South Africa even when we looked good maybe cruising at 50%. we all once they demolish all scrums and lineouts and get the defence into another gear.... That would be amazing to see. I think its loading for 2027.
One crazy stat is, despite winning 10/12 games this season so far, Rassie has still been making changes regularly to build an extended squad that can and have all played together. Wilco Louw was the 50th player used by Rassie this season which is insane.
My conclusion was, how good must a team be to concede 15 penalties, play with 14 men and still win by almost 10 points. The Bokke are going to be so dangerous when everything clicks and they can perform at 90% plus. I honestly thought England didn't play badly at all. Great show. Thanks Tim.🤙🇿🇦😎
Tim you are not allowed to stop making videos, ever!😉 You have a fan base waiting for your video’s after each game now. That’s rugby now.. watch the game and see if you have seen it the same way 😂 another spot on video. Thank you!
My husband is a great follower of your channel. I have joined as well as you really make it factual and interesting. Than you. I'm from South Africa. 😊🇿🇦
4 tries against England, non of them off a scrum or mall, with 5-3 bench. I hope some of the commentary after this year related to the "boring" style of play from the Boks starts to change from the detractors of SA. And 50 players rotated within the Boks squads this year. Absolutely INSANE! Rassie is truly building 2 World Cup winning squads.
The reason we (the rest of the world) are so scared of the bok forwards is because they release that fightening back line, usually under the freedom of advantage. Don't listen to the folks who don't like a scrum or lineout and claim the sport is not one of collision. The rest of us know the Boks are double world champs because they have the best forwards AND the best backline. Truth is, when it comes to knock out world cup rugby it will be the "boring" rugby which wins them tight matches again.
@davidhanley6135 I made this same chirp to Tim on his previous vid re "the double world champs". Bokke are quadruple world champs. Yes, I understand back to back victors, etc, but so are the AB's. Much better to properly delineate, otherwise technically speaking, Australia are also double world champs (just not back to back). Yes, it's pedantic. Still, double, triple, quadruple, keeps the perspective proper, in my opinion.
Everyone’s missing the real game plan here: Rassie Erasmus isn’t playing with 23 players, he’s playing with 50! The Springboks have turned the whole squad into a rotation machine. While the rest of the world sticks to 23, Rassie’s 10 steps ahead
Rassie wants all combinations to work, regardless of who's playing. Different play styles too. That's why his splits are different too, every team needs to be defeated differently.
True... This is because Rassie has the talent to do this & punish the rest of the world with the depth in talent we have in SA. Lets be honest how many other countries have 3 International Rugby teams ready, available & able to contest against any A Team out there? 🤔
South african depth is crazy. They have 3 international level packs ready to go. 4 very good scrum halves 2 top and very different 10s. 4or five great wingers. They are weakest in midfield but still very strong there with allende, am, kreil etc.. here in ireland we have a very good 23 but are struggling to add to this especially in the front row.
Absolutely as a Quins fan but to be world class he needs a good scrum half now Danny C retired and needs to improve his touchline kicking out of hand.Pollard,Barratt all kick 30mtrs+ down the line😊
As a bok fan I'm still confused by the media this year saying how bad England an all blacks have become etc etc and borthwick must go etc etc Sorry guys,both teams are quality and maybe 1 or 3 bounces going another way and 2024 was a different year. Proud of the boks for a great year
Tim, Wildcard has an interesting take on the Fassi “forward “ pass. The on-field decision is a try, and the TM effing O can only overturn it if it’s clear and obvious, which it was not….
OMG!!! I just posted basically the same comment above! Lol... The Try was disallowed & pinned on Maro Itoge... BUT that final pass was ridiculously forward anyway! Fassi's pass was nowhere near that! 😅
I really don’t understand how you can see that as forward. Steward’s running as the ball leaves his hands when he’s about a metre out from the 5m line, Slade catches it on the 5m line. Bare in mind it’s about a 20m pass as well, if it was really forward out of the hands wouldn’t it travel forward a lot more than just 1-2m.
Maro Itoje’s penalty saved the TMO’s blushes. As a Bok fan, I really wanted to see whether Henry Slade’s try was going to be awarded/not, because it was almost a splitting image of Arendse’s try. The angle on TV showed the last pass to be more forward than Fassi’s. If the officials set a standard, then that standard needs to be applied across both teams. We just need consistency.
I feel the same way with the boks blocking the runners during the high kicks. In every game this has veen reffed strictly in this game England got a penalty after about the 5th time it happened. Also the two neck rolls…. No yellows for either team but a red for Scotland last week ? Massive inconsistency
Well done to both teams. Obviously happy the Bokke won, but England is a team that we always respect. Hard rugby...but thats what we expect from the English. Thanks Tim..ZA
England brought it to us. SB needs to stay. He is learning still. Joe has not had time to organize his defense system. What a game!! Tim, you are a legend 🎉😊
you’re very good at this tim. objective analysis, personal feelings, permeable presence. passionate informed non-posturing rugby devotee. compared to some other channels, like, uhmmmm, anything to do with jeff wilson and sir kirwin, although i do like mr muliaina.
Great analysis Tim!! For England the bench (and bench selections) is our biggest problem across the autumn. Isikwe, Cole and Dombrant have offered nothing in 3 games.
In my opinion, the TMO should only be involved in 1 of 2 situations: A) He is called on by the referee to assist in a decision B) He has spotted potential foul play/dangerous action. B is the only time he should be directly intervening in a game, and if so, he should do so as soon as possible. All other involvements should be a direct result of the referee calling for a TMO review. None of this TMO chiming in because a pass may have been forward or the chaser was a few inches in front of the kicker, and no waiting for play to stop before telling the referee that there was head contact a few phases ago. It should be head contact > tmo tells ref > ref sees 1 or two angles on screen (It's usually fairly bloody obvious on the first angle, but they insist on showing 3-4 angles 2-3 times each) > yellow card > off for review. What's the point of the yellow card review if they show the referee everything they have right in the middle of the game, only for it to be sent off for review anyway. Also, if the referee spots something like head contact, he doesn't need to see it again from multiple angles. He should just tell the tmo that he's seen head contact, recommend a yellow card, and ask the tmo to confirm. No need to put it up on the screen and waste 30 seconds of everyone's time.
absolutely. As player and spectator of the 70s, we just accepted that what the ref saw was what happened - even if he saw it wrong. That's what was needed in the spirit of the game. Player safety is the only good reason is use a TMO
Or, and I don’t necessarily believe this, he should help all of the decisions be the correct decisions. If every decision is correct, always, then it’s fair. The closer we get to this the better?
