If one had to guess you'd probably say Rassie has added more to the Boks than could be accounted for by any foundation that may have Coetzee laid.
For relatively long stretches this season it appeared that the Boks had direction. There was something that they were aiming at and they had a seemingly improved idea of how to get there.
Against England it all went wrong almost immediately. The first few big moments in both the first two tests went all England's way. The Boks brought both games back from sizeable defecits so despite the final totals not being very close the games themselves were hairraisers. In the final game the Boks had parity as concerns big early moments yet lost. Dead rubber that it was.
The RC, despite the ABs winning it as usual, was a bit of an abberaiton from a Bok perspective. They didnt expect to win in Wellington and with 70 minutes to go at Loftus they didn't expect to lose. At different stages a clean sweep by each side looked more than possible. The ABs before Wellington probably had the Boks pegged for two reasonably easy wins. So did most of us. The Boks on the other hand had a hand on a two wins year against the ABs by the time the Loftus game arrived. It ended one a piece to everyone's surprise.
The end of year tour could in some way be seen in a similar light. Especially seeing how many of the games turned out. England, France, Scotland and Wales(not so much) all took the Boks very close. Which in reality is a bit flattering to the Boks in light of the last two seasons.
There have been no easy games this year. My nerves were tested just by watching the Boks play this year so hopefully some of the player's nerves will have been mauled as well. Valuable learnings prior to a WC season. No?
It did however go wrong all too often as well. Individual and team misakes cost the Boks at key moments in most of the above games.
The general discipline was not horrendous. Key penalties given away and some poor defensive reads did however combine to make this yet another lackluster season.
Recently both the Welsh and English games were lost as a result of a few key moments towards the end. The Loftus AB game was similar.
Unforced individual errors is what cost the Boks the most this year. Mistakes that changed the momentum of games at crucial moments, be it in the first or second half. Snyman was playing an opposing jumper in the air on Saturday. Dyanti could be seen darting out of line with poor timing to allow acres of lost ground. PSDT tried to carry an AB upside down accross the field at Loftus. There's plenty more examples but the point is that none of those errors can be blamed on tactics or on Rassie.
Sure you might say that Darting Dyanti is being told to do so. At that level he should be aware enough of the space and time that he has to act to instruction but within reason. He doesn't appear to be able to. Is he one of those truly mercurial guys?
Without trying to blame individuals for our season, one has to say that individually lots of people are makoing mistakes that arent part of the team strategy. And it must be a nightmare for the coach.
The consequences of these mistakes aren't insignificant either. They have the potential to turn an 80% year into a 50% one.
Of course there are some changes that need to be made to the squad. Ask DDA, i think he already knows his future. Haha.
It does strike me that when I think back on the season it's those crucial errors that stand out. More than they usually do anyway.
It is hard to imagine trying to compensate for those types of moments.
Again, not picking on Dyanti but his jumping to take a high ball when not a soul was within thirty meters of him is another incident that stands out. He knocked on and gave away about half the field.
What must be most difficult is reminding players of what is acceptable and what isn't. What's expected and what's simply not good enough.
Before blaming Rassie or strategies i'd have a long hard look at the brainfart factor first. The somehow unique skill that people have to do stupid things when the easier thing would have been not to.
And they are brainfarts. Wake Dyanti up in the middle of the night ask him when he should and shouldnt jump for a high ball and he'll recite the right technique at once. Same with Snyman and playing jumpers in the air and with PSDT carrying an AB upside down in the current rules meta.
My feeling is that Rassie has brought with him a new(old) strategy and has implemented it reasonably well but individuals have let him down. Most agreed that his squad was adequate. Of coruse we all had a few we'd have liked to see dropped or included. Some of us thought that perhaps the focus went too heavily into the kicking game. Others the opposite.
Whatever happened this year, the structure and personnel looked like it had the ability be succesful. The Boks put big and lasting pressure on some good teams and all comers were taken to the wire. There are positives there.
It's just a shame that were it not for a handful of individual errors there would be good few more positives to discuss.
England, Wales and the AB Loftus game could easily have gone the Boks way.
How would the season look then? That would have made it a 70-75% first year for Rasman.
