Official Rugby World Cup 2015 Thread

[Ho3n3r]

We need to be very careful in the bronze medal match. Argentina has made no bones about the fact that they always set out for a top three finish. I kind of get the sense that for us, it's no big deal. Yes, giving the fringe players a run on Friday would be great but we run the risk of squaring up to a full strength and highly motivated Argies side (Imhoff and Creevy still doubtful though) hellbent on achieving what they set out to do.

I don't care at all about this match personally if I'm honest. Of course we shouldn't go out to lose it, but if we win it won't mean anything to me in the context of anything really. A real lose-lose game.

 

[Ho3n3r]

They've come off of their best Super Rugby campaign in years playing that way. It is still a philosophy taking root, but no serious person can say it isn't improving their on-field performances.

And that gameplan won't work? Be honest, when last did the Crusaders, Highlanders, Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes or All Blacks rely on 10-man rugby to utterly dominate SH and world rugby?

The difference between us is that the ABs don't rely on kicking for possession, but they can turn to it when they have to. We rely on it and some even call for a greater emphasis on it and we cannot do anything else when it isn't working. Our last resort is just an attempt to use brute force and there again the All Blacks have time an again proven that they can withstand us physically. The minute we can't dominate the scrums or overpower the opposition we are cooked. If the ABs can't open the game up they can play smart and tight.

You can't make a Ferrari out of a beetle - I've said it here before. At provincial level, we play stampkar rugby, now you want the national coach to suddenly make them the All Blacks? Get real.

Meyer was trying for 4 years to get all the coaches to play a more balanced gameplan, but everyone still stuck to their identities. That wasn't helped this year by the core of the Boks, the Sharks, having their worst season that I can remember and a number of their Boks either way off form or injured long term.

The Springbok team is not the place where you learn to play proper rugby - or it isn't supposed to be anyway.

Just compare the best back 3 we have with Milner-Skudder, Savea and Ben Smith. If anyone thinks we have any players that can match them overall, I'd seriously question their ability to think straight.

 

[Agent_Smith]

I don't care at all about this match personally if I'm honest. Of course we shouldn't go out to lose it, but if we win it won't mean anything to me in the context of anything really. A real lose-lose game.

^So much of this. A win means jack, but a loss will be a disaster.

 

[Neoprod]

^So much of this. A win means jack, but a loss will be a disaster.

WC's finished, bro...can't be a disaster if the WC's finished now, can it?

 

[OrbitalDawn]

We need to be very careful in the bronze medal match. Argentina has made no bones about the fact that they always targeted a top three finish. I kind of get the sense that for us, it's no big deal. Yes, giving the fringe players a run on Friday would be great but we run the risk of squaring up to a full strength and highly motivated Argies side (Imhoff and Creevy still doubtful though) hellbent on achieving what they set out to do.

Both have already been ruled out, along with Hernandez.

 

[thestaggy]

You can't make a Ferrari out of a beetle - I've said it here before. At provincial level, we play stampkar rugby, now you want the national coach to suddenly make them the All Blacks? Get real.

Meyer was trying for 4 years to get all the coaches to play a more balanced gameplan, but everyone still stuck to their identities. That wasn't helped this year by the core of the Boks, the Sharks, having their worst season that I can remember and a number of their Boks either way off form or injured long term.

The Springbok team is not the place where you learn to play proper rugby - or it isn't supposed to be anyway.

Just compare the best back 3 we have with Milner-Skudder, Savea and Ben Smith. If anyone thinks we have any players that can match them overall, I'd seriously question their ability to think straight.

Obviously it won't happen overnight, and that is not what I said. My response was to Pitbull saying we must go back to what is honestly ''archaic'' rugby when it should be the opposite. SA rugby needs to move forward. The hope is that the Lions continue to dominate the local scene so their rivals finally realise there are guys in jerseys 11 - 15 that can play rugby as well.

 

[Ho3n3r]

WC's finished, bro...can't be a disaster if the WC's finished now, can it?

We definitely don't need to go all out to make it a monumental ****up.

 

[Lager]

Now if NZ can beat Aus convincingly....we shouldn't feel that bad

Com'on let's face it, they ARE the best team in the world...most of the time.
We have a very bad handicap against big teams, over a long period of time,....we don't score tries....or least not enough tries.
Penalties alone will not secure victory

Why don't we score tries you might think? Is the defense that good?
Yes, the defense is good, but no defense is unbreakable....you create opportunities by using flair, very good passing skills, well executed grubbers, creating space, run from deep, keep them guessing etc.

However i fear that South Africans don't have these abilities in high standard across the board.
Compare the way the Aus back line ran last night to the way we do it.
Compare the way the NZ backs ran against us....also the reason why they scored tries and we didn't. Was our defense that awful or did NZ find ways to break through it?

 

[Fulcrum29]

Let's get one thing very clear.... This All Black team is one awesome unit.

Any team that tried to open up the game and went on an all out attack got their arses handed to them on a plate. In spades.

And the same would have happened to us on Saturday.

So when was the defining moment when we spoilt our chance to win?