@StopTheRot I think that's largely true, but there has to be a balance of that and the rhythm of the game. If the two extremes are intense analysis at the cost of anybody wanting to actually watch the game, and basically just the ref on the field making all the decisions at the cost of fairness, then we obviously have to strike a balance between the two. I just think that we're too close to the former, where in pursuit of fairness the TMO is calling almost anything he sees. Dangerous play? Sure, call it out. But scrum half picked the ball up an inch from the ground and dropped it for a split second? I've seen that being called out by the TMO before and it's ridiculous. Or that forward pass from SA. Yes, it was forward. Just barely. But if neither the ref nor the linesman have spotted it while in play, I just don't like that we have to go all the way back to it and then review it after the try was scored. It's a little bit less fair but overall more entertaining. You do get occasional games where both the TMO and the ref are really smart about what to call out out and what to let play on and it makes for great games. The problem is that because the TMO has both so much information at his disposal and so much influence on the game, some of them think it's their duty to make sure the game is played exactly to code and end up calling out everything.
Agreed! England and SA supporters were happy with both tries until the TMO stepped in, disallowed than and f….ed up the player and viewing experience. Such marginal calls that the on field officials and crowd didn’t see anything amiss.
As a Bok fan i shudder to think how powerful the English pack could be if they had Ted Hill, jack willis and tom willis in the mix. Same with Henry Arundel playing in the backline.
You mentioned “Big name players.” This was actually discussed in the after game discussion in the Supersport studio by, I think, Nick Mallet that SA have so many players who are producing game changing moments emphasising the fact that SA currently have a riches of World class players. Something mentioned during commentary was that, with the well deserved appearance of Wilco Louw, SA have fielded 50 Springboks during 2024. This has created a huge pool of highly competent players but is also possibly the reason why we are not currently firing on all cylinders. The constant changes do not help continuity. Another observation from the weekend so far is the lack of continuity in the modern game. Too many laws and constant interference from the TMO and assistant referees. Greetings from a sunny and relatively windless Fish Hoek in Cape Town. Keep up the good work.
L'Angleterre a affronté seulement les 3 grosses nations de l'hémisphère sud. C'est un énorme défi et le XV de la Rose a été au niveau à chaque fois. Vous auriez pu gagner les 3. Vous avez une très bonne équipe et vous regagnerez très bientôt. Bisous !
Great point Tim on the Kurt Lee Arendse disallowed try. I’m a Saffa and I’m not saying it should have stood BUT the fact that opinion is so divided on it speaks a lot and a TMO can only rule out the referees decision if there is a CLEAR AND OBVIOUS ERROR and there was absolutely nothing clear and obvious about that hence the divided opinion.
I think another issue with the last 20 minutes thing is that it will give all England’s opponents real belief too. Especially as England aren’t a team who can put on enough points to make it moot by 60 mins. Same thing with England’s cricket team previously - when you collapse so much, it gets into your head that you’ll collapse but it ALSO gives the other team belief that they’re always in the game. Ultimately England need players with better basic skills and more size and speed…
My issue with the Maro neck roll was that so many times that, something like that or equivalent will be ignored; some TMOs, against some teams, seem more desperate to ‘find a reason to disallow’ rather than reasonably look for howlers, egregious etc.
Agreed. I'd also add if you want to find infringements, you can look at any breakdown and see about 5 different ones. LOTS for a TMO to use if they want to intervene in games
TMOs aren’t utilised this way in the Rugby Championship. They’re used for try confirmation and genuine fowl play, not potential forward passes or knock ons at the ruck 3-4 phases earlier. Far less intervention than we’ve seen in the autumn series. Hemispheres have different rules for TMO use. I prefer less intervention and leave it to the refs on the field.
Yes please no more Manie. He is just too inconsistent, he makes a great play and makes 2 terrible ones. He is also such liability on defence. They targeted him the whole game and made massive meters off his channel
@@jacquesventer3170😅😅😂 don't think we were watching the same game or you are just a hater who just cannot keep it under his skin . Manie is yet to improve so long he is under Rassie's wing, yous can say whatever you like but they are not dropping his just to please you poms
@@kwedini1181 the springboks are not a team that you come into and improve. That is what the provincial sides are there for. You mist be the best when you play for the boks. Sasha is wayyyy better and has BMT. Manie has no BMT. He almost cost us the world cup
I think you answered the problem with Eng a couple of videos ago (could have been your team selection preview) - Felix Jones left before the defensive patterns were bedded in, so they're still trying to do it, and seem to be in a phase of "arrested development". You called it before the game ;) And yes, FULLY agree on everything you said about TMO. Wakes up on game day and decides he wants to play a starring role in the match. It's killing the game in exactly the way you described.
Watched the game in my local bar last night. The real time joke (a few times), when patriots where about to celebrate or celebrating was "hold on, we have not heard from the TMO yet." I found you take interesting, as it was happening in real time at the bar.
I am a Bokke man, who has lived in the UK for decades. But untimely I am a rugby man and want all rugby tests to end up with a one point margin. The problem with the current England set up is that, in my opinion, it has no identity or style. They are trying to copy other teams successful tactics rather than play to their own strengths. Take the blitz defence, which they are trying to copy from the Boks and other teams. For it to work you have to have a lightening quick backline and back row. As much to get back into position for the subsequent phases as for the initial rush. If you are not naturally fast you will always be playing catch up and will have no rest time, while the quicker backline has time to draw air when they are back in position. So you have to be fit to an unachievable level to play the rush defence for an entire game with a (comparatively - at international level) pedestrian backline. Thats what Rassie was saying. To pick Steward as a fullback using a rush defence is risky. No wonder Rassie waited for Thursday, and once he heard the news of Stewards selection, picked the fastest backline he could, A great counter to Stewards awesome aerial skills. England need to develop their own identity, starting with a spread defence. Defence wins games, attack decides by how much. Tim, a question. Can you see any unselected English players in the premiership who could add speed to the team to allow an effective Ruch defence (if you even agree with what I think?).
Tim after the season is finished could you maybe make a video rating the top10-15 teams overall performances and give your thoughts on their season, who the best players were and what you think the future will hold for the teams, i think this could be a great video, cheers mate love the videos as always
Agree with your comments on the fact that the Boks did not quite click. Understandable in this phase where Rassie is building his next World Cup team. He played the 50th player this year already! Some players do well in this, but I think it is not helping Manie Libbok’s confidence. Ominous for the rest of the world for sure. I think England did better than what people think. Marcus Smith is great, but there are still too many egos in the team, psychologically they are not there yet. Still over-celebrating small things, as we saw Ireland also do recently.
I think Kolbe summed it up in the MoM interview saying the Boks sometimes don't 'stay as hungry as the opposition' for the full eighty minutes+. This game showed some lethargy from the boys in green, although it has to be said England turned up (as they often do, which gets forgotten sometimes) and it was there for them to win.
@@randomlyfactual1943 Sweden are the best of the Scandinavians, but at least two tiers below the 6 nations. Denmark do not have a large playing base, and despite being a country of large individuals, do not have an aggressive and physical mentality. I would expect the Danish national team to be competitive in one of the English National League 2 divisions - I guess it would have to be League 2 North!
Tim, England needs to start selecting foreign-league based players. England still needs player like Owen Ferrel, David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlum, Jack Willis, Joe Marchant and Henry Arundel. This will strike a balance between Premiership players and those outside the Premiership will bring on new experience.
Agreed, while it makes sense for NZ to have such a rule due to travel, players in the top14 can be in England in 2-3 hrs tops. England losing someone like Jack Willis is just insane.
Fassi's pass was never forward, not even flat. Shocker from Ben Whitehouse. Andy Brace tried his very best to bring England back into the game in the final 20 pulling penalties from his ass and conjuring up a yellow card (nearly two). If there are legitimate complains it should come from the Boks. Well done Springboks
Tim, as usual a balanced well constructed video. I completely agree with your take on the officiating and TMOs. We certainly don’t want to go the way of football and VAR. It worries me that players and captains on the receiving end of moments of excellence, immediately get in the referee’s ear when they concede and almost insist that the TMO checks X, Y & Z. As you rightly said, Andrew Brace and the Assistant Referee on the touch line were in the perfect position to make the call! I agree with your views on Steve Borthwick and the dreadful fall off when England’s bench come on. Am I correct that George Ford was the only person left unused? Reckon we have missed a trick to bring in the next generation of players for the future - especially props! Why haven’t we seen the new Gloucester prop, who apparently had Ellis Genge on toast in the recent Bristol v Gloucester match? Questions, questions …
Nothing wrong with England's coach. They played the Springboks for goodness sake. England is getting better and they will click. I think England is going to be a force in the six nations. They are trying too hard under pressure and the refs penalties which are supposed to speed up the game but slows it down. Cheslin Kolbe is just a superstar.
Relieved to see this, literally and figuratively, more sober review today. Definitely closer to the mark. I’m just not prepared to keep the faith with Borthwick. If it was just the performances, you could say stick with it, it’s going to click. But throw in the obvious issues with holding his staff together, his woeful bench picks, and the glaring dearth of confidence he imparts in front of a microphone… I really don’t see him ever bringing an England squad to a consistent level of excellence. I’m generally stunned by this spinelessness around accepting what we’ve seen for a while now. It’s elite sport. It’s real money. It’s high stakes. In what other sport would this be tolerated? We can prattle on about rugby being a set apart but it’s delusional. Top level football demands results. Top level athletics and Olympic sports demand results. F1 demands results. Tennis, golf, you name it. If rugby is unique it’s the daft latitude it gives people like Borthwick to be subpar over prolonged periods .
Good observation and comments. I was a bit p'd off with the ref. At one stage I thought he breathed through the whistle. Any way an ugly win is better than a pretty lose.
Missing Farell ( in my humble opinion), even if its off the bench for the last quarter. He is a leader and is not afraid to take ownership of decisions. He is great at steering his sldes around the pitch and has done so for years. His experience and leadership qualities are greatly missed!!!
Tim, we have some exciting players, I'm judging England today, the A team look and feel more exciting, some fantastic players that are getting overlooked by the main team management.
2 hrs on and they showed me what we are lacking in the first team, Japan should be 100% made up of up and coming players, if you don't try them out how will we ever find out how good some of these fringe players are.
I don't think they should get rid of Borthwick yet, he had a good world cup (even if a lot of that was the draw), and has generally been ok, but I also think we look poorly coached right now. Defensively we have been all over the place, and I get it that Jones leaving was a big blow, but losing him in the first place has to fall partly on Borthwick, and continuing to run without him, and sticking to it while it's being shredded is madness. In attack, we have shown sparks of life, but so much of it has been down to Marcus Smith brilliance it's hard to give the coaching staff too much credit & bench selection & substitution patterns have been so poor all Autumn.
Agreed on the TMO story - I think TMO's should only come in on calls where the refs on the pitch physically cannot see what happened. Like in the early days of TMO, they only really came in where they had to check if a foot went into touch or if a ball was grounded for a try. This thing of calling the game back in time for a penalty from last week is a waste of time. If anything they should put the clock back as well to compensate the teams for the wasted playing time.
The best result for England at this stage as they now have had their weakness exposed by the best team in the world. 60% great teamwork from England now they must only concentrate on the 40% (defence and confidence)not a bad place to be for the next world cup. As for our team, the Bokke, they have set the benchmark.
England are not as far off as everyone seem to think, they've been in with a chance going back to their New Zealand tour IMHO. Boks winning when not at their best is a great sign 👌
Regarding the ENG disallowed try for Itoje’s neck roll, that was also miles forward yet the official who was inline never flagged it nor the Ref. If TMO’s are going to get involved with forward passes they need the tools/tech like in Football to line it up to show their findings.
England played very well and they really pressured our Boks,that wasn't there best but I'm very glad they won, proud of the green and gold, proudly South African 👏👏👏👏👏
The problem is not with SB or the players. they just need time... it will all come together for England eventually. As always a great report Tim, thank you! 🇿🇦
I’m an England fan and I think we punched above our weight during these three games. Our players don’t play at a high enough level week in week out to compete consistently with the best. The loss of Jones has obviously had a negative impact on our defence.but our players are not getting to play with the kind of intensity needed to bridge the gap from club to international level. I agree with you that just simply changing our head coach wouldn’t make any difference. We have the talent and players with the X factor such as Smith and Feyi-Wibosa but we need a system whereby our best players can be regularly playing at a higher level.
Tim you mention the Arendse try and the Touch Judge, I think you said Chris Busby, and you said he didn't call it forward. He in fact did the opposite. He watched the whole move like a hawk, and he emphatically signalled to the Ref that it was good. I enjoy your work, thank you, cheers,
SAFFA here- By the next RWC I predict England being in the final. They are definitely on the up. Just like Fozzie's All Blacks...everyone criticized him yet his side reached the RWC final?
I was also there yesterday and also had an amazing day despite the final result. Great atmosphere, a real buzz. I don't always agree with you Tim but agree with 100% with what you have said today. I am excited to watch the team again, if a little frustrated. Agree re the forward pass, it made no difference being a 1/2 yard forward, also re the Slade chalk off. Very worried about the defensive patterns and the really poor selection for the bench. Concerned about a lack of leadership on and off the field.
Tim I understand your frustration ,it happened to us (Springboks) when we got 57-0 beating from All Blacks ,we where so frustrated ,but here we are again 🇿🇦😂😂😂😂
Agree with you Tim. Boks Keep winning while not putting a full 80min together but with constant combination changes that's going to happen. Remember Rassie is always thinking long term and he's finally struck the balance between building depth and winning. He's got a plan to have the Boks humming by next world cup. Kurt-Lee pass was forward, quite clear.
