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The Irish were organised and focused from the first whistle. They had, as part, of their planning decided to target Lwazi Mvovo on the left wing. He is very fast but no ball player. They had done their homework and so the Garry Owens were aimed unerringly at his incompetent efforts under the high ball. An error occurred in the twenty-fifth minute and Toner scored. Try converted. Score: Ireland 19 - South Africa 3.
Fifteen minutes later as half time arrived, I had written that Jantjies had missed two penalties and Jackson, his opposite number had goaled five kicks, including the conversion of Toner's try. I wrote that the front five had not affected the match one way or another. Line-outs were reasonably controlled but the backs appeared to be unable to capitalise on opportunities. The Springboks clearly had a script but couldn't read it. Captain Strauss seemed to be a 'hands-off' director. Indiscipline was again inexcusably evident. Tackling and passing were poor. As Donald Trump would have said, "What the hell is going on?!!"
While I had not lost hope, I had seen nothing to make me think there would be a resurgence of such proportions as happened in the last quarter of the game. What was said by Allister Coetzee at the break? I hope he threatened to drop players who were destroying any hope of pace, drive and aggression. I hope he told them basics had to be perfect.
For South Africa, the goal-kicking remained at the level of 'amateur night at Bronkhorstspruit Laer Skool'. But fifteen minutes into the second half, energy, drive and unbridled purpose arrived like a Highveld storm. Combrinck was on the field and the first time he received the ball we saw blistering pace for the first time. Then Willie le Roux broke between two tight forwards and gave a perfect pass to Combrinck on the right wing. His determination to reach the line was palpable. Poor Paddy Jackson had no
chance as Combrinck thundered into and over him. It was a brilliant try. The scorer gave a suitably theatrical gesture of triumph. Score: Ireland 19 - South Africa 10. The game was on!
The tries came one after the other as a resurgent, even resurrected, Springbok team attacked with speed and power. Whiteley's try was a gem. He has the gift of a side-step and beat four defenders to go over. Mostert came on and added further courage and strength. De Allende, suddenly, playing a leading role, broke through some feeble tackling to score a fine try. Then, after some excellent use of the grubber by le Roux, play moved back and forth until, du Toit, supported by Mostert scored under the poles. The Springbok team had scored twenty-nine points in the last scene.
All in all, the performance still gives cause for concern, but the exhilarating exhibition by the home side of what high-class rugby they are capable of, was a tonic. It was an unbelievable comeback. Relief all round.
It's fair to say that the arrival of four Lions players on the field during the match tells its own story. They are members of the dominant franchise in South African rugby. (How Heyneke Meyer took not one Lion's player to the last World Cup remains a mystery. He had a place for a few old soldiers and pals well past their best, and in the end it showed.)
Selection of form-players is critically important. Reputations mean nothing. The reality is Springbok coaches err on the side of caution. There is an attitude of 'loyalty' - even if you play badly you'll get another chance. The modern game should have thrown that sort of thinking off the stage long ago. "Sorry, my mate, but you're out of the cast for the next show. Now your under-study gets his turn."
Policy and practice should dictate that if you play badly, another player gets his chance. There is, no longer, any time for dress rehearsals. Every game is on stage with the curtain up and lights blazing! Act!
My team for the Port Elizabeth test would be:
Fullback: le Roux
Wings: Pietersen and Combrinck
Centres: Mapoe and de Allende (reluctantly: I'd pick Rowan Janse van Rensburg, the 'form' centre at present, but he's not even in the squad).
Flyhalf: Jantjies with standby Brummer, a balanced, composed, thinking flyhalf with a golden boot. (Not in the squad either).
Scrumhalf: de Klerk
Front Row: Mtwarira, Strauss (but Malcom Marx MUST be on the bench) and Redelinghuys. Malherbe is not playing well
Locks: du Toit and Etzebeth
Flanks: Jaco Kriel (when the hell is the best loose forward in South Africa going to be recognised?!), Kolisi and Whiteley.
Of course much of my selections won't happen. Steyn, who is OK, will not be sent back to Paris; Vermeulen will, I hope, be on the bench but there was no fire from him in the last test. He needs a cracker up his backside. Misplaced 'loyalty' will ensure no panic attacks! That's not the way we do it in this country. I hope we win and win well.
