MAILBOX: More woe for Div
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:25
The criticism of Bok coach Peter de Villiers is showing no signs of abating, and our readers are still rather disillusioned with the state of the Springboks. As usual you have the Write of Reply!
Opinions on the Bok coach...
De Villiers has lost the plot. Maybe he should listen more to rugby chat shows, his assistant coaches and the players before he tries to change a gameplan the "bokke" played for the last 4 years. The ELV's might have made the game a bit quicker, but you choose what you want to do when a short arm penalty is given to you. Our phase play is terrible; no cohesion, the ball is not protected, body positions are terrible. We had over 14 turnovers last week. We make twice as many tackles than our counterparts, no wonder our "legs are tired" What happened to grubber kicks and playing to our lineout strengths when your
opposition kick you back into your half. We don't make our opposition work when we "kick to win the ball back". Our tactical kicking is not up to scratch, we play with a flyhalf that is out of form and does not have the same talents as his Tri-nation counterparts, so what if Steyn is young, he does a lot more than Butch at this Stage. Our scrums have improved but the players approach to set pieces have become so predictable that it is easily countered. There is no mauling drives...how boring we used to be good at those, there must be a way to stop the opposition to legally collapse them. Basic conservative rugby might not be attractive but it wins Test Matches. Whether you win by 1 point or 15 points does not make a difference. Expansive rugby is expensive rugby...we pay so much for test tickets, DSTV and towards the sponsors that sponsor the "Boks". Everyone needs some breathtaking entertainment and wants to support a winning team, if the "bokke" will not give it to them, some
other team will. It is a disgrace to see South Africans support another country's team, and it is rapidly happening. Still a "bok "supporter but dissapointed.
- Johan Riese
What should Peter de Villiers do? It's a no-brainer. Resign! He's out of his depth, talks absolute rubbish - when you can understand him - and to anyone other than the complete clots at SARU and its retarded President's Council, he should go before South African rugby is completely disgraced. The Boks need a proper coach, that is the bottom line.
- Rob Porter
The following coaches believed in structured game plans and discipline:
kitch christie- success rate over 90% including world cup title
nick mallet - success rate over 70% including tri-nations title
jake white - success rate over 65% including world cup and tri-nations title
The following believed in free-styling self expression:
carel du
plessis - success rate of 37%
harry viljoen - success rate of 53%, majority of games against "second tier" rugby playing nations
de villiers - current success rate of 55%
Do the math, Div, do the math.
- Justin Gomes
Peter, go play in the traffic you puppet!!
- Chris
De Villiers should by now realise that being an affirmative action appointment and being in an international environment were merit counts.....that he is just up to the task. He should resign before the Springboks become the laughing stock of world rugby!!
- Annoyed Springbok Supporter
FIRE HIM HE IS A SHOCKING COACH!! He should be coaching basketball...
- Richard Scott
What should De Villiers do now? He must resign as not only is he an embarrassment to the game of rugby, he is also an embarrassment to SA as a whole. What international coach will go on air with words like "ons makeer
n losskakel". He was so afraid of becoming a Jake White that he would rather loose tests than sticking to a winning team with a winning formula. "Ons makeer a coach"
- Neville Smith
De Villiers should get some help from outside and forget his game plan, as he does not know what he is doing, If he goes on like this, he will lose all us supporters and nobody will go and watch the matches, how does he think he will be paid if no tickets are sold.My husband and all his buddies have already stopped watching the games. So I hope someone can get through to him or pay him the %million and get someone new that know Rugby (Rassie Erasmus, Naas Botha)
- Linda Lingenfelder
Read today that PDV says we should have won last Saturday! as much as I like the guy he must be smoking his socks. Amongst a host of disasters including our leading prop doing stupid things, the breakdown has become a joke in our household. When the ball goes down it
is simply a matter of how we are going to lose it, holding on, or giving it to the opposition. You cannot play any kind of Rugby without the ball, never mind "an expansive game". My reading of the situation at present is that our opposition are articulate in understanding the rules and the subtlety in execution. We certainly have the talent, so are we Dof or Stubborn, its one or the other for sure.
