Heyeneke Meyer confirmed as Springbok coach.

This courtesy of SARU communications.

Heyneke Meyer will be the new Springbok coach after a Special General Meeting of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) ratified his proposed appointment in Cape Town on Friday.

The 44-year-old Blue Bulls rugby executive takes over from Peter de Villiers, who coached the Springboks from 2008 to 2011. Meyer has been offered a four-year contract and will take charge as head coach of the 1995 and 2007 Rugby World Cup champions for the first time against England in Durban on June 9.

Meyer said he relished the opportunity to make all South Africans proud of the Springboks.

“Having been involved with the Blue Bulls for so long, I’ve experienced first hand how passionate South African rugby supporters are,” said Meyer. “I know the importance of rugby in the South African psyche and will do everything in my power to ensure the Springboks remain among the pace setters of world rugby.

“I’m very happy to accept this enormous honour and massive responsibility,” he said.

Meyer was head coach of the Vodacom Bulls when they became the first South African team to lift the coveted Vodacom Super 14 trophy in 2007. Before that, he steered the Vodacom Blue Bulls to Absa Currie Cup titles in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006 (shared).

Meyer also has experience of coaching in the Springbok environment. He served as assistant coach to both Nick Mallett and Harry Viljoen at the Boks. He has also been a Springbok coaching candidate in the past.

“The first time I felt I still had things to achieve at the Bulls, and the second time it was decided to appoint someone else,” he said. “I’d like to thank my family and the Blue Bulls Rugby Union for their unwavering support over the past decade. I hope to keep the country’s rugby supporters united behind the Boks.”

Mr Oregan Hoskins, President of SARU, said Meyer received unanimous support from the General and the Executive Councils of SARU.

“The Springboks are SARU’s top priority,” he said. “Heyneke’s coaching pedigree is second to none in South Africa. He will be an asset to the Boks and South African rugby in general,” said Mr Hoskins.

“I’d also like thank our outgoing coach Peter de Villiers for his passion, hard work and dedication over the past four years. However, it was felt that we needed a man with a new approach and new ideas to take over one of the toughest jobs in South African sport.

“Heyneke has our full support and we know he won’t leave any stone unturned as he strives to take the Boks back to the top of international rugby.”

According to Jurie Roux, SARU CEO, Meyer’s appointment was the culmination of a thorough process during which the best candidates were evaluated as part of a head hunting process before the Exco unanimously opted to make a formal offer to Meyer.

“The Blue Bulls wished to retain his services but his contract contains an exit clause which has been exercised; very few people can resist the call when your country says it needs you,” said Roux.

“The Springboks are the heartbeat of rugby in South Africa and it was paramount to get the best possible candidate to coach the team going forward. We believe we have done that.”

Roux said decisions on Meyer’s support staff will only be taken later, in consultation with the new Springbok coach. “No appointments in this regard have been made,” he said.

Heyneke Meyer – Fact File

Heyneke Meyer was the first South African coach to lift the Vodacom Super Rugby trophy and is one of the most successful coaches in local rugby in the professional era.

Meyer has been part of teams that have not only progressed to the knock-out stages of their various competitions, but also gone on to win them, ever since he started his provincial coaching career.

His first position as provincial head coach came at the age of 30 in 1998, at the SWD Eagles, and he immediately took the team to the semi-finals of the Vodacom Cup. A year later Meyer guided the Eagles to a top-four finish in the Absa Currie Cup.

Meyer reached his first final in 2001, leading the Vodacom Blue Bulls to the Vodacom Cup title, having already had a period as an assistant Springbok coach.

Three consecutive Absa Currie Cup crowns for the Vodacom Blue Bulls followed in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He also helped turn the Vodacom Bulls around from dwelling near the bottom of the Vodacom Super 12 log, to consecutive semi-finals in 2005 and 2006.

The first Vodacom Super Rugby title for a South African team followed in 2007, when Meyer masterminded the Vodacom Bulls’ victory over The Sharks in an epic final in what had become the Vodacom Super 14 in Durban.

This is not Meyer’s first stint with the Springboks, having been involved as assistant coach under Nick Mallett (1999 and 2001) as well as Harry Viljoen (2001).

