Building an innings.

For far too long South African rugby coaches have been playing it game by game. They very often lack the vision and the luxury of building an innings where sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

Pick the best player available at the time and just try to win the match at all costs, would more often

than not be the theme of our approach, and it’s totally understandable if one considers the enormity of the pressure South African coaches are working under. The media is absolutely relentless and even more so the fans. Three losses in a row from a franchise and the stands run dry! So the pressure is on, not only to perform well, but to produce positive results as well.

The ripple effect of this “tendency” however, is the fact that player development more often than not, goes totally down the drain. 

After the retirement of Fourie du Preez, South African coaches hang on for dear life to old custodian

Ruan Pienaar. While in reality I had no problem with Ruan Pienaar as the first choice scrumhalf, I did however condemn the fact that no consistency was shown towards the second-string scrumhalf! Jano Vermaak, Cobus Reinacht, Louis Schreuder, Rudy Page, Charl Mcloed, Ross Cronje, Faf de Klerk, Sarel Pretorius and Dewaldt Duvenage all at some stage, formed part of one Springbok group or the other, but none of them ever really got proper game time so as to settle in as a second or first choice scrumhalf.

For longer than the last decade, proper development seemingly went flying out the window, but under Rassie Erasmus it seems like we can finally look forward to seeing the opposite. Obviously Erasmus is no one day cure and one victory over the mighty All Blacks in New Zealand, doesn’t right all the wrongs, but at least he is creating a belief amongst the players. He is creating a healthy competition within the group and some combinations are starting to settle. Understandably the Springboks face major challenges with first choice players not being available for the year end tour, and this will not only test the Boks, but will also disrupt the combinations that Erasmus had started to develop. So there is no doubt about the challenges lying ahead but what I like about Rassie Erasmus’ approach, is the fact that he is busy setting up more than one player in a position and ultimately he is creating a safety net for players.

To my absolute frustration, we are found comparing players like Duane Vermeulen and Warren Whiteley with one another all the time. This is rather unfair as they have two totally different approaches to the game. In the past, South African coaches would for example play Duane Vermeulen with a cracked rib, just because hís approach is more physical than thát of for instance, a Warren Whiteley! And only when Duane is medically certified as unfit, would they play a Warren and then worse even, they would have that second stringer try an emulate the first choice player in terms of approach and performance. This is just all wrong and I got the feeling that with Erasmus in charge, a Duane and Warren for an example, would not be molded into the same player but rather be utilized to grant each other some well-earned rest and to enforce some form of a rotation policy. More importantly, it seems that Rassie has the vision to have his game plan fit the players and he actually plays towards the players’ individual strengths. So it becomes a whole lot easier to replace a Duane with Warren, or a Pollard with Jantjies, and a Beast with Kitshoff, etc.  The Safety net does not only get bigger, but also a whole lot stronger.

The front rankers are settling in and younger players like Wilco Louw and Malcolm Marx, are being

set up to become 100 cap players. The Second row also saw some real consistency under Erasmus and yet the development of a RG Snyman, had already begun! Erasmus might have had two very poor games this year, but ultimately enormous progress has been made and displayed on-field, and the leadership within the group is growing stronger day by day.

From a South African perspective, this type of preparation was last witnessed in the Jake White era. I love the fact that Erasmus did not only focus on the Championship itself, but he quite clearly also spared a thought towards the year end tour and the fast approaching World Cup! 

As stated in an earlier article, I do hope that the South African fans are patient and open minded enough to understand that sometimes you have to lose matches in order to win trophies.

Back-Row Battle

From a South African perspective, operation first concern should be to cement Siya Kolisi in the nr 7 jumper. Recently Siya has been jumping between positions six and seven quite frequently and the shift is most probably unpleasantly disturbing. The roles differ immensely and to reset your approach every single week would make life tough on any professional athlete. As of 2018, Siya Kolisi found himself wearing the big C on his chest and one would like some stability in position, and in performance from your captain.

The past has proven that the captain’s role goes a long way in determining world cup glory. Some rumors have it that Francois Pienaar might not have been the best option at six in 1995, as is the fact that Gary Botha, Lukas van Biljon, Schalk Brits, Adriaan Strauss and  Bismark du Plessis all at some point might have been a better option for Jake White regarding the number two jumper during his reign as Springbok coach, but no one came even remotely close to leading their respective squads as well as Francois and John had done.

Recently Eben Etsebeth and Warren Whitley lead the Springboks and they both did a fantastic job of it, but things changed on June the 9^th. Siya Kolisi was elected Captain of the Springboks on the 28^th of May 2018 and the media had a blast. Being named the first black African captain of the renowned Springboks made headlines all over the world. Personally the story of the first black African person to lead out the Springboks didn’t faze me too much, as I strive to look beyond color. However, what did faze me abundantly was the story of a kid, growing up in a township, being raised by his grandmother, coming from dirt poor circumstances and changing the stars to fulfill his destiny and become the captain and leader of a national rugby side. That fazed me! It’s an unbelievable journey and the feeling that filled Ellis Park on June the 9^th, was a feeling only experienced in 1995 when Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar lifted the William Webb Ellis Trophy. For the first time since 1995, rugby felt united in South Africa. One team, supported by the whole of South Africa. It really is something special to experience…. 

All that said, I love the fact that Springbok rugby took the first step to becoming a power house once again, by  structuring the leadership within the group. Siya Kolisi, Warren Whitley, Eben Etsabeth all have worn the armband and with senior personnel such as Duane Vermeulen the job becomes seemingly easier.   

Rassie Erasmus, selected old stalwart Francois Louw and rookie Marco van Staden in his squad of 35. Both these players are known for their ability to play towards the ball. In South Africa, (and only in South Africa) the player in the number 6 jumper plays towards the ball. In recent years the position is often referred to as the “fetcher”. The player makes a menace of himself at every breakdown opportunity whilst the player in the number 7 jersey takes the ball up over the advantage line and carries the ball into space. While the number 6 defends close to the rucks the number 7 is often found out wide defending behind the backline. The rest of the globe has the same approach, but everywhere else in the world the number 7 plays in the close quarters whereas the number 6 plays the part of the bigger, stronger ball carrier playing trade a channel wider. 

I would love for Siya Kolisi to own that number 7 jumper. Make it his own, and to see Erasmus backing him up. Opt for a real live-wire in the number 6 jersey that can actually contest for the ball at every breakdown. If not, Matt Todd and David Pocock will have the time of their lives poaching balls galore all championship long. Now is the time to invest heavily in our captain and to get the balance right in the back row. Obviously Duane Vermeulen and Warren Whitley has two totally different approaches to the number eight role, but we could use that to our advantage.

Jean Luc du Preez, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Cyle Brink can fight out the spot on the bench and the competition would be healthy if anything. I love the fact that an amazing youngster with heaps loads of potential such as Du Preez has to fight for playing rights, and the fact that he can gain so much from senior personal such as Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen, whilst warming the bench. Proper development and player management is something long forgotten in South African Rugby. For too long has the culture in South Africa been to play the person in form and to drop him as soon as things get tough. By doing so, we never develop players and hence the catastrophe concerning depth at scrumhalf…

Personally, I love the way Steve Hanson is backing up Beauden Barrett. The media all had a fair bit to say about Richie Mo'unga and how he is the inform first five eight at the moment in New Zealand. New Zealand coaches tend to back potential above form and it shows in results! They always tend to back the player in the driving seat and yet their player pool only turns bigger and better.

By the time this article gets published Erasmus will already have announced his 23 players taking on the Pumas from Argentina in their first clash of this year’s Championship, and I would really hope that he strikes the balance perfectly within the back row and hands Kolisi that Golden number 7 jumper before all else.  

