Spingboks World Cup hopes on the wane

[FlukeArtist]

Springboks' World Cup hopes on the wane

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DUNCAN JOHNSTONE


Last updated 11:20 14/04/2011
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TIME'S UP DAD: Captain John Smit's role at the Springboks has beconme a head-scratcher.

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Opinion


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<!-- -normal_story_landing- --><!--start components/story/common_content--><!-- google_ad_section_start(name=storybody) -->OPINION: The Springboks won't be able to defend the World Cup because their core of stars are over the hill.
The cracks began to appear last year and they are opening up in alarming fashion for Boks coach Pieter de Villiers during Super Rugby.
From skipper John Smit in his confusing front row roles through to Bryan Habana's struggles on the wings, leading South African players are clearly struggling for form.
Even the once-feared locking partnership of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha is losing its aura.
Botha's ill-discipline will always pose a problem in a tournament situation and it's hard to dismiss the thought that Matfield's effort against the Crusaders last weekend was his worst performance in more than 100 Super Rugby games.
It's also hard to put aside the notion that de Villiers will toss aside this much experience in a World Cup year.
He has other options but he's unlikely to be radical with the responsibilities that come with defending the golden cup weighing so heavily on him.
He won't be the first World Cup coach to be blinded by loyalty.
Grizz Wyllie was guilty of that in 1991 when his aging side was sorely exposed trying to defend the cup they had won so handsomely at the inaugural tournament four years earlier.
Bob Dwyer fell into the same trap. His World Cup winners of 1991 were tossed out early at the 1995 tournament in South Africa.
Timing is everything for World Cups and unless de Villiers can perform a miracle, his side appears to be on a slide.
What makes it even more difficult for de Villiers is his reliance on the likes of Smit and Botha in the bigger picture. The Boks aren't run by player power but the veterans are hugely influential off the field.
The question now, particularly with Smit, is whether they can be similarly influential on the field.
Smit is an interesting case. When he was shifted from hooker to blindside prop in 2008 his scrummaging shortcomings in this crucial areas were exposed. He worked hard - and somewhat successfully to overcome those. Now de Villiers has made it clear he sees him as a hooker.
The trouble is there's a better hooker playing for both the Sharks and the Springboks in the form of man-mountain Bismark du Plessis.
Which has left Smit being something of a backup prop in Super Rugby.
It must be a tough situation for the rugby faithful in South Africa if they are honest enough to face up this harsh reality.
While the drop in form of tight forwards like Smit, Matfield and Botha can be camouflaged by the positions they play which requires them to be buried in the thick of the forwards battles, there's nowhere to hide for Habana.
The deadly finisher of years gone by - has there ever been a better intercept artist? - casts a tragic figure at the moment with his struggles down the touchlines. There's perhaps no sadder sight in rugby than a great winger starting to lose his game.
De Villiers has already stated he will play a conservative game plan at the World Cup. History would suggest there's some sense in that. But de Villiers team will play that way because they have no option.

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- Fairfax Media
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[FlukeArtist]

If I was a South African, I would be stoked to read about being written off going into the tournament.
There is a reason why coaches always try to claim the underdog tag.

Write these guys off at your peril Duncan.

 

[dan the man]

I wouldn't be counting them out just yet... The Sharks and Stormers have looked pretty tight during the Super Rugby, and although the Lions and Cheetahs haven't had the best results they've still looked dangerous at times.
The Bulls have been disappointing so far, even so they are only just outside the top 6.

Although some of the Boks players are getting on a bit you still cant ignore the fact that they have the most experienced Hooker and Lock in the the world right now, and they've been in two World Cup squads. in the knockout stages of a world cup that can come in very handy.

As for Habana... the game has changed so much and he hasn't really adapted his own game enough to keep his starting position, I think that he's been lucky to get selected over the last couple of years.

 

[Seaton]

The author couldn't even be bothered to get Peter's name right...

I don't see how John Smit getting 'shifted', I can only remember one time where he has played elsewhere than loosehead this season from the start) is confusing, because apart from my part in brackets, the Sharks coach sees him as a utility front-row

What is so hard about that?

