McCaw once again Henry`s star

Sunday 17th August 2008 | www.planetrugby.com

Newspapers the world over were full of Richie McCaw's name on Sunday, after a terrific display of game-reading and strength from the openside had South Africa bereft of possession throughout the All Blacks' 19-0 Tri-Nations win on Saturday.

Coach Graham Henry was full of praise for McCaw as well, as he reflected on a result which evens up the Tri-Nations and looks as though it may have set up an all-or-nothing finale with Australia in Brisbane in three weeks' time.

"I thought Richie played outstandingly," said Henry to the NZPA about his skipper, who only returned to rugby a few weeks ago after sitting out the Dunedin game with an injury.

"But the whole loose trio were excellent. I thought Jerome Kaino had his best game yet, while Rodney (So'oialo) is always superb."

"We showed some real skill out there in defence, the guys' positional play was excellent."

McCaw himself pointed to the tackling effort as well as the positioning for the source of the unprecedented whitewash.

"They showed guts against a very physical team," said McCaw.

"We gang-tackled them and knocked them back. I thought it was a courageous effort."

Meanwhile, Dan Carter, whose usually-metronomic goal-kicking went horribly wrong for most of the game, said he drew inspiration from the display by the rest of his team to keep on going.

While Carter's place-kicking was poor, his positional kicking was perfect, leaving the Boks without any room to manoeuvre, and it was his try that killed the game off with 12 minutes to go.

"It is tough because things can snowball, but I've got a great bunch of guys around me," he said when asked how he kept his cool.

"When you don't do things so well, or when things are not coming off or you miss a kick, you just look around you and your team-mates are all putting their bodies on the line. You push what happened behind you and you just refocus."

Carter blamed bad timing for most of his misses, rather than the wind or the noise in the stadium from the promotional bongos dished out to each supporter by a local telecoms company.

"It wasn't the drums, that just makes you want to get it more," he said.

"It was a great occasion and a great atmosphere."

RugbySharks need to bite ‘dem Blues

by Super Wrap | 04 March 2008 (13:27)

Bookmakers in New Zealand, with 11 rounds still to go in the round robin section of the Vodacom Super 14, have already installed the Crusaders and the Blues as overwhelming favourites to meet in the 2008 Final.

And, the SuperWrap has to admit, it is difficult to query the view of men who make their living by juggling the odds.

The two New Zealand outfits, who between them have won the title on nine occasions, are certainly way out in front of the rest when it comes to possessing the combination of skill and fitness required to exploit the experimental laws.

If there is one thing that has been shown up by the first three rounds then it is that South African coaches have been caught with their pants down in terms of adapting to the new provisions.

There is simply no innovation and all those questions that used to be asked about the lack of stamina and nous (described as “innate intelligence” in Roget’s) are back again following the heady heights scaled in 2007.

It certainly does not look good at the moment with new Springbok coach Peter de Villiers already made a fool of given his prediction that three local sides would reach the playoffs.

The new laws suit the two front-runners to a tee and in the latest round of matches there were awesome moments from the Hurricanes and the Brumbies as they too came to terms with the helter-skelter, keep-the-ball-moving, support-support, nature of the game metamorphosing under the new laws.

The form of the Kiwis and Aussies is reflected in the weekly “Super XV” compiled by the SuperWrap to recognise outstanding play while the “Bok Barometer”, an “any given Saturday” gauge of the Springbok team, perfectly reflects the absences, injuries and under-preparedness of South African teams but also (thankfully) the great depth in our game.

Nevertheless the reality, even at this early juncture, is that if the Blues (No 1 on the log) beat the Sharks (No 3) and the Crusaders (No 2) beat the Force (No 7) this coming weekend the two New Zealand sides will be very hard to overhaul with their most difficult away games already negotiated.

Pardon the sober tone of this week’s SuperWrap. It is completely at odds with the stiff Johnny Black the doyen required after the weekend’s matches but that’s what happens when you find yourself writing the same old story!

