The Rugby Championship - Round 3

[_Os_]

Rassie needs to start managing these wins. There was a high jumper I saw in the Olympics, he could easily smash the world record, but every event he only beats it by the minimum increment, sets the new world record and he's done. Goes up by 1cm (which I think is the minimum increase) each time he competes. Rassie must do the same, 1 point better than Twickenham. Every time the Boks play the ABs is a new record win.

Bok fans should be scared now ... always falls apart when I get windgat. But the Kiwis should enjoy the post.

[Sandstorm]

Rassie needs to start managing these wins. There was a high jumper I saw in the Olympics, he could easily smash the world record, but every event he only beats it by the minimum increment, sets the new world record and he's done. Goes up by 1cm (which I think is the minimum increase) each time he competes. Rassie must do the same, 1 point better than Twickenham. Every time the Boks play the ABs is a new record win.

Sergei Bubka used to that in the European Championship meets in the Pole Vault in the 80s. Every time he broke the World Record, he got a cash bonus. So he broke it by 1cm every 3-6 months and kept collecting cheques.

Bok fans should be scared now ... always falls apart when I get windgat. But the Kiwis should enjoy the post.

[Blake]

Bok fans should be scared now ... always falls apart when I get windgat. But the Kiwis should enjoy the post.

I''m always scared of a second test against the All Blacks after beating them in the 1st. Our players (and fans) get complacent and you just know that their players are kakking off in training today, ready to "make things right" on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see if Rassie does what he did in the second Aussie test; make some sweeping changes to the team so that nobody gets too comfortable with their jersey.

[Sandstorm]

Bok fans should be scared now ... always falls apart when I get windgat. But the Kiwis should enjoy the post.

I''m always scared of a second test against the All Blacks after beating them in the 1st. Our players (and fans) get complacent and you just know that their players are kakking off in training today, ready to "make things right" on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see if Rassie does what he did in the second Aussie test; make some sweeping changes to the team so that nobody gets too comfortable with their jersey.

It's in Cape Town. He should bring back Libbok, Moerat and Roos. We don't want Sasha, Etsebeth or Weise to get too comfortable either.

[Blake]

I was lucky enough to get 4 tickets. Upper tier unfortunately. I am not going to pay R 2500 a ticket.

Those are actually some of my favourite seat in that stadium. For the Sevens, regardless of where my tickets say my seats are, I always end up there. Best view in the house for seeing shapes and patterns. Also great for getting out of the sun which is a real bastard on the east stand in the afternoon. Can get a bit cold and gusty up there though.

[_Os_]

Bok fans should be scared now ... always falls apart when I get windgat. But the Kiwis should enjoy the post.

I''m always scared of a second test against the All Blacks after beating them in the 1st. Our players (and fans) get complacent and you just know that their players are kakking off in training today, ready to "make things right" on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see if Rassie does what he did in the second Aussie test; make some sweeping changes to the team so that nobody gets too comfortable with their jersey.

I would be surprised if Rassie does mass changes. Beating the Aussies with one 23 then swapping out that 23 for another, was only possible because the Wobblies are weak. The ABs aren't weak, I'm expecting some changes as it wasn't a complete Bok performance at Ellis Park, but mostly the same again.

[LoveOfTheGame]

We will have to wait until Thursday to find out. Rassie is not naming the squad until then this week.

[Blake]

I would be surprised if Rassie does mass changes. Beating the Aussies with one 23 then swapping out that 23 for another, was only possible because the Wobblies are weak. The ABs aren't weak, I'm expecting some changes as it wasn't a complete Bok performance at Ellis Park, but mostly the same again.

It was said in jest. I'm not expecting massive changes either. Kolisi and Arendse are out obviously. Moerat is back, but Nortje was good so not sure if Rassie will rotate them.
I think Am might also get a go instead of Jessie but who knows. Rassie is full of surprises.

[Sards]

I think Rassie learnt from the Irish tour.

[Sandstorm]

Can't see Willy not being involved in the 23 for CT. He can't sit quietly on the sidelines 2 weeks in a row!!

[Sards]

We will have to wait until Thursday to find out. Rassie is not naming the squad until then this week.

I suppose he doesn't want a repeat of the Eben drama with accusations of cheating etc.

[Blake]

Can't see Willy not being involved in the 23 for CT. He can't sit quietly on the sidelines 2 weeks in a row!!

