Judging Monty
17 Jul 2006
Is Percy Montgomery the greatest fullback to have played for the Springboks?
This is the question SA Rugby magazine put to HO de Villiers, Gysie Pienaar and Andre Joubert – three other No 15s who excelled in the green and gold. Get the new issue, on sale this week, to find out where they put Monty in the pecking order, why they don’t think Jake White’s game plan suits him, and why the Boks would struggle without him.
Also in the mag:
– Schalk’s Bok burnout: Statistical evidence that Schalk has been overplayed at Test level
– Pierre Spies: “I want to be the greatest loose forward in the world”
– Danie Rossouw breaks new ground
– Greg Rawlinson on learning the haka and the prospect of doing it against the Boks
– Dan Vickerman: “I will always be South African”
– Champs to chumps: The demise of England rugby
– Special report on the use of impact players
– We visit Butch James’s new Waterfront apartment
– Keegan Daniel on the U21 World Championship
– Ross Skeate: “I’ve done a lot to get to this point”
– Columns from Naas, Keo and Mallett
89 Comments
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17 Jul 2006, 11:45 am
Hell no – that honour would have to go to the “Rolls Royce” – Andre Joubert…
17 Jul 2006, 11:46 am
No, Chris Latham took him on a 30m piggbyback during an attempted tackle on saturday.
17 Jul 2006, 11:46 am
He is kinda good.
17 Jul 2006, 11:46 am
I like the one on Spies – hahaha! He sure proved it on Saturday.
17 Jul 2006, 11:49 am
HO De Villiers the best
17 Jul 2006, 11:49 am
NO WAY but he is still one of our better players in the modern era.
17 Jul 2006, 11:49 am
How do you mean is he????
Percy & greatest in the same sentence?
17 Jul 2006, 11:50 am
What about Johan Heunis and Andre Joubert ? Both were much better than Percy
17 Jul 2006, 11:52 am
REMOVE Alister Coetzee!!!!!
17 Jul 2006, 11:52 am
The best fulbacks that played for SA:
HO de Villiers.
Johan Heunis.
Andre Joubert.
Gysie Pienaar.
17 Jul 2006, 11:53 am
Percy the greatest??? Naaa …
Sure his won us a few games, but he has lost us much more .. Gysie, Jouber & Heunis were much beter.
17 Jul 2006, 11:53 am
Lets look at this objectively….no
17 Jul 2006, 11:54 am
Percy is behind Joubert, Heunis and Gysie Pienaar.
That is the guys I saw.
My dad swears that HO de Villiers and Lionel Wislon were better then all of them.
17 Jul 2006, 11:54 am
With the 2nd highest test cap count in Bok history, he still routinely drops the high ball…
HO and Jouba didn’t flake out like that.
17 Jul 2006, 11:54 am
Thats the prob with rugby magazines, articles are written weeks before publication and then in the interim something shocking happens and makes the articles look ridiculous.
Lets use Sports Illustrated’s last mag as an example – where they talked about Jaco being the best flyhalf we have. And how good the rush defence system is! BWAHAHAHA, well that is a joke now.
Then this new SA Rugby mag – talking about Spies wanting to be the best.
17 Jul 2006, 11:54 am
Simon,
How can’t you ask JHeunis for his opinion – have you ever seen him play? Streets above the rest, i tell you.
17 Jul 2006, 11:55 am
hell no percy is not the greatest bok fullback, that has to go to andre “the rolls royce” joubert.
perhaps if jouba had stayed on a little longer and mentored monty a little more monty would have turned into the finished article, i firmly believe that monty would have been a far better player today if he could have learned more from jouba.
17 Jul 2006, 11:56 am
Are you under the influence of the finest Jamaican Tobacco?????
Percy has been a loyal servant of SA rugby and a very solid player,but a great he most certainly isn’t and I would not include him in the company of Joubert/Heunis/Pienaar etc.These were players with that X factor that make them greats.
17 Jul 2006, 11:57 am
nick,
take a deep breath and give him time – you’ll be surpised. Spies will become a monster. This kid is no showpony and he lives for the game. He has got everything – give him time i say again.
17 Jul 2006, 11:57 am
when is ross skeate supposed to be fit to play again?
17 Jul 2006, 11:58 am
Allister Coetzee is a typical SA politican, they cant do the job properly, yet dont have the decency to resign.
Fire Coetzee and replace with Campese.
17 Jul 2006, 11:58 am
Is Percy the worst fullback under the high ball to ever have played for the Boks?
17 Jul 2006, 12:00 pm
you can’t mention percy in the same company as jouba, pienaar and heunis. i rate calla scholtz higher than percy.
17 Jul 2006, 12:02 pm
lol cab (2), I don’t think Latham realised immediately that he was carrying a passenger. He only stopped when Percy insisted that he wanted to get off.
17 Jul 2006, 12:02 pm
oh don’t worry I’ve just read the other article, which answers my question about ross skeate
17 Jul 2006, 12:03 pm
For more then a year we hear that percy has won us a game (or kept us in the game) with his kicking. Well on Sat there were no penalties to kick. Apart kicking does he bring anyhing to the game. He is useless under high ball (they even named a drop of the high ballon after his name), he is no where in defence and no where in attack. How on earth anyone can consider to be gtreat?
