Publications
Partners
Gary Boshoff
Last week I identified seven reasons why the Springboks were supposed to win the first ever Tri-nations Test at the FNB Stadium: Altitude; 90 000 fanatic fans; Soweto; Jet lag; three weeks of recovery and rest (Springboks); Highveld heat and the desperation of the Springboks to prove their critics wrong.
All of these were supposed to work in favour of the Springboks; the fact that none of them did is perhaps the most worrying outcome of this past weekend’s Test.
If one is objective, unlike most of the weekend papers’ reporters, who seemed to suggest that the Springboks are now “down and out” despite having given their best performance of the Tri-Nations thus far, one must give coach Peter de Villiers and his players credit for a top class performance against the “best team in the world”.
The Springboks did not fall apart like they did in New Zealand and Australia, in fact, they were well in control for 77 minutes and their defensive discipline (their weak point in earlier Tests this year) was impressive to say the least.
The coaches certainly delivered what they promised: a more focused, disciplined and mentally astute Springbok side.
So what went wrong?
As a team, the Springboks did very little wrong, in fact, in my view the team performed very close to the best of the skill sets they had available on the field of play – the players gave their all and more and was rewarded with the lead right up to the 77th minute when two individual defensive errors surrendered the lead and the Test to the All Blacks.
They were two errors that Gary Gold, Dick Muir and De Villiers could not have foreseen; one from the 2007 IRB RWC Player of the Tournament and the other from the Springbok skipper.
First it was Bryan Habana who lost his cool and defensive discipline in the process, when he opportunistically came off the Springboks’ defensive line when he spotted a slight hanging pass to Cory Jane. He rushed up and left Richie McCaw unmarked. The rest is history.
Habana has been doing this since I can remember and we’ve always said that at some point his ill-discipline in the defensive line will cost the Springboks dearly. On Saturday it did!
The Springboks weren’t robbed because the referee missed a forward pass earlier in that same movement, No! McCaw scored because Habana did not keep his defensive line. Where was he (Habana) when De Villiers and his assistants worked on the team’s defensive discipline and structure these past three weeks?
Secondly, John Smit slipped a straight-forward midfield tackle on Ma’a Nonu when it mattered the most. Was it just poor technique or was the captain too tired to knock Nonu over in the 79th minute of his 100th Test?
This was indeed one of the areas that the coaches were supposed to work on the past weeks since the tackling was very poor in the first three Tests of the Tri-Nations. I am sure Smit did his best, but the question should be asked whether the captain is still capable of playing a full 80 minutes at full throttle.
The All Blacks have once again driven the point home that the margin of error at this level of the game is very, very slim and if you’re not alert for the full 80 minutes, errors can still catch up with you in the very last minute of the game and make you pay!
The All Blacks, I believe, have done Springbok rugby a huge favour by dispelling the belief that jet lag, altitude, home ground advantage and fanatic fans are legitimate excuses for poor performance.
Despite all these factors (and more) being in favour of the Springboks, the All Blacks still managed to finish the stronger side, dominating possession and attack in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Nevertheless, despite losing against the All Blacks, I was encouraged by another improved performance from the Springboks.
In my opinion their performance curve is still on the up – it is just that the All Blacks were better on the day. They are without a doubt the “best team in the world”.
That and Habana and John Smit’s slip-ups are the reasons why the Springboks lost this Saturday and not because they are down and out as a team as the cynics would like us to believe.
Gary Boshoff is a former SARU player and current Afrikaans rugby commentator on SuperSport.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
Last week I identified seven reasons why the Springboks were supposed to win the first ever Tri-nations Test at the FNB Stadium: Altitude; 90 000 fanatic fans; Soweto; Jet lag; three weeks of recovery and rest (Springboks); Highveld heat and the desperation of the Springboks to prove their critics wrong.
All of these were supposed to work in favour of the Springboks; the fact that none of them did is perhaps the most worrying outcome of this past weekend’s Test.
If one is objective, unlike most of the weekend papers’ reporters, who seemed to suggest that the Springboks are now “down and out” despite having given their best performance of the Tri-Nations thus far, one must give coach Peter de Villiers and his players credit for a top class performance against the “best team in the world”.
The Springboks did not fall apart like they did in New Zealand and Australia, in fact, they were well in control for 77 minutes and their defensive discipline (their weak point in earlier Tests this year) was impressive to say the least.
The coaches certainly delivered what they promised: a more focused, disciplined and mentally astute Springbok side.
So what went wrong?
As a team, the Springboks did very little wrong, in fact, in my view the team performed very close to the best of the skill sets they had available on the field of play – the players gave their all and more and was rewarded with the lead right up to the 77th minute when two individual defensive errors surrendered the lead and the Test to the All Blacks.
They were two errors that Gary Gold, Dick Muir and De Villiers could not have foreseen; one from the 2007 IRB RWC Player of the Tournament and the other from the Springbok skipper.
First it was Bryan Habana who lost his cool and defensive discipline in the process, when he opportunistically came off the Springboks’ defensive line when he spotted a slight hanging pass to Cory Jane. He rushed up and left Richie McCaw unmarked. The rest is history.
Habana has been doing this since I can remember and we’ve always said that at some point his ill-discipline in the defensive line will cost the Springboks dearly. On Saturday it did!
The Springboks weren’t robbed because the referee missed a forward pass earlier in that same movement, No! McCaw scored because Habana did not keep his defensive line. Where was he (Habana) when De Villiers and his assistants worked on the team’s defensive discipline and structure these past three weeks?
Secondly, John Smit slipped a straight-forward midfield tackle on Ma’a Nonu when it mattered the most. Was it just poor technique or was the captain too tired to knock Nonu over in the 79th minute of his 100th Test?
This was indeed one of the areas that the coaches were supposed to work on the past weeks since the tackling was very poor in the first three Tests of the Tri-Nations. I am sure Smit did his best, but the question should be asked whether the captain is still capable of playing a full 80 minutes at full throttle.
The All Blacks have once again driven the point home that the margin of error at this level of the game is very, very slim and if you’re not alert for the full 80 minutes, errors can still catch up with you in the very last minute of the game and make you pay!
The All Blacks, I believe, have done Springbok rugby a huge favour by dispelling the belief that jet lag, altitude, home ground advantage and fanatic fans are legitimate excuses for poor performance.
Despite all these factors (and more) being in favour of the Springboks, the All Blacks still managed to finish the stronger side, dominating possession and attack in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Nevertheless, despite losing against the All Blacks, I was encouraged by another improved performance from the Springboks.
In my opinion their performance curve is still on the up – it is just that the All Blacks were better on the day. They are without a doubt the “best team in the world”.
That and Habana and John Smit’s slip-ups are the reasons why the Springboks lost this Saturday and not because they are down and out as a team as the cynics would like us to believe.
Gary Boshoff is a former SARU player and current Afrikaans rugby commentator on SuperSport.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
