Hmmmm...
What a test match!
Our forwards DOMINATED, our Defence CRUSHED them, and our attacks MESMERISED them...
Okay, enough big talk.
Goal kicking was again terrible! I'm starting to think the problem isn't just with Morne, but rather with our kicking coach Mr. Louis Koen...
JDV said after the game that the gameplan didn't change at all... this made me wonder, what did then? So I watched the game for a second time... This was my thoughts:
Attitude: From the singing of the anthem I knew the aussies are going to get a hiding, the passion reverberated from the crowd into the players, bringing a tear to Goosen's eyes. I felt so proud. that attitude then converted into amazing defence. our rush defence worked fantastically, and here I want to say that JDV made a difference. Not because of Steyn not playing as there's nothing wrong with Fransie's defence, but the fact that JDV defends better in the 12-channel. Our outside backs came in a lot faster than usual. we almost had a few interceptions also.
Tackling: Berrick Barnes got a punctured lung and is on his way back to Oz along with AAC. Willem Alberts stood by his nickname "Bonecrusher" and quite a few times I cringed as he smashed an aussie. Like Joel Stransky said at one stage: "I almost feel a bit sorry for the wallabies". Lol. Jaco Taute was also immense along with Zane Kirchner on the defence.
Line-outs: finally Andries and Strauss figured it out that Andries is taller than anyone else and by throwing higher, we will win the ball. From there, our mauls was devastating, resulting in the only try scored by a forward.
Rucks: Flouw, Vermeulen and the unsung hero for me, Andries Bekker was amazing at the rucks. we stole a lot of aussie ball, and made life very hard for poor old hooper who got cleaned out by a lot bigger guys in the shape of Beast, Etzebeth and Alberts.
Backline: Finally they came to the party. What was interesting for me was that Johan Goosen stood more back than Morne Steyn has the previous couple of tests. but here's the difference, Johan is running into the ball, getting it on the front foot and then getting his backline away better than Morne. I think Ruan Pienaar should also get applauded by the way he "fathered" Goosen. he protected our prodigal son like a father would protect his son. taking the kicking responsibilities over both at goal and in hand.
Lastly. Draggs and Eze, If Lambie wasn't on the field, then the scoreline would've been 5 points more in the favour of the boks. Lambie missed the tackle which resulted in the aussie try.
Zane Kirchner did absoloutely nothing wrong throughout the test.
Overall great performance bokke! Now next week it's the All Blacks at Soccer City, and I will be in the Main stand!