17 Jul 2006, 12:05 pm
Gavin Johnson was better than Percy – solid at the back & pretty pacy on attck too….
If he hadn’t had to compete vs Jouba, I’m sure he would have been capped more!
17 Jul 2006, 12:13 pm
sjambok 22,
maby not the worst, but definately the biggest wuzz???
Hel hy is ‘n bangat onder die hoe bal.
17 Jul 2006, 12:17 pm
PLEEZ MAN THE ONLY THING JOUBA WAS GOOD AT WAS BEING CONSEVATIVLY CONSISTANT. VERY GOOD PLAYER …YES BUT STILL VERY OVER-RATED
DONT WORRY IM READY FOR THE BACKLASH
17 Jul 2006, 12:20 pm
ice is probably going to suggest Justin Swart…
17 Jul 2006, 12:20 pm
I subscribed to the bloody mag more than two months ago and still haven’t received one! What the hell is wrong with the ********!
17 Jul 2006, 12:20 pm
Sister Monty only had more opportunities than his predecessors. He might not be the worst, but is not nearly the best.
Heunis, Johnson, Joubert, V Rensburg, Gysie, HO and even Pierre Edwards are all way better than him.
I would rate Heunis as the ultimate.
17 Jul 2006, 12:24 pm
Stan.
Don’t know a Pierre Edwards. What province did he play for?
17 Jul 2006, 12:26 pm
HO De Villiers was the best, defined the way the modern fullback plays the game!
17 Jul 2006, 12:26 pm
Who else is there at fullback currently? No competition for Percy, so no incentive to raise his game.
NZ have McDonald & Muliana, Aus have Latham, Gerrard & Shepherd all capable of doing the job…
All we have is a green Pietersen.
Always liked the look of Roets, but don’t know if he could make the step up?
17 Jul 2006, 12:28 pm
Lets not forget what the old dog has done for the Bokke.
That said.Time to go now before he gets humilated any further.
17 Jul 2006, 12:28 pm
You cannot judge Spies on one game in which the Boks were murdered. Heyneke Meyer says he’s the best player he’s ever coached and will become the best Bok ever. Read the mag.
As for Percy … we are not saying he’s the greatest – we are simply debating the topic and asking the experts for their opinions.
17 Jul 2006, 12:28 pm
Roets chip-and-charge? Roets up-and-under? Nope, sorry, not in the green and gold.
17 Jul 2006, 12:30 pm
One name kept popping up as an able replacement for Jaco: Brent. Same name could be mentioned when looking for an able fullback.
17 Jul 2006, 12:31 pm
Why would you ask three rugby players if someone else is better than them when all three plus the rest of the country know that they a hundred times better? I don’t understand, are you testing there modesty or what are you trying to do?
17 Jul 2006, 12:31 pm
Agree with Simon on Spies, SA has a none to proud record of playing great talent to early , watch them flounder and then drop them, where other countries will persevere and develop the talent.Done it more than once in the last few years!
17 Jul 2006, 12:32 pm
Jorrie Muller will be my nr 15.
17 Jul 2006, 12:32 pm
sampioenman
(40) short memory? you surely didnt foerget loftus and the abs, did you?
17 Jul 2006, 12:33 pm
foerget = forget. thick fingers!!!
17 Jul 2006, 12:35 pm
Well Sampi,
looks like our depth is so ****** that Jake will forced to hand out the jersey to Brent,Ruan and errrrr Luke.sooner rather than later.
Either that or call up the UK Dads army Bok squad.(Vos,Visagie,Boer,Coetzie and Snyman)
17 Jul 2006, 12:35 pm
@simon: what exactly has heyneke meyer achieved as a coach beyond a second rate national competition? did you see the U21 final where spies was also ineffectual? he is nowhere near the league of smith, waugh, mccaw etc. and never will be with the laughable lack of professionalism and management skills in SA. i shudder to think how good schalk would have been if he had moved to new zealand, australia, france or england after school or even at school.
17 Jul 2006, 12:36 pm
or the Gasman…
Worst possible Bok backline?
15- Mini-Slaptjips
14- Jorrie Muller
13- Gcobani Bobo
12- Danie Van Schalkwyk
11- Gasman
10- Jacobel vd West.
9 – ???
17 Jul 2006, 12:38 pm
i have just seen the headline on the mag: ‘i want to be the best loose forward in the world’ pierre spies. well then my son, move abroad because even the most average loose forward who gets properly coached and managed and isn’t allowed to eat at the frickin’ spur every night will be better than you.
17 Jul 2006, 12:38 pm
i have just seen the headline on the mag: ‘i want to be the best loose forward in the world’ pierre spies. well then my son, move abroad because even the most average loose forward who gets properly coached and managed and isn’t allowed to eat at the frickin’ spur every night will be better than you.
17 Jul 2006, 12:41 pm
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