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Smit Demands Springboks Kick On

jaya — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:03:47 +0000

Matt Giteau of Australia tackled by Jaque Fourie of South Africa.

South Africa captain John Smit refused to get carried away with his side’s 44-31 Tri-Nations victory over Australia and accepts his side still have plenty to work on.

The Springboks ended a run of four defeats to clinch a first win in the competition and while Smit was relieved to have finally turned the corner he conceded it will be difficult to defend the World Cup next year on the same form.

“The second half was a little bit closer to what we want,” he said. “But after the start we had, we know we definitely need to tighten up – that really complicated matters. We wanted a lot more accuracy and it came after the first 15 minutes, but that is not the type of rugby that will win you the World Cup. We want to show patience and play on our own terms.”

The start he was referring to was the Wallabies snatching a 14-0 lead inside the first five minutes and then retaining that margin after 10 minutes. It was a dreadful start and one that Smit was not proud of, but he felt happy with the spirit shown by his players.

“Coming back from being 14-0 down and the game had barely started is something we can be proud of, but it’s obviously not something we wanted to do,” he said. “I told the guys that we still had 70 minutes left and there was plenty of time to win this game, and we started to do things better.

“We held on to the ball more, kept it in hand and got the set-pieces working. In the four weeks since we got back (from Australia and New Zealand), we worked on correcting the errors that had crept into our game and got back to basics.”

Smit, who saw his 100th cap spoiled by the All Blacks seven days earlier when the Springboks were beaten in Johannesburg, also heaped praise on his deputy Victor Matfield after he marked his own century appearance with a win.

“It’s a huge testimony to the type of guy Victor is – he didn’t make a big thing about it and the only time we would have known it is an occasion was when we saw the 100 on his jersey,” he added. “We didn’t say we wanted to do it for Victor, but rather that we do it for each other, so that Victor could have a celebration tonight.”

Australia skipper Rocky Elsom, who said in the build-up that he expected the hosts to start with a bang, was left surprised by the proceedings at Loftus Versfeld. “Although we got off to a flier, the Boks retaliated just as fast,” he said. “It ended up being a fast game for the full 80 (minutes).”

And the Waratahs flanker felt they lost the game in the second half when the visitors scored only three points to the 20 by the world champions. “We took our chance early on, but just came up short in the end. In the second half we did not retain possession enough to win. We needed to hold onto the ball at the end, and we didn’t do that.”

Courtesy of Scrum

Sportard: Comeback Kids

jaya — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:12:04 +0000

Sportard

Poor old Tugboat; his induction into the small but stellar ranks of test match centurions was supposed to coincide with a resurgent Springbok team taking revenge on the All Blacks for the abuse they suffered on tour.

Alas it wasn’t to be as the Bokke capitulated at the last and victory slid through big John’s fingers in the form of a slippery little bugger named Israel Dagg (which is an anagram for ‘A Degas Girl” and we all know that Degas’ girls were predominantly ballerinas so that’s why John couldn’t make the tackle – he’s too much of a gentleman).

No matter. I’m sick of rugby anyway; too much sizzle, not enough steak. Let’s talk rather of other things and return to rugby at the close.

Tigers back! The man responsible for bringing golf into the 21^st century, with his astonishing skills, gym-bunny physique and unconventional complexion, has announced his resurgence by shooting six under in the first round of the Barclays at Ridgewood.

Is it a coincidence that this return to form coincides with the finalisation of his divorce from the lovely Elin? I think not.

It’s well known that the tiger is a solitary creature best suited for jungle life and happiest stalking its prey in the shadows from where it routinely unleashes great orgies of carnal indulgence at the expense of local villagers.

Tiger’s apparent domestic submission was never more than a thin veneer aimed at distracting the puritanical American public from his true nature and it was never going to last.

Tigers can’t be tamed and, short of pulling a twin sister with a bag full of sex-toys out of her hat, Elin was never going to be meat enough for her man.

Now that he’s been liberated from the shackles of domesticity he’s back to solitary hunting and I suspect that freed to indulge his insatiable appetite for gangbangs, he’ll thrive.

On the subject of comebacks; Caster Semenya is quoted as saying that she’s “confident” she’ll take gold at the Commonwealth Games, after being named in the SA squad.

I think it’s very ballsy of this young lady to shrug off the controversy surrounding her participation and to get down to the hard job of competing at the highest level – very ballsy indeed.

There’s comeback news on the soccer front too; Benni McCarthy was brought on for 13 minutes in his sides 3-1 home defeat to Bolton Wanderers. This is testimony to Benni’s commitment to losing weight.

