The mighty Springboks lost to Japan. Let’s let that sink in for a second.
Now that it has sunk in, the most obvious question is why? Japan, for all their industry and effort would battle to beat a decent Currie Cup side. In fact, if they played against the likes of the Golden Lions or Blue Bulls tomorrow they’d probably lose by ten to fifteen points.
The Springboks didn’t lose because they were up against a team of better players.
So why did they lose? There are a few reasons and I’ll touch on them as I go on.
I think it’s time they moved past this tactic of selecting players for experience. Yes, keep the ones that you know will perform. Fourie du Preez has never had a bad game in his life and Schalk Burger is even better now than he was when he was young because he’s added some offloading skills to his game. His Superugby stats prove that.
But…
JP Pietersen just doesn’t have the pace or confidence he used to. Victor Matfield has been a great servant to SA rugby but at the moment he looks more like a cyclist than a lock. Jean de Villiers has not recovered sufficiently from his injury to lead a Springbok team from inside centre. His pace off the mark is nowhere and he missed crucial tackles against Japan. The World Cup is not the place to work on your fitness. Ruan Pienaar is probably playing to instruction but is too predictable and his service is too slow and it has been that way for some time. Bryan Habana was a great winger but I sense his hunger for tries is gone. It’s time to move on.
They’re not selecting their bench very well either. Your bench is as important as your starting 15. You need players that can change the game and players that can exploit a tiring opposition. You need players who can bring a sense of calm if things aren’t going your way. Jaco Kriel has the pace of a winger and tackles like an irate Tasmanian devil. Jesse Kriel has the ability to tear any defence apart if he’s given space to run. Frans Steyn is ideal when the conditions aren’t. He can cover the whole backline except 9, he can kick the ball to Mars and when games are tight is an extra loose forward thanks to his size and strength. Francois Hougaard is the perfect man to come on with twenty five minutes to go. He has speed, strength and, perhaps most importantly, guts! He is a game changer and that is what you need on your bench. You need impact!
As for the coach, I’ve always liked Heyneke Meyer but the warning signs are there for all to see and have been for some time. The team lack urgency and they’ve lost the ability to win tight games. I’ve always believed that you can see where a team is by watching the last ten minutes of close games. Champion teams will find a way to win. Disturbed, struggling sides will find a way to lose and the Springboks have done that in all of the games they’ve lost so far this year.
They’re not playing to win, they’re playing not to lose.
But even so they’re losing to teams they simply should not lose to. The Springboks should always walk onto the field expecting to obliterate their opponents. Yes, you must respect your enemy and prepare accordingly, but you still need to go onto the field and play to completely annihilate them.
Springboks tackle so hard that it hurts. Springbok defence is supposed to put you on the back foot, make you uncertain, and make you doubt yourself and your well-being. As an opponent of the Springboks you should walk onto the field nervous, respectful and, dare I say it, fearful. I’m not seeing that, I’m not seeing any of it.
My best team is as follows –
15 – Pat Lambie
14 – Willie le Roux
13 – Lionel Mapoe
12 – Damian de Allende
11 – Lwazi Mvovo
10 – Handre Pollard
9 – Rudy Paige / Fourie du Preez
8 – Duane Vermuelen
7 – Marcel Coetzee
6 –Schalk Burger
5 – Eben Etzebeth
4 – Lood de Jager
3 – Jannie du Plessis
2 – Bismarck du Plessis
1 – Steven Kitshoff
16 – Adriaan Strauss
17 – Trevor Nyakane
18 – Marcel van der Merwe
19 – Paul Willemse
20 – Jaco Kriel
21 – Francois Hougaard
22 – Jesse Kriel / Frans Steyn
23 – Jan Serfontein
Coach – Alistair Coetzee
Assistant coach – Johan Ackerman
Team manager – Naas Botha
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