Loading ...Should there have been any doubt about the Boks’ legitimacy as world champions, Saturday’s heroics would have put these to rest. Our biggest enemy conquered in their stronghold, and when everyone and their dog gave us no chance. Ricky Januarie is unlucky to be a hero in this age. Rarely has a man so deserved to be honoured with a hundred virgins and celebratory games in his honour for the glory he brought to his nation. That renegade coloured gene is quite something when it kicks in good, hey! Well played, laddie!
As it stands this morning, the Boks stand on the Olympus of the rugby world with all challengers slain (Six Nations champs? Check. World number one pretenders at home? Check. As for the Wallabies, please. No disrespect to Robbie Dean, but we could take them with a B-team). No one has any ammunition against us. Well, except maybe those doubters for whom a four-year unbeaten run from PdV’s charges would still not be enough; they who blame the coach when we lose and make excuses for our opponents when we win.
Reading some of the press reports and online forums this weekend, you’d swear the Boks had committed a cardinal sin by daring to beat the All Blacks in their citadel. I almost wondered what country I was in — that is, until I saw the latest outburst from Julius Malema. Thank God for little bits of South Africana amid the pseudo-Orania gloom. We lose to the All Blacks and PdV is an incompetent coach and wouldn’t know forward play if it blew up an ATM in his face. We win and it’s because Richie McCaw wasn’t there, Aaron Mauger and Jerry Collins have gone North, the lock pairing is new to Test rugby, the ball is oval, there were only 15 of them on the pitch and so forth.
Leaving alone the fact that you can only play whoever is put in front of you on the day, are they suggesting that the All Blacks are a one-man team? In that case, then, what does it say about the other coaches who couldn’t succeed down under?
I won’t even go into the absence of John Smit, Fourie du Preez, Jacque Fourie, the retired, incomparable Os, and BJ Botha. Butch is yet to hit his best form; we have a new coaching team. We are no worse off than the All Blacks when it comes to disruptions and changes, yet no one even considered these as excuses when we lost last week. PdV was merely an incompetent token appointment. Some people do make one almost wish Jacob Zuma would put down the baby oil, buy a GPS and finally locate that damn machine gun.
Nonetheless it serves no purpose to dwell on the naysayers, except to say, once again, well played, Bokke, and here’s to ramming it down Wallaby throats.
As for Messrs Snor, Gold and Muir — well done to you, sirs, and long may the successes continue! Hier kom die Bokke!
PS: Before you mistake me for somebody gracious and above pettiness, I told you so!
Well done indeed! Brilliant win and exactly what we needed. A few comments though:
Our loss in the first game was largely due to poor tactics and selections that left the rugby public a little confused to be fair. Result…Snor 0 - 1 ABs. He deserved the criticism he got in that department. The other stuff from Craig Dowd etc was bull but his tactics were poor. He was man enough to admit it on TV…half a point back to Snor.
From the time the team was announced this week, hope ebbed back because he had moved back to a closer replica of the world cup squad (with Percy back to patch the tactical kicking). Its a winning formula, just ask Jake White or Clive Woodward or…In a test of that magnitude you have to have seriously calm heads and guys who know they can do it when the chips are down. Super Snor 1 - 1 AB’s.
I see a guy who is prepared to admit making mistakes and is fixing them rapidly, thinking in his feet. I also see a guy who is not scared to take on the AB’s and Ozzies in the psychology dept. The refing (bar Matfields 50-50 call) was pretty good and I think our message was received during the week - we will publicly point out any bias we see in evidence so watch your whistle! Our organisation, bench and positional selections are still a little unsettled and confused but thats just tweaking and in general we seem to be patching up the holes quickly.
I don’t agree with your analysis of Robbie Deans and Oz this weekend. I am scared of the Ozzies as underdogs, they will come at us hard. Do not underestimate them. I think it will be a very tough game to win.
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