Shadowing Practice: Why NZ Fell Short Of Boks At U20s - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Now South Africa has taken out the Under-20s tournament in South Africa,
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Now South Africa has taken out the Under-20s tournament in South Africa,
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a tournament which was interesting because the three other teams appeared to be
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so close and South Africa appeared to be running away with it.
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And then in that last game,
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that New Zealand-South Africa game,
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29-all was very, very close.
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Whenever New Zealand doesn't win an Under-20s tournament,
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the questions are always being asked.
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We used to win these no problem at all,
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why aren't we winning them now?
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So let's kind of get into what's going on here.
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Firstly, this performance after losing to Argentina against South Africa was a big step up.
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Having Kane Durian, it gave me a lot more perspective watching it,
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like understanding that they're setting themselves up to win a World Cup.
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New Zealand won this last year convincingly,
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and the Springboks went on to win the World Cup.
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I'm not saying that there's just naturally going to be roles reverse,
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but I think it showed that they used every member of the squad.
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They targeted that Argentinian game as to give a lot of opportunity,
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to guys that are just trying to stake their claim for the World Cup.
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And I think that's always a good thing
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because how do you know where guys are at if they don't get a chance?
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They slipped up, they didn't deliver,
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and then they put, I suppose,
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their main side back in with a few injuries that are missing some key players.
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But I was super impressed.
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One, I think the most impressive was the Springboks have set the standard in terms of all the collision areas at under-20s.
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Struggled at scrum time, I get that.
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There's no sort of helping that.
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It's just a mass thing and a timing thing.
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But I think the line out more,
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to get a couple of more tries is massive, especially against the Springboks.
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That is huge.
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And I like the nifty innovation and the speed of that first try.
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I think even when they're under pressure defensively,
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there were some bad defensive reads that led to tries,
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but I think in and around the breakdown and getting turnovers at key times,
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Finlay was good, the young hooker, Woodley was constantly challenging.
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And then just when the game came in the balance,
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they just piggybacked themselves up the field.
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They obviously have six players returning.
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I think the experience down that stretch was really important.
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And then to lead to the penalty,
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try to get them the result.
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I don't know I think they'll be really happy coming back
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they'll be gutted with a draw
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but I think the nature of South Africa obviously won it as soon as they got the bonus point
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but them kicking it out
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and not going for the win showed was testament to how physical
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and how draining
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that test match was I think it holds them in really
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really good stead having seen every player they've got some real live footage
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and stuff that they can use to get growth in between now
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and the World Cup and I think they've done a good job Now,
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Bryn, that's the key difference here between the New Zealand approach and the South African approach.
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The South Africans took a tour to Georgia in February.
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They brought this team together, they created combination.
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New Zealanders had a camp and a trial match thing against universities.
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They haven't put the effort into preparing for this tournament the way the South Africans have resources and you can see it.
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So the question is really should they?
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You know the question is is it all about this world championship?
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Should they have been thinking more about winning the rugby championship
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or is the approach fine because it's the trophy at the end of the year that matters?
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I think it's the trophy that ends,
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you know, with the under 20 World Cup championship.
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From where we were, let's say probably into my time when we were there,
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and this is going back a long time ago,
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but having a few camps,
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not having the rugby championship an opportunity to be able to play in a different country
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and go through what it maybe looks like to be able to play against those kind of teams in Argentina,
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South Africa and Australia.
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We didn't have that back in the day.
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You pretty much go to a Rugby World Cup playing,
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you know, an NPC team or a Blues development or a Hurricanes development and then going over to play.
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So I think the progression of probably a decade ago is really good with having this rugby championship.
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So, yeah, I think to the points that Jip touched on,
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being able to use the whole squad and being able to think of the bigger picture of winning a Rugby World Cup.
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Now, look, I guess with the All Blacks
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and even at under-20s level with the expectations that we want them to win every single trophy,
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that they're up for grabs.
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And, you know, even though they didn't have the opportunity when they did score that fourth try,
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the South Africans, they still had the chance to win.
