'SKILFUL' BOKS BEGINNING TO BELIEVE; Rugby 365

INTERVIEW: THERE IS NO MAGIC WAND THAT WILL SEE SOUTH AFRICA SUDDENLY PLAY THE SAME FREE-FLOWING, EXPANSIVE GAME AS NEW ZEALAND. JAN DE KONING REPORTS.

However, there is no reason why the Springboks - in a year or two - could not be just as well equipped as the All Blacks and produce the thrilling, high-paced, skill-based game that has kept the Kiwis at the top of the game's totem pole.

Warren Whiteley - who could be rewarded with a starting place against Ireland at Newlands this coming Saturday, after taking the selfless decision to five up an opportunity to play Sevens at the Olympics - is adamant that South African do have the talent and skill to match the Kiwis.

However, he warned that - like the Lions - the Boks may take a year or two to find "the right balance" between the team's traditional strengths and a more entertaining brand.

Whiteley admitted it was an "extremely difficult decision" not to take up Sevens coach Neil Powell's offer to play with the BlitzBoks and have a crack at the Olympic squad.

The bighearted Lions captain described it as "probably the most difficult decision in my career", adding it is "still difficult".

However, he had to choose between playing Sevens or the 15-a-side code.

"With the role I was playing at the Lions it felt like I would be turning my back on the team," Whiteley told a media briefing during the team's build-up to the opening match in the three-Test series against Ireland.

"That would have been a selfish decision," he said of leaving the Lions to play Sevens, adding: "There is still a part f me that wants to go to the Olympics and I want to be part of something special.

"However, I have a job to do at a union that has given me a lot over the last three years."

And that sacrifice could be rewarded with a starting spot when new Bok coach Allister Coetzee named his 23-man squad on Thursday this week.

Duane Vermeulen, the only other specialist No.8 in the squad, only joined up with the team from Toulon on Sunday. With him only starting to train on Monday, there may not be enough time for Vermeulen to slot into the Bok routine ad familiarise himself with the structures and calls.

Whiteley, with all three his previous Test appearances having been off the bench, could be part of a very exciting loose forward combination that could see Vermeulen play off the bench - and have another European-based player, Bath flank Francois Louw, in the mid.

Other flanks in the squad are Siya Kolisi, Jaco Kriel and Sikhumbuzo Notshe.

Whiteley cautioned against expectations that the Boks would, at the flick of a switch, start playing like the All Blacks.

However, he feels they are heading in the right direction.

"I can only talk from the experience I have at the Lions, I have only played three Tests," he said, when asked about the Boks tactics, adding: "It did take a while [for the Lions], but what is really important is the belief you have in the system and the style of rugby you want to play.

"You need the buy-in from every single player. [Even] if you have the buy-in, you are still going to make mistakes. However, if you believe in what you are going to do and stick to it, then the improvement will come, the decision-making will get better and over time [you will improve].

"It has taken us [the Lions] time, but now we play good rugby."

Whiteley said you don't want to move away from what has made the Springboks, traditionally, very strong - set pieces, scrums and line-outs, physical contact, dominance in the contact zone.

However, he is adamant that South Africa has enough skill-based players, "fantastic talent".

"You need to utilise that as well," Whiteley said, adding: "To get the balance right is going to be crucial.

"I truly believe South African players are just as skilful as New Zealanders.

"You can watch schools games in Cape Town, or go look at Grey [in Bloemfontein] or in the Paarl. Go look at schools games and you'll see the skills, even look at an Under-13 game.

"We do have the players with the skills. It is an attitude [thing], to believe in what you do.

"That was the big change at the Lions.

"It is beginning to happen here [at the Boks]."

He said players need the freedom to express themselves.

"You mustn't be scared to make mistakes, you must be able to express yourself on the playing field."

