2oceansvibe’s bi-weekly sports columnist, Sean Wilson, gives us the low-down on last weekend’s international rugby test against England, considers a new broadcasting model for SuperSport, and hopes against hope that Frans Steyn’s wedding gets the coverage it deserves in Huisgenoot.

1. Heyneke Meyer really gets into the national anthem

We noticed it in the first test, but it could’ve been written off as nervous energy for a test coaching debut. However, after his rendition of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika before the second test, we can now confidently say that the passionate gusto he gives the song is here to say.

It’s good for him to show some genuine, lovable qualities to the public. If you go back a fortnight, he was the leading panto villain for many rugby fans outside of Pretoria. After leaving out the conference-topping Stormers and ruthlessy dropping Heinrich Brussow, he was starting to come across as a cold-hearted spoilsport. It didn’t help that since he’s changed his attire from blue to green, he bears an uncanny resemblance to the Grinch.

It seems that for the first time in years, a South African coach has a certain X-Factor to take into account in the singing comparisons between the national coaches. It’s going to be the highest standard of coach singing we’ve ever had in the Rugby Championship. Argentina’s Santiago Phelan will bring some South American flair to the party, and New Zealand coach Steve Hansen’s physique shows that he has the makings of a mighty tenor. Unfortunately, the kiwi spin Robbie Deans gives Advance Australia Fair will be found wanting every time.

2. It’s in your interest to hook the ball from your own scrum

Yes, Allain Rolland and his assistants got the point of law wrong and incorrectly awarded South Africa’s opening try. However, it has to be said that if you have the scrum feed in your own 22 and you choose not to hook the ball, you’re just asking for trouble.

As every pundit so boringly explains, scrum-halves are constantly getting away with scrum feeds that aren’t nearly as straight as they used to be. If the feed does happen to be straight, that doesn’t mean that England hooker Dylan Hartley is entitled to apply some Jacques Kallis logic and leave anything that’s metaphorically “outside his off stump”. There’s no place in rugby for hookers that leave the ball patiently, waiting for the scrum-halves to “bowl it in their area”.

Was it a try according to the letter of the law. Absolutely not. Did England deserve to concede a try for their scrum’s calamitous hilarity? Absolutely.

3. However, the Springboks are quite susceptible to the odd brain burp themselves

Hopefully it’s because this new Springbok team is still adjusting with communicating to each other, but two of the tries that England scored came from some almighty boo-boos.

There shouldn’t be any need to analyse England’s first try (the tap-and-go effort from about 40 metres) in any great depth. If the Springbok coaching staff do bother to give that particular match scenario the full computer analysis treatment that Rassie Erasmus boasts so much about, there’s no doubt the likeable Short Circuit type-robot the Springbok General Manager has created will crunch all possible outcomes in a nanosecond and tell the players “Keep your eye on the ball”. Then he’ll turn to Erasmus and ask him when he’ll turn into a real boy.

What does need some analysis is England’s second try that came from the apparent miscommunication at the line-out between Bismarck du Plessis and Juandre Kruger. Players understanding each other’s line-out calls should be a non-negotiable.

Some British writers have suggested that one of the reasons that “English” lock Mouritz Botha was selected was for his ability to understand Afrikaans and thus understand South Africa’s line-out calls. One would think the Springboks would find this insulting, because hopefully Kruger’s line-out calls are a bit more intricate than gee dit vir Eben, gee dit vir Pierre and gee dit vir my.

If the Springboks are going to become a ruthless outfit, line-out errors like that five metres from our try line mustn’t happen. Hopefully du Plessis and Kruger can stay on the same page, otherwise Erasmus might have to get Victor Matfield up on top of the stadium with coloured cards to flash every time the opposition kick the ball out. No doubt the IRB will frown upon Bloemfontein’s favourite pastime of Line-out Twister.

If you liked that, then CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story and catch more of Sean’s insight’s over at www.SimplySean.co.za!