Hougaard is not of the necessary standard to be playing test rugby, get him out. His contributions pretty much killed the slim chance we had of coming up with a try. And I think we can bring the Coenie-at-tighthead experiment to an end. He does not work there.
The biggest worry is that we lost playing rugby that we tend to favour. 10-man rugby comes naturally to us and the Welsh dominated us convincingly.
Saffers are among the stupidest rugby players in the world!! That's primarily why we battle with Northern hemisphere refs. We simply not smart enough to adjust to how they blow the breakdowns.
Kick, chase and hope is very much our game plan but then how many times were we penalized for taking the man out in the air?!! So our kick and chase game ended up prejudicing us?
Our backs lacked cohesion and rhythm but the forwards failed to dominate in any of the games perhaps with the exception of the Irish game. You need to retain possession for 10 phases or more before you going to break down strong defenses. If you got the flair and finesse of the AB's then they become threatening after 7-8 phases. They beat the opposition with side steps and off loading in the tackle where we only know one way!! Jan's a big boy at Super rugby level and CC but at international level he's run of the mill!
We have centres that have the skill set to beat opponents with the side step, Jordaan and DeJong are 2. They slightly built and obviously don't have the option of running over and must go round! They've developed these skill sets through their age group rugby the same way Jan, JDV, Frans Steyn have relayed on their bulk to dominate and haven't developed the more subtle techniques. NZ and Australia have centres that can do both. Big, bollocking runners with the ability to step off both feet and offload in the tackle!
Our backs are a worry however, when a pack isn't dominating, or even gaining parity in the tight loose and set pieces, it puts pressure on your 9 and that pressure gets transferred to 10 and 12 and 13 etc etc etc So Hougaard plays as well as his forwards allow him to play. I still rate him. He's tough as teak and doesn't give an inch. Having said that his quick tap penalty and then kicking directly into touch was a HORRENDOUS error. He owns that brainfart moment in totality but hopefully it won't be his final act in the green and gold!
Look, the end of year tour was difficult to watch but bare in mind we've won 10/14 this year, 71% win ratio. End of the year tours are always going to be a stretch for us Saffers. Consider the abrasive, bang and bash style of rugby we play? It takes its toll! It's a high contact, high intensity brand of rugby!
What chance have we got in the RWC? A lot better than Zimbabwe's, that's for sure!!
RWC is draw related. We got a decent enough pool but the knockout stages are going to be tough. I predict Australia in the quarters and NZ in the semis! That's a huge ask!!
Australia are in the same pool as Wales and England, I don't see Australia winning their pool. They'll do well to finish 2nd. Their EOYT has been worse than ours, losses to Ireland, France and England! They've played some remarkable rugby this year but their defense is nowhere!! Their depth is also a big problem. At 9 and 10 they have little to no cover, same at centre.
There a lot of noticeable absenteeisms from this squad, Louw, Alberts, Spies, Pieter-Steph, Flip, Brussouw. I think there a number of forwards we can still consider for RWC. Backs is a big worry though. Our halfbacks need to grow and mature in next years Super rugby and hopefully we uncover a gem or 2 at center/fullback.
NZ have battled too. Southern hemisphere sides are spent, Northern hemisphere sides have improved but if you think this form will continue into next years RWC, you clueless...
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A matriculant dissing a professor. How sweet.
