­
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER

SA Rugby magazine

South African rugby news, interviews, videos and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER
You are here: Home ∼ What we’ve learned

What we’ve learned

Published on September 21, 2015 | Leave a response

Five lessons from the opening weekend of the World Cup, according to SIMON BORCHARDT.

Fortune favours the brave
The Boks were leading 32-29 at Brighton Stadium when Japan twice turned down a shot at goal that would have earned them a memorable draw. Instead, they pushed for a match-winning try, which eventually came a full four minutes after the hooter. It was a brave decision from captain Michael Leitch that allowed his Brave Blossoms to pull off the biggest upset in the history of Test rugby.

Eddie Jones is still a master tactician
If the result of the match was close, the battle between the two coaches in Brighton wasn't, as Jones totally out-thought Heyneke Meyer. Japan were able to force seven turnovers, because they only committed one tackler to the ruck with the Boks sending in four men at a time. After two or three rucks, the Boks had several men on the ground, with Japan then being able to flood the breakdown and steal the ball. Jones also ensured that there were always three defenders back to collect the kick, and that his players cut the Boks down around the ankles.

Sonny Bill Williams can make a big impact off the bench
Williams replaced Ma'a Nonu in the 46th minute of the All Blacks' match against Argentina, and proved to be the most influential of the replacements as they fought back from 16-12 down to win 26-16. With his second touch of the ball, he broke away down the blindside before making a freakish offload in the tackle. So surprised was Nehe Milner-Skudder by that bit of skill that he knocked the ball on with an open tryline beckoning. Williams's performance showed why he is an indispensable member of the match 23 and has given coach Steve Hansen a selection headache.

The All Blacks must improve their discipline
New Zealand had to play with 13 men at one stage at Wembley following two yellow cards. Richie McCaw admitted that his foot trip of Juan Martín Fernandéz Lobbe was 'dumb' and put his team under pressure, as was Conrad Smith's cynical infringement at the breakdown soon afterwards. While they didn't prove costly in terms of the result, that may not be the case against a better team than Argentina.

England's scrum is still not right
Stuart Lancaster would have been delighted with his side's bonus-point win against Fiji at Twickenham, but concerned about the scrum. On one occasion, England messed up a scrum on their line immediately after Fiji had had a try disallowed. It wasn't a one-off either, as England conceded three scrum penalties against France in their World Cup warm-up in Paris and were also dominated up front by Ireland at Twickenham. Former England No 8 Lawrence Dallaglio suggested the forwards weren't working together at scrum-time on Friday night, which is something they will need to address before the big pool clashes against Wales and the Wallabies.

Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Posted in Match Centre

Post by Simon Borchardt

Simon Borchardt

Check out Blackout Rugby Manager HERE!

← Previous Next →

Sevens’ party falls flat

World Rugby shouldn’t have messed with a winning sevens formula, writes SIMON...

Draining format clogs Blitzboks’ blockage

A protracted schedule took the wind out of South Africa's sails at...

England cut Eddie, Razor to stop the bleeding

England have made the rash decision to part ways with coach Eddie...

Rassie ref hom in die rooi

Rassie Erasmus is hardly the embarrassment that some are making him out...

Cut and paste Kurt-Lee for Kolbe

Kurt-Lee Arendse ticks all the right boxes to replace the injured Cheslin...

Rassie auditions for England job

Rassie Erasmus has made the most calculated of public job applications to...

Boks need to make mentality adjustment

The Springboks need to lose their underdog mentality, writes SIMNIKIWE XABANISA in...

Kolbe’s worth every penny

Cheslin Kolbe’s big-money move to Toulon should be welcomed as a massive...

‘Bok gameplan, when executed correctly, is hard to match’

The opportunity to play against the All Blacks is a career highlight...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Bonus-point Bulls douse Dragons
  • Munster maul luckless Lions
  • Stormers sign off 2022 in style
  • Sharks carve Bulls on New Year’s Eve

Jacques Burger’s Perfect XV

    BKT United Rugby Championship, Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland 8/1/2023 Glasgow Warriors vs DHL Stormers Stormers' Damian Willemse Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Craig Watson
  • Highlights: Heartbreak for Stormers in Glasgow thriller

###


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

African Insider
African Insider News

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup
    • Challenge Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER