Sanjay's Rugby World

The draw for the 2011 FNB Varsity Cup has been released. It will be complemented by a new second tier competition, the Varsity Shield.

The Varsity Cup is becoming a more important competition in South Africa’s rugby calendar, with a bigger profile intended for it’s 4th edition in 2011.

It has been joined by a 5 team (as selected by SARU, USSA and the Varsity Cup) second tier competition, the Varsity Shield in 2011.

VARSITY CUP

Supersport are the official broadcasters for the event, with 17 of the 31 matches televised live.

Between the semi-final and the final, there will be a week’s break to allow the final of the Varsity Shield to take place, with televised coverage on Monday April 11th.

VARSITY SHIELD

The new Varsity Shield competition comprises the following 5 teams:

CUT – Central University of Technology, Free State
UFH – University of Fort Hare
UKZN – University of KwaZulu-Natal
UWC – University of the Western Cape
WITS – University of the Witwatersrand

The 5 sides will start a week earlier than the Varsity Cup competition and play a double round robin, playing each side home and away before the 2 top sides move into the final.

COMPETITION STRUCTURE

The competition will again allow 23 man playing squads, but not much has been changed in an otherwise successful formula.

Varsity Cup MD Duitser Bosman explained, “There was no need for us to tinker too much for what has worked so well for us, but we are very excited about the advent of the Varsity Shield, which will no doubt add a different dimension to the development of rugby at this level.”

“I know the universities have already been hard at work in preparation and I have no doubt that this tournament will take yet another step up in terms of the quality of rugby and the production of new rugby stars.”

This echoed the thoughts last year of Jurie Roux, Chairman of the Varsity Cup Board, “Having now got 13 universities on board, the Varsity Cup will make an even more significant contribution to SA Rugby from 2011 onwards.”

PROMOTION/RELEGATION

With the advent of the Varsity Shield, sides will have the added incentive/threat of facing a promotion/relegation match at the end of the competition, as a curtain raiser to the 2011 Varsity Cup final.

The bottom placed side in the Varsity Cup will place the winner of the Varsity Shield, to determine if there are any changes in the way the competitors line up for the 2012 season.

PINK SHORTS

All the sides in the Varsity Cup will also be wearing pink shorts, as they unite behind South African rugby players living with cancer.

All fans are invited to help in this worthwhile cause, and you can help by donating R5 to the Varsity Cup trust.

Simply SMS your favourite team’s name to 36199 and your donation will go to The Varsity Cup Trust.

2011 VARSITY CUP AND VARSITY SHIELD FIXTURES

2010 started promisingly for South African rugby with a successful Super 14. The Springboks weren’t able to continue the efforts however, thus many of the highlights centre around provincial rugby rather than the international season.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Victor Matfield

Matfield gets my vote for consistent performances over the whole year, epitomised by his efforts against England in playing with a broken rib. Even off his game slightly in the lineouts in the second half of the year, he is still a superb player. Led the Bulls brilliantly earlier in the year, and needs a deserved rest before what I am sure will be a great swansong season.

Gurthro Steenkamp was SA rugby player of the year and fits the Matfield mould of superb, consistent performances. Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh stood out in the backs but weren’t always given enough opportunities.

BEST SOUTH AFRICAN SUPER 14 PLAYER

Andries Bekker

There were consistent performances from many of the Bulls and Stormers players such as Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Schalk Burger etc, but Bekker was in inspired form throughout the season before injury and personal issues curtailed his year.

Bekker was unstoppable; scoring tries, running over and around players of all positions, making hundreds of tackles and doing everything and more required of the modern rugby player.

BEST CURRIE CUP PLAYER

Duane Vermeulen

Possibly a controversial choice, but is there a more complete all around eighthman? He can’t perform the athletic feats of a Pierre Spies, but he is a tough, old school player who tackles hard, covers the field well, and runs the ball strongly to get his side over the advantage line.

Willem Alberts, Patrick Lambie and Bismarck du Plessis were good for the Sharks also.

MOST PROMISING YOUNG SPRINGBOK

Francois Hougaard

Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh showed they have the heart of a lion, with awesome tenacity on defence despite their sizes. They both possess silky running skills and will go a long way provided they have the belief of their coaches.

However Francois Hougaard showed he has the ‘x’ factor to complement his tremendous talent. Solid in the fundamental skills of scrumhalf play such as tackling, passing and reading play, his experiences on the wing will only make him a more rounded player on attack and defence. Could work on his kicking game, and with his strong work ethic, increasing maturity and mentoring from the master Fourie du Preez, this will be achieved quickly. Also showed how to embrace a position change, rather than the constant whinging we often hear from SA players.

MOST PROMISING YOUNG SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY PLAYER

Elton Jantjies

Many have raved about Patrick Lambie who has strong all round basic skills. I believe he is yet to be fully tested, and will be a very good player capable of playing multiple positions easily.

It’s great we are getting some depth at flyhalf in SA rugby and Elton Jantjies for my mind is a more dangerous and talented player. Not afraid to take the ball to the line, he’ll score many tries as he creates space for himself and the backs outside him. Well grounded and has the right attitude and mindset to be a superstar. With Hougaard inside him, the Boks could finally execute the expansive game successfully in the future.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Allister Coetzee

Frans Ludeke won his second Super 14 in a row, but it was the consistent achievements of Allister Coetzee that stood out for me. He took a side that consistently underperforms, and turned them into championship material.

The style, confidence and consistency he managed to extract from the Stormers and Western Province will serve them well for the future, and winning titles are surely only a matter of time now.

BEST SOUTH AFRICAN PROVINCIAL SIDE

The Bulls/Blue Bulls

The Stormers/Western Province were highly consistent this year, making the Super 14 and Currie Cup final, and winning the U21 and U19 Currie Cup titles.