The fact that he’s gone from not being selected to play for Bafana because he was fatter than a metro cop to being fit enough to play a full 13 minutes in the English Premier League shows that bringing down his daily intake of fried chicken from three to one bucket a day has worked wonders.

Back now to rugby and the final return of the day with the much anticipated if controversial selection of Frans Steyn to the Springbok line-up to take on the Australians tomorrow.

Never mind that his Racing Metro coach doesn’t believe he’s nearly ready for international rugby; that moustachioed midget PDiv, has demonstrated his usual incapacity for common sense by putting him straight into the starting fifteen.

I speculate that the reason for this is, with the Tri-Nations lost, to place the young upstart under massive and unreasonable pressure causing him to fail badly on the day thereby allowing PDiv to discount him from any future involvement in his World Cup build-up.

It’s a typically stupid tactic from an unusually stupid man and I hope with all my heart that young Frans turns in a match-winning performance which earns him the unrivalled satisfaction of shoving some much needed class down his coach’s throat.

Oh; and good luck Victor.

By Mike Stephen

Looking Ahead To The Four Nations

jaya — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:58:40 +0000

Nicolas Bergallo of Argentina

Argentina are expected to join the Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks in 2012 to create the Four Nations Championships, but how will this affect the dynamics of rugby and the Tri Nations?

They may only enter into the Four Nations Championship in two years, but it is good to look ahead and assess the situation, provided the situation with Sanzar and Saru is sorted out.

Inclusion into the Four Nations Championships has a host of benefits for the Argentineans, including new investments and developments for the neglected game of rugby in the South American country, but there are both advantages and disadvantages for the other teams too.

One great advantage for the Boks is that they will play fewer games. The proposed format will see the four teams playing on a home and away basis, meaning six matches per team and a total of 12 matches overall.

The Four Nations would be played from mid-August, following the end of the new Super Rugby competition, for an eight- or nine-week period. In a Rugby World Cup year, an abbreviated format would be played through July and August.

South Africa’s dislike of the existing Sanzar schedule is another factor in Argentina’s favour. The Springboks have long considered it to be lopsided, requiring them to tour for a month every season, whereas their Australian and New Zealand opponents fly in and out of South Africa in a week. Having Argentina on the schedule would even up the tour commitments.

Former Springbok coach Jake White was strongly in favour, saying: “If we are honest about making it a global game, we must try to accommodate Argentina. They have shown they are competitive in every way, against us, New Zealand, England and the Lions. The Tri Nations does need something fresh.”

That was in 2007. Now, three years later, we can say we need something to invigorate the game. Perhaps the Argentines are just what the Tri Nations need.

For audiences, less rugby will mean more competitive games.

Argentina may be more of a soccer nation, but in the rugby world they have not done too badly.

They secured third place in the last Rugby World Cup, showing that they are strong contenders. The Pumas ranked fourth in the world in 2007 and rank eighth at the moment.

Los Pumas achieved a lot in France in 2007 without the Tri Nations or the Six Nations. It is quite outstanding that they have done it without the technical and financial resources and training facilities that the Springboks, the All Blacks or the Aussies have.

It is even more remarkable that the Pumas had just three months to prepare for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Imagine what they can achieve when given equal opportunities and a chance to play with the best?

This will surely keep the Boks, Wallabies and All Blacks on their toes and improve the game of rugby altogether.

Disadvantages
While this might look rosy, there are some challenges ahead of their inclusion. First of all, Sanzar needs to be careful not to start diluting the game. Although there might only be four teams participating, the future might see more and more nations wanting to join.

Sanzar proposed that Argentina take up residence in South Africa during the tournament, to cut down on travel. Bad luck for the Down Under players as flight times between Auckland and Buenos Aires of just over 14 hours compare favourably with 14 hours between Sydney and Johannesburg, while Buenos Aires is a seven-hour flight from Cape Town.

Adding another team from another continent just adds the pressure of travelling.

For a mention, the other issue is how Argentina’s involvement will affect the division of broadcast revenue, which is currently split equally.

Argentinean Playing Style

How will they fare against the rest?

We don’t expect them to reach the top going against former Rugby World Cup winners like the Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks but, at the same time, it is not wise to underestimate the Pumas.

With many of their players playing for overseas leagues, they are not ignorant to the going-ons of rugby outside of Argentina.

