A bit of perspective before we declare victory

Face it, on the day this English team was horrible. They missed their kicks….their scrum imploded as I predicted before the game….their play maker was hurt….their discipline disappeared. We seem to have their measure.

But we lost against Ireland and France, the two teams ahead of us in the rankings and played no rugby until Willemse had the imagination to attack from deep. A try that should never have been scored against a top team.

We also finished second in the RC.

The good news is Nienaber had a chance to function as a coach and he allowed the team to play rugby. And we discovered it’s easier to win running in space rather than bashing through the middle.

We also have the makings of an exciting backline with just Dud Allende as the last obstacle. 

But none of this will matter next year if we can’t put matches together and win the close ones. The other thing that goes unmentioned is the crucial role of Etzebeth. He single handedly turned around the Italian game and provides the grunt that allows us to field a mobile number 5 lock. If he gets hurt kiss your WC goodbye.

Two days ago everything was broken, now everything is fixed ….neither case is true. What we have seen is a template that seems to work and makes for a much more exciting Bok team. Now we need to make it consistent and programmable, not reliant on the vagaries of the opponent.

Do you have any perspective at all?     The one thing is clear and you have not understood in 2018 and in 2022 - a squad for the WC in 2023 is being developed and in some cases alternatives have to be found.  In other words of the players used are experimental  to see whether they can fit in and even improve on performances  of the players they will ultimately replace in the WC squad.   

There is really no other - your summary is BS in buckets.   In 2004 the Springboks and the AB's and the Aussies were equal on the point count and the Springboks won the trophy by 1 point insofar as scores were concerned.     In 2022 the AB's and the Springboks were on the same ranking points and the AB's won the trophy because they scored 3 more points in matches than the Springboks did.   

Now let us look at the normal Mozarrt hopeless campaign against De Allende and Du Toit regarded worldwide by real rugby experts as top class players, but Mozart regards them is poor and to be replaced.    Luckily, we have real rugby experts who see through the BS of the rugby idiots like you              

We've came within a whisker of beating the 1st and 2nd ranked teams in their own back yards...playing with 14 for more than half the match vs France...and we were playing without a recognized 10 or kicker...the glass is way more than half full...and to top it all, we thoroughly beat the Poms with a couple of regular Bok starters back at their clubs ...my beer chalice runs over!!! 

We played poorly this year Draad. I cannot think of one genuinely solid performance. We eventually overcame Italy, after Kwagga turned the game on its head (I should note the raw power of Eben as well), and flayed a very poor England performance. I find it quite remarkable, if any previous Bok coach had a year like this, he would have been under pressure to get real results. And this in a time where there is not a single great or outstanding test nation. The world has indeed gone crazy. 

Any side that draws with the AB’s is a pretty handy side

Don't think England are great at the moment to be honest.

5 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses is their yearly record. 3 of those wins came against Wales, Italy and Japan. Yes they won down in Australia 2-1 but I don't think the Wallabies are particularly great either at the moment though in fairness they are utterly injury ravaged at the moment.

We got robbed against Ireland by an insult of a ref - that second Irish try should never have been allowed on 2 counts and not selecting a recognised kicker cost us

I like the way none of the outraged South African fans said anything about the clear neck roll by Kolisi on the Irish player who knocked the ball out of the ruck in the lead up to the 2nd try.

Not knocking the Boks, they will be serious contenders when it come to the World Cup and have the capability of beating anyone. There isn't much to choose the top 4 ranked teams, all very competitive. Do think there is abit of a gulf back to the other teams though/

At present we live off of opponents not having a good day. We have looked very poor against every serious effort. 

We were dismal yesterday. I’m struggling to remember a time when we were so devoid of answers and so lacking in physicality. 

Well done to SA. 

If ands or buts, these things tend to balance out over a season. We were 8 and 5. There were some encouraging moments and some sense we are emerging from the Stampkar rugby Harrassmiss has championed. Now if he would only go away we might actually become an exciting team.

He pulls the strings sometimes from a distance

Funny you were arguing against this a little time ago. Saffex in the dictionary: "The shifting of goal posts in order to correct an overzealous gaff with the benefit of hindsight, when the gaff has actually been spotted". 

Sure but this last week it seems  he was mostly preoccupied by himself.

SO refreshing to see the attack from deep, even from inside their own try zone. If anything because at last the attack has some unpredictability, and I include those cheeky drop goals in there. 

Combine that with continued Bok set piece dominance, unmatched physicality and a defence that is amongst the best in the world and its a recipe for success in the WC.

Should also add Kolisi's leadership has been stellar. The boys seem to really respect and respond to him

Just need our kicker back. 

There's a blast from the past!

Nice to see you posting oimatey. You going to stay around?

As the saying goes Mozart, one swallow doesn't make a summer. 

Agree, we came close to beating Oiland the La Fromage but we lost. Red cards are ruining the game and especially this head contact nonsense. The only red card that should be dished out is when a player deliberately intend to do damage to a player. I'm on the fence when it comes to Thomas Du Toit shoulder to the head, I don't think he intended to hit the guy in the head, but probably wanted to knock him back, that said, it was really poor technique, the same can be said of Du Pont. In that case, I wonder whether forcing a sub where the players game is over, have to pay a penalty. That could change the coaches strategy but at least the audience don't suffer. 

On Eben, very good point, we don't have a Eben at all at the moment, but the boks always seem to find a quality 4 lock like Eben. Before him it was Bakkies, but really dirty, we had Mark Andrews. I won't mention Flip van der Merwe. We could have had Willemse, but now he is a Frenchman. 

