GURTHRO GETS 8, MEERKAT ONLY 2
New Zealand scored a comprehensive 32-12 win over South Africa in Auckland on Saturday, to get their Tri-Nations campaign off to the perfect start – outplaying the Springboks in all aspects of the game.
rugby365
The four-tries-to-one victory means New Zealand not only stretch their lead over the Boks at the top of the IRB world rankings, but also struck a huge psychological blow ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Jan de Koning rates the Springbok players!
15 Zane Kirchner:
Looked a bit lost at times, but a few great counter-attacks in the second half.
5/10
14 Jean de Villiers:
Going for the intercept too often early in the game and leaves his wing exposed. Rokocoko also beat him too easily.
4/10
13 Jaque Fourie:
Brilliant on defence and looked dangerous on attack. South Africa’s best back.
7/10
12 Wynand Olivier:
Worked hard on defence and didn’t do too much wrong. But not his best game.
5/10
11 Bryan Habana:
Looked for work, even though he didn’t have many chances on attack.
5/10
10 Morné Steyn:
Threw a few poor passes, but was on song with his goal-kicking and tactical kicks. A bit too erratic.
5/10
9 Ricky Januarie:
His service is still very poor and gives the All Black defence far too much time to get on the front foot. At times too selfish.
2/10
8 Pierre Spies:
Not very effective with the ball in hand – all too often isolated.
4/10
7 Francois Louw:
Tried hard, but All Blacks always had numbers at the breakdown.
5/10
6 Schalk Burger:
Missed too many tackles. Still all energy, but simply not composed enough and almost looked like a headless chicken at times.
3/10
5 Victor Matfield:
Great cover defence. Had one line-out stolen from him, but worked hard and close to being the Boks’ best forward.
7/10
4 Bakkies Botha:
He will just never learn. That head butt inside the first minute on Jimmy Cowan was totally unnecessary – wether Cowan held him back or not. He is sure to face a very long ban for that. Then, a yellow card for a professional foul. Please don’t tell me he is a ‘marked man’, he knew exactly what he was doing.
-10 (yes, minus 10)
3 Jannie du Plessis:
Folded like a deck of cards in a few early scrums, but settled down.
4/10
2 John Smit (captain):
Poor line-out throw and not very effective with his early ball carries. Also slipped a few tackles, but got better as the game wore on.
5/10
1 Gurthrö Steenkamp:
Great cover tackle, enormous workrate. Boks most productive forward.
8/10
Replacements:
16 Chiliboy Ralepelle (on for Smit, 73rd min)
17 BJ Botha (on for Du Plessis, 58th min)
Isolated and turned ball over. On the back foot in the scrums.
4/10
18 Andries Bekker (on for Botha in 52nd min):
Worked hard on defence, but lost a line-out ball (do you blame him or the hooker?).
5/10
19 Danie Rossouw (on for Louw in 52nd min):
Not very effective with his ball carries – but then no Bok was. Game was over as a contest by the time he arrived on the field.
5/10
20 Ruan Pienaar (on for Ricky January, 77th min)
21 Butch James (on for Steyn, 70th min):
Like Bakkies Botha, a big risk of a card (red or yellow). Not enough time to be rated.
22 Gio Aplon (on for Kirchner, 73rd min)
July 10th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
RICHARD LOE on NZ Herald:
Owen Franks was all over Gurthro Steenkamp
=========
What game did Jan de Koning
then watch?
July 11th, 2010 at 6:30 am
Must say Boertjie, your 8/10 for Steenkamp was generous. He did nothing more than what was required of him at scrumtime and spent most of the game looking out of breath (like several others of course). He also missed his man too often, one a crucial tackle leading up to halftime.
Agree with you on the minus score for Bakkies though. That brain explosion on the top of just coming back from the 4 week ban for the “tackle” on Aplon. The man is a liability the Boks cannot afford.
Please not another Justice for Bakkies armband coming out of this one or we really will be the laughing stock of the world.
July 11th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Bakkies career should be over after yesterday
July 11th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Reply to JT @ 8:53 am:
He should not see the rest of the 3N. Give him a chance to earn his place in the Currie Cup again. And lets take it from there
July 11th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Anywayz, getting back to the team.