Felipe Contepomi and Juan Martin Hernandez

Here are some players to look out for:

Juan Martín Hernández
Hernández, who played for the Sharks in the Super 14 this year, was one of the outstanding players in the 2007 World Cup, playing for his native Argentina. He will be in the vanguard of sweeping changes coming to the competitions organised by South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Felipe Contepomi
Contepomi joined Leinster in 2003 on a four-year contract following Bristol’s relegation from the Zurich Premiership. He played a major role in Leinster’s run in the 2006 Heineken Cup, helping his team to a 41-35 win over holders Toulouse, scoring 21 points in the process and winning the Man of the Match award. That year he was top scorer in both the Celtic League and Heineken Cup.

Players such as fullback Juan-Martin Hernandez, prop Marcos Ayerza, scrumhalf Agustin Pichot and flanker Juan Fernandez Lobbe are regarded as among the best in their positions in the world, and the growing depth of the Pumas was shown recently when a young touring side beat Northampton and Leicester.

They might not be playing in 2012, but it shows that there is plenty of talent in Argentine Rugby.

Let’s see how the Pumas play in next year’s World Cup and how the situation.

Courtesy of The TimesOnline

HAVE YOUR SAY: What do you think of the Four Nations?

Steyn Returns From The Cold

gareth rosslee — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:56:54 +0000

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says he had to make some tough choices when selecting the starting XV to face the Wallabies in a Vodacom Tri-Nations clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The starting line-up shows two changes from the one that went down 22-29 against the All Blacks last week with Frans Steyn starting at fullback in place of Gio Aplon and Jaque Fourie returning to replace Juan de Jongh.

De Jongh moves to the bench, in place of Wynand Olivier, whilst Aplon falls out of the match 22.

“How do you tell a guy who has played well that he is not part of the team, or is on the bench?” De Villiers lamented at a press conference in Pretoria on Monday.

“But that is part and parcel on my job as coach that sometimes I must make unpopular decisions. The reality is that there are only 15 places in the starting line-up and I have to do what I believe is best for the team.

“Juan (de Jongh) will be a great one day but Jaque Fourie is one already. He has played 60 Tests and, with the exception of his yellow card in Brisbane, has done well for us all season,” De Villiers said.

“Gio did not do anything wrong but we have an opportunity to see Frans play. He also offers us another kicking option which will take some pressure off Morné Steyn.”

Frans Steyn last played a Test against Wales in Cardiff on 5 June and rejoined the squad this week after being unavailable for the All Blacks Test. Fourie, meanwhile, returns from a four-week suspension after he was yellow-carded in the opening minutes of the previous clash with the Wallabies in Brisbane last month.

Juan Smith, who was the only injury concern after the All Blacks game, has been cleared and is included in the run-on XV.

There is one change amongst the reserves with Ryan Kankowski, who joined the squad on Monday, preferred as loose forward cover ahead of Francois Louw. Kankowski looked sharp for the Sharks in their win over Vodacom Western Province in the Absa Currie Cup last weekend and his speed could be a factor if he is used from the bench at the weekend.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Aplon, Olivier and Louw will be released to the provinces and will be available for Absa Currie Cup selection at the weekend.

The Springbok team: 15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (capt), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp. Reserves: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Butch James, 22 Juan de Jongh.

Devastated Smit Takes Share Of The Blame

jaya — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:51:28 +0000

John Smit (capt) of South Africa cries after missing a tackle that lead to the winning try being scored by Israel Dagg of New Zealand at the death.

Springbok captain John Smit could not conceal his disappointment after his 100th Test match ended in a 29-22 defeat to New Zealand in Soweto.

Smit’s side led until the dying minutes of the match, when Richie McCaw and Israel Dagg pounced for tries to seal the All Blacks’ reclamation of the Tri-Nations title.

“I thought we controlled the first half well and played accurately and on our terms. In the second half we conceded a few penalties and missed touch kicks, which cost us,” Smit said. “At 22-all we wanted to get into a good field position so that Morné Steyn can have a go at a drop-goal, but we turned over possession, I missed a crucial tackle and it was game over.

“I can’t think of anything worse than losing your 100th Test by missing a tackle at the death. I’ll be disappointed for a very long time.”

Springbok coach Peter De Villiers made a number of changes to his side and was quick to praise the younger members of his team despite the result.

“The youngsters stepped up today and we can draw a lot of confidence from how they played,” he said. “If we dictate territory and possession, we can beat any team. We lost some structure in the second half and were playing less direct and more defensive.

“Those two kicks that went long were probably the turning points, as it brought us back into our half and we had to defend, where we could’ve been on the attack. It’s very painful, but we can take some heart from how we performed today. You need luck too, and today it went their way, as it did in the rest of the Tri-Nations. Winning becomes a habit, but so can losing and we’re aware of that.”

Courtesy of The Scrum