Are NZ going to hammer us?

That seems to be the prevailing view on the Board. And certainly our attempt to be expansive against Oz was a disaster. We can’t do that with Pollard and Dud crash balling or floating laterally. We simply don’t have the skills/training/familiarity to pull that off now against a tough opponent.

But there are a few things we can do. Firstly take a leaf out of the Aussie book and vary our kicking….those Aussie deep rolling kicks defused our box kick game. 

Secondly use the lineouts skills of Mostert to attack round the back of the lineouts…our throwers are so risk averse we don’t even try the deep throw.

Thirdly project  the 12 channel defence. We were killed by Kerevi carving through 12 channel making the push defence have to turn and defend facing our goal line. For our WC defence to work we have to be in the faces of 10/12. Our defence is looking more like a contain defence rather than the WC push defence. And NZ doesn’t have the punch of Kerevi at 12.

Fourthly we need to have the attitude that all lineout ball and scrum ball is ours. Hell we sub these fat buggers off after 50 minutes. They need to scrum like Bok rugby is on the line….and we should contest every lineout. Every time Eben did that on Saturday we had a shot at the ball.

Those are the main points….rediscover our defence…..kick deep when it’s on …contest every ball.

That brings me to a final point. We looked like guys who had given up the moment Oz scored their first try. There was no defiance just a bunch of whining at the refs. The team needs an attitude reset and an injection of pride. The captain talks to the ref, the rest get on with their jobs

Unfortunately there is no way we can improve our backline skills now….they have been neglected too long. But we can get away from endless box kicks and we can attack on turnover ball….to get turnover ball our defence has to find it’s former aggression. We have a chance if NZ is exasperated by our defence. Our centres have to wake up and our loosies have to harrass  the AB halves.

Do those things and we have a shot. Maybe a 40% shot, NZ didn’t impress me that much against Oz and they have a very ordinary 12 and a very ordinary scrum. They won mostly because Oz made crucial mistakes and had a school boy at flyhalf.

But come on the park like losers and it will be a self fulfilling prophecy and the final extinction of our WC aura.

As the stats show, New Zealand's strike efficiency is very high. They'll finish off those chances Australia blew; that's around seven tries. You can't expose yourself like that. New Zealand are less likely to target players and more likely to impose their way in a more general sense. The Wallabies have always been more about pulling defenders around. New Zealand will front-up more physically. I still think we can take one game from them, if we are accurate. 

So Dave if test backs don’t need coaching I assume you think Eddie Jones added nothing to our 2007 campaign. 

Pure semantics ….when we say the backline needs coaching we are talking about tactics, set plays, defensive alignment etc. But to say backline players don’t need help with the basics is nonsense….take placing the ball after the tackle. I bet every test back has been coached in how best to do that.

Basic skills. 52 caps, and no basic skills. 

I bet you've got your tactical keyboard locked and loaded, hey tough guy? 

I totally agree with Just_Win

The Boks have a chance of w(h)inning - LOL (I like that sense of humour).

The South Africans may have missed that joke.   

Rest assured we didn’t.

Ha ha, nothing gets by the Nozz (sic), 

Damn right!

That is good then.

I appreciate your sense of humour.

Soooo, that's why they appointed Stick.

He can't coach anyway ... so he must be there to wash their jockstraps and cheer them on from the box.

Makes sense now.

Nienabers appointment as head coach also makes sense now.

Thanks Stupid. 

I wonder ... Why is Fat Rassie there? 

Reckon the All Blacks could just play the three Barrett brothers and they'd beat the Yarpies on their own.

The Boks will still be world champs until the next world cup. They also beat the Lions. 

They are looking stale now and need to look at dropping out of form players from the team. 
They need a specialist fetcher in the back row, and the Delande needs to go. We need a centre that can pass and create space. Kerevi wiped the floor with Delande. 
Ideally, we had a back-row playe r that could link with the backs. 

Ah fire walls are being set.

What hammered means... Nothing. Too subjective to give any ground while working well to deflect, decrease the impact of any incoming loss.

This would give an endless stream about what hammered is: 30-17, not really hammered, 48-15, not yet hammered etc

SA rugby is known by now and grabs any straw possible to deny the state of their rugby.

The score does not matter. What matters is the mentality, whether this SA team steps in with the belief they can win the game or feel it is better for them to try to lose by the smallest margin possible.

That is all that matters.

Heavy scores takes commitment from both teams, one must try to increase it while the other must accept the deluge of points.

With a team known to be heavier on gear than any others, a team that went by the strategy of biting opponents, stampeding people's face, eye gouging etc everything is possible, a fuse might be blown, especially as SA rugby is breathing their last breath and that as for the two first WC wins, SA made an unconvincing WC champion on their third time.

Hard to blame NZ players if they feel they'd better not to load the scoreboard in order to avoid potential injuries as SA players could not stomach the humiliation.

What matters is not the score, what matters is the potential streak of three or four defeats in a row.

Hope so. 

Another whitewash would be nice.

