Damn, it's always difficult to decide whom to support in this situation, with the Boks playing Scotland...it's ma ROOTS......! ;)
Oh boy, what a game. I was shouting for the bokke but felt sorryfor the Scots, well, they did play their best in the last 15 min of the game, I think if they had played like that to start of with, they could have done it. never mind. here's hoping for the next time.
Forget the scots i trust all of you shouted for namibia against the boks.
Namibia, land of the brave were in the lead of that game in the 6th minute, for at least 2 whole minutes, we had our moment in the sun...... But we gotta a Frankie Fredericks.....
;)
Yes, Darryl, we did indeed ~ nearly lifted the roof off the "POH" in the process!! It's a pity that the spirit of the game was lost in Jake White's determination to use it purely as an outing to break records. And if you can't set records within 80 minutes, let the game run on for as long as it is necessary to achieve this. On top of the match officials' clear bias in favour of the home side, it all left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. You saw what a difference a neutral ref (and touch judges with their eyes open) made in the Connacht game! This is why I'll be surprised if the Bokke make it past the quarter-finals. But there again, I've been known to be wrong before! Say Howzit to the family for us, please. Just recently shaken off my hangover from your wedding ~ they sure drink potent stuff down in Camelot!!
Viva Province/Stormers!!
GEE PETE
AFTER ALL THIS TIME I THOUGHT YOU COULD TAKE IT........TSK TSK
I SAY THEY WILL GET PAST THE QUARTERS BUT FROM THERE ON OUT I DONT KNOW . I SURE AS HELL HOPE SO I KNOW ONE THING GUEST HOUSE OR NOT ITS GOING TO DRIVE ME TO DRINK. ( IF YOU LOOKING FOR FREE ACCOMODATION IN DURBAN BOOK IN WHEN THE BOKS WIN)
PETE,there is just one problem with the Boks,there should be more Province and Cheetahs in the bloody team!!!!! however i have high hopes for the existing team.
NR1 PROVINCE AND BOKS SUPPORTER.
Hmmm Springboks... Cheetahs... Province (yawn)..... I am looking forward to Saturday when I watch .. (from the pavillion) ...the SHARKS eat province like mielies!!!!
Stick to the red wine, Bubbles, coz you're starting to loose it!
Ouch Pete! ::)
I take it you're not watching Australia against Japan.
Huh! Australia played who today???????
well i do hope the sharks enjoyed their mealies.......because wp only served up carrots to the sharks!!!!!!!!!!!
How come nobody said anything about the bruising match the bokke won.
WELL DONE what a match especially the second half. Somoa just seemed to loose steam.
Looking good for Friday if the boys aren't to bruised, Habana is quick.
Well done to the Boks on a tough opening game. It was truly a bruising encounter as it normally is against any Pacific nation. This would have done the team no harm, in fact has probably battle hardened them for the clashes to come. Apart from the obvious injury to Jean de Villiers, I think a thumbs up was earned all round. The only teams that I feel can truly test the Boks at this world cup are the Wallabies and All Blacks. The French on their day can upset anyone sure, but going on their last performance, one has to question weather they are up to the big match temperament. Can they also put in two big performances consecutively? The expectations of them, the host nation may prove to be too much. The Boks may end up playing Argentina instead of France, which would probably be the safest option, as I don't recall the Boks ever losing to them. Let's hope that the Wallabies have to face the All Blacks in the play offs. This will mean that the Boks will face one of them in the final. After a game like that, it would be very hard to put in a huge effort against the Boks.
I don't think England will pose too much of a problem, as the Boks are a very well balanced side at the moment, with too much depth and experience. With injuries and possible citing's aside, I feel the Boks have a great chance of lifting old Bill, and make all BOKKE supporters proud.
HIER KOM DIE BOKKE !!!
nice to see lady interest,lots of posts about the boks babara,grand to see that we all support the side,lekker wees x
can you believe the suspension slapped onto schalk burger , its ridicuous , just for a high tackle . it looks more to be like an attempt at the springboks trying to stop us
DahRil Last time I checked Schalk played for the Bokke.... (why the F**** didn't Lima get a citation)
Congrats to you and Anzel by the way, Jimbob's feeling left out now
LADY supporters- where, oh Yvette, Bev and Debbie.