It was the line out in the AB's 22 just a few minutes from the end... and just like the Scots last week, WE blew it. That's how simple it is.

The Springboks made too many errors. In my opinion, their current game plan is viable to win any tier 1 nation, only that our backrows are unable to keep possession and taking it up one or two phases too many underutilising the backline.

We have de Allende playing towards our breakdowns to keep the troops close to continue with the next phase, then Kriel coming up to his inside/outside pending on the play, either player creating an opportunity or use an opportunity, de Allende is a regular on the crash ball. Now we have Willie coming into the two to utilise said opportunity or the 8-pack continue with the stampkar. Our wings… it is like they must rely on interceptions nowadays.

Heyneke Meyer lack the creativity to bring more diverse plays into his current game plan, utilising the backline to its optimal potential.
Even should we had considered to open up our sets we would had played into New Zealand’s regular game plan.
Then there is the ball retention… Fetchers… we have one hooker to take on this role.

How many balls did Pocock (and Hooper) win back yesterday?

Overall the game could had been won, but the team which kicked the less possession away won the game. Personally I believe that Schalk made critical errors which was capitalised on by the All Blacks, which added to the All Blacks points advantage.

 

[Ho3n3r]

Obviously it won't happen overnight, and that is not what I said. My response was to Pitbull saying we must go back to what is honestly ''archaic'' rugby when it should be the opposite. SA rugby needs to move forward. The hope is that the Lions continue to dominate the local scene so their rivals finally realise there are guys in jerseys 11 - 15 that can play rugby as well.

That I agree with. We need to step up the game provincially. If we're gonna finish with all our teams outside the top 3 on the real Super Rugby log consistently, then we're never gonna be world beaters at international level. Success breeds success. That breeds confidence. The All Blacks aren't playing like they are due to a lack of it. You can't go a whole Super Rugby season doubting your abilities, and suddenly at the Boks you think you're better than the All Blacks. It's all mental.

A more balanced game is needed. We reverted to type when the going got tough at the end of last year, while the right thing would have been to stick it out with what we were doing.

 

[Lager]

Let's get one thing very clear.... This All Black team is one awesome unit.

Any team that tried to open up the game and went on an all out attack got their arses handed to them on a plate. In spades.

And the same would have happened to us on Saturday.

So when was the defining moment when we spoilt our chance to win?

It was the line out in the AB's 22 just a few minutes from the end... and just like the Scots last week, WE blew it. That's how simple it is.

This is all true, I agree...yet if we were able to score 1 try...that line out would not have mattered

 

[Electric]

I'll say it again, DOM krag has failed us time and time again but we persist with it.

 

[DWPTA]

 

[sand_man]

Why don't we score tries you might think?

Our inability to take the ball through multiple phases of play. Good defenses will only start showing signs of cracking after 12-15 phases of play. Against top tier sides we seldom manage 5 our more phases.

Our one off runners are always susceptible to turning over possession. Our ineffective cleaners leaves the ball carrier susceptible to turning over possession. Our dependence on a kick and hope game plan results in a less than 50/50 chance on retaining possession. Our inability to offload before the tackle leaves the player caught in possession susceptible to turning over possession. Our lack of basic ball handling skills makes us susceptible to losing the ball in contact or knocking it on when taking passes under pressure.

 

[Pitbull]

I'll say it again, DOM krag has failed us time and time again but we persist with it.

Nothing wrong with having Dom krag in a squad. But if you build on a physical forward pack, at least have your game plan coupled with it.

What use is having these massive forwards when you keep kicking the ball to the opposition?

 

[Fulcrum29]

View attachment 310063

Maybe GLRU must ask SARU to play against the Springboks. See which is the better team.

 

[DWPTA]

Maybe GLRU must ask SARU to play against the Springboks. See which is the better team.

I asked Oom Kevin on Saturday, he just laughed

 

[Pitbull]

Maybe GLRU must ask SARU to play against the Springboks. See which is the better team.

With the court cases and so on pending with regards to transformation, the Bok emblem and the likes...

I wonder how long it will be before we have a spin-off union in rugby? The Bok rugby we all loved ended this year. So it's time to let it go now, maybe a play off against the Lions and the Boks would be an awesome finisher

 

[Lager]

Our inability to take the ball through multiple phases of play. Good defenses will only start showing signs of cracking after 12-15 phases of play. Against top tier sides we seldom manage 5 our more phases.

Our one off runners are always susceptible to turning over possession. Our ineffective cleaners leaves the ball carrier susceptible to turning over possession. Our dependence on a kick and hope game plan results in a less than 50/50 chance on retaining possession. Our inability to offload before the tackle leaves the player caught in possession susceptible to turning over possession. Our lack of basic ball handling skills makes us susceptible to losing the ball in contact or knocking it on when taking passes under pressure.

This is a big part of the inability to score. We struggle to get the ball back after losing it. If only we lost it....but we give it away with all the kicks.
We seriously need a different game plan...radically different.

 

[Lager]

Maybe GLRU must ask SARU to play against the Springboks. See which is the better team.

hahahaha....not a bad idea
even just for laughs