Cited: Dean Greyling
Springbok head coach Heyneke Meyer promised action against replacement prop Dean Greyling after he was yellow carded in the loss to the All Blacks.
Immediately after the match, won by the All Blacks 21-11, Meyer apologised to All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw, who appeared to be on the receiving end of a forearm smash by Greyling.
It was South Africa's second indiscretion in as many games.
Lock Eben Etzebeth was banned for two weeks for a headbutt in the Test against Australia and now Greyling faces the judiciary after he dived at McCaw, who was trapped in a ruck, and appeared to hit him in the face.
The incident came in the 63rd minute, just after the All Blacks had taken a 15-8 lead and were starting to take the ascendancy in a physical, torrid, match between two of rugby's most passionate rivals.
"I'm very big on discipline and it's unacceptable," said Meyer, who before the match had expressed his admiration for McCaw as "one of the best players ever".
"I think it cost us the game as well and I want to apologise to Richie and it will be dealt with inhouse, but it's unacceptable.
"We're a team that prides ourselves on discipline and we can't afford these things in games."
Visiting skipper Jean de Villiers said if Greyling is found guilty he will face internal action as well as any punishment handed down by the rugby judiciary.
"We'll never condone playing dirty," De Villiers said.
"Like the coach said, discipline is a non-negotiable for us and definitely if he was in the wrong we'll take action internally against him."
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said the hit on McCaw was a "cheap shot" but would not comment further.
"It's not in our hands," he said.
"The referee and touch judge have yellow-carded it and the citing commissioner will have a look at it and make the decision but I thought it was a cheap shot and what happens next will be up to those people."
McCaw, three times the IRB's world player of the year and a veteran of 110 Tests, was not injured by the blow and brushed it off as "just one of those things".
The All Blacks have now won all four of their Rugby Championship matches to stay at the top of the table, while South Africa slipped to third behind Australia, who beat Argentina.
Against the fired-up Springboks, the All Blacks struggled in the first half and led 5-3 at half-time after South Africa's ace goal-kicker Morne Steyn was woefully off form and missed five of six shots at goal.
But the emergence of Aaron Smith after the break gave the All Blacks backs a quicker service and they began to break down the South African defence.
Smith, the first-choice scrum-half before being demoted to the bench for breaking team rules before the Test, further stamped his mark by scoring the game-turning try when the score was locked at 8-8 in the 60th minute.
He broke around the side of a ruck and raced 30 metres to score.
"I had a point to prove, and I was very happy when I got over the try-line," he said.
Comments
kiwilad says...
Ben7, if you live here, and dislike us so much, I will be happy to drive you to the Airport!
Posted 03:22 20th September 2012
ruckingkiwi says...
The All Blacks missed kicks as well and none of ours were dreamer shots from 55m.
ben7, "im a NZ citizen and consider myself kiwi but everything i said about kiwis is true. Small-man syndrome is the best way to describe it"
Errrrr so you consider yourself to have small man syndrome?
You're not a Kiwi mate so dream on, a passport doesn't give you that! You're just another Saffa who has given up on their country.
Posted 21:15 19th September 2012
7ton says...
Ben7 "Small-man syndrome" that has to be you
Posted 23:10 18th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ noord_transvaal - just personifying the belief that some Saffas are nothing more than dumb farmers, who share the family braincell with their livestock. Such contrast to the sensible posters on here. You do you team, fellow supporters and country a dis-service with comments such as that.
Meant to be funny? Epic fail.
@ Zambokke - nicely done sir.
Posted 17:21 17th September 2012
saffastormer says...
Typical HM verbal excriment !! It wasn't dicipline that lost us the game it was 6 missed kicks that cost us the game (in part), team selection and an antique monoplan is what really caused us to lose the game
Posted 15:03 17th September 2012
ben7 says...
@qwerty- "Please feel free to take your bat and ball and go home"........ What the hell are you on about?? As i said before i live in NZ, im a NZ citizen and consider myself kiwi but everything i said about kiwis is true. Small-man syndrome is the best way to describe it
Posted 13:06 17th September 2012
Ramage says...
Apart from one sick comment on here I find the posts by the many saffas here to be on the ball and lacking the intense nationalism found in many of our posts on here. What is coming through is the real fan's view and shows their love of this great game. those who are selected to represent our various countries and indeed those who are given the job of selecting those players have an enormous weight on their shoulders. I well remember some of the vitriolic comments aimed at Graham Henry, mainly, and his coaching team at the time he was reappointed and Deans missed out whilst it was nation wide it emanated from Canterbury because their finest son had been overlooked. That is the passion we have in rugby often misplaced. So it has been good to see such reasoned comments coming through. Needless to say every village has its idiot and he has raised his head once again. Oh and Zambokke I enjoyed your comment as well lol.
Posted 12:46 17th September 2012
porridge_time says...
