In the final analysis……this was the Wales Semi.

Huge amounts of kicking from both sides….no attacking plan other than mauling, kicking and if they were lucky, counter attack. These sides were evenly matched, just as the Boks and Wales were in the semi. That match turned  on a moment of weak defence from Biggar and a crucial turnover by Louw.

Today there was nobody in the Bok team to make a crucial turnover as Itoje did for the Lions. The Great Erasmus has a theory fetching is not really needed.

Don’t be fooled, this is a very weak Lions team…..poor outside centres, weak flyhalves, vulnerable front row, locks that wouldn’t make our C team. And as with all Lions teams….they had start from scratch. We had a team that has played together more or less since Erasmus came down from the mountain.

Yet we contrived to lose. Instead of kicking on from the WC, establishing ourselves as the dominant team we claimed to be, we lost  to a weak Lions team with no ideas  or strengths that should really bother a Springbok team. 

Guscott was saying at the half that Duhan should be deployed at pace from the offside wing….something the Boks did with JP in 09. But there was nothing so innovative from the Lions. They did out offload us 7 to 2, however, which shows just how verkramp our current tactics are.

Some on here would say I’m being negative…..I’m not, I’m demanding standards we are quite capable of meeting. We should have competed last year, Erasmus should have stayed on as a real coach not a water boy, we should be aiming to expand our skill set.

In large part we lost this even arm wrestle because the Lions were more match fit. Shame on Erasmus. But I’m afraid today underlined where our rugby is…..the Wales Semi, not the Pom final. We have great talent, but defending and kicking are not enough.

Did the Boks performance really surprise you?

Really?

It was only the South Africans who are hyping up the Boks.

No one else is.

I’m in the States and I know some ex Eagles. They have plenty of respect for the Boks. Our recent record against the ABs is one win, one draw and two losses. If the Boks are no good, that hardly reflects well on the ABs.

But no…. the Boks’ performance didn’t surprise me….you can’t avoid the fight for almost 2 years and expect to pick up where you left off. 

Also we need a backline coach….our tactics are too narrow.

The Boks are showing us what they really were in 2019: Lucky. That same team saw the handling errors increase when they tried to open up against the minnows. There was a large perriod where Canada were out playing us!

As I said before, the Bok model is backward and moving away from the trends in the game. They looked utterly impotent ball-in-hand, relying entirely on hoisting it up and hoping the Lions knock-on or a fortuitous bounce gifts them a try. It's not a sustainable model, it's a very limited plan that can nab you the odd noteworthy result, if you are stronger. I didn't think the replacement front row was anything to write home about, aside from Marx. Willie is utterly wasted by these substandard coaches as he labour's to create something a thousand miles in front of the gainline with nothing happening around him. It was embarrassing.

The Lions 13 was poor, but the rest of them are pretty competent, they look like a test level side when they move the ball, we don't. The disparity in skill and organisation is alarming to say the least. The 2009 Lions side would have put 40 points on this Bok team. The Lions team of 2017 would have done worse. 

The Lions manipulated the defence well. The Boks, as has always been the case under Josè and Crutch, couldn't. No physical dominance and we have no answer. What's the point of kicking if you don't possess aerially dominant players? A total tactical blunder. 

Invitably Rassies comes undr fire. 

How many Bok tries were disallowed by the TMO on very close calls - was it three. This test could as easily have been won as lost.

We have some key players out like Vermuelen and Snyman.  Malherbe is well off his best and its impossible for Lood to be at his best as well. Kwagga should not come near a Bok side. 

The fact is this Bok side has played next to no rugby together since the RWC. Whereas the Lions players have come off a 6 nations and had various tour matches to play together. They were match ready and we were not

I admit to being surprised at how the front row of Kitshoff, Marx and Malherbe went.

Can this be sorted in such a short period? 

I agree no Lions side can be weak. But that said they don't look like a great side.

Hopefully the Lions will be met with a Bok side ready to play 80 minutes.

Interestingly it was Mostert who went of and Etzebeth stayed. Now Mostert is the big engine man and he usually stays 80 minutes. M eaning he was not performing too effectively.

Yes I think we need another lock and Kwagga out. 

Unless they can sort the bench front row scrumming out then keep Ox and company on for 15 minutes in second half.

Why did Pollard go off?

Kwagga stays. A strong carrier into traffic and was a nuisance on the ground. Bettered both Kolisi and Steph. 

Lood is not better than Mostert, and was not better on Saturday. He was physically dominated, as he is in most instances. Overrated, and only adds to the stagnancy. José and Crutch went for weight to chase the game, which constricted our game through the bluntness of Damian et al, which only made it easier for the Lions. 

No more drivel please Org, we all know it matters not a dot how well Allende plays we will hear the same OLD BS.

What did he do that was noteworthy? Botched a pass to Am, which the supposedly biased Jonker ignored. What else? Give me one reference Herr Sitzsack. 

This Lions team was no stronger than the Welsh team we played in the WC. Perhaps a bit better at inside centre and Itoje and Lawes add something…..but that bit of player potential is easily trumped by Wales being an established team who know each other well.

It’s true that this game could easily have gone our way…..but it’s also true that the Welsh game could easily have gone their way. 

In both games we had no proactive style….just counter attack. The same was true in the final, but the Poms fed us lots of turnover ball, 

The Great Erasmus has no real plan for teams that don’t make mistakes…..the big idea for this game was run Dud Allende through Biggar’s channel. Genius!

Lomp is useless..he showed that yesterday. Kwagga is not half as bad as being made out here….he had to deal with a lot of difficult balls and by and large handled then well. Wiese looked ordinary for the As.

Haters….hahaha. So given the opportunity HasBeen you adopt the language of the Cancel culture.  Nope old chap you guys read far too much in a quirky win over an unfocused Pom team. We have simply been the voice of reason. 

We have a good team but we are playing limited rugby. If we play a strong opponent that makes no mistakes we will struggle. There is nothing new in the Great Erasmus’ game plan….just old style Bok rugby. 

And we have no ideas behind the pack….we need a backline coach who knows his stuff,

Mozart is a freak.  Did it not really matter that 14 days before the test 6 key players were infected by the Chinese virus  and could not train.   Players like for instance  Pollard and Malherbe were  totally out of training and it showed during the match.   The team ran out of steam as a result.  

The attacks on the Springboks and the coaching staff were expected by the lunatics who have been attacking the Springbok performances for near to two years now.      

Say Mike have you finally realized Lawes was playing 6…..waaaaaaahahahaha!

I’m no Kwagga fan and Mostert was not as apparent as usual yesterday. but you kragdadig freaks who think bigger is always better never learn. Wiese was a nothing in A match and Lomp was pounded backwards and lost the ball backwards killing our momentum yesterday.

Kwagga was ‘exposed’ fielding a ball over his head and being driven into by the pursuing player. He did a lot of good things yesterday, including covering a potential try scoring Lions tactical kick. With Kolisi and Dud Toit playing we need one technically competent loosie who covers the wider field.