Many people won’t agree after last Saturday’s events but Springbok coach Peter de Villiers feels there is nothing much wrong with the South African rugby team.
Liam Del Carme writes in Beeld that De Villiers says his team’s inability to hold their own in contact situations is the only worrying weakness.
“We were not accurate in contact. That’s our only problem,” De Villiers said here on Monday, looking back to South Africa’s 0-19 defeat against New Zealand last Saturday.
The South Africans play Australia in their next Tri-Nations match here this week and the team had worked to rectify the problem, the coach said on Monday.
“I hope the players will execute it correctly against the Wallabies.”
The Springboks are under pressure because a third consecutive defeat in the competition will be another blow to their reputation as World Cup champions.
De Villiers believes the gods were not kind to his team at Newlands. “We know we’re going to lose some matches but what irks is the way you lose. The players know when they have to produce.
“We controlled the (Newlands) match but we just did not do those extra things. Lady Luck passed us between the hotel and the ground.”
De Villiers expects more from the player who normally provides the authority at breakdown points.
Schalk did not go in head first
“There is one thing we have to look at. Schalk Burger has recovered from a serious neck injury and I think he was a little cautious about making contact head first, the way he usually does.
“He is such a good player that one must allow him a week to build confidence. That is what we’re doing,” the coach explained.
Another problem at breakdown points is the way the Springboks find ways to be penalised.
De Villiers believes Australian Matt Goddard was inconsistent in South Africa’s two Tri-Nations Tests that he handled this season.
“It was the same referee with different interpretations of the laws in two different Test matches,” he said.
“We no longer have the luxury to speak to the referee before matches.
“I don’t know how to put it in a better way but it’s an unjust battle on the ground. It seems we have to play illegally to become legal.”
Questions about the captaincy of Victor Matfield have also surfaced since last week but De Villiers was not getting too deeply into that debate.
He was unwilling to respond to questions whether the Springboks were missing John Smit’s leadership. “Anyone can hold that opinion. We’ll only know if he plays.
“I can’t comment on it now. The player who is there (in Smit’s position) has my support.
“They are different characters. They have different things in which they are good.”
Tweet
“The South Africans play Australia in their next Tri-Nations match here this week and the team had worked to rectify the problem, the coach said on Monday”
Whao!!
“De Villiers believes the gods were not kind to his team at Newlands. “We know we’re going to lose some matches but what irks is the way you lose. The players know when they have to produce.”
They should always produce!!!
“There is one thing we have to look at. Schalk Burger has recovered from a serious neck injury and I think he was a little cautious about making contact head first, the way he usually does.
‘“He is such a good player that one must allow him a week to build confidence. That is what we’re doing,” the coach explained.
Another problem at breakdown points is the way the Springboks find ways to be penalised.’
Quite wrong to blame it on Schalk. Also wrong to rely on ONLY Schalk to do the contact work. How can the Boks find a way to be penalized at the breakdown points when there are no-one at the breakdown points? PDV keeps on missing the real problem by insisting that one should commit less players to the breakdowns.
There’s not a lot of “right” things he said according to this post. Let us hope this journalist got it wrong.
“There is one thing we have to look at. Schalk Burger has recovered from a serious neck injury and I think he was a little cautious about making contact head first, the way he usually does.
I don’t agree with that at all.
1)Schalk was at the RWC AFTER recovering from that neck injury and he played S14 after that neck injury yet he had NO problem in the rucks.
If Schalk is indeed a little cautios now it has to be for some other reason.
2)WHY should he lead with his head? 😯 Concussion is just one injury that comes to mind.
@Silver Fox (Comment 4) :
He is the Springbok coach and therfore by default has to have foot in mouth. It is a prerequisite for the job 😉
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=824909 The way this link reads on Google News is “Hi yo Silver!”
I think I’m becoming famous.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 6) : Serious disease that!
the thing is that we aren’t playing that badly, we just aren’t protecting our ball or counter rucking at all. our poor backline players are cleaning out the rucks!
i swear jdv was more involved at the rucks last weekend than victor.
I hope they prove that there’s nothing wrong with them on Saturday. In style.
anyone notice we moved the site last night? No? Goooood 😉
@robdylan (Comment 11) : you drunk? Concussed? 😯
@Silver Fox (Comment 12) : the latter. I blame the big Maori who steamrolled me.
@robdylan (Comment 11) : It’s still on my computer, so I don’t see how you moved it????
@robdylan (Comment 11) : I noticed. But only cause when I tried to access the site last night I got a message saying ‘Sharksworld has moved…’
The message didn’t mention where to though. 🙄
@robdylan (Comment 13) : rugby going well?
Hey Rob, you started training and decided on a posi yet?