However the Bulls won titles. A Super 14 and Vodacom Cup highlighted the Bulls strengths when the competitions were on an even playing field. The Bulls Currie Cup efforts were close but not good enough, but they built their depth to ensure ongoing future success.

MATCH OF THE YEAR

Bulls v Crusaders at Loftus, Stormers v Waratahs at Newlands

Differing types of matches, but both were memorable. The Bulls displayed all their championship qualities in securing their third Super 14 title, none more impressive than a come from behind win over the Crusaders that required all their brilliance with the last play of the game.

The Stormers were impressive in a different style, their shutout of a fairly competent Waratahs outfit was the way we should treat all visiting sides as we aim to inflict maximum pain to them!

The Super 14 final was an awesome occasion, but typical of many finals, was not the best match of the year.

BEST INDIVIDUAL TRY

Francois Hougaard in the Super 14 final

In the pressure cooker environment of a packed Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Hougaard ran the perfect angle to receive the pass from Fourie du Preez and then showed fantastic pace and footwork skills to finish off with all the class of a seasoned winger.

BEST TEAM TRY

The Stormers (v the Chiefs in Hamilton)

One of the best tries ever as the Stormers ran almost the length of the field, passing the ball through multiple hands before sending it wide to Bryan Habana in space who had an easy run into the line. The running lines, support play and offload skills were exemplary, but the confidence and belief in the side is what created the ability to nail the opportunity.

BEST MOMENT IN SA RUGBY 2010

Super 14 semi-final and final at Orlando stadium

Finally transformation in South African rugby. The vision and commitment of the Bulls was infectious as the people of Soweto and surrounds united together to display what rugby can do to bring different cultures and people together.

Was it any co-incidence the Bulls could not lose with the spirit of South Africa behind them? Sadly, when the Boks tried to re-create the same scenario, the commercial reasons were obvious, and it is no wonder the Boks lost to the All Blacks.

PLONKER OF THE YEAR

Peter de Villiers

As Australian commentator Brendon Cannon described him, ‘Part-time coach, full-time comedian’. Enough said.

Peter de Villiers could have been nominated for just about everything! Excuses, poor coaching, poor selection, poor substitutions, shameful quotes and comments you name it.

Bakkies Botha also deserves a mention for a disgraceful head-butt on Jimmy Cowan that tarnished his and the Boks reputation. Unfortunately moments of madness such as these have long-term impacts and consequences.

BEST REFEREE

Mark Lawrence

Communicates well and controls the game efficiently and effectively without making a nuisance of himself.

WORST REFEREE

Paddy O’Brien

Head of the IRB Referees panel. No matter what Jake White say’s O’Brien is still strongly biased towards the All Blacks and does not make decisions and communication to help other nations.

MOST IRRITATING ASPECT IN WORLD RUGBY

Scrum resets

Is anyone else sick of seeing 20 scrum resets a game?

Closely followed by the fact the rules change (or are interpreted differently) almost every season. How hard is it to get right?

WORST PERFORMANCE IN SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY

Oregan Hoskins

Spineless and lacking leadership. Has sold out SA rugby by allowing the Super 15 which benefits the Aussies and will kill the Currie Cup as we know it.

Has shown that Peter de Villiers operates by his own rules, which is not the spirit of transformation we are striving for in South Africa.

For once I’d just like to see him make decisions in the best interests of South African rugby.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

The Springboks

World Champions, and 2009 Tri-Nations champs. Big things were expected coming off the best Super rugby season ever, with arguably the best playing talent in the world. 2010 turned out to be a flop. Total and utter drivel is what we were treated to, and the worst thing was the excuses, justifications and plain garbage we had to listen to.

Bryan Habana’s loss of form and inability to score tries was equally dramatic and disappointing. I feel that much of it rests with the coach and his teammates too, and it’s no surprise he does better with his provincial side.

The current Springbok stance is to value experience, but does that inhibit opportunities for new and in-form talent? Is it harder to play your way out of the Springboks than into it?

Under Rudolf Straeuli in 2002-03, the Springboks used over 40 players in test matches. When Jake White took over as coach, a concerted effort was made to increase the value of the Springbok jersey and not hand out caps willy nilly.

Under Peter de Villiers, this has continued, and his selection policy has been to favour experience (too much). As with most Bok coaches there is also a large premium placed on size.

This is despite the fact that the game has evolved significantly since professionalism first started. A ball in hand approach has generally paid dividends, and the value of fitness has become more important than brute strength as the number of ruck recycles now average 186 whilst the scrums (and lineouts) have
decreased to about 14/24 per game.

Despite these global trends, the Boks have been slow to adapt. If you have bulk, and you have been a member of the Bok squad for some time, you are highly favoured.

I believe that we should be rewarding Super 14/15 and Currie Cup form, but not just flash in the pan performances. Consistent high level performances over a prolonged period should be the norm.

Whilst I understand that there will always be a ‘coaches call’, those players who just possess the X-factor, step up at international level, fit the team’s game plan or need to be played into form, I would rather we rewarded players who have produced results.

Just because a player has been a Springbok does is not a valid reason for selection. Past performances should not be the measure by which players are selected. Sure it holds weight, but they must be capable of producing the results consistently, and most importantly…now!

As an example, a player who has clearly been below his best this year is John Smit. He has looked out of shape, and out of form. When there were 2 outstanding hookers in Gary Botha and Tiaan Liebenberg who had produced explosive performances week after week in the Super 14, surely they should be rewarded.

SIZE IS ALWAYS AN ISSUE FOR SOUTH AFRICANS

At centre, wing and fullback we have had two outstanding talents this year in Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon. Both have had limited opportunity at the highest level despite proving themselves to be the best option in my view.

