YOUR HATE MAKES THEM GREAT

Don’t hate me, because you’re not me. I’m not sure who coined that term, but it seems most relevant to the WORLD CHAMPION Springboks at the moment.

I marked “world champion” for the haters among us… and there seem to be quite a few when it comes to our beloved Springboks and their fans.

Before I go into the hatred of other countries towards our fans, I would like to address the comments made by a certain Mr Matt Williams about our Springbok bench tactics.

Exactly. That was my first thought too.

Who exactly is Matt Williams and why would anyone want to listen to him?

Nagging

So I googled our mystery man and his Wikipedia page read: “Matt Williams (born 1960) is an Australian rugby coach best known for his jibes about Springbok rugby and Rassie Erasmus…”

That’s no surprise.

Apparently he’s also a former Scotland international who has coached a number of teams and now works for Virgin Media Television and has a column in the Irish Times.

In a Virgin Media Sport podcast, this ‘guy’ is quoted as saying after the Springboks beat Ireland 27-20 last week: “In the 49th minute, six South African forwards came on the field (as substitutes). Is that what the safety substitution laws are for?

“And that’s not a criticism of South Africa, it’s not a criticism of Rassie (Erasmus), it’s a criticism of World Rugby for allowing that to happen. That’s not what our game is designed for.

“The South Africans took full advantage of a loophole in the law, and that’s where the penalty attempt came from (after South Africa had driven Ireland back to Europe in a scrum).”

He added: “It discriminates against full-backs; our game is for all shapes and sizes, so in that game you had 14 forwards.

“That’s not what our game was designed for, that’s not what the ancients designed it for, that’s not what we did in the 80s, 90s, 2000s…

“The bank was a safety act, that is not safe, what they did – maybe at international level (it is), but not at the lower levels of the game. I will not stop saying this, because I believe in it passionately.

“It is not the intention to bring in substitutes at that moment, just before the start of the second half…

“It is a violation of our ethics, a violation of our traditions, and a violation of our safety rules. That has to change.”

🗣 “It’s not safe!”

🗣 “I have no criticism of South Africa or Rassie, because it is legal.”

🗣 “The responsibility lies with World Rugby.”

Matt Williams has come out strongly against rugby’s substitution rules after South Africa fielded six attackers at once against Ireland. #SAvIRE photo.twitter.com/5wkAHsGaS7

— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) July 7, 2024

Brother, brother, hokaai! Stop right there.

I know that in the time you played, substitutes were called reserves and probably only came on the field if there was an injury.

But the game has evolved since the time of William Webb Ellis.

Rugby is not a game with 15 men, but with 23 men. You have to plan accordingly.

That’s what makes the game interesting. As a coach or former coach you should be all for it.

This allows a true tactician to fall back on Plan B if Plan A fails.

It also brings a fresh energy to the game and keeps fans engaged until the end. Gone are the days of the oversized amateur prop gasping for breath as a fit and fast winger flew past him in the 65th minute.

Intensity

A few more shots from yesterday – thanks @irishrugbysee you in Durban 👏#Springboks #MostlyGreenMostlyGold photo.twitter.com/YEjiBAvQPq

— Springboks (@Springboks) July 7, 2024

Substitutes are no longer just there to step in when someone gets injured. They have to ensure that the intensity of the game is maintained and that coaches have the means to adjust their plans.

In modern rugby you often see that some teams keep their most complete players – think Frans Steyn, Damian Willemse and now Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – on the bench because they can fulfil multiple roles.

It is there for the coach to assess his shortcomings in the game and plug the holes. It is there for a coach to see where he can exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s arsenal by using his bench.

You know that, right?

How teams exactly divide up the composition of their eight substitutes is up to the coach, as he has substitutes for the team in the tight five for the scrums.

It’s one of the most enjoyable things about watching a game: seeing what plans and tactics a coach comes up with in the second half.

Just because the team you support hasn’t realized the game has evolved yet doesn’t mean you should hate REAL tacticians.

When people approach my people (South Africans) in this way, I start to enjoy it when our fans attack the opponent. As you may have read in previous columns, I usually push us, South Africans, to put our best foot forward and be hospitable guests.

Normally I would want to bury my head in the sand when our DJs… to ball “Emotional Damage” blares from the Loftus speakers as Ireland misses a kick and they start singing Rassie, Rassie, Rassie to the tune of Zombie by Irish band Cranberries.

Bitter

But if you become bitter against our men this is how i feel the national pride welling up inside me. And then it hits me, your hate makes us great. It feeds us. So come on, the more you bash us, the more we come together.

And our strength lies in that unity. Come on South Africa!

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