 

[Amobokoboko]

Uhu, even without their so called stars SA has so much talent.
The reason for performing not at their best is the choice of players who are a bit out of shape and using them wrongly ( e.g. positions), as well as the atmosphere that wasn't that good. Anyway we will see how the team will do in a couple of months.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Well, fans have been on about that for the better part of 2 years now and it's too late now so it's a question of crossing fingers and hoping that the experience of these players and the pressure of the occasion will pull us through. Big if though. Still, dismiss the bokke at your peril.

 

[Bossco]

They missed the boat when they had time to restructure and restart, now it's just a matter of making the best out of tired dated players with a gameplan to match. England and SA have taken out enough more talented, skilled and ambitious teams at WC time, would never write off a Bokke team with nothing to lose.

 

[JJR]

The only player core player that we have that is over the hill properly is John Smit. We always have all the talent, we just need to give some newer guys opportunities in Tri-Nations.

My World Cup Team

1.Beast
2.Bismarck
3.Jannie Dup
4.Botha
5.Matfield (C)
6.Brussouw
7.Burger/Juan Smith...if fit.
8.Alberts
9.Du Preez
10.B.James
11.Jpp
12.JDV
13.J Fourie
14.Ndungane
15.F Steyn

16.Smit
17.CJ Van der Linde
18.Bekker
19.Burger/Smith...if smith not fit then Rossouw.
20.Hougaard
21.Lambie
22.Juan De Jongh

Would love to see Deysel given a run for the Boks in Tri Nations just to see what he can offer at international level; obviously i think he can do great, just needs to prove it to stubborn PDivvy...useless at making use of the talent in SA.

We can Defend the ***le...team just needs to gel, we have the players. We need a clear gameplan that everyone agrees to, cause that is possibly the main reason why our players don't seem to be on the same page in the Bokke.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Butch James, Bakkies Botha and Schalk Burger on the same team you're almost guaranteed to end the match with 12 men

 

[JJR]

Butch James, Bakkies Botha and Schalk Burger on the same team you're almost guaranteed to end the match with 12 men

Aggresive players that play on the edge of the law is what seems to give The Boks a mental edge going into a game. A lot of SA rugby even starting as a little kid is about dominating the physical game. Seems to have filtered through right to the top. These on the edge players can either work for you or against you; but taking the risk is worth it. Only worried about Bakkies; James and Burger are a lot more controlled these days.

 

[Jer1cho]

I agree 100%. I have been going on about this for the past 2 years. We have the players to defend the ***le, but we don't have the coach, and we don't have a backup plan. Still though, England won the tournament in 2003 with Dad's Army, so maybe these guys will have one last card to play when the tournament arrives.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

If Butch James is more controlled now then he must used to have been an axe murderer in his youth - he's a bloody scumbag on the pitch, and the sooner he leaves the Aviva the better - he's going to really hurt someone one day with his intentional high tackles and cheap shots

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I agree 100%. I have been going on about this for the past 2 years. We have the players to defend the ***le, but we don't have the coach, and we don't have a backup plan. Still though, England won the tournament in 2003 with Dad's Army, so maybe these guys will have one last card to play when the tournament arrives.

That Dad's army was the dominant team of their era though (while SA has been on the slide since middle 2009) and the face of rugby has changed as well (less and less friendly to the older, heavier players).

Still, I get your point and on the day, in a one-off pressure match, we could still beat anyone (despite PdV).

 

[JJR]

If Butch James is more controlled now then he must used to have been an axe murderer in his youth - he's a bloody scumbag on the pitch, and the sooner he leaves the Aviva the better - he's going to really hurt someone one day with his intentional high tackles and cheap shots

I love the fact that he plays like that, opposition don't target that channel which is great; Allows a team like SA to choose Larger loosies cause they don't have to cover the 10 channel the whole time. Eg. Danie Rossouw in 2007. We have only had one "small" loosie since then and that is Brussouw; we need him back if Pdivvy wants to play M. Steyn at 10...i really dislike Steyn, i think he sucks, so one dimensional. James and Lambie will give our 10 a X-factor which will be key in tight Knockout games.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I've always thought James was sh*t - you only have to look at how Bath perform when they don't have Olly Barkley making all the decisions and James has to take control of the game - Think SA are much better off without him - Lambie is infinitely better

 

[JJR]

That Dad's army was the dominant team of their era though (while SA has been on the slide since middle 2009) and the face of rugby has changed as well (less and less friendly to the older, heavier players).

