Is the South African rugby team too old?
This week, Rassie Erasmus had to come out to bat for captain Siya Kolisi over whether he was over the hill. As someone eyeballing 40, it is hard to believe that players are cast into the scrap heap of rugby after 35. The balancing act of experience versus youthful energy often dictates who wins the […]
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Bomb Squad – Genius or Madness?
The Springbok squad announced today by the Jacques/Rassie brains trust has raised eyebrows across the rugby world and the consensus is that no one knows whether this is genius or madness. I am leaning towards the genius side but only just marginally because they are more than often correct on the big calls. The 7-1…
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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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Rugby World Cup 2023 Power rankings
The RWC is well under way and we have been able to see all of the big teams in action so now I will delve into who looks good and who doesn’t. Number 1 – France After all the talk leading up to the RWC France had some lofty expectations to live up to and…
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Winners and Losers from first week of RWC 2023
Winner: Bunker system I know this is a controversial one but being able to take the emotion out of the stadium and hand it over to a qualified person with time to make the difficult decision is a huge plus in my book. We have seen time and time again cards decide the outcome of…
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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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What to make of the current crop of All Blacks
What to make of these All Blacks after the damp squib performance against host France in the opening game of the World Cup. They flatter to deceive with blockbuster showings in the echo chamber of local New Zealand matches but the reality is that they have been treading water whilst the rest of the world…
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RWC Schedule: Pool Games
All the pool games in the Rugby World Cup in France. Times below are listed in UTC+2. FRIDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 202321: 15 – FRANCE vs NEW ZEALAND SATURDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 202313: 00 – Italy vs Namibia15: 30 – Ireland vs Romania18: 00 – Australia vs Georgia21: 00 – England vs Argentina SUNDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 202313: 00 – Japan…
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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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