Meyer on automatic pilot

Heyneke is now so consistent in his selections, we hardly have any team discussions. But Flip Flop's red and JJ's injury has caused a little oscillation, as Tiger would say. Fortunately Kruger is an experienced member of the team and can step in. Our lineouts will improve and we can challenge on NZ ball. Some might have opted for future Bok Stephanie, but wisely for a game as big as this....Meyer opted for experience.

In the centres we have Serfontein to start if JJ isn't up to it. A better choice might have been to leave Jean at 12 and play de Jongh at 13. After all de Jongh comfortably bested JJ when they met a few weeks back. But this again is the automatic pilot choice. Heyneke has one, two and three choices clearly established for each position.

Mozart

Are you crazy or something?   Suggesting De Jongh at 13 - OMG.   That is the most certain guarantee that the Springboks will lose by even a larger margin than I predicted that they would lose by.   Can anyone imagine him going AWOL again - like he did in the Twickenham test.

De Jongh - when he happens to be in his position where he should be and not hiding elsewhere on the field - is harmless in attack and useless in defence - in Super 15 this year he missed 25% of all attempted tackles.   Conrad Smith would have a field day opposite  that one if he was to play.   

As to Kruger - of what use is he on the field of play - he is a flop in line -out play and equally so in scrums and mauls situations - since he has no grunt.   When will Meyer ever learn that experience means nothing if not accompanied by performance.   He really has not cottoned onto that one yet.

Another handicap in a team with other handicaps as well.  

Different, better, but sadly ....wrong. The OOM had Oz beating us by more than 20 in Brisbane.

Mozart

Going for me again - rather comment on what I said.   In Superbru I gave the Springboks to beat the Wallabies in Brisbane - so please leave me out of the discussion.

It is about your comments on De Jongh and Kruger.   Why not make a reasonable response to that.  

As to Kruger's line out performance  - he gives me the creeps in that regard.   In the first Argentina game - the one lock (Albacete) was injured early and against the rookie who replaced him Kruger had a field day in line out take (9 in total)   However, the takes was in the main when the Pumas only had 7 forwards on the field of play.

In the test at Mendoza he took a total of 3 line outs and because he was so poor that day he was in the remainder of the tests replaced by Flippie.   The latter himself is not a star line out player and he is not better than Kruger.   The final nail insofar as Kruger is concerned  is the flop he made in that line out near the Aussie tryline on Saturday - that really showed his quality in line outs.  That makes him deserve the name Flop Kruger.

As to De Jongh - you were caught out lying about how De Jongh dragged Engelbrecht 5 meters every time he attempted to tackle him - and you admitted that you were wrong.   Why keep on with the Goebbels technique - if you repeat a lie often enough, some people may end up believing that it is the truth.   De Jongh is not a center's ass - he is in the squad  because of BEE - nothing else.  There are at least 5 centers in SA better than him.   

Mozart

I am not saying that I did not write on this Board - that the Wallabies would beat us by 20 points in Brisbane.   They were beaten - because they are very weak this year - not because we were so good - but because they were so good.   Looking at their record this year - I did on Suerbru posted a winning score for the Springboks.

We often enough struggle - because Meyer never got the best combination of players in the team - he constantly have at least 4 under-performers in the team.  I sincerely hope that the Springboks win on Saturday - but cannot see how that would happen with essentially Kruger and our constantly poor loosies on the field of play.   They remain bulk players with no ball handling skills and limited in most aspects of loosie play.   Even though we won last Saturday they were poor - giving away 6 penalties and a yellow coupled to extremely poor ball handling and protection of the ball.   Kolisi did squat - he was even worse than Alberts.   However, it is apparent Meyer wants not a tight 5 situation - but a tight 7 combination/

We could have had a bonus point win - but for the poor play of those 4 players and Kolisi.   No doubt you will argue about that - but look at the game again and you will see how many balls our loosies lost in handling and how many penalties they gave away - just not good enough.   If they did that against any stronger team the loss would have been unbelievable - and they are going to do just that again on Saturday - mark my words.

And then we have Morne - a player who cannot be rated as an attacking flyhalf - predictable and fiendish in aimless kicking like it is unbelievable.   He was very average - some would even say poor - on Saturday.   If he repeats that against the All Blacks - we would never smell victory.

 Xtramick

I am still waiting for s ingle rugby-related message on tis site by you - will it ever be forthcoming?????????

Oh nonsense Dave, JJ didn't beat de Jongh once. By contrast JJ needed help to stop de Jongh at least twice and the third time Juan beat him all ends up, but Ndungane slowed him up after which JJ got back to tackle him. That's bested in my book.

As for JJ's future, lets hope you are right. So far apart from the first Bargie game he might as well not been on the field in the RC. And there is the try he blew in Mendoza. He has done squat in 4 tests!

<br/> So far it's all hype....hell Willie had no trouble keeping up with his supposed express pace on Saturday.

 Dave what has he done in four games. The Kirchner try? Running 30 metres unchallenged because of Jean's brilliant pass? And then passing inside to Kirchner, whereas the better pass was outside to Willie? That's it?

And we have discussed the Mendoza try before, he missed Bosch his opposite number, for a try. An inconvenient truth, but a truth. To all intents and purposes JJ has been irrelevant for four tests.

 Sharkbok

To my mind whether  Engelbrecht passed inside or outside really would not have made any difference - the cover wing would not have got to Le Roux in time to prevent a try.   The difference was that Kirchner had a player to beat - which was relatively easy As Folau was running towards the outside line and had to stop and try and prevent being beaten on the inside - virtually impossible under the circumstances.