(Two schools at which I was once headmaster played and beat their traditional rivals last week: Michaelhouse beat Hilton College 21 -17 and Kingswood College beat St. Andrew's College, some Old Kingswoodian supporter told me, 'comfortably'; whatever that means'. I've played in enough defeats and watched my school teams lose many times, so these victories were sweet. Yet I am no one-eyed fanatic. I have a foot in all four schools in one way or another. I was rector of Michaelhouse but have a daughter, Cal Bray, who is HOD Speech and Drama at Hilton College. I was headmaster of Kingswood College but spent two years of my schooling at St. Andrew's Prep, in Fairlawn House and a short spell at the College in Mullins House.)
I am reliably informed that the spirit in which these school matches were played was exemplary. Not always the case these days when some schoolmasters, like Vladimir Putin, actively encourage doping and then turn a blind eye and retreat into denial. It's a brand new world.
Neil Jardine
]]>As i did not watch all the matches on television, I have a sketchy view of the quality of play overall.
Certainly, the highlights for me, were the great and hugely unexpected victory of the Sharks over the Hurricanes and the Highlanders win against the Chiefs. Both these results were largely unexpected, the former more so than the latter.
It seemed to me that the mental preparation of players is becoming more and more important as the competition progresses. By this time, most teams have a good idea of how other teams play in particular parts of the field on attack and defence. So new thinking is essential. The question the better coaches are asking each week is, "Given our solid defence and speed and guile on attack, how can we surprise them this week? What do we have up our sleeve to improve through the rest of the season?"
So, although practices will continue with emphasis on even more powerful and effective scrumming, more moves worked out for the lineouts, I expect more imagination from the backs. Passing must by this stage, be as near to perfect as ‘dammit’. Former Springbok flyhalf, Butch James argues that backline coaching must spend ‘at least 80% on passing’. Well of course, for the most part, that clearly doesn’t happen. Play comes to a halt more through inaccurate passing than any other feature.
One refers here to routine passing to the left and, even more so, to the right and even as important, drills (practised with the regular intensity of a professional golfer) to ensure no ball is lost ‘in the tackle’ by way of perfecting the ‘offload’. Too many receivers out wide are overrunning the pass. One understands the flat pass gives the wing an advantage so he can take it at full speed, but to anticipate too much leads to ‘forward passes’. In the match against the rampant Hurricanes of the week before, after some outstanding support- play by the Sharks, Jordaan crossed to dot down under the poles early on in the first half. But.....the TMO correctly ruled the pass to him had been forward. This is infuriating to any coach who pays attention to detail. (By the way, where is the famous Sonny Bill Williams, the best ‘off-loader’ in the game?) I miss him.
Creative thinking is the greatest skill any coach can possess. By the time he has reached ‘Super Eighteen’ status, all the fundamental requirements will be in place and fairly routine. He will have a good idea of ‘how to read a game’. But assessment of the other team’s methods, their possible weaknesses in certain areas and phases of play, have to be analysed with a fine-toothed comb.
This is clearly what Gary Gold and his Sharks fellow coaches did before their critically important match against a Hurricanes team which had swept the Lions away in a tornado of brilliant rugby the week before. The Sharks will have watched the attacking and, on the day, awe-inspiring performance by a rampant pack of forwards and a set of three-quarters who ran like Prussian cavalry over the fearful ranks of not-very-leonine infantry, who went to ground with little semblance of dignity. On the day, blunt claws and tails down lost the game for the hosts. OK, OK, it’s history now. The Lions will, I am sure, regroup and rethink.
As I watched the Sharks vs Hurricanes match, I found myself thinking of how, through really incisive thinking and planning, a ‘weaker’ team can beat a ‘stronger’ one. I certainly did not expect the Natal side to beat the Hurricanes. So I watched in amazement as the home side exhibited cast-iron defence and ran the ball with real thought and intelligent judgement. Esterhuysen was a one-man powerhouse; Jordaan has more confidence; le Roux, though still erratic at the back, joined the line with purpose. JP Pietersen is being used more and more as an impact player and his try was a beauty. The Sharks pack was heroic throughout and the du Preez twins in great form. The obvious conclusion is that the Hurricanes succumbed as successful teams do time and again when they are on a roll, by ‘not changing a thing’. It worked last week, so it must work again.
John Plumtree and Chris Boyd should know better. I was appalled by both their and their players inability to adapt to a new set of challenges on the field. Early in the match, it was clear the Sharks were not going to play ‘the same way as the Lions’. But, the Hurricanes failed to rethink their strategy, failed to analyse tactics to counter a tougher defensive oufit, and failed to ‘think their way out of trouble’. I watched in delighted amazement as the Sharks dominated a match few thought they could win. Wonderful Rugby!