My thoughts on the game. Steward for all his good play going forward and high ball work is just far too cumbersome as final defence. Not enough speed in the backs as a whole. Defence is a mess. Ollie Lawrence is currently our best 12 (which is a major concern). Slade really hasn't played enough rugby to be starting for England, and was fairly anonymous as a result. Everything in attack relies on Marcus Smith pulling something from nothing. If he is our starting 10, then you have to pick a back line that supports him. Stuart has impressed me with his scrummaging. CCS would be better used as a sub coming on after 60-65 minutes. Finally, thought the ref gave SA too much leeway with cynical penalties in the last 20 minutes. Overall a C- for England this series.
It's great being a Springbok supporter right now, but we also know this era will come to an end. Hopefully not soon! England's turn to shine will come as well.
Good follow up to yesterday's final whistle thoughts video yesterday. Agree with everything you said, even though I think coaching mistakes have been made I'm not sure who England could get to replace Borthwick, for what it's worth I didn't think he was the right decision when he was appointed but that's in the past, he deserves the 6 nations, and what are the requirements for him to keep his job, for me it would have to been a maximum of one defeat, which I think is very difficult to achieve. I know you did mention the fact that England didn't write a bit of time in the Boks' 22, and did mention the ref giving SA many warnings, but you didn't mention after this that he did send a player to the bin, and that a lot of this play was against 14 men, that's what made me even more disappointed with what happened in that second half. I don't think England are terrible, they have their moments, agree with you on the bench and the lack of quality there, but after watching the video this, in this game at least, extends to the starting XV as well, with the exception of a few players, and that's even more concerning. Did England have a bad day? Maybe I'd say. But to judge whether it's a bad day you have to see good days and against this kind of opposition we've not seen many of those in recent times. In the final 10-15 minutes I think the mentality seems to be to just hang in there and get a drop goal to win games rather than being proactive and being over a drop goal/penalty ahead (being ahead going into the final 10 minutes would be nice though), and that just papers over cracks of deficiencies. My final point is whether England are in more of a transition phase trying to keep the experience whilst bringing in players new to international rugby and the demands it brings, but in the end every international team has this problem so it's not something unique to England. I know it'll never happen but if we could choose the players playing in France would this increase the quality to have a better starting XV and thus a better bench? It's just a thought.
My observations: 1. The difference in World Cup games and 2024 games for SA. 2. World Cup games for SA were more structured, players were more composed, the Boks had more control, and dominated the game. 3. The above is probably because of all the player changes, working with a bigger squad, and experimenting. The bench play... Who to play, when to bring them on, and how to integrate them into the game plan for a specific team they play against or even for planning a tour. That is Rassie's secret to the game. He does not see the game as a 15-man game. He sees it as a 23-man game with every player having a specific role. I do not think the other international coaches understand that yet. In fact, I don't think the other coaches think of the bench in that way yet. 🏉🏆 I do not think Rassie is showing all his cards. In 2023, the Boks played a different game than in 2019. In four years, other teams will figure you out. I am sure we are going to see different play in 2027. For England: Itoje is not as fast anymore.
The ref looked for every opportunity to penalise the Boks, but let England get away with so much at the breakdown. Score would have been less flattering to England if the ref had called it down the middle.
I hear what youre saying and to add to that, I have an issue when fans, pundits and journalists treat everything in a binary. "If we win, everything is great, but if we lose everything is bad" is a really dangerous mentality to have. This England side is very, very strong, but they are a young side who is busy finding their feet in the test arena. You guys need to allow them to experiment, have a go and make some mistakes. Here they were facing PSDT, RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi in the rucks and they damn near matched them! Borthwick is very very close to putting it together, but him and his charges needs the faith of the fans.
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You're currently our biggest, most loved and objective Rugby podcast personality outside SA - keep it up and come visit soon again !! stay Blessed
South Africa even when we looked good maybe cruising at 50%. we all once they demolish all scrums and lineouts and get the defence into another gear.... That would be amazing to see. I think its loading for 2027.
One crazy stat is, despite winning 10/12 games this season so far, Rassie has still been making changes regularly to build an extended squad that can and have all played together.
Wilco Louw was the 50th player used by Rassie this season which is insane.
"Sponsored by Guiness and vibes". 😂 Well said. So glad that you loved being there. Hope you going to share some footage of the stadium vibe.
My conclusion was, how good must a team be to concede 15 penalties, play with 14 men and still win by almost 10 points. The Bokke are going to be so dangerous when everything clicks and they can perform at 90% plus. I honestly thought England didn't play badly at all. Great show. Thanks Tim.🤙🇿🇦😎
Great sumation!
And you weren’t anywhere near your best
Or, England are shit
Not just the team, how good must the coaching staff be, eh? Rassie and Co are geniuses.
Fantastic summary. A well oiled Springboks team is a frightening prospect for World Rugby.
Tim you are not allowed to stop making videos, ever!😉 You have a fan base waiting for your video’s after each game now. That’s rugby now.. watch the game and see if you have seen it the same way 😂 another spot on video. Thank you!
Agree 100%
Agreed
My husband is a great follower of your channel. I have joined as well as you really make it factual and interesting. Than you. I'm from South Africa. 😊🇿🇦
from south africa or south african? 😂 ❤
Either or, neither nor.
She is from South Africa and probably South African 😂😂😂 go Bokke🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
4 tries against England, non of them off a scrum or mall, with 5-3 bench. I hope some of the commentary after this year related to the "boring" style of play from the Boks starts to change from the detractors of SA. And 50 players rotated within the Boks squads this year. Absolutely INSANE! Rassie is truly building 2 World Cup winning squads.
You can say that again... Or even 3 squads just for injury sake😊😊
The reason we (the rest of the world) are so scared of the bok forwards is because they release that fightening back line, usually under the freedom of advantage.
Don't listen to the folks who don't like a scrum or lineout and claim the sport is not one of collision. The rest of us know the Boks are double world champs because they have the best forwards AND the best backline.
Truth is, when it comes to knock out world cup rugby it will be the "boring" rugby which wins them tight matches again.
@davidhanley6135 I made this same chirp to Tim on his previous vid re "the double world champs". Bokke are quadruple world champs. Yes, I understand back to back victors, etc, but so are the AB's. Much better to properly delineate, otherwise technically speaking, Australia are also double world champs (just not back to back). Yes, it's pedantic. Still, double, triple, quadruple, keeps the perspective proper, in my opinion.
@@jameslangridge1674 your absolutely right of course James. That IS pedantic! 👑👑👑👑😂
@@davidhanley6135 mate, not every side is scared of the Bok pack.
Everyone’s missing the real game plan here: Rassie Erasmus isn’t playing with 23 players, he’s playing with 50! The Springboks have turned the whole squad into a rotation machine. While the rest of the world sticks to 23, Rassie’s 10 steps ahead
@@henrycrowther6005 exactly this! The world should be very afraid of this Bok Machine.
Rassie wants all combinations to work, regardless of who's playing. Different play styles too. That's why his splits are different too, every team needs to be defeated differently.
