Official June 2016 Tests Thread

[SlowInternet]

Hmmmm,

[video=youtube;azheB2D0Wy4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azheB2D0Wy4[/video]

Good to see Yama****a do the haka.

Good

 

[sand_man]

[video=youtube;hFYjr8xwbHA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFYjr8xwbHA[/video]

 

[sand_man]

Apologies for my troll posts Saturday evening.

Pffft, after that performance the Boks and their supporters earned every bit of criticism/trolling they got. Was pathetic!!!

 

[SeRpEnT]

So over the last year the Boks had three historic losses which clearly places the current bok team in the list of worst Springbok teams of all time. The first time they lost against Argentina at home. Their loss against Japan. And their loss against a 14 man Ireland team at home.

I'm sorry but the current bunch of guys are way overhyped. There is simply a lack of talent in SA rugby at the moment. And no, the bunch that ran overseas are hardly any better.

That said, I had a look at the three bok teams that had the honours of being at the receiving end of historic losses to see how many Boks played in all of these games. Players who should have a mountain of shame on their shoulders. Players who might even by the reason why we lost...

They are: The Beast Mtawarirra (3 out of 3) and Lood de Jager (3 out of 3), Willie Le Roux (2 out of the 3), Damian De Allende (2 out of the 3), Eben Etzebeth (2 out of 3) and Jessie Kriel (2.5 out of 3 - one game was as sub).

From the above list, I think the Beast is the most overrated player by a mile. Lood had some good games last year, and was even the standout player in the one losing game, but nowadays he is not in form. The same with Eben. Jessie Kriel I just don't rate. Willie Le Roux is another player that is hopelessly out of form. And for a long time now. He needs to be dropped. ASAP. Damian D.A. was quite good last year, but this year he is out of form. We just have too many players currently out of form. Who the heck can we honestly say is currently IN FORM??! Probably only PS Du Toit??!

Our biggest problem at the moment with Springbok rugby is according to me:
1. Lack of talent.
2. From the few that DOES have talent, most are out of form
3. Lack of respect for opposing teams. And being way too overconfident.
4. Dom donner stampkar mentaliteit. Hey South Africans are big okes, lets just bash it up and hope for the best. Ever noticed how these guys warm up and train before a game? They run into opposing players with these big bags like stampkarre. Boom. No attempt to run between the two players. No. They actually train to run smack bang into another player. DOM. DOMMER DOMSTE.

Rant Mode Disabled.

 

[sand_man]

I'm sorry but the current bunch of guys are way overhyped. There is simply a lack of talent in SA rugby at the moment. And no, the bunch that ran overseas are hardly any better.

Disagree. They wouldn't be abroad earning big bucks if they weren't worth the investment.

Their respective clubs are also performing exceptionally well. Montepellier, Sarries etc etc etc

Recalled Morne Steyn training with the Bok squad, was described as looking very sharp.

Also, consider SA teams competing in Super Rugby, they under pressure to win and with that in mind, pick their strongest teams. In a competition as long and arduous as Super Rugby, player rotation is essential!! If a team has no depth as a result of losing players abroad, they not really in a position to rest their players, with the net result, their top players are over played!!

 

[Agent_Smith]

Danie Gerber speaks out on last Saturday's performance

Danie Gerber: Blame players, not coach

Cape Town - Legendary Springbok centre Danie Gerber says the players are to blame for last Saturday’s fiasco against Ireland at Newlands.

Ireland stunned the Boks 26-20 in Allister Coetzee’s first Test as new national coach.

It was Ireland's first ever win over South Africa on these shores and what made the feat even more remarkable was that they did so my playing the majority of the match with 14 men after CJ Stander was red carded in the 22nd minute.

But Gerber, 58, feels the blame cannot be laid at the door of the coach.

He instead criticised the players for making a mammoth 22 handling errors in the game.

Ireland only knocked on six times.

“They are professional players and should play like professionals. The coach can’t go on to the field and catch the ball for you,” Gerber told Netwerk24.

“You can coach a team as well as you want, but the players should also play their part. South African players’ lack of skills has been a problem for a long time and it was very clear to see at Newlands.”

This is not the first time Gerber has expressed his concern about the skills of South African players.

Sport24 reported last year about Gerber saying how hard it was to watch South African teams participate in Super Rugby.

“Our rugby is messed up by an obsession to mostly attack with the forwards. It’s really not very attractive to watch," Gerber said in April 2015.

Gerber played 24 Tests for the Springboks between 1980 and 1992, scoring 19 tries.

He was inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame last year.

 

[Fulcrum29]

OT:

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/world-rugby-to-review-eligibility-protocols-20160614

World Rugby to review eligibility protocols

Cape Town - World Rugby may reconsider its eligibility protocols that allow players to represent a country other than that of their birth.

According to the ESPN.co.uk website, World Rugby vice-chairperson Agustin Pichot is to lead the inquest into the make-up and design of the protocols.

The former Argentina scrumhalf and captain is against the existing rules, that allow a player to represent a country if they have lived there for three years.

According to Pichot, the period is too short.

"There are special cases where players moved when they were ten or twelve years old," he said.

"But just moving to a country, being taken from an academy, like they are doing in Tonga, and put into play, say, in an Ireland shirt, I'm against it. I think it is not right."

