_Os_ wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:26 pm
I went to the Wales test. Didn't have internet for most of the time since then. Wanted to watch the TV coverage, before I put some stuff up that you can't see on TV (and most of us have only watched this side on TV, I'm one of the few Bok fans to watch the side live since the RWC ... which is strange).
I always get to a test early, cheer the coach in, Vermeulen gave me a thumbs up as the coach went in. Also get in early to watch the warm up.
Rassie was the first out for the warm up, he was in Bok training kit. He gets stuck in like one of the players, it was hard to tell he was staff and not a player. Before the test 23 came out, when the guys that weren't selected were getting ready so that the test 23 could have an opposed training run at the end of the warm up, Rassie was already out there seemed to enjoy getting physical (Marvin Orie was really going for it, Orie looks a lot bigger in person he looks a bit weedy on TV). The next group of players out were the backs to run through the kicking/chasing/catching drills/place kicking, Rassie was deep in all that too putting bombs up. Saw him casually slot some goals from about 30 metres out (off training cones), took 3 or 4 shots and missed none he was laughing whilst doing this. He took all the test 23 backrows and locks through some rucking drills (Nienaber took the frontrows through the same drills, other coaches for the backs doing the same drills). Then the hilarious bit, when the Welsh come out to warm up, Rassie just dumped everything he was doing pulls a coaches bib on and walks to the middle of the park, stands just inside the Bok half and watches everything they do. Two Welsh coaches come up to him and he shakes their hand. Later after it's clear he's not leaving another Welsh coach (Jenkins I think, but hard to tell) came up to him, no clue what was said obviously, Rassie belly laughed and continued observing. Nienaber was taking the side through lineout/scrum and backline drills in the corner, Rassie just remained in the middle of the park overseeing the Welsh warm up. End of the warm up was interesting with full game simulations and half contact. Rassie was also the last off after the warm up, carrying the tackle bags etc.
They wore the new jersey (with the African art inspired design) for the warm up. It has got a lot of hate. It looked okay, but did seem like a Sevens jersey. Would've worked better if it was all white (like the away jersey) with the design on the lower half of the jersey.
Boks produced a lot of overlaps, or at least situations where they had players stretched across the entire width of the park and the Welsh didn't (both sides equal numbers, but the Boks positioning themselves across the entire width of the park). This wasn't visible on the TV coverage at all. The Boks never choose to use that attacking option until the final quarter, often the ball was too slow anyway. Looked like the Welsh stopped defending against the possibility of the Boks moving the ball wide/running, and went narrower. The Welsh were much more narrower than the Boks. Then in the final quarter the Boks tried to pass/run more, the players were there for breaks similar to those in the final quarter the entire game. Conditions were bad, there were sheets of rain the entire match this wasn't visible on the TV coverage really, certainly played a role in the Boks not using the width. Looked to me like the Bok backline was selected to attack ball in hand and didn't get the chance to do that, ended up kicking and it wasn't our best kicking/chasing side (Frans mentioned it had been sunny all week and the weather on the day was unexpected).
Wales didn't offer much on attack, there was no sense Wales were trying to execute any sort of attacking plan to unlock the Bok defence. It just looked like whatever plan they turned up with, that got smashed at the set piece by the Boks and they didn't have much left after that, I expected more from them. It probably would've been worse for Wales if the weather was better. Never felt like the Boks could lose.
Front row and bench front row were all excellent. Watching live, I think opposition frontrows struggle with the body shape of Ox/Bongi/Trevor, very low centre of gravity (short legs and not tall), massive barrel body shapes with strong legs, basically nothing to get under. You can see that a bit on the TV coverage, but it's clearer live.
Frans positioned himself to pass/carrying most of the match (so he didn't stand deep on our ball to run into the line as an option, he stood flat in the line as literally the only player positioned to get the ball wide), slotted in between Am and Kriel, but with a lot of space between them all (the three of them covering 1/3 or so of the width of the park). Just about every time he positioned himself to receive a kick on Welsh ball, the ball was kicked onto the space he positioned himself in. Very economical player, didn't actually cover much ground but is always in the right place, like a really great soccer player when they get old (don't run as much, perfect positioning, touch the ball about 10 times all of it brilliant putting others around them into space). This is how he can be backrow size and last an entire match in the backline, there's no wasted movement. You see none of this on the TV coverage. Fairly convinced he's going to the 2023 RWC and will get close to 100 caps, not bad considering he missed 4 or 5 seasons because HM and AC were morons, probably should've ended up the most capped Bok.
Moment of the match was Frans' penalty kick from beyond the halfway line in the rain. Immediately stood up and roared that over as soon as it left his boot (everyone around me silent as a graveyard), knew it was going over. Frans' performance and that kick is what I'll remember from that one, a masterclass.