True... This is because Rassie has the talent to do this & punish the rest of the world with the depth in talent we have in SA. Lets be honest how many other countries have 3 International Rugby teams ready, available & able to contest against any A Team out there? 🤔
South african depth is crazy. They have 3 international level packs ready to go. 4 very good scrum halves 2 top and very different 10s. 4or five great wingers. They are weakest in midfield but still very strong there with allende, am, kreil etc.. here in ireland we have a very good 23 but are struggling to add to this especially in the front row.
I thought about that, but we aren't playing good rugby. Will we play better if we don't rotate so much and play together more?
Marcus Smith is real quality. What a player.
Much better than Faz
@@Daniboi971 offensively yeh but not defensively
Smith is brilliant and will have a huge career but hes no Kolbe though. He does have the potential.
Absolutely as a Quins fan but to be world class he needs a good scrum half now Danny C retired and needs to improve his touchline kicking out of hand.Pollard,Barratt all kick 30mtrs+ down the line😊
Marcus is a special player. Lit up the back line.
Appreciate that you always keep any sort of bias out of your opinions, Tim. Keep up the excellent content!
As a bok fan I'm still confused by the media this year saying how bad England an all blacks have become etc etc and borthwick must go etc etc
Sorry guys,both teams are quality and maybe 1 or 3 bounces going another way and 2024 was a different year.
Proud of the boks for a great year
Tim, Wildcard has an interesting take on the Fassi “forward “ pass. The on-field decision is a try, and the TM effing O can only overturn it if it’s clear and obvious, which it was not….
Such brilliant analysis! I laughed out lout at "pissed on my chips"! Ai Tim you are such a winner! ❤🇿🇦
Henry Slade’s disallowed try was a forward pass anyway. Way more forward than Fassi’s pass.
Absolutely.
OMG!!! I just posted basically the same comment above! Lol... The Try was disallowed & pinned on Maro Itoge... BUT that final pass was ridiculously forward anyway! Fassi's pass was nowhere near that! 😅
I was about to post the same comment. The 5m line was there for reference. 100% forward.
That was a far worse forward pass than the Bok try being disallowed
I really don’t understand how you can see that as forward. Steward’s running as the ball leaves his hands when he’s about a metre out from the 5m line, Slade catches it on the 5m line. Bare in mind it’s about a 20m pass as well, if it was really forward out of the hands wouldn’t it travel forward a lot more than just 1-2m.
Maro Itoje’s penalty saved the TMO’s blushes. As a Bok fan, I really wanted to see whether Henry Slade’s try was going to be awarded/not, because it was almost a splitting image of Arendse’s try. The angle on TV showed the last pass to be more forward than Fassi’s. If the officials set a standard, then that standard needs to be applied across both teams. We just need consistency.
I feel the same way with the boks blocking the runners during the high kicks. In every game this has veen reffed strictly in this game England got a penalty after about the 5th time it happened. Also the two neck rolls…. No yellows for either team but a red for Scotland last week ? Massive inconsistency
"...the turning circle of an oil tanker..." 😂😂😂 gosh Tim, that had me in stitches
Well done to both teams. Obviously happy the Bokke won, but England is a team that we always respect. Hard rugby...but thats what we expect from the English. Thanks Tim..ZA
England brought it to us. SB needs to stay. He is learning still. Joe has not had time to organize his defense system. What a game!! Tim, you are a legend 🎉😊
Eggchaser, great analysis. Always enjoy the way you see the games. Keep it up, brother!
All respect brother unbiased opinion i love your channel keep up the good work well done we love you in SA
you’re very good at this tim. objective analysis, personal feelings, permeable presence. passionate informed non-posturing rugby devotee. compared to some other channels, like, uhmmmm, anything to do with jeff wilson and sir kirwin, although i do like mr muliaina.
Great analysis Tim!! For England the bench (and bench selections) is our biggest problem across the autumn. Isikwe, Cole and Dombrant have offered nothing in 3 games.
In my opinion, the TMO should only be involved in 1 of 2 situations:
A) He is called on by the referee to assist in a decision
B) He has spotted potential foul play/dangerous action.
B is the only time he should be directly intervening in a game, and if so, he should do so as soon as possible. All other involvements should be a direct result of the referee calling for a TMO review. None of this TMO chiming in because a pass may have been forward or the chaser was a few inches in front of the kicker, and no waiting for play to stop before telling the referee that there was head contact a few phases ago.
It should be head contact > tmo tells ref > ref sees 1 or two angles on screen (It's usually fairly bloody obvious on the first angle, but they insist on showing 3-4 angles 2-3 times each) > yellow card > off for review. What's the point of the yellow card review if they show the referee everything they have right in the middle of the game, only for it to be sent off for review anyway.
Also, if the referee spots something like head contact, he doesn't need to see it again from multiple angles. He should just tell the tmo that he's seen head contact, recommend a yellow card, and ask the tmo to confirm. No need to put it up on the screen and waste 30 seconds of everyone's time.
absolutely. As player and spectator of the 70s, we just accepted that what the ref saw was what happened - even if he saw it wrong. That's what was needed in the spirit of the game. Player safety is the only good reason is use a TMO
Or, and I don’t necessarily believe this, he should help all of the decisions be the correct decisions. If every decision is correct, always, then it’s fair. The closer we get to this the better?
@StopTheRot I think that's largely true, but there has to be a balance of that and the rhythm of the game. If the two extremes are intense analysis at the cost of anybody wanting to actually watch the game, and basically just the ref on the field making all the decisions at the cost of fairness, then we obviously have to strike a balance between the two. I just think that we're too close to the former, where in pursuit of fairness the TMO is calling almost anything he sees. Dangerous play? Sure, call it out. But scrum half picked the ball up an inch from the ground and dropped it for a split second? I've seen that being called out by the TMO before and it's ridiculous. Or that forward pass from SA. Yes, it was forward. Just barely. But if neither the ref nor the linesman have spotted it while in play, I just don't like that we have to go all the way back to it and then review it after the try was scored.
It's a little bit less fair but overall more entertaining. You do get occasional games where both the TMO and the ref are really smart about what to call out out and what to let play on and it makes for great games. The problem is that because the TMO has both so much information at his disposal and so much influence on the game, some of them think it's their duty to make sure the game is played exactly to code and end up calling out everything.
Agreed! England and SA supporters were happy with both tries until the TMO stepped in, disallowed than and f….ed up the player and viewing experience. Such marginal calls that the on field officials and crowd didn’t see anything amiss.
As a Bok fan i shudder to think how powerful the English pack could be if they had Ted Hill, jack willis and tom willis in the mix. Same with Henry Arundel playing in the backline.
100%
Unlimited Powah!!! @@EggchasersRugby
Jack Willis 100%. The other three are unproven at best.
It’s insane that Jack Willis isn’t picked. We need to change that law
Jack Willis will be about 36 by the time his contract finishes overseas. Brutal.