The Super XV for Week Three:

1. John Schwalger (Hurricanes), 2 Keven Mealamu (Blues), 3 John Afoa (Blues), 4 Brad Thorn (Crusaders), 5 Mark Chisholm (Brumbies), 6 Jerry Collins (Hurricanes), 7 Richie McCaw (Crusaders), 8 Stephen Hoiles (Brumbies), 9 Patrick Phibbs (Brumbies), 10 Jimmy Gopperth (Hurricanes), 11 Ma’a Nonu (Hurricanes), 12 Jean de Villiers (Stormers), 13 Isaia Toeava (Blues), 14 Joe Rokocoko (Blues), 15 Leon MacDonald (Crusaders).

The Bok Barometer for Week Three:

1. Heinke van der Merwe (Lions), 2 Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs), 3 BJ Botha (Sharks), 4 Danie Rossouw (Bulls), 5 Johann Muller (Sharks), 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (Lions), 7 Heinrich Brussow (Cheetahs), 8 Ryan Kankowski (Sharks), 9 Jano Vermaak (Lions), 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter (Cheetahs), 11 JP Pietersen (Sharks), 12 Jean de Villiers (Stormers), 13 Waylon Murray (Sharks), 14 Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), 15 Francois Steyn (Sharks).

Match of the Week: In terms of the new laws it has to be the Cheetahs vs the Blues, not necessarily because it produced 11 tries and a 50-26 scoreline for the highest aggregate of the season, but because it showed that South African sides can score tries and play the rollicking kind of rugby administrators seem to want.

Try of the Week: There were some stunners from the Hurricanes, the Brumbies and the Blues but, in case you hadn’t noticed, the SuperWrap is proudly Seffrican so the Oscar goes to the Cheetahs’ second in which JW Jonker put the cherry on a move that contained ten phases.

Schlepper of the Week: JP Nel is the Schlepper of Schleppers in a week that produced a few. The Bulls centre has been running crazy for too long and his spear tackle on Francois Steyn, and subsequent yellow carding, by referee Mark Lawrence was the catalyst for the Sharks’ late burst of scoring which blew the Bulls away. Not far behind were Johan Ackermann, who punched Derick Kuun, right in front of the referee in the third minute and Jaco Engels who did the same to Johann Muller without being seen by the match officials but who was caught by the all-seeing TV cameras. *The Schlepper was so named by Phil Kearns. He, like us, has no idea where the word came from but it describes a really brainless act.

The Strasheim solution: On the subject of Schleppers - former South African test referee Bertie Strasheim apparently once levelled the following warning at a player. “If you get hit one more time I’ll send you off!” Strasheim knew only too well that the victim is often the instigator. The tale came to mind while the SuperWrap was considering the circumstances that led to the bestowing of the Schleppers. Johann Muller was alleged to have caused Schalk Burger’s angry outburst the week before because he had punched Brian Mujati and the Sharks skipper was the man whacked by Jaco Engels. Mmmm, coincidental or circumstantial?

Atoning for a Schlepper: Well done to Schalk Burger for the dignified and honourable way he responded to his suspension for his outburst -- aimed at TJ Wee Willie Roos -- at the Absa Stadium. Even though he might have had extenuating circumstances on his side Burger upheld the old values of the game by taking it on the chin and apologising.

Acres of heart: We’ll have to wait to see whether it’s really goodbye or just another “totsiens” but a heartfelt farewell from the SuperWrap to Johan “Akkers” Ackermann who, apparently, played his last match for the Sharks against the Bulls at the weekend. At 37 years, 272 days “Akkers” is the oldest player to play Super Rugby and the last player (standing) to have played in the first competition in 1996. In spite of numerous injuries, many of which would have broken a less brave heart, Ackermann earned a total of 66 Super Rugby caps; 12 for Northern Transvaal (the year he became a Springbok) in 1996, 24 for the Cats from 2000 to 2001 and 30 for the Sharks from 2004 to 2008. However, he’s apparently moving to the Cape so don’t rule out an appearance for the Stormers!

