As is our want on a Thursday, below a sneak preview of Tank’s Sport24 column …
Tank Lanning
One game … Just the single game is all Keegan Daniel got at 8th man before getting the Shepherd’s hook from Heyneke Meyer … Replacing him with Willem Alberts at 8, and bringing in Jacques Potgieter at 7. This after Pierre Spies got how many games to try and recover some form? I have stayed away from the accusations suggesting that the coach uses light blue tinted glasses when making Bok decisions, but he is making it pretty damn hard to keep that up.
So his big move is not to bring in Patrick Lambie or Ruan Pienaar, but to take away the linking whippet and bring in another blunderbuss … To take on the “driving maul and physicality” of the Pumas says Meyer. Should we not be focusing on the game we want to play, and not defending against the game they want to play? Especially against the new boys of the tournament, who proved last week that they are going to struggle?
Speaking of last week … I have given the WP management a fair amount of stick in this column recently, and still feel they bring upon themselves some of the vitriol that is being sent their way, but I found myself feeling a little sorry for them while in my seat in the Railway stand at Newlands on Saturday.
Even given the plethora of rugby in the modern era, a Test match is a scarce entity for a provincial union, especially one that has not taken occupancy of a snazzy new Soccer World Cup stadium that sits empty a few kilometers down the road. So when paying your reported R 8 million to SARU to secure the Test you have been allocated, you kind of want to make it work for you!
Now it might be all PC to welcome Argentina to the Rugby Championship, and much hype was made of them playing their first game at Newlands, but they were without doubt more Pampas XV than Los Pumas against the Boks. Sure they will improve, and it is quite nice to see a few new faces invited to the SANZAR buffet, but try telling that to the WPRU marketing team who were trying to sell tickets to the game!
The last Test at Newlands was in 2010 when the Boks hammered France 42-17, and Saturday’s Test against Argentina was the only one Cape Town will see in 2012. The last time the team South African’s really want to see in action, the All Blacks, last saw the flat topped piece of granite in 2008.
No doubt the lack of a move to the new stadium, which just has to happen sooner rather than later, has played its part, but for a union that has attracted by far the biggest and most consistent crowds to domestic rugby, this does seem a tad harsh.
And this despite not playing the most attractive rugby on the planet. They seem to understand their diverse market very well, and as such, have multiple ticket price points, always securing a large proportion of “good seats” at a reasonable price. For example, you could get a seat on the halfway line in the Grand Stand for the Super Rugby semi final for R150.00. And as a student, you get to see every game played at Newlands for R170.00!
There was much talk on Twitter about the price of a ticket to Saturday’s Test being too expensive. And at R450.00 for a prime ticket, I would agree. But you could have got into the ground for R 100.00 and “Ramp seating” went for R200.00 a ticket. Yet still under 40 000 people attended the 50 000 odd capacity stadium
The poor weather in the build up to the Test would have played its part, as would the sheer volume of rugby being played this year, and the avalanche of sport on TV, including the Olympics, but the bottom line in today’s fiscally tight environment, is that people were not prepared to pay to see Argentina!
The 27-6 scoreline, even when playing poorly, proved the “Stay aways” correct. Yet Meyer selects a team with a view to combating their style. Oh for the day when we select according to an entertaining and expansive game plan that we have decided we want to play …
Nice article tank
Heineken is slowly sucking out my enthusiasm for Bok rugby. We have to give him time to prove himself but I’m seriously struggling. Still can’t get over his assertion that we shouldn’t compete for the ball on the ground when pocock and mccaw are still as effective and crucial to their teams. Crash ball rugby is a serious yawn and as soon as Alberts isn’t there we’re going to struggle (like England 3rd test)
As for our dear nuweland I reckon it’s an overload of rugby. Administrators need to learn that we won’t go to super rugby one week then currie cup the next week and a test the following week. 5 months of super rugby pulled a Heineken on me (sucked out my enthusiasm).
Less rugby, cape town stadium and lambie/goosen/brussouw please please please.
