m definatly not in the “more money than sense” catagory
@Pokkel (Comment 54) : yet
@Pokkel (Comment 50) :
We had a guy at school with us who used to play bowls. Was forever bloody winning all sorts of prizes.
I have only ever played on the lawn at home and they aren’t too smooth.
But looks like great fun.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 53) : Can I call you vetkadet?
@robdylan (Comment 57) :
Only If you have a glock
Guys I just had an epiphany! Snor must’ve learnt his coaching in rugby league!
Think about it. The expansive gameplay talk, the play on the field being “If you get the ball just run at the gain line until you get tackled, then recycle.” Would also explain our sudden demise in the scurm. It’s all so clear now! We need to have a word with the SA Rhinos for confirmation.
@klempie (Comment 59) :
Gary Gold explains the demise in the scrums. ASK the Stormers how good a scrum coach he is.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 58) : glocksucker
@KSA Shark © (Comment 60) : “Historically, rugby league scrummages were competitive, as in rugby union. The provision that scrums must be competitive still remains in the laws of the game, but it is usually ignored with the blessing of the authorities.”
I think I know what the cause is…
At the risk of awaking Rob’s wrath, please have a look here.
http://www.sarugbyleague.co.za/rhinos.htm
Check out how representative our national players are. At least there can’t be any complaints about the national emblem though.
@klempie (Comment 63) : Why not ignore awaking Robs wrath by not posting that kind of crapola?
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 64) : It’s relevant because the only reason rugby is targeted so much for transformation is because it’s a cashcow. If it wasn’t, no one would care.
@klempie (Comment 65) : I disagree, i think SARU deserve alot of the attention they get…they are idiots.
I have nothing further to say on this matter
@klempie (Comment 65) : Dude… you are really asking to be banned…
Time for a joke or two. Be careful, they are VERY dry!!!
A man complains, “Doc, I can’t stop singing ‘The Green, Green Grass
of Home.’”
“That’s the Tom Jones Syndrome,” explains the doc.
“Is it common?” asks the man.
“It’s not unusual,” says the doc.
Two cows are standing in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, “I
was artificially inseminated this morning.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Dolly.
“It’s true, no bull!” exclaimed Daisy.
An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing
to look at, either.
@wpw (Comment 67) : pot calling the kettle black…
man, those Germiston Tigers and Boksburg Hooters must be a tough bunch of okes!
and how cool are he “Centurian” (sic) Lions?
They have honest-to-glod misspelled “Centurion” on their logo!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 56) : Dude i know plays bowls, had wp colours at school and alles, still managed to pull much poendoe and that completely baffles me
I went to the butcher’s and wanted to bet him 50 bucks that he couldn’t
reach the meat on the top shelf.
He said, “No, the steaks are too high ”
I went to a seafood disco last week and pulled a mussel.
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly; but when they lit a fire In the craft, it sank,
proving that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too!
What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says,
DAM!”
@robdylan (Comment 71) : are I really that bad Rob???
@wpw (Comment 80) : you are worse!
@robdylan (Comment 72) : HEHEHEHEH!!! RD. The Hooters! classic stuff! Do you think it’s from the Ford XR6s?
There are like 3 Bulls sides and 2 Tigers sides.
@robdylan (Comment 73) : I know!! HAHAHAHAHA
For Rob’s benefit:
http://content-rsa.cricinfo.com/rsavbdesh/engine/current/match/350345.html
@klempie (Comment 83) : I don’t think I’ve seen a more amateurish-looking shambles in my life. They make SARU look like a professionally run organisation by comparison.
Still no photo.
@robdylan (Comment 86) :
@robdylan (Comment 86) : Bold Statement
@wpw (Comment 68) : A classic
@Worcestershire Sauce (Comment 89) : You didn’t look at the site did you?
As a follow up to wpw’s Hunter’s Dry series…
Quote for the Day:
“The financial situation at the moment is so bad that women are now marrying for love”
@klempie (Comment 91) : you know what the definition of optimism is?
An investment banker ironing five shirts on a Sunday
@robdylan (Comment 92) : LOL.