They are both supremely dangerous with ball in hand, something the Boks have desperately needed as their try-scoring ability and strike rate has plummeted.
However critics point to their ‘supposed weakness’ on defence due to their lack of size.

Show me any players who are more committed? Both have made plenty of tackles this year, and I cannot recall either missing one. Yet if an experienced 100kg centre or fullback misses one, it’s acceptable and we hear how their previous performances and experience are invaluable.

“Every game I play I have to prove that size is irrelevant and it is how you play that matters. I have accepted that it is something that will stay with me as long as I play rugby” said Gio Aplon on the Grand Slam tour.

Former Free State flank Hendre Fourie left South Africa as he was not afforded enough opportunities due to his size.

“I think South Africa could improve the way they go about identifying talent at an early age. I appreciate that there’s a vast pool of talent in the country but I feel I never got a chance to prove myself and I know there were many others like me” said Fourie in an interview with Gavin Mortimer.

“When I left school I was told I wasn’t big enough to play flank. There’s definitely a trend in South Africa to pick big opensiders. I was delighted to see Heinrich Brüssow break through last season and show what he can do despite being smaller than me.”

Fourie is now part of the England squad. South African rugby can ill-afford to chase away all it’s talent. All we need is a change of mindset.

THE GAME IS CHANGING, SO TOO MUST THE MINDSET

South Africa may be the current World Champions. But rather than living in the glory of past achievements, I’d rather we measured ourselves by our standards and potential.

Part of that requires we be the best we can be, select our best players, and give opportunities to those that deserve it. Provincialism, prior performances and size are no longer relevant criteria.

Form and results are surely better indicators. It’s a simple formula. If we followed it, maybe we’d see the Boks return to their winning ways and scoring tries again!

The public can now vote for the 2010 IRPA (International Rugby Players Association) try of the year, which has been narrowed down to 18 candidates from the original selection of 230.

In conjunction with the IRB, IRPA has an award for the best try of the year, as determined by the rugby public.

The tries are selected from the following competitions:
The Six Nations
The Tri Nations
Women’s Rugby World Cup
IRB Pacific Nations Cup
IRB Nations Cup
The June and November internationals

Fans can log onto the IRB Website , where they can view the tries and then vote for their favourite.

Voting closes on January 17, 2011.

The shortlist is:

1: Shane Williams, Wales v France
2: Ben Foden, France v England
3: Shane Williams, Wales v Scotland
4: Dan Carter, New Zealand v Wales
5: Felipe Contepomi, Argentina v France
6: Gonzalo Tiesi, Argentina v Scotland
7: Mils Muliaina, Australia v New Zealand
8: Israel Dagg, New Zealand v South Africa
9: James O’Connor, South Africa v Australia
10: Danielle Waterman, England v USA
11: Cobie-Jane Morgan, Australia v Wales
12: Huriana Manuel, New Zealand v Australia
13: Chrysander Botha, Georgia v Namibia
14: Nikola Matawalu, Fiji v Japan
15: Juan Jose Imhoff, Argentina Jaguars v Italy A
16: Chris Ashton, England v Australia
17: James Hook, Wales, v South Africa
18: Adam Ashley-Cooper, New Zealand v Australia


Last year’s winner of the award was Fourie du Preez of South Africa. In looking at the shortlist of nominees for 2010, a noticable feature is the ommision of any Springbok.

New Zealand’s men and women players have 5 tries in the shortlist, whilst Australia, Wales and England are represented 3 times each. Even Argentina feature twice!

IRB Player of the Year in 2008, Shane Williams (Wales) is the only player to have 2 tries in the shortlist (for the 2nd year running).

The lack of a Bok nomination highlights once again how impotent the Boks have been on attack this year, and in particular scoring tries.

Considering how dominant the Bulls and Stormers were on attack in this year’s Super 14, (with the Stormers scoring my try of the year with a wonderful full team effort against the Chiefs in Hamilton) and the potent attacking quality available, it is a tragedy the Boks have been unable to score quality tries this year.

Well done to the candidates, but I hope the Boks can be better in 2011 and once again show the world how good they can be on attack!

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has signalled the limited game plan the Boks intend on employing in 2011, emphasising direct rugby!

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers

“I believe we have the players and the plan on how we should play. The whole world knows how we play rugby, and most think it is boring, but we believe it is the way to go” said de Villiers.

“If you can go through people, why try and run around them?” he asked.

It’s an interesting question. I would have thought 99% of rugby coaches would tell their players to run around the opposition as you are more likely not to get tackled!

I’ve always believed in trying to get players to run into gaps, with the belief you are more likely to get through the opposition defence. Clearly me and Div share differing opinions!

The biggest problem I’ve seen with this approach for the Boks in 2010 is that using channel 1 to bash it up all day is ineffective and easy to counter by any side that determined and can match the physicality of the Boks (e.g Scotland).

It makes the Bok ball movement to slow and predcatable, and selecting players like Gio Aplon, Zane Kirchner and Bryan Habana out wide is pointless. They may as well just stick bigger, bulkier (and brainless) players on the wings and at fullback.

THE PUDDING HAS NOT BEEN VERY TASTY

Has this tactic worked for the Boks in 2010 and the past?

The proof is in the pudding. And this year’s pudding has been tasteless!

During the Tri-Nations from 2005 to 2009 the Springbok backs scored 89% of the Boks tries (41 out of 46 tries).

In the 2010 Tri-Nations this figure was 38% (5 out of 13 tries).

At the 2007 World Cup the Boks leading try scorers were Bryan Habana (8), JP Pietersen (4) and Jaque Fourie (4), all outside backs.

It is worth noting they are all outside backs, and have not been prolific try scorers for the Boks this year (to be fair Pietersen has hardly played, but his replacements have not done well either).