Personal:

Date of birth: 6 October 1967

Age: 44

Place of birth: Nelspruit

Education: Bergvlam HS (Nelspruit), University of Pretoria

Degrees obtained: BA (Psychology, Geography and Human Movement Science), Hons BA (Geography), HED

Family: Married to Linda, three children



Coaching career:

1988-1996: Coached a number of High School first teams, Under-21 sides and Carlton first teams in Pretoria.
1997: SWD Eagles assistant coach
1998: SWD Eagles head coach (Vodacom Cup semi-finalists and Absa Currie Cup) 1998: Emerging Springboks head coach
1999: DHL Stormers assistant coach (semi-finalists in Vodacom Super 12)
1999: SWD Eagles head coach (semi-finalists in Absa Currie Cup)
1999: Springbok assistant coach (third place, Rugby World Cup)
2000: Vodacom Bulls head coach (Vodacom Super 12)
2001: Vodacom Blue Bulls head coach (Vodacom Cup champions) 2001: Springbok assistant coach
2002: Vodacom Bulls head coach (Vodacom Super 12), Vodacom Blue Bulls head coach (Absa Currie Cup champions)
2003: Vodacom Blue Bulls head coach (Absa Currie Cup champions)
2004: Vodacom Blue Bulls head coach (Absa Currie Cup champions)
2005: Vodacom Bulls head coach (Vodacom Super 12 semi-finalists), Vodacom Blue Bulls head coach (Absa Currie Cup runners up)
2006: Vodacom Bulls head coach (Vodacom Super 14 semi-finalists), Vodacom Blue Bulls head coach (Absa Currie Cup joint champions)
2007: Vodacom Bulls head coach (Vodacom Super 14 champions)
2008-2009: Leicester Tigers head coach
2011: Tuks Varsity Cup – Advisor
2011: Blue Bulls Company – Executive: Rugby
2012: Springbok head coach

Well that takes care of Puff Diddy. Thanks for your commitment and service to Springbok rugby, now run along and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Let's hope Meyer appoints the right assistants.

Surely PDV will have his sights on the England job now

Wouldn't that just be grand!

Good call

The clown is dead, long live the King!

Seriously though Biltong, what can we expect from Meyer? The Boks already play exactly the way the Blue Bulls do..... or do you think he will shake things up, and play some of the excitiing young talent from SA?

Well if he starts Bismark that'll be a good beginning

The thing about DeVilliers was it purely a Political gesture a token Coloured Coach.IF he had been successful in delivering a RWC would he still be in harness?
The incoming Coach has an inpeccable record at Currie Cup/S15 level and can be expected to tighten up the set piece[SCRUM}especially.
Players overseas are now eager to play again for SA,under the new Coach.
PDV selected NH based players but Japan based players,?Sanzar had an unwritten code which was broken by PDV.
ONLY home based players would be selected Aus,and NZ adhered to it strictly
SA broke it.
Traditionally the Test Squads were built around the most successful S12/14/15
sides.Brumbies/Reds/Blues/Bulls Crusaders etc.which made sense.
Often the National Coaches would have input with Super Coaches to benefit the National team..Those benefits don`t apply to off shore Teams,and any team benefits are lost due to the pace of the game.
It has been written that the Boks were THE best team in the World up to ther forced exile.THAT is only true at home after 1956,away were Second best to the All Blacks.
Since the end of Tours,with Provincial sides softening up the opposing Test side,before a test are no longer a factor[more`s the pity].
South Africa in the professional era have not come to terms with the difference
of League home and away,and touring play.
They certainly have a grasp of knockout Rugby as 2 RWCs out of 2 attests,at home.Like the Bulls at Loftus they are near invincible away vulnerable.
How do you judge a side?most here would say 2 Rwcs out of 2 invincible,others
a poor return vesus the All Blacks since 1995 indicates otherwise.
Just to to put a footnote on there RWC performance,THE first try versus Wales
was immaculate.The performance versus Australia stilted and uncomfortable,balls lost in contact,dropped passes.Like a whole new game plan,
Franny Steyn a key player lost?
But was he more instrumental than the loss of Carter,or Kurtley Beale to there sides.Had the Boks won the RWC people would be lauding them rightly to the roof.
BUT it would be papering over the cracks,the Boks did`nt adapt to the new rulings others did.

Merry Christmas Biltong. Sorry about the tardiness but better late than never.

It'll be interesting to see who he picks as his assistant coaches and which style of play he´ll plump for. The Bulls are a side with a great legacy but they've fallen off in recent times. What is that down to?

I'd like to see Meyer harden the pack up more than Puff Divvy (selection would help a lot there too and admittedly injuries) but also have a game plan with more running in hand. That doesn't mean the backs and spinning the ball wide. Big units like Burger attacking the line or acting as a decoy and men running off him to create doubt in the defensive line.

