Publications
Partners
Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – So far so good … the Springbok brains trust have reacted sensibly in their tweaking of the engine room to recapture lost respect against the All Blacks at Wellington on Saturday.
The two changes to the pack (and team as a whole) were enforced ones, with faithful workhorse Danie Rossouw replacing the disgraced Bakkies Botha and Peter de Villiers and company preferring the superior brawn of CJ van der Linde to BJ Botha at tighthead, after Jannie du Plessis cried off with a calf injury.
Personally, I was happy to see a resistance to knee-jerk measures, despite the all-too-obvious Vodacom Tri-Nations trampling at Eden Park.
Wholesale changes would have given the cock-a-hoop New Zealanders a further scent of blood; a suggestion that the World Cup champions are buckling into disarray ahead of their defence of the ultimate crown.
Instead the message from the Bok camp is clear and defiant: we do trust what we’ve got – they’ve almost unanimously been there and done that, and we view Auckland as a once-off (with apologies for the questionable Latin) reversus horribilis.
But I’ll admit this much: if the South African eight see their collective posteriors all over again at the Westpac Stadium – simultaneously exposing some brittleness anew, perhaps, in backline defensive shape -- then alarm bells will indeed start to ring shrilly.
So the stakes are particularly high for the Bok forwards in the immediate revenge opportunity this week, especially for certain individuals.
A key one who comes to mind, of course, is the long-time captain John Smit, closing in fast on his distinguished 100th cap but, by his own typically frank admission, failing in his quest to lead from the front at Eden Park.
He was neither explosive nor mobile enough in the hooker’s shirt – mind you, that was a problem pretty much throughout the Springbok forwards on the day – and his throwing-in turned inexplicably scratchy, too.
It has been a complicated few months for the 32-year-old: in some respects perhaps the most unsettling of his entire first-class career.
Let’s not forget that last year we were all spun the line that he was henceforth a tight-head prop and forever would be thus.
But then the plan started to wobble and he quietly got more and more game-time back in his old position – and now, purportedly, he is squarely a hooker again until he calls time on his yeoman service!
You have to feel for the man. Until earlier this year he was bulking up to the requirements of No 3; suddenly he is presumably having to undertake some “bulking down” afresh, which is generally not as easy for players at such advanced stages of their careers.
His leadership, by most accounts, is still vastly treasured within the camp but Smit is not stupid and he will be as aware as anyone that “delivery” remains essential in the No 2 jersey.
Despite Smit now out of the tight-head frame, that position remains clouded in doubt itself. Is the future Du Plessis? Van der Linde? Botha? Or is it time to expose some younger guns, like WP Nel or Brok Harris, despite clear signs that neither is quite ready for the big step up?
Saturday is a big day for Van der Linde; a chance to re-assert his credentials with the right shoulder, as well as provide timely fresh evidence that he is sprightly about the park.
This is important because they are feeling quite chipper in New Zealand about the hunger and mobility of their props generally, especially as the Franks brothers – Owen and Ben -- are being lauded, according to the Waikato Times at least, for “having injected plenty of enthusiasm (to the squad), especially around the field”.
There is no reason, I think, not to feel confident that Victor Matfield and Rossouw can claw back some lost ground in the second row against Brad Thorn and Tom Donnelly – especially if Smit gets his line-out throwing mojo back.
More vexing, though, is the loose forward situation, where the Boks genuinely played second fiddle last weekend.
Let me repeat my pleasure, rightly or wrongly, in the retention of young Francois Louw.
Given the benefit of better collective go-forward, I am convinced he will atone for a poor performance at Auckland and engineer the sort of turnovers he has been effecting all year, even granted that he is not an out-and-out fetcher.
In the ongoing absence of Heinrich Brussow, let’s not forget that there is no orthodox burrower anyway in the current Bok party. (Dewald Potgieter is predominantly a blind-sider, representing a Bulls franchise where Deon Stegmann is the designated fetcher.)
Another thing about Louw: he has been badly managed this season, playing an obscene amount of Super 14 rugby and then being heavily involved in the Tests running up to the Tri-Nations.
The gap of a few weeks after the away leg of this competition for South Africa cannot come quickly enough for him and one or two others.
What of Pierre Spies? There is some chortling in the Land of the Long White Cloud, after a perception that he was taken to the cleaners by Kieran Read in the 32-12 defeat.
Wrote Dylan Cleaver in the New Zealand Herald: “(Spies) has claims to being the best in his position in the world, but Read didn’t just eclipse him, the All Black embarrassed him, charging through a laughably weak attempt at tackle to score the hosts’ third try.”
So it’s all about redemption for Spies in Wellington, a player capable of special athleticism on attack but still prone to question marks about his defensive technique and willingness.
But then isn’t that so of the entire Bok eight?