Just had an SMS from my hardworking son who's sipping wine in some sleazy Parisienne street cafe (ibetween gigging in France and Germany throughout the World Cup), to say that he has scored complimentary tickets for himself and his girlfriend to Friday's night SA versus England game. Nice to know that Oranjemund will have at least one representative there! Think I'll watch it on TV...
hi po-el
good to see you back , been missing for a while havent you.
yes i am aware he plays for the boks , i simply made a gramiti.....grammatic....i made a mistake and forgot a comma or two
i hear now his suspension has been reduced to two games.
a bit better
as for the brian lema issue , he would of been cited had he been a sprinkbok
Quote from: Pete on September 12, 2007, 08:16:15 PM
Just had an SMS from my hardworking son who's sipping wine in some sleazy Parisienne street cafe (ibetween gigging in France and Germany throughout the World Cup), to say that he has scored complimentary tickets for himself and his girlfriend to Friday's night SA versus England game. Nice to know that Oranjemund will have at least one representative there! Think I'll watch it on TV...
Lucky fish, think I'll join you and watch it on telly. I will be the only SA supporter in a group of 4, good times.
Pete, there'll be at least 2 oranjemund reps at tomorrow night's game - just got a mail from my cousin Brandon (v/d Westhuizen) in London - his wife's boet lives in Paris who's managed to get them tickets, they're tubing over tonight to go to the game. Wonder if they'll bump into each other - who knows, oranjemunders tend to sniff each other out no matter where in the world they are :D
mmmh! the closest I'd get to the Springboks, is maybe throwing some springbok steaks on the braai!
:-\
Hi Delia ~
That's great ~ the more the merrier, as they say! Pity your cousin wasn't there this evening as they would have been able to find my son, Dan, at the Johnny Clegg gig at the "fan mile" in the vicinity of the stadium tonight. Think they start at 20:00. Dan is Johnny Clegg's saxophonist and keyboard player (Go Oranjemund!) so is extremely easy to find!! Either way, if they do see him anywhere they mustn't hesitate to let him know about their Oranjemund connections. He's always up for a couple of "dops" in such circumstances! (If Brandon's still there tomorrow night, the band will be appearing at Fete de L'Humanite, also in Paris).
I liked the way on Boots and All last night how we were told of how Johan Rupert had organised and flown in at his expense a QC from London to handle Schalk's appeal ........
:D
just picked up £260 from over zelouse brits who porport to know their rugby,gaan nou lekker slaap,babelass come and get me,ive got you covered,nice celebration beers in fridge mike,how i wish you could join me bud,go the boks,great defence ,how many nil/THE BOKS ARE GOING ALL THE WAY BOET ,TAKE GOOD CARE BRO X
Ja, well no fine!
Well done Bokke, the manne are doing the thing pretty good! Let me just say one thing, "Hugh Bladen please go to sleep! your running commentary is the pits"! somebody tell the man it was 1995 and not 1999!!!! Between ol Hugh and the Bokke it was very entertaining last night. How oh how do you tackle "respectfully"??? Regardless, hubby and me really enjoyed the game. Me thinks I will be an avid rugby supporter this World Cup, sure the ladies will agree???? Couple of Gins and some good beef cakes (oops, I mean steaks) to keep me entertained! Enjoy the weekend all.
Yvette
Well what can I say - but it looks as though the "sweet chariot" came to a grinding halt last night!! SA 36 v England 0 ;D
The score would have been much higher if Habana had the ball past to him close to the post in the 1st half and the English wing had not tapped the ball away in the 2nd half.
The only English player that needs a mention in the English team is Robinson and we all know what happened to the poor chap.
GO BOKKE!!
MY BLOED IS GROEN!!
Richard 8)
Bobby, glad to hear about your good fortunes..... don't overdo it! ;)
I agree, Hugh Bladen is a pratt! when it comes to Rugby, always says the wrong things, he irritates the piss outta me and forces me to watch rugby in Afrikaans.... the other one I can't handle is Joel Stransky...... he sounds so nasal.......talking through his nose....
The one thing that did bother me though, was the total arrogance of all the SA presenters and fans interviewed, gee people, you sounded like bull supporters.....I'm glad the boks won, but in my opinion, England was not at full strength, our scrums could'nt cope...... and when we meet the AB's we're gonna suffer..just my opinion....
Bobby, i'll start having a few beers this afternoon, when the Currie cup kicks off, CHeetahs to beat Lions and western Province to beat Bulls......( don't mind the bulls players, nice chaps in interviews, but those arrogant supporters! >:(
enjoy your day everyone
I wonder what happened to the Shark's last week -Bev??
Eat WP like mielies??
Nee K@# Shark's were suiped like good red wine!!
:'( Ok .. what can I say... my sharks got "munched" but hey I will support them through thick and thin! Just glad SA is doing so well in the WC. I watched the game against England at Peddlars and boy was it festive.... there was one lone POM walking around mouthing it off... but he was silenced very quickly!!
The Oranjemund connection at the Rugby World Cup ~ Dan Shout & Mary, Bryan Habana, Gert Smal and the Johnny Clegg band!
had an offer of 4 tickets to the south african tonga game yesterday but it was my one saturday in 4 to work so boohoo, what a game - never mind. The boys are still in it.
