Showing posts with label springboks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label springboks. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Springboks 19 - 10 France: First Victory Since 1997 In France
When your 8 year old son and 11 year old daughter get excited about the Springboks playing a test at 10pm on a Saturday night, and they cannot keep their eyes off the screen for almost the full 80 minutes, then you just realise again how special it is to be able to watch a great game like rugby, especially when it is played by a team with such a rich history!
19 - 10
The Springboks came to France with no win in the last 16 years on French home-soil, but that did not seem to be on their mind last night, as they managed to go up 7-0 within the first two minutes of the game. JP Pietersen charged down an attempted clearance kick from a French player, which bounced kindly for him and all he had to do was fall on the ball in the in-goal area.
Eben Etzebeth left the field after about 15 minutes with what seemed to be an ankle injury and veteran lock, Bakkies Botha replaced him. From here on to the end of the game the Springboks put up a display that included some of the biggest hits you will ever see, an extremely strong scrummage effort, and through their very solid defence, they created at least two scoring opportunities, which was rather controversially disallowed by the TMO.
The first scoring opportunity was disallowed because the TMO judged that Morne Steyn knocked on before Jean de Villiers scooped up the ball on the bounce and went straight through a gap to offload to Fourie on his outside, who ran over the line for what seemed like a well-deserved try. From certain angles, it certainly looked as if the ball went backwards, or at least to the side from Steyn's hand, but the TMO felt differently!
The second "try" was more controversial in my opinion, with Francois Louw clearly falling on the ball after a French player kicked the ball into his own goal area, and as he tried to fall on it first, he clearly missed the ball and Louw appeared to get a controlled hand on the ball first. However, the TMO again made a decision against the Springboks.
In my view the Bokke deserved this hard-fought victory and the French, although throwing numerous attacks at the men in Green and Gold, never truly looked as if they were going to win the encounter. They did score a "soft" try just before the half time whistle, but after that it never seemed as if they could cross the opposition's goal line again.
Although the entire Springbok team played a hard, well-executed, and typical Springbok game of rugby, I do feel that the following players put in stand-out performances that are worth mentioning:
Bismarck du Plessis - He was excellent in all departments and his scrumming effort was exceptional to help put the French front row under enormous pressure.
Bakkies Botha - The "old bones" in the team played his heart out for a full 60 minutes and made a huge difference in defence and at the rucks and mauls especially.
Flip van der Merwe - Led the line-outs well and was present in all aspects of the game.
Duane Vermeulen - His becoming one of the great Springbok number 8's and put in another very solid performance, in defence and on attack.
JP Pietersen - He was, with Willie le Roux, probably the stand-out backs on the night, scoring the only try for the Boks through the pressure he put on the French kicker, and he was good on defence and looked for work more as in the previous two tests as well.
Willie Le Roux - You just have to get him into your team, don't you? He probably could have scored if he held onto the ball instead of trying to offload to Habana. Was solid under the high ball and broke the line with his attacking runs on several occasions.
Share your best (or worst) moments from this test encounter and tell us who was your stand-out players on the night?
Friday, 22 November 2013
Overall Statistics Between France & Springboks
The Springboks have met the French on the rugby field numerous times in their history (tomorrow will be the 39th time) and it has been a close battle on several occasions. Will it be a close affair come Saturday night at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, 22h00 local time?
Here follows the overall stats for the rivalry between the Springboks and France:
| Details[1] | Played | Won by  France | Won by  South Africa | Drawn | France points | South Africa points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In France | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 246 | 326 |
| In South Africa | 21 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 322 | 438 |
| Neutral venue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 38 | 11 | 21 | 6 | 568 | 764 |
| Date | Venue | Score | Victor | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 November 2013 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | – | 2013 end-of-year test | |
| 12 June 2010 | Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa | 42 – 17 | South Africa | 2010 mid-year test |
| 13 November 2009 | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France | 20 – 13 | France | 2009 end of year rugby union tests |
| 24 June 2006 | Newlands, Cape Town | 26 – 36 | France | 2006 mid-year test |
| 26 November 2005 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 15 – 20 | France | 2005 Autumn International |
| 25 June 2005 | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa | 27 – 13 | South Africa | |
| 18 June 2005 | ABSA Stadium, Durban, South Africa | 30 – 30 | draw | |
| 9 November 2002 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France | 30 – 10 | France | |
| 10 November 2001 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 20 – 10 | France | |
| 23 June 2001 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 20 – 15 | South Africa | |
| 16 June 2001 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa | 23 – 32 | France | |
| 22 November 1997 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France | 10 – 52 | South Africa | |
| 15 November 1997 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France | 32 – 36 | South Africa | |
| 7 December 1996 | Parc des Princes, Paris, | 12 – 13 | South Africa | |
| 30 November 1996 | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, France | 12 – 22 | South Africa | |
| 17 June 1995 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 19 – 15 | South Africa | |
| 3 July 1993 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | 17 – 18 | France | |