Anyway it´s good news. Is Meyer still on contract till after June then?

You must be relieved biltongbek. Like others have commented hopefully he will pick some decent assistants. I don't mind admitting that SA are my favorite SH team (along with Western Province in the S15)

Is he a popular choice in South Africa?

He'll be gone within the year

chewed_mintie wrote:Good call

The clown is dead, long live the King!

Seriously though Biltong, what can we expect from Meyer? The Boks already play exactly the way the Blue Bulls do..... or do you think he will shake things up, and play some of the excitiing young talent from SA?

Chewed_mintie. We forget that Heyneke Meyer built the Bulls squad and coached them only up to 2007. There after Frans Ludeke took over, so the continuation of the same gameplan was not really Meyer's decision.

That being said, he will still focus on the basics of the forwards, but I am certain he will allow the team to evolve with the times. His forwards may be some of the recently retired, but I personally think we could see quite a different backline.

The fact is Morne Steyn, Jean de Villiers andBryan Habana won't be given too many chances.

Alan you really need to get over the fact that another team was better than the all Blacks in the past. Your continual stating of facts are becoming obsessive and clearly has very little to do with this subject.

I promise the all blacks are better than us since 1996 without a doubt.

As far as our away record. We have a 75% away record in europe. The reason why our away record looks deflated is becuase we rarely win in New Zealand and plays 25% of our matches against them. We also tend to struggle away to australia against whom another 25% of our matches are played.

So looking at away we are not vulnereable, we struggle to win like most teams in australasia, however up north our success rate is very good.

As far as the match against Australia, I am not even going to go there, as I have wasted enough time and breath on it.

Yes Frans Steyn was more instrumental as an injury loss as carter. Why, well NZ still won the World cup.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Merry Christmas Biltong. Sorry about the tardiness but better late than never.

It'll be interesting to see who he picks as his assistant coaches and which style of play he´ll plump for. The Bulls are a side with a great legacy but they've fallen off in recent times. What is that down to?

I'd like to see Meyer harden the pack up more than Puff Divvy (selection would help a lot there too and admittedly injuries) but also have a game plan with more running in hand. That doesn't mean the backs and spinning the ball wide. Big units like Burger attacking the line or acting as a decoy and men running off him to create doubt in the defensive line.

Anyway it´s good news. Is Meyer still on contract till after June then?

Kia, the reason for Bulls downfall is much the same reason as the Boks, Frans Ludeke was ploughing with another man's cows. When Heyneke Meyer left the Bulls he built up a sqaud that went from zero to hero over a few years and were ready to hit their peak. Ludeke uch like PDv in my view brought very little to the Bulls that added value, apart from maintaining the staus quo.

There has been talk of Rasie Erasmus as technical advisor and Pieter Rossouw as back line coach. a few others have been branded about, even Matfield as lineout specialist.

I assume you are talking about PDV when you are asking about contracted to June, from what I understand he leaves end of the month.

Feckless Rogue wrote:Is he a popular choice in South Africa?

He is with most yes. I am not a Bulls fanatic so aren't unhappy or overjoyed.

B91212 wrote:You must be relieved biltongbek. Like others have commented hopefully he will pick some decent assistants. I don't mind admitting that SA are my favorite SH team (along with Western Province in the S15)

Yes, I am quite relieved, I was worried there will be another political appointemnt. antoehr name I forgot being branded as assistant coach for the back line is Paul true the sevens coach.

biltongbek wrote: was ploughing with another man's cows.

great phrase biltongbek, think I'll be using it frequently. Also works well to describe chaps who are lucky with the ladies.

Galted it is actually a well known Afrikaans saying.

"Jy ploeg met n' ander man se kalwers."

It's genius.