Wow . . . the bokke nealy made this new Canadian poop in my pants . . . geez 30-25 against Tonga is almost as bad as a loss.
Still rooting for the lads, after 12 years away!!
Keith.
Say no more Keith :-[ - but a big wake-up call - according to the papers today they are fielding a much stronger side to play the USA -warm - up for the quarters and semis!
Love to Wendy and the girls.
Richard
I rooting for the springboks this year - I got them in the draw at work and stand to win £50 if they win.
NAMIBIA only lost to France coz, that was their second side apparently..... We are gonna moer Georgia 2morrow.... (broadcast at 17h15 folks)
;D
Thanks Oppie,
And my best wishes to you, Debby, Brad and Meghan . . . (hope I got the kid's name right . . . I'm going senile, boet!!)
Go the Bokke . . . they should wipe out the USA, because even Canada gives them a slugging!!
Looking forward to seeing the Bokke in the semis . . .
Keith.
Hey, Claire, you may as well claim your £50 now laready, what you gonna spend it on?
VODKA........................only joking. might be sencible this year and get some Beer for Frank and Vodka..
Two teams I do not like played today - Australia v England and we all know who won.
Serves Australia right for thinking of the semis before finishing the quarters. :D
Concrats to England you out played Australia in the loose and scrums and it prooves to be in a difficult pool play off.
I wonder was England really k#k against SA or were wee too good? Yes we were too good!
The All Blacks next week are a different ball game or did they also have a easy pool?
Maybe SA v England final?
MAYBE!!!!!!!!
Australia deserved to lose and England did what was expected of being English......
:-\
entertaining as it was,await your fate the lions,as predicted on the forum,back check my predidction,THE BOKS V ALL BLACKS,A WIN FOR THE BOKS IN THE FINAL,any takers,rich ,im on skype tomorrow if you fancy a chat,if ever i need an excuse to get pissed,i have one today,it would of been my moms 82 nd birthday,so here goes mom,another slurp for you,stay well old buds,plenty good health to you all,love bobby xx
"Did they also have an easy pool?" as I quoted above.
French 20 v NZ18. What can I say, but well done to the French! :o The runners-up have turned the Word Cup upside down. No more South V South final! :-\
I hope the Bokke take notice and play each game as a final and stick to the game plan. This is a wake-up call!
What happened to the All Blacks? Chokers? Where was their normal game plan? ??? Play rugby not ping pong!
Looks like the French coach took some tips from the Tri-nations, using bokke game plan - defend like shit and when the opportunity comes attack? French 124 tackles to All Black 36 tackles!
Bokke rattled the All Blacks like this in some games - All Blacks go to pieces if their plan does not work, cannot operate under pressure. ;D
Who are the All Blacks going to blame now? :'(
In 1995 they blame food poisoning - look at the sports section in todays Sunday Times and read the article "In NZ, All Blacks are all-mighty" - in the article it mentions -quote - that they might blame the French for purposely choosing the Dark Blue jersey to take away some mythical power inherent to the All Black's black jersey - a sort of polyester kryptonite? The NZ media seems to think so.. - unquote.
When will the All Blacks learn?
You can be the best in the world, walk over all teams, have number 1 ranking at the World Cup, have impressive try scoring records against mino teams (Ausralia the same), but if you do not have the Web Ellis cup all this does not count!
Too much hype - no play! Rather be an under dog!
I do not want to be a All Black going home today - will have to creap into the land of the long white cloud, via the back door. ;D
May be in 2011 (World Cup in New Zealand) the All Blacks will win because it seems they can only play under pressure at home - 1987 -20 years ago their last win was in New Zealand.
Enough of the slay ting - getting as bad as the Australian and English teams. :D
Bokke play hard - watch out for mino teams - Argentina th Dark Horse!
Go Bokke!
My Blood is Green!
Richard
PS. Michael an ex Omunder - Ingo Machts, primary, high school and 1st Signal Regiment with me in the 70s - coaches the under 19 Cheetahs - the future Cheetahs and as you know Sharks and which ever other province poaches them.
Richard, I believe they are moaning about "that" forward pass..... :'( ... man this is exciting stuff, it's raining in Omund today, real Cape weather, and I cannot wait to get my blanket and chair ready... Viva Bokke and Viva AmaSkotte... ;D - My blood is Tartan Green I guess..
I saw somewhere in this forum somewhere that Ingo Machts is a cheetah junior coach, man its nice to know that there in an Oranjemunder in Bloem keeping an eye on the cheetahs for me . ;)
My pride and joy is my 2005 Cheetah Jersey signed by the winning CHeetahs and Mangement, first victory in the CC in 29 years.....