I couldn’t help thinking back to the ‘sixties in Rhodesia, when I was still playing, to a particular match between Midlands and Mashonaland in the little mining town of Que Que. It was a ‘provincial’ encounter for the Russell Cup. As I drove along the dry river road from Umvuma to Que Que, I began thinking how we could beat the side from Salisbury and environs who had in their ranks seven national players, five of them behind the scrum. In the Midlands team, we had two who had represented Rhodesia – Richard Bright at scrumhalf and myself. (I was at the time, Midlands and Rhodesia captain.)
It occurred to me as I analysed our players against their opposite numbers – man-for-man - that two things were clear. 1. They would run the ball at every opportunity and 2. They will expect us to run at them with hopeful courage and spirit. So, our tactics had to be a ‘surprise’ and something they would find difficult to adapt to.
In the team talk I gave that day, I emphasised they could ‘outrun’ us if we allowed them to, so our backline tackling had to be water-tight. I also said we had to employ pressure which disrupted their predictable ‘pretty-boy’ rugby. So, I told our team, to the disappointment of my centres and wings, that I was going to kick ‘up-and-unders’ from every set piece high onto Peter Matkovich, their fullback, himself a national representative and a fine player. The kicks would also test their wings, whom I knew were not confident under the high ball. One might ask why kick to a good player like Matkovich and give away possession? Good question.
The answer I gave was that I thought our loose trio were better than theirs to the breakdown. We just ‘had to’ win every ‘loose ball’ encounter and then that ball won from broken play would be passed along the line every time. We would unsettle their patterns and find the gaps. (In my own mind, I was, too, thinking of employing the ‘drop’ whenever opportunity came.) Our forwards tackling had to be hard and brutal. I told them they would get to Matkovich before he jumped for the ball. We then had to snaffle the ball and run.
So the game see-sawed back and forth and we were brilliant in the loose. At halftime both sides had scored two tries but we were ahead because of a drop and penalty. In the second half, my ‘Garry Owens’ were accurate and Matkovich came under terrible pressure. As receivers could, in those ’medieval’ days, be tackled in the air, that’s what happened and Peter was carried off injured. I remember a tackle from one of our flanks, a miner called Boet Banninck, which sent Matkovich into orbit, and Mashonaland played the last twenty minutes with fourteen men. (Under today’s rules, Banninck would have been given a red card). We won comfortably.
We enjoyed our beers with the Mashonas after the game, they left in their bus for Salisbury and we, the Midlanders, handed in our scarlet jerseys, said our farewells and headed to our various homes in Gwelo, Shabani, Gutu and points further afield. I drove back to Fort Victoria along the dry river road and felt satisfied not so much by the unexpected victory, but because we had come up with a plan that was geared to the reality of the opposition, a neat analysis of how they would play, and the ability to stick to our game plan. The ‘weaker’ side won on the day. It doesn’t happen often, but when your thinking and hunches coincide and your players can believe and deliver, it’s great.
The Highlanders have only themselves to blame for their ‘topsy-turvy’ season. A loss to the Sharks and then a great win against the Chiefs? What’s going on? Is Ben Smith a ‘captain’? They have to aim for greater consistency of basic skills. The talent is all there.
The Bulls will be disappointed with their tepid and uneven display against a smarting Brumbies. Consistency will be needed if the Bulls are to be there at the end.
Neil Jardine
]]>The Lions went down before the fury of a Hurricanes team with all elements meshing into an engine of roaring power. 36-5 at halftime meant the weather had come and gone for the home team. The wind was over; now only a deadly calm settled on the silent Lions supporters at Ellis Park. A better-prepared, better-drilled, better-focused and better-motivated side from Wellington thrashed a bewildered and bemused home team. It was breathtakingly shocking for those who had come to celebrate another fine performance by a gifted Lions outfit. It was not to happen.
Outplayed in all departments of the game, the Lions clung on with blunted claws until the end but the quarry had long since disappeared over the horizon. Before the match we had to listen to the usual crap about ‘the front five’ and how they would determine the outcome of the match. As it happened, there were only fourteen scrums in the entire match – on a beach masquerading as a rugby field - and not one a ‘heel against the head’. Well if the ball is put in under the locks’ feet it’s hard to get at. It’s become so absurd that I gasped as Ross Cronje of the Lions appeared to put a ball into a scrum ‘relatively’ straight – whatever that means.