...

During last year’s Rugby World Cup in England, there were no fewer than 15 South African-born players who represented their adopted nations.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3640363/World-Rugby-look-Pacific-talent-drain.html

One key area is the conduct of agents, who Fijian coaches have long complained lure young players from the islands with unrealistic promises.

Pichot will also examine how rich club academies handle Pacific talent and the player-release regulations that island nations believe weaken their teams at major tournaments.

When Pacific players earn big money overseas they come under pressure from their paymasters to put club ahead of country, or to switch national allegiance.

In 2013 there were 272 players eligible for Fiji, Tonga and Samoa who were playing overseas, but only 198 were actually available as 74 had aligned themselves elsewhere.

Polynesian rugby players, pending on the circumstances, are usually schooled in Asia or Australasia, many whom end up in their system at a young age. People will be surprised to see how many Tongans has a Japanese mother. Their worst issue is being locked up in a European club. I see that they mentioned the 2013 numbers, but it was way worse in 2015 when the Polynesian nations had to rush to assemble world cup teams due to availability, playing squads with little to no depth.

I think that World Rugby is on the right track, citizenship should be a prerequisite, education which can be committed through schools or academies in the adopted country and a minimum 3 years’ rugby experience in the adopted country. My opinion.

Fiji had its first world-class rugby facilities and academy introduced just before the 2015 RWC which will greatly support their funding and player development.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

That Chiefs Haka is pretty sweet.

 

[Fulcrum29]

That Chiefs Haka is pretty sweet.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

 

[DanDango]

Springbok forwards Duane Vermeulen and Lood de Jager have yet to train this week due to their respective injuries, reports JON CARDINELLI in Johannesburg.

On Monday, Bok coach Allister Coetzee confirmed that Vermeulen (knee) and De Jager (calf) had sustained minor injuries in the loss to Ireland at Newlands. Coetzee said that the No 8 and lock would be managed over the course of the week as a precaution.

On Tuesday afternoon, Vermeulen and De Jager were not at the training session held at St Peter’s College in Johannesburg. SARugbymag.co.za understands that the pair has been given more time to recover from their injuries.


In the absence of Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley trained with the starting side at No 8. Pieter-Steph du Toit took De Jager’s place at No 5.

Whiteley and Du Toit could start against Ireland at Ellis Park this weekend if Vermeulen and De Jager fail late fitness tests. In that event, Coetzee will also need to bring a couple of uncapped players to replace Whiteley and Du Toit on the bench.

Franco Mostert is the only other lock in the Bok squad at present. With regard to the reserve loose forward position, Coetzee may find it harder to choose between Jaco Kriel, the Lions flanker who calls Ellis Park home, and Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who impressed for SA A in the recent fixture against the England Saxons. Kriel and Notshe were both used as back-row alternatives at the training session on Tuesday.

Coetzee will announce his match 23 at 13:00 on Thursday.

http://www.sarugbymag.co.za/blog/details/boks-wait-on-duane-lood

 

[DanDango]

View attachment 368891

Lucky for Wales, no second game against the Chiefs.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

No loss in my opinion, there are better players who will relish a gap

 

[Fulcrum29]

Lucky for Wales, no second game against the Chiefs.

It was their 2nd string team with ‘stars’ in-between, their greatest issue now is depth. It is not like they played a star-studded Super Rugby team, the Chiefs has 8 men in the All Blacks squad plus a couple of injuries. But yah, Rennie had a blast to take the win over his fellow countryman Gatland. It will now be interesting to see which type of rugby Hansen will play this weekend.

 

[Agent_Smith]

I think it's going to be a massacre. Wales had their shot and they didn't take it. Now with George North ruled out, they've lost that strike power out wide. Think they'll do well to lose by less than 25.

 

[MickeyD]

Good win by the SA u20s. Came from behind to beat France 40-31.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Good win by the SA u20s. Came from behind to beat France 40-31.

My only quarrel with the team is that our forwards are a bit slapgat, we will need that push against the English.

 

[sand_man]

Was a grind, for sure. Line outs were a disaster. Wtf??? And French forwards outmuscled us for most of the match. We got some class in the back line though. Bosch is outstanding!!

 

[greg0205]

Was a grind, for sure. Line outs were a disaster. Wtf??? And French forwards outmuscled us for most of the match. We got some class in the back line though. Bosch is outstanding!!

He is good. Kicking was a bit off but the rest of his game was excellent. The No 11 is also something else.

 

[MickeyD]

2nd Test XV

15 Willie le Roux
14 JP Pietersen
13 Lionel Mapoe
12 Damian de Allende
11 Lwazi Mvovo
10 Elton Jantjies
9 Faf de Klerk

8 Duane Vermeulen
7 Siya Kolisi
6 Francois Louw
5 Pieter-Steph du Toit
4 Eben Etzebeth
3 Frans Malherbe
2 Adriaan Strauss (c)
1 Beast Mtawarira.

Subs:

16 Bongi Mbonambi
17 Trevor Nyakane
18 Julian Redelinghuys
19 Franco Mostert
20 Warren Whiteley
21 Rudy Paige
22 Morné Steyn
23 Ruan Combrinck