posted Sep 2, 2008

GevilDevil...you are muppets mate! You are inconsistent and played poorly most of the tournament...fould play littered your games and continually going to ground was your downfall...it seems that it is not only a few Yarpie posters on here that have thick skulls!

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posted Sep 2, 2008

The Australian squad has a number of excellent players but does show a lack of depth. A number of key players were missing at Ellis Park but to be comprehesively thumped by a Springbok side without the likes of Smit, Habana, Van der Linde, Bakkies Botha, Steyn etc. is quite frankly embarassing. It is easy to understand their pain and denial as six-of-the-best really hurts, but eight-of-the-best must be hard to take.
It seems as though the initial advantage of the ELV's to supplement the Autralian side's weaknesses ( hopeless front row and even worse lineout )has now passed, so it will be interesting to see how they respond. As we know the Australians, they will respond and with vigour, and if you're an All Black, hopefully that won't be in Brisbane.

I think Australia could have fielded any side at Ellis Park, but if you know South Africa, a win there against a wounded Springbok side happens rarely.

All-in-all it will be a good decider between two excellent teams.

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posted Sep 2, 2008

Again speaking as a neutral,all 3 sides have had ups and downs.The sides that turned out on saturday were deficent on both sides but Bismarck du Plessis is a better scrummager than Smit.Bakkies Botha has been out of form in this series so far,and in any case several SA supporters would have played in cumbent lock any way.Van der Linde has had one decent performance so far and frankly was lucky to get away with a month.Steyn is not a regular starter.Habana was hardly missed,but if you accept the first try was a penalty to AUS[or should have been]and two other tries came from passes going to ground and bouncing kindly.The RWC was won on one factor[the final any way]discipline [not conceding penalties in kickable positions]and the NO.1 IRB rating was inflated by points count double in RWC.Aus have defeated you twice when at near full strength.The All Blacks defeated you at full strength without Macaw,and in Capetown with him.ON ANOTHER DAY Carter and Percy would have kicked the goals and 16-0,game over at half time.Of your 2 victories the vaunted All Black defeat against a side with first choice prop,both locks,openside flanker,3rd choice scrum half,about 5th choice wing three quarter,a 8 playing at 7,a 8 at 6 .That was won in the dying seconds by two points [talk about pyhhric victories].Then you beat an Aus side without first choice 7,both locks, ctq,hooker,and scrum half.Yes the Bok win was comprehensive,and bodes well for the future,but Aus will be after the silver ware in Sydney make no mistake.The All Blacks must negoiate a tricky game tomorrow[a pointless exer cise in my view].The Samoa side on paper has no chance and a cricket score would con vince no one.But if several top All Blacks are injured [say Williams.Carter, Conrad Smith] then the series could go to AUS by default.I feel there is little to seperate either side and current IRB ratings may be misleading.Incidentally Aus,with Sharpe,Elsom,and Vickerman with Moore throwing is an excellent lineout.

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posted Sep 3, 2008

Mr emack6

Please allow me to comment on your post ( which I always read with interest ). I agree with you that Bismarck is a better scrummager and is possibly the hooker of the future, but Smit is vastly more experienced and is an excellent captain. The team missed his leadership at a critical stage of the 3N. I assume this contributes to your 'pyrrhic victory' statement.

Perhaps Botha and Van der Linde are not at their very best, but their quality and experience still favours them ahead of their replacements. Bekker certainly has a big role to play in the future.

As for Steyn, he is one of the most exciting prospects for SA Rugby, and you have to consider carefully why he does not start regularly. He displays many similarities to a player many years ago ( 1980's ), called Michael du Plessis of whom Dr Danie Craven said; he is the only rugby genius I have ever coached. Steyn is unpredictable and that makes him difficult to fathom by the opposition. He certainly needs exposure at the highest levels.

You mention a few ' ifs and buts ' and speculate on what may have happened, but surely you need to look at all of them carefully, for eg. Brian Habana's first crossing against Australia in Australia. The referee did not refer it upstairs, and the replays showed it was a clear try ( ball knocked back by Australian defender ). This was at a crucial stage in that contest.
Furthermore, the blatant penalty try which was not awarded to New Zealand against Australia in Australia. Once again, at a crucial stage.

One could speculate endlessly, however, the Springboks will remember this 3N fondly despite a lack of consistency. Beating the All Blacks at home, which few other sides are capable of; and a record thumping of Australia at Ellis Park despite the 'ifs and buts'.

As for the RWC, South Africa were the most versatile side, able to beat southern hemisphere teams with running rugby and northern hemisphere teams with set piece rugby. As it unfolded they managed to beat England with both types of rubgy, whilst Australia and New Zealand had gone home a little earlier on.

Generally,I think we are entering a very interesting period in world rugby and quietly feel the northern hemisphere sides are going to be responsible for the surprises in the next 12 months.

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posted Sep 3, 2008

DAVID...good post mate but the difference over the course of the TN is that the Yarpies have been whining that all the calls have gone against them.....every game. The penalty try issue was hardly mentioned and just about all kiwis on this forum had stated that it would not have made a difference to the outcome...they were all over us the last 15-20 mintes! We seem to be less-emotional and rather than make excuses we try to make changes. There was no bleating by our coaches a la PDV...is he related to SCW or Eddie jones at all?

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posted Sep 3, 2008

Less emotional eh? What were all those death threats about to Wayne Barnes after the quarters? The true colours were shown to the world, I tuned into radio sport NZ that day, a more pitiful tragic bunch of bitter and arrogant supporters I could only have found in twickenham :P

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posted Sep 4, 2008

Murph73v2, back to our little private chat on this thread: Hoiles might do it. Lyons was a loss, I think - I didn't understand why he was being overlooked.

I'm really sad, however, that the experiment of playing Waugh on the open side with Smith at the back was abandoned before Smith ever acclimatised. (I realise that the Aus pack needs all the poundage it can muster, but the Aus scrummaging paucity calls for a HUGE discussion in its own right.) The thought of Waugh and Smith hunting together as So'ialo and McCaw do is most appealing. Properly coached, Smith operating off the back could really have created the kind of attacking axis with Burgess and Giteau which turns up once a decade at the top level, and the cross-defence would... well, improve somewhat on Palu and Cordingley's.

The pace of those two plus Elsom would justify a relatively immobile scrummaging front row. Does Aus have the personnel hidden away somewhere?

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posted Sep 4, 2008

Gevil...you still talking trollip. Mate...bout time you got a life and stopped making excuses for your teams failure this TN! Oh..ill be watching for your posts so make sure you make unbiased,constructive and intelligent posts. Hope u watch next weekend to see the best team in the southern hemisphere this year!!..ooooh...that must hurt...have a few Steinlagers and vb's mate!!...and relax!!!

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posted Sep 5, 2008

I'd have a castle lager instead thank you very much and I'm pretty sure the Kiwis will win it, they always do, the Tri Nations is practically their competition in terms of trophies, good on them, it'll build up their confidence until 2011, just where the world likes em to be.

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posted Sep 11, 2008

GevilDevil...thats more like it mate! No your talking some sense! lol...Castle lager...not a bad drop in my book! Lookingofr a much improved Aussie performance as they did get a licking last game and will want to make amends...as we know...a week in this comp is a LONG time and they will be up for it...just hope we are!! Look forward to all the Southern hemisphere nations on tour later this year and hope we all kick some NH backside! best of luck!

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