My changes for coming Saturday:
* Danie to start in place of Bakkies
* Potgieter to the bench
All else the same.
Feel our biggest let down was mental preparation. Keep changes to a minimum for now. Do believe we’ll look much better in the next match.
July 11th, 2010 at 9:04 am
The myth of BJ Botha is being quickly dispelled. Has been pretty mediocre thus far. For some reason seems to be missing criticism
July 11th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Reply to farjan @ 9:04 am:
Last year our scrum problems was attributed to John Smit. Now he is back at hooker and they are still having their heads shoved up their arses.
I guess it is time to realise that the fault lies elsewhere.
BJ has never impressed me. Only Shark supporters that seemd to believe he is the most gifted tighthead ever.
July 11th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Reply to Deon @ 9:31 am: ‘
Not this Sharks supporter!
He’s a solid scrummager at best with zero else to his game…
July 11th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Reply to farjan @ 9:03 am:
agree 100% – These guys will want to put it right and they can.
Maybe bring in Juan for WO
July 11th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Reply to out wide @ 6:30 am:
Guys, please note that I did
not do the ratings.
The author/source is ALWAYS
credited at the top of the thread,
in this case
Rugby365/Jan de Koning.
July 11th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I hope now PDV can see why Alister is not starting with January!!!!
Flooken idiot!!!
July 11th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 1:43 pm:
Quite frankly: Who would you
select? Is Meerkat not the
best we currently have – until
Hougaard gets a chance?
Will Snor blood him vs. the ABs?
I don’t think so.
July 11th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
QUESTION:
Why does the AB and OZmob loosies
gain advantage with ball in hand,
and ours seldom do?
Could it be lack of coaching and
upright body position, or is itonly
an apllication of brainless power?
All three?
Take Spies: Does he ever drop a
shoulder? Does he ever do half
a step? Does he ever rotate his
body on contact?
Or does he just rely on power
going straight forward –
and then achieves very little?
It goes for the others as well.
I’m asking, and would like to hear
and learn from the RugRats.
July 11th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 2:36 pm:
We did it last year, we did it against the french in 2010… Imo they were to complacent. Believed the hype and to be fair so did most of us
July 11th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 2:36 pm:
A quick search on youtube and you can fins a number of videos in which he do all of the above.
Here is one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YweI0TpeGA&feature=related
The video starts with Spies running, handing off tacklers and stepping another.
On his way to the 1st of 2 tries he hands off one tackler and broke 3 more. Spinning out of the last.
July 11th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Reply to JT @ 2:54 pm:
I remember body position being
a talking point a year or five
ago.
Seems everybody – including the
coaches – have just given up on
the topic.
Still puts us at a disadvantage.
July 11th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Reply to fyndraai @ 3:44 pm:
Jip, he’s good in open space.
Against the Poms, mind you.
Man’s got speed, never argued
that.
I’m talking about the way he
bashes – hardly ever crossing
the advantage line.
Compared to Naquelavuki he’s
poor in this department. Or
any South Islander for that
matter.
July 11th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 3:57 pm:
Open space????
Did you even watch the video? There is more also, not just against England, if you care to look.
July 11th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 3:50 pm:
It is one of those basic eliments of rugby that you get down perfectly with the team and forget about for a few weeks till the guys f-up and then go back to… Trust me i know
July 11th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Reply to fyndraai @ 4:18 pm:
There were no bash-it-up
tight situations – there
was space to run (and a few
mainly poor attempts at
tackles.)
My point is: With some
adaptatations Spies SHOULD
be a bash-up force.
Something he continuously
tries and fails.
July 12th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 6:01 pm:
Yep he ain’t the only… very few Japie loosies can break the line whilst continuing to drive their legs in the tackle… ironically Fransie Steyn does this very well… and Juan Smith has ‘on occasion’ in the past…
Islanders just have stronger lower centres of gravity, plus their pace… not that this means Japie teams shouldn’t try refine what the OFS were attempting at the start of their season ie support the tackled player in two’s/three’s and drive at pace…