03 Sept 2013, 07:59#6
I hope the Bok come to Brisbane play well - but lose in hard, fair contest. Then put it all together and kick all the kicks they missed in last year's equivalent and Greyling get a cameo to repeat his foulplay (as it wont get carded) and get the elusive away win over the ABs.....
In all seriousness I think going to be hardfought games both weeks but expecting the Bok to bring it big time in both games..... no lay down misere/s here.......................
BTW gotta back your team no matter what.... look how tough supporting the wallabies and reds has been !!!!!!
CLclevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CLclevermikeCoach57,555 posts
03 Sept 2013, 09:48#8
Mozart
There is a faint hope that the team could still win - but a recent opinion poll indicates that there are serious reservations about the present team. The main problems are -
* 46% of respondents claim there is too much aimless kicking;
* 28% believe that the recovery of balls at breakdowns is entirely deficient, too slow or ineffective;
* 16% of respondents forsee defence problems wider out; and
* the remainder are worried about the counter-attacking of players like Folau and O'Connor.
Meyer - in his selections - got stuck in the mould he used for the Bulls in Super 15 as from 2004. Although the laws were changed since 2008 to allow for more free-flowing and attacking rugby - Meyer did NOT adjust his thinking about games.
The question remains - how did Meyer respond to the misgivings of the general public as outlined above and the following is evident:-
* Meyer picked Pienaar and Steyn as half-backs. Both are known for their kicking rather than anything else. Both are also known for more than 70% of their kicks to be ineffective and counter-productive. Too many of their kicks are simply means to hand over possession to the opposition. While those two are sure to kick aimlessly - he is on the point of adding a third aimless kicker to the mix in the form of Kirchner.
* Like the general public Meyer believes that breakdown ball recovery is a problem - so he appointed a Consultant to try and solve the problem. However, he immediately reverted back to his 2004 mental block and pick loose forwards who are too slow, too clumsy and physically unable to play a role in ball recovery. They recover balls - but by the time it has happened - the opposition has lined up their defences and the opportunity for attack is lost. Recovery just means another maul 2 meters further. His whole back row is seriously deficient and that remains a major problem.
* While there are some question marks about Engelbrecht's defence - there are no question marks about the defence of Basson and Kirchner. They are just bad failures - nothing else.
Although everybody will back their team - there are serious reservations about the team selections and strategy - why do we need to have a tight game - while every top team on the planet have started already to adjust their thinking in rugby taking into account the law changes? Why select players with dubious performance abilities over players who have performed well during the past year?
I think Meyer has a problem - he is a nice guy - no doubt - he is passionate about SA Rugby - no doubt - but he is also old-fashioned and out of touch with modern rugby realities. It is the last aspect that really is going to bite us more and more in future. The public would like to see him adjust his thinking to 2013 - but there is a very faint hope of that happening. The tight game you say is the only option available to SA - is ultimately a game we are bound to lose - because the tight players Meyer selects are deficient and unable to compete physically in the modern environment of the game. There is still a vague hope that Meyer might realize that he is wrong - but the public in general is not happy.
Nobody really wants Meyer to fail - but his present approach ensures failure and you say we have a 25% chance of winning - that I believe is an over-estimate and the chances are less than 10%,
CLclevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CLclevermikeCoach57,555 posts
03 Sept 2013, 10:26#9
Mozart
Aside from my comments above- I came across the following comments by you:-
"It's annoying that two of our three best forwards are hookers....but that's life. Just as long as he doesn't change our back row or mess with Juandre! I'm hoping rotate means rotating JJ to the wing ....hell that's not the worst fate for a Dave centre pick, Craig Burden was rotated to hooker! "
The issue of the back row is - I believe not 28% of the problem - but very near to 50% of our problem. I think some people will never ever learn that that is where we are bound to lose. That back row was problematic in previous tests and I am quoating for you the statistics on the Soweto test as a reminder:-
SA BACK ROW:-
Louw 0/0 0 0/4/4 0 0 0 0 0 5/2 0/0 0 0/0
Alberts 0/0 0 0/0/4 5 0 0 0 0 1/0 2/0 0 0/0
Vermeulen 0/0 0 0/4/1 0 0 0 0 1 6/0 3/0 0 0/0
ALL BLACKS BACK ROW
Messam 0/0 0 0/5/7 39 1 2 0 0 6/0 1/0 1 0/0
McCaw 0/0 0 0/3/5 16 0 0 0 1 15/0 1/0 2 0/0
Read 0/2 0 0/14/6 60 1 1 1 1 9/0 1/0 2 0/0
I fail to understand your logic - why can a seriously defective back row not be changed?
