Comments I wrote about SA Squad for WC Games in 2015 warning about what will go wrong

I went through some of he older documents on my PC and came across my opinion on the Springbok on the WC squad in 2015.  It indicates where and how to expect failure in the WC and most of my remark were spot-on.   So lets bear in mind that the following comments contains identifying problems to be avoided in future:-

"This squad has an element about so-called experience that is awry - experience is fine, but then experience must be seen to be associated with performance as well.   I am afraid that that too many of the experienced players are habitual match-losers.  Lets look at the squad and see why I state that:-

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Lood de Jager, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Francois Louw, Frans Malherbe,Victor Matfield (vice-captain), Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Coenie Oosthuizen, Adriaan Strauss, Duane Vermeulen

Backs: Jean de Villiers (captain), Damian de Allende, Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana, Zane Kirchner, Jesse Kriel, Pat Lambie,Willie le Roux, Lwazi Mvovo, Rudy Paige, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Handre Pollard, Morne Steyn    

The highlighted players were involved in the 2011 WC campaign disaster.   Counting those 15 of the 31 players were in the 2011 WC squad and we all know that the Springboks went out of that WC in the quarterfinal after near disastrous performances in the round robin stage (beating Wales by 1 point and Samoa by 6 points).

There are way too many passengers in the team and in that case we have to look at three categories of players:-

The habitual under-performers 

 Willem Alberts, Jannie du Plessis, Victor Matfield, Zane Kirchner, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Morne Steyn   

Please note that all of the above has been in the 2011 WC squad and some have been showing zilch for years - while others have been deteriorating in performances at an alarming rate over the past two years.

Willem Alberts  - Did not have a decent performance record for three years on any level.  A low-activity player bringing zilch to the game.  He played in four matches since June 2014 and his performance in three of those were poor and the fourth one barely average. 

Jannie du Plessis - His scrumming was poor over the last two years and barely average in the tests this year - brings nothing to the game outside of scrumming.  Getting penalized far too often. 

Victor Matfield  -  Since his return to Springbok rugby the Springboks performance record has deteriorated massively - the reason being is malfunctioning of their Tight 5.  Matfield brings zero to Tight 5 play and is in fact a major contributor to the obvious Tight 5 deterioration.

Zane Kirchner  -  Was always a sub-par player with a serious deficiency in reading of the game.   He never is in the position where he should be in defensive play and he is consequently a defensive disaster - while bringing zero to attacking play.

Ruan Pienaar  -  Slow and predictable - a real handicap in the tests this year.  Poor kicking accuracy made worse by too many aimless kicks in the tests he played in this year.  Defense this year was a real disaster.

JP Pietersen    -  Was poor over the last two years as a result of loss of pace and a deficient work ethic - he never looks for work and is happy to stand around on the wing.   His Japan Club Contract seriously damaged his performances.

Morne Steyn    -  The habitual bench player of Stade Francais who only makes the match day 15 when Plisson is not available.   Outside of kicking at goal he is noted for poor decisionmaking and execution.  He was a disaster in the 2012 tests and dropped from the team by Meyer as a result.  His record last year was even worse - he was dropped from the team twice in 2014 and was primarily responsible for the Perth Test debacle in 2014 - the last test he played in.  His defence is putrid with a missed tackle ratio approaching 50%.

The matchless or match - deficient players

Here we have the following:-

Willem Alberts, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Francois Louw, Coenie Oosthuizen, Duane Vermeulen, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez.

Willem Alberts  - played in 4 matches since June 2014 - 3 poor performances and one barely average.

Pieter-Steph Du Toit - he was very good in Super 15 in 2015 before his latest injury and since then played in a game for the Sharks where he did well and was excellent when he came on in the latest Argentina test when he replaced Alberts, who was shown up badly by Du Toit.   

Francois Louw - Was injured in the AB test last year and off for the rest of the year and only started playing for his club in February 2015.   Since then he was frequently out with injury and he has played in only one test in the 2015 RC when he was injured again.

Coenie Oosthuizen  -  Have had serious neck injury problems over the last three years and underwent a couple of operations.   The latest injury was in April 2015.  He was operated on and has not played a single match since then.  When fit he is normally a hard worker - but is he match-fit at this stage?  Highly unlikely

Duane Vermeulen   -   One of the best no 8's in world rugby - but has not played since he was injured 4 months ago.  Can be relied on to produce the goods - so no problem here.

Jean de Villiers      -   After an excellent performance year in 2013 - he was very average in 2014 until his horrific injury in November last year against Wales.  He played in the World team match in June and was seriously deficient in that game.  He was then sent to play in a few pre-season CC games for Western Province and was barely average.  Came back for the Argentina test in Durban and was a square peg in a round hole - breaking his jaw in the process and was laid off for another 4 to 6 weeks.

