Well, Yes they can!
I am proud to say I am a Bok fan (Fanatical) and find myself being very judgemental about our “young” aspiring team and coach.
We can contribute our less than mediocre performance to a number attributes like , long season, injured players, young team, “Semi final drop outs”(LOL, read that in someone’s feedback) but something that has been written on the wall from day one since HM took over is the lack of vision and the one dimensional predictable style of rugby been played/coached. Is it the coach, players , game plan or should I say lack thereof, been put on display? Does past not predict future???? Let’s hope not. Yes we have not lost a game but we have not won then all either, and let’s be honest here, those of you that sit on your pedestals and tell us to get off ours, get real!!! None of us like losing especially when we know what we capable of and can see the writing on the wall. We expect the best cause we are the best!
One thing is obvious, times have changed and we need to keep up with the times or get left in the cold, Cliché’ but could not be more pertinent than after our last couple displays of “confusion” off and on the field.
Well let’s start at the head, “the fish rots from the head”. I remember a curtain Mr. HM saying in a report Defensive rugby wins games and attaching put bums on seat, WOW what a profound statement, its holds as much weight as Coetzee (Stormers coach) saying he is not concerned his team is not scoring tries, and where did they come in the Super 15??? One of the best defensive teams in the Super15 but could not finish, writing on the wall! HM to put it short is predictable and one dimensional in his thinking and has displayed no dynamics fit for a team such as the boks. From day one when he was intending on drafting old senior players to try guarantee a win in his earlier England tests showed his level of thinking. He had and still has the time to build a whole new team from scratch and has a fantastic platform from which to do so but why isn’t he??? He is making the same choices and mistakes with his selection and game plan week after week which confirms my opinion above, playing players out of position, clenching at straws, not off loading passes and keeping the ball from moving, kicking possession away, and the list goes on. One question that haunts me is why is Morne Steyn still been allowed to play? How much writing on the wall does there need to be, he is not a performer. He is as dynamic and unpredictable as night and day. People keep referring to his points scored, it’s his job for goodness sack, he is a kicking fly half and a bad one at that. His defence is shocking, he has no pace, I have won thousands of Rands with friends predicting his next move, stumble, missed kick or up and under, it’s laughable. Why not Goosen, Grant, Lambie, Jantjies, gee the choice seems obvious to me. Yes, Lambie had one bad game in the final (sharks vs Chiefs)after been off for 3 weeks due to an injury but we need someone that thinks out the box and has vision for the game. Hougard, play on the wing and drop him from Scrum half, stop playing him out of position which ever that is! Jannie gives away more penalties than he does good. Bekker has picked up too many of Pierre’s traits, scared and slow. Jean is not strong enough for Captain and does not have enough influence on the games direction at time of play but I suppose it’s difficult when you have to try compensate for the poor fly half display or never getting the ball. Like having a say in who should stay and go from the field in time of crisis. Yes back your players that are contributing good to the team not destroying it. Unfortunately theses positions are very important to the sides performance as they predict the pace and direction the game would follow and it’s just not happening. Our coach is too scared to make the right changes! I can’t believe one player HM can be held in such high regard for so long that people are blind to the obvious. Don’t get me wrong this is a team sport and we win as a team and a nation, but by having such weak structure and weak game plan topped off by 2 or 3 weak players we are setting ourselves up for failure.
One can analyze this to death and everyone has their own take and opinion on what’s the best and some of us are very critical when we throw games like this away. I am critical, win or lose. Stop the 1950’s “crash” ball game style and trying to rely on big forwards (which every nation has) to get us through and score, run the dam ball and stop giving possession away. Attacking rugby and defensive rugby has its place in today’s game, you can’t have one without the other. We have been saying it for years, you can’t win without the ball. My son is 3 years old and he knows that!
One of the few man made things you can see from space besides the great wall of china is HM’s next move! It’s bad when even the Aussie commentators are sympathising with us with key individuals lack of contribution to the game.