Then there is also your statement on Juandre Kruger - one of the wiorst locks imaginable. Why should Meyer not "mess" with him?
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
03 Sept 2013, 17:06#12
Jake White beat the Aussies once Australia in four years and in six tests. Then he went on to win the RWC. By my calculation Ruggerbutt that was a 17% chance of winning. See how stupid that logic is? A coach has to be judged on a multitude of things, an Australian loss is hardly sufficient to be fired after 8 straight wins.
CLclevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CLclevermikeCoach57,555 posts
03 Sept 2013, 18:55#13
Mozart
Lets look at the performances last year - 12 played - 3 losses - 2 draws. Now let look at what the opposition entailed. Two wins and a draw against England locally when England was in a rebuilding phase - with Meyer using the old non-functional crap player he has become know for. Then a win at home against Argentina and a draw away. Thus far 2 losses 2 draws - 3 wins. Then two away losses in Australasia followed by a win in Pretoria and a major loss in Soweto. After we ended up third on the RC log - we had 4 losses - two draws and 4 wins. Hardly putting on a winning performance one would think.
Then followed the end of year tour - where we played the Irish B team and scraped home. We did the same against Scotland - a tam which was beaten easily by TONGA the week afterwards. The last win was against England - whose captain had a brain seizure and took the wrong option at the wrong time - another loss was looming - but for him.
Anyway - that was followed by the June tests wins against teams rated below 9 on the rating scale and 2 wins against Argentina - also rated way below SA. Lets accept the five wins this year - but I forecast four losses against Australia and New Zealand, followed by a losses against France and Wales. If we manage to beat the Scots - which is doubtful - we will have a glorious success rate of 50%.
The question is why are we struggling against teams we should beat easily and why are we not competitive against stronger teams? The answer is Meyer and his selections - as well as his game plan.
He picks the worst collection of players to fill half of the positions on the field of play and then hope for a miracle. In the modern era - with the changed rugby laws - you cannot pick a back row that is as bad as our present back row is and hope for success. Meyer believes I is still 2004 - when heavy and slow forwards could make their mark - the laws changed and the other countries improved their game approach - Meyer did zilch of the kind. .
We are not living in Jake White's era - we are living in 2013. We can play winning rugby - but not with the team selected by our coach. History means nothing - we need to do something to improve our performances - all Meyer is doing is to destroy any effort to improve our rugby by selection of players such as Steenkamp, Kruger, Alberts, Pienaar and Kirchner. They never were part of a successful team after the 2007 WC - and went bad as they got older.
Do I have to explain slightly more carefully - Meyer is taking our rugby back by 10 years and if he gets a 50% winning record this year - he should be fired forthwith.
The first thing he should do is to forget about his dead back row and aimless kicking half backs. And also make sure that we do not have dunces like Steenkamp and Kruger in the team. If he realizes that and do something about it - there is a faint hope that he may yet succeed.
Why did you say he must not change is back row and why did you say he must not mess with Kruger? Kindly explain why that backrow is successful bearing in mind the Soweto performance last year.
Obviously it seems to me that you are still in the 2004 mode - same as Meyer and that indicates your unwavering support for him. Really sad situation - that one.
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
03 Sept 2013, 19:19#14
So far we have played 8 matches against the NH teams under Meyer and won eight. We have lost 3 out of 4 against the TN teams....which is historically typical. There is nothing in Meyer's record to suggest he should be dropped for performance. End of story.
-
As for my comment about not changing Kruger and the back row, read it again. It was a joke you humourless toad.
CLclevermike
Coach57,555 posts
CLclevermikeCoach57,555 posts
03 Sept 2013, 23:22#15
Mozart
Accepted that you are using the joke excuse to explain away facts of life. Sorry - I re-read the statement again and did not get it as a joke - but I accept that explanation - since anybody defending that back row must be regarded as joking about it. .
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
03 Sept 2013, 23:27#16
OOm you are the last person I expect to get a joke....mostly because it's hard to be that self aware.