Surely the decreased number of tries, and the players scoring them (or lack of!) is an indication that this (direct) tactic does not work? Shouldn’t we be trying to set up our outside backs according to our (successful) historical averages?

On the 2010 Grand Slam tours, the All Blacks had an average score of 38-16 (150 points scored v 62 against), whilst the Boks played the same sides and had an average of 23-20 (91 points scored v 78 against).

SPRINGBOK DEFENCE LACKS ATTITUDE

Whilst the Boks attack has been limited, and not produced enough points, the defence has possibly more even more of a factor in the Boks poor 2010 results.

Defence is all about attitude, and as World Cups have shown, defence is often the difference between World Cup success and failure.

It does not matter what tactics the Boks have or haven’t used on attack, or what their game plan is, it shouldn’t create massive disruptions to their defence (although it is possible, e.g A highly expansive approach may leave you vulnerable to counter attacks etc).

No matter what coach Peter de Villiers say’s about the Springbok game plan then, it is only half of the equation. There has certainly been no excuse this year for the porous defence!

Looking at the Bok side, it has been the so called ‘smaller players’ who have impressed me most on defence. How many tackles have Juan de Jongh or Gio Aplon missed this year?

Why then do they continually move in and out of the side, whilst the other ‘bigger, more experienced’ players get rewarded with consistent selections even though they fall off tackles which cost the Boks e.g. John Smit’s missed tackle which cost the Boks the game against the All Blacks in Soweto.

WHAT ABOUT PLAN B?

Whilst I can understand the point of view of de Villiers in not wanting to move away from the strengths of South African rugby, I think it is important that the Boks:

1. Try to play to their potential and seek to be world leaders
The Boks of late 1997/1998 are the only Bok side of the modern era I believe has really stamped their authority on World Rugby, and created real fear in the opposition.

2. Have alternate strategies
It’s important to have a Plan B when things go wrong, and also to have the subtelty and variation required to ensure that Plan A works to its maximum effectiveness. When the opposition know your Plan A and don’t have to expect anything else, Plan A is often rendered useless.

CAN THE BOKS WIN THE WORLD CUP?

Yes. There is no doubt the Boks can win the World Cup, even with a limited game plan.

However it’s a dangerous and avoidable strategy.

It places high demand on certain individuals such as Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and Morne Steyn. If one of the Bulls trio is injured, it will place undue pressure on the team.

Having had 3 years to develop alternate skills and strategies, Peter de Villiers has highlighted he is not an effective coach, and if the Boks win it will be in spite of his leadership, not because of it.

Dear Santa,

Please can I have a normal, qualified Springbok coach for Christmas! I am sure the majority of Springbok supporters share my Christmas wishlist.

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers

It was not just the fact that we lost 6 test matches, which seems inexcusable considering:
1. We came off the best Super rugby season we’ve ever had with the Bulls and Stormers indestructible as they highlighted the tremendous depth in South African rugby.
2. We fielded our most experienced side ever during the Wellington test, and for the bulk of the season some of the best players on the planet.

No it was the image and reputation of our beloved Springboks that hurt most.

We have one of Santa’s little helpers who has swallowed too much of the helium meant for the celebratory party of the World Cup defence! He is clearly out of his depth, and needs to be replaced.

We’ve seen a total lack of progression from the Boks, excuses after excuses as the world has adapted to the new law interpretations and left us behind, and the running into the ground of our top players who should have been resting for a massive 2011 where they can sweep the World Cup rugby contenders and pretenders away.

If you can give us a new coach, please also throw in some much needed special holiday beverage to repair and rejuvenate our top players (but not the kind someone gave Chiliboy and Bjorn Basson!)

Thank you

The Springboks may have been disappointing in 2010, but they are confident they have the right plan to defend their World Cup in New Zealand 2011.

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers

I’m not sure that such a limited game plan, set in stone is the way to go. The Boks have shown they can play a more expansive game as well, and the 53-6 demolition of Australia in 2008 shows what can happen when you have an attacking mindset.

THE BOK BLUEPRINT

The Boks have revealed they had no game plan, and no idea during the 2010 Tri-Nations debacle, and have gone back to ’10 man’ or traditional Bok rugby as evidenced by the 2010 Grand Sham tour.

After the clash with England at Twickenham, Bok coach Peter de Villiers reflected on the year by saying, “We were between game plans. Everybody was telling us to keep the ball in hand, and we got into trouble trying to play too much rugby.”

“I believe we have the players and the plan on how we should play. We have proved that (against England).”

“We have made major strides since 2008. We have new players to add, we have resolved how we must play in the next World Cup and the players enter next year with confidence and belief.”

“The whole world knows how we play rugby, and most think it is boring, but we believe it is the way to go.”

“Other teams change their game plans every second year, but we will keep going with what we believe is right for us.”

It’s a worrying sign that it’s taken de Villiers 14 tests this year to work out a game plan that has been the basis of Bok rugby for the past century!

And the laws in my mind dicate that a more complete game plan is required to sustain long term success. But obviously de Villiers feels that the 6 losses this season are nothing to worry about!

WORLD CUP HISTORY

History reveals that World Cups are often dominated by defence more so than attack, and a top goal kicker is placed at it’s premium.

With such pressure matches, mistakes can be costly and sides usually play a more conservative brand of rugby. However the fundamentals of the game don’t change.

It’s still important to dominate physically up front, and dominate territory and possession. That allows you to dicate play and either keep it tight or go wider if needed.

While history shows matches are tighter, and you may not want to throw the ball around willy-nilly, for a side that falls behind, the only option to steal a match may be via crossing the line for a try or tries. e.g. the Boks in the 1999 semi-final against Australia.

It may also be the only way to put a side away, as we saw the Boks dominated the 2007 final, yet never got away from England and a try could have thrown the cat amongst the pigeons.

