Deans and Meyer wouldn’t want to admit it – but the home/away clashes between their two teams could likely decide one of their fates.
Deans’ position is, perhaps unfairly, the more precarious. A bit like a British coach in SA – a Kiwi coach in Oz, is de facto an unpalatable situation for many golden blooded antipodeans. The fact that Deans’ returned from a “pointless†trip back “home†last week, is enough to make Joey pee in his pouch (I have no idea if this is a biological actuality by the way – but surely a worthwhile Wiki).
The Australian press have no sympathy for the argument that with Pocock and Brand‘o Connor out, and Q Cooper and Beale not yet returning to even average form – Deans is sitting with helplessly damp wood and no firelighters for the barbee . The ‘loids and broad-sheets alike are reluctant to concede that they are no.2 and they have simply lost two weeks in a row to a no. 1 who are well worth the ranking! As a rule, Australian’s only tolerate Rugby Union if they are winning. As a Nation, they have all but invented two other forms of superior oval ball footie, just to break away from the annoying double-punch that Rugby Union was invented by their gaolers and perfected by their neighbours.
If the Australians lose at home to the Boks – they’ll have some patriot bounce Robbie’s head off the MCG square to start the next AFL derby match. That’ll teach the little Kiwi upstart! He’ll scuttle off (or whatever it is that flightless birds do)….to coach the Waratahs?
South African rugby fans are grumpy. We do get very grumpy – when our enormously ugly style of rugby also adds ineffectual and resultless to its list of adjectives. Meyer hasn’t been in the hot seat long – but if he were born yesterday and been given the job in the last ad-break – we still would not forgive a dreadful draw with an out-of-season, training-wheel England team or the near loss to Argentina. Argentina are fantastic – steeped in history, fanatical support, with a ferocious local league and World class players plying their trade in the very best European clubs – OH wait that’s their football! The Pumas are a team of honest semi-pros with some tough journeyman learning French in the brothels and front rows of Europe. Argentina have a Petri-dish pool of talent – Meyer wades in the Olympic diving pool – as deep as it is wide – spilling over with players and options. The draw and dismal execution of almost every aspect were on the brink of inexcusable. Argentina drawing with Bafana in a World Cup? Should never happen.
“That is picking not coaching†said Mayer this week, when the press suggested significant changes – the subtle irony, never a Blue Bulls strong point – was lost on Meyer, since BOTH style and personnel weakness were what most reporters were getting at. Meyer too has injuries – Burger perhaps the biggest loss for Meyer’s particular game plan – but in other respects – he has lots of options he is choosing to ignore. An away loss to Australia will not be the death knell for Meyer, but a return defeat to the Wallabies will start the niggle.
Earlier this year the Irish played a game of fanatical intensity and passion which disrupted the All Blacks flow almost enough – but with Carter back to form (backed up by Cruden) and the presence of that true rarity these days – a genuine no.8 equipped with strength and nuance – it takes a rather blindly optimistic Springbok fan to tout us beating the AB’s here or there! The antiquated, possessionless, game-plan (kick and chase, but now without the seriously attacking line-out) nor the personnel – characterized by the very poor form of an already severely limited Morne Steyn, leaves most of us with the lost-remote-control feeling that the AB’s may just be unbeatable this year. And that makes us very, very grumpy indeed.
In Perth on Saturday – there is a distinct feeling that 22 Australians and 1 Kiwi will be playing for their lives – I do not quite get the sense the same yet applies to the Boks – who may still be jostling for position. The Australians have often outsmarted us over there – neutralizing the brutes Rossouw, Burger, Botha, Butch – in days gone by. But I hazard they will bring the intensity and physicality on the weekend. If they lose they will walk out to boos or leave-early’s – that’s a lot of pressure and likely to create mistakes. The writings back up against the wall, as one ex-coach might say. We’ll see if Meyer is smart enough to capitalize.
reuthers