The Blitzbokke striking gold, again.

2016 & 2017 is truly and finally something of the past and not only would all business owners be ecstatic about it, but so too all South African rugby fans. We all struggled with a very poor economic climate and somewhere between deadlines and bills to pay, the feeling had shrugged off onto our weekend heroes as well…

One could go on forever about how SA rugby had gone from bad to worse under the supervision of Allister Coetzee, but that would just be icing on a terrible piece of cake. In reality Allister’s record is horrendous, or abysmal if you would, but badmouthing the bloke any further would not rectify the wrongs of yesterday, and neither shall it lead us to a winning way. In all fairness though, enough has been said about it, so let’s just move on to something worth writing about - The Blitzbokke…

One really needs to tip your hat to Neil Powell for what he has actually accomplished with this squad. Not only did he coach this outfit really well, but he also managed to create one big family of players playing for one another and in reality managed to become the flagship of South African Rugby. Since the start of 2017 they managed to win 5 tournaments and out matched their closest rivals by 28 points on the overall point log and were ultimately crowned World Series Champions. Bookies more often than not would have gambled with their homes or even worse, their children’s college funds on the Blitzbokke, and rightly so. The stats are absolutely phenomenal and declare volumes of just how much progress this team has made. Fortunately professional sports goes way beyond records, stats and trophies. 

Since Powell took over the coaching from Paul True in 2013, he did three things that really stood out. Firstly, he got the team’s defense on track.

Sevens rugby is very popular and basically known for try scoring. The faster, more agile team usually scores more tries and that pretty much always leads to victory. Between the likes of New Zealand and Fiji, they dominated the game of sevens with their great skill, speed and ability to play what we kids use to refer to as hot potato. These guys could run from basically anywhere on the pitch and end up with a five pointer. With their dominance, everyone else thought that they had the blue print for success in the sevens format and so they all emphasized the importance of playing offensive rugby and attacking the space.

In my book, Powell was the first sevens coach on the circuit that laid the same amount of emphasis on the big D, and he could really get his troops to man up defensively. Stats prove this statement as they only had 507 points scored against them compared to the 1320 points they managed to accumulate over the previous season. 13 of the 47 games won by the Blitzbokke in the previous season was in the form of a white wash, as the opponents were unable to cross the try line. The Blitzbokke seem to have this wolfpack mentality when it comes to defending, and they end up forcing so much pressure on the opposition that they place themselves in a position to score off the opponents’ errors. Don’t get me wrong, South Africa has got some seriously talented speedsters with “Magic Mike” like feet and they are really good on the offense as well. The beauty of it lies in the balance that Powell has established between defensive and offensive play, between speed and physicality.  

And that’s the second thing that Powell had done perfectly. He managed to get the balance of the team spot on! The hard men of the team, who compete for ball possession come ruck time, the Kwaggas, Browns, Drys’ and Kochs’  are just as quick, nippy and agile as the speedsters. Du Preez, Senatla, Afrika and Speccies are all guys with jet shoes and yet they defend really well, and are able to make a nuisance of themselves at every ruck, competing for the ball as if they were specialist loose forwards. As time passes, Powell is constantly fazing in young blood to the squad although the core remains the same. The squad can therefore handle injuries and retirements better than most other teams due to the fact that they are constantly developing young guys in whom they invest.  When Frankie Horn retired, Chris Dry could immediately take over the “axe man” role. When Kyle Brown announced his retirement as captain, Phillip Snyman was comfortable enough to take charge without any hesitation. When speedster Rayno Benjamin got less involved, Senatla was an absolute revelation and still is. Over the festive season, manager and trainer of the SA Sevens Academic side Marius Schoeman, had the freedom and guts to take with him on tour to South America two boys who haven’t even yet received their grade 12 exam results - this is what I call proper development.