Biltong .Hi FACTS are never tedious,and statements like we are the greatest are a red rag to a Bull to me.Off Topic that is rubbish you know as well as I do,that had PDV won more matches or a RWC he would still be there.
The Boks in the Touring Era did things NO All Blacks side ever achieved,won a Series away from Home in NZ.Won Grand Slams in Europe,the All Blacks lost in 1937 in NZ.All Blacks never beaten SA in SA in the same circumstances,nor beaten ALL the NH sides during a full tour.
Which was common place to Bok sides,BUT in the decade 1955-65 for example
Boks had drawn series with Wallabies [stretching a point it was 54-5] Lions 55,lost twice a series at home to France 58,64,lost twice 56,65 to the All Blacks,Beaten the All Blacks narrowly,a highly successful tour of Europe 60-1,a good Lions win 61-2.
Overall the Boks have a barely 56% win versus Australia ,and England,11 losses to France with 6 draws, 1 loss to Wales,4 to Ireland,5 to Scotland,2 series to the Lions.
SO it is not just the All Blacks,I respect the Boks more than ANY other side than the All Blacks.I do NOT consider the All Blacks better than them over the whole period of there games 1921 on but there EQUAL.
I always expect the Boks towin at Home versus ANYONE,and no I don`t consider one man a squad no matter how good.
I want to see a proper All Black and Bok tussle THAT is the trueist rivalry ever.
That he reverts to picking exclusively home based players,there loyalty over cash deserves it.THAT he NEVER picks weak team s like PDV ,Henry,and White did to win a RWC again it is an anethma to me and the ethos of AB v Boks.
THE 4Ns will be very interesting because both teams are in rebuild mode with new Coaching teams.
Incidentally Mike Cron is now All Blacks Forwards Coach and THAT is a massive boost at least for me.

Well all i can say i watch out World Rugby, the Springboks have the perfect coach for their style and it will pummel everything in its way.

My mate texted me this afternoon on his appointment and we both agreed this is bad news for everyone outside South Africa.

Lucky barstewards

biltongbek wrote:Well that takes care of Puff Diddy. Thanks for your commitment and service to Springbok rugby, now run along and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Let's hope Meyer appoints the right assistants.

Will they be appointed for him to balance things out ?

Cymroglan, Meyer will have a big influence over who his assistants will be.

Alan, another thread, another subject.

Top two inches was about the psyche of South Africans. It clearly stated. " A superior record against all comers prior to isolation, and it was overhauled by the All Blacks during their first ever series win in the Rtepublic in 1996, not yet overhauled by SA since"

Nad as I said, another subject all together, not relevant here.

Well that does it South Africas back.

We can only hope Laurie.

Meyer needs to appoint assistant coaches with the right stuff. They must be innovative and willing to embrace the professional era, and how the game has evolved with new law interpretations.

The benefit of Meyer is he has an eye for talent, he knows how to build a squad, and he knows how to lay the foundations of solid rugby.

The concerns will be, can he embrace and execute a new period of evolution in the way we play?

Will he just be another coach who doesn't have the ability to loosen the shackles of fear in our backlines that will hinder them to be more adventurous and less predictable?

Some more news courtesy of Michael de Vries at Iafrica.com

Heyneke Meyer will do everything in his power to ensure that the Springboks have the best chance of success, starting with securing a strong support staff.

Although his first Test match in charge is only in June, Meyer knows that he faces a lot of hard work before then to create the optimal environment for the Springboks to thrive and he is relishing the challenge.

Meyer is under no illusions about the enormity of the challenge facing him and was at pains to stress the need for quality support if the Boks are to be successful.

"It is very important for me to have the best people involved possible in my management team because I truly believe that all the teams out there and all the nations have unbelievable coaching staffs and it is going to be a huge challenge," he said.

SARU chief executive Jurie Roux pledged that Meyer's support staff will be finalised in the next two weeks, after negotiations to get them out of their current contracts have taken place.

He said: "We will be in a lot of meetings and a lot of deliberations over the next two weeks getting the right people in their positions.

"Sure there will be challenges in one or two positions, but like with anything else you sit down and talk with people and hope to get the best result that is in the best interests of South African rugby," added Roux.

It is a line that Meyer echoed as tried to drive home the point that all stakeholders should be doing everything they can to give the Springboks the best chance of success.

He commented: "Obviously I would like to start tomorrow with the coaching staff in place, but I am realistic and I know that most of the coaches are in contracts, if they are not in contracts then surely they won't be good enough.

"I just hope that the rest of South Africa knows that the Springboks are the most important team and we can help each other to be in a win-win situation," said Meyer.

The former Bulls boss has a reputation for being incredibly thorough and selfless, and it is those qualities that he will use to build his own structure for Springbok rugby in the coming months.

He plans to consult widely with players and coaches in the next few months as he tries to identify the best path for the team.

He said: "We will plan in advance and plan very thoroughly to map out the way forward.

"All the franchises, every single rugby person and player out there need to work together, because I think you need to start working, not on the field but planning for the first four or five months before the first game.

