Ian

SA (and other) Rugby, broken down. Tactics, selections, and the games behind the games. ZA

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Re-launched account, sharp focus: breaking down rugby (Springbok) tactics, selection, and structure — starting with Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour against the All Blacks. If you care about the why behind the team sheet, not just the score, you're in the right place. 🇿🇦

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Next up: Sharks host the All Blacks Tuesday, Kings Park — and yes, Ma'a Nonu really is on that bench, still smiling at the absurdity of that fact. Argentina Test for the Boks tomorrow. Big week continues. 🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Full time in Cape Town: All Blacks 38, Stormers 21. Scoreline makes it look one-sided. The actual game wasn't, for about an hour. Thread 🧵🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Read for the Stormers: no shame in this. A development-leaning side matched a near-first-choice All Blacks squad for an hour and only lost the game in the finishing. That's a real marker for URC and Currie Cup selection conversations, even in a loss.

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Stormers got a late consolation penalty try after Moorby was yellow-carded for foul play, but by then it was about pride, not the result. 21-38 final — a 17-point margin that flatters the story of how tight this actually was for an hour

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Kickoff Tuesday, 11 August, 19:00, Kings Park. Been a good week for South African rugby storylines — and this one didn't even need a stat sheet to be interesting. 🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Sharks have named their team for Tuesday's clash with the All Blacks at Kings Park — and there's a name on the bench that's going to make a lot of Kiwis do a double-take. Thread 🧵🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Imagine being the All Blacks bench and seeing Nonu warming up on the other side. That's not nerves-inducing, that's just mildly surreal for everyone involved, players and fans alike.

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

@jon_cardinelli This is the flip side of the question you raised after the team announcement — if tonight's side is closer to first-choice than "saved," then the 4-in-a-row workload question gets real fast. Can't have it both ways: senior selection now AND fresh legs for game 4.

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Two results, two very different tests of where both nations actually stand. I'll have the honest read on tonight before Argentina kicks off tomorrow — no bulletin-speak, promise. 🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Big 24 hours ahead — All Blacks open Rugby's Greatest Rivalry against the Stormers tonight, then the Boks face Argentina tomorrow. Two genuinely historic fixtures, and I've had approximately four coffees preparing for both. Thread 🧵🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Ian @RugbySharpSide]

Then tomorrow: Boks host Argentina in Buenos Aires, 21:00 SAST. One late change — ref Pierre Brousset got injured in training, so Christophe Ridley steps in. Rugby: where even the officials can't stay fully fit.