I wouldn't be too upset with Willie at 15 and Fassi at wing, but I don't know if Rassie wasn't to mess with Fassi who is settling in nicely at 15. Mapimpi will probably get a shot.

[Sards]

We will have to wait until Thursday to find out. Rassie is not naming the squad until then this week.

I suppose he doesn't want a repeat of the Eben drama with accusations of cheating etc.

I used to look forward to the Tuesday announcement.


Does anyone else think the ABs gave everything the first test and were more accurate than we have seen them this year


Can they improve

[Sandstorm]

Can't see Willy not being involved in the 23 for CT. He can't sit quietly on the sidelines 2 weeks in a row!!

I wouldn't be too upset with Willie at 15 and Fassi at wing, but I don't know if Rassie wasn't to mess with Fassi who is settling in nicely at 15. Mapimpi will probably get a shot.

Fassi will start at 15, Mapimpi on the wing. Willie on the bench with Pollard and Williams.

5+3 seems right for such an under-performing Kiwi outfit, especially with their weaker pack and disjointed backrow.

[LoveOfTheGame]

We will have to wait until Thursday to find out. Rassie is not naming the squad until then this week.

I suppose he doesn't want a repeat of the Eben drama with accusations of cheating etc.

I used to look forward to the Tuesday announcement.


Does anyone else think the ABs gave everything the first test and were more accurate than we have seen them this year


Can they improve

Oh they will be better, which is a scary proposition. I also wonder if Razor would have learned some lessons on the use of his bench. I think he cocked that up slightly, he brought them on too late. The Boks will also be better, particularly in their accuracy. They will need to be at their very best to beat the AB's. Winning four in a row against NZ is unheard of and would be some feat, the AB's will dearly want to avoid that.

[Blake]

5+3 seems right for such an under-performing Kiwi outfit, especially with their weaker pack and disjointed backrow.

I don't know if he'll go 5-3.

The last match was so attritional in the forwards (as was the QF match vs France and the second test vs Ireland) that it makes sense to have a lot more cover up front.
With all our heavy carriers we are prone to take a number of bumps with the big boys.

Yes we lost Arendse in the last game, but with a 6-2 bench and loads of versatility with players like SFM and Kolbe we've got decent cover everywhere in the backs. I'd would personally rather shore up the forwards, but let's see what they decide to do.

[Blake]

Oh they will be better, which is a scary proposition. I also wonder if Razor would have learned some lessons on the use of his bench. I think he cocked that up slightly, he brought them on too late.

I don't think he did TBH. We had a very experienced bench and they didn't.
Bringing on his bench earlier would've likely caused momentum so shift our way earlier.
Razor squeezed every drop he could out of his more experienced starters.


The Boks have a lot to improve on for sure. Set pieces were not up to our usual standards which denied us a good platform and also prevented us from building pressure and entering their 22 as often as we would've liked. Defence was more leaky than usual with lots of guys shooting out of the line and biting on double pump dummy passes. I think with Faf out and PSdT being shifted into and out of the loose forwards the "chaotic disruptor defender" role isn't as clearly defined as it used to be under Nienaber. And then on attack the guys are obviously very excited about Tony Brown's influence and having some license to throw the ball around and keep it alive, but they forced it a bit too much and it cost us 2 tries. Handling also needs to improve a lot if they want to do that.

So yeah, lots of work to do which is exciting.

[Sards]

All we can hope for is minimal injuries, a great contest and minimal official interference

[OomStruisbaai]

No way the Springboks will play kak like this again.

[Sandstorm]

So yeah, lots of work to do which is exciting.

This. #1 in the world, making mistakes a-plenty and still beating (nearly) everyone in sight. When we really hit our straps.....

[Sards]

So yeah, lots of work to do which is exciting.

This. #1 in the world, making mistakes a-plenty and still beating (nearly) everyone in sight. When we really hit our straps.....

Calm down. Remember the last time you got cocky. A loss will undo all that good work.
Razor had some interesting moves he prepared for last game. I am sure he has more up his sleeves

[Gumboot]

So yeah, lots of work to do which is exciting.

This. #1 in the world, making mistakes a-plenty and still beating (nearly) everyone in sight. When we really hit our straps.....

Calm down. Remember the last time you got cocky. A loss will undo all that good work.
Razor had some interesting moves he prepared for last game. I am sure he has more up his sleeves

Nah, you guys have beaten us 3 on the bounce now. Rassie's well and truly got our number, and this is probably the best Boks side ever. We'll be lucky to come second in Cape Town.