Irascible Rassie: His side might have been up against last year’s top three in the Bulls, the Sharks and the Crusaders, in the first three week’s of this year’s tournament but the numbers are not looking good for Rassie Erasmus. In their opening trio of games the Stormers have scored just 19 points, just one try, been whitewashed once and they have now gone 120 minutes (the second half against the Sharks and the whole game against the Stormers) without scoring a single point. All of which makes the Stormers’ concerted efforts to get a Crusader yellow-carded even more pathetic.

Breaking the rules: That’s the Blues, the Hurricanes, the Reds and the Waratahs who regularly number their wings incorrectly in defiance of an IRB ruling which states that the left-wing should be No 11 and the right-wing No 14. Just thought we’d mention it.

At last, an explanation: For Loffie Eloff’s pinstripe suit and white shirt. It’s a case of if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em because that’s exactly the outfit preferred by Robbie Deans of the Crusaders. Deans’s red tie is bad enough but now he’s also cultivating a droopy moustache, obviously to get ready for his stint with the Wallabies. Wonder who Robbie is trying to emulate -- John Newcombe or, heaven help us, Merv Hughes?! Note to Loffie: Whatever you do, don’t copy the “mo!”

Eddie’s niche: SA Rugby’s statistician Eddie Grieb never ceases to amaze with his attention to detail. Tane Tui`poluto’s last-gasp dropped-goal for the Hurricanes against the Chiefs was the 150th “droppy” in Super Rugby. Andrew Mehrtens, with 17, holds the record for the most drops with the Louis Koen the leading South African on 11. According to Eddie, there are two “odd men out” among the drop-kickers -- prop Matt Dunning of the Waratahs (who will ever forget!) and, wait for it, Bob Skinstad. And, seeing as you ask, Zinzan Brooke did not kick a drop in Super Rugby -- he saved it for the Springboks!

Ellis Park crisis: You’ve heard the one about people voting with their feet. The Lions and the Stormers played at home last Friday night -- there were 43 724 spectators at Newlands and just 6 050 at Ellis Park.

Caning the Chiefs: Congratulations to the Hurricanes for displacing the Blues as the team with the fastest bonus point of the season -- 31 minutes 14 seconds.

No joking matter: The Lions have three Van der Merwes in their squad -- Heinke, Franco and Gert-Andries. As yet, no Koos.

Mysteries of the Super 14 I: What was Danwel Demas thinking running outside the field of play while waiting for a pass from Wynand Olivier?

Mysteries of the Super 14 II: Has anyone seen Kees Lensing? Remember him? The world’s most destructive prop when he played for the Bulls.

Continued Mysteries of the Super 14: When is JC Fortuin going to get a decent whistle -- or should that be have a decent whistle?

Quote of the Week I: “The ebb and flow of psychic energy.” -- He had to wait to Week Three but finally Murray Mexted, prompted by Ian Smith, got in his trademark remark.

Quote of the Week II: “We’ve got a hungry Hore tonight.” -- The inimitable Mex on the Hurricanes’ hooker.

Quote of the Week III: “If you miss this I’m in trouble.” -- Mark Lawrence to kicker Rory Kockott lining up a kick. Lawrence had awarded the Sharks a penalty right in front, blowing his whistle moments before Francois Steyn snapped off a dropped goal that went over.

Quote of the Week IV: “Of course they go and fluff it up.” -- Garth Wright’s “quick recovery” while talking about the Bulls.

Ghosts of Marseille follow Wallabies all the way to Eden Park

Spiro Zavos | August 5, 2008 - www.smh.co.au

THE toheroa soup was off and the kiwi fruit had blemishes as the All Blacks monstered the Wallabies 39-10 at Eden Park on Saturday night, New Zealand's biggest winning margin over Australia since the 50-21 victory at Sydney in 2003 when the NZ assistant coach was a certain Robbie Deans.