So basically, they managed to keep the squad as fresh as possible and together with managing the squad well, they developed the core skills of all the guys within the group. Personally I feel so strong about their core development, that I would really love to see all centers and loose forwards contracted with SA’s top 6 franchises, training with the BlitzBokke at least twice a year in order too also develop their speed, ball poaching ability and all round vision.

 The third and final most instrumental thing Powell has achieved with this group, was creating a family of players. A family where you are believed to be good enough for the jersey. Selection is based on your ability, and what contribution you can make towards the team. Not once have I ever been confronted about the color, race or ethnical background of any player within the sevens group. All supporters and fans truly believe that the 7 guys out on the pitch are the best the country has to offer and that the replacements are all worthy to represent our country.  Though this might not sound like much to other rugby playing nations, it certainly is a huge deal back in South Africa. Transformation has become synonymous  with rugby in South Africa, and all politicians threw the phrase around as and when required, but there seems to be an unspoken restriction about Neil Powell’s troops where you as a politician or a supporter for that matter, would not dare. The players have moved beyond the point where they consider each other as teammates, and have reached the point where they are now brothers.

This coming weekend we will cheer the boytjies on as captain Phillip Snyman plays in is 50^th World Series Tournament down in Australasia. Though we know they can’t win every single tournament, I am more than confidant that they will defend their title with everything they’ve got. To Neil Powell, Phillip Snyman and every other player, manager and or staff member of the South African Sevens Team, thank you for being the flagship of South African Rugby and representing South Africa with the utmost respect and honor. Thank you for portraying a true rainbow nation, and stating what the rest of us has long forgotten within the spoils of politics and sports.  

Bring Super Rugby back to life.

Super rugby has been losing steam quite rapidly over the past four to five seasons. Not only is there less fans in the stands, but less people seem to be viewing the games on telly too. The decreasing figures are not only a concern in South Africa, but so too in Australia and New Zealand. One would imagine with the inclusion of Japanese and Argentine based franchises, the figures would increase but you would miss the posts by a mile.

Obviously there’s quite a number of reasons as to why the popularity of Super Rugby is on a slope, and personally I believe the number one reason would be the format.

Playing in three separate conferences complicates things drastically. All the teams don’t front up against each other and to make matters worse, some teams have an automatic advantage based on their conference position, tour schedule and fixed fixtures. Its rather essential that each team plays all the other teams. So, to better explain, we are currently facing a situation where the Hurricanes on 50 points and the Chiefs on 45 points, are dumped in a worse position than the likes of the Waratahs and the Lions on 44 and 41 points respectively. This is not a fair system and one would really love seeing your team compete against all the other sides. To determine the top 8 teams in July, you’d require an Oxford degree and that’s just all wrong. The average rugby supporter doesn’t want things any more complicated than it has to be and therefor the comp has to get back to basics (no pun intended).

The other great concern that Super Rugby is facing is the injury count. Some teams in 2018 had to compete despite the loss of more than 20 first class players at once. Squad depth has always been a reality and rightly so, but as off late it's just ridiculous. A couple of years ago the Stormers had lost 5 flyhalves in one season…

Players simply don’t have sufficient time to recover, and it would be safe to argue that the players spend too much time on the pitch, and way too much time in airplanes. If I may, I would like to use Beauden Barrett as an example. The two games Beauden did not start in 2018, the Hurricanes ended up on the wrong side of the score board, even though they were heavily regarded as favorites. His influence is impeccable towards the Hurricanes’ campaign.

If Beauden was to play 80 minutes of every game the “Canes was scheduled for, he would have played 1,280 minutes of rugby. Let’s say the ‘Canes make it all the way to the final he would have spent 1,440 minutes in his rugby gear just for the Hurricanes alone…  

These are just a couple of issues that the current format has to offer. I would like to see SANZAR bulking the comp up with an additional five teams and then tearing the whole lot into two separate divisions with a promotion / relegation system. As ludicrous as this may sound, bear with me and read it out…

Add the likes of a Samoan based team, a Tongan based team, the Western Force, and you can take your pick between the likes of Fiji, Namibia, Griquas and or the Pumas from South Africa. It might even be that New Zealand has another team on offer. These teams might not be as competitive in year one, as one would like but with the funds (broadcasting funds obviously) going their way this might just be exactly what they need to turn from amateur status to professional status. Within one season surely they will consist over the funds to lure back their own, playing trade abroad. This will obviously help turning the younger generation players into full scale professionals.