;D
Hi Mike,
Also supporting Scotland - even though I say the Argies are the Dark Horse.
I have had a look at some of the NZ news papers namely the Sunday News via Google - moaning like mad about the ref. ;D
Enjoy the games.
Richard
Hahaha richard I do the same, here's what I read http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Poor AB's
;)
Heu Oppie and Mike,
Geez . . . the Bokke seemed to make hard work of a slim win against Fiji?
Hope they played better than the score might suggest . . . C**p, that's all I have to go on over here . . . it seems that rugby is definitely a secondary sport in North America!! >:(
Well . . . looks, like the Bokke should make the final ;), if they just keep their focus against the Scots or Argies? Haven't heard the score of that one yet?
Here's to hoping for the best . . .
Regards,
Keith.
Hi Keith,
Yes close one, but we are still there, where as the Aussies and NZ were watching us in the first class lounge on Paris airport. ;D
So it is SA v Argies (Aurgies 19 v Scots 13) and England v France who would have predicted this outcome!
Sorry Mike the Scots were their own worst enemy, too many errors, gave the game to the Argies.
Have a good day.
Richard 8)
i dont know what it is about us, why do we make everything so difficult. they said before the game that they were not going to let fiji play sevens style rugby .....and what do they do .....to all the females reading this , this is why us men drink during rugby
The boks will take the Argies, the only problem I have , is the time of the game....Who goes to church on a sunday, and then starts a pissup braai at 17h00 for the test at 21hoo.....ooooh! do I feel a monday morning hangover on the way! 8)
Don't be such a sexist Darryl; that's why us females also drink during rugby!!!! ;D
oh i thought it was to put up us drinking
Sexism or not, for some of us it's a combination of booze and the possibility of another skrik from the bokke like Saturday that's more worrying!
Hi Folks,
Place your orders now! :D
Brilliant Christmas gift! ::)
Don't delay, there is going to be a mad rush!
Don't be disappointed! ;)
Richard ;D
Hi Folks,
Latest news from the Rugby World Cup 2007:
* England meet France in the first semifinal
* South Africa meet Argentina in the other semifinal
* Australia meet New Zealand at the Airport ;D
Richard 8)
Hi Folks,
Read this from web site www.keo.co.za :
Quote:
"Jake White is a Welsh target and may even be among those shortlisted to coach Australia.
White has made it clear first prize is to continue with the Boks, but there has been little from the game's administration in South Africa to suggest they want to keep White.
It is understood that Welsh administrators, who have already flown to New Zealand to interview Robbie Deans and Warren Gatland, are very interested in White's availability. The deal offered to the new Welsh coach is believed to be in excess of a million pounds over the next four years.
Australia's CEO John O'Neill said the Wallabies would make a coaching appointment by the end of October and New Zealand have also indicated they would appoint a new coach before Christmas.
White's Bok position has officially been advertised and he has been told he is welcome to reapply. It is understood White sees this as a slap in the face and won't be reapplying before the 19th October cut-off date. To date there has been no official or unofficial approach from SA rugby bosses to keep White with the Boks.
The only official word has been that White has the administration's support until the completion of the World Cup.
White's contract expires at the end of the year."
Unquote.
What a time to announce it!!
The SARU administrators are all a bunch of wankers - fire the whole lot of them!!!!
No wonder there is so much shit in our rugby!!
Annoyed >:(
Richard
Richard, we had this debate over and over for the last 4 years on the Cheetah forum... the only solution would be for all the rugby unions to break away from the Government controlled Sarfu, all rugby supporters to forfeit their love and support for the Bokke, and all the unions get run like sport franchise's, run like a business, where there are shareholders, kinda like how the British and american football codes are run. At the end of the day money counts above politics, the advertisers will not pay for a brand that is no longer supported......sure we lose our national identity, but this will only be for a few years, till Sarfu goes bankrupt and Packer and the TV media boys put pressure on them....but at least the domestic setup will be free of the meddles of the POliticians...... The sad thing that the politicians don't see, is that transformation is taking place, albeit slow and no true loving white rugby supporter has a problem supporting a black springbok side, as long as they win their games....look at the fiasco with the Spears saga.....
just my 2 cents.... >:(
Mike, we win the Argies this Sunday we take the world cup, finish and klaar and if S/A do not leave the politics out of sport we will end up like Zim.S/A sport must wake up,really nobody cares about how many black and white is in the team as long as they win and stay in the top five.If a guy is good then let him play,but to elect him on colour only,just makes matters worse and dont tell me that such a guy will not be stressed out......Just ask Mike, the day WP klapped the CHEETAHS HE WAS ALL GRUMPY and stressed out.....heheheh.
Another great gift to buy!