So what are the lessons for the Wallabies from their expulsion from the garden of Eden Park? First, as an old-time Wallaby said to me at the weekend, there must never be a repeat of the "double-midget" policy of starting George Smith and Phil Waugh. The Wallabies, with only two line-out jumpers, were cleaned out, losing eight of their 24 throws. The All Blacks, often shaky in the line-outs, lost only one throw and scored a try directly from a clean take and transfer at the top of his jump by Ali Williams.

Waugh came into the pack only because Rocky Elsom was out injured. Robbie Deans was tempted, a bit like Adam with the forbidden apple, to play two "fetchers", as the South Africans call the open-side breakaway. The tactic was intended to nullify Richie McCaw's mastery at the breakdown by forcing him to play against two breakdown experts.

The problem with this tactic is that the "through-the-gate" law requires players to come into rucks from behind the tackler and tackled player. This means that only the tackler and the first player on either side coming into the ruck can get their hands on the ball. This nullifies the usefulness of two fetchers, provided the referee insists (as he should) on the "through-the-gate" requirement. Mark Lawrence did just that. The Wallabies were frequently penalised for trying to seal off the ruck ball illegally and for coming in from the side.

The statistics reveal McCaw's dominance at the breakdown. The Wallabies had 27 turnovers, the All Blacks had 14. Nine of the Wallabies' turnovers were at rucks and mauls, compared with only three for the All Blacks. McCaw made 15 tackles, the most in the match, and Rodney So'oialo, playing in his correct position at No.8, made 13. The highest Wallabies tackle count was made by Wycliff Palu and Matt Giteau, who both made 13. No wonder Giteau's attacking play was limited. The notable omissions from the leading tacklers in the Test were Smith and Waugh.

With their line-out under pressure and with them not winning the ball on the ground, the Wallabies also had to contend with a scrum that could not hold the All Blacks. Again referee Lawrence was tougher on the Wallabies, notably Al Baxter, than the referee in Sydney had been. The television replays showed that Lawrence was right, too. On one scrum, for instance, when Channel Seven's Dan Crowley tried to defend Baxter for failing to bind properly and then dropping the scrum, Gordon Bray, the former referee from North Sydney, pointed out that Baxter was the prop on the ground, not his opponent, Tony Woodcock.

The All Blacks took their scrum dominance into the rucks and mauls with some abrasive counter-rucking that slowed the Wallabies' ball and put halfback Luke Burgess under intense pressure when he was trying to clear the ball. To my mind, the All Blacks selectors went back to the England game plan at Marseille in the quarter-final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. England, with Andy Sheridan playing the Woodcock role, destroyed the Wallabies in the scrum and continued the smash-and-grab tactics with vicious counter-rucking in the rucks and mauls.

The way things go in coaching is that if a team shows it is vulnerable to certain tactics, every other team adopts these tactics against them. We can expect the All Blacks and the Springboks to play in the Eden Park style, therefore, for the rest of the Tri Nations tournament. What will Deans's response be? There may be some comfort in the fact that the 50-21 loss in 2003 was followed later by a memorable Wallabies victory over the All Blacks in the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup.

All Blacks legend Fitzy loco over Europe

Sunday News | Sunday, 03 August 2008

Legendary All Blacks hooker Sean Fitzpatrick has become an ardent armchair fan of European rugby!

"Fitzy" moved to the UK five years ago with wife Bronwyn and their two daughters, Grace and Eva, and he's loving the local footy.

"It's been interesting. You sit in New Zealand looking at the Northern Hemisphere and think they're different in the way they play and their competitions aren't as good as ours," he told Welsh newspaper the Western Mail.

"But then you actually come up here and realise the Six Nations is a tremendous competition.