Still, I get your point and on the day, in a one-off pressure match, we could still beat anyone (despite PdV).

Weight has nothing to do with it (In My opinion), it is all about good Conditioning, Bigger, Faster, Stronger. Eg. Alberts-Huge,fast, strong. Bekker- Gained weight, but with that comes extra power which complements his running game. Pierre Spies started gaining speed the Bigger he got, it is a lot about the Weight (Muscle weight, not just plain mass)/Power/Strength and Speed Balance. Everyone is different, some gain muscle and get slower and some gain and get faster...Conditioning...another huge aspect that makes Rugby the Ultimate Professional Sport. Also Depends on what individuals to reach their top performance...for me i was fast, but not very strong and Power full, so i hit the Gym Hard Last 4 years and might have lost some off the mark speed, but it is worth all the Strength and Physicality i have been able to add to my game. Main word i am always flinging around, Balance of Attributes. Done Blabbling now

 

[JJR]

I've always thought James was sh*t - you only have to look at how Bath perform when they don't have Olly Barkley making all the decisions and James has to take control of the game - Think SA are much better off without him - Lambie is infinitely better

Lambie definitely the better 10; but i am worried bout experience, but then again everytime Lambie has been written off cos of Lack of experience he has come up with Match winning Performance. Gonna be the next Carter...he will become the worlds best no.10. From school boy days playing with him, we knew we were playing with someone special, just the way he carries himself is different, just Pure Class from Lambo-Gieni.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

The problem of the Springboks is something we saw 2 years ago already. Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Smit are not the players they were in 2007. Juan Smith will miss the World Cup through injury, Burger is massively over-rated (sorry BadGena, Sker and stormer2010) and we need to use our talent. A guy like Bjorn Basson on the wing poses a larger threat than Habana, who hasn't scored a Bok-try in over 2 years now. As flankers we had to watch Stegmann replace Brussow. Now there was a mistake nobody else would have made. Unbelievable.

Fourie du Preez is slowly returning to his old form after his surgery in 2010 and is the best candidate for nr. 9 in my opinion. However, the flyhalf position is not used to it's full potential with plain kicker Morne Steyn. We have Lambie and Grant who will do much better in that position, even Naas Olivier! Rugby nowadays is not won with a flyhalf who only uses his boot. We need a running fly half, someone who knows what it is to take the ball and get involved in the attack. That is the biggest mistake Helium de Villiers made. O no! I forgot about Jean de Villiers who was moved to the wing. Hahahaha.

No seriously. If we fail to win the World Cup, it's not because of the aging players in the squad, it's because the coach doesn't know how to pick the best team. When you pick players like Bakkies, Habana, Kirchner, Stegmann, Morne Steyn and Pierre Spies in your starting XV today, you are a moron!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'd be interested to see who you'd pick (assuming you have had 8 games to get them playing together)

For me (for a 30 man squad);

1 Guthro Steenkamp
2 Bismarck du Plessis
3 Jannie du Plessis
4 Danie Rossouw
5 Victor Matfield (c)
6 Heinrich Brussow
7 Juan Smith
8 Willem Alberts
9 Fourie du Preez
10 Patrick Lambie
11 JP Pietersen
12 Jean de Villiers
13 Jacque Fourie
14 Gio Aplon
15 Odwa Ndungane

16 Tendai Mtawarira
17 Tiaan Liebenberg
18 Andries Bekker
19 Schalk Burger
20 Francois Hougaard
21 Ruan Pienaar
22 Juan de Jongh

Brok Harris
Adriaan Strauss
Flip van der Merwe
Jean Deysel
Sarel Pretorius
Morne Steyn
Bjorn Basson
Frans Steyn

 

[nickdnz]

As an All Black supported, I always fear these type of articles. Ignoring the whole "underdog" tag which means very little in actual fact, there is not a team in the Top 8 that isn't being taken seriously. No matter how good a run you have going into a World Cup, all it takes is 80 minutes of sub par rugby, are your whole tornement is down the drain. In the finals and semi finals the difference between a team winning and a team losing, can be one line break, one missed tackle, one knock on. There is no way South Africa are not going to be given every bit of respect in the tornement.