Are Boks losing it?

Following three successive, dismal losses in the Tri-Nations, the question has to be asked: Are the Boks falling apart?

It’s hard to take a Springbok team losing three Test matches in a row when they have so much class, with numerous World Cup winners running out in the starting XV. Especially when they produce so little menace during 240 minutes of Tri-Nations rugby.

What’s even more difficult to stomach is the flurry of yellow cards in the three Tests played in New Zealand and Australia. Last week was the final straw. While the need to avoid yellow cards must have been item number one on the team talk list, Jacques Fourie dumped Australian flank Richard Brown to the ground within two minutes of the kick-off. Fourie might call it marginal, I call it stupid, particularly given what went on in the previous two matches.

And then there’s the Springboks’ leadership issue. Respected rugby writer Peter Bills had this to say in The Mercury. “Whoever is making the decisions, a critical one ought to be made. John Smit should play his 100th Test match, against New Zealand at Soccer City on August 21, and then should take no further part in the Tri-Nations. He should put his feet up until the end-of-year tour. Likewise, what to do with Victor Matfield, who at 33 has looked increasingly exhausted. Given that the Tri-Nations has gone for the Springboks, I would rest Matfield for the remainder of the tournament.”

Injected

Basically, John Smit and Victor Matfield cannot carry the attack any longer and should be used sparingly in future, and young blood should be injected over time so that succession plans are in place. On his day local hero Smit is a great player, and Matfield is still the number one in the world in his position, but not when he’s sweating blood three weeks in a row. Bring in fresh bold now, I say, while we’ve got nothing to lose, because the World Cup in 2011 is approaching at a rate of knots. I feel the Boks have a lot of leadership options and Smit cannot always make the starting XV if he’s not the number one hooker in the land.

While Smit has countered heavy pressure before, and accusations that he was not producing the kind of form required of the Springbok captain, he’s going to feel a lot of heat now, and with each passing season time ways more heavily against him.

And then there’s Springboks coach Pieter de Villiers, criticised on a number of fronts in recent weeks. It hasn’t been pretty in the last three weeks and some of his selections have been decidedly iffy: We’re still not sure which position Ruan Pienaar plays in and Jean de Villiers looked out of place on the right wing. Centre Wynand Olivier never gets the best out of Jacques Fourie out wide, while the experimental loose trio of Kankowski, Burger and Spies were horribly outplayed by the Aussies. De Villiers’ claims that the referees are out to get South Africa, though, are really hilarious, particularly given our lethargic performances and the failure to mount concerted pressure or build up waves of attack.

As Bills says, in all likelihood Pieter de Villiers will lead the Boks to the World Cup in 2011, and South African rugby has some tough decisions to make on who’s going to help him deliver the Boks to the final.

Comments

These are just a few of the comments doing the rounds about the Boks: Johan Meyer of Umhlanga feels the Boks have really been hard done by. “Over the three Test matches we have been hard done by with the cards. One player gets a three week ban, the other is banned for two weeks and then wants to contest the ban. There has to be consistency. They are targeting our players and it’s difficult to play like that.” Peta Lee of The Ridge magazine was threatening to give up Springbok rugby for good, while Kyle Griffin also felt the ref was biased against the Boks. A number of fans walked out in disgust midway through the last Test match at various venues around Durban.

There was general concern at the performance of some of the senior players and dismay at the performance of the team.

Let’s look at the hard facts for a moment: After three weeks Down Under the Springboks high-tailed it home with a points deficit of -51, having gathered four costly yellow cards. Here’s the sorry tale: Saturday, July 10 – All Blacks win 32-12 at Eden Park; Saturday, July 17 – All Blacks win 31-17 in Wellington; Saturday, July 24 – Australia beat South Africa 30-13. That’s pretty ugly in anyone’s language.

This was the educated opinion of top rugby columnist Mark Keohane, writing in Business Day: “If Smit is in need of a rest, then give him one. So too Matfield and Bryan Habana. It won’t easily happen. Smit plays his 100th Test at Soccer City and Matfield is two away from the milestone. Sentiment will suffocate the logic of picking fresh legs and even fresher minds for the home series.”

As Mr Bills points out, the Tri-Nations have gone. Crisis or not, it’s time for tough talks on how to plan the way to glory in 2011 –  Garth Johnstone

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