"Some of the rugby's not great but everything that goes with it is enjoyable as a punter.

"And that's what I am. I've turned into the most amazing fan."

Now based in Bath, an hour's train ride from London, Fitzpatrick was versed in the British game as a child.

His dad Brian, who played for New Zealand in the 1950s, would rouse his sons at 3am to tune into test-match action from 19,000km away.

"I remember lying on the floor of the living room watching games from Wales on a black and white TV," said Fitzpatrick, 45 who played 92 tests (51 as captain) over 11 years.

"My hero growing up was Gareth Edwards. When the Lions toured New Zealand in 1971, every boy in New Zealand started kicking the ball around the corner because that's what Barry John did.

"Just ask Grant Fox, one of our greatest No 10s. Everybody wanted to be Barry John."

Fitzpatrick, whose opinions on the game are sought around the world, said his decision to move to the UK was a cultural as well as a sporting one.

"Educating the girls out here was an opportunity to broaden their horizons," he said.

"We're from the most beautiful country but we've become very tunnel-visioned in terms of the greater world, the world wars, all those things we participated in as New Zealanders.

"The generation growing up now, I believe, doesn't really see the significance of that.

"Being here in Europe and being able to take the girls to Gallipoli, Flanders Field and those sort of places makes them realise what New Zealand went through.

"In World War One we lost 10 percent of our male population, which was extraordinary. It's really important to me the children learn things like that."

Fitzpatrick, who played his last All Blacks game against Wales at Wembley Stadium on November 29, 1997, said he was enjoying watching what his former teammate Warren Gatland was achieving as Welsh head coach.

"Wales have done really well. Same players, different attitude, that's the key thing," he said.

"I remember Shane Williams saying after two weeks training under Gatland he'd never trained so intensely.

"I found that bizarre, he'd been in the Welsh team for five or six years and he'd never trained as intensely as that? Why?

"I think they could still be fitter but their body shapes are changing. I know that Warren is big on that. And he's instilling a belief in them.

"At the end of the day they'll be the same size and strength as the next team but they'll also have the attitude. If you've got that belief about winning, nine times out of 10 you can beat anyone.

"Warren ... likes winning and, if you talk about winning all the time, it helps."

It's a mindset Fitzpatrick has had ingrained from birth.

The boy who grew up throwing a rugby ball around the garden in a Welsh jersey, "because my older brother wouldn't allow anyone but him to wear the All Black shirt", absorbed the values of rugby-saturated New Zealand.

"I remember when I was playing, two weeks before a test match I'd be in the pub having a beer and someone would tap me on the shoulder and say, `Fitzy, time to go home'.

"I'd never met this guy but here was a complete stranger telling me to go home and start preparing for the test.

"That's the attitude you grow up with.

"As All Blacks we celebrate success but we park it very quickly.

"Our fans celebrate and then they move on.

"We won the World Cup in 1987 but we've never had a reunion as a team, yet ... the English still talk about 1966. I think it's a good thing to park success.

"What really gets to you is your defeats. You remember those more than your wins."

Before Fitzpatrick ever wore the silver fern himself he was acutely aware of how much losing hurts an All Black.

"Unfortunately for dad, who passed away a couple of years ago, he lost to the Welsh in 1953, which, of course, was the last time the All Blacks lost to Wales. He never got over it.

My brother and I used to remind him of it all the time!

"Cliff Morgan would ring him every year and invite him back to Wales for the reunion of the 1953 team and he never went once.

"Even in 1989, when we toured Ireland and Wales, mum had to go by herself because dad wouldn't go back to Wales, which shows how we park our success and remember our losses.

"Dad carried that out to the letter of the law."

McCaw's presence has Boks going to Plan C

By DUNCAN JOHNSTONE - RugbyHeaven | Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Springboks coach Peter de Villiers says the return of Richie McCaw adds a new dimension to the All Blacks and South Africa's famous win in Dunedin will have little relevance to this weekend's rematch in Cape Town.