The real difference could have been that the try scored in the case of Kirchner have been scored nearer the post than out further out in the case of Le Roux.   That made for easier conversion, but a try was inevitable.

Obviously even though Saffex made light of it - the key to the try was the pass by De Villiers - who in reality is the playmaker in the Springbok backline.      

 Extramick

I agree with your assessment - but despite De Jongh's SA Rugby contract - I still do not think that his performance record is good enough in tests and even Super 15 to justify his selection.  

Where I do agree with you is on the issue of the threat that Stokkies Hanekom and Jordaan would post against Engelbrecht next year.   I think Jordaan has a better rugby brain and a better defence record than Engelbrecht and that Hanekom himself is a stronger player with ball in hand and brainier than Engelbrecht.

For most of this year the Sharks backline misfired in Super 15 and Jordaan went off the radar screen - but that is likely to be reversed next year.   I am also looking forward to see how Hanekom does in Super 15 next year and would not be surprised to see him coming out tops.

The issue of defence is also applicable.   Jordaan had the best stats on defence of any SA 13 this year in Super 15 missing only 6 % of all attempted tackles as against Engelbrecht's 16%  and De Jongh's 25%.   However, both Saffex and Mozart saw Jordaan missing one tackle on Fruean - turned the story into it that he missed two - and for days said that the missed tackle is the deciding factor in his career.   That to my mind is absolute crap - but leave that one be. 

It would be interesting to see how the situation pans out in Super 15 next  year.        

oi-matey

In any discussion with Mozart and Saffex - you must always remember that -

*   they each has favourites - who can in their minds do nothing wrong if it hits them in the face - and they always punted any good play by a player without regard to the circumstances leading up to the play;

*  they have a serious dislike of other players - whom they would run down like its nobodies business - one incident in one game determine careers - even though the incident may be a figment of their imagination.

They do not always punt the same players - Mozart normally stick to the over 28's and Saffex to the under 21's.

I suppose we all have our favoured players whom we punt all out - that is what makes membership of a site like the fun it is .  I often enough needle them on the issue and use the ESPN latest stats to support my arguments.  

Saffex and Mozart will never agree  on some players -  De Villiers, Du Toit and Engelbrecht being examples - so it is better to remember that and enjoy the fun by looking at arguments they invent to support their points of view. 

Cleancut

I think the belief in the Bok camp is that Engelbrecht will be able to play.   This week thus far in practice Serfontein trained at 13 - so he is not totally unprepared should he have to start.

In any event we will know by tomorrow afternoon whether Engelbrecht has passed the fitness test.

My problem with De Jongh in 2011 and 2012 was that he was not at all good in attacking play and over a period of two years managed to score only 3 tries (2 in Super 15 and 1 in the CC final).   This year he improved slightly on that having scored 3 tries in Super 15 - but his defence was hopeless in missing 25% of all attempted tackles in Super 15.   The other problem I have with him was his performances last year in tests he played in.  He was hiding away on the field of play in both the Marrayfield and Twickenham tests and did virtually nothing.  By hiding away I mean he was always on the side of the field where the ball would never go with the result he played virtually no role in either attacking or defending  in the tests concerned.   The above to my mind makes him a headache - but I agree that there is nobody else in the squad that can be brought in to be on the bench.   However, we should all pray he should not play - he is a real match loser if he repeats what he did last year and in Super 15.

I am not entirely sold on Engelbrecht and I think that looking at next year - there may be some other players coming into contention - depending of course on  performances in  Super 15 next year. 

Cleancut

I think the belief in the Bok camp is that Engelbrecht will be able to play.   This week thus far in practice Serfontein trained at 13 - so he is not totally unprepared should he have to start.

In any event we will know by tomorrow afternoon whether Engelbrecht has passed the fitness test.

My problem with De Jongh in 2011 and 2012 was that he was not at all good in attacking play and over a period of two years managed to score only 3 tries (2 in Super 15 and 1 in the CC final).   This year he improved slightly on that having scored 3 tries in Super 15 - but his defence was hopeless in missing 25% of all attempted tackles in Super 15.   The other problem I have with him was his performances last year in tests he played in.  He was hiding away on the field of play in both the Marrayfield and Twickenham tests and did virtually nothing.  By hiding away I mean he was always on the side of the field where the ball would never go with the result he played virtually no role in either attacking or defending  in the tests concerned.   The above to my mind makes him a headache - but I agree that there is nobody else in the squad that can be brought in to be on the bench.   However, we should all pray he should not play - he is a real match loser if he repeats what he did last year and in Super 15.

I am not entirely sold on Engelbrecht and I think that looking at next year - there may be some other players coming into contention - depending of course on  performances in  Super 15 next year. 

CancerCunt, watch the try set-up again you fucking idiot and you might just pick up the jink.

Its the jink that has the cover defence going wide and JJ's then able to put Kirchner into space on the inside.

But its woooosh over your stupid head.

de Jongh over JJ at centre is your call - sounds about right for the fucking idiot that selected Volmink on the wing, Pat Howard at 13, Boshoff at 10, Kockott at 9, Mellett at 1, Marcel v/d Merwe at 3, Minnie at 6 and Jacques Engelbrecht at 8 in his starting Bok side.

Case closed, its does not get more ignorant than that. Your grandmother could have done a better job of selecting a Bok side........you really are one stupid prick and you don't even know it.