In either case, you need to have the skills to score quick points if and when needed.

It means having the ability to be flexible, adapt to the conditions and state of the game, and most importantly be able to come from behind if you start poorly.

One thing we have seen in 2010 is the Boks falling behind early, and other than the matches against Australia and Wales, being unable to come from behind to secure victory.

THE DANGER OF RELYING ON INDIVIDUALS

In John Smit’s book ‘Captain in the cauldron’, along with the ramblings of coach Peter de Villiers, we hear how the team comes before anything else.

If the team can decide on a pattern, selection becomes easier as you pick individuals who can perform a job for the side. It also means the inevitable injuries are less disruptive, as players can slot in more seamlessly.

However as we saw in 1999 with Nick Mallet’s dropping of Gary Teichmann for Bob Skinstad, and in 2003 when Straeuli was counting on Skinstad and Andre Pretorius to be his playmakers; if you base your game around 1 or 2 individuals who get injured you are in trouble.

Players can get injured, lose form or in the case of the Boks, get suspended or fail drug tests!

In explaining his position on selection for the World Cup, de Villiers said “If we had to choose a side now, there are about five positions we won’t agree on, the others have as good as cast their stones to the World Cup.”

“I am looking forward to seeing Fourie du Preez back so that execution on one part of our game can be spot on again.”

“He is not just a rugby player, he gets everybody going around him. His loss was a blow and to come here and win three games without him is a big boost of our confidence.”

Whilst I agree Fourie du Preez is one of the top 3 rugby players in the world, it is dangerous to have to become reliant upon him.

What if he gets injured for the entire season? Or the week before the World Cup semi-final?

Surely without du Preez this year, it was the ideal opportunity to build the depth and at least gain confidence in providing a replacement if need be?

Past experience shows that failure to do so can see it bite you in the bum!

THE BOKS ARE PLAYING WITH FIRE

Whilst I don’t doubt the Boks have the ability to defend the World Cup with this limited strategy, it is a dangerous one.

The Boks will be highly reliant on their key, experienced players to show leadership in the absence of an intelligent coaching staff.

It’ll only require 1 or 2 injuries, or a bad start in the crunch matches, to expose the folly of this strategy.

Like all Bok supporters I’ll be holding thumbs, and praying for the right outcome, but I can’t help feeling the errie similarities to the 1999 and 2003 World Cup campaigns.

The All Blacks have set the benchmark in World Rugby in between World Cups. In comparison with their levels, the Boks 2010 and grand sham tour can only be marked as a failure.

After a horror Tri-Nations, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers stated the Grand Slam tour was all about ‘results’ and regaining Springbok pride.

3 Wins out of 4, and a loss to Scotland were way below par.

In reflecting on the tour, de Villiers said “The success of the tour lies in what isn’t immediately obvious. Results are the temporary successes or failures. The first thing is that we have removed all doubt and believe in one another.”

Once again de Villiers simply justifies his results or lack thereof, and has tried to capture the South African rugby publics’ imagination by highlighting the result against England.

If you want to be the best however, you must measure yourself against the best. And if we compare the Boks’ results with those of the All Blacks, we can only give the Springboks a big F for FAILED, FIZZLED and FLOPPED!

IMPRESSIVE ALL BLACKS

The Boks have not won a Grand Slam in over 50 years, whereas the All Blacks comfortably achieved their 3rd such achievement in the last 5 years.

The All Blacks were never in doubt of winning all 4 of their matches, yet only hitting top gear against Scotland.

They did not win by less than 10 points, showing the difference in class and composure between them and their rivals, despite their goal kickers not being at their best.

They scored numerous tries throughout their tour, easily scoring 30+ points per match.

Even with Ireland playing possibly their best test match in years, the All Blacks finished with a 20 point victory.

BOKS FAILED TO MEASURE UP

In comparison, the Boks scraped home against Ireland and Wales winning by 2 and 4 points respectively. Whereas the All Blacks comfortably disposed of Scotland and put them to the sword, we lost to them for the second time in 8 years.

It provided a big kick up the ass to motivate the Boks to produce a strong forward effort against England, allowing a determined if not polished 10 point victory.

The All Blacks finished with an average winning margin of 22 points per Grand Slam match, whereas the Boks finished at only 4 points!

As World Champions, preparing to defend their crown at next year’s Rugby World Cup, the Boks are someway behind the standards of the All Blacks, possibly falling even further behind than they did in the Tri-Nations.

The Boks probably had worst weather conditions to play in than the All Blacks, but that is no excuse.

It was not the manner of victory (and defeat) that were the biggest concern. It was the lack of constructive rugby on attack, synergy between the players, intelligence in the conditions, a plan B when needed and having the subtleties in attack needed to unlock opposition defences.

In addition the lack of heart and commitment on defence, and being able to sustain an 80 minute performance have not been rectified all year.

If anyone in South African rugby was honest with the SA rugby public, the tour was a failure, the Boks failed to deliver, and once again the coaches need to be more accountable for sub-standard Springbok rugby.

After losing 24-21 to Racing Metro, Saracens Director of Rugby Brendan Venter gave one of the strangest interviews ever!

Venter has a reputation for not holding his opinion back, and has been fined on mulitple occasions for expressing his views.

He was fined 22000 pounds for comments made after Saracens second round Heineken Cup match earlier this year and has not given an interview for 2 months.

Is he getting his own back with this interview? Either that or he is seriously strange!

I believe giving interviews is a mandatory requirement, in this interview, Venter appears to be mocking the interviewer and his questions, answering very sarcastically.

In going down 26-20 to the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday, the Springboks showed they have made no progress in 2010.

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers appeared fairly satisfied that the Springboks had gotten close, but for the World Champions to be beaten by a makeshift side (albeit a high quality one) is never a satisfactory result.