[assfly]

These injuries we're seeing to our backline players is also showing the risk of going 6-2 or 7-1. Especially when our midgets go flying into every tackle and ruck like their lives depend on it.

[Guy Smiley]

So yeah, lots of work to do which is exciting.

This. #1 in the world, making mistakes a-plenty and still beating (nearly) everyone in sight. When we really hit our straps.....

wow

many pride

[OomStruisbaai]

Slaapstad has been the favorite play ground for the All Blacks. Lots of Cape Crusaders support for them.

[OomStruisbaai]

Springbok vs All Blacks is never normal tests it BIG like the biggest test every time we play each other. Saturdays test have a touch of history attach and IF, in capital letters the Springboks win it will be the first time since 1949 we beat them 4th in a row.

We have a big backlog to catch up. They beat us 8 times in a row between 2001-2004.

[OomStruisbaai]

Springbok vs All Blacks is never normal tests it BIG like the biggest test every time we play each other. Saturdays test have a touch of history attach and IF, in capital letters the Springboks win it will be the first time since 1949 we beat them 4 in a row.

We have a big backlog to catch up. They beat us 8 times in a row between 2001-2004.

[Blake]

These injuries we're seeing to our backline players is also showing the risk of going 6-2 or 7-1. Especially when our midgets go flying into every tackle and ruck like their lives depend on it.

I think a 1-7 split is a bit too risky, but I'm quite comfortable with the risk-reward ratio of a 6-2 given the versatility in we have in the backs. Getting 1 injury in per game in the backs is pretty normal, be it Faf or Arendse knocking themselves out in a tackle, or Willie injuring his shoulder or Jessie getting a gash on his face etc. It happens. Getting 2 in a single match is obviously possible but is quite rare when you just look at the numbers.

The risk is only really in the last quarter when you've brought on all your backline subs and then get an injury, and that can happen regardless of if you had 1, 2 or 3 backline subs on the bench. Our coach is going to clear the bench at 65 mins regardless of the initial composition. I think the days of giving the last 2 bench players 3-5 minutes at the tail end of the game are over.

So my feeling is, as long as you have a plan to cover every position in the event of a backline injury, you should go with as few players as you can get away with.

I really wish the teams would be more open to releasing some of the telematics data from the trackers players are wearing after the games, or at the least after the series. It would be fascinating to see and compare how many meters each players ran during the course of a match, how many impacts they took etc. I suspect once that data is public it would make a lot of sense to have a bench 6-2 makeup of 3 front rowers, 3 second/back rowers and 2 backs as a standard and why Rassie and co seem to prefer that as apposed to the traditional 5-3.

[OomStruisbaai]

Some vineyards news is that the Springboks and All Blacks will chuck TRC from 2026 and will tour each other like the B&L tours every four years. They will still play single tests against the Wallabies and Pumas. That will be awesome. sadly the Springboks wont play that Waikato game that were lost in 1981 but surely the Chiefs. The All Blacks wont get to Upington but will go to Durbs for the Sharks.

[Sandstorm]

The All Blacks wont get to Upington but will go to Durbs for the Sharks.

They're happy to play in front of just 3000 fans?

[LoveOfTheGame]

The All Blacks wont get to Upington but will go to Durbs for the Sharks.

They're happy to play in front of just 3000 fans?

Kokkerot supporters.

[Blake]

Some vineyards news is that the Springboks and All Blacks will chuck TRC from 2026 and will tour each other like the B&L tours every four years. They will still play single tests against the Wallabies and Pumas.

The powers that be obviously have more information than I do about the financial viability of TRC and all the travel costs and logistics etc involved, but personally I hope they don't scrap it. While the prospect of SA vs NZ home-and-way 3 match tours every other year sounds amazing, I think we'd be losing something as well if we kill the competition.

[Biffer]

Some vineyards news is that the Springboks and All Blacks will chuck TRC from 2026 and will tour each other like the B&L tours every four years. They will still play single tests against the Wallabies and Pumas.

The powers that be obviously have more information than I do about the financial viability of TRC and all the travel costs and logistics etc involved, but personally I hope they don't scrap it. While the prospect of SA vs NZ home-and-way 3 match tours every other year sounds amazing, I think we'd be losing something as well if we kill the competition.