You mentioned “Big name players.” This was actually discussed in the after game discussion in the Supersport studio by, I think, Nick Mallet that SA have so many players who are producing game changing moments emphasising the fact that SA currently have a riches of World class players.
Something mentioned during commentary was that, with the well deserved appearance of Wilco Louw, SA have fielded 50 Springboks during 2024. This has created a huge pool of highly competent players but is also possibly the reason why we are not currently firing on all cylinders. The constant changes do not help continuity.
Another observation from the weekend so far is the lack of continuity in the modern game. Too many laws and constant interference from the TMO and assistant referees.
Greetings from a sunny and relatively windless Fish Hoek in Cape Town. Keep up the good work.
L'Angleterre a affronté seulement les 3 grosses nations de l'hémisphère sud.
C'est un énorme défi et le XV de la Rose a été au niveau à chaque fois.
Vous auriez pu gagner les 3.
Vous avez une très bonne équipe et vous regagnerez très bientôt.
Bisous !
Great point Tim on the Kurt Lee Arendse disallowed try. I’m a Saffa and I’m not saying it should have stood BUT the fact that opinion is so divided on it speaks a lot and a TMO can only rule out the referees decision if there is a CLEAR AND OBVIOUS ERROR and there was absolutely nothing clear and obvious about that hence the divided opinion.
But that is what we enjoy, your feedback, honest and unfiltered.
I think another issue with the last 20 minutes thing is that it will give all England’s opponents real belief too. Especially as England aren’t a team who can put on enough points to make it moot by 60 mins.
Same thing with England’s cricket team previously - when you collapse so much, it gets into your head that you’ll collapse but it ALSO gives the other team belief that they’re always in the game.
Ultimately England need players with better basic skills and more size and speed…
The TMO “pissed on my chips” 😂😂😂 Brilliant!!
I enjoyed that comment
😂
Lol 😅😂🤣
who doesn't like salt and vinegar chips? 🤣🤣
😂😂😂
My issue with the Maro neck roll was that so many times that, something like that or equivalent will be ignored; some TMOs, against some teams, seem more desperate to ‘find a reason to disallow’ rather than reasonably look for howlers, egregious etc.
Agreed. I'd also add if you want to find infringements, you can look at any breakdown and see about 5 different ones. LOTS for a TMO to use if they want to intervene in games
TMOs aren’t utilised this way in the Rugby Championship. They’re used for try confirmation and genuine fowl play, not potential forward passes or knock ons at the ruck 3-4 phases earlier.
Far less intervention than we’ve seen in the autumn series. Hemispheres have different rules for TMO use. I prefer less intervention and leave it to the refs on the field.
The Bok pack that started this game was 52kg short of weighing 1 ton!! A wopping 948kg! That's a lot of pure SA BEEF!!
Imagine if Nhlabakanye was in that pack then it would be close to a ton 😂
If I'm not mistaken, Scotland's pack weighed more than the Bok pack last week.
A confident Manie with Handre and Sasha and Damien Willemse will be devastating
Handre, Sacha, Willemse and Jordan.
Yes please no more Manie. He is just too inconsistent, he makes a great play and makes 2 terrible ones. He is also such liability on defence. They targeted him the whole game and made massive meters off his channel
@@jacquesventer3170😅😅😂 don't think we were watching the same game or you are just a hater who just cannot keep it under his skin . Manie is yet to improve so long he is under Rassie's wing, yous can say whatever you like but they are not dropping his just to please you poms
@@kwedini1181 the springboks are not a team that you come into and improve. That is what the provincial sides are there for. You mist be the best when you play for the boks. Sasha is wayyyy better and has BMT. Manie has no BMT. He almost cost us the world cup
Damian De Allende was magnificent, Jesse Kriel too.
WORLDY centre partnership… we would love something like this in England
Itoje also has multiple neck roll warnings. Should have been a yellow on the second offence.
You saffers are unreal . You missed the multiple neck rolls you done ?
@samoday2992 clearly missed every single one.
@@samoday2992come on dude we all know Itoje is a dirty player
@@JeshuaOurGod Ebens not ? Was clearly offside for all the charge downs
Love your thoughts Tim… I wait very impatiently after matches to hear your views. Great overview 👍
I think you answered the problem with Eng a couple of videos ago (could have been your team selection preview) - Felix Jones left before the defensive patterns were bedded in, so they're still trying to do it, and seem to be in a phase of "arrested development". You called it before the game ;)
And yes, FULLY agree on everything you said about TMO. Wakes up on game day and decides he wants to play a starring role in the match. It's killing the game in exactly the way you described.
Watched the game in my local bar last night. The real time joke (a few times), when patriots where about to celebrate or celebrating was "hold on, we have not heard from the TMO yet." I found you take interesting, as it was happening in real time at the bar.
That Bok backline was incredibly quick in the first half 🔥💦 My goodness!
Was equally quick in the second half too?
Love the game. As you clearly do mate! Also, your informed and passiionate take is much enjoyed!
I am a Bokke man, who has lived in the UK for decades. But untimely I am a rugby man and want all rugby tests to end up with a one point margin. The problem with the current England set up is that, in my opinion, it has no identity or style. They are trying to copy other teams successful tactics rather than play to their own strengths. Take the blitz defence, which they are trying to copy from the Boks and other teams. For it to work you have to have a lightening quick backline and back row. As much to get back into position for the subsequent phases as for the initial rush. If you are not naturally fast you will always be playing catch up and will have no rest time, while the quicker backline has time to draw air when they are back in position. So you have to be fit to an unachievable level to play the rush defence for an entire game with a (comparatively - at international level) pedestrian backline. Thats what Rassie was saying. To pick Steward as a fullback using a rush defence is risky. No wonder Rassie waited for Thursday, and once he heard the news of Stewards selection, picked the fastest backline he could, A great counter to Stewards awesome aerial skills. England need to develop their own identity, starting with a spread defence. Defence wins games, attack decides by how much. Tim, a question. Can you see any unselected English players in the premiership who could add speed to the team to allow an effective Ruch defence (if you even agree with what I think?).
Tim after the season is finished could you maybe make a video rating the top10-15 teams overall performances and give your thoughts on their season, who the best players were and what you think the future will hold for the teams, i think this could be a great video,
cheers mate love the videos as always
Good idea, thank you!
Agree with your comments on the fact that the Boks did not quite click. Understandable in this phase where Rassie is building his next World Cup team. He played the 50th player this year already! Some players do well in this, but I think it is not helping Manie Libbok’s confidence. Ominous for the rest of the world for sure. I think England did better than what people think. Marcus Smith is great, but there are still too many egos in the team, psychologically they are not there yet. Still over-celebrating small things, as we saw Ireland also do recently.
