NZ vs SA 2nd Tri-Nations Test 2010 – The Final Word

Okay so clearly last week’s game between the All Blacks and the Springboks stirred some controversy that’s had everyone in the country calling blaming the Irish referee for the Boks loss. Could we have surely won the came if the ref blew all fouls and penalties correctly? Why is it that when the Boks lose a game they blame it on the ref and when they win they never comment on the refereeing regardless of how the judgments went? Yes the ref made some wrong decisions, but then again the Boks were clearly second best on the day. All credit to the All Blacks for they played the better game and didn’t give the Boks any chance to make it happen. Both sides had some good chances, but The All Blacks converted all of theirs into points and that, at the end of the game, is what counts.

I was watching ‘All Out Rugby’ tonight and the presenters panel had a very interesting heated discussion on how the South Africans should have reacted to the game and the final ruling.

John Robbie – “We are champions of the Super 14, Tri-Nations, World Champions, beat the British Irish Lions…basically champions of the universe and for that other teams are hungry to beat us so they are playing better. The ref didn’t cheat us out of a game and it’s disrespectful to the referee and disgraceful for South Africans to call him a cheat.”

The Panel also spoke to Jean de Villiers about his citing and John Robbie confirmed to us the fact that “when a person is cited his previous record is put into consideration.”

Questions were raised though as to why neither Schalk Burger nor Hosea Gear didn’t get sin-binned or cited for their indiscretions.

The bottom line is that the Boks (or any other team for that matter) need to play with a winner mentality and shape the game to their advantage regardless or the referee’s rulings.

The Springboks Need A Facelift – Wakeup Peter De Villiers!!

Joe Pietersen, Juan De Jongh, Peter Grant, Dewald Duvenage, Tim Whitehead, Gerhard van den Heever, Gary Botha, these are just some of the players that put up their hands during the 2010 Super 14 season. Both the Blue Bulls and the Stormers had a brilliant season but more so the Stormers who appeared in the Semis and Finals for the first time ever. But despite them having such dominating players who trained well with the new version of rules and played withing those gates, Peter de Villiers still includes players from other clubs that didn’t have such a good season.

Why doesn’t the Springbok coaching team play a pack that dominated in the racks and molds throughout the Super 14 (Blue Bulls), instead of putting a pack together that gets shoved around the pitch for 90 minutes? Why doesn’t the Springbok team play a backline combination that outran and outsmarted the oppositions from New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa? Juan de Jongh had a cracker of a tournament and proved to be a hard worker in the backline. His combined effort with Jaque Fourie was electric and the 2 worked together so cleverly that their game threatened to eliminate the wings from the game. Dewald Duvenage was the first choice scrumhalf for the team that finished second in the Super 14 (Stormers) but then the Springbok staff go and choose Ricky January who started most if not all Stormers games off the bench. Like WTF?

Bottom line, the Bokke are still a side to be reckoned with, but the selection staff just haven’t got their picks right. I think some of the aforementioned young players should be getting proper game time now while there’s still time to shape them before the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand…God knows they proved their worth.

One-Sided Rulling

South African wing Jean de Villiers has been suspended for two weeks for a dangerous tackle during the Springboks’ 31-17 loss to New Zealand in their Tri-Nations test on Saturday.

De Villiers had been cited for an alleged lifting tackle on All Blacks winger Rene Ranger in the 27th minute of the match. He appeared in Wellington on Sunday before judicial officer Dennis Wheelahan, who found De Villiers guilty after he considered submissions from the player, his representatives and video evidence, governing body SANZAR said in a statement.

De Villiers was suspended until Aug. 1 and will miss the Springboks’ next Tri-Nations match against Australia next Saturday in Brisbane. He is the second Springboks player to be banned in this year’s competition. Lock Bakkies Botha was suspended for nine weeks after he admitted head butting All Blacks’ scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan in the 32-12 loss last week at Eden Park.

Tri-Nations Round 2 – NZ vs SA Full Time Stats

All Blacks 31 – Springboks 17.

Okay it was a given, NZ was the better side but then again there were some critical moments when the referee should have blown against NZ but all he did was give them warnings. I mean, what happened to consistency? Why is it that a shoulder charge by NZ doesn’t deserve a yellow card, 3 infringements by Richie McCaw only get dealt with by issuing a warning…not once but even worse, two warnings and the third just getting a penalty with no word from the ref? I mean like WTF…was this a home side ref?

John Smit should have stood up to the ref and asked him to explain his actions! But then again, a ref that has it in for you should be approached with caution to avoid him marking you as a disrespectful player and targeting you. Anyway, we lost the game and hopefully we’ll do better and have a better ref against Australia.

Tri-Nations Round 2 – All Blacks vs Springboks (Wellington) Pre-Match

Okay, so the stage is set for the Boks to redeem themselves. One week is a long time in sports for a side to train and turn around the tables and hopefully the Boks felt the humiliation and pain of last week and are hungry to make that not happen again. I’m all set for the game and shouting for the Bokke…are you?

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All Blacks 32 – Springboks 12 – Tri-Nations 2010

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all blacks, bakkies botha, springboks, tri-nations

Okay guys, I know Bakkies has been a force to be reckoned with in the Springbok side for years now and deserves to be in the team 100%. But let’s use our heads here. Laws have been tightened which means that teams should now play with their heads and not their bulk and strength all the time. Most notorious culprits, the Schalk’s and Danie Roussouw’s had full game time in the Super 14 and got a new found disciplined way of play. They learned the rules and applied them well, seeing their teams reach the Super 14 finals. So why play Bakkies who hardly played 3 games in the Super 14. And even when he made a return after his injury got sited for indiscipline in the rack.

We all know that a penalty conceded against teams like New Zealand and Australia would 90% end up in points being scored. That leaves us with one solution and we all saw it work for the Stormers in the Super 14. Concede less penalties, try not to get sin-binned and you will win games. Discipline wins games and reckless play (just to maintain a reputation as the most feared in the game) throws points to the opposition and causes a big humiliation…espacially against the All Blacks in New Zealand. Like WTF!!

The All Blacks were full value for their 32-12 win over a laboured and ill-disciplined Springbok outfit at Eden Park on Saturday, with a well-controlled and physically dominant performance in front of their own crowd. Tries from Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu in the first half and Kieran Read and Tony Woodcock in the second earned the home side a win in a game where they were barely threatened. Morne Steyn kicked four penalties, but it was never going to be enough against a faster and more purposeful New Zealand side. Bakkies Botha’s sin-binning for a professional foul in the first half didn’t help the Bok cause. The All Blacks scored 10 points while he was off the field. He should have been red carded early on for a headbutt on Jimmy Cowan and he will almost certainly be banned for the rest of the Tri-Nations.