| 26 June 1993 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 20 – 20 | draw | |
| 24 October 1992 | Parc des Princes, Paris | 29 – 16 | France | |
| 17 October 1992 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon | 15 – 20 |  South Africa | |
| 8 November 1980 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa | 37 – 15 | South Africa | |
| 28 June 1975 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | 33 – 18 | South Africa | |
| 21 June 1975 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa | 38 – 25 | South Africa | |
| 30 November 1974 | Parc des Princes, Paris | 8 – 10 | South Africa | |
| 23 November 1974 | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France | 4 – 13 | South Africa | |
| 19 June 1971 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 8 – 8 | draw | |
| 12 June 1971 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | 22 – 9 | South Africa | |
| 16 November 1968 | Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, France | 11 – 16 | South Africa | |
| 9 November 1968 | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 9 – 12 | South Africa | |
| 12 August 1967 | Newlands, Cape Town | 6 – 6 | draw | |
| 29 July 1967 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | 14 – 19 | France | |
| 22 July 1967 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | 16 – 3 | South Africa | |
| 15 July 1967 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | 26 – 3 | South Africa | |
| 25 July 1964 | Pam Brink Stadium, Springs, South Africa | 6 – 8 | France | |
| 18 February 1961 | Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes | 0 – 0 | draw | |
| 16 August 1958 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | 5 – 9 | France | |
| 26 July 1958 | Newlands, Cape Town | 3 – 3 | draw | |
| 16 February 1952 | Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes | 3 – 25 | South Africa | |
| 11 January 1913 | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 5 – 38 | South Africa |
Springboks vs France: Boks Should Win Easily - According to Some
Ex-Sharks rugby player, Shaun Sowerby, who also played one game for the Springboks against Samoa, has been playing in France for the last 10 years (since 2004). He obviously knows French rugby and the "state" they are in right now, so if someone like he says that the Boks should win easily this coming Saturday at 22h00 local time, then people might want to listen.
We all know what any French team is capable of, therefore, I would not go as far as to agree with Sowerby and saying that the Springboks will win easily, but they are certainly favourites in my book. The French rugby players are more emotional than the average rugby player and in front of their home crowd, the Boks should be careful not to underestimate them.
According to Sowerby, the French are re-building at the moment and they are still trying to determine what their best and strongest team are. With that, I will agree and when you look at there recent games, the way that they played, and the results, you may agree that the French will have to come up with one of those "special" performances, as only they can, on the day.
The Sports-Man predicts a 26-15 win to the Springboks...!
What is your prediction? Share your thoughts on the Springboks last test of 2013...
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Remember the Days When Rugby Players Were Tough as Nails?
I can still remember the following "tough" rugby moments as if it happened last week. My first rugby memories date back to the early days of the 1980's when Morne du Plessis (one of my rugby heroes) led the Springboks against Bill Beaumont's British Lions. The Springboks won the first three tests and lost only the fourth test after the series was already done and dusted! (see full stats from this tour below)
Just for the record - Morne led the Springboks to a hard-fought 3-1 series win against Andy Leslie's All Black team in 1976, and later, in the same year that they beat the Lions, he led the Boks to a 2-0 series win against the French, after which he surprisingly retired.
These were the days when our international players notched up around 10 to 20 test caps, if they were lucky, over a career that lasted almost 10 years. The coaching team consisted of the coach and medic, and maybe a "luggage/bag man". These guys met for the first time as a team a few days before a tour and still managed to dish up quality performances, which made the country proud.
I recall clearly how Beaumont punched Springbok captain, Du Plessis at the ruck right after the kick-off in the first test at Newlands. It seemed as if he planned to give the Boks a 'welcome' taste of what was awaiting them during the remainder of the test encounters! Du Plessis left the field, got taped up (he was bleeding profusely) and was back in the action in no time, as if nothing had happened. No yellow cards, no complaining by anyone.
Ray Mordt, ex-Rhodesian who played for the great Northern Transvaal team of the '80s scored this magnificent ha-trick of tries in the third and final test, which was lost by the Springboks in highly controversial fashion! Watch out for the third try especially - they had to score to tie with the All Blacks at 22-22. I can watch this over and over again.
Watching these videos and reliving my first rugby memories have brought out the goosebumps everywhere. These are my rugby heroes - my first and best rugby memories!
Just for the record - Morne led the Springboks to a hard-fought 3-1 series win against Andy Leslie's All Black team in 1976, and later, in the same year that they beat the Lions, he led the Boks to a 2-0 series win against the French, after which he surprisingly retired.
These were the days when our international players notched up around 10 to 20 test caps, if they were lucky, over a career that lasted almost 10 years. The coaching team consisted of the coach and medic, and maybe a "luggage/bag man". These guys met for the first time as a team a few days before a tour and still managed to dish up quality performances, which made the country proud.
I recall clearly how Beaumont punched Springbok captain, Du Plessis at the ruck right after the kick-off in the first test at Newlands. It seemed as if he planned to give the Boks a 'welcome' taste of what was awaiting them during the remainder of the test encounters! Du Plessis left the field, got taped up (he was bleeding profusely) and was back in the action in no time, as if nothing had happened. No yellow cards, no complaining by anyone.
