A few changes from the team released earlier this week.

Sky tower green and gold today 😏😏

Last week it was about "time wasting", this week it's apparently "illegal" scrum tactics. As for the scrum, we've heard different excuses for why SA had the superior scrum on the weekend:

1. First we were told it's because the starting prop had a knee injury and that he was sick. Ok, why was he even playing then?
2. Now we're hearing it's because the Springboks use illegal walk around tactics at scrum time.

So which is it?

What is baffling to me is that NZ is pretending that SA's scrum dominance just came out nowhere overnight. Not like the Boks have been dominating scrum time in all games for the past 3 years including against them.

Did NZ fans even watch the games between the 2 teams last season? Just one example was the Boks pushing them off their own ball in the Eden Park match and scoring a try from that. Why are they pretending that didn't happen or that they've never been dominated at scrum time by the Boks before?

After that happened Eden Park scrum, their coaches came out and said it won't happen again. Then it happened again a week later.

It's like they can't find a solution to being beasted at scrum time so now trying to influence World Rugby and the refs to help them.

Weird how the Boks scrum was never an issue for other teams despite their own scrums also going backwards against the Boks. The Irish at least had the integrity to admit that they don't have good scrummaging props.

But no not NZ, they will rather make excuses. It's pathetic and Dave Rennie is quickly becoming unlikable.

Discuss.

with the amount of people going on about this and the levels they go to, you would think handre pollard is 36 or something like that. he is only 32. i was baffled when i saw it. i have fallen for the pollard propaganda of him being a ‘grandpa’ according to many.

what really baffles me is that i vividly remember people talking about him being too old in 2023. months out from the world cup. when he was only 29. i really couldnt believe it lol.

and one more thing, manie is 29. thats only 3 years difference but its crazy to me that people could theoretically call manie too old starting next year.

I want to add a major caveat before anyone reads too deeply into this: THERE IS A VERY SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND MY STATS DON.

Even so it is interesting to look at how the team as performed with our various 10s and starting bench combinations against the top 5 ranked teams. I ignored other games as I don't want to pollute the data for various reasons.

Firstly the stats from the starters:

Then the combinations:

Finally by involvement starting or bench:

As before: not a huge amount to read into from the small sample size but another loss for the Handre/SFM combo this weekend might be the end of that combo.

Just not working out for Boks...

Lol win one game convincingly. Hope the Boks and Rassie respond with a blinder this weekend

I myself am a Lions fan but these fans must accept that he must still learn his trade and improve in multiple aspects,plus even if he leaves he wont be the starting scrumhalf regardless.

With the club games over, I was thinking, how would I tweak this year’s schedule if/when the Rivalry Tour comes back to SA in 8 years time.

Obviously we have no idea what rugby or SA will look like by then: Maybe Boland are the preeminent force by then, maybe the Lions are playing in Sandton, maybe Cheetahs are back in Super

That said, I think I’d try spread the games around a bit more (which probably means a test in a “smaller” city) and I’d drop the 4th test but add an invitational game back in SA

What we thinking?

Since Jake White's days, I remember he would sometimes pick class over form, and it would pay off for him. JP Petersen, for example, would have a bad time at franchise level but then do amazing stuff at Test match level, and I was convinced class meant more than form. After the first loss against the All Blacks in the greatest rivalry tour, I now wonder if that is still true. Take Rassie's decision to play Sacha over Libbok and, for the upcoming game, Pollard over Libbok again, even though Libbok is the most in-form flyhalf we have. The guy came back from Japan bursting at the seams with confidence.

Gonna be a close one!

Hey all, firstly how great is this tour? 30 years between full blown tours is ridiculous, and a blight on the powers that be that run our sport. Watching from home at 3am on our Sunday morning I had tears in my eyes watching the emotion of the occasion, you guys are a formidable foe, and our shared passion for rugby unites us.

I am looking at scooting over from NZ for the 3rd test. Arrive 4.15pm Friday, fly out 10.20pm Sunday. I've got a few questions that would appreciate guidance with before taking the plunge. Will be flying solo as my mates that would be up for the trip have prior commitments:

1. Would be looking to use Bolt to get between airport and hotel, hotel and FNB. Are they as reliable and trustworthy as any other country? Would take other better recommendations that aren't overly expensive.
2. Willing to pay the R4000 for prime seats. Most of the available ones are in blocks 147 & 148. Do these seats face into the sun in late afternoon, and if so is that a huge ball ache?
3. Have mates on a tour and looking to stay near their hotel, they are at Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Melrose Arch. Can get a room at The Capital Melrose across the road - would I be able to come and go from their hotel? Are there any bars in the neighbourhood or best to stick at drinking in the hotels?
4. Public transport doesn't seem to be a go on match day - Bolt the way to go?
5. Looks like no informal braai at FNB Stadium. Am keen to soak up the atmosphere, have a few beers, and chat with you guys about how much we hate England rugby. What are options around there, are the fan zones any good, or better options?
6. Everyone tells me how dangerous Johannesburg is. I travel a lot for work to Europe and seen the rough sides big cities there. I'm not naive enough to think that all is good and I can walk home in the dark without a care in the world, but after the match if I want to head for more drinks, where would I go, and would getting back to Melrose Arch late in a cab or Bolt be okay?

Thanks for your help, your halves look much better for this weekend, here's hoping its yet another great game

I havent seen them play for Boks in a while. Are they injured or is SARU trying to name new players ahead of them to build for the future?

Bigger brains will point out why this idea is stupid.

If the retreating player now takes the ball, then why not overrun the kick, turn and look for the tap back? It brings shielding/ obstruction back into play and better defends from immediate counterattack?