I don't see AC backing Paige to start at 9 anytime soon. I quite liked his service, but he threw a few flat passes that did more damage than good imo (reminiscent of the "old" boks' one-off runner fiasco), and he had a few scrappy moments juggling the ball or being put under pressure by the Pumas.
Hougie has proven he has what it takes... to come off the bench. I'd say he had a good game defensively. Alot of people saying that Hougie and Jaintjies made it work etc, but I feel that Hougaard took Jaintjies out of the game too much, just feel that if the ball went from ruck > 9 > 10 in the first quarter at least, we would've had much more tactical options and a smoother game. Don't get me wrong, his blindside plays and quick darts are most welcome, but when you do decide to send it down the line, start with your 10 rather than throwing it Willy nilly in the midfield (a few dummy runners ended up with the ball and made it look good when they reached contact) and there was a distinct lack of cut out passes at certain times, which Ross and Elton tend to favour to get the backline firing. Also, there was a linking element missing between 9 & 10 which DID hurt us imo. Not saying that a lack of synergy between 9 and 10 is Gokarts fault, but I do think a guy like Vermaak could do the job better and give us a less shakey platform to start and build the game on, then we bring in Hougie to light a fire under the guys. Lastly, a scrummy taking steps before service is just amateur imo.
1. It cuts out the space out wide like a drifting attacker.
2. It telegraphs intent and direction to the defenders.
3. It allows the defender to read a flat pass and intercept.
4. Service takes longer and when you have a team that flirts with the offside line it puts the receiving player under pressure.
Cronje and Jaintjies were just much more clinical, and you tend not to focus on Ross imo because he gets it done rather than sticking out by delegating tactical decisions to 10 a lot more
We all know to a degree what Hougie is capable of but let's not pretend he is without flaws (that can be easily corrected imo, which is why it's frustrating). My logic is that these qualities suits an "impact" player much more than a starter, he can make a difference off the bench better than the others could and perhaps the others could start the game better than he could. I think a replacement became his "traditional role" for a reason, HM could've started him when FDP was unavailable but chose Pienaar iirc, who didn't have too many great games and that's was where Hougie made the difference. It is what it is, Cronje should be in doubt for the Aussie test because torn ankle ligaments takes 6 weeks + to heal and rebuild strength iirc, I haven't seen any word on how long he'll be out for? Anyways ranting aside, I doubt AC will play it differently against the Aussies, so I hope Hougie will be more settled into his role in the team by then and has a ripper.
I enjoyed Jesse Kriel's contributions this game, he still has what it takes to be a bok centre imo. Serfontein had a good game defensively but I still question his attacking pedigree of late, but perhaps he is still a better option than Kriel if we're talking about bringing in RjvR to the team.
Our forwards had a good game, you can't really ask for more can you? Scrums were solid, Lineouts were functioning well (although Marx sure can take his time to feed), and it was great to see the intent to contest the lineouts from Mostert and Etzebeth. Kolisi is on another level entirely, he is an amazing player, love his hard work and passion. Just look at the way he celebrates scoring, puts it all into the game.
I didn't think that Jaintjies had what it takes to be a bok 10, but under JA I think he has gained a lot more maturity in his play. Sure he's missed some important kicks but I think he deserves a bit more credit then he has gotten thus far. I wouldn't be comfortable bringing in another starting 10 at this stage.
I rate Coetzee, but I think he has been very safe an perhaps not at his Lions best and we should be exploring options at 15, we have some great fullbacks, couldn't hurt to give them some time to show what they can do. His yellow card was deserved and his actions were totally unnecessary and uncalled for.
I'm loving the replacement trio of Kitsoff, JLDP and PSDT, when they come on the defensive urgency raises and they make chasing a score much more difficult, and all can punch big holes in attack.
Rhule is a defensive liability and the Aussies are going to exploit that every chance they get. That being said, he has improved and is putting in plenty of effort into his game on attack
The officiating was just terrible this game, and seeing Pascal and Roman discussing calls (in English rather than French for some reason) was just harrowing as the outcome becomes more and more random. I wish WR/SANZAR would just get real and address the French refs' lack of control over the game, or just stop appointing them to these fixtures FFS. It seems clear to me they have more than adequate knowledge of the laws but lack the ability to marshal players and reign in bad play, as well as repeat infringers which leads to an increasingly scrappy and unlawful game until cards start flying where as Owens or Peyper nip that kak in the bud asap. We cannot ignore the differences in the game as played in France compared to the SH in terms of officiating any longer either. More than ever we need refs that keep players on the right side of the law rather than refs who apply the law with sanctions and penalties etc in the interests of the contest. Proactive & consistent rather than reactive and unbalanced.
I'm glad that grass cutters are being properly outlawed finally, no doubt in my mind that it's a dangerous tackle, with potential to end a career as knees tend not to bounce back after being injured in my experience.
All in all, not a bad outing, the boks are really impressing me with their will. The Lionesque way with which they keep their heads up even when they're against it, and the ability to score tries, retain ball, offload successfully, contest the set piece, break lines, and counter attack at the right moment. It's a far cry from 07 etc, but you have to admit where this team can end up if they continue to build an play in this fashion is a sweet sweet prospect. I'll take a win in Salta in any fashion, I was expecting a slow slog of a game. I think the Pumas really need to reconsider their selection policy when you have players like Facundo Isa available to you.
IMO the Pumas suffered from not knowing which game plan they were supposed to be following, it seemed that in the early game, when kicks were returned and some went out on the full they gave up with their tactical kicking plan. I think benching Sanchez was a mistake tbh, he could've applied pressure much better Hernandez IMO. Creevy was disappointing, I felt that he didn't do his duty properly as a captain by not talking to the ref and not keeping his players disciplined. I enjoy the way Tuculet plays rugby, felt like he was alone in trying to generate something special at times with regards to the backline. Lavanini, he needs some time away from the squad, he is just too much of a liability imo.
Edit: Apologies for the wall of text, this post got out of hand.
