Monday Feature: Value of a 'fetcher'
Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:39
Former Springbok coach Jake White once famously (or infamously, if you like) referred to his two sons as his "fetchers" - the guys who "fetches" him beers from the fridge on a Sunday afternoon. Those were words that has come back to haunt him.
South Africa, in going down 9-16 to Australia in a Tri-Nations Test in Perth at the weekend, again learnt the true value of a fetcher (read openside flank) on the rugby field.
George Smith, a classic fetcher, was one of they key players and in our view the big difference between victory and defeat for the Wallabies.
Many reports have recorded how the Boks were beaten at the breakdown, but this only became really apparent when Schalk Burger left the field in the 49th minute with a neck injury. His boundless energy and physical presence allowed a player like Smith to roam free and 'steal the show', so to speak.
Player of the Weekend:
George Smith is a rare talent, a player who made his debut for his country before playing a professional game of rugby. He has been a main feature of the Wallabies team for many years, with his skill around rucks and mauls matched only by New Zealand rival Richie McCaw. His fearless play results in frequent turnovers in favour of Australia. Smith is known as a workhorse around the field. He is also a damaging tackler on defence.
Brief bio of George Smith:
Position: Flank
Height: 180cm
Weight: 103kg
Date of Birth: 14/7/1980
Tests debut: Versus France, 2000
Test Caps 86
Test Points 45
Villain of the Weekend: This one won't go down well with the refereeing fraternity, but New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence is fast overtaking Australian Stuart Dickinson as public enemy No.1 in South Africa. However, unlike the Sharks earlier this year (when Lawrence's glaring inconsistencies resulted in open condemnation from the players and running disputes between the match officials and Sharks), the Boks kept their cool and matters didn't get out of hand. Let's state clearly, Lawrence did not cost the Boks a win, but players are entitled to a semblance of consistency and the Kiwi seems incapable of that at the moment. It is likely to lead to far greater trouble in future if not addressed.
Disappointment of the Weekend: This one goes to Springbok captain and World Cup-winning lock Victor Matfield. Not only did his normally safe hands let him down at the weekend, but he wasn't the factor in the line-outs that he was expected to be. He seemed lethargic, maybe the result of coming into the international season after a lengthy French club campaign and can probably do with a break - which he'll get in the next fortnight.
Try of the Weekend: There were only two this weekend, so not much to choose from. We are going for Lote Tuqiri's score - as that was far more aesthetically pleasing than Stirling Mortlock's try, which involved a shockingly poor attempt at a tackle from the Boks' best back, Jean de Villiers.
The Wallabies threw deep in the line-out - right over the top where George Smith got the ball running clear. He gave the ball to Peter Hynes, who charged inside and took the tackle,. The Wallabies won quick ball and went left. Matt Giteau got a great pass under pressure to Ashley-Cooper, who gave to Tuqiri, who was over in the corner in Jean de Villiers's tackle.
Quote(s) of the (last) Week: Springbok coach Peter de Villiers need to take some biblical advice and put a guard before his mouth. In the immediate aftermath De Villiers offered a "no excuses" in a TV interview and then at a later media conference had a full go at referee Bryce Lawrence. We've addressed Lawrence's inconsistencies above and the Bok coach may well be right to feel aggrieved, but it serves De Villiers no purpose to get involved in a public debate over match officials.
Here's what the Bok coach had to say:
1. "We can look for a lot of excuses if we want to, but the bottom line is they outplayed us today and they were better at the breakdown."
2. "It came back to the play on the ground. We'd be expecting to win the ball back and it's very difficult to switch your mind from positive to negative and organise yourself for tackling. If the laws were applied properly there would not be any flopping on the ball or putting the ball under the locks' feet in the scrums."
What if...: How would the result of the Australia versus New Zealand game this coming Saturday affect the World rankings? Any win by the All Blacks - be that one point or 100 points - will see them overtake the Springboks in first place. However, no matter what the Wallabies do, they will remain in third place on the standings. New Zealand, on 89.23 rankings points, can go as high as 90.72 rankings points (which will obviously see them overtake the Boks on 90.01) or as low as 87.72 points (if Australia win by more than 15 points). The Wallabies (on 86.17 rankings points) can get to within 0.04 ranking points of New Zealand (on 87.68) if they win by more than 15 points, but could also drop down to 84.68.
(Stats, courtesy of pickandgo.info - rugby365's official stats partner)
Fact of the Week: New Zealand have been holders of the Bledisloe Cup since 2003 and the Tri-Nations since 2005. The Bledisloe Cup is contested between the All Blacks and Wallabies annually on a home and away basis within the Tri-Nations competition. It is harder to win than defend, as the challenger must win two of the three legs this year. The Tri-Nations is contested between the All Blacks, Wallabies and South Africa, with each team having three home and three away games and the winner determined by who finishes at the top of the standings after nine rounds.
Noteworthy stat: Total Tri-Nations victories by country - NZ 9, SA 2, Aus 2
What do you think? Email us your suggestions and comments from the third weekend of Tri-Nations action!
