Morne Steyn is a predictable threat

In the 60th minute of the Springboks' 33-31 win against Argentina two weeks ago, replacement No.10 Morne Steyn ripped a beautiful flat pass, left to right, to take out two Pumas defenders and put Jean de Villiers in enough space to release Cornal Hendricks for a crucial try.

South Africa has gone back to what it knows against the Wallabies on Saturday – Steyn replaces youngster Handre Pollard and Victor Matfield returns to run the lineout – and it makes it more dangerous for the Wallabies. More predictable? Possibly, but the Springboks have never done unpredictability well. Territory, set piece, hard kick chases, pressure. It is still a base game that is hard to defeat, especially if the Perth forecasters are right and there are showers and strong winds on Saturday.

Had Steyn been wearing gold or black when he made that pass, more would have been made of it, but he has always been a good decision-maker and distributor. Will he attack the line? Not if he can help it. And at times on Saturday it will appear he is trying to remove the maker's name from the ball with his preference for using the boot, but South Africa looked poorer for his absence from the starting XV in the first two rounds. Pollard looks like he is going to be a very good Test player. Not yet though.

In fact, with Steyn summoned from the bench South Africa suddenly looked a lot more comfortable with its patterns, like slipping into a favourite pair of trousers that are sympathetic to the waist. Steyn sat in the pocket and heaved contestable bombs to the heavens, the wingers chased and the Argentinians failed to cope with it. At restarts Steyn again gave the wide men – and Bryan Habana and Hendricks are quick, seriously quick – enough time to put the Pumas' catchers under some heat deep in their own territory.

There was another feature to the Springboks' play when Steyn came on in Salta that the Wallabies must be wary of: it seemed to bring Willie le Roux into the game. On at least two occasions he injected himself on the opposite side of the ruck to Steyn, at pace, to give them a second ball-playing option.

We've seen in the past how the Wallabies have been caught out when Israel Dagg does something similar, especially on the blindside, and le Roux carries a similar threat. So when Steyn ambles languidly back into the pocket it doesn't always mean the Boks are going to kick. Le Roux has a wonderful range of skills – chip kicks, wide passes, good feet – and it looks like he has also been given licence to call the play when he thinks something is on.

The other change to their back line also improves the visitors. Damian de Allende makes way for Jan Serfontein in the midfield, and after the past two performances it would have been a simple decision. On one rare counter-attacking opportunity in Argentina, de Allende had numbers to the left but simply hacked an awful kick into touch on the full, and he coughed up possession in contact at other times. The Boks will get a better platform from their scrum against the Wallabies than they did against Argentina, and they will surely use de Villiers for a lot of their first-phase midfield carries.

You get the sense the Boks are really going to strip back their game to the basics of what they do so well, and ask the older heads to take charge.

Speaking of which, think back to the Springboks' narrow win against Wales in the second of their two-game series in June if you want to give yourself nightmares. In an almost identical part of the paddock to where Richie McCaw called two lineout drives against the Wallabies in Auckland, Matfield did the same against Warren Gatland's side. The result was two penalty tries and a Welshman in the bin.

Neither the Wallabies nor the Springboks are playing well enough to enter Saturday with expectations of a win, but the Boks' changes mean the Wallabies are going to have to work that little bit harder to get one.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/south-africas-morne-steyn-is-a-predictable-threat-to-the- wallabies-20140904-10c5oi.html#ixzz3CRLqxUAO

 Morne has his haters, but why then when he came on did the back line suddenly begin to fire?  That young one is still very raw and must play in 20 minute bursts, after he watched Morne play.  The haters will have all kinds of wobbly theories as to why the backs were better with Morne on the field, but it does not bother me, I know that they know, that I know, deep inside they like him; it is just fashionable to follow the haters and 'specially if you know nothing about the role of the flyhalf in the game.  He is the centre of the spine and if he is weak the flow down the spine is affected.

 Morne made a huge difference to the whole team when he came on....he oozes calm and purpose. I like your Willie point Gonzo. If the Boks can play left/right centres....they can certainly sneak Willie into first receiver on occasion. For one thing it would make any kick from Pienaar more effective, because of the anticipated run.

 I am not hugely troubled by Morne playing. What is of concern is the combo of Morne and Pienaar. Neither do much on attack. That is a serious deficiency.

 Morne s preictable - but a threat he is not.  Matter of fact he normally is a handiap.   Kindkly remember the charge down kick in the Pretoria test and the kick directly into touch in the Salta test.  Both had the potential of a los or at least a draw by yhe  Springboks.  Predictable is not a good word - robotic is better.
This guys constant aimless kicks will be mannah from heaven for Folau.         

 Mike old friend, your rugby knowledge is just about as good as your spelling and that (to put it mildly) is atrocious as is your grammar at times.

Solank jy glo jy is reg slaap jy seker lekker.