"I think it would be naive for me to start on the Monday and play England on the Saturday, so obviously I am going to spend a lot of time and do a lot of planning with all the coaches and all the players and all the necessary people to already start to talk about the gameplan about the things that I need for that first game," added Meyer.

Having been a Super Rugby coach himself Meyer knows that constant and effective communication with the South African franchise bosses will be vital if he is to succeed and he was at pains to stress that he understands the pressures on them and that he values their input highly.

"I have been a Super Rugby coach myself so I know the frustrations so I am positive that we will work together and there is a lot of work to be done before that first game so I am really going to work hard and put most of the structures in place before that game [First Test against England in June].

"It is very important for me to spend lots of time at the different franchises, to spend time with all of the different administrators and every single person who can make a difference to the success of the team," he said.

In a nutshell Meyer plans to use all of the resources at his disposal as effectively as possible to achieve his ultimate goal of attaining consistent success for the Springboks.

He said: "I am not arrogant enough to not get help from all over, and I want to make it very clear that I will use all the resources in my power to make the national team the best team in the world.

"Whatever it takes, I am willing to speak to anyone out there to make this team the best in the world.

"So there is a lot of work but I am excited and I know that I will get the support of all the coaches out there," added Meyer.

Looks and sounds ominous for those outside SA biltong. This will hopefully remove all the rubbish off field media distractions and poor selections suffered under the p divvy regime.

Some time out to reflect after his Bulls success will probably help in getting some more across the board selection balance.

In saying that... Hes still a huge challenge ahead of him and at this point its still just words. Makes it interesting with hansen in a similar position making Deans the most experienced head coach of the 3 by a mile.

At least we are hopefully back to getting our best onto the field.

Interesting times ahead indeed...

Some more news.

Meyer said on Monday that his ultimate aim would be for all the teams in South Africa to adopt a similar style of rugby.

“In future I would like to install a national style of play and defence and all the attributes that go with it, and everybody should buy in,” Meyer said.

“I am realistic and know you can't force people to play the same, but there should at least be a common goal and places where you can touch base.”

Meyer said it would be imperative to use the Super Rugby coaches as a sounding board as they worked with the players on a day-to-day basis.

He added that communication would be key in sustaining a good relationship with the coaches.

“I would have loved to have started with an extensive planning session where we could put in a national strategy with the way we want to play, but at this stage it is a little bit late,” he said.

“My main aim is to set a great working relationship with them because they see the players much more than I do, and that is why I want to go around and spend time and see what they are doing at the franchises.”

A good grasp of the basics, Meyer said, would always be important in rugby, but he warned that South Africa needed to adapt to the law changes and new styles of play or be left behind.

“One thing that will definitely change is the conditioning of the players,” he said.

“It is a longer season and there is more games, and the games are quicker and the ball is longer in play.

“I am very concerned with conditioning and that is the main thing I will focus on.”

While the increase in work load and the dangers of fatigue were an issue, Meyer was more concerned about players' mental toughness.

“The squads are getting bigger and I think you need to rotate players better at Super Rugby level,” he said.

“Then again I am a big believer in mental toughness and sometimes where we get it wrong – the more we talk about players being burnt out, the more they believe it.

“I want my players to be mentally tough and if you put the jersey on there shouldn't be excuses about their conditioning.

“We need to plan better. There is a lot about rehabilitation we need to do and manage the players better.”

Meyer also gave a clear indication of how he would handle the contentious issue of overseas-based players representing the Boks.

“Heineken Cup and competitions there are also tough and those guys are conditioned well, it is just a matter that they peak at different times,” he said.

“I've thought about a few things, how we can work around it, and you also need the overseas-based players to buy in.

“I have a few ideas I want to discuss with them and their clubs and see if we can get to a win-win solution.”

He emphasised that he was committed to transformation in rugby but cautioned that it needed to be a priority at all levels of the sport.

“We all need to work together and I am committed to transformation and, like Mr Roux said, there also needs to be transformation in the hearts and minds of people.” – Sapa


I like the idea that he understands the need to adapt, but I don't like his idea of overseas players.

I bet he is going to bring back Matfield and Fourie du Preez.

It seems the transformation cloud will hang over him as well.

Some of that stuff is straight out of henrys core system biltong. Especially the working with the sxv coaches and players to get some consistency.
Hes right in it being too late in some regards as with squads already selected and preseason about to kick off most coaches will have least their gameplan for the year nailed down.
Next year will see some gains there particularly if his work is reflected in this years bok side.