McCaw missed both the clashes with the Springboks in New Zealand as he recovered from an ankle injury.

He sat on the sidelines to watch the All Blacks beat the Boks in Wellington but then had to endure South Africa ending a 10-year drought in New Zealand when they scored a late try to win 30-28 at Carisbrook a week later.

Now McCaw is up for the decider. He quickly got back into stride to be at his inspirational best as he led the All Blacks to victory over the Wallabies in their last Tri-Nations test, a result that has set up a crucial showdown at Newlands this weekend.

It's 1-all and the All Blacks' title is on the line.

De Villiers was quick to acknowledge McCaw's presence when he spoke at a media session.

He's sure McCaw will give the All Blacks a far more effective back row and help New Zealand's defensive game.

"I know their defensive structure is one of the best," said de Villiers on keo.co.za.

"Now they have [Richie] McCaw back and he is combining well with the other loose forwards. Their roles are very different now and that calls for some alterations in our plans.

"The All Blacks are a drilled side, with a lot of attention to detail and if we are going to neglect that then I think we will be in deeper trouble than we expect."

A lot of speculation is falling on the sort of game that the Boks will try to play against the All Blacks. Their attack lacked structure in Wellington but then they reverted to a more traditional South African style in Dunedin, their patient approach paid dividends.

They picked off New Zealand lineout ball, struck parity in the scrums and brought a physical edge to the breakdowns. With a potent kicking game they took the few chances that came their way when they got into the right areas of the field.

Clearly the return of McCaw has them looking at producing a third game plan in this intriguing mini-series.

De Villiers was giving little away but said that the Boks would have to move on from their sweet dreams of Carisbrook.

"That test is done, over and done with, it's part of history," he said.

"Nothing of that test will come back to help us or come back to haunt us on Saturday.

"There are a lot of other things that you have to take into consideration. And we did just that last week on our own. We started [considering those] now with the senior players and the rest of the coaching staff. So we are buying into what we want to do against [New Zealand] and I hope it's going to work."

Turbo-charged ABs learn to 'slow it down'

By TOBY ROBSON in Cape Town - Fairfax Media | Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Mils Muliaina says the All Blacks are slowly learning how to ease back on the throttle under rugby's ELVs with a greater willingness to concede the lineout throw.

The All Blacks fullback said the game had sped up so much under the new rules that in the already turbo-charged test arena it was easy for the tempo go get out of control.

"It's a lot faster, but there are times when you can control the pace of the game without just tapping the ball when it's not really on from free kicks," he said from the team's Table Bay hotel.

"When the new rules came in everyone was nuts over getting the ball and tapping it. Halfbacks were digging in, getting it out and running even though the defensive line was set and then they were just turning it over.

"You are actually just putting yourself under the hammer. There are times during the game where you have to stop and say, 'hey we do have to slow it down a bit'. And that's when you just have to kick it out."

That tactic worked a treat against Australia in Auckland where the All Blacks lineout reigned supreme.

Muliaina said the loss to the Wallabies in Sydney had been a turning point for the side in realising that full-speed was not always the best speed.

"We didn't play smart footy and we definitely should have kicked it out instead of running. In the end we ran out of steam."

The 62-test veteran said controlling the tempo of the match would again be key against South Africa at Newlands this weekend.

The Springboks spent a lengthy session practicing their kick-chase and counter attack today and Muliaina said it was the area of the game that had gained most in importance under the ELVs.

"From a fullback's perspective it's changed immensely. Not being able to kick out from the 22, you have to really make sure you are on the job there as to whether you return the kick or run it.

"Right across the board you have to be more aware of it [kicking]. When you are playing the kicking game it's a lot easier from set piece, but it's when it's returned that things get a bit complicated."

The trick was ensuring the players who stayed back to receive kicks were capable of both running, or returning fire with their boot, Muliaina said.