- Paul Clark
What should De Villiers do now? Resign and help the bafana bafana with running soccer. Typical of the politicians in SA - just another politician this Hoskins guy. Sorry to be harsh but if it wasn`t for politics Jake White would have set the pace in world rugby with the Springbucks.
- JJ
From the dizzying heights of RWC 2007 champions to third on the IRB rankings in a few games with no end to the slide in sight. Well done, Div you have done your country proud. The appointment of this individual was
ludicrous in the first place and the fact that there seems to be no intention to correct the problem has confirmed to me that Springbok rugby is finally dead. It put up a brave fight but it is finnaly over. I am going to the Ellis Park match on the weekend, I will be wearing my bok jersey, but in my heart I will be hoping Australia win by record margins.
I will never support the Springboks again, I love the players and they are surely some of the very best in the world, but I cannot support SARugby as an organisation any longer. I have had enough of them sabotaging my favorite past time and toying with loyal supporters. In future I will supporting Australia. SARUGBY you are a joke.
- Fed Up
De Villiers is playing the wrong game plan with the wrong players. Conrad needs to be on fullback, Ricky needs to start to put pressure on the Aussie scrumhalf. All Blacks were just better on the day, you are not going to win
all your games in your first year. We now need to build for the next World Cup. We need to have a look at the flyhalve position. Dollie can play the game he wants, but not being selected at currie cup. We need to have a look at this.
- Francois Barnies
As a very loyal South African supporter who is now totally in the dark with regards to what I will watch on the box from now on, I have no option but to find a new hobby to save me from the devastating humiliation of our rugby team as well. I have never before, made any comment on the electronic pages, about the state of our sporting demise.
First of all,I find it to be a waste of time for very obvious reasons. Our rugby team has one problem and one problem only - Lack of confidence brought about by the following:
1. A coach with no top level experience at all.
2. A coach with a game plan that does not work
3. A coach who changes world cup champions into chimpions within a few short
months.
4. A coach with more excuses than the Oxford dictionary.
5. A coach that cannot stand up to the political rugby guru.
6. A coach that replaces Schalk Burger with Political Watson every game.
7. A coach that believes there is a very small difference between winning and losing.
8. A coach who will not take advice from those who know.
9. A coach so stubborn, even when the scoreboard speaks will not entertain change.
10.A coach who says we (The rugby paying public) are too impatient.
11.A coach who managed to get the Rugby world not to fear the Springbok ever again.
Besides all of the above, I must commend Piet Helium on one major achievement, he is the only coach to destroy a winning team by losing so much (even on home soil) and keeping the mouths of the political rugby gurus shut. Heaven knows, even Oregan Hoskins sings his praises. Let us not mention the coaches before.God forbid. I am sure all of the above will motivate any
team, even those who managed to collect the William Webb Ellis trophy and are still in the very same dismal team.
- Dean
Opinions on Jake White...
Should SARU employ White? Why not? Many of us didn't always agree with him and coaches often make silly statements, but in White's case not even nearly the waffled rubbish that comes from Peter de Villiers. White took us from the depths of despair to the pinnacle. At the end of the first game under his coaching in which the Boks played against New Zealand, in New Zealand, as the game ended ex-All Black commentator, Murray Mexted enthusiastically exclaimed, "The Boks are back!" Yes, and under White they certainly were. After a long drought under various coaches White had changed our fortunes dramatically - and not with a conservative approach! The Boks scored three tries (two at least by centres, Jean de Villiers and Andre Joubert) to New Zealand's one, a fortuitous last minute try by Howlett sealing the game for the All Blacks.