Does seem easy on paper though as i know ghs respect and the ab jersey went a long way to making things easier with many of the coaches past abs or near it themselves. GH was able to ask coaches to rest this or that player, try this player at 12 next weekend sort of thing and they generally went along with it.

Thats a huge ask of these guys, charged with the success of the franchise, fans, sponsors etc so getting that sort of trust, cohesion etc takes a lot of work.

He'll already have an idea of his squad so getting to as many trainings matches etc will keep him busy.

Looks really good.

Agree with the overseas players but at this point all doors will be open until theres good grounds to shut them. Thatll come later anyway.

Taylorman the benefit GH had as well is that New Zealand rugby as a whole work for a common goal, here in south Africa to get the collective to work together is often hampered by hidden agendas and over inflated egos.

Will be a tough challenge for him to get their co-operation.

Yes it will. Im not sure Hansen has the same pulling power as Henry here either so we'll be watching that. For me jurys still out on hansen. Ive definite reservations about his comms skills under pressure and ability to build and maintain relationships.

Henry had many attributes i think we took for granted and that will be obvious when the cracks start to show.

Mind you...the rest of my fellow v2ers on here seem ok with him so thats reassuring.

Pressures sure on them both.

Deans must be feeling ok looking into this year. He survived last year, holds the biggest trophy up for grabs this year and GH aint around to rub it in- suddenly hes top dog so to speak.

Hansen will see him as a threat to his pos at some point.

SA remain the biggest interest for me. What is possible if some of thise shackles are removed. .

I see things a little different for the coming year.

NZ will contine their dominance over Australia, Granted they won the tri Nations last year, but I think there were a number of factors that contributed to that.

New Zealand was focused on bigger things even though they try to win every test, I don't think the management or the players were focused on winning the tri Nations. Henry used the Tri Nations to sort out his last little tactical and selection issues.

Australia to me still has the best backline skill wise in the business, but their forwards need work.

I believe both Hansen and Meyer will see those as opportunities to get stuck into australia. Even though Deans is aware of this, I don't think he has the players to sort it out yet.

I don't know what to think of Meyer yet, if he brings back some players, I will be disappointed, if he says we have to adapt, then he must walk the walk, keep away from the senior players that fought PDV on adapting their play.

He is a very good technical analyst and student of the game. He has the ability to build well motivated and close knit squads, there is ample example of that in Victor Matfield's book.

His loyalty to waining players is my biggest concern.

New Zealand will win the four nations, I have no doubt about it. Argentina might struggle this year, I doubt whether they will have all their best players available, apart from that they are a bit short of where they were in 2007.

I guess Im naturally pessimistic this time of year and I hate the unpredictable aspects of both hansen and meyer.
Far call though. On face value we are looking ok...
(Not that I wont be keeping an eye on things)

Not sure I like the thought of my team being the target of getting 'stuck in'... but to be fair all 3Ns game Oz is used as the punch bag, points against usually decides the winners.

Just hope this season we get a bit of steel back into our side. No one likes losing games but if we lost putting a fight will feel a lot better than just being stuck into..

I know biltong, another topic another thread...

Hi, OzT, how are you mate?

Heven't spoken for a while.

I'm good as mate, hope you are too, and the dog's resting.. till the new season!!

Not much rugby interest happening for me at the mo, 6Ns I like watching but obviously no passion involved, even the 3Ns not quite so looking forward to now it's 4, think I will spend rest of my time going ohhh do you remember the old days with rucking and no lifting and 3 points for a try and only 3 sides in the SH??? But got to move with the times.

I too am thinking boks may go to the style of England just before 2003, forwards dominated but with a potent back line too, and we know how the English did then, so methinks the boks will be the side to watch. Kiwis we know will always be there... that conveyor belt never breaks.

I based that on the Bulls setup, very forwards dominated

Ja, I am a bit of a traditionalist myself. Can't honestly say I am enjoying the way rugby is going.

I look forward to the 4 nations as it will be something new. the Tri Nations format when it changed to six matches went backwards in my opinion.

Back to home and away, its the way I like it.

As far as the Boks are concerned, I am still waiting to see what Meyer does.

Too many matches does dilute the comp. Plus now coaches can use a game for experments, I rather each game between us be 100% commitments and both sides at their best. After all we are the crowd and we deserve a fully committed game, fewer each season for sure but each one is the real thing, winners get true bragging rights and no execues offered or watered down wins.

A 3 match series against England will be a great start for the season for you guys, then nothing for 6 weeks. Yip this years 4Ns will be fun!