England vs Springbokke
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@stodders I’d feel a lot happier if we had PSDT to spy Smith all day. And if Kriel were chased back to the hall of mirrors. And if Pollard found his kicking boots in the bottom of his kitbag.
But that’s just rephrasing @SidBarret - this Bok team is not unplayable. At a thumbsuck, I’d say it’s short any two of PSDT, Kolbe, Faf or RG.
While that’s not an especially heavy attrition rate it’s highlighted because the Boks haven’t identified the one or two special new players that normally get thrown up by this stage of the RWC cycle. But thems the breaks of the disproportionate impact of COVID on the third world and this management team’s conservative selection style.
It’s easy for us to say that the team would be better with Nkosi, Fassi and Evan Roos in it. It’s blindingly obvious sat on our couch.
But it’s a helluva lot harder to make those big sack calls if you’re in your first season as an international head coach (whose never been the top dog at any level) coaching the RWC champs against their finals opponents at a venue you’ve struggled at recently.
Apart from anything else, your senior players are all mates with the guys you’d have to drop. And your Boss saw first hand what happens when you tamper with the team dynamic to squeeze the young gun in over a popular senior player when Mallet axed Teichmann for Skinstad.
So maybe you say to yourself, Jesse may have cows’ tits for hands and he might not really understand defensive positioning or how to create or exploit space. And maybe his kicking is poor for the average schoolboy second team wing. And perhaps he doesn’t have the killer instinct or even the composure you’d expect from a 50 game veteran. But the boys like him (I mean, he’s really useful for roping beautiful instababies in at the bar) and he had to watch the final from the sidelines on crutches. So let’s just give him a run and spend all week telling him this is his RWC final. And if all goes well, the poms won’t get too much ball to expose the useless fluffybunny on defence. And his three or for knock ons give us a chance to scrum! And it isn’t like we were planning to pass the ball to him anyway.
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@smuts I am not a Jesse fan but he played well against Scotland. The same with Elton Junkies. Then this Bok team is not a XV but rather a 23 team. We got the best two frontrows in world rugby, add the three locks and all add up that's where rugby matches will be won mostly.
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I fancy England for this.
The Boks struggled against Australia, drew with us and our thumping by Ireland has exposed exactly where we are.
If England get themselves together, they could well take this one. Actually, that's the wrong word. They should They are at home too which is a big factor.
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@oompb said in England vs Springbokke:
@smuts I am not a Jesse fan but he played well against Scotland. The same with Elton Junkies. Then this Bok team is not a XV but rather a 23 team. We got the best two frontrows in world rugby, add the three locks and all add up that's where rugby matches will be won mostly.
Two best front rows? Ireland would like a word 😉. And the French.
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@machpants said in England vs Springbokke:
Nah settled Bokke all day for me. I’m half English and will be supporting them, but I feel a forwards based spanking coming on. I’m used to that now, thanks to Foster
I think you’re probably on the money though hopefully not an out and out spanking but I do expect us to get schooled at scrum time. If we can get near to parity there and IF Eddie picks a team to run the big Saffer forwards all over the park then we have a slim chance.
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@catogrande said in England vs Springbokke:
@machpants said in England vs Springbokke:
Nah settled Bokke all day for me. I’m half English and will be supporting them, but I feel a forwards based spanking coming on. I’m used to that now, thanks to Foster
I think you’re probably on the money though hopefully not an out and out spanking but I do expect us to get schooled at scrum time. If we can get near to parity there and IF Eddie picks a team to run the big Saffer forwards all over the park then we have a slim chance.
Claiming underdog status at home against reigning world champions in front of a packed Twickenham. I've seen this type of ambush before.
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@catogrande said in England vs Springbokke:
@machpants said in England vs Springbokke:
Nah settled Bokke all day for me. I’m half English and will be supporting them, but I feel a forwards based spanking coming on. I’m used to that now, thanks to Foster
I think you’re probably on the money though hopefully not an out and out spanking but I do expect us to get schooled at scrum time. If we can get near to parity there and IF Eddie picks a team to run the big Saffer forwards all over the park then we have a slim chance.
You have the Bok forwards coach from the RWC2019 triumph too in your coaching ranks. Surely he might have some insights that will help England?
Eddie is still quiet. I know it's only Tuesday, but he's rarely this quiet.
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@oompb said in England vs Springbokke:
@stodders the Scots have Pieter de Villiers, previously Bok scrum guru. Didn't work well for them.
Under Meyer. In 2015. Not exactly the same as Proudfoot who coached the forwards directly under Erasmus and with Nienaber 😜
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Forecast looks like no rain predicted at the moment which is good. Looking fwd to a proper test and hope Andrew Brace and his reffing team have a solid day out there too. Think it is going to be very tight either way
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@tordah said in England vs Springbokke:
Le Roux must be the most undeserving regular starter in test rugby. I'd take Frans Steyn's ballsack starting over him. Go Boks
Steyn can’t do Test 80
Better finisher -
@mikethesnow He did 70 mins vs Wales and was MOTM.
He is a properse Vrystaat farmer nowadays. Don't be fool by his looks.
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@oompb said in England vs Springbokke:
@mikethesnow He did 70 mins vs Wales and was MOTM.
He is a properse Vrystaat farmer nowadays. Don't be fool by his looks.
England is a very different proposition from Wales
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Sad news Jannie Doep 1 year old boy drowned on his birthday rocks SA Rugby and Boks
News 24
Vermeulen, a national team-mate of Du Plessis between 2012 and 2015, admitted that his morning started on an unhappy note by waking up to the news.
"It's not nice to get out of bed and read a message from your wife informing you of such a tragedy," said South Africa's talismanic No 8, who's currently in London where the Boks take on England this weekend.
"I simply can't imagine what Jannie and his family must be going through. I can't begin to comprehend what one must feel after such a loss."
Vermeulen himself is a father of two sons with spouse, Ezel.
As the day progressed, the whole squad had been made aware of the developments.
"As a family, they'll be in our thoughts throughout. We really want to offer them all our condolences, we understand it's a hugely difficult time," said Vermeulen.
"We'll stand behind them and support them as best we can as individuals."
It's not known at this stage whether the team will engage in some sort of gesture at Twickenham when they run on for their final Test of a taxing 2021 campaign, though the 35-year-old loose forward intimated it might not be appropriate.
"To be honest, we haven't sat down as a squad and discussed anything like that," said Vermeulen.
"If need be, we'll confer and do something for Jannie, but this coming weekend is about the game. We can always do something special for them a little bit later on."