 Well, Whiteley is saying what many posters on this site want to hear, perhaps this is not the case with Dr Moz though - his opinion will be the contra of CleverMike's on that we can be sure

 Whiteley's made a mistake. 
He should have taken the opportunity to go to the Olympics with both hands.
15 man rugby will be there long after the Games have come and gone.
Besides. there is no guarantee he'll have an extended run as a Bok. 
There's l ots and lots of quotas to draw in.  

 CC -  Seeing is believing - the players could use a more comprehensive game plan - but I am not sure it would actually happen - since it dep ends on team selection. 

 Not sure what you've responded to, Mike but yes ... we're all looking forward to his match 23 ... and yes ... it's imperative that we actually see a game plan in action and not Meyer's "kyk noord, f0k voort" policy. 
That in itself would be rather refreshing.

Agree with you - I was referring to the game plan discussed by Whiteley - and Meyer was the wrong person to be the Springbok coach - with him Springbok rugby was damaged badly.  "Kyk Noord, F0k voort" accurate description.  

INTERVIEW: THERE IS NO MAGIC WAND THAT WILL SEE SOUTH AFRICA SUDDENLY PLAY THE SAME FREE-FLOWING, EXPANSIVE GAME AS NEW ZEALAND. JAN DE KONING REPORTS. We do not want to play the same same game that ABs play. We want to play free flowing rugby but that does mean that we want to emulate the Kiwis. The Kiwis did not invent running rugby nor do they own it. We do not want to mould ourselves after them. We want to play the kind of rugby that the Boks used to play. That's all.

 Whiteley said you don't want to move away from what has made the Springboks, traditionally, very strong - set pieces, scrums and line-outs, physical contact, dominance in the contact zone.Bok sides of old always knew had to attack and this balanced rugby saw us dominating the kiwis over many decades. So it' s really returning to how we used to play.Plum is correct we do not want to play nz ballet rugby.  Terrorise nz at forward as usual and slash them to pieces on attack.All would be great except politics will decimate the teams chances even if bent down under refs dont!

Plum your right Kiwi's don't own expansive rugby but they have mastered it better than any other team on the planet. Beeno the Bok "decades of kiwi domination " is a Beeno perpetuated myth...ask Kevin Skinner how the Bok forwards 'terrorized" him, SA has good backs the difference is not one would make a AB team, where as several AB backs would displace their SA counterparts if available to the Boks.  

 And how many All Black forwards would make the Bok team ... maybe Read ... probably only on the bench though.  

 I do not think any of the Tight 5 of NZ will make the grade - but there could be another loosie than Read.  Maybe Ardie Savea - but when he is kept tighter he is not as flashy as he is otherwise - eg in the Sharks game.  And in a test he would have to help out up front as well.      

 None of their props could match ours if we select according to merit.
They have a class hooker but I'm sure we could match him with Marx.
Their locks suck. Especially against Eben and PSDT.
Kriel is a class act. Ardie isn't bad ... but he's no Kriel.
Read is a Skinstad type 8th man while Duane is much more physical. Prefer Duane.
They might get a look in at blindside flank ... but with who? Kaino is old and I can't really think of any others fronting up to the likes of Jannes Kirsten, Marcel Coetzee or even Cyle Brink.

 What you guys dont seem to get is our forwards suit OUR style of play .Check out the track record the last 7 years or so .The converse is true Bok forwards suit whatever your style of play is.

 Spot on wardad, your forwards are a cohesive, dynamic but most importantly intelligent unit. The Boks in contrast would shade the AB’s

In individual brawn but not in collective brain. 

Just think about what the AB's would achieve if they have a decent Tight 5 set-up - they would be top of the rugby world and never lose a test.  There problem remains that there deficient Tight 5 cause them to get weaker balls.   By the way I like Coles as a hooker - but he is weak in scrumming.   In the case of SA  I sincerely believe that Meyer buggered up badly by his selections and game plan - that caused strings of losses for the Springboks.

 Mike last time I looked they were 'top of the rugby world'.Individual players can bring an X factor to a team but for me it is far more important to select form players who gell together and bring the best out of each other. It is a team sport after all.    

