Rossouw backs Peter's Bok plan
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:22
Chris Rossouw chases Dimitri Yachvili (with ball) during his spell in France
South African coach Peter de Villiers has come under fire for his 'expansive-at-all-costs' gameplan, which has been ridiculed by large sections of the Springbok fan club.
Now the Bok coach, who has said he will not change despite back-to-back Tri-Nations defeats against Australia and New Zealand, has received some unexpected support.
In the 0-19 loss to the All Blacks last Saturday the Boks naively tried to run themselves out of trouble - at least once leading to a try for the Kiwis - and played a game that appeared to have no structure.
While it has caused much anger in the ranks of those advocating a return to the structured approach that brought South Africa World Cup glory last year, the new approach also has its supporters.
Although not blindly supporting De Villiers' new game plan, the Free State Cheetahs' Springbok flyhalf Chris Rossouw - who arrived in Bloemfontein this year after a stint in France - feels that a little patience may be the order of the day.
Speaking to rugby365.com from Bloemfontein, Rossouw said the Boks will feel the hurt of their Tri-Nations defeats in Perth (9-16 to the Wallabies) and Cape Town (0-19 to the All Blacks) - with last week's loss in particularly painful.
"Yes, it is disappointing for the supporters, but it is even more disappointing for the team and the players," Rossouw said of the Bok whitewash on home soil.
"It is tough to get over and they have a tough week ahead," he said of the showdown with the Wallabies in Durban this coming Saturday.
The flyhalf, who became a Bok on the year-end tour to Argentina and the United Kingdom in 2000, admitted that last week was not one of the Boks' proudest moments.
"You have those days," he said, adding: "I'm sure they will lift themselves and produce a performance of much better quality [against the Wallabies], because every player would like to show they are the best in their own right.
"We all still supports the Boks and believe they can pull it off," Rossouw told rugby365.com.
The Cheetahs pivot also added that the demanding South African fans, not known for their willingness to endure defeats to change direction, may need to be a bit more patient.
"Any pattern or game plan takes time for the players to adjust," Rossouw told this website.
"Yes we do want to in ... even if it is with [two] drop-goals like [we did against the Wallabies] last year.
"But players are not chameleons and things won't change overnight.
"New Zealand have mastered the art of switching from playing with aggression up front to an expansive game and they can switch back to a percentage game very easily.
"That is the challenge, to get that balance right.
"Hopefully we get that balance quickly. It is difficult to ask South African fans to be patient, but if you look at New Zealand - their rebuilding takes a few months, not years.
"We can't take forever [to rebuild], but I'm convinced we have enough young players to get that balance right. At the end of the day the players have to buy into what the coach wants to achieve."
By Jan de Koning
