Springboks v All Blacks
-
What a game.
As has been said - Marx and Etzebeth just sensational.
I think the Boks need to get Pollard at 10 - Jantjes wasnt bad but I think Pollard offers more.
For the ABs was impressed by Coles/Taylor, Read and DMac. SBW on defence was great. The bench was impressed by Havili, TKB. Also Ofa T loves playing the Boks - he had another stormer off the bench! Todd was ok off the bench but nothing special - basically like Ardie. Also Read's workrate was something to behold.
With NMS out us id like to see Havili play 14 in Brissy.
-
While I think it's an odd time to start complaining about scoring against the goal posts....
I've long thought the posts should be on the dead ball line rather. Safety reasons obviously, but you're also narrowing the part of the field penalties can be taken from which is good considering how far some of the guys can kick it nowadays.
Have the posts at the dead ball line the way they do with American football.
-
@cheetahsbo I was thinking that too.. But then we need to remember that some fields have long dead ball lines..
-
Good game to watch. While I was a little disappointed for a few minutes at losing, when I consider the huge turnaround from 57 - 0 I feel a lot better.
If they BUILD on this we might actually be a challenger next year.
Forwards were excellent today. Only Ruan Dreyers scrummaging let us down. Wilco Louw looked an improvement and could challenge Malherbe when he returns.
The backs are still a letdown. I've said since start of TRC that Serfontein is the only good thing in that backline. I'm now willing to give Kriel an opportunity to build on his performances as well. But the rest needs an overhaul IMO.
Jantjies is just never going to cut it. Gots ta go. Love watching him play for the Lions but he's not snappy enough and can't eliminate the errors to be playing for the Springboks.
Not sure what to do at scrumhalf. Cronjé till someone better comes along.
Warrick Gelant should be Springbok fullback with a pair of better wingers.
9 ?
10 Handré Pollard
11 S'bu Nkosi???
12 Jan Serfontein
13 EW Viljoen
14 ???
15 Warrick GelantSort the backline out and keep them playing with that sort of intent and we can resume "rugbys greatest rivalry"
-
@rocky-rockbottom said in Springboks v All Blacks:
@booboo said in Springboks v All Blacks:
@rocky-rockbottom said in Springboks v All Blacks:
du Toit huge at 7. Kind of dwarfed Cane.
Given one was playing blindside and the other open it's a tough comparison...
...Saffas play 6 and 7 opposite to normal countries.
Oh crap, of course.
Forwards, they're those big lumpy people that don't give it to the backs right?
There's a reason for that: Grubber kicks
-
@cheetahsbo said in Springboks v All Blacks:
While I think it's an odd time to start complaining about scoring against the goal posts....l
Have the posts at the dead ball line the way they do with American football.
Too far back for most school grounds is the problem. That would put the posts right on the neighbouring properties, and sometimes roads. And fishing balls out of gullies is no fun either.
-
Saw the card. That's a red, without doubt.
Late as fuck, and effectively a forearm to the neck, not a late "high tackle" by any stretch of the imagination. Had two steps to change his line. Could have wrapped his arms. Full visibility of a falling opponent.
No excuses.
-
I'm thinking Operation RWC 2019 might just see "Project Youth" in the back 3: Ioane, Barrett Jnr, DMac, Havili + old man Smith for a wise head and calmness under pressure.
Should be worried:
*Dagg - cannot match the others for pace
*Sopoaga - it's not hard to see DMac becoming the 10/15 supersub bench option (can't see DMac holding out Smith and Barrett Jnr for the starting FB role for the moment, but we see) -
@billy-tell On "current form," I think you'd lock Ben Smith and Ioane into the squad.
But if they stick with the same structure as last time, then I think Sopoaga is sitting pretty as the second option at 1st five. DMac (if he can genuinely play first-five) has the possibility to nail the (third) first five utility role that Barrett and Slade filled.
In which case, last time they only took four outside backs - so just two slots to be fought out between Dagg, NMS, Naholo, Jordie, Jules, Havili, Tamanivalu and anyone else I'm overlooking or thinks they're a shot.
There will be some good players today, who are going to miss out.
http://www.allblacks.com/News/27934/all-blacks-squad-for-rwc-2015-announced
-
@98blueandgold @Nepia you guys say Dubs turnovers are others fault...I see them as poor options/carries by Dub.
-
Few random thoughts: Great test! Wonderful to see Bokke give us heaps! But:
Forwards lacked close in go forward until Ofa and Crockett came one. Hames had a good game, but he and Laulala didn't add any carrying. Coles seems a little of the pace. Perhaps accentuated by last two opponents being Marx and Creevy (both excellent). Think we missed having a power lock. Whitelock not really a TH scrummager. Barrett and him seemed to lose out in loose to De Jaeger and Bruno, who was excellent, almost BBBR-like. Cane not so effective in loose, but he made numerous tackles tidying up in the 10-12 channel after Boks (esp. Serfontein) strolled through. Our midfield again didn't gel. SBW was tidy, but seems to have lost his mojo for the magic which used to be a game-opener. And Crotty also tidy but between them didn't seem to be asking many questions. Our back three (all that played there) excellent. And a word for Lima, who's goalkicking was a key reason we won.
On Bok side, thought their tight five shaded ours other than in scrums, where Dreyer ran into a ref who kept him honest. Kitshoff was immense in tight and loose. Pollard needs to be on the field for longer as his ability in tight spaces is streets ahead of Jantjies. Boks back three very mediocre. Biggest point of difference yesterday.
Strikes me the travel may have knocked the Blacks back a notch or two. Thought the impetus provided by our bench was a big part in getting the job done.
-
SBW has been solid at best all season. I wish they would give Laumape another shot, maybe the dead Bledisloe rubber?
-
@rancid-schnitzel said in Springboks v All Blacks:
In spite of the lineout debacle last time, I thought Karl Marx was pretty damn impressive. Showed it tonight. Boks pack in general was very good. Incredible defence and commitment.
He was especially strong down the left wing..
-
@tewaio said in Springboks v All Blacks:
@rancid-schnitzel said in Springboks v All Blacks:
In spite of the lineout debacle last time, I thought Karl Marx was pretty damn impressive. Showed it tonight. Boks pack in general was very good. Incredible defence and commitment.
He was especially strong down the left wing..
Some would say he defined that position
-
The Boks were great yesterday and I was impressed by their big ball carriers : Marx, Kitshoff and Etzebeth. But how many try opportunities did they have apart from the ones they converted ? None actually. The ABs did not have to make try saving tackles. Most of the SA carries were in the middle of the field, very rarely near the ABs try-line.
I also liked their commitment in the rucks. But was it legal ? I tend to thing that with another referee, it could have been a different story.
I think Sam Cane let them get too much momentum by missing a few tackles. He had his worst game in black for a while.
Liam Squire was the only NZ forward to drive efficiently, consistantly winning the collision area. With the type of game the Spingboks play, the ABs should have fielded a Nr.6 on the bench instead of a Nr.7. The play stayed in midfield for most of the game and seldom reached the wings, at least on the Boks side. This may sound weird but this is an option the ABs should look at the next time they play the Boks.