That may be behind the All Blacks selectors chopping and changing on the wings with neither Rudi Wulf or Anthony Tuitavake particularly strong kickers.

Richard Kahui is seen as a better option, while Sitiveni Sivivatu makes up for his kicking deficiencies in other areas.

"It's fair to say there is a lot more emphasis [at training] and learning to kick into space. Under the old laws wings just chased or ran."

Kicking coach Mick Byrne had become an invaluable tool in upskilling and educating the players' boots, he said.

"That's the biggest change in the way the game's gone. You have to have guys who can kick right through the backline and you can't get stuck with wings and fullbacks or whoever else is back there who can't kick."

Digging for fool’s gold

by Gavin Rich | 21 August 2008 (10:17) | www.supersport.co.za

At this time when so much is being made of the new Springbok game-plan which is supposedly geared towards creating more try-scoring opportunities, perhaps we should think back to the Springbok home Tri-Nations match against New Zealand in 2004.

I am not going to dredge up all the facts about the Ellis Park match I am referring to, except to say that the Boks won handsomely and they did pick up the bonus point for scoring four tries. But here is the little fact that sticks in the mind from that game – centre Marius Joubert scored a hattrick of tries, only the second Springbok, behind Ray Mordt, to do so against the All Blacks.

In so doing, Joubert managed as many tries in one match as the current Springboks have managed in four Tri-Nations games. That is three tries in 320 minutes of rugby. There have been no tries in the last 160.

How are those for sobering statistics at the start of this new attacking era? If you attend Springbok press conferences, you get the impression that it all comes down to bad luck, that the Boks have had plenty of try-scoring opportunities that just haven’t been used. My view though is that if Lady Luck has attended any game in this year’s Tri-Nations, it was in the final minutes in Dunedin.

There may well have been missed opportunities, but I am not sure there have been more for the Boks than there have been for their opponents. Had Dan Carter kicked just one of his missed penalties in the first half last week, so drawing his team more than one score ahead, we could well have seen the South Africans swamped.

Apart from the bit of individual magic that nearly saw Bryan Habana in at the corner, I cannot recall many opportunities, unless they were of the type that former Wallaby coach Eddie Jones describes as “Fools Gold”. In other words, the apparent opportunity that is presented when space suddenly becomes available and it looks to the watching audience, and no doubt the attacking team, that an overlap has been created.

These days though, as Jones explained to some of us who were at the World Cup, defences are too organised, and often give the impression that there is an opportunity where there isn’t one.

In reality, the Boks were often being pushed out by a flat lining initial layer of All Black defenders, and when Beast Mtwarira kept popping up on the wing and giving the impression that the Boks were making a good fist of an attacking opportunity, what was really happening was that the Kiwis were doing what modern defences do – manipulating their opponents.

How many of those attacks went into blind corners, or led to the Boks carrying the ball into touch? In reality, the perception of greater Bok enterprise on attack may be the result a mirage, of something that isn’t really there.

The Boks talk of making a few tweaks to get it right, and all South Africans will hope they can, but already three matches have been lost in a season where the world champions should be expecting to win the Tri-Nations.

Carel du Plessis’ Bok team showed 11 years ago against the Wallabies at Loftus that the mindset which the Boks have at the moment can bring flurries of success on the days when everything sticks.

But the South African rugby brains-trust have to think very hard over whether this approach is ever going to bring consistent success. And if their reasoning is based on a view that the previous regime followed a strategy that did not produce tries or good attacking rugby, maybe they should put a phone call through to Marius Joubert and ask him about his finest moment as a rugby player.

He would probably agree that this was an occasion where elimination of risk did not translate into dour, unwatchable rugby. When the opportunity is there, you pounce, but only from the right field position and in the right situation. Test rugby is about capitalising on sustained pressure, but the current Bok team are not creating pressure for the simple reason that their new game leads to an increase in errors.