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Unfortunately, with Mule Aina having an opportunity to be able to
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win the game with the penalty at the back end of the game,
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they probably end up winning that game.
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So I think with how the structure is and how we've grown in
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that area to give these men the opportunity to play against international teams before going to a rugby World Cup,
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look, now we'd love to be able to have the Six Nations and something like that to play more games.
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But Jippo, I think the growth of where the competitions are for the under 20 boys now,
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it's a lot easier to be able to go to a Rugby World Cup
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and have that kind of rugby championship in between going to a World Cup.
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Yeah, look, a lot of them get touch points in the super rugby environments over Christmas, New Year's.
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You know, like, they've got to get themselves sorted outside of footy.
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Like, a lot of, you know,
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like, in the UK, and I don't know the situation in South Africa,
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but you get the sense
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that they're probably on a little bit more full-time contracts in those super environments to allow them to go
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and have those trips.
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Like, there's just no time.
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Like, they're amateur.
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and they've either got jobs or university that they've got to get done
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and I don't think it's an age and stage where you should put all your eggs in that basket.
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Right, yeah.
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Personally, and also talking about eggs in baskets, that was a try.
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That was clearly put down.
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Yeah.
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I was fuming, I just don't know how it was like,
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oh yeah, he's lost control of it and he was last to touch it
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so it's a scrum mate it was a clear hand down
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try yes all day long cost us i know i'm gonna get ripped in the comments
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but i have to say that the end on replay had a leg in the way
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which really made it hard to tell the absolute suit but
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when you looked at the other angle you could see his
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hand from the high angle yes where you can see his
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face you could see his hand got it in before the
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line you could see it it was paused on top of it then you go behind yes the leg's there
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but you can see it gets forced
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so the words were no downward pressure please are you saying
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i can call the title of this video new zealand was robbed please don't
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because i really don't want to go insane for the week
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but like i don't know
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and i i was even starting to think there wouldn't even be a penalty try at the end there.
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I thought the referee did a really good job in
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that situation because so often you can see those players trailing they're never going to stop
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that try but I've seen that being just a yellow card and not a penalty try.
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So I thought in a big moment you know probably helped that they'd already won but it was a pretty big call.
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You touched on the scrum the South Africans went to Georgia.
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You know if you're going to go to a place to practice scrumaging as a young fella I'm imagining
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that that's the place to go.
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That's what they love.
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But look at their scrum on the national level.
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Yeah.
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Like they just froth for scrums.
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So what are they doing differently from us?
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Like why is this South African system creating a scrum that is so dominant in comparison to the New Zealand system?
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Well talk to me Bryn,
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you see Malcolm Marks train.
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Yeah.
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It's obviously training habits.
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Yeah, there's obviously a mindset around it.
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Like it's a weapon that they want to be able to do.
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And I think, you know,
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talking to Malcolm and I guess the the forwards that they have their sessions,
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like it's full on but there's also a technical side to it
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that they're obviously doing very very well
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which is then being able to go into games being able to execute
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and being able to put teams under pressure let alone the all books
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or whoever it may be
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so there is a massive massive area where they are working on
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that collectively and so i think even the exercises
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that they are doing um you know malcolm talks around it like obviously they're very very hard scrum sessions
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but the technical side
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and i guess the the ability of all the eight to do their job now jipper tubs on
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and probably knows this in the scrums i'm not averse to be able to understand really understand it
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but to have a very good scrum all eight are working together
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and that's a big part that malcolm's kind of touched on
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that they all want to be in sync
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and they're all trying to do their own role in the in the scrum
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so yeah you're seeing that probably at the top level
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which has then been filtered down with the under 20s probably
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trying to run a similar program to the spring box
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and getting information around what that's looking like there's so many things
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that can impact it but like we spoke at length last season um around the spring box
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and and one is obviously that timing that transition of power,
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like they are all in sync on the engage and they're loaded.
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And I think like just little things they do well.
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If you watch all their loosies,
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they almost curl their hands in the grass.
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They always bang their boots back to get them locked in their preset.
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They're not thinking about cleaning that rack.
