South Africa have slipped to third place in the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings after their fourth defeat in five Tri-Nations matches on Saturday when they lost 15-27 to Australia, which eliminated the World Cup champions from Tri-Nations title contention.
This is the Springboks’ lowest position since they took the No.1 slot after the World Cup.
The slide follows the Springboks’ third successive loss and their second on home soil for the first time in a Tri-Nations season.
Former Springboks assistant and Wallabies boss Eddie Jones has turned up the heat on beleaguered South African coach Peter de Villiers, describing his much-maligned new gameplan as “nonsense”.
Jones was a member of former Springbok coach Jake White’s staff when South Africa won the World Cup in France last year. His comments come amidst rumours of disunity and confusion among the South African players, and after De Villiers, the first black man to coach the Springboks, was booed loudly by Durban fans after Saturday’s 15-27 loss to Australia.
“The Springboks will get worse if they continue in this way,” Jones told English newspaper the Independent. “Mate, no one in world rugby is playing the way their coach is talking about, not successfully anyway.
“Everyone has discipline, policies and a procedure in their game. The way he is talking is nonsense. You can’t just play an expansive, wide game.
“This is still a very good squad of players. Most are even at their peak or approaching it. So there is plenty of talent but what they need is the organisation and discipline.
“The hard thing for Peter is that he has never coached professionally and this is one of the most difficult teams to coach.”
South Africa clash with Australia at Ellis Park in the second Test on Saturday and a loss there to the Wallabies for the first time in 45 years, would have De Villiers under enormous pressure.
The Bok coach have also threatened to “axe” senior members of the team in they don’t come to the party and it has become obvious they are not buying into his “expansive at whatever cost” game plan.
The Springboks were booed in Durban after the full-time whistle from the Absa Park crowd, who had no qualms in showing their displeasure at the quality of the Springbok performance.
The Springboks suffered from the same weakness at the breakdown as they did last week in Cape Town against the All Blacks, losing countless turnovers and failing to protect their own possession at the tackle.
Wallabies centre Timana Tahu has declared it ‘open season’ on the Springboks, as South Africa and Australia prepare for their Tri-Nations encounter in Johannesburg on Saturday & could fancy their chances against a Springboks outfit in disarray.
The criticism of Bok coach Peter de Villiers is showing no signs of abating
De Villiers has lost the plot. Maybe he should listen more to rugby chat shows, his assistant coaches and the players before he tries to change a gameplan the “bokke” played for the last 4 years. The ELV’s might have made the game a bit quicker, but you choose what you want to do when a short arm penalty is given to you. Our phase play is terrible; no cohesion, the ball is not protected, body positions are terrible. We had over 14 turnovers last week. We make twice as many tackles than our counterparts, no wonder our “legs are tired”
The following coaches believed in structured game plans and discipline:
kitch christie- success rate over 90% including world cup title
nick mallet – success rate over 70% including tri-nations title
jake white - success rate over 65% including world cup and tri-nations title
The following believed in free-styling self expression:
carel du plessis – success rate of 37%
harry viljoen – success rate of 53%, majority of games against “second tier” rugby playing nations
de villiers – current success rate of 55%
Do the math, Div, do the math.
De Villiers should by now realise that being an affirmative action appointment and being in an international environment were merit counts…..that he is just up to the task. He should resign as the Springboks have become the laughing stock of world rugby!!
First of all,I find it to be a waste of time for very obvious reasons. Our rugby team has one problem and one problem only – Lack of confidence brought about by the following:
1. A coach with no top level experience at all.
2. A coach with a game plan that does not work
3. A coach who changes world cup champions into chimpions within a few short months.
4. A coach with more excuses than the Oxford dictionary.
5. A coach that cannot stand up to the political rugby guru.
6. A coach that replaces Schalk Burger with Political Watson every game.
7. A coach that believes there is a very small difference between winning and losing.
8. A coach who will not take advice from those who know.
9. A coach so stubborn, even when the scoreboard speaks will not entertain change.
10.A coach who says we (The rugby paying public) are too impatient.
11.A coach who managed to get the Rugby world not to fear the Springbok ever again.