I wonder if the Zika virus didn't play some part in WW's decision?
As for Kiwi forwards vs SA forwards and what type of rugby each one suits, well, the role of a forward pack is basically to get the ball to their backs so that the backs can score points. What the All Blacks do differently to everyone else is sacrifice sheer size for mobility so that their forwards can link with the backs and actually enhance the backline . . . unlike us South Africans who have big, slow and clumsy forwards destroying backline efforts rather than adding any value.
Sure if it was all 1st phase rugby we'd prefer an Etzebeth to a Whitelock, a Skulk to an Ardie Savea or a Bismarck to a Coles but once you start putting the phases together, the fitter, faster and more skilful All Black forwards will add a lot more value than the gigantic fatties we tend to pick who are out of puff exactly when the game loosens up and the Kiwis are at their most dangerous.
Yes it's a generalisation and no doubt the pedants will start squealing about this SA player who's so fast or that NZ player who so slow and unfit . . . but in general their forwards are not only faster and more skilfull, they have superior technique to everyone else and more than match them in the tight phases as well!

 Coles, Whitelock, Reid, Kaino (the Lomp slayer)and Franks would contend strongly for Bok starting spots with Coles and Reid almost certainties.

 For all the BS I can never remember  our pack dominating NZ since readmission. In fact in the crucial 2015 semi and in the 2003 QF, the AB pack outplayed us. It's always been the expectation, never fully realized.
NZ don't make as much fuss about power, but their forwards are well schooled....it's not like playing an Oz pack, these guys have been doing it since they were 6 and they know as much about forward technique as we do.

If we are dominant it should show up in the scrums.....but we have never made the commitment to turning our size advantage into a scrumming advantage.

 IMHO Reid is the most over hyped player for NZ...ever. I don't like him at all. Bigger show-pony than Skinstat and even larger gamesman than Fitz Patrick. Arshole of note in my biased book. May he still captain the Allblacks for years! He'll  curb some of their greatness. 

 Reid gets the job done for us Mr Draad ,the ABs in the here and now dont pick non performing show ponies as Captain .Reids performance speaks for itself and off field hes a pretty decent feller or so my NZ rellies tell me .Your biased book speaks volumes but not about wee Reid .Not so clevermike what exactly is there left for the ABS to achieve ? Do you not understand that our forwards are just as we would have them and are part of the reason the ABs lost only 3 games in 4 years .BokBf gets it I dont know why you dont ,and this mighty Bok pack h ow did it go in the RWC or against NZ last year ?

Simply  put...you can't dominate world rugby with a poor tight five.

If the game were 15 forwards vs. 15 forwards- I would back the Boks to beat the all blacks. 
The big difference is that the Springbok backline play has declined rather than improved in the professional era. 
All too often we either have small skilful players like Kolbe or bigger cart horses. 

 The backline coaching of the Springboks has been a disgrace over the past 18 years with two coaches making an especially poor contribution - namely White and Meyer.  White had to bring Eddie Jones in for the 2007 WC to try and get some life into the Springbok matches - but for the rest White's deficient contribution was also displayed at the Sharks and as late as the game between Racing and Montpellier on Sunday.   Hard to believe - but Meyer was even worse than White from a backline coaching perspective.   Both of them try to utilize loosies or other forwards as flyhalfs and hence disregarded any contribution backlines could make.      

 The backline coaching of the Springboks has been a disgrace over the past 18 years with two coaches making an especially poor contribution - namely White and Meyer.  White had to bring Eddie Jones in for the 2007 WC to try and get some life into the Springbok matches - but for the rest White's deficient contribution was also displayed at the Sharks and as late as the game between Racing and Montpellier on Sunday.   Hard to believe - but Meyer was even worse than White from a backline coaching perspective.   Both of them try to utilize loosies or other forwards as flyhalfs and hence disregarded any contribution backlines could make.