This'll be off the back of the Nations Cup pish that's been forced through. No idea when they're fitting this in though, given they've committed to play eleven internationals every other year as part of that tournament. Plus World Cups and hosting the Lions

2026 Nations Cup
2027 World Cup
2028 Nations Cup
2029 Lions in NZ
2030 Nations Cup
2031 World Cup
2032 Nations Cup
2033 Lions in SA
2034 Nations Cup
2035 first opportunity for this idea.

[OomStruisbaai]

The All Blacks wont get to Upington but will go to Durbs for the Sharks.

They're ha
ppy to play in front of just 3000 fans?

You might be surprise. It was a sold out back in 1970.

All Blacks 26, North West Cape 3.

About the match David writes:

It is not uncommon for a rugby side to play at least one “stinker” of a game while touring and the All Blacks can mutter a small prayer that their “stinker” was against such a weak side. The ground was filled to capacity with about 1,500 non-whites crammed into the small section provided at the northern end. They were a noisy lot, all on the side of the All Blacks and when scoring movements did they erupt they got so excited that they burst through the wire mesh fence.

The All Black pack played like eight individuals and the team made hard work against a charged-up North West Cape team. Sid Going had butter fingers; where uncertain; tentative; under constant pressure and generally lethargic behind a forward pack that did not play as a unit.



Sid Going against North West Cape. The North West Cape player is no 9, Ravenscroft

The All Blacks was impressed with the size of the North West Cape forwards and surprised by the vim and vigour of their play. McLean writes:

The All Blacks had been told North West Cape were the worst team this side of the Black Stump and when they discovered that, instead Prinsloo at prop and Engelbrecht and Young at lock were huge men of about 17 stone, that van Eden on the flank and Mostert at the back were useful flank forwards, a certain amount of disagreeable humour with the tale-tellers became evident.

Everyone in the North West Cape team had a go at knocking the All Blacks down and Longland, de Waal and van Tonder in the midfield incessantly plundered the attacking forces.

Bokkie Basson, a lovely handler, made a great impression as a polished fullback and an even stronger impression by retailing that he customarily travelled at least 10,000 miles a year to play rugby. Ravenscroft at scrumhalf was good and Conradie on the wing had the drop on Thorne for pace. If this were indeed the worst team in South Africa, then God help New Zealand.

The superior talent and class of the AB team showed through and the constant pressure they applied with phase after phase of probing paid off and eventuated in 8 tries for the visitors. North West Cape’s only points came from a penalty.

Thorne scored 3 tries while Meads, Dick, Lister, Davis and McLeod also dotted down behind the goal line for The AB.

I played against Bokkie Basson (he died a few weeks ago) back in the day. He played for Nababeep rugby club, Namaqualand sub union in North West Cape province those days. To travel to Upington is 400kms and they use to drive by car on the thursday, practise on friday, play on saturday and travel back on sunday.

[Calculon]

Some vineyards news is that the Springboks and All Blacks will chuck TRC from 2026 and will tour each other like the B&L tours every four years. They will still play single tests against the Wallabies and Pumas.

The powers that be obviously have more information than I do about the financial viability of TRC and all the travel costs and logistics etc involved, but personally I hope they don't scrap it. While the prospect of SA vs NZ home-and-way 3 match tours every other year sounds amazing, I think we'd be losing something as well if we kill the competition.

It's happening

Eight matches – including three Tests, four contests against United Rugby Championship (URC) clubs and one match against SA “A” will mark the All Blacks’ first full tour to South Africa in 30 years when they arrive in 2026.

There will be a fourth Test, but that will be staged outside of South Africa – probably played in London, or North America – that won’t form part of the official series

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article ... s-in-2026/

[Sandstorm]

Some vineyards news is that the Springboks and All Blacks will chuck TRC from 2026 and will tour each other like the B&L tours every four years. They will still play single tests against the Wallabies and Pumas.

The powers that be obviously have more information than I do about the financial viability of TRC and all the travel costs and logistics etc involved, but personally I hope they don't scrap it. While the prospect of SA vs NZ home-and-way 3 match tours every other year sounds amazing, I think we'd be losing something as well if we kill the competition.

It's happening

Eight matches – including three Tests, four contests against United Rugby Championship (URC) clubs and one match against SA “A” will mark the All Blacks’ first full tour to South Africa in 30 years when they arrive in 2026.

There will be a fourth Test, but that will be staged outside of South Africa – probably played in London, or North America – that won’t form part of the official series

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article ... s-in-2026/