Meyers Boks after number 1 spot

Ex Rugby Mag

Heyneke Meyer believes the Springboks will become the best team on the planet if the five Super Rugby franchises work harder towards a common goal, reports JON CARDINELLI in Paris. (Are the best but will be even more so would be better)

Meyer called an informal media gathering on Sunday following the big win against France at the Stade de France. The result marked the Boks' third win on their overseas tour and their 10th victory in 2013.

However, as Meyer was at pains to stress, the job is not even close to being done. The Boks want to become the best team in the world, and they want to win the World Cup in 2015.

Meyer said he was pleased to have won all three matches played in the northern hemisphere and feels this bodes well for a World Cup staged in similar conditions. The Boks' two losses in 2013 came against the All Blacks, and Meyer admitted that the next task is to win a New Zealand scalp in 2014.

But ultimately, the Boks are not just looking to catch up to All Blacks, but surpass them. And to do that, their preparation at national and Super Rugby levels is going to have to be more closely aligned.

'It would be a mistake to prepare for the All Blacks,' Meyer said. 'Then you're always going to be a follower. We have to look at where rugby is going in the long term and where we want to be, not just in the next two years, but in the next 10.'

Meyer acknowledged that the All Blacks are 'playing awesome rugby at the moment' (verty diplomatic Meyer!), but feels this is because the New Zealand system allows them to do so. South Africa doesn't boast the same central contracting system that prescribes the careful management of 150 players. Meyer has no say whether his elite players feature in every single Super Rugby match year-in, year-out.

WORKING TOGETHER

Meyer believes that the relationship between the Boks and the five franchises has improved over the past 12 months. Meyer visited all of the franchises ahead of the 2013 Super Rugby tournament, outlining his aims and goals for the coming season. Nearly 12 months on, the Bok coach admits that while progress has been made, it's still not nearly enough.

'In 2009, when the Boks beat the All Blacks three times in a row, the New Zealand coaches came together and decided that they needed to improve their kicking game,' said Meyer. 'There was a drive to improve an aspect of the game for the benefit of the national team. That's how we need to be working together.'

As a former coach of the Bulls, Meyer is mindful of the challenges facing the Super Rugby mentors. Every one of them is under pressure to produce results for their respective franchise rather than the Boks. In a sense, the system doesn't really allow for the coaches to give Meyer everything he needs.

Meyer knows that this will never be the case, but does hope that more compromises can be reached in future.

The real concern at present is the conditioning of the South African players, and how they are prepared to peak in the Super Rugby play-offs rather than at the business end of the Rugby Championship. This was evident in the recent tournament when the All Blacks outlasted the Boks in a high-tempo spectacle that was decided only in the final quarter.

The Bok coach wants to ensure South Africa gets this right sooner rather than later. Meyer said the aim was to put a structure in place that will make it possible for the Boks to not only compete with the All Blacks, but dominate world rugby for years to come.(As its only right they should. This being number 2 to the wee abs is total nonsense)

He will visit the South African franchises in early 2014 and also start working closer with the SA U20 side to improve relations between the junior and senior national sides. Meyer added that if the right system is implemented, the Super Rugby teams should also reap the benefits.

Again this shows just how well Meyer has identified key issues. Its tome  for the Boks to resume their rule of world rugby - sorry kiwis but you have been there only by default.

The only way we can begin to beat the AB's on a regular basis is by ditching this idea of investing in washed up hasbeens like Steenkamp, Pienaar, Bakkies and Fourie and showing limitless blind faith in the bog ordinary pivot named Morne.

We are establishing a dominant pack by discarding the physical weak links like Jandre Kruger, Pat Cilliers and Franco v/d Merwe.........but the biggest issue is we lack attacking clout from 9 to 13. This is frustrating considering we have the players to change that........Hougaard, v/Zyl, Reinach, Goosen, Lambie, Serfontein, de Allende and JJ. Add Jean and du Preez for experience and the fact that they have had a good year.

 I think the best summing up on this case was given by nukefreekiwi under another threat and I a quoting it under this one as well:-

" I can't believe some of you chops feel more optimistic about the Boks with the return of players who were rightfully put out to pasture.  The outlook for AB rugby looks promising as long as HM continues to reanimate Bokke hasbeens.  At the current rate, HMs RWC 2015 team will be an older, fatter and slower rehashed version of his 2010 Bulls team.  I'm not sure that the ABs can win the next RWC but one thing I am absolutely positive about is that the Boks won't win if they continue on this path of contracting retired and infirm players."

I seriously believe that the failed players of 2010-11 cannot be the core of the team for 2015 - if they are we are in serious trouble.   They were not good enough in those two years - what will make them good enough 4 years later when they are older, slower and less effective than they were in those two years?   Going the way we are going players under 30 years of age will be a rarity in the Springbok team and if we thought the 2011 WC squad was a team if hasbeens the 2015 team will be their seniors by years.

We have bee n unable to beat the AB's for 4 years now - what makes you think we can beat them with a squad of players that in the main was unsuccessful previously?   And to beat them is a requirement for the no 1 spot.

Beeno

Bar a collection of gibberish there is really no explanation given.  I asked a straightforward question - and got no sensible answer.

We came close to beating the AB's in 2 tests and the answer is then - why did we not win?  The answer really is simple.  We were let down in the Dunedin test by Morne Steyn and his rubbish kicking at goal.    In the Ellis Park test - whose defence let us down?  T he answer is simple - Morne Steyn, Willem Sloth Alberts and JJ Engelbrecht.   Morne also buggered up by not kicking the ball out of touch from inside his own 22 and passing the balls seconds before the halftime siren had to go.

If you keep those players in the squad we are dead in future as well.