Fourie du Preez   -    After two very average performances in tests in June 2014 - he was injured in June 2014 in the test against Scotland.   Other than a few club games in Japan in January and February 2015 (the last one on 25 February 2015) he has played no rugby since June 2014.  He went back to Japan for pre-season training and got injured again.  Recent photos showed a rather over-weight player and there are serious evidence that he is not match-fit at all.

The age issue 

In a TV discussion this week Hugh Bladen said that too many of the players are over the hill insofar as performance is concerned and that for that reason we are not going to be successful this year in the WC.  So lets look at that issue objectively:-

Willem Alberts            -   32 

Schalk Brits                 -   33

Schalk Burger             -   32

Bismarck du Plessis  -   32

Jannie du Plessis       -   33

Francois Louw,        -   30

Victor Matfield           -    38

Tendai Mtawarira      -    30

Jean de Villiers          -    34

Fourie du Preez         -    33

Bryan Habana           -    33

Zane Kirchner            -    32

Ruan Pienaar             -    32

Morne Steyn              -    32

14 of the players are 30 years or older - in other words a situation recognized as a period where performances of players are deteriorating.   No wonder Hugh Bladen was horrified by the situation.  

CONCLUSION

The above indicates that we are in serious trouble in this case and that Meyer did not plan and built up a squad for the upcoming WC.  He in 2012 penned in the names of players he was to select for the WC squad in 2015 and only brought in new players when absolutely forced to do so.  The result is that the squad has too many players with very little test experience - another negative in any WC campaign.

Lucky for fans three of Meyer's 2012 determined favourites opted out of international rugby - otherwise we would have had 17 players over the age of 30 in that squad.

Bearing in mind the three factors mentioned above - I do believe the team selected by Meyer does not represent the best players in SA and that as a result the Springboks are going to come short in the upcoming tournament"

Yes - I was correct in far too many of my comments above.  So let us not go off the rails again.  

Kirchner was outstanding against Japan. Our best attacking player. Made one poor kick. What other game did he play? He was at no point a liability. 

Louw was the second best pilfer in the competition. He went a long way to keeping us in the game against New Zealand when they were pinning us deep in our half all game. Without breakdown dominance, we'd never have been in the game at all. He was quieter against Japan, but scored a good try in the same game. 

Alberts started one game in 2015. He played very little in any of the games he entered from the bench. How was he a key failing? I'll agree, he was not the force he was in prior seasons as he struggled for form. Meyer clearly agreed, as Albert's role was greatly diminished.

JP was a new man upon his return. He sorted out our wing from a defensive standpoint. He was actually one of the better Boks. Who else could have bettered him? Hendricks was out of the equation due to a severe heart condition. His defence was always iffy anyway. 

Victor was very good throughout. I've covered this so many times it's become a real bore to keep hearing the same defeated argument again and again. 

Morné played a very small role in 2015. However, he did upstage Lambie against the USA. Rounding several defenders and putting our backs away. Butter fingers Kriel botched three try scoring opportunities with Habana in space. So, on the basis of contributions, Morné was in no way a liability in any game of 2015. In fact, had we his more tactical boot and measured distribution from the bench against New Zealand, we may have been in the final. Something I had warned about long before 2015.

I'm not by any means a fan of Pienaar. I never rated him as a scrumhalf and he was truly rudderless throughout 2012 to 2014. However, his service from the base improved markedly in 2015. He was guilty of passivity against Japan. That was always a problem with Pienaar. He also lacked conviction and competitiveness. A usual Pienaar problem in big games when things don't work out. Was he a key failing? Against Japan, he didn't do alot wrong. However he really didn't spark. Du Preez upped the intensity when he entered the game, which best highlights what Pienaar was missing. 

I find it bizarre that Bismarck is being called out. He was very good in the WC. He conceded 4 penalties against Japan, that is true. He also scored a try and was strong as a carrier. He got much better as the competition wore on. 

THE FAILURES OF 2015

Damian: Cost us two big games and never had to face criticism for any of his shocking play. Pakie did a great job on the Nonu defensive gaff. 

Kriel: He looked okay to start the season, but regressed more and more. He showed no real acumen for the position and cost us the Japan test with poor defending. Was barely a factor in any other game. A dead end ball-in-hand. Required acres of space to be effective.

Steph: We were told to build our entire campaign around him, yet he failed to deliver when called upon. He was absolutely lost against Japan where he was comprehensively outplayed by Victor. He did nothing of note at the World Cup. 

Lambie: He had one very good run early on. From there he was absolutely outclassed by Ono. His first contribution against New Zealand was to run it up like Pollard, but got smashed back and turned over. Failed to impose himself against USA.

Willie: He was horribly out of form. His kicks were a liability and his rhythm on attack was off. Looked very frustrated with himself. 

Lood: He looked good against Samoa. He had a good first half against Scotland, though with some issues. He was a much lesser force against Wales. He was exposed often against New Zealand. Lacked mobility, acceleration, handling and endurance. His botched handling in the Welsh 22 (x2) in a game of few opportunities nearly cost us a WC.