Nice one Cherry , how about these two I saw today...
To all the Aussie and All Black supporters who thought they were gonna win the rugby world cup.... (scroll down)
"
And this one.... ;D
Man, they are just flowing in, nog een!
;D
Very goog guys! ;D
The latest news is that Doug Howlett was arrested in London, poor ABs are going to pieces. :D
Have a good day.
Richard 8)
It's good to see that some Australians have finally learnt the correct way to acknowledge an Englishman when they meet him...
GO AMA BOKKE GO!!!!
Go FS
Go Lions
Go France
Go Boks
thats my weekend wish!
;D
Well, can you believe it - England through to the finals - who would have believed it a few weeks back that the Poms would be in the final.
All I can say is congrats to the Poms, but the French gave it to you, they did not play their style of rugby - we only saw that in the dying minutes of the game - like Scotland too many errors.
This World Cup has really been the tournament of the unexpected.
Bokke must take note and play to their game plan!
Go Bokke!!
Ps: Mike two of your teams won so far - Go FS and Lions!
Richard, sheeeeer entertainment...and the big one tonite...I can'nt handle all these butterflies so I am lighting the fire at 13h00 having one or two beers..... and I get to go to Bloem in 2 weeks.......awesome....
enjoy the game......
:)
Well done Bokke!! 37 - 13
Now for the final!
"Bokke Hou Julle Koppe en Klop Die Britte!!"
Cheers
Richard
And Brilliant Brian Shares the try score record with the Great Jonah Lomu for the most tries in a World cup..if he score another against the poms....he will take the record...
great stuff....
;D
you kinda got to be a tad concerned about our scrums , we were a little handled by the pumas and that leaves the from about sheridan and the rest of them poms they bitch slapped the aussie and french scrums.
and then there is the ever present , always annoying , hardly ever missing wilkinson......
Another AB dig for the collection. ;D
Richard, great stuff, I just hope we don't see any of these items should the Boks lose! :o
Irelands New Jersey
How to Greet an Aussie AND an Englishman:
Hi Kenny,
Prefer South African version. ;D
GO BOKKE!!
Van der Merwe goes to Paris to watch the Boks take on the Poms in the World Cup 2007.
Whilst in Paris, he walks around, gaping and staring at everything - so much so that he walks smack bang into a fire hydrant which hits him so hard on the family jewels that he has to be rushed to hospital where the doctors tell him they have to remove his testicles.
Van goes berserk: he bites and snarls at every one and he won't let anybody within 10 metres of him. Eventually they find a South African doctor in the hospital and get him to talk to Van.
He walks up to Van and tells him "Hey Van, die ouens moet jou knakers uithaal."
Van replies "O, okay, ek dog die bliksems wil my test tickets vat."
Richard, will we see you around AT Paul's house for a few ice cold Windhoek draughts, Steak and the game on the big screen at 6-7th ave on Saturday?
;)
This says it all!
And this one Cherry :
hahaha lol, have printed them to leave them arounf work tomorrow.
Jeez guys, I'm boiling here today!!! Sitting in my Bok jersey in 26 degrees ..Whew 8)
I'm sure I've got a BOK ON MY BACK with the ink coming off.
And to think I've got to go through this tmorrow again! Weatherman says 30 tomorrow. Best I don my green bikini and stock up on the brewsters.
Enjoy the big day tomorrow & drive safe, the cops are out big time! :)
Englands Secret Weapon :
The Springboks were playing England, and after the half-time whistle blew they found themselves ahead 56-0, Brian Habana getting eight tries. The rest of the team decided to head for the pub instead of playing the second half, leaving Habana to go out on his own.
"No worries," Habana told them, "I'll join you later and tell you what happened."
After the game Habana headed for the pub where he told his team-mates the final score: 95-3.
"What!!!!" said a furious John Smit, "How did you let them get three points??!"
Habana replied apologetically, "I was sent off with 20 minutes to go."
Nice stuff...Kenny!
;D
Congratulation to the bokkies. They made it. Bobby Smith told me. Hope you all ok after your braii parties, Babbelas :D
Now you can congratulate our soccer ladies they also made it ;D
congrats, ladies football is a growing sport. Excuse me for not realising it was on - who did you beat.
@ Babarak
They won all games, unbeleivable but true, our boys could learn from them ;D
Well what can one say :) - BUT BOKS YOU BEAUTIES!!!!
It was a very ugly game :P - but there is one thing that no one can take away from us for the next 4 years - THE WEBB ELLIS CUP and THE RUGBY WORLD CHAMPION TITLE - even though from now we loose all our games until the next world cup in New Zealand.