Thanks Andrew. Good point re crash rugby … Apart from being dreadfully boring, it only works with human wrecking balls like Bismarck, Alberts and Etzebeth (to a degree, still learning) .. And then, like Schalk, their bodies take a hammering …
Tank I have to say, R450 for a test is way too expensive for a test match by any standard. I was there on Saturday and if you start adding everything up, like a day at Grootte Schuur Primary on the field with a few cold ones and a braai for instance, a day like this can easily set back an individual R750+ for the outing. Not even including the disgraceful R14 for a soft drink on the stands.
New stadium or not, though, SA Rugby owes the Newlands faithful a NZ or Aus test sometime soon. We also didn’t get a Lions test 3 years back while opposite sides of the Jukskei each union got one. The prejudice is getting to the supporters down here and SA Rugby needs to give us something to PROPER again
Yep, going to a Test will frighten your wallet big time. Make it a family outing, and you need to invite your bank manager to the game as well! This while R 600 or so a month gets you every game on the big screen next to a coolerbox and braai!
Hi Tank,
First of all, I really enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the great work!
I am a huge Stormers fan, so there is nothing I don’t know about boring rugby, but for a National side such as the Springboks to fail to inspire is horrific.
How is it that the Springboks did not run a single backline move? There was no creativity at all. It is actually unbelievable if you take into consideration that we have Frans Steyn at 12 and Jean de Villiers at 13, both players capable of running great lines, offloading and sparking backline moves without thinking twice. Yet we do not see this happen…
There is a serious problem within South African Rugby and its coaches. There seems to be no new ideas, they don’t even try old ideas or moves the Springboks use to run under Jake White. Jake was the last coach to actually come up with an idea or two.
But I will look forward to the only variation in the Springbok backline on Saturday night, the inside ball from Hougaard to whoever is willing to catch the ball.
I use to get goose bumps during the lead up to a Bok game, now I only get heartburn.
Sorry if this sounds more like a rant than anything else.
As for the main reason why Newlands had so many empty seats last week. I rate the only time I’ll go to Newlands to see the Bulls play, is when it is the Stormers playing against them. Not when the Bulls play against the Argies. lol
Go Bokke, we will support you no matter what!
Cheers.
Nice one. Thanks for the comment. It seems our coaches have become too obsessed with “Wen Rugby” because that is what people want. But I am getting the feeling from WP fans for sure, and now even Bok fans, that we might now be prepared to take the odd loss if we were in the process of bettering our game!
Once professional sport became played throughout the year,rugby needed to compete in terms of sheer entertainment value with the other sporting codes.
To think that a 5 day test at Lords can be more exciting than an 80 minute test at Newlands tells you about just how boring our rugby has become.Who wants to watch an inept contest of pods,up & unders,penalties and reset scrums?
The average punter has a few hours off to be a spectator ever weekend – the sporting code that provides the most entertainment in the shortest period will attract the most followers and the most advertisers.
As an advertiser I get a far greater return from premier league football than the Currie Cup – where should my money go,with my head or my heart? By dropping Daniels both head and heart tell me football!
I have always been an HM admirer since he first started(2nd time -if you excuse the Chinese) at the Bulls when I had many conversations with him about rugby. However, amber lights are starting to flicker – the one concern I do have is his manner in the coaches box – one gets the impression he is having a running commentary – one has to feel for the poor staff member who is getting his ears blasted. HM’s body language displays much anxiety – if you compare his demeanour v eg Hansen or even the Argentinian coach, it leaves you wondering why he has a captain on the field.
Tank, do try and get your hands on Rob Houwing’s article in the Spring Prudential magazine – interesting qoutes from Rassie Erasmus regarding the modern game v yester year and especially why the focus on the opposition game these days.
Agree with your sentiments regarding Keegan and the chances Spies received to find form.