What a game! 🎉❤
I think Kolbe summed it up in the MoM interview saying the Boks sometimes don't 'stay as hungry as the opposition' for the full eighty minutes+. This game showed some lethargy from the boys in green, although it has to be said England turned up (as they often do, which gets forgotten sometimes) and it was there for them to win.
Not cheap at Twickenham. As a Dane, I saw Denmark play Finland for 200 kroner - circa £25.
How big is rugby that side?
Do you think your lads are eyeing a world cup spot in 2027?
@@randomlyfactual1943 Sweden are the best of the Scandinavians, but at least two tiers below the 6 nations. Denmark do not have a large playing base, and despite being a country of large individuals, do not have an aggressive and physical mentality. I would expect the Danish national team to be competitive in one of the English National League 2 divisions - I guess it would have to be League 2 North!
What was the score?
God help us all if the Vikings take up rugby properly!! A team of RG Snymans
@@Daniboi971vikings with big tits. It'll never happen
Incredible stuff Tim, 121K subs, that just shows how much people are craving an honest unbiassed opinion.
Tim, England needs to start selecting foreign-league based players. England still needs player like Owen Ferrel, David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlum, Jack Willis, Joe Marchant and Henry Arundel. This will strike a balance between Premiership players and those outside the Premiership will bring on new experience.
Agreed, while it makes sense for NZ to have such a rule due to travel, players in the top14 can be in England in 2-3 hrs tops. England losing someone like Jack Willis is just insane.
The Faf getting there, and the Grant exiting.
Hahaha
Great Channel Tim. 👍 You know your rugby. We love you here in South Aftica as you well know.
Fassi's pass was never forward, not even flat. Shocker from Ben Whitehouse. Andy Brace tried his very best to bring England back into the game in the final 20 pulling penalties from his ass and conjuring up a yellow card (nearly two). If there are legitimate complains it should come from the Boks. Well done Springboks
Congratulations- most ridiculous and biased comment in a sea of them.
Tim, as usual a balanced well constructed video.
I completely agree with your take on the officiating and TMOs. We certainly don’t want to go the way of football and VAR. It worries me that players and captains on the receiving end of moments of excellence, immediately get in the referee’s ear when they concede and almost insist that the TMO checks X, Y & Z. As you rightly said, Andrew Brace and the Assistant Referee on the touch line were in the perfect position to make the call!
I agree with your views on Steve Borthwick and the dreadful fall off when England’s bench come on. Am I correct that George Ford was the only person left unused? Reckon we have missed a trick to bring in the next generation of players for the future - especially props! Why haven’t we seen the new Gloucester prop, who apparently had Ellis Genge on toast in the recent Bristol v Gloucester match? Questions, questions …
Completely agree on tmo, there should almost be a limit on how much they can intervene. Tmo should be used way more conservatively.
Nothing wrong with England's coach. They played the Springboks for goodness sake. England is getting better and they will click. I think England is going to be a force in the six nations. They are trying too hard under pressure and the refs penalties which are supposed to speed up the game but slows it down. Cheslin Kolbe is just a superstar.
"then the tmo came and pi$$ed on my chips".... Brilliant Tim.
Totally agree on your thoughts regarding the TMO
Relieved to see this, literally and figuratively, more sober review today. Definitely closer to the mark. I’m just not prepared to keep the faith with Borthwick. If it was just the performances, you could say stick with it, it’s going to click. But throw in the obvious issues with holding his staff together, his woeful bench picks, and the glaring dearth of confidence he imparts in front of a microphone… I really don’t see him ever bringing an England squad to a consistent level of excellence. I’m generally stunned by this spinelessness around accepting what we’ve seen for a while now. It’s elite sport. It’s real money. It’s high stakes. In what other sport would this be tolerated? We can prattle on about rugby being a set apart but it’s delusional. Top level football demands results. Top level athletics and Olympic sports demand results. F1 demands results. Tennis, golf, you name it. If rugby is unique it’s the daft latitude it gives people like Borthwick to be subpar over prolonged periods .
Good observation and comments. I was a bit p'd off with the ref. At one stage I thought he breathed through the whistle. Any way an ugly win is better than a pretty lose.
Missing Farell ( in my humble opinion), even if its off the bench for the last quarter. He is a leader and is not afraid to take ownership of decisions. He is great at steering his sldes around the pitch and has done so for years. His experience and leadership qualities are greatly missed!!!
Tim, we have some exciting players, I'm judging England today, the A team look and feel more exciting, some fantastic players that are getting overlooked by the main team management.
2 hrs on and they showed me what we are lacking in the first team, Japan should be 100% made up of up and coming players, if you don't try them out how will we ever find out how good some of these fringe players are.
Thanx Tim ,really enjoy every moment of ur show. ❤hope u enjoyed the game yesterday. 👍🤟🙏
Slade try was also from a forward pass.
Stop it
The try that wasn't given?
I don't think they should get rid of Borthwick yet, he had a good world cup (even if a lot of that was the draw), and has generally been ok, but I also think we look poorly coached right now.
Defensively we have been all over the place, and I get it that Jones leaving was a big blow, but losing him in the first place has to fall partly on Borthwick, and continuing to run without him, and sticking to it while it's being shredded is madness.
In attack, we have shown sparks of life, but so much of it has been down to Marcus Smith brilliance it's hard to give the coaching staff too much credit & bench selection & substitution patterns have been so poor all Autumn.
Agreed on the TMO story - I think TMO's should only come in on calls where the refs on the pitch physically cannot see what happened. Like in the early days of TMO, they only really came in where they had to check if a foot went into touch or if a ball was grounded for a try.
This thing of calling the game back in time for a penalty from last week is a waste of time. If anything they should put the clock back as well to compensate the teams for the wasted playing time.
There was also a penalty advantage that brace announced that all of a sudden wasn’t. Breakdowns were a lottery.
Great unbiased opinions Tim. Love your reviews. A fan from Zanbia
Thought ref denied boks a vital advantage when kolbe broke through
Thanx for objective comments.
The best result for England at this stage as they now have had their weakness exposed by the best team in the world. 60% great teamwork from England now they must only concentrate on the 40% (defence and confidence)not a bad place to be for the next world cup. As for our team, the Bokke, they have set the benchmark.
England are not as far off as everyone seem to think, they've been in with a chance going back to their New Zealand tour IMHO. Boks winning when not at their best is a great sign 👌
Regarding the ENG disallowed try for Itoje’s neck roll, that was also miles forward yet the official who was inline never flagged it nor the Ref. If TMO’s are going to get involved with forward passes they need the tools/tech like in Football to line it up to show their findings.
Green and yellow tinted glasses
England played very well and they really pressured our Boks,that wasn't there best but I'm very glad they won, proud of the green and gold, proudly South African 👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks for a great show.well done boks.its never easy to win at twickenham.england are a very good team.they will improve.from shaun in south africa.
South African team is legendary at the moment..
Too many of the greatest players in the world, England didn't stand a chance..
cheslin kolbe has to be the best South African winger of all time no? Pretty much unstoppable and formidable defense for a small guy.