White took us from the depths of despair to the pinnacle. At the end of the first game under his coaching in which the Boks played against New Zealand, in New Zealand, as the game ended ex-All Black commentator, Murray Mexted enthusiastically exclaimed, “The Boks are back!” Yes, and under White they certainly were.
But I fear the issue revolving sport in SA is far greater than a poor coaching structure from PDV. The Proteas have lost their final test and first ODI, we’ve won a big fat zero gold medals at the olympics, despite a few youngsters coming through we’ve also had a fairly disappointing year in the golfing world too, no tennis stars, no nothing? Two main reasons for this, I think, is firstly (the excuse): We’ve seen it all before, the Boks after their ‘95 success and the Poms after the ‘03 World Cup success, I’m sure there’s many more examples, but the time after a World Cup is one of new plans, new ideas and conventionally a period of transition.
We are lightyears behind Australia, England and the States on sports development. What we achieved last year in the World Cup took four years of hard work and planning, we can’t just pitch up and be the best there is, no one can, not even the All Blacks.
The South African public’s patience with Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is wearing thin.
In the words of the legendary Formula One commentator Murray Walker, it was “disaster, disaster, disaster”
It is clear that the Bok squad is not a happy camp. How could they be? The so-called ‘expansive game plan’ that Peter de Villiers has in mind is non-existent – to run the ball you need to secure possession – something the Boks have forgotten to do. The beleaguered coach seems adamant that the Boks can succeed under his approach. But how long will the public, and more importantly, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) tolerate such performances? The Durban faithful gave their answer in no uncertain terms.
Am I being to harsh? Maybe I am, but the performances of the Boks over the last three Tri-Nations games has been nothing short of diabolical. The question is can they motivate themselves enough to beat the Wallabies on Saturday? They will need more than motivation to beat a well drilled Australian outfit at Ellis Park, sorry Coca-Cola Park – a venue that the Boks have done well at. Another loss and Peter de Villiers will be fighting to keep his head above water.
I will be wearing my bok jersey, but in my heart I will be hoping Australia win by record margins.
I feel like never support the Springboks again, I love the players and they are surely some of the very best in the world, but I cannot support SARugby as an organisation any longer. I have had enough of them sabotaging my favorite past time and toying with loyal supporters. SARUGBY you are a joke.
On a more positive note, the final showdown between Australia and the All Blacks in Brisbane on September 13 is set to be a winner takes all. Regardless of what happens on Saturday in Johannesburg, the winner of that game in Brisbane will be crowned Tri-Nations champions. If Australia lose they will be a single point behind the All Blacks as they head home. A bonus point victory will put them four points clear of Richie McCaw’s chargers. As the points table stands at present, the All Blacks have a points difference of 42 , whilst the Aussies are on five. If the Aussies bag five points on Saturday, and the All Blacks get four in Brisbane and deny the Wallabies a point, the two teams will be level on 18 points. But the All Blacks will more than likely have the superior points difference and claim the title. Either way you look at it, it’s a Final and something to look forward to.
Have a look at the dimensions of the storm’s swathe heading towards Cape Town. That is a monster. Seems as though this is going to be a weekend dominated by the weather in a few parts of the world. In Cape Town and along the Coast huge waves are forecast. Usually huge swells are classified as 5 metres, the forecast this time is 7-10m. That’s a 3 storey building.
The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony which featured 14,000 performers depicting 5000 years of Chinese history ended up by depicting a little piece of modern western culture: a Windows XP Blue Screen Of Death.
After the fifth frontier war between the Xhosa and the white settlers, in which the Xhosa were driven back across the Keiskamma River, the Cape Government decided to maintain the whole area between the Keiskamma and Great Fish Rivers as a buffer zone. Forts were built to maintain the peace and it was in this fashion that Fort Beaufort was built.
, I think, the best Batman of the series! It was a brilliant performance from Heath and I wish Morgan had more of a role… Christian Bale was his usual self, but I still don’t get how he can sound so different when he’s Batman and when he’s not. Oh, and again, you have to get passed his sssslurring. Definitely a must watch. I’d see it again – Brilliant