So basically (based on the current log) the comp will be as follows:

Tier A :                                                                                Tier B:

Crusaders                                                                            Sharks

Waratahs                                                                             Brumbies

Lions                                                                                    Stormers

Hurricanes                                                                           Bulls

Chiefs                                                                                  Reds

Highlanders                                                                         Blues

Jaquares                                                                              Sunwolves

Melbourne Rebels                                                                Pumas / Griquas / NZ Based Side

Samoa                                                                                  Namibia / Fiji

Tonga                                                                                   Western Force

 At first you might get the impression that Tier B will not exactly be competitive but I beg to differ. Between the Sharks, Brumbies, Stormers, Bulls, Queensland Reds and Blues you would have a pretty solid competition. In this tier alone there are 19 Finalists and 9 Champions based on results since 1996. The divisions however is based on the current log and the best part of the proposed format would be the promotion / relegation sequence. After each year, the two teams with the least points from tier A would automatically be relegated to the Second Tier. The two teams from tier B that makes the Final, would be automatically  promoted and advance to tier A.

This feature will have the teams buzzing as there is substance and the results has real purpose and absolute significance. 

In the past, Sanzar rejected a proposal to split the Super 14 into two seven-team divisions, but as of late, they might just reconsider.

Each team would be playing 9 games. With two breaks per team, a Semifinal and final format, along with a break in between the semifinals and the final, the tournament would still be able to finish within four months. No midterm break for internationals… Start February and finish mid-May. Almost the same amount of rugby, but in way less time. Simple as that. Enough time for June Internationals and for a possible 4 Nations in August. What could also turn out as an incredible initiative, is a possible 5 Nations between the likes of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Japan and Namibia. With all of them already represented in a possible Super Comp, the ground work would be done and the broadcasting rights would finance the adventure. Rugby will turn PRO in the South and we as the fans would get serious value for money.

Sanzar should urgently look into the format, address and alter the competition in order to win back some lost interest. This path alone might not be the right way, but it’s definitely in the right direction. The Pacific Islanders need a change of luck and accommodating them in a Super Rugby format will change the game of rugby globally. 

Springbok future might be bright after RWC 2015

Springbok future might be bright after RWC 2015

Springbok supporters should be careful of what they wish for…

Springbok supporters should be careful of what they wish for…

Missed opportunity, I’d say so…

Missed opportunity, I’d say so…

Heading into a World Cup, no coach could ever satisfy a whole nation with every single selection made. Selections are usually based on form, potential, versatility, experience and leadership skills.

Obviously Heyneke Meyer disappointed some fanatics with the absence of Brussow, Kriel, Serfontein, Jantjies, Reinach and Mapoe just to name a few, but generally he got it spot on. The squad only makes provision for 31 players and the mere fact that some guys ought to count themselves unlucky to miss out, is an exclamation of the depth South African Rugby has. However, what bamboozles me is Heyneke Meyer’s player and squad management…

Heyneke Meyer, Coach of the
Springboks

I’m not too fond of fishing, but whenever I get the opportunity to go out with the lads and have a couple of cold ones next to the fishing waters I jump at it. The wife probably thinks I’m the worst fisherman ever but what she doesn’t know is that I’m not in any way interested in the fish, but rather I keep myself busy with the “tjopping” and “dopping”, the braaing and the laughing. If there is meat on the grill and a cold one in my hand I’m in heaven. The best part is whenever I get home I receive some TLC from the Mrs as she would like compensate the poor fisherman for his lack in success. As a man, opportunity well and truly taken, which brings me to my dilemma concerning the Springboks’ starting 15 against Japan…    

