Category: South African Rugby
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Who do the Springboks want to play in the RWC quarter finals?
We are getting to the business end of the pool stages at the RWC and we can start to see how the teams are lining up after the dust settles. We have seen Ireland, France and New Zealand have hit outs with varying degrees of success. Should South Africa win against Ireland they will top…
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Who does South Africa call up for Malcom Marx?
The tournament ending injury to Malcolm Marx has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons for Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber meticulous RWC plans. Malcolm is a vital cog in the Springbok squad as a starter to set the tone with his physical presence at the gainline and over ball. He is also a nightmare to…
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Job Done
Does anyone remember South Africa vs Fiji tied 20 all after 60 minutes in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals? No because we got the job done and ran away with it in the last 20 minutes before hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup. Today’s match against Scotland was the same, it was a grind…
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Health of South African URC teams
Looking at the state of the four South African franchises going into the business end of the URC competition tells a tale of varying fortunes with the haves and the have nots opening a large void in SA rugby. Lions The Lions are limping along and are showing signs of going backwards at a rapid…
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Springboks look like a championship team
Yes one could make the argument that winning the Rugby World Cup is enough to say this current crop of players is a championship team but any professional sportsperson will tell you it is far harder staying at the top then getting there. The ingredients for a championship team is harder to put your finger…
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Springboks: What we have learnt and what we don’t know after the Rugby Championship
What we have learned: The Springboks have a game plan that is beautiful in its simplistic brutality and effective against any opposition when it is executed correctly. The pressure is ratcheted up through suffocating defense and constant peppering of contestable kicks until the chink in the armour appears. This wearing down of the opposition might…
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The Springboks loss proves their tactics are correct.
The Boks lost against Australia on Saturday with what can only be described as a lackluster game after the highs of beating the Lions and Argentineans at home. The Boks doubled down on the tried and tested tactics of contestable kicks, rush defense and set piece dominance. The problem was that didn’t execute accurately in…
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What we know and haven’t learnt yet going into the Springboks game against Australia
What we know. The Boks have a very settled look about them when it comes to player selection with the only decisions to be around Faf de Klerk and Duane Vermeulen coming back from injury straight into the starting lineup and if Cheslin Kolbe overcomes his leg injury. The alternatives being Cobus Reinach, Jasper Wiese…
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Who are the 2 players the Springboks can’t afford to lose to injury?
With the dust settling after the momentous Springbok victory against the British and Irish Lions the Boks now look to the Rugby Championship and the end of year UK tour which in many ways is more daunting then the Lions. Playing Australia and New Zealand away, all in be it in Australia, is a massive…
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Does the Springboks style matter?
Fresh off a historic series victory the Springboks have been caught in the crossfire of every pundit not in green and gold spitting fire at the dire nature of the way the Boks play. Most Northern commentators called the Boks all manner of things under the sun except the series victors. Does it matter the…
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How are the squads of the South African teams looking ahead of the United Rugby Championship?
With the British and Irish Lions tour going on the Carling Currie Cup and local South African teams have fallen very much to the background but this is a vital time to improve squad fitness and depth. I will take a look and see how each franchise is looking. Sigma Lions The Sigma Lions are…
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Winners and losers from the British and Irish Lions vs Springboks first test
This was an enthralling encounter not for the quality of the rugby but the high stakes pressure game with large momentum shifts throughout. Winners Gatland’s mind games Warren Gatland spent the better part of the end of the week complaining about having South African TMO Marius Jonker officiate the game and it worked. Jonker was…