But then we now have harsh realities with which to contend in regard to bringing White back in some influential capacity. Oregan Hoskins is President of the SARU and says he is ‘black' (American style!), and his support last week for Peter de Villiers after the Boks once again failed, spoke volumes about ‘judgment', or lack thereof. Then we have a race-obsessed black government that is determined to marginalize white South Africans, and determined to ‘transform' rugby and pretty much anything it touches. The resulting mess in most cases speaks for itself - with that very special inverted Midas touch! And then Jake White is not black and ‘merit' is of secondary concern. We as a country are determined to shoot ourselves in the foot! We need men with 'character' and finesse at the top of South African rugby,
and we don't have it. That is bottom line! And that will determine our fortunes.
- Rob Porter
With Jake White's invaluable experience they would be nothing short of fools to not employ JW in some capacity. As it is, other rugby playing countries are still amazed that SARU let him go after SA won the World Cup.
- Jeff, Switzerland
Other opinions...
This mail is not to support Peter as such, but I fear the issue revolving sport in SA is far greater than a poor coaching structure from PDV. The Proteas have lost their final test and first ODI, we've won a big fat zero gold medals at the olympics, despite a few youngsters coming through we've also had a fairly disappointing year in the golfing world too, no tennis stars, no nothing? Two main reasons for this, I think, is firstly (the excuse): We've seen it all before, the Boks after their '95 success and the Poms after the
'03 World Cup success, I'm sure there's many more examples, but the time after a World Cup is one of new plans, new ideas and conventionally a period of transition. What worries me is why haven't we learnt anything from previous experiences? The other issue is money, money , money. The British olympic team and organisers started planning for the Beijing olympics four years ago. Facilities, coaching, training and sourcing etc. has been funded by public lottery income since 2004. They bear the fruits today of having the most successful British team since 1908! So what can we learn from this? I believe you're only as good as your support structures in order to identify the best talent and the best coaching and utilise these factors with training colleges etc. We are lightyears behind Australia, England and the States on sports development. What we achieved last year in the World Cup took four years of hard work and planning, we can't
just pitch up and be the best there is, no one can, not even the All Blacks.
- Francois, London
Play Janjes on the wing and Pienaar at fullback - he should get rid of Butch James and play Steyn at flyhalf - so that he can develop. Play Wikus van Heerden and van Tonder of the Lions. Play Pierre Spies at wing. I wish I could choose a Springbok team - only for one test please? What happened to Jacques Fourie? My team: 15 Conrad Janjes, 14 Pierre Spies, 13 Jacques Fourie (A Jacobs), 12 Jean De Villiers (c), 11 B Habana and Jonki Nonkwe, 10 F Steyn en P Montgomery, 9 Fourie Du Preez en R Pienaar, 8 R Kyankowski (spelling sorry), 7 J Smit en Vermeulen, 6 Wikus Van Heerden en Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield en Danie Roussouw, 4 A Bekker en Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ Van Der Linde, 2 Bismarck Du Plessis en John Smit (c), 1 BJ Botha en Mtawarira (the Beast). Coach Jake White - he knows how to motivate Victor and John. This team will beat the All Blacks and the
Aussies.
- JJ
I will not for one moment argue that CJ should not have been cited and nor will I bemoan the fact that it is a 4 week ban. What I am concerned about, and this nothing new, how is it that he suffers the wrath of the judiciary to the extent he has but Brad Thorn received a 1 week ban for upending John Smit. Whilst I acknowledge that they are two different incidences, in different matches, under different circumstances, etc there is no getting away from the fact that both were dangerous and both had intent.
- Wayne Hattingh
The wallabies and All blacks are nowhere as near as good as the boks, unlike SA, they dont have affirmative action and quoata systems affecting them with regards to coach and player selection.
- Belinda Hill
Hoskins sprouts: "I would like to make it clear that Springbok coach Peter de Villiers, his management team and playing squad have my unequivocal backing and
that of the South African Rugby Union Presidents Council and of the Board of SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd," said Hoskins."
Ha ha ha. So what? Who is Hoskins anyway and what has he ever added to SA Rugby. He is obviously lost if he his "unequivocally" backing such a loser.
- Les
The inconsistency of SANZAR is a joke. Their credibility is questionable, there is no way that players and fans are getting a fair deal the way these clowns go about their work.
- Greg Koevort