It was not so much the margin of victory that left me disappointed but the manner of the Barbarians victory that hurt most.

Peter de Villiers seemed comforted by the fact that the Boks ‘won’ the last 60 minutes 17-7 once they regained their structure. But we saw during the Tri-Nations, a poor start cost the Boks as the Barbarians coasted in for 3 tries.

The Springboks have either failed to put together 80- minute matches, or back up after one good game all year. Why can’t this coach produce a consistent side who performs to their potential more often than not?

The Bok coach has been delusional all season. Once again the Boks looked ordinary on attack and missed to many first time tackles in defence.

The attack was one-dimensional and the Boks did not enter into the spirit of ‘Barbarians’ rugby. There was absolutely nothing to gain by a close loss, but everything to gain by trying new moves, new players and new tactics.

The fact that some of the more promising younger players such as Elton Jantjies and Patrick Lambie were brought into the South African lineup and made to look ordinary, highlights to me the effect our current coaching staff have on our players.

These and other players this season have gone from Super 14 winners, past winners in almost everything else to the most brain-dead and clueless international players.

Whilst I’d like to see us turn it around in 2011, it’s going to take a mammoth effort on behalf of the players to put together a consistent 7 weeks required to defend the World Cup.

I just hope 2011 doesn’t produce the same mistakes that 2010 has delivered!

The Springbok side to take on the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday:

The Boks have rung the changes as they look to ensure each squad member gets game time on tour.

Werner Kruger (prop) and Andries Strauss (centre) this week were called up and flew from South Africa to bolster the squad with injuries and non-availability.

THE SPRINGBOKS

1. Coenie Oosthuizen
2. Adriaan Strauss
3. CJ van der Linde
4. Bakkies Botha
5. Alistair Hargreaves
6. Willem Alberts
7. Juan Smith (c)
8. Ryan Kankowski
9. Francois Hougaard
10. Elton Jantjies
11. Lwazi Mvovo
12. Andries Strauss
13. Adrian Jacobs
14. Odwa Ndungane
15. Patrick Lambie

16. Bandise Maku
17. Tendai Mtawarira
18. Werner Kruger
19. Flip van der Merwe
20. Keegan Daniel
21. Charl McLeod
22. Gio Aplon

In the latest IRB World Rankings the Springboks will end the year in third position, with the Tri-Nations sides firmly entrenched as 1, 2 and 3.

The Springboks finish the year in third position, just over 1 ranking point behind Australia in second.

Considering the strong state South African rugby found itself after the Super 14, it’s a disgrace to the Bok coaching staff who have underperformed.

The All Blacks deservely occupy top position, as they finished the year with a solitary loss in 14 test matches.

France move out of the top 5, and it signifies to me the state of world rugby.

It is weak!

The Aussies are in second spot, but they’ve also been hot and cold all year, but being the best of a bad bunch they get second spot by default.

If sides wish to challenge the All Blacks for the World Cup in New Zealand in late 2011, they have 10 months to start turning things around!

IRB WORLD RANKINGS

Full IRB World Ranking list

The Barbarians side to face the Springboks at Twickenham (coached by Nick Mallet).

1. Salvatore Perugini (Italy)
2. Stephen Moore (Australia)
3. Neemia Tialata (New Zealand)
4. Anton van Zyl (Stormers)
5. Chris Jack (New Zealand)
6. Rodney So’oialo (New Zealand)
7. Martyn Williams (Wales)
8. Colin Bourke (Chiefs).
9. Will Genia (Australia)
10. Matt Giteau (Australia)
11. Drew Mitchell (Australia)
12. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
14. Joe Rococoko (New Zealand)
15. James O’Connor (Australia)

16. Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
17. John Yapp (Wales)
18. Quintin Geldenhuys (Italy)
19. Daniel Braid (New Zealand)
20. Andy Ellis (New Zealand)
21. Stephen Donald (New Zealand)
22. Seru Rabini (Fiji)

After the Springbok forward pack laid the platform for the important 21-11 victory over England, coach Peter de Villiers praised his side’s scrum, which he believes is world class.

“We worked hard on our scrummaging, and have since 2008 regained our self-confidence” said de Villiers.

“We believe now that we could scrum any team.”

The Bok scrum in 2009 was dismal, not helped by John Smit having to relearn the tighthead role for much of it.

In the 2009 Tri-Nations de Villiers even wrote to IRB referees boss Paddy O’Brien to figure out why the Boks were being penalised so often at scrum time. And on their 2009 end of year tour, the Boks were given a scrumming lesson by the northern hemisphere.

Coach de Villiers obviously now feels the scrum is stable, and even one of the Boks major weapons.

“It feels good when other teams talk about our scrum, because we know it’s something that they fear, but are trying to turn into something positive from their perspective.”

“It wasn’t easy. We did struggle in one or two scrums, but in general this was a very successful aspect of the tour.”

I’m not sure the Bok scrum can be considered the best in the world, regardless of the improvements its made.

Let’s see how strong it is next year, as in New Zealand for the World Cup a strong scrum to enable decent pickups from the eighthman in damp conditions will be imperative.

The Springbok squad for Saturday’s match against the Barbarians at Twickenham will give a chance for many of the grand slam’s fringe players an opportunity in Springbok colours.

The Springbok squad to take on the Barbarians:

Forwards:

Willem Alberts
Bakkies Botha
Keegan Daniel
Jannie du Plessis
Bismarck du Plessis
Alistair Hargreaves
Ryan Kankowski
Bandise Maku
Tendai Mtawarira
Coenie Oosthuizen
Juan Smith (captain)
Adriaan Strauss
CJ van der Linde
Flip van der Merwe

Backs:

Gio Aplon
Francois Hougaard
Adi Jacobs
Elton Jantjies
Zane Kirchner
Patrick Lambie
Charl McLeod
Lwazi Mvovo
Odwa Ndungane


Victor Matfield (broken rib) and Jean de Villiers were both injured against England in Saturday’s test and weren’t considered. Matfield was unlikely to have played anyway.