Cape Town – So far so good … the Springbok brains trust have reacted sensibly in their tweaking of the engine room to recapture lost respect against the All Blacks at Wellington on Saturday.
The two changes to the pack (and team as a whole) were enforced ones, with faithful workhorse Danie Rossouw replacing the disgraced Bakkies Botha and Peter de Villiers and company preferring the superior brawn of CJ van der Linde to BJ Botha at tighthead, after Jannie du Plessis cried off with a calf injury.
Personally, I was happy to see a resistance to knee-jerk measures, despite the all-too-obvious Vodacom Tri-Nations trampling at Eden Park.
Wholesale changes would have given the cock-a-hoop New Zealanders a further scent of blood; a suggestion that the World Cup champions are buckling into disarray ahead of their defence of the ultimate crown.
Instead the message from the Bok camp is clear and defiant: we do trust what we’ve got – they’ve almost unanimously been there and done that, and we view Auckland as a once-off (with apologies for the questionable Latin) reversus horribilis.
But I’ll admit this much: if the South African eight see their collective posteriors all over again at the Westpac Stadium – simultaneously exposing some brittleness anew, perhaps, in backline defensive shape -- then alarm bells will indeed start to ring shrilly.
So the stakes are particularly high for the Bok forwards in the immediate revenge opportunity this week, especially for certain individuals.
A key one who comes to mind, of course, is the long-time captain John Smit, closing in fast on his distinguished 100th cap but, by his own typically frank admission, failing in his quest to lead from the front at Eden Park.
He was neither explosive nor mobile enough in the hooker’s shirt – mind you, that was a problem pretty much throughout the Springbok forwards on the day – and his throwing-in turned inexplicably scratchy, too.
It has been a complicated few months for the 32-year-old: in some respects perhaps the most unsettling of his entire first-class career.
Let’s not forget that last year we were all spun the line that he was henceforth a tight-head prop and forever would be thus.
But then the plan started to wobble and he quietly got more and more game-time back in his old position – and now, purportedly, he is squarely a hooker again until he calls time on his yeoman service!
You have to feel for the man. Until earlier this year he was bulking up to the requirements of No 3; suddenly he is presumably having to undertake some “bulking down” afresh, which is generally not as easy for players at such advanced stages of their careers.
His leadership, by most accounts, is still vastly treasured within the camp but Smit is not stupid and he will be as aware as anyone that “delivery” remains essential in the No 2 jersey.
Despite Smit now out of the tight-head frame, that position remains clouded in doubt itself. Is the future Du Plessis? Van der Linde? Botha? Or is it time to expose some younger guns, like WP Nel or Brok Harris, despite clear signs that neither is quite ready for the big step up?
Saturday is a big day for Van der Linde; a chance to re-assert his credentials with the right shoulder, as well as provide timely fresh evidence that he is sprightly about the park.
This is important because they are feeling quite chipper in New Zealand about the hunger and mobility of their props generally, especially as the Franks brothers – Owen and Ben -- are being lauded, according to the Waikato Times at least, for “having injected plenty of enthusiasm (to the squad), especially around the field”.
There is no reason, I think, not to feel confident that Victor Matfield and Rossouw can claw back some lost ground in the second row against Brad Thorn and Tom Donnelly – especially if Smit gets his line-out throwing mojo back.
More vexing, though, is the loose forward situation, where the Boks genuinely played second fiddle last weekend.
Let me repeat my pleasure, rightly or wrongly, in the retention of young Francois Louw.
Given the benefit of better collective go-forward, I am convinced he will atone for a poor performance at Auckland and engineer the sort of turnovers he has been effecting all year, even granted that he is not an out-and-out fetcher.
In the ongoing absence of Heinrich Brussow, let’s not forget that there is no orthodox burrower anyway in the current Bok party. (Dewald Potgieter is predominantly a blind-sider, representing a Bulls franchise where Deon Stegmann is the designated fetcher.)
Another thing about Louw: he has been badly managed this season, playing an obscene amount of Super 14 rugby and then being heavily involved in the Tests running up to the Tri-Nations.
The gap of a few weeks after the away leg of this competition for South Africa cannot come quickly enough for him and one or two others.
What of Pierre Spies? There is some chortling in the Land of the Long White Cloud, after a perception that he was taken to the cleaners by Kieran Read in the 32-12 defeat.
Wrote Dylan Cleaver in the New Zealand Herald: “(Spies) has claims to being the best in his position in the world, but Read didn’t just eclipse him, the All Black embarrassed him, charging through a laughably weak attempt at tackle to score the hosts’ third try.”
So it’s all about redemption for Spies in Wellington, a player capable of special athleticism on attack but still prone to question marks about his defensive technique and willingness.
But then isn’t that so of the entire Bok eight?