@McLovin (Comment 16) : I’m lost…
@robdylan (Comment 11) : Okay Rob we give up. What is better on the site? Except rule no4? 🙂
@McLovin (Comment 16) : to here 😉
@Silver Fox (Comment 20) : hopefully it won’t go down as much.
@Silver Fox (Comment 17) : no, but I’m persisting 😉
@Ollie (Comment 18) : yes – flank 😉
@Baldrick (Comment 14) : tosser! 😉
@robdylan (Comment 21) :
I hope you didn’t have as much pain after your first training sessions as I did. 😉
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers feels there is nothing much wrong with the South African rugby team.
I think he’s right…they’ve got scary names and brackets with large numbers next to them…like Percival Montgomery (100)…fresh hairstyles and manly facial hair…the team really does look good…especially without Bakkies.
There’s nothing wrong with the team…but a lot wrong with the way they played against the All Blacks.
the team had worked to rectify the problem, the coach said on Monday. 😯
The problem was sorted out on Sunday so we have nothing to worry about.
@robdylan (Comment 21) : Great idea!!! I can become your agent…I can negotiate…. maybe not as well as Glod…..still…
You must have changed your hosting platform. I can only vote once now 😈 👿
The Bokke are like naughty Amelia Jane. When they are good, they are very good. But when they are bad, they are very, very, very bad.
Npbody in a rugby mood this week eh?
@yossarian (Comment 27) : So long as they are not evil like Emily Rose 😯
@Ollie (Comment 23) : attended my 4th one last night… not sure if it’s getting better or worse 😉
@PJLD(RIP Bernie Mac) (Comment 29) : evil and winning I can live with 😉
@PJLD(RIP Bernie Mac) (Comment 28) : The coach said the Bokke know when to perform. If they knew not to perform Saturday, what can we say?
You need a common room where we can talk about other things the day the rugby dies.
@PJLD(RIP Bernie Mac) (Comment 28) : there was no rugby to talk about this past weekend… 😐 …nothing to look forward to on Saturday…I guess we’ll only be able to say something during and after the Oz game.
@robdylan (Comment 30) :
So you’re also smearing in the Reparil gel on a regular basis. 😆
This is not good. 👿
Boks – 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Andries Bekker, 3 CJ van der linde, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Andries Strauss, 17 Brian Mujati, 18 Joe van Niekerk, 19 Luke Watson, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Frans Steyn, 22 Percy Montgomery.
8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger – F^cK ❗
I think Rob assasinated our bloggers. 😛
We’re gonna get stuffed
@Silver Fox (Comment 38) :
Or they might prefer Sharks topics.
Everything much wrong with Boks
@Die Jood (Comment 41) : Entertain us!!!
@PJLD(RIP Bernie Mac) (Comment 36) : Thought as much…
@robdylan (Comment 39) : No squad thread then… 😆
@Silver Fox (Comment 42) :
What do you mean, Sir?
@Die Jood (Comment 44) : Give us your take? Team ? Comments? 🙂
Peter de Villiers has just named the squad.
I think soon in this blog a thread will be published on the above matter…
Why the gloom and doom everybody. Just last week I had everyone in the wolfpack onto my case as being negative? What have changed? The team are the same!! 😕
The team are havinf they own thread
World Rankings published in sport24.
Who think it possible that we can reain the top spot? Or will we go down to third?
All Blacks grab IRB top spot2008-8-19 09:01Cape Town – New Zealand’s victory over South Africa last Saturday not only spoiled Percy Montgomery’s 100th Test cap feat, but saw them return to the summit of the International Rugby Board (IRB) world rankings.
According to the IRB site, the All Blacks had gone into the sixth match of the 2008 Tri-Nations trailing the world champions by 0.95 rating points, but Graham Henry’s side knew that victory at Newlands would see the sides swap places yet again this season.
New Zealand had briefly regained the No 1 ranking they had lost during the 2007 Rugby World Cup with their opening defeat of South Africa in Wellington last month, but losing to the Springboks the following week saw them return to second.
The 19-0 victory at Newlands – the first time South Africa have failed to score at home in the history of the Tri-Nations – means that New Zealand now sit on top of the rankings with 91.21 rating points, more than three points clear of South Africa.
South Africa now have a cushion of 1.7 rating points over third ranked Australia, the side they now face in back-to-back Tests in Durban and Johannesburg as this year’s Tri-Nations enters the final stages.
Top 10:
1. New Zealand 91.21
2. South Africa 87.98
3. Australia 86.28
4. Argentina 83.36
5. England 83.16
6. Wales 80.12
7. France 78.99
8. Ireland 77.18
9. Scotland 76.92
10. Italy 75.57