All Blacks and England eat your hearts out :'( - WHINE - as much as you like - how the ref did you in ??? :D
WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!! ;D
GO BOKKE GO YOU BEAUTIES!! :-*
Richard 8)
Some pictures of the BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD !!! :-*
How I love to dig !! ;D
BOKKE YOU BEAUTIES !!
Its 7 pm and I'm still suffering a monumental hangover .. got a bit too much into the spirit of things I guess .. went to an early braai at my neighbours and then we trundled down to the Woodstock lounge .. Steven Worth and his girlfriend kindly kept a place on a couch for me ... after the match the crowd thinned a bit but then some friends came in .. I ended up staying till 3 am so very tired and toxic .. all in all a great moment .. a flashback to 12 years ago a unifying experience this country needs again ...
Proposed English Changes to Rugby Fields :
Springboks show real style
By Will Greenwood
South Africa have the bearing of champions. The night after they won the World Cup final, the Springboks were guests of honour at the International Rugby Board's annual dinner in Paris. You would have thought they might have been a bit dishevelled. They could have been forgiven for rolling in a bit wobbly, tired and emotional from their exertions from the night before. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
They were immaculate, controlled and worthy winners of the sport's ultimate trophy. Among the crowd at the dinner were some of rugby's greats. Men like JPR Williams and Gerald Davies. They were amazed by the size of the South Africans, awe-struck by the speed with which the game and the players' physicality has moved on.
Yet even though it is a thoroughly modern game, old school values were on show and the Springboks took time to talk to all of the former players when they were approached. Ten minutes, sometimes 20 were kindly given. Critics of the South Africans talk of arrogance, of a self-belief that often grates. There was nothing like that on show. In fact there was very little behaviour that would have given away that the team had just beaten the very best that the world had to offer over a period of six weeks.
Occasionally, one of the players would break into a couple of bars of the Basque anthem that has been played at many of the grounds this tournament. But that really was it. The team were humble and dignified. When Bryan Habana was crowned player of the year, and compared to Jonah Lomu, he begged to differ. Lomu was a legend, a one-off; Habana was just a wing with a bit of gas.
This modesty was evident in the way South Africa approached their games in the tournament. They were a team in which everyone knew their place, how they fitted in to that plan and what was required of them. However, they could also cover for the man standing next to them. If you want to see what the biggest change to rugby has been over the past few years, it is that players can now do a little bit of anything. It is not enough for the front five to get down and scrummage, or jump in the line-out. They now have to be able to run, pass and kick.
Did you see the massive South African Victor Matfield putting in crossfield kicks? A few years ago, he would have been laughed off the park. Now the old man of the Boks' pack, Os du Rant, is happy to find himself face-to-face with a young centre in the final moments of the game and tackle him without a problem. I doubt Scott Gibbs would bounce du Rant now as he did a few years ago.
Skills have been merged, and the South African side have been among the leaders in opening the game up. But they have done so by marrying this willingness to play an expansive game with discipline.
In the past, Butch James was often so hot-headed that he would lose his grip on the match. Now he is a cool customer who plays his game, directing the team with calm authority.
This calm steel runs through the team and nowhere is it more evident than in their mop-haired centre, the crazily youthful Francois Steyn. He backs himself when most of us would question the sanity of the decision. You could see his confidence when he teed up the penalty that all but took the game out of England's reach. The team knew he would hit it, you could see from their shoulders. Control yourself and control the game.
South Africa knew what they had to do and did it with icy precision. They backed their discipline, not giving away penalties that they knew Jonny Wilkinson would kick. Keep him out of the game and they would win. Keep to the plan, stay together and it was within their grasp.
On the field they had the backbone to win under extreme pressure. Off it, their shirt buttons were done up, their ties on straight, shoes polished. They looked like a team who were proud of what they had achieved. In short, they looked like world champions.
Hi Kenny,
Very good rugby field ! ;D
The article you posted was fantastic - proud to be a South African! :)
I saw that article in the guardian at work and left it open on that page for others to read but strangely it disapeared into the bin -
funny that.
So proud.
Oh my gosh.... just got back from Newlands ... welcoming the boks home.... it was absolutely awesome!!! Robyn and I braved the crowds but it was worth it..... the atmosphere was just amazing! The noise when those guys entered the stadium was just electifying!!! Hey Richard.... did you notice that eight of the boys in green and gold are ..... SHARKS!!!!! ;D
stay well
Agree Bev - as the saying goes -
Who played in the World Cup Final? - Sharks and Blue Bulls.
Who played in the Currie Cup Final? - Cheetahs and Lions?
It all boils down to one thing - we are all SOUTH AFRICANS AND BOK SUPPORTERS!
The bill board of the Son newspaper today reads "Die Kaap is Bok Befok" which says it all.
Have got you Bok Supporters T -Shirt yet?