In any event, the ‘front five’ played no significant role in victory for the Hurricanes or in defeat for the Lions. On the whole, the Hurricanes were superior in all phases of play. The game was won by two things: superb and overwhelming superiority in broken play. Ahti Savea, Shields and Vito were all over the place; quicker to the breakdown and more efficient in clearing the ball. After fifteen minutes I found myself asking, “Where is Jaco Kriel?” His name had yet to be mentioned.
The other area of complete domination was the lineout where two quick throw-ins led to tries. The Lions had been bludgeoned into passivity and desperation. Apart from a much more vigorous and determined attacking approach, the visitors bristled with skill and bravura. They threw the ball about with accuracy and purpose. What a pleasure to watch.
After the famed ‘Super Sport Analysts’ had stressed again that the match would be won ‘up front’, I never heard them mention this factor again. They had parroted it out much like one who has been taught to learn by rote and then repeat on cue some arcane religious creed, without conviction or, indeed, apprehension. This rubbish is routinely dished out weekly. What are they thinking? Or, are they thinking?
Every follower of this great game knows that scrums form an important part of the arsenal. But as there were only fourteen scrums in this match, why overrate its significance? Some psychological advantages may be gained but it’s a part of the game over-coached while backs are relatively ignored. On rare occasions, the scrum, properly performed, can turn a game on its head as we saw later on Saturday evening. But these occasions are just that: rare.
By the time halftime was whistled, the Lions were down 35-6. It was desperately disappointing for the locals, who had come to support their heroes. After the interval, there was more focus and purpose from the home side. But the horse had long since bolted and now vain attempts were made to close the door. Apart from a performance of comparative lethargy in the first half, what let the stallion gallop away were two intercepted passes courtesy of Whiteley and Jantjes. Inexcusably slack. Final score: Hurricanes 50 – Lions 17.
The Stormers gave away their match against the Waratahs. With only four minutes to go and two points ahead, a scrum was awarded to the home side five metres from the tryline. Did anyone, captain or senior player, realise the vital importance of this scrum? It didn’t look like it. What was captain de Jong thinking? Was he thinking? Did it occur to him that leadership now was essential to retain the lead? No. He stood there as the others did, not giving a thought to the obvious reality that the Waratahs were in desperate straits and clearly going to make a massive effort to gain possession ‘against the head’. Does anyone in the Stormers squad know how to ‘close down’ a game? Obviously not.
And so it turned out. A herculean effort from the Waratahs forwards, with a crucial second shove, brought them the ball and Hooper crashed over. It should never have happened. One lapse of leadership and comprehension of a vital moment and defeat was snatched, as the cliché goes, from the jaws of victory. Is de Jong really a captain? Is he coached as a captain?
Two readers of this column, wrote to ask why I failed to mention the great victory by the Sharks over the Highlanders last week. Fair question. But I had what readers of ST Coleridge know as a ‘Porlock Moment’. The story goes that, in about 1814, as the philosopher/poet Coleridge, perhaps on opium, was writing one of his magical masterpieces, ‘Kubla Khan’, he reached the line ‘And drink the milk of paradise’, when there was a knock at the door and, distracted, Coleridge opened it to find a man from Porlock enquiring about some business proposition. By the time the poet returned to his desk to complete the poem, the inspiration had gone.
Last week, as I was trying to clear my mind about the political intervention into ‘transformation in rugby’, and ready to write about the Sharks victory over the Highlanders, the doorbell rang and it was the local broom-seller, trying to persuade me to buy yet another of his wares. I refused the offer as politely as I could under the circumstances, returned to my desk and the Sharks match had been erased from my thinking.
So, to put matters right, I now remember how I have been severely critical of the Sharks performances at home – dull, predictable, lethargic strategies and skills. But, against the Highlanders in NZ, the Sharks seemed transformed. They have always been strong on defence but this time they ran the ball off the turnovers and fully deserved a memorable win. Their performance against the Chiefs was even more impressive and they lost only because of indiscipline. Great pity.
In passing, whenever a turnover ball is kicked away, my groans are so loud, the neighbours complain. What are these highly paid players doing with ball won in broken play? The routine tactic is to run the bloody thing. Why kick it away? It’s insensible. Most tactical kicking remains in all teams, lamentable. Who thought up ‘grubbers’ into touch? Giving away ball to ‘gain’ ten metres and lose possession?