Boks lost that and no way did kiwis win it.
Rubbish!
Posted 10:54 17th September 2012
sandal says...
@Zambokke
I don't know if you got any other feedback, but your Shades of Greyling made me laugh.
Posted 07:27 17th September 2012
sandal says...
Actually, both teams showed a lack of discipline, not least in giving away penalties. When Morne Steyn was lining up the third kick at goal I started taking notes, and this is what I found:
NZ conceded eight penalties that led to kicks at goal, six of them before halftime and before they got a kick at goal themselves.
SA conceded five penalties that led to kicks at goal (though there might have been more had the ABs a Franz Steyn or a Goosen), all of them after halftime.
None of the Bok kicks came from penalties conceded to pressure near the tryline.
Only one of the All Black kicks came from a penalty conceded to pressure on the tryline -- and that was in the 80th minute! One AB penalty came from pressure on the 22, but the Boks should have backed their defence in that situation.
So of the 13 penalty shots at goal, only one, possibly two, came from pressure that threatened a try. The remaining 12 or 11 were for technical offences.
All Black offences (8 kicks):
Not releasing the ball (3)
Not rolling away (2)
Hands in the ruck (1)
Taking out a player in the lineout (1)
Runner crossing in front of the ball carrier (1)
South African offences (5 kicks):
Leaving feet in ruck (2)
Not releasing the ball (1)
Not rolling away (1)
Hands in ruck (1)
It is unfortunate (and rare) for the Boks that their kickers fared so badly. But it is fortunate for rugby that this game wasn't decided by an exchange of penalties for technical offences. Do such offences warrant three-point penalties? Does a player in the attacking team, 55 metres from his own line, deserve to concede three points because he holds on to the ball at the breakdown for a split second too long?
Either the teams need to acquire greater discipline -- possibly superhuman discipline -- or the rules need a strong tweak.
@Ramage
I agree: Meyer gets points (three?) for what he said.
Posted 07:23 17th September 2012
cuw3100 says...
@ bloemboy : "South Africa probably have the best talent in the world at the moment, with the Kiwi's a close second, yet it is Australia and Argentina who are punching above their weight, given their talent available."
everyone is entitled to their own opinion , but is there any particular reasoning to the above statement?
being patriotic is great but blind faith is harmful :)
Posted 04:50 17th September 2012
dropkick says...
@realbull
You must be joking - one of Boks strengths... the only one. If you can keep that up for 80mins you'll have some big wins. Stadiums will be empty of course. BTW love comments here about ill-discipline. Its only been happening for 50 years or so.
Posted 04:22 17th September 2012
safehands says...
@noord traansvaal....I see you are still as big a doos as that idiot Greyling!!! How is he even a Springbok??
Cudos to all the other decent Bok fans for condemning Greyling. Great sportsmanship and a credit to the game of rugby!!! Nobody with half a brain wants to watch idiocy like that...no matter which team you support.
Posted 01:45 17th September 2012
rugbyforever says...
Totally agree with Bloemboy, Meyer is responsible as is JDV whose leadership is now also exposed. How (and why) did Ricardo Loubscher get into the Bok set-up?!? He was hopeless as a player and he is apparently the back-line coach which is where the biggest problems are.
Posted 00:41 17th September 2012
LeftRightOut says...
@ noord_transvaal
I find your attitude and comment as offensive as Greyling's interpretation of discipline. You not only endorse his actions but wish he had done more damage?? With fans like you supporting them, I can understand the agressive dirty play demonstrated by a small number of Boks over the years, and expect it will take years to weed out of the game. Show some pride, and earn some respect
Posted 00:20 17th September 2012
JayStarr says...
Has there been a game the Springboks have played under Meyer where he hasn't used the word "unacceptable" afterwards..? That word is as meaningless by now as Morné Steyn.
Posted 00:09 17th September 2012
Zambokke says...
50 shades of Greyling. It's a novel about an oversized bully who likes to inflict pain on his team mates by playing the fool and giving away points.
Posted 21:30 16th September 2012
qwerty says...
@Ben7
Jmanngod was making an observation about the game, you responded with a personal attack and national stereotyping. Poor sports indeed mate. Please feel free to take your bat and ball and go home.
Posted 21:20 16th September 2012
KiwiLad says...
Is Meyer actually PDV without the clown suit???
Posted 20:54 16th September 2012
bokbevok says...
At fly man and co. Just to state the obvious game plan on the night was perfect for the kiwis. You were well beaten bar poor kicking and a couple of missed opportunities which could happen in any game.
HM needs to look at alternative fly half and send Steyn back to currie cup to find his form. Regardless of what you say NZ are not that good and probably a lot worse going on what you say about the boks because they were not the better team.LOL
Boks lost that and no way did kiwis win it.
Posted 17:24 16th September 2012