Disappointment

Disappointment - that is the only word I can use to describe the Springbok loss at Ellis Park (Or Coca-Cola Park as it is now less than fondly know. This is our damn fortress where we hardly ever lose - 8 years is a long time in international sport.

I personally felt it was disrespectful to both our fans as well as the British & Irish Lions players and supporters for us to make wholesale changes to the squad.

The Lions have toured for the last 5 weeks playing up to two games a week against some bruising opposition and you have not once heard them complain - we decide to basically write off the last test match by replacing 10 players?!

(And then we stick Pierre Spies on the wing? Bizarre)

If this is how we are planning to go into the Tri-Nations then I worry for our side. While the Lions side has some good individual attackers the Australian and All Black back 3's who have played together a lot will make mincemeat of a defence if it is not prepared.... I hope Div has a plan here.

The discipline shown by the Boks in this series has also been poor and the only reason it hasn't seen the side meltdown is because as a team we carry a lot of experience and skills which made sure we were on the winning side.... What's going to happen when we are on the backfoot in the Tri-Nations?!

2nd test - Boks vs. the B&I Lions

The 2nd test match between the British & Irish Lions and the Springboks was an intriguing face-off.

The loss of Burger in the first 30 seconds of the match gave the Lions something to get back "go forward" and they never really looked like giving it up until some late second half substitutions changed things around.

Some observations on the game:

Uncontested scrums:
From the 45th minute of the test match there were uncontested scrums and yet we still stuck to three genuine front-rankers while the Lions enjoyed far more mobility

Jaque Fourie:
Fourie was again expected to come off the bench and make an impact. While I appreciate what Adi Jacobs brings to the side, I don't understand why Peter Devilliers is so hesitant to pair Jean Devilliers with Fourie considering the size and strength of the B&I centres?!

Spies better off the bench:
If you're looking for a way to incorporate the foraging ability of Brussouw as well as Burger and Juan Smith then why not move Burger to 8 and let Spies come off the bench as the impact player for the last 20 minutes or so? Sure he could inflict a lot of pain if used in this manner?

Headache at flyhalf?:
Ruan Pienaar had a competent performance at flyhalf last week but this time around he just didn't click. The side looked far more structured when Steyn came on. (I'm not a Steyn fan but he did the job today).

Dunno

Top rugby

Geez how good was the Bulls vs. Crusaders semi-final?! It was probably one of the best Super 14 games I've watched in the whole time I've been following Super rugby.

One can't help but wonder how influential that sin-binning just before the half-tim break was in terms of getting the Bulls back in the game.

From a technical perspective I loved the way that both teams adjusted to the others playing style. The Crusaders mashed the Bulls up front in the early scrum exchanges and that bomber up-and-under that led to a Crusaders try was a perfect show of exploiting weaknesses / structures in the Bulls setup.

Even better than that though was the way the Bulls realised that their gameplan wasn't working and changed tactics. When they realised the Crusaders weren't committing men to the rucks they started to find ways to suck guys in and the Ndungane try proved the system worked.

On the strength of that performance Morne Steyn and Fourie Du Preez have to be the first choice scrumhalf and flyhalf combination for the Lions. Steyn has answered his critics with some solid performances and shown he's not just a kicker but he's prepared to make the tackles and attack the gain line when it is necessary.

I think Du Preez had a lot to do with changing the style of the game that the Bulls played and that highlights his value to the team. He kept his cool and didn't put any undue on the new centre combination which I thought showed a lot of intelligence. Good job

Pierre Spies was also good - he looked for work and every time he got the ball there was a feeling something was going to happen.

There is something different about the Bulls this year. They're not just a smash and bash type of team - they can adjust and THAT is a sign of class.

Well done Bulls - you cost me a few bucks on my Crusaders bet but it was worthwhile watching an SA team playing so well.

Losing patience

I hate to say it but South African rugby fans are losing patience with the performances of the Bok side.

Before anyone starts on the race card - shut it - I'm a PDV fan, but something needs to change in the way the Boks are approaching this tour. Forget blaming the referees - this tour had the hallmark of a disinterested squad from before they left the SA shores.


You make controversial selections like Rose and Ralepele and you bring an exciting prospect like Nokwe through but don't utilise them against the tours weakest opposition?

Makes no sense to me.

I don't need to be told that Ruan Pienaar is a good rugby player - I've seen him play the game at the top level for the last three years and do so well. I DO however need to know that we have a 2nd or 3rd choice flyhalf (depending on what happens with Butch James) - whether it is Peter Grant, Frans Steyn or Earl Rose.

I DO need to know that Chilliboy is going to be the number two hooker and that Pierre Spies is the better choice number 8 than Ryan Kankowski.




Whether the players are interested or not after a long season of rugby is up for debate - especially when you look at the injuries being clocked up. Guthro Steenkamp, Fourie Du Preez and Bismarck Du Plessis are now all carrying knocks.

The players all have long hard Super 14 and Tri-Nations campaigns ahead of them, and if they (players and management) are going to approach this tour in what appears to be a disinterested frame of mind, then maybe the tour wasn't worth doing in the first place?

SA Rugby fans - are you planning a trip to the UK to watch the third and final test at Twickenham?

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