On the transformation issue, I ask, “If Craven Week is overflowing with black players, where are they? Who is tracking them?” It appears to be no one, least of all the minister’s sports department.
Neil Jardine
P.S. A reader wrote to ask what ‘qualified’ me to write a rugby blog. He is much younger than I – as most people seem to be these days. Well, for those who may be interested, here are a few items from my 25 year career in the great game.
1. Aged 8, fullback for De La Salle College Under 11.
2. First XV for St. Andrew’s Prep, Grahamstown – 1949 and 1950 flyhalf : in the team, Ed Stafford and Michael Beamish at centre, Wally Kitcat and David van Coller at scrumhalf; Chris Stone at lock, to mention a few.
3. Selborne College 3rd XV 1952; 2nd XV 1953 ; flyhalf (two matches for the Ist XV.)
4. Rhodes University : 1954 - Under 19 B flyhalf and vice-captain; 1955 - Under 19A flyhalf and vice-captain; captain Bill Yeowart at hooker.
5. Rhodes University: 1956/7/8: Ist XV: flyhalf and captain in 1958.
6. Victoria Sports Club team: 1959 - 1966 : flyhalf and captain.
7. Midlands Province, Rhodesia: 1959 - 1966: flyhalf and captain: won the Interprovincial four times in seven years.
8. Rhodesia National team: 1959 - 1970 with two years out owing to travel fatigue.
9. Combined Transvaal/Rhodesia team vs Northern Transvaal: 1960 at Springs.
10. Rhodes University and Eastern Province: 1964 at flyhalf.
11. Retired after 1970 season aged 33.
The best teams in the Super 18 competition win matches because they do the basics right. All teams make mistakes from time to time, but the winners know how to scrum, do lineouts, effect turnovers, pass and handle with skill and flair and have coached their kickers. Players in these teams also know how to run off the ball, to position for space, to support at every opportunity.
They also plan for matches through intricate analysis and creative thought. As Dan Carter said a few seasons back about the Crusaders, ”We try to do things other teams don’t think about". Rugby is a thinking game, high speed chess, playing the spaces, defending like fury. The great teams can adapt and show flair when it’s needed.
Passing remains problematical. The better teams make fewer passing errors. I’m thinking here of the Crusaders, the Chiefs, the Hurricanes, the Lions and a few others. After the ball is won, it’s essential to make profitable use of it. If the decision is to kick, the kick must gain ground, or be kicked so that the ball remains contestable. Ellis of the Crusaders kicked brilliantly from the base of the scrum in the Crusaders match against the Brumbies.
I’m no fan of the box-kick, but if it means having a fair chance of regaining possession, it’s a fine tactic. The problem is, most scrumhalves do not practise it or perform it properly. They kick the ball over the scrum as a sort of reflex action. Perhaps unfairly, Cobus Reinach is almost metronomic from areas in his own half. He also telegraphs the kick and he’s not the only one who does that.
James Hall of the Southern Kings kicked one in the match against the Lions which sticks in the memory. It was more a chip than a ‘box-kick’ and led to a fine try, against the run of play. (Memories of Charl McLeod’s chips against the Western Province seasons ago now, to win the Currie Cup.) What young Hall did right was look first to see where the opposition blindside wing had positioned himself. He was way back waiting for a routine box kick. So Hall chipped it short of him and the Kings scored.
Let’s be frank; coaches do not coach kicking in the run of play nearly enough. That’s a given, but those backline players who practise the grubber, the chip, the diagonal are paid handsome rewards. The likes of Foley and Damian McKenzie, Jantjes (some times), Cruden are masters of the art. Although Barrett had a better game than Cruden in the Chiefs vs Hurricanes match - his running of the ball, passing, grubbers, support-play were outstanding – the irony is he, Barrett, lost the game for his team because his kicking at goal was, uncharacteristically, very poor. So the margins in a match such as this, are very small.
After the Crusaders match against the Brumbies, I said to myself, “Phew! That’s how the game should be played.” The victory by 40 points to 14 was truly staggering! The Brumbies are no pushover, but on the day, it was ‘men against boys’. The support play of the visitors to Canberra was awesome. I recall one try: scrum won, Ellis box kicks, Coleman knocks on, Fonotia grabs it, tackled, he off-loads to Nadolo, who straightens the line to increase running space on the outside, takes the tackle, and offloads to a rampant Israel Dagg: try under the poles. Breathtaking!