The matches
First Test
May 31, 1980
|
| South Africa | 26 – 22 | British and Irish Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Louw c W. du Plessis c Van Heerden Germishuys c Serfontein Con: Botha (3) | Try: Price Pen: Ward (5) Drop Ward |
South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morne du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw, Louis Moolman, Moaner van Heerden, Martiens le Roux, Willie Kahts, Richard Prentis
Lions: O'Donnell, Carleton (replaced by Gravell), Richards, Renwick, Slemen, Ward, Patterson, Quinnell, O'Driscoll, Squire, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams
Second Test[edit]
June 14, 1980
|
| South Africa | 26 – 19 | British and Irish Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Louw Stofberg c Germishuys Pienaar c Con: Botha (2) Pen:Botha (2) | Try: O'Driscoll c Gravell Con: Davies Pen: Davies (2) Irvine |
South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morné du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw (replaced by Thys Burger), Louis Moolman, Kevin de Klerk, Martiens le Roux, Willie Kahts, Richard Prentis
Lions: Irvine, Carleton, Gravell, Woodward, Hay, Davies (replaced by Campbell), Patterson, Quinnell, O'Driscoll, Squire, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams
Third Test[edit]
June 28, 1980
|
| South Africa | 12 – 10 | British and Irish Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Germishuys c Con: Botha Pen:Botha DropBotha | Try: Hay Pen: Campbell (2) |
South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morné du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw, Louis Moolman, Moaner van Heerden, Martiens le Roux, Willie Kahts (replaced by Ewoud Malan), Richard Prentis
Lions: Irvine, Woodward, Gravell, Dodge, Hay, Campbell, Patterson, Squire, O'Driscoll, Tucker, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams
Fourth Test[edit]
July 12, 1980
|
| South Africa | 13 – 17 | British and Irish Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Try: W. du Plessis Pen:Pienaar (2) Botha | Try: C. Williams Irvine O'Driscoll c Con Campbell Pen: Campbell |
South Africa: Gysie Pienaar, Ray Mordt, David Smith, Willie du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Naas Botha, Divan Serfontein, Morné du Plessis (c), Theuns Stofberg, Rob Louw, Louis Moolman, Moaner van Heerden, Martiens le Roux, Ewoud Malan, Richard Prentis
Lions: Irvine, Carleton, Gravell, Dodge, Hay, Campbell, Robbie, Squire, O'Driscoll, Tucker, Colclough, Beaumont (c), Price, Wheeler, Williams
In 1981, my rugby memories were made up of early morning (4-5 am) coffee and rusks, watching the Springboks vs All Blacks in New Zealand with my Dad. Three mouthwatering Saturday mornings that I will never forget, for as long as I live. It was my first taste of All Black rugby and what an introduction it was. Rugby, in my view, has never been played that hard and the players have not been that tough again.
The Springboks had to face not only a quality (best in the world) opponent, in his own backyard, but they faced protesters, flower bombs during a game, hateful journalists and politicians, and more. When I was about 16 years old, I got hold of Rob Louw's (WP & Bok number 6) autobiography, where I read how the team did not sleep in their hotel on the Friday night before a test match. They would sneak in and sleep at the stadium on mattresses under the stands to avoid the angry protesters, as well as journalists.
Plane circling the field where the infamous "Flower Bomb" test (3rd test) took place. Ironically, and sadly, an All Black player was hit by one of the home-made flower bombs. The game continued regardless!
We lost the first test after the All Blacks overwhelmed us, but after a major re-shuffle and Wynand Claasen's appointment as captain, the Boks came back to level the series at 1-1, winning the second test convincingly, 24-14. After enduring so much on a tour that almost never happened, the Bokke had to witness how the Welsh referee handed NZ an unexplainable penalty in injury time on a plate, allowing their fullback to win the game, and the series, by making the penalty kick that followed.
See if you can make out what the penalty was for? It is clear that the referees back then, like today, were as clueless come scrum-time...!
See if you can make out what the penalty was for? It is clear that the referees back then, like today, were as clueless come scrum-time...!
Ray Mordt, ex-Rhodesian who played for the great Northern Transvaal team of the '80s scored this magnificent ha-trick of tries in the third and final test, which was lost by the Springboks in highly controversial fashion! Watch out for the third try especially - they had to score to tie with the All Blacks at 22-22. I can watch this over and over again.
Watching these videos and reliving my first rugby memories have brought out the goosebumps everywhere. These are my rugby heroes - my first and best rugby memories!
| Sat 15 August | Christchurch | New Zealand (1st Test) | NZ 14-9 |
| Sat 29 August | Wellington | New Zealand (2nd Test) | SA 12-24 |
| Sat 12 September | Auckland | New Zealand (3rd Test) | NZ 25-22 |
Have a look out for my follow-up article regarding the tough and skilful rugby legends from yesteryear. Share your first rugby memories below as well...
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