Het jou, ons het! ;D
Richard
Maybe Bev's shirt has a MIELIE on it. ;D ;D :D :D
Just saw the news about the dronk mannetjie who tried to grab the Ellis cup during the celebration at Newlands,
I believe they edited out the Brit in Paris who tried to grab the cup prior to it being presented to SA.
Oh well, it remains where it should be,
spoke to an Australian today who said congratulations on winning - they didn't want to be greedy and win it for a third time so felt generous enough to spread the glory lol, as long as it stayed in the southern hemisphere, ok then boys whatever.
Shame, maybe the Aussie was feeling a little "Down Unda" - hard work to spread the glory when you ain't got it yourself, fella.
Hi Folks,
As see in Cape Town on Mondays Bok Welcome tour of the Mother City. ;D
Nice one Richard, save for the fact that the prattttts at the top are still living in the past with regard to the Jake White coachin g job.....
:o
Laugh out loud, ta for that.
Interesting article from last weekends Sunday Tribune in Ireland......
WELL it's over, we bid adieu and thank Christ for that; it was the worst World Cup of six . . . even worse than the 1999 edition. The entertainment quotient and the quality of the rugby was very poor. Two, maybe three, games out of 48 got the pulse racing. Even the final moments of the competition grated.
The presentation of the cup was a sporting travesty.
Let's look on the bright side first, at least Syd Millar wasn't throwing the medals at players Mott the Hoople style like he did in '03. Somebody had obviously had a word. But why was a grumpy old man handing out the spoils of war. Martin Johnson, the captain of the previous winners should have handed over the pot to the captain of the new champions.
I don't like the IRB or anyone who aspires to be a board member. You really do have to question their motives.
So what did they do wrong?
Well I consider it inappropriate that political leaders of any kind be anywhere else other than the most comfortable seats in the house . . . why then were Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown and Thabo Mbeki in the middle of the pitch at the prize-giving ceremony. That prize-giving ceremony was a perverse presentation and an act which was repugnant to the spirit of the game of rugby union. I take exception to the very presence of any political leaders but I forcefully object to the image shown around the world on Sunday and Monday in all mediums.
The images of Thabo Mbeki being hoisted by ANC stateappointed officials with the William Webb Ellis Cup in his hands was a contravention of the very essence of the game.
What part had he played in the Springboks victory? What was he even doing on the podium? If England had won would the English squad have lifted Gordon Brown into the air in triumph? Not bloody likely. Nobody seems to consider this inappropriate . . . well I bloody do . . . political hi-jacking of sporting occasions an anathema to most peoples' notions of sport. Why it was done with the tacit approval of the IRB is not beyond me though. They realised South Africa and South African rugby is going down the toilet and this pathetic gesture might do some good to assuage forces and opinion back there that this victory was for everyone in South Africa .
Jake White deserves immense credit for his single-minded bravery in attaining his objective. It was difficult enough to beat what was in front of his team (actually not really) but the team had to stay focused. What was even more difficult was to stay on course as he was put under huge political pressure to include a significantly higher proportion of black players than he had been up to and including the Tri Nations.
To howls of protest, White only picked six non-white players in his squad, the same as in 2003; they might have been the unwritten rules.
White kept his head and won in the end without having to carry players who were not up to the grade. Butana Komphela, a senior and powerful ANC member suggested that the Springboks should have their passports revoked by the government. White, after winning the World Cup, will not get a second term. Komphela has declared that the ANC will never support Jake White if he bids for a second term . . . the point being that he would rather see a losing multi-racial side based purely on political quotas, not merit, represent South Africa than see a predominately white team based on merit .
From the new season onwards the Springboks will by law have to have 10 black players in a squad of 22 irrespective of whether the 10 are of international quality or not.
How come a political party can dictate this? Surely it is an act which circumvents the fundamental principles of sport . . . pick your best team and compete to win. It is amongst other things an act of overt racism and an act where the ruling black ANC party would take huge satisfaction if not glee from diluting and destroying one of the last bastions and passions of the former white ruling class. The ANC recently passed another resolution that the Springbok title and emblem be scrapped. Another gentle kick in the nuts for 200 years of oppression.
Most right-thinking people found apartheid an unspeakable crime against humanity, the world re-acted to a certain extent with political pressure; sporting and economic boycotts played their parts in bringing it to an end in 1994. How much has changed in those 13 years it is hard to quantify but as it currently stands this country is no happy-clappy rainbow nation.
I recently read Martin Meredith's The State of Africa, and it is a stunning read. It charts the history of every state in Africa since accession or independence.
It is also depressing as it charts literally the same dismal cycle of misgovernance, corruption, greed, death, tyrannical leadership etc.
But there is a recurring theme of racial hatred.