The problem is not with SB or the players. they just need time... it will all come together for England eventually.
As always a great report Tim, thank you!
🇿🇦
Great game England is going to be top team soon. Forget the English hysteria. They will be difficult to beat. I am a 100% Bok Supporter.
Tim goeie Bespreking! England goed gespeel! Groete!
Gonna have to start calling Freddie Steward, Freddie Stobart because he has the turning circle of an 18-wheeler
Hahaha
I’m an England fan and I think we punched above our weight during these three games. Our players don’t play at a high enough level week in week out to compete consistently with the best. The loss of Jones has obviously had a negative impact on our defence.but our players are not getting to play with the kind of intensity needed to bridge the gap from club to international level. I agree with you that just simply changing our head coach wouldn’t make any difference. We have the talent and players with the X factor such as Smith and Feyi-Wibosa but we need a system whereby our best players can be regularly playing at a higher level.
Tim you mention the Arendse try and the Touch Judge, I think you said Chris Busby, and you said he didn't call it forward. He in fact did the opposite. He watched the whole move like a hawk, and he emphatically signalled to the Ref that it was good. I enjoy your work, thank you, cheers,
The BOKS just had a better gameplan. Ref. was "shyte" England was not bad!
100% agreement on the forward pass. Was likely forward, but not enough of an offense to pull back the try
Great analysis Tim as always - so in-depth and fair - not like some “other” tv shows 😂
SAFFA here- By the next RWC I predict England being in the final. They are definitely on the up. Just like Fozzie's All Blacks...everyone criticized him yet his side reached the RWC final?
Officiating below par for both teams. Great channel. Thanks.
I was also there yesterday and also had an amazing day despite the final result. Great atmosphere, a real buzz. I don't always agree with you Tim but agree with 100% with what you have said today. I am excited to watch the team again, if a little frustrated. Agree re the forward pass, it made no difference being a 1/2 yard forward, also re the Slade chalk off. Very worried about the defensive patterns and the really poor selection for the bench. Concerned about a lack of leadership on and off the field.
Tim I understand your frustration ,it happened to us (Springboks) when we got 57-0 beating from All Blacks ,we where so frustrated ,but here we are again 🇿🇦😂😂😂😂
Agree with you Tim. Boks Keep winning while not putting a full 80min together but with constant combination changes that's going to happen. Remember Rassie is always thinking long term and he's finally struck the balance between building depth and winning. He's got a plan to have the Boks humming by next world cup. Kurt-Lee pass was forward, quite clear.
My thoughts on the game.
Steward for all his good play going forward and high ball work is just far too cumbersome as final defence.
Not enough speed in the backs as a whole.
Defence is a mess.
Ollie Lawrence is currently our best 12 (which is a major concern). Slade really hasn't played enough rugby to be starting for England, and was fairly anonymous as a result.
Everything in attack relies on Marcus Smith pulling something from nothing. If he is our starting 10, then you have to pick a back line that supports him.
Stuart has impressed me with his scrummaging.
CCS would be better used as a sub coming on after 60-65 minutes.
Finally, thought the ref gave SA too much leeway with cynical penalties in the last 20 minutes.
Overall a C- for England this series.
Thanks for a good program and I always looking forward for the next one from Leon Vermeulen from South Africa 😊😊😊
It's great being a Springbok supporter right now, but we also know this era will come to an end. Hopefully not soon! England's turn to shine will come as well.
Good follow up to yesterday's final whistle thoughts video yesterday. Agree with everything you said, even though I think coaching mistakes have been made I'm not sure who England could get to replace Borthwick, for what it's worth I didn't think he was the right decision when he was appointed but that's in the past, he deserves the 6 nations, and what are the requirements for him to keep his job, for me it would have to been a maximum of one defeat, which I think is very difficult to achieve.
I know you did mention the fact that England didn't write a bit of time in the Boks' 22, and did mention the ref giving SA many warnings, but you didn't mention after this that he did send a player to the bin, and that a lot of this play was against 14 men, that's what made me even more disappointed with what happened in that second half.
I don't think England are terrible, they have their moments, agree with you on the bench and the lack of quality there, but after watching the video this, in this game at least, extends to the starting XV as well, with the exception of a few players, and that's even more concerning.
Did England have a bad day? Maybe I'd say. But to judge whether it's a bad day you have to see good days and against this kind of opposition we've not seen many of those in recent times. In the final 10-15 minutes I think the mentality seems to be to just hang in there and get a drop goal to win games rather than being proactive and being over a drop goal/penalty ahead (being ahead going into the final 10 minutes would be nice though), and that just papers over cracks of deficiencies.
My final point is whether England are in more of a transition phase trying to keep the experience whilst bringing in players new to international rugby and the demands it brings, but in the end every international team has this problem so it's not something unique to England. I know it'll never happen but if we could choose the players playing in France would this increase the quality to have a better starting XV and thus a better bench? It's just a thought.
South Africa plays Manie in the first half to give the English hope and then dashes that hope with Pollard.
Sir, Wilko Louw the 50 th bok this season, that is two teams with two benches and a few extra for Rassie to play with. This is big.
I was at Twickenham. Jack VP had an absolute nightmare - 3 kicks charged down and more than a couple of fumbles.
Clearly had been identified by the Boks pre game. We need Mitchell ASAP
My observations:
1. The difference in World Cup games and 2024 games for SA.
2. World Cup games for SA were more structured, players were more composed, the Boks had more control, and dominated the game.
3. The above is probably because of all the player changes, working with a bigger squad, and experimenting.
The bench play... Who to play, when to bring them on, and how to integrate them into the game plan for a specific team they play against or even for planning a tour. That is Rassie's secret to the game. He does not see the game as a 15-man game. He sees it as a 23-man game with every player having a specific role. I do not think the other international coaches understand that yet. In fact, I don't think the other coaches think of the bench in that way yet. 🏉🏆
I do not think Rassie is showing all his cards. In 2023, the Boks played a different game than in 2019. In four years, other teams will figure you out. I am sure we are going to see different play in 2027.
For England: Itoje is not as fast anymore.
The ref looked for every opportunity to penalise the Boks, but let England get away with so much at the breakdown. Score would have been less flattering to England if the ref had called it down the middle.
Eben PRONOUNCED = Ear-Bin ❤
I hear what youre saying and to add to that, I have an issue when fans, pundits and journalists treat everything in a binary.
"If we win, everything is great, but if we lose everything is bad" is a really dangerous mentality to have.
This England side is very, very strong, but they are a young side who is busy finding their feet in the test arena.
You guys need to allow them to experiment, have a go and make some mistakes.
Here they were facing PSDT, RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi in the rucks and they damn near matched them!
Borthwick is very very close to putting it together, but him and his charges needs the faith of the fans.
Brace also warned about neck rolls and no yellow cards.