Pierre Spies, Deon Stegmann and Morné Steyn have been released and also returned back to South Africa.

Francois Steyn (Racing Metro) and Ruan Pienaar (Ulster) have both been returned to their European clubs as the Barbarians match falls outside the November internationals for which they are allowed to play.

Juan Smith takes over the captaincy from Victor Matfield.

The Springbok match 22 will be announced on Wednesday.

It is likely to see Francois Hougaard at scrumhalf, with Charl MacLeod on the bench, Patrick Lambie at flyhalf with Elton Jantjies on the bench and Adrian Jacobs partnered with Zane Kirchner in the midfield.

After beating England 21-11 at Twickenham, the Boks are counting on taking this form forward into 2011.

In 2006 the Boks came off a similarly bad end towards the season and managed to end the season with an important win at Twickenham which probably saved their coach (Jake White) and catapulted the Boks to Rugby World Cup success the following year.

The Boks have probably saved coach Peter de Villiers job, and are hoping this will launch them into a successful 2011 and Rugby World Cup defence.

“It’s a big win for the country, it’s a big win for the team” said de Villiers after the game. “It was important to put a marker down for next year.”

THE CAPTAIN, VICTOR MATFIELD

Matfield echoed the thoughts of his coach after the game, “2006 was not our greatest year, but we turned things around against England in our last game that year and went on to win the World Cup in 2007. Hopefully this win today will be a good omen for next year. It’s a very important year for us and we’re going to New Zealand to defend the World Cup” said Matfield.

“We’re very happy with the way we played and hopefully we can take that confidence into next year which is a big year for the World Cup.”

“Today we got a nice dry pitch and we were able to play some rugby. The guys were hurt after last weekend and they showed the character and the pride in the Springbok jersey the way they came back tonight.”

“The plan was to put England under pressure, which we did very well in the first half. We did miss some chances to score – one of those by me – but we were happy to stick to what we can do and play when we had the opportunity.”

“We were talking about accuracy and I think it was there tonight. There was patience.”

Matfield was happy with the team effort, and praised his forwards for playing more direct rugby, creating the forward momentum for his side to play with more width on attack.

“There was a lot spoken this week in the media about our scrum and our physicality. I think the guys stood up and showed what they can do. And that’s what the Springboks is all about.”

“We played the way we know we can, direct … and then we took it wide.”

“By playing hard and direct up front, we created forward momentum which led to space on the outside for our runners.”

Matfield commented how physical the game was, and showed great leadership and courage to see out the game with a suspected broken rib from a knock with English wing Chris Ashton.

“There’s a lot of bruises on their side and our side. My rib has gone. It was a hard game.”

THE BLUEPRINT AND GAMEPLAN

Both Peter de Villiers and Victor Matfield felt the Boks played to their strengths, and don’t necessarily have to play like the other sides who appear to have adapted to the new law interpretations more successfully.

“If you do it the way the guys did it today, then it is very difficult to stop them” said De Villiers.

“It’s all about believing in what you are doing. Although people know how we play and expect it, and it might seem boring to a lot of people, if we keep doing it and we do it well maybe we can get dividends from it.”

“We were all honest about it, we spoke about what our strengths are, what our team does well. We decided to concentrate on that, and what was important was that we all had to have buy-in and believe in it, said the captain,” Victor Matfield.

“This was a victory for our blueprint, it was all about us getting self-belief back in the game that we play.”

“It’s all about execution and accuracy. We have been speaking about that all tour but not getting it right. Today we did get it right and it showed what we can do.”

Just how important was this victory?

And what does it mean in the context of a very poor year? Have the Boks got the right blueprint to defend the World Cup next year?

Matfield summed it up perfectly when he said, “It is a bit premature maybe to talk about this as a turn-around or a watershed, only next year will tell us that.”

The Springbok forward pack won the battle up front to pave the way for a 21-11 win over England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Springboks 21

Tries: Willem Alberts, Lwazi Mvovo
Conversion: Morne Steyn
Penalties: Morne Steyn (3)

England 11

Try: Ben Foden
Penalties: Toby Flood (2)

The Springboks produced a record equalling (matching England’s record) 7 successive wins between the 2 countries in a match where physicality triumphed skill.

There will be many tired and sore bodies as a result of this game, as both sides climbed into each other from the opening whistle as they tried to exert their physical dominance.

In golf there is a saying “You drive for show and putt for dough”. In rugby you can say “the forwards determine who wins, the backs determine by how much”.

And there was the basis for the Bok win. The pack played as a unit rather than individuals, shutting the Poms out of the game.

Like 2009 when the Boks were dominant, it shows that if you win the forward battle, you will win more times than you lose. It’s been the Boks biggest downfall all year, coming second in the tight exchanges, and not getting enough ball to play with.

GREATER TERRITORY AND POSSESSION

In the first half, the Boks enjoyed the greater territory and possession yet couldn’t break through the English defence. The Boks had their chances, but poor option taking and finishing were costly.

On the 20-minute mark Matfield tried to reach for the tryline after a few phases from a 5m scrum but lost possession as he tried to do so.

Soon after turning down a kickable penalty, the Boks coughed up possession once more.

England would have been fairly happy to head into the break 6-6, after the Boks had looked largely ineffectual with ball in hand, especially with their backs.

PRESSURE INTO POINTS

The Boks continued much the same in the second half, but England had their chances. It was the Poms who spread the ball from 1 side to the other, utilising their 15 players but just unable to crack a resolute Bok defence.