I am proud to say I am a Bok fan (Fanatical) and find myself being very judgemental about our “young” aspiring team and coach.
We can contribute our less than mediocre performance to a number attributes like , long season, injured players, young team, “Semi final drop outs”(LOL, read that in someone’s feedback) but something that has been written on the wall from day one since HM took over is the lack of vision and the one dimensional predictable style of rugby been played/coached. Is it the coach, players , game plan or should I say lack thereof, been put on display? Does past not predict future???? Let’s hope not. Yes we have not lost a game but we have not won then all either, and let’s be honest here, those of you that sit on your pedestals and tell us to get off ours, get real!!! None of us like losing especially when we know what we capable of and can see the writing on the wall. We expect the best cause we are the best!
One thing is obvious, times have changed and we need to keep up with the times or get left in the cold, Cliché’ but could not be more pertinent than after our last couple displays of “confusion” off and on the field.
Well let’s start at the head, “the fish rots from the head”. I remember a curtain Mr. HM saying in a report Defensive rugby wins games and attaching put bums on seat, WOW what a profound statement, its holds as much weight as Coetzee (Stormers coach) saying he is not concerned his team is not scoring tries, and where did they come in the Super 15??? One of the best defensive teams in the Super15 but could not finish, writing on the wall! HM to put it short is predictable and one dimensional in his thinking and has displayed no dynamics fit for a team such as the boks. From day one when he was intending on drafting old senior players to try guarantee a win in his earlier England tests showed his level of thinking. He had and still has the time to build a whole new team from scratch and has a fantastic platform from which to do so but why isn’t he??? He is making the same choices and mistakes with his selection and game plan week after week which confirms my opinion above, playing players out of position, clenching at straws, not off loading passes and keeping the ball from moving, kicking possession away, and the list goes on. One question that haunts me is why is Morne Steyn still been allowed to play? How much writing on the wall does there need to be, he is not a performer. He is as dynamic and unpredictable as night and day. People keep referring to his points scored, it’s his job for goodness sack, he is a kicking fly half and a bad one at that. His defence is shocking, he has no pace, I have won thousands of Rands with friends predicting his next move, stumble, missed kick or up and under, it’s laughable. Why not Goosen, Grant, Lambie, Jantjies, gee the choice seems obvious to me. Yes, Lambie had one bad game in the final (sharks vs Chiefs)after been off for 3 weeks due to an injury but we need someone that thinks out the box and has vision for the game. Hougard, play on the wing and drop him from Scrum half, stop playing him out of position which ever that is! Jannie gives away more penalties than he does good. Bekker has picked up too many of Pierre’s traits, scared and slow. Jean is not strong enough for Captain and does not have enough influence on the games direction at time of play but I suppose it’s difficult when you have to try compensate for the poor fly half display or never getting the ball. Like having a say in who should stay and go from the field in time of crisis. Yes back your players that are contributing good to the team not destroying it. Unfortunately theses positions are very important to the sides performance as they predict the pace and direction the game would follow and it’s just not happening. Our coach is too scared to make the right changes! I can’t believe one player HM can be held in such high regard for so long that people are blind to the obvious. Don’t get me wrong this is a team sport and we win as a team and a nation, but by having such weak structure and weak game plan topped off by 2 or 3 weak players we are setting ourselves up for failure.
One can analyze this to death and everyone has their own take and opinion on what’s the best and some of us are very critical when we throw games like this away. I am critical, win or lose. Stop the 1950’s “crash” ball game style and trying to rely on big forwards (which every nation has) to get us through and score, run the dam ball and stop giving possession away. Attacking rugby and defensive rugby has its place in today’s game, you can’t have one without the other. We have been saying it for years, you can’t win without the ball. My son is 3 years old and he knows that!
One of the few man made things you can see from space besides the great wall of china is HM’s next move! It’s bad when even the Aussie commentators are sympathising with us with key individuals lack of contribution to the game.