Moerat is not the answer and Orie should never put the bok jumper on. Jenkins looks solid but not an enforcer or someone that can give us go forward ball like Eben does. What I like about Eben is that he is the smarter version of Bakkies. 

Also, I'm going to name drop, I've never met Eben and his family but my uncle and his sons use to Wrestle with Eben's father and brothers for SA. So Eben knows how to grapple. That side of the family takes no nonsense at all. Probably helps when you have multi disciplined athletes. 

A try that should never have been scored against a top team.

Against a top team is too exclusive. Against a less naive team is a proper measurement.

The English coach is a firm believer in experience, experience wins games, experience wins WCs.

Yet despite the large number of caps, the English players showed naivety in many actions.

While the victory by SA rugby was announced weeks if not months ago, that try coming from nowhere sank the english side. It put an early end to the game. The try came from unusual naivety. Up to that try, SA rugby, even if they would end up winning the game, was not dominating.

To the point, this game will not lead to a new assessment. The English coach will keep to his cap number based policy. Even though experienced players showed they were not immune to naivety.

We were dismal yesterday.

Despite of it, the English side could have stayed way longer in the game without exhibition of naivety as  players did.

EN is on the right side of the table for the WC, it will only take to perform one or two games to win the crown.

Any side that draws with the AB’s is a pretty handy side

Such a rewriting. A two week old game.

Circumstances matter. For 70 minutes, the EN side was largely dominated by the NZ side. A NZ side that scored tries from structured and conceived play (nothing to do with the out of nowhere try by SA rugby awarded by EN players' naivety)

It took a lot of favourable circumstances (a ref who took pity of the frustrated attempts to score by the EN side and awarded a very generous penalty try, a yellow card that came to double the penalty and a determination to save a series by getting a result against NZ among other things)

The result should concern NZ as they lost a comfortable lead in 10 minutes. It also killed the chances of EN against SA rugby as the draw took too much from players. And they paid it by being unfresh for the game against SA rugby.

The only red card that should be dished out is when a player deliberately intend to do damage to a player.

Ah, the intent. One measure for the new governing type brought over the last two centuries.

All is in the intent.

An intent is hard to establish, even with a letter of intents.

At the moment, only the action is assessed. If ever a suspicion of intent exists, then the punishment is made heavier.

Spot on in your comments Matey. Welcome back.

"Kolisi is a great player and a good leader"

But his role is a bit different to that of Bok captains of the past...hence the obvious assistance he gets from the other leaders in the team...the Bok Captain is also a diplomatic appointment in SA...ignoring that is stupid.

Kolisi is a totally optional player in a rugby sense. Not a power loosie, he should be making his contribution in defense and turning over the ball. But he is regularly low in the tackle count and flinches away from fetching duties much of the time, although he occasionally shows an aptitude.

And any captain who isn’t needed in the last 20 minutes of close tests is clearly not an on the field necessity.

It all works in the spin cycle and with a willing media’s positive spin on small contributions.

Should also add Kolisi's leadership has been stellar. The boys seem to really respect and respond to him

SA rugby lack of rugby is a powerful sleeping pill. Still...

The quota captain was once again substituted, this time with friction as he did not seem pleased by the decision.

By all means, this guy has the back up of certain players in the squad whereas others hate him (like the ginger headed prop)

SA rugby team is extremely divided. Not talking about the unavoidable personality conflicts that exist in any human group.

SA rugby players have nothing in common to bring them up as a united group. The only hyphen between them is the paycheck, as it could be expected from mercenaries.

Pointless to hide what is so glaringly obvious to be seen by anyone.

"And any captain who isn’t needed in the last 20 minutes of close tests is clearly not an on the field necessity."

Go tell that to Wynand Claassen...rugby is a team sport also played off the pitch between tests...you are looking for something to complain about...back in 2017 I thought the Bokke will never really run with the top dogs again..

A year later Rassie transformed the side into a unit who could take on any team at any venue and win...remarkable...but you are looking for reasons to downplay Bok success,  just because you hate Rassie...and yes, it's not dislike,  it's hate...and it's not reasonable no matter how much trauma some specific rock-spider inflicted on you...don't give in too Rooi's weaknesses...

The Boks do not play good rugby. The Boks haven't shown improvement in their attack. Our best player, Kwagga, is on the bench for the least capable person in the squad. We end the year with more questions than answers. There, simples.

Draad that’s pathetic….. you are just channeling woke-speak. I don’t like Erasmus as a coach, nothing to do with him being Afrikaans. And I don’t think Kolisi is a real on the field captain, nothing to do with him being black.

" I don’t like Erasmus as a coach, nothing to do with him being Afrikaans"

I know you are not anti Afrikaner, but you dislike some of our less endearing traits, as do I...but your dislike for the man comes from his playing days...and it looks like something more than just personality...

I am sorry for my harsh response and although I'm irritable at your persistent critique, I did not mean to imply that you are a bigot...I am however aware of the abuse my fellow Afrikaans people directed at English people in the past...and vice versa...I think relations are much better these days, but it left scars in the past.

PS, the Woke A genda is part and parcel of everyday life in South Africa...no escaping it...and it's not all bad.

Is that all you've got Rudenek?...and you should be the last person on this site lecturing anyone about having a back-bone...it takes spine to acknowledge when you are wrong. I've even apologised to you in the past...something you have tried before, but couldn't properly tie down...good luck with it going forward...good thing I believe in miracles.

Having good manners and some etiquette actually increases your spine....instead of being a doos not knowing how to communicate....let that sink in Rosie 

Mrs Searle gets schooled….hahaha….what a prick.

Becs you will not have to struggle any longer.

2019 WORLD CUP FINAL.

Remember now.

Good.