A Morne Steyn penalty gave the Boks some breathing space at 9-6 heading into the final quarter, and the pressure was mounting on England.

A lineout drive produced yet more ball for the Boks to attack from, and they moved the ball through the hands well with Morne Steyn and Pierre Spies combining well to put super sub Willem Alberts over in the corner.

In a tight match, the resultant 10 point lead was always going to be a mission to come back from.

Lwazi Mvovo sealed the match with 10 minutes remaining as he ran through 2 English defenders.

The Poms scored a late consolation try to Ben Foden with a few minutes remaining , but the match was effectively over at that stage.

FORWARD MOMENTUM

After the match victorious captain Matfield said that playing more direct had given the side forward momentum which had allowed the Boks to play wider.

The Boks did through the ball slightly wider than their previous grand sham matches, but still looked largely ineffective and hesitant in attack. Their attacking channels are still too narrow, and Aplon and Mvovo were not given many chances.

From broken play the Boks look more dangerous as they use their powerful and skilful ball runners. But when trying to construct attacks they are still fairly conservative.

IS PETER DE VILLIERS JOB SAFE?

Whilst the Boks may have won, it has only papered over the cracks in my opinion.

The victory is likely to see de Villiers remain in charge of the side for next year’s Rugby World Cup, as it’ll be hard to fire him for 3 wins out of 4, despite how ugly the wins may have been.

After the highs of 2009, and the lows of 2010, just what will 2011 bring? With de Villiers in charge, you just never know!

He may have been a liability many times in his career with his discpline, but Bakkies Botha is essential to the Springboks success.

Botha is the enforcer in the Springbok forward pack, and is often relied on to lead the pack into battle.

The Springboks have won 73% of matches when Bakkies Botha has played yet only 36% of matches without him since Botha’s debut in November 2002.

Aside from his physical attributes, it’s the simplicity and hard edge that Botha brings to the table that make him so valuable.

He doesn’t beat around the bush, and he say’s what he means and means what he says.

After the Boks shock loss to Scotland, Botha had this to say on Monday, “We did not play well against Scotland, but it does not help us to take negative energy into the weekend’s game. It’s over and done with. This is a new week, a new day and there are new challenges.”

“A defeat like the one against Scotland hurts. But what matters is how many times you get up, not how many times you fall. That is the way we are looking at it.”

That sums up Botha’s attitude. He is never one to dwell on negatives, and the side will look to him to lead them into battle.

He continued, “It was a difficult weekend for us, but the door is now closed and the focus is on England. A test against England at Twickenham stays something special. It’s a tough and physical test, and one we’re looking forward to.”

“They have a big pack and quick backs. We now want a big performance against England. It will be a great win if we can pull it off. It’s important that we finish the tour well.”

The Springboks season hinges on the final tour test match against England. Springbok captain Victor Matfield on Friday said the Boks are treating is as a ‘Cup Final’.

Speaking at the Boks hotel on Friday the day before the Boks take on England at Twickeham, once can sense the pressure the Boks are feeling.

The Springboks are looking to regain lost pride, and whilst Matfield said the side was viewing the match as a ‘cup final’ he may very well be right. For if the Boks lose, the public expectation will be for the coaches to be fired!

“The whole tour is in the balance. If we don’t win we will be under a lot of pressure back home. We all know what the expectations are in South Africa and we have to live up to them. We must win to get our team back on track and end the tour on a positive note” said Matfield on Friday.

“It’s all about getting things right mentally. Not just the captain or the coaching staff. It’s everyone because we all feel the pressure. We are fully behind the coaching staff. We are all in this together. If the Boks lose, everyone loses, not just the coaches or the captain or whoever.”

“We need that tough mental attitude to make it work but we also need to get our decisions right to make it work,” he explained.

“We have spoken about this game being a cup final for us after what happened in Edinburgh. This is all or nothing, we will put everything into it and at the end we hope to have come up with the goods on the scoreboard.”

“There is a very keen desire to put things right. We have prepared very well. The big message to the guys is that if you hope to win at Twickenham against an England team on the rise, then you have to go out and make things happen.”

80 Minutes stand between the Boks losing the support of their adoring rugby public, and possibly whether Peter de Villiers will lead this side at next year’s rugby world cup!

Fikile Mbalula, the minister for Sport and Recreation on Friday presented the Springboks with their match jerseys for Saturday’s crunch test against England at Twickenham.

Mbalula told the team they are the pride of the nation, and whilst the battle was lost against Scotland, they have not lost the war!

“In a war you win some battles and you lose some battles but the strategic aim is to focus on winning the war. You have lost one battle but you have not lost the war” said the Minister.

“This is an important game for all the people of South Africa and we wish you all courage and that you will do our nation proud. The people of South Africa are behind you. The government of South Africa is behind you.”

“You are world champions and we are proud of you. You have a challenge but we know you can overcome through strength. Tomorrow when all odds are against you we know that you will strive as children of people who are made of steel, the children of warriors and that is why we have flown here, because you are the pride of the nation.”

The minister flew to London to be with the Boks and is the first sports minister in De Villiers’ three-year tenure to accept an invitation to present the jerseys.

“I want to assure you that whenever you play I will make it a point that if I have the time I will be there with you. You are a sporting code that has come to be the pride of the nation. When people talk about South Africa they talk about champions and they talk about the Springboks and we are very proud of you.”

“We are with you; we are one nation. It is through rugby that we have learnt that we can live together as one people and you have united us. You have given hope to the hopeless and courage to those who want to make South Africa proud and that is why we support you.”

I congratulate Mr Mbalula for leading SA, and showing us all the commitment we ought to give the Springboks.

If the side shows the some commitment and courage as Mr Mbalula on Saturday, the Boks will win!