107 Years since the last win for Wales against South Africa Well done Springboks on winning the game against Wales. In history it has been written that Wales have beaten the Springboks 107 years ago and since have been hard to do. The Springboks have set a great standard in the earlier years for Wales to prove that they were the better side on the day. In 107 years for Wales to beat the Springboks would have been the upset of a century. The Springboks have shown that they are not an easy team to compete with by losing against New Zealand, but still had a lot of work to do. New Zealand is currently the best in the World for four years and will be a hard nut to crack. South Africa is a great team, but still has a lot of work to be done. They need to focus on the game in hand and have to make sure to play game for game. The game played against Wales was a great wake up call for all involved as this was only the beginning of a future for the management. Combinations and future stars are to be prep, because if we believe in winning the World Cup, the work needs to start now. Wales made sure that they brought a team to pressure the Springboks by making mistakes, and so they did. They are after all not the Six Nations Champions. Springboks have to start getting the new blood involved and start building on the future as the players that played was all great, but maybe some of them need to throw in the towel. In South Africa there is so much potential, but they believe in contracting the international market for players. Why do they not focus on players that are currently playing in the Super Rugby series as well as other SA competitions currently running and will be running in the next two years? In the game played on Saturday between Wales and South Africa, the combinations of players didn’t work and that there is a lot of work to be done. Heyneke Meyer is a great coach, but needs assistance when players are being selected. A game plan should also be planned, yet alternative game plans should be practiced. Patrick Lambie is being played as Full Back, but is actually a Fly Half. Jacque Fourie is one of the best, but the time he had to get into the game plan was too short and didn’t have any game time before the game. The same could be said about JP Peterson who was actually a spectator and never received the ball to show his full potential. There were too many handling mistakes made by the Springboks and what was that constant kicking the ball about? The Springboks have given away position and we gained small advantage by kicking the ball and actually placed them under pressure. The ball should have been passed to the wings and more tries would have been scored as the individuals playing wing made a difference. Habana received the ball and a great try was scored by all the players involved. That is a great sign for the managing staff. Line outs were also a critical point as the ball was stolen in the Springboks’ own throw in and was set for Etzebeth. Etzebeth is not being used to his fullest potential and that could have a great psychological impact on him as player. At the breakdowns, the referee was very strict on tackle and release, whereby a lot of penalties were given to Wales. Jean De Villiers as the Captain should have spoken to the referee and cleared this after the first penalty. It is also a concern that every player on the field wants to scream and shout at the referee to what is wrong, but nobody said that Jacque was in front of Fourie when he kicked the ball. The referee, TMO and the Captain of Wales in that regard are also to blame, because they never questioned the try scored. Discipline lacks currently in the Springboks and that might only cost them at a later stage. The Springboks have to make sure that a team spirit is building beyond any barrier that lies ahead. They must focus on playing as a team and this will conquer any team in their way, even New Zealand. Focus on the bad as the good will return as victory…
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:12:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015