Chickens come home to roost

Jeez I'm disappointed.

The more things change the more they stay the same. One year ago I wrote about problems in Bok rugby. We've won a World Cup and had a change of coach since then. But the ruck and protection of possession problems are the same.

I wrote that Matfield was not even a captain's arse. Maybe that's changed. Maybe he is just a captain's arse. When Jake White took over he introduced Prozone and summarily sent Matfield home from Australia - apparently due to his refusal to get stuck in. After yesterday's match, our lineout supremo walked off the park and lamented the team's breakdown performance. I counted his attendance at about 3 rucks during the game.

If Pieter de Villiers favours players who read the game situation and adapt, how does our captain excuse understanding the problem and doing nothing about it?

In the various reviews and thoughts I've noted on this blog, I've typically lamented South African sides unwillingness to get stuck in in the loose. Under the ELVs, the need to secure quick multi-phase ball has been elevated further.

On this away leg, we have relied entirely on Schalk Burger and Bakkies Botha to secure any ball at the breakdown, with some assistance from Joe van Niekerk and Juan Smith.

Yesterday's shambles showed an exhausted Botha and an injured Burger. Juan Smith was our player of the day - he tried everything. And our captain alternated between first center and wing. The much vaunted Pierre Spies disappeared. Kankowski made an anonymous late appearance.

One Australian report counted 35 Aussie turnovers of Springbok ball!

The problem does not require rocket scientists to diagnose. The solution is more complex. Of course modern rugby requires a balance of players in the ruck on and in defense. Often a similar balance is required on attack to provide quick support to the second phase ball carrier. But to ascribe our pathetic breakdown performance to getting this balance wrong is to ignore that some players in our Bok ranks do not like putting in the hard yards in cleaning the fringes and protecting our fetchers and scrummies.

De Villiers has done a fantastic job of gaining player support. In the press, his team have talked at their pleasure at providing him a win in Dunedin after the hard time he had taken after Wellington. The hard task now begins. Can he maintain this support and enforce disciplines? Can he point out the deficiencies in the team video sessions? Can he make a hard call and drop Matfield and Butch if their performance does not improve?

I'm going to dispense with the player ratings this week. They're pretty obvious. I liked the way Jean de Villiers and Steyn changed channels on defense and attack similar to the way De Villiers and Bobo had done in the Super 14. I though Juan Smith had a never-say-die performance and together with Burger and Botha tried to carry the team at the breakdown.

Beyond that it was a terrible performance. The gains at scrum time made in Dunedin were reversed. Schalk Brits showed his wobbly line out fallibility. Butch needs to be given Currie Cup time to find his game. Jantjies regressed from Wellington. Januarie struggled with no protection and shocking ball. De Villiers bounced off a tackle that resulted in a try. It was miserable stuff.

I'm scared to think of what injuries to Burger and Botha will do to this side.

Four more years

Gregan's chant must be ringing in the All Blacks' ears right now. And ironically too, like a boomerang, back in the ears of Georgie.

What a day! If the Tri-Nations are the top three in world rugby, we've picked a funny way to show it. After all the self congratulatory commentary about the state of Northern hemisphere rugby during the World Cup pool games, Australia and New Zealand were reminded that rugby is a game between 30 mere mortals and with an oval shaped ball. Passion and bounce can upset the odds.

While both England and France played with passion and surely enjoyed the bounce of the ball, both set out with well laid out plans to beat their more fancied opponents. England targeted the Super 14 style three man rucks with committed numbers and counter rucking. France decided that playing in the opposition's half was half the battle.

England break down the Aussies

England were magnificent at the breakdown today. Shaw and Moody were ferocious. And it is about time. Of course committing numbers to the ruck opens up defensive holes in your own line. But in a modern game where turnover ball remains the most potent attacking threat, attacking key breakdowns unlocks ball and space. The Australians were shell shocked. They tried guile to win at scrum time, and after the English were initially penalised, Alain Rolland appeared to realise that Dunning is the Oscar winner we've all been pointing out. His collapsing of scrums is the Aussies' only way of gaining parity at the set piece. With the forwards that rattled, the backs were left with too much to do. Except for one moment of brilliance from new kid Berrick Barnes. His wrap around with Aussie dummy runners was vintage Eddie Jones and Barnes' Reds/Jones pedigree was easy to see. If the Aussies' had secured better ball, Tuqiri's try from the move would surely have been one of many. They didn't and the English passion, commitment and robust play paid off.

Despite having kicked the points, Johnny Wilkinson looks a shadow of his former self. Not even his kicking is a patch on what it was. He's showed patches of from thus far and one or two touches against the Tongans got the English into the quarters. But he's a player short of match practice. As bad as Catt was against South Africa, he was immense today. When Catt and Wilkinson click, the English are a different team. If they do next week, we could see England in the final.

All Blacks choke again

The French promised similar things. They attacked the first few breakdowns with similar freneticism. But the All Blacks pedigree is better than that of the Aussies, and they immediately committed more numbers. The French played for position as we knew they would. Jake White's scepticism at the game plan looked well-founded as the French looked innocuous and the All Blacks responded with some sublime McAlister brilliance. Twice he ran the French ragged, first almost putting Ali Williams over and finally went over himself to put the All Blacks well ahead.

But McAlister proved mercurial and from the highs the plunged to the low of being sent off for obstructive running early in the second half. The French took full advantage and Thierry Dusautoir was a deserved scorer as they pulled the game back.

The famous French counter attack allowed Jauzion to cancel out a So'oialo effort. As the Gallic spirit grew, they repelled 27 phases of largely pick-and-go attacks on their line before forcing an All Black knock on. It was typical of the French defence which saw them make 178 tackles to the All Blacks 36. Ultimately it won them the day.

The All Blacks were in it right until the end though. At 18 to 20 down, a drop goal would have done it and they had an ample chance 22m out on the 75th minute. Instead McAlister tried a 50m effort just before full time. It summed up World Cup history for the All Blacks. Should've, would've, could've.

Good for the game

Was this good for rugby? Any win that exemplifies spirit and passion is good for the game. We saw bloodied England players give it all. We saw one of the bravest players in the game, Serge Betson, in a brave but ultimately horrific moment put his body on the line to make a tackle. Luckily he looked OK if shaky when he left the field. Finally, we saw tactical nous win over reputation. So yes, a great day's rugby.

Something strange happened to the referees though. In both matches, the new ruck laws were hardly blown. The English flew into rucks and clearly went of their feet. There were moments when there were clearly boots on players. But the whistle wasn't blown. The officials also missed two clear forward passes (at least) in the French All Black game. While I loved the return to old style rucking and resultant competition rather than league style restarts, if we're going to have laws they have to be blown. Just as if we're going to have citing, then be consistent. Not knowing how the game is going to be controlled makes things lottery. And that is no good for a game looking to convert viewers already confused by strange rules and interpretations.

Of course every South African (especially me) wants to see the Springboks beat each of the top teams en route to winning a final, a la 1995. But we must play the hand we're dealt. That starts by being ruthless against Fiji tomorrow. While Fiji shouldn't have a chance, "should" played no role today.