Well, we couldn't  beat NZ in the last 3 games and with the current squad and game plan I don't see how we will get past Saturday. I  almost don't want to watch the game. 

We should have wiped the floor with the wobblies but now we are falling way behind. 

What is worrying is how easy they  wobbles managed to score tries in 2nd test. 

The all blacks is a far bigger threat and they have a fantastic defence. They must be hurting not having a world cup. 

I think we had a chance  last year but then the boks bailed. So, if  we wanted to assert dominance, last year was the year to do it in. 

So as much as I hate the kiwis,  they will at least clock 40 points against us. Nienebaar is not a head coach and need to go back being a  defensive coach

Some of the thinking emerging from NZ is the defensive line speed (enabled by very effective forward play) is what gave the ABs problems in the past. So, the ABs must negate the line speed by a better forward performance. Specifically, forwards carrying the ball effectively around the rucks and scrums. This is thought to be the way to keep the defensive line from coming up so fast. So, it sounds like this is where a determining battle will take place. It sounds a lot like "earn the right to go wide".

The scary part is that Australia left about nine tries out on the field over those two tests. They absolutely busted us open at will. We are basically there for the taking to anyone who can show a little composure and conviction to attack. Without penalties, we can't stay in the game. It will be interesting to see how New Zealand combat our maul, because Australia really adapted well, and by the end of the second test, they were basically dominating our maul. Without the maul, we really are in a heap of trouble, so I imagine New Zealand will be looking to take us on there. 

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

"This will be followed by bleating at the ref by all 23 players and the water boys and then a bloke sarcastically called Razmataz (aka fat rassie) will frantically prepare a video and send it to the refs. Finally "sanity will prevail" and the Boks will shake hands and begin legal proceedings against AB, world rugby the UN, EEC and the Court of International Justice. Their efforts will be led by a wee squeaky chap called Beeno. And so world rugby will descend into the abys. Stay tuned for its re-emergence!"

There were plenty on here who wrote the Aussies off and look what happened... twice

Interesting days ahead indeed

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaaa!!!

Very funny, Just Win.

Glad to see you're still kicking.

There were plenty on here who wrote the Aussies off and look what happened... twice

Different cases. AUS rugby is off and on. People who consider they would be conquered by SA are people who enjoy SA lack of rugby.

A good day in the office is enough for AUS to beat SA.

It takes a lot more for SA to beat NZ.

The mentality will be all in this game: SA may enter with a damage control mentality.

NZ may get their mentality wrong and be quickly carded etc

Now, on a normal job day, the prospects do not favour SA to say the least.

Kak Mate when we were in Wellington we observed all you NZ Yarpies getting off a bus in the center of town BAREFOOT.

Now those are your brothers....NZ YARPIES.

Yes the Barrett brothers are excellent players and you guys are indeed fortunate to have three brothers with their playing ability.

The would have been better if they wore the Green and Gold.

Amen.

AJH, re your comments about green and g old; you may not have noticed but rugby is not a fashion contest and while we are sure your tastes in fashion inspire those with those inclinations we in the land of the long white cloud prefer our rugby in black and our feet solidly planted on the ground. However, we, wish you luck with your efforts at sartorial splendor.

PS it is rumored that one of your chaps wants the boks in tutus but please tell Beeno this is a no go.

Now some punters are saying the Boks are a wounded dog and this will mean they will perform out of their skin and win. They will need to.

I never get too far ahead of myself with these clashes.

What the Boks may lack in their ability to vary their tactics and in the short term be unable to fix their sometimes disastrous ball handling skills, these will be mostly negated by fire and brimstone in the first half of Saturday's game.

They will be stung into action after the capitulation against Oz and come out steaming, believe me.

So, whilst I'm still predicting an ABs win, it's going to be a shit fight in Townsville!!

I believe that the Boks will front big time.

They do against NZ.

However - I think NZ will be aware of this and will not be over confident.

South Africa this week will be very different to the team of the last 2 weeks.

However - it will only ensure that NZ focus on the things they should and will in the end be to good for South Africa.

I know the All Blacks and the NZ Public have been waiting for this (They have a purpose) -  I feel that all of NZ demand wins in the next 2 weeks.

I read between the lines  Just_Win - You are expecting the AB's to win but you know that South Africa will turn up and it is not going to be easy at all.    

Redemption story.....Australia finally have a trophy in their cabinet (Nelson Mandela Trophy) 

AB's need to finish of the Championship Cup  and put it back in their cabinet.Never been so empty last time was probably 2009,they really get insecure without them.
Without our water-boy we lack cohesion.......NZ gonna run from their 25.....some early positional cross field kicks....wait for broken play and walla,r eally missing ole Stef du Doit.

On current form right now, the Springboks are quite rightly the underdogs for these 2 games

The All Blacks have very easily beaten the Aussies, who in turn have now twice beaten the Boks

To me, the pressure is on the All Blacks, not the Springboks....

Everyone and their aunty is expecting the All Blacks to absolutely crush this underperforming Bok side, and so they should, because the Boks have really been that bad....

Stranger things have happened though