Easy victory for Spingboks VS Scotland

Neil Jardine

Captained Rhodesia 1962 – 1969 Rector of Michaelhouse. (1978-1986)

"Rugby is a thinking game – its’ not a running or a kicking game. This mania for running with the ball and playing open rugby at all costs is stupid – you must adapt yourself to the circumstances and play to your strength"

Now 50 years later Niel Jardine writes for Frosty Rugby Fans ...

RUGBY BLOG – SA VS SCOTLAND 16/11/13

The Springboks were full value for their easy victory, 28-0. But only 7 points in the second half?

Is this explained by the desperate defence of the Scots or were the Boks complacent because they 'knew' they were going to win anyway? Who can tell? What we all saw was a pitch so poorly prepared that it hampered play and made scrumming difficult and, in the context of the match, irrelevant. Nothing particular ensued from a tight scrum except an occasional gain of some territory. The lack of pitch preparation was inexcusable. Do the ground staff, at Murrayfield, still have their jobs? If so, why?

Despite three well-worked tries, I found the match predictable and dull. Willie le Roux was his usual will-o'-the-wisp self and his perfectly executed short diagonal for the JP Pietersen try was pure class and the highlight of the match for me. For the rest, the Boks continue to do the following very well: lineouts and mauls; the heavy tank charges in midfield (Alberts formidable), passing and handling under the conditions, Lambie making the gain line and putting the Boks on the front foot. Lambie's left foot grubber, kicked perfectly, from which Fourie nearly scored & all-round cohesion.

So, make of this what you will: about 15 scrums, plenty of lineouts and more rucks than one could shake a stick at. So opportunism played its part from broken play, the Boks played on the front foot, and the Scots were in disarray..I tried but failed to get excited.

Next week should be much better.

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