So should we have settled down and kicked more to

We started resorting to kicking in the last quarter. Here's how our three tactical kicks in that period worked out for us:

62:42 Libbok hoists, we can't gather, White returns a box kick, Arendse drops it, Aus go wide, try other end - two kicks in a row that we lose, one of our own and one Aussie

70:51 Reinach box, possession lost, Wright kicks straight into touch giving us a lineout advantage at least, but we yet again couldn't secure the box kick. If Wright's kick landed just inside the field of play it would have been another 50m territory loss

73:50 Reinach box kick, we can't secure, McDermott makes 50m downfield in a dangerous counter

That is four kicks (one Aus, three Boks) - we couldn't gather one, conceded a try off one and had to weather a dangerous counter off the last. Does this sound like controlling the game? No, we did far better ball in hand, frequently won the Aussie 22, just didn't have the composure to execute once we got there.

I'd have gone more for phase play through the forwards and then kicking out and forcing set piece.

The ball was being spread too much for my liking, and it gassed our pack.

It's not that we had to revert to only kicking but that we could have mixed it up a lot better than we did.

The Boks seem to be a very black and white team. Either they want to run everything or they want to kick everything. For me, the most advantage comes when you use both...because then the threat of the other is always there.

This Saturday, will kick and crash exclusively.

Yes, and the composure once we got in the 22. PSDT's knock as he tried a hasty pick and go was not necessary, quick ball to the scrummie would have been better. The pass that Willemse knocked late in the game as we were attacking again was also a symptom of too frantic play, Kolisi's obstruction, we just needed to keep cool heads.

So by the way, I saw that Kriel twice collided with his inside carrier while running an inexplicable support line. First at 48:00 with Grant and then at 49:07 with Andre. No idea what was going on there or what he was trying to do - he's not putting himself in any position to receive an offload or a pass.

I mean, look at this. How many points did we leave out there? Andre has pinned THREE Aussies, there is a huge gap next to him. Kriel needs to occupy that space and call for the offload, try. Instead he charges straight into the contact, colliding with Andre. What is going on?

The question is why we left those points out there.

To my mind, the answer is synergy.

Rassie's "4 in every postiion" strategy came back to bit him in the arse. They were totally disjointed. And so now he had to go back to a team, a backline anyway, that is only missing the WC winners, because some are injured.

So, what progress has been made?

If he wanted to replace the older guys, which he absolutely had to do, he'd have started Williams, Sacha, AE, Moodie, Fassi in the majority of games this year...and have some of the older guys on the bench

Instead he mixed and matched, not caring about synergy, and no matter he says...he for sure blames the players that started last week. That's why he has dropped so many of them.

I have a feeling that this season might be bad enough that by the end of it, the Boks are gonna be all at sea.

I think we're 50/50 to win the next Ozzie test. Everybody is expecting a win, but I'm not banking on it. I feel like we're gonna be predictable and Schmidt will have a plan.

We're defos gonna lose both AB games.

For me, at best, we'll win 3 of our first 4 big games. We might lose all 4.

We'll probably, hopefully, beat Argentina.

But then we're for sure losing to both France and Ireland.

Meaning that this year, we'll perhaps have beaten Australia once and Argentina.

Keeping in mind that we were supposedly building all of last year, and we apparently have enough talent to have 4 players in every position.

If my predictions are correct, what would that say about a coach that thinks we have enough talent I have 4 players in each position?

This thing about having an Uber squad, what is the benefit?

At the presser, Rassie actually shot himself in the foot, saying "With such a big squad, it's hard to give everybody game time."

In other words, I created this problem, and now I'm using it as an excuse.

In some cases synergy, but in this case also just situational awareness. A gap the size of Ou Maaik's D-cups open in front you yet you charge back into the contact on a line that leaves you in no position to receive an offload or a pass? Just weird. Same thing a minute earlier - look at all that space to the left, wide open. Why would you come back inside on a line that takes you into the defense instead of running the white arrow towards the space, open to receive the ball from the carrier?

lol that one with Williams was a proper clanger.

Jessie had a very bad game...and was solely responsible for one of the tries too. One that occasion, from memory, he kind of ran into and impeded Moodie and then missed the tackle.

What i don't get is why Moodie isn't being shown more trust in the position that brought him to the dance.

Nah that was pure Moodie unimpeded, Kriel actually had the harder tackle on a guy moving away from him at pace with a fend on. Wright is a tricky customer.

We better hope Moodie can cover across from his wing as well as Arendse did. Arendse saved two tries covering off his wing. Moodie better be awake because the Aussies will probably be looking to exploit that space in behind us again. I'm still not sure what Moodie's best position is - for me he looked better on the wing in the URC iirc.

I just checked the reverse angle of that try again - look yet again how narrow our defense is, all defending inward. Aussie again getting two men wide of our defensive line with McD way out on the left.

I'd like to see it again, but if Moodie and Kriel did get there, then it's not a problem with the system, since the system puts you in the position, but it's on you to make the tackle.

Anyway, I do think we need to move on from Kriel as well. He's always been very average in my book. Between Hooker, Moodie, and Willemse...we have three better guys for that position.

Looked at the try again.

Jessie shoots out of the line and for some reason he runs into and grabs Oz 22.

He shoves off the 22 as the ball is passed to Wright, which all wasted time, but he gets into a defensive position directly in front of Wright.

In your last image above you can see how far Moodie is from Wright when he gets the ball. Moodie gets to Wright and slows him down a touch, but Wright steps Kriel and is away.

For me, that try is caused by Jessie for some reason choosing to run into the back of the 22, and actually coming close to being penalised for a tackle without the ball.

Moodie could probably have made that tackle but Wright was Kriel's man in that play.

I remember watching it live and thinking that Moodie was confused by Kriel seemingly wanting him to make the tackle when Wright was Kriels responsibility.

Do you have an angle of the try from behind the Bok team, cos that's the angle that have me the impression that I had and I'd like to look at it again.

Fair call - my guess is he wanted to spot tackle Suaalii but Kellaway got in the way, but as you say, Moodie already had him. Probably that lack of synergy and perhaps communication you pointed out earlier. You can almost equate that with Jesse running inside onto his carriers, his awareness and judgement just seemed way off.

Do you have an angle of the try from behind the Bok team, cos that's the angle that have me the impression that I had and I'd like to look at it again.

I have the whole game, which specific part of the try do you want the reverse angle of?

Did the whole sequence for you, hope it comes out big enough. Looking at the distances, Kriel charging at Sua was a really bad call.

Thanks, Pakie

Yeah, that last image, watching it live I thought Kriel was much closer to Wright. Obviously just because it's from behind so one can't see how far he is from Wright.

But looking at it more closely now, I still think Wright was Kriels man. And I think the way he backed off of him is what confused Moodie, who suddenly realised he had to try and make the tackle.

Where do you get the full game videos from?

...and if you have a collection...can we DropBox?

Welcome. You can torrent them from this site.

Lol are torrents still a thing???

haha last I torrented was from Pirate Bay

Thanks man.

Hehe, I know, had to download BitTorrent again just for this.