I don’t understand the issue about Meyer’s selection for the Springboks? What is it that we expect from him? Are we not looking for a Springbok team that is winning matches? We want to critise a man that only coached a team that played 4 matches and they won 3 of them
Fair comment. But to be brutally honest, I would raher have a Bok team playing attractive rugby, losing the odd game, than a boring team that wins them all … I know the coaches believe we do not have the skills to play an All Black type game, but how long do we use that excuse? Surely that is what the coaches should be doing … from the bottom up of course. You can’t epect the Bok coach to be doing that …
Answer me this, if we lose in a world cup final, you are going to say not its fine we played the more attractive rugby. You sound like the kids getting a hiding and saying we played for fun. Its about winning, give the man a chance, maybe he would not be so nervous if we backed him and stop criticising. Go hand SARU your cv, sounds like you no more about rugby than HM
I am on a crusade to get SA sides, including the Boks, to up their skill levels and take a chance at playing a more expansive, off-load in the tackle kind of game JP, and if that means losing a few games in the process, even a world cup, I will take that … perhaps naive, perhaps romantic, perhaps moronic? But what we saw on Saturday is not going to get bums on seats in this sport crammed environment …
Hi Tank, with regards to Christopher’s post above: a relative is a friend of somebody (an important one) involved with the Boks. It seems that Heyneke is not interested in backline moves or any creative rugby. If this is indeed the case, we have a real problem on our hands! Like you said he wants to play “WEN RUGBY”. Initially I was for the inclusion of J Potgieter but I have since seen the light. He can’t run over international players like he tried doing in Super Rugby! I agree re Keegan Daniel, afforded only one opportunity while Spies was there for ages and doing very little! Our rugby is really becoming very one dimentional
Hello Tank – I do believe that the men from the Land of the Long White Cloud will not be seen in Cape Town as long as those pesky Caped Crusaders keep turning Newlands into a home game for the All Blacks. I tend to agree – why make them comfortable? They struggle at Ellis Park and FNB – we should play them there all the time?
Hey Guys,
I think some of you are might be misunderstanding the general point most Springbok fans are trying to make… Personally I am not criticizing HM. Like JP and some others said, he has only been in control of the Boks for 4 matches.
However, so has Steve Hansen with the All Blacks (Yes, he has been assistance coach prior), yet look at that beautifully executed try scored by Hosea Gear last weekend. A simple but effective move run by the backline.
I really don’t give a hoot whether the move was exciting or attractive, I care whether it was effective, and effective against the number 2 ranked team in the World! Not even Tim Noakes’ defensive patterns would have been able to stop that try from being scored!
Yet the Springboks could not score a bonus point try against a weak Argies team. Reason being? The Springboks are unable to (due to lack of practice) or are instructed to not pass the ball more than twice when it is released from a tackle situation.
Once again, if you are a Springbok fan and you were happy with the fact that we won the match last weekend, you are still in PdV mode. We now have a proper coach and should expect greater things, especially against weaker teams.
So, in short, we are not asking for excitement, we are just begging for some creativity! I do not for one minute believe the reason we cannot play “All Black Rugby” is because we do not have the talent or players in the current Springbok squad to do it with. It is simply the mindset and coaching abilities of South African coaches.
But hey, hopefully we win on Saturday coming, and if we score all of our tries via rolling maul and again miss out on an easy bonus point, I will still cheer as loudly as my neighbors will allow!
I hope everyone has a good weekend. Tank, we look forward to your match analysis on Monday morning.
Cheers.
Losing games won’t get the stands full either people pay to see winning rugby no one ever said I paid R450 to go watch the Springboks lose it really doesn’t make it worth it? In any match if it be a schools first team, club rugby, vodacom cup, currie cup or the springboks as a coach your goal is to first win the match before you try any fancy set plays – back to basics how many times didn’t I hear that before? So no if team looses but play running rugby the seats will still stay empty so I feel your crusade is flawed, waiting eagerly on your response
I think the point is that you can have both.You can play attractive rugby and win games.The All Blacks,The Crusaders and the Chiefs have proved that.Yes we won the 2007 WC but we never played either Australia or New Zealand.Hats off to us for beating a poor England side.Sadly all the victory did was hide the fundemental flaws in Bok rugby.