South African sides in worrying trends

South African sides in worrying trends

Of the three Investec Rugby Championship nations South Africa appear to be struggling the most if Super Rugby form is anything to go by.

And after the Sharks loss to the Highlanders at the weekend, the failure of the Bulls to win a game on their tour, and the earlier lack of success for South African sides in Australia and New Zealand, former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has more ammunition for his criticisms of the loss of ball skills among South African players.

Speaking on SuperSport Mallett said conservative rugby and poor skills were plaguing rugby in South Africa. This followed his earlier criticism of the style of rugby being played at all levels in the Republic.

It was a problem through all the grades and Mattett said at schools and grassroots level there was not enough emphasis on teaching young players attacking skills.

Ball skills in the country needed 'a tremendous amount of work', he said.

Mallett made an appeal to schoolboys coaches.

"Please teach guys evasive skills, the ability to time a pass, to straighten, to create space on the outside, to run at a gap, to hit-and-spin, to try and offload if you're still on your feet, to try and get continuity without getting to a breakdown and without kicking an up-and-under," he said.

Recent games between South African sides in Super Rugby derbies had highlighted why the Springboks had difficulties when they tried to run the ball against the All Blacks.

"It's no surprise to me that Heyneke Meyer [Springboks coach] decides to play a very limited game with the Springboks.

"It's no wonder the Springboks play a kicking game, because we are not capable of holding onto the ball for long periods," he said.

nick mallet -

"It was a problem through all the grades at schools and grassroots level there was not enough emphasis on teaching young players attacking skills."

"Ball skills in the country needed 'a tremendous amount of work',"

"It's no surprise to me that Heyneke Meyer [Springboks coach] decides to play a very limited game with the Springboks."

"It's no wonder the Springboks play a kicking game, because we are not capable of holding onto the ball for long periods,"



hey nick, how about telling us something we dont know, LMAO,

 ou saSUE its frigthening to think how much we will klap the nz oaks by when all thsi gets sorted. 
But saSue lets just watch the Boks thsi year i thinkwe are reaching the tipping point in 2014. My only worry are bent down under refs and injuries. Well also that meyer gets it right as a third but lesser concern. Other than that we should beat the we abs.

Don't agree at all with Mallett - "very limited" is not how I would describe the Boks approach during the June tests and RC last year. EOYT was a different approach - horses for courses
Meyer found a good balance last year imo and I look for that to continue except this year I think he has more depth available to him.

Well said Matey....Nick is a perpetual critic. But how much running rugby did he do in 98? It was mostly:
1 honiball crash  ball
2 Andre venter pick and go
3 muller crash ball
4 de Beer drop kicking 
We relied on our pack, mobile loosies, huge defence at 9, 10 and 12... And the very occasional counter attack off turnover ball. His criticism of our S15 teams and  coaching is hypocritical.

Mozart
 Are you off your trolley again? Must be - since everyone with even the slightest bit of rugby knowledge cam see that there are serious deficiencies present in SA Rugby.   For instance the lack of ability to score tries attributed to poor ball handling and putrid decision making.   You clearly said in the past scoring of tries is not important - kicking at goal is - so where does that put you?  Among the rugby sto oges I imagine.
Must be since you do not see what is going on in our rugby.  Mobile loosies - with Vermeulen, Alberts and Louw in the Springbok team?  They are anything but mobile - they are seriously speed-deficient.   
Huge defense at 10 and 12 - what are you talking about?  Defensively both Steyns (whom you favour)  are jokes in bad taste - so where is the huge defense?  And the very "occasssional counterattack" with players whose ball handling skills are seriously defective (they lose more possession in poor passing than is acceptable) and speed being a serious problem. 

Nice phraseology - but embarrassingly absent in fact.  Commentators like Mallett, Skinstad  and Naas Botha are wrong  - the celebrated Mozart said there is nothing wrong - we do not need to score tries - leave it to other countries, it is UN-South African deviation from constructive rugby!  What a joke.            

 The comment was aimed at Super 15 teams.Boks will be fine unless injuries sink us.

Beeno
There are serious deficiencies on Super 15 level insofar as ball skills/handling and reading of games are  concerned.  That  coupled with speed deficiency of some players (eg JP Pietersen, Jacque Fourie, Francois Steyn, Willem Alberts and even Duane Vermeulen) has serious negative impacts on -
*   the abilities of the Springbok team in both attacking and defensive rugby; and*   the recovery of balls at breakdown situations 
Although the problems are on franchise level - the problems encountered in ball handling and reading of the game are acute in players who may end up in the national team.
The problem is that what people like Mallett and others have noticed is that the said problems have increased in Super 15 this year - which is a bad sign for the tests to come.

 Hey look..Mike mentioned Frans Steyn and Willem Alberts in both his posts again..Very surprising! Yet another topic that has nothing to do with those two but Mike finds a way!