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Yeah.
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They're not thinking about who's running down their channel.
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They're backing themselves to scrum first, then they'll get there.
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And that sounds simple in theory,
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but actually having the confidence in your back defenders that if worse comes worse,
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it's a quick hocking out, they'll survive.
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But their whole mindset is scrum first,
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like scrum at all costs first,
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because they know if they can fold a team back over on their own ball
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or keep it in and milk a penalty on their ball,
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it's just such a weapon.
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You just piggyback yourself down the field.
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And then I think their nines,
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like their nines make a big effort to call
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when the opposition half is putting in or they're putting in to make sure that they know when the trigger's coming.
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And they'd train that.
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They'd just train it all week.
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So even though you hear it,
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you haven't trained it all week.
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So you hear one of the halfbacks go,
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and, you know, or whatever their word is,
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as they're putting the ball in,
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you're still reacting to someone else that you haven't trained with all week.
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And you'll just always be second.
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But I still think it's those loosies.
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Those loosies love a scrum like a front rower.
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It's a big part.
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I'll tell you what, they are not looking for anything else other than the penalty at scrum time.
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So Brynna, when you look at the players that you saw on the field,
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which players stood out to you that you thought,
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geez, this person's a person for the future?
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I think Sinton would be a big part of it, I think.
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You know, he's one guy that I think,
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you know, the fact that he is,
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I think he's signed with the chess,
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I'm not too sure if he is,
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but I think with his developments and even playing with the MPC,
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he was very good for the Bay of Plenty steamers coming in last year,
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so I think he's definitely one guy to watch to watch and I think Norrie as well in fullback.
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I think his agility and his weapon are on attack with both ball in hand
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and his kicking ability and I think how fast he is.
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He's probably two players, those are probably two players
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that I've touched on who I think will be a pretty good career as opposed to his under-20s.
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I think another one is Caleb Woodley.
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I really liked him at open side.
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He was just so solid defensively.
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He got a good crucial turnover against the Springboks
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and you know he's got a bright future and then Muleyaina is another one.
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I think if you look at Muleyaina and what he's done,
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you know he really played a lot of EMBC and I think his composure going into this World Cup will be crucial.
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Thank you.
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This video provides a fantastic backdrop for practicing English speaking skills through a real-world context—analysis of a competitive sports event. Engaging with sports commentary not only broadens your vocabulary but also familiarizes you with how native speakers express complex ideas. By discussing topics such as teamwork, competition, and strategy, learners can enhance their ability to articulate thoughts on various subjects effectively.
Using the shadow speech technique with this video allows you to mimic the natural flow and rhythm of conversation. As you listen to the speaker dissect the Under-20s tournament, try repeating phrases to improve your English pronunciation. This method helps in grasping nuances such as intonation and stress, essential elements in spoken English.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker employs several key grammatical structures that can enhance your own speaking skills:
- Conditional sentences: Phrases like "if they don't get a chance" indicate cause-and-effect relationships, which are crucial in articulating hypothetical situations.
- Gerunds and infinitives: Expressions such as "to win a World Cup" showcase the use of both forms in a sentence, essential for discussing intentions and future actions.
- Descriptive adjectives: Words like "convincingly" and "massive" provide vivid descriptions that elevate the quality of speech. Utilizing descriptive language can greatly improve your conversational ability.
Incorporating these grammatical structures into your spoken English can make your communication more engaging and insightful.
Common Pronunciation Traps
Listeners may encounter specific pronunciation challenges within the video that require attention:
- Collisions: The word "collision" may be tricky, especially for non-native speakers. Practice the 'sh' and 'zh' sounds with this term to improve clarity.
- Springboks: This South African rugby team's name might be challenging due to its rhythmic flow. Focus on placing the emphasis correctly on syllables when speaking.
- Argentinian: Ensure you articulate the 't' clearly. Many learners tend to soften consonants, which can lead to misunderstandings.
To address these challenges, consider using a shadowing app to practice alongside the video. Hearing the correct pronunciation while repeating can significantly aid in improving your English pronunciation.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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