The Brumbies showed their true ability too with tries by Coleman after the powerful Kurudrani straightened the line and sent the winger in with only a few inches to spare on the touchline. They will learn from this defeat.
Now to politics and the recent statement from our minister of sport, Fikile Mbalula, that four sports, including rugby, may not bid for international competitions until "the sports in question are truly transformed". Now what the hell does that mean? Fifteen brown players and three white regardless of ability? Ten brown players and five white players regardless of ability? (Isn’t it interesting to notice that golf is not one of those sports referred to. The obvious reason is that there’s no escape from the facts in a sport like golf. The scores reveal the talent regardless of skin shades.)
What I’d like to see are:
a) the audited accounts for those responsible for ‘transformation in rugby’ in the Border/Eastern Cape region; the ‘home of brown rugby’
b) a report on how talented brown players from schools like Dale College, Queen’s College, Grey High and so on have been ‘tracked and guided’ by those paid handsomely to do so
c) copies of all correspondence re ‘transformation’ submitted to the minister’s office, university authorities and clubs
Where has the ‘transformation money’ gone?
I can’t help thinking of the case of Charl Langeveldt from a few years ago. He withdrew from a Proteas squad to tour India because he said figures showed Andre Nel to be a better bowler and should have been chosen. Langeveldt was quite wrong, of course, to play ‘selector’ but the significance of the case lies in the fact that he did not want to be patronised for his skin colour.
I don’t see the problem in rugby which the minister and his advisers do. To exemplify this, I’ll attempt, at some speed, to select two teams to play each other. All the players will be of Super 18 standard. My teams, because skin colour should be correctly identified, will be the PINKS and the BROWNS. (No overseas players will be considered).
PINKS XV
FBACK: Jesse Kriel
WINGS: Combrinck / Can't think of another PINK Wing!!!!
CENTRES: Janse van Rensburg / Odendaal
FHALF: Brummer
SHALF: De Klerk
PROPS: Van Der Merwe / Redelinghuys
HOOKER: Marx
LOCKS: De Jager / Etsebeth
FLANKS: Jaco Kriel / Coetzee
NO.8: Whiteley
BROWNS XV
FBACK: Kolbe
WINGS: Skosan / Ishmael
CENTRES: JP Pietersen / De Allende
FHALF: Jantjes
SHALF: Rudi ? (BULLS)
PROPS: Mtawarura / Nyakane
HOOKER: Ntombani
LOCKS: Andrews / Mahoje
FLANKS: Kolisi / Notshe
NO.8: Carr
As is evident, I’ve battled to find ‘brown’ locks or another really outstanding ‘pink’ wing. Perhaps I’ve not paid enough attention to tight and looseheads.
But, I found it easier to pick the BROWN XV than the PINK XV. I mean I omitted Ulenga, de Jong, Basson, Peterson (Cheetahs), Ruhle, Mnisi, Mapoe, et al.
Which of the above teams would win a match series.
I don’t see the minister’s problem in such stark terms. He is forcing the issue because some coaches have, admittedly, "gone through the motions of transformation". Over-reaction in my view.
Comments?
Exhilarating! That’s the word for the intensive, no-holds-barred encounter between the Lions and the Stormers. For a match which produced only three tries, it was, nevertheless, a thrilling encounter. Even for the uninitiated and the casual spectator, this match was marked by two evenly matched teams whose commitment, on defence particularly, was palpable. No quarter was asked or given.
So how did the Stormers lose? Perhaps its mirror-image question is to ask why and how the Lions won? I suppose a reasonable answer would be that the Lions took two of their opportunities – one offered from a superb chip kick by Elton Jantjes which led to turnover ball and then a superbly timed and delivered long pass from this fine flyhalf, to an unmarked Ruan Combrinck on the right wing. The second opportunity offered itself when, from the usual series of professional fouls in the Stormers red zone, a penalty was awarded to the Lions five metres from their tryline.
Sadly, this foray into the Stormers red zone came about when the promising Jean-Luc du Plessis, knocked on a ball after a long kick down field from the Lions. Now, the Stormers are renowned for their defensive skills on and around their tryline. To call them masterly is no exaggeration. They get into a space of intense concentration, each knows his role, be it going for the ball, getting under the hopeful attacker and preventing a grounding and so on. But for a split second when this penalty was awarded, a momentary lapse in concentration and, to be fair, a brilliant piece of opportunistic play by Faf de Klerk saw him tap the ball and dive between two large defenders and ground the ball with his left hand.