Sometimes we lose the real sense of what racism is about in our politically correct and appropriately sanitised society. Calling someone a sambo as they walk down O'Connell Street might now be considered a heinous crime here, but everything is a question of scale. Witness the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda . . . genocide on a grand scale . . . two million dead inside a year. The Biafran War, 1-2 million dead, Darfur . . . the list is endless. Black people hating black people and willing to kill wantonly . . . you talk of scale then this is point blank. But no matter how deep seated the indigenous people's hate for each other is, it pales into insignificance for the dislike of the white man.
Read the book, you can't blame them.
Already it has manifested itself in Zimbabwe . Robert Mugabe's government decides this course of action on a daily basis, overtly racist, as evil as apartheid. So remind me why, when Ireland played Zimbabwe in the recent Cricket World Cup, that nobody said a dicky?
As in the '60s and '70s in the sporting protests/boycotts against South Africa , why weren't there people flour-bombing the cricket crease from crop-dusters or rushing barbed wire fences or holding all day sit-ins outside the Zimbabwean hotel?
If I wanted to register my disgust at Ireland playing sport against such a racist regime how would I do so? I tried to ring the Irish antiapartheid movement but no such organisation exists anymore. Now that Kader Asmal is happily ensconced in power in South Africa , I haven't heard him come back to Ireland and condemn Mugabe and his oppressive regime.
Thabo Mbeki and the ANC give encouragement, economic help and friendship to Mugabe and his regime . . . I find that objectionable.
Mbeki has serious issues to deal with in his country.
An Interpol report stated that the annual murder rate in South Africa is in fact twice the reported rate of 23,500 (47,000); 95 per cent of that is black killing black, only a matter of time before that changes. Hunger, inertia, political unrest and poverty are powerful catalysts for further change. The white man's prosperity and capital are what are required and slowly but surely it will be acquired.
Quite possibly the first step is to take the white man's rugby team away from him . . . that will really hurt.
It is my experience of South Africa that the black man plays soccer almost exclusively and the white man plays rugby. On one weekend in Johannesburg years ago I went to watch the Blue Bulls play in Ellis Park on a Saturday, the following Sunday the Kaiser Chiefs played a game of football. On Saturday there were no black faces in the audience, on Sunday my slightly pink visage and that of my companion were the only white people in attendance.
Out of a population of 48 million, 38 million are black and 4.3 million are white. The minority play a minority sport within that country . . . there is no bar at school, university, club, provincial or international except that you be good enough. The South African international soccer side has one white man in its squad;
there is no bar on participation. The composition of the team is overwhelmingly black yet there is no need for state mandated quotas. Why? If the black political class are serious about multi-racial rugby it should not start from the top down but from the bottom up.
The reason I was opposed to Thabo Mbeki appearing on the pitch in Paris is that he is the president of a party which has imposed sanctions on a sporting body, ones which I think are overtly racist. The spine of the Springbok side realise it and well before their time they are leaving and going to Europe . That is wrong too. It's hard to gauge how weak South Africa will be in 4 years. It is a worrying trend for rugby and things in general in that country.
Have we lost sight of the real meaning of racism or are we afraid to say it. South Africa steps up in 2010 to host the soccer World Cup. If they win, will the white minority rejoice even though they have practically no representation?
Debatble. In the meantime will our moral guardians be as swift to act as they were in the 60's and 70's if there are further discriminatory shifts in sport policy. Should we call for a boycott in 2010 if things deteriorate more?
Heavy Kenny...need a few days to digest this
Sounds somewhat fanatical realy.. While not polically inclined I've got to state that I am far more favourable of the current political regime in SA than I ever was of the NP. The ANC inherited an economy in ruins, the country's international bank balance was far in the red, the world bank refused additional loans. Now SA is nicely back in the black (no pun intended). Politcally how many times did you see the apartheid government acknowledging and publicising government oriented fraud (could count it on one finger) the only time they did anything about it was when they were publically exposed. I have no doubt that there are idiots in government, there always will be, regretably after a liberation struggle, 'favours' are always due both within and outside of the country and it will generally take 2 generations to iradicate appointments on 'struggle' credentials. But I'm inclined to say: "So far, so good"
i don't think anyone really cares if the entire bok side is made up of 6 foot 5 Zulu warriors, just as long as they are ranked number 1 in the world........
catchball
i agree with mike, i could give a continetal flying *$~ what colour makes up the majority in a team. if they are the best in that position then they deserve it.
Sport and politics never have and never should mix. i think that 'ol paddy' over there is a little peeved at the fact that the irish did not really play rugby ( not sure what they did ) for a month. And yes the chances are that the english woudn't have lifted gorden brown up , but then again why would they , they dont really think to much of him and he is no small guy.