WORLD CUP CALLS

I've read some of your calls and you were often wrong. You called a wide-wide game against Wales, which some argued against. You didn't read the game well enough. The very first time the Boks spread the ball wide, Damian was turned over and Wales were within inches of running it back for a try. 

Against New Zealand, you didn't see the threat of their aerial dominance. When some pointed it out, you became irate. You were also one of those who erroneously predicted that the All Blacks would run us ragged. A common miscalculation after poor analysis of the French loss. Low and behold, they pinned us back. Lood was exposed for his lack of mobility, Kriel was nowhere to be found, Damian was played the fool with by "Bobu", Lambie offered nothing from the bench, and Pollard could not control the game with the boot.

Nyet, you made some very poor calls, now you harp on about age and comprehensively ignore our biggest failures. Your arguments were wrong then and they become more distorted over time. 

All your calls about performances can at best be called fairy tales nd largely BS thought out by you - with no regard to actual performances. 

I never said anything negative about Louw - bar the fact that he was off with injuries frequently before the WC and that he was a questionable selection as a result.

Why was Kirchner dropped by Meyer after his initial test if he was any good?  Maybe Meyer panicked after the Japan test.

The De Allende story of Mozart, you and Pakie is utter BS and has been proven as such.  Believe me it is utter BS to claim that a player who tries to get away from his opposite number by running across the field can mathematically be cut off from doing that by his direct opponent.   The opponent can follow him and tackle him  ultimately.   So what you three dreamed up and nobody else in the world saw as a deficiency is mindboggling.

JP did near to squat in the WC and his defense was poor - while he got not any balls as a result of the Meyer game plan - if it could indeed be called a game plan.  He was no better when called up for tests subsequently and eventually dropped out of contention completely.

Matfield was totally useless throughout the series and was so poor that after the Samoa test - failing against both Samoa and Japan - he was benched in all tests bar the last Bronze play-off game.  He was useless in the semi when he came on.   He got a convertible  penalty turned around and in the first line-out on own throw got outjumped by Whitelock.    For the rest he did squat.   How - if he could not make the starting lineup in more than half the tests played could he have been good?

Morne did not upstage anyone and fact is he should not have been in the squad in any event.   He was too poor a test drop-out to be selected.   I think he had less than 30 minutes game time in all the tests played.   

Bismarck true story was dealt with before.   He failed in the Japan test and was dropped in the next one.  He then played in the Scotland test and did well enough - but went into serious decline in the play-offs.   

Kriel - how could a player show acumen if he does not get the ball to prive that eh can perform?  

Lood - Utter crap - the player with the highest tackle count in the WC is not what you called him.   He at least scored a try against the Japanese.

I HAVE ASKED YOU BEFORE - WATCH GAMES OBJECTIVELY AND DO NOT DREAM UP THINGS ABOUT PLAYERS  WHEN IT DID NOT HA PPEN ON THE FIELD OF PLAY.   THAT MAKES YOUR ASSESSMENTS A FARCE.      

Incorrect, it was unanimously agreed by everyone but you that Damian made a complete shambles of defending Nonu. Shall we bring that thread up again? No matter how many times you tell a lie, it will always be a lie. 

JP Pietersen was the joint third try scorer in the competition. Show me where his defence was an issue.

Morné did exactly what I said he did. So too Lambie. 

Victor was one of our three best players against Japan. No mention of your blue-eyed boy who was often flat footed by the open Japanese attack. Our blindside flank who failed to gain any momentum.

Kriel had 7 possessions against Japan. What did he do with it? What did he do with any of the possession he had? He was part of the reason why Meyer didn't trust our centre pairing. After being gifted more opportunities but failing prior to the World Cup. What could either of Damian and Kriel do? Nothing. Ineffective as carriers, dead end cul-de-sacs. Porous defenders. The rugby public you cite as credible sources of info backed them every step of the way, and even after that!

Lood was overpowered by the Scots in the second half, iffy in the lineouts and had ha nds of stone. New Zealand exploited him for a decisive breakout. Where was he against Wales? Nowhere. Big games, no show. He is a flat track bully. 

Sure he had the ball seven times and carried it 6 times with a territory gain of 17 meters beating 3 defenders - fine as far as I am concerned. 

Here are the match stats for the Japan game reflecting the performances of Matfield and De Jager:-

Only a total nincompoop will say on that performance Matfield was better than De Jager in that game.  So try again.  Please note the differences and see that De Jager took one line-out on opposition throw-in - Matfield took none.   Matfield carried the ball 8 times with 1 line break beating no defenders getting a territory gain of 17 meters - De Jager carried the ball 12 times for a territory gain of 47 meters breaking the line once - but beat 4 defenders in the process and scored a try.   

Would say -   De Jager    -     7/10

                       Matfield    -      4/10

As to De Jager being overpowered in the Scottish game another wild claim without any substance  - have you no shame in writing tripe like that on site.   If there was any evidence produce same - the stats in fact confirms  completely different evidence as to what your wrote.    

Sure the bugger-uppers are all shown on that video pic.