From then on, the Stormers attacked valiantly through their impressive fullback, Cheslin Kolbe, their trio of Carr, Notshe, Burger and latterly Kolisi and, indeed, every man in their team. It was only cast iron defence from the home team that kept them out. But Kolisi’s try was out of the top drawer. Great skills in driving forward, interpassing and support play saw the try-scorer’s break and, with a bewildering sidestep, go over near the posts.
After all the hoo-ha about Jean Luc du Plessis, I expected more. I expected him to kick equally well with either foot: he is but another one-foot kicker. Of course I admit that players like Latham of Australia and Montgomery of South Africa, played some exceptional rugby despite having only a left foot, so to speak. But think how much better they would have been had their coaches insisted on the development of an ability with both feet. So du Plessis played quite well, judgement was generally good, but why did he kick off a long ball to his left when Andries Coetzee came on as replacement fullback? He clearly had no idea Coetzee was a left-footer and from that kick-off, play resumed for the Stormers, after a massive kick from Coetzee, on their own ten-yard line. Careless thinking by the flyhalf. It’s called ‘attention to detail’.
I’m sure he’ll do well with some perceptive, detailed coaching, and he played better than I expected after the outrageously, over- the- top hype which followed his first Super Rugby match against the Kings. I mean, let’s be frank, to impress against an admittedly game and improving Kings team, is an achievement of sorts, but nothing to rave about.
I recall a few years ago now, there was a cry from a sector of rugby fans for Francois Steyn to play flyhalf for South Africa. So he was given a chance in that position against an Italy B side. He scored two tries and kicked well, but really.......it was no indication of quality play. Steyn always performed reasonably at flyhalf but is mediocre in that position and devaststingly effective at inside centre. So I’ll be watching young du Plessis with interest in the matches which lie ahead.
I was disappointed with the Stormers’ lack of imagination regarding use of their blindside wings. Seldom were Kotze and Zas deployed effectively. To break the line, an extra man is vital and skill, practised over and over again, is needed to put someone into the gap. By contrast, Skosan for the Lions, was all over the place, looking for work and the same goes for Combrinck. The Lions deserved their 29-22 victory; they played for the full 80 minutes and took their two chances.
Against the rampant Crusaders, the Jaguares were outgunned by a superb battalion of professional experts. No shame to lose against the likes of Read, Crotty, Fuatau, Nadolo and MacNicholl to mention only a few. Crotty’s ability to ‘straighten the line’ by using a sidestep inwards, allows him to half-break an feed to the inevitable support on his inside. Wonderful skill! The Crusaders played with high energy, effective scrummaging and wonderful distribution of the ball.
The Hurricanes, in their encounter against the Rebels, were much improved in all departments with a self-belief that was obvious. Julian Savea’s three tries were the result of powerful driving and support; his brother Ahti, at flank, also had another great game. Although Perenara is, inexcusably, another one-foot wonder, he is great on the break. The Rebels looked out of sorts.
The Bulls played some delightful rugby against the Reds, who were the first to score when their left wing went over early on, It proved to be a false dawn as the Bulls played with indiminished vigour and power to play some delightful fifteen man rugby. I think Brummer is a fine general at No. 10, shows good judgement and distributes well. The Reds scrapped manfully on with two tries for the outstanding centre, Kerevi, but the home team simply had too much gas in the tank.
The Sharks, playing with a great deal more initiative and flair, lost their match against the Blues only in the last few minutes. This came about in a nightmare scenario where a missed touch kick found Rico Ioane on the left wing. He set off on a winding, stepping run broke two tackles and rounded the fullback to score an amazing try and seal the game for his team. The Sharks were in it till the end and had started well, scoring through a brilliant offload to Paul Jordaan, ( whom I inexplicably called ‘Swanepoel’ last week) who ran fast and strongly to score. With Esterhuyse at inside centre usually, it should be routine to have him make the half gap through a dummy and then pass behind the defender to an outside centre like Jordaan.
Finally, one wishes Alister Coetzee well on his appointment as Springbok coach. I can only hope the politicians stay off his back and let him get on with it. As for his supporting coaches, let’s wait and see. I hope Mzwandile Stick has what it takes to coach our backs up to the standard of New Zealand and Australian players.
Neil Jardine