Why take on Argentina up-front?

By Tank Lanning

I am angry! And two things one should never do when angry is argue with your wife or write a column on the Boks … you tend to say things you don’t really mean …

But as I said in the build-up to the game … Why did Heyneke Meyer choose to take on Argentina up front and physically? Without doubt their biggest strength; would it not have made sense to move the ball around and take them on out wide with more guile and skill than brute force?

It only happened twice in the match, and on both occasions Jean de Villiers made a good few yards, with Argentina looking at sixes and sevens. Does Meyer not have faith in the skill of our backs? Does he not have faith in the fitness of our forwards to play a more expansive game which aims to take the contact point wider? Or does he not have the ability to coach that game?

Instead he picks Jacques Potgieter to bash it up off a pass from the scrummie? Not even a hint of aiming for space instead of the man, or an offload in a tackle on the outside centre to a big loosie or fullback running an imaginative line? It really was very desperate stuff from the Boks.

That said – well done Argentina! They took the Boks on up front and really rattled them. It was gutsy stuff filled with passion and physical industry. They slowed the Boks ball down (and perhaps Steve Walsh let them get away with a few illegal tactics) and dragged them into an ugly arm wrestle, which they won!

More on the Boks once the red mist has subsided … but I am properly concerned …

Below a look at the weekend’s results:

Rugby Championship:
Argentina 16 – 16 South Africa
New Zealand 22 – 0 Australia

Currie Cup:
Blue Bulls 42 – 31 The Sharks
Lions 26 – 23 WP
Griquas 16 – 29 Cheetahs

Currie Cup 1st division:
Leopards 32 – 38 Griffons
Valke 38 – 36 Border
SWD 7 – 29 Eastern Province
Boland 33 – 36 Pumas

U21:
Blue Bulls 41 – 13 Cheetahs
WP 31 – 17 Border
Leopards 35 – 40 Sharks
Griquas 40 – 14 Griffons
SWD 22 – 31 EP
Boland 20 – 24 Pumas

U19:
Border 37 – 12 EP
Bulls 39 – 20 Free State
WP 55 – 11 SWD
Leopards 29 – 8 Sharks
Griquas 36 – 19 Griffons
Boland 10 – 19 Pumas

Club Rugby:
Evergreens 43-11 Blanco (to take SWD title)
Rovers 27-21 Crusaders (to take Castle Murray Cup)
Villagers 19-27 False Bay