No team or opposition is to be underestimated, especially in a World Cup, but there is some flaws in other teams that one has to use as an advantage. It takes no Einstein to figure out that Japan is in no way as physical as Samoa, and that Japan offers you a great opportunity to play attacking rugby from set pieces that ought not to be under such immense pressure. Playing Japan in the first round also generates the opportunity to settle in tournament winning combinations which should have been done by now. The Springboks lack a proper 9/10 combo, and with our leader of the pack out with injury, he might be a disruption to the centre field combination when making his return. Damien de Allende and Jessie Kriel seemed to gel quite well in the midfield and brings forth some promise for the future, and a combination I would have liked to keep intact.

Hitoshi Ono, one of Japan's more
                      physical forwards. 

When referring to poor player management, our props could be used as a prime example. Jannie and Beast is seriously overplayed and I would have reckoned that the game against the Japanese would be ideal to play the lads better rested. Rather introduce your players coming off injury like Duane Vermeulen and Fourie du Preez back into action against a less physical side, and not against the Samoans who we all know loves the rough stuff. Schalk Burger is another player who had to perform duty for 80 minutes in all 3 of the Rugby Championship games, along with the last test against Argentina. Schalk is one of the older players in the squad and one we ought to manage a lot better, considering that he covers all three positions in the loose trio. Schalk could make a significant contribution from the bench in the second 40, when the Boks should be in a comfortable lead. Avoiding unnecessary injury is unfortunately a necessity and Wales could surely testify. 

Hardman, Schalk Burger

Handre Pollard certainly had his off day during the Rugby Championship, but so did our whole pack of forwards, not to mention Ruan Pienaar. Continuity in Pollard would have had him growing in confidence and playing with the master on his inside supporting him, who knows…

No one really knows in what form Fourie du Preez is, but for Meyer to stick with him we could only assume that Fourie still has the goods and I can’t wait to see what a inform Fourie du Preez does for the performance of a young talented Handre Pollard. Personally I can only see Pollard flourishing in that combination.

Zane Kirtchner proved against Argentina that Heyneke Meyer  has reason to have faith in his abilities, and ultimately justifies his inclusion, but once again I would have preferred a quicker, more running, less kicking fullback such as Willie le Roux or Patrick Lambie to face Japan. Zane will be perfectly suited for the Samoan game, but they bring different challenges to the table. Willie is in my opinion a much better rugby player than he is a fullback, and in saying so, I imply that against opposition with a well structured kicking game, Willie would be better off playing on the wing, entering the flyhalve channel as often as possible without the rest of the team dependant on him to cover the back. All that said, and with all due respect to Mr. Eddie Jones, I doubt that the Japanese consist of a kicking game capable of bringing the Bokke’s dreams and aspirations to an halt, and therefore I would have not gone with Kirchner for our round one opener.   

My final question towards Heyneke Meyer’s starting 15 is Jean de Villiers’ starting position. De Villiers is a capable player and a phenomenal leader, and I don’t question his inclusion, but would have loved to see the midfield combination of De Allende and Kriel to continue. Though Jean has lost a heck load of speed, he has played on the wing for South Africa more times than I can care to remember and I believe he has the experience not to let the team down. It’s easier to compensate speed on the wing and this will also give Jean a head start on regaining some lost form and confidence.

The World Cup has become a marathon and is in no way a sprint. Our preparation prior to the WC

Japan's national Rugby Coach, Eddie Jones

was mostly due to injury not that great and we need this game to fine tune our combinations. I have no question that HM’s Springboks will run havoc against the Japanese and set up a comfortable margin, but I do fear that we have set our sights on Eddie Jones to such an extent that we have missed the bigger picture and ultimately the opportunity to run the inside lane…