There is no Bok World Cup plan
16 Aug 2006
Everything about the Springboks at the moment is hit and miss. It will be no different at next year’s World Cup.
Events in the last two months have shown up the lack of World Cup planning, starting with the warm-up match against the World XV, the debacle at Newlands against the French and the embarrassment overseas during the Vodacom Tri Nations.
Each time the Boks stumble, the management ducks in behind a World Cup excuse. There’s no crime in that if there was a World Cup excuse. If the Boks were losing and struggling because of World Cup preparation, you could still stomach recent events. But there has been nothing to suggest any sort of plan with any player.
Let’s go through the list, starting with Meyer Bosman last year. Bosman was the controversial selection for the end of year tour and White waxed lyrical about the natural talents of a 20 year-old he said could play anywhere in the backline. White told the media he had been following Bosman’s career since the player was a 16 year-old and that the kid had it all. He picked him against Wales and started him against France. And that’s been Bosman’s exposure to the big time, other than warming international benches and carrying tackles bags.
White could have played him against the World XV or in two Scottish tests if he had a plan with the player. He never did and despite Bosman not making the initial playing squad for this test season injury to Andre Pretorius prompted White to pick Bosman again. He took him on a Tri Nations tour and never played him again. Instead he flew Butch James to New Zealand and played him against the All Blacks. There has been no plan with Bosman whatsoever, other than to stuff him around.
White introduced 32 year-old veteran Andre Snyman from Leeds and told the media Akona Ndungane lacked pace. Two months later and Ndungane is the test winger and Snyman is trying to get a release from a World Cup contract to play in France. Danie Coetzee, another veteran playing in England, was flown in from London Irish and paid to travel with the Boks. He is 32 years-old and played eight out of 22 matches for London Irish in the last year. We saw nothing of him in the test arena in the last two months. He’s on his way back to England. When Jaco van der Westhuyzen signed to play in Japan White said it was the best thing for him. White (YAWN) quoted his good mate Eddie Jones on the pros of Van der Westhuyzen playing in Japan and how the player could improve his skills because of the lack of pressure. Now White says he needs to get Van der Westhuyzen out of his Japanese contract because it is killing his international rugby. Van der Westhuyzen’s also gone back to Japan. Three players on Bok salaries not currently involved in the Tri Nations.
White at the start of the year said this was the season that he needed to find out if he had capable back-up to Percy Montgomery. In seven matches, six of them being tests, he has tried no other fullback and in four of the tests Monty has been appalling. When asked in Australia who Monty’s back-up was, White mentioned the likes of Johan Roets and Willem de Waal. He did this while Pietersen was lugging tackle bags around. Pietersen will get a game this weekend, but it will be for the Sharks. White wants him back with the Boks on Monday. Why? To carry more tackle bags. After 79 tests with Montgomery, he knows what he has. Why doesn’t he expose Pietersen to test rugby and see what he may have in the 20 year-old? If there was any planning around the likes of Pietersen, we would have seen a game schedule mapped out for him.
White and his selectors continue to clutch at straws. The majority of players who cocked up in Australia continue to be rewarded, while domestic form has proved meaningless.
Breyton Paulse has been lured back to South Africa and is now on holiday. White has axed him from the Tri Nations squad.
Brent Russell was not in the mix before the French test in Cape Town. He got picked because of injury to Paulse and was one of the Boks better players. He got taken to Australia and New Zealand and never made a match 22. Now he is out of national mix again. Where was the planning around Russell? There wasn’t any.
Pierre Spies was overlooked for the initial season’s training group and the excuse was used that he would be available for the under 21 World Championship. He excelled as a flanker in the tournament and White picked him to tour Australia. He then capped him as a No 8 in a one-dimensional ball-carrying loose-trio to play Australia in Brisbane. Spies was poor and the hapless Joe van Niekerk was even worse playing out of position as an opensider. A few weeks earlier Van Niekerk had looked good as a No 8 against the World XV and Scotland. Now he can’t make the starting XV.
White had the opportunity to introduce new midfield talent against France, if there was indeed a plan. He didn’t. He phoned De Wet Barry, asked him to play 80 minutes of test rugby after a month’s break and then dropped the player because he lacked penetration in the test match. White then told the media that he was keen to pick Marius Joubert on the Boks return to South Africa. Joubert had not been on a rugby field in two months and when he eventually got back on a week ago he hurt his ankle.
White in May flew Anthony Eddie, an Australian consultant, into Bloemfontein to work with the Bok backs. He waxed lyrical. Now Eddie’s out of the mix and White has turned to Alan Zondagh to work with the backs. Zondagh has been in Cape Town for the last few years and has been running his own academy in Cape Town. Where was the planning around that one? Where was Zondagh in May?
Gary Gold was White’s ‘rush defence’ expert and go to man in 2004 and 2005. Gold is now working in South Africa, but his expertise has not been asked for again with the Boks? Planning?
Gert Smal went to Toulouse to find out a bit more about scrumming techniques, but no call was made to Heyneke Meyer, the best forwards specialist in South Africa. White ended up with Balie Swart, whose role at the Sharks was reduced to a cameo post Kevin Putt.
Andy Marinos, National Teams general manager, lambastes his players for lacking professionalism in a rugby magazine in an article that reads desperation and not inspiration.
All World Cup planning as far as selections go were put on hold when France beat the Boks. At least that’s the excuse at SARU.
But if there was a World Cup selection plan and it was founded on solid principles then a win or a defeat against France should not have altered these selections.
New Zealand’s coaching staff declared that Dan Carter would play only two matches on the Grand Slam tour and that only a few players would play more than two matches. They were true to their word. When the All Blacks beat England to set up only the second Grand Slam for New Zealand the following week against Scotland coach Graham Henry made 13 changes. He said that playing the new guys meant more in terms of the World Cup planning than playing his best team to win a Grand Slam. He said the same when he juggled for the two test series against Ireland and the one-off against Argentina. In all three tests New Zealand struggled and were in a position to lose all three. Henry stuck to the plan because he had a plan and it was a plan he and his team believe in.
Henry had picked both Irish and Argentinean test line-ups three weeks before the tests. Results did not change this.
Take young Isaia Toeava as an example of World Cup planning. He was taken on tour with a coaching staff intent on playing him only in the last test. This done, he was drafted to the Canes to play regularly at fullback. This done, he was picked to play Argentina at outside centre. This done, he was picked in the match 22 for the Australian test. This done he was released to play for Auckland at inside centre one week and a request was made that he play outside centre last week. Now, nearly nine months after first touring with the All Blacks, the management are comfortable to give him a start at outside centre against Australia. It is part of the World Cup plan.
The All Blacks have even pencilled in the team to play the Boks in a fortnight. It is called planning. Now compare Toeava to Pietersen, Russell, Spies, Ralapele, Sephaka, Gary Botha, Pienaar and Bosman and talk about a World Cup plan.
This week White will again talk about his axed international coaching mates Eddie Jones and Clive Woodward and the need to explore every avenue. Unfortunately there is no conviction about any World Cup plan. There is a lot of talk about it, more as an excuse when things go wrong, but the examples I just listed illustrate how little thought has gone into who the 30 World Cup players should be and just what each player’s role will be.
Again I ask. What happens when Monty goes down? Who replaces him? Still Jake plays him into the ground, as he does with John Smit. For what? To gain some redemption at winning home test matches?
It is all hit and miss as are the excuses about Luke Watson’s continued omission.
The latest one is that the senior players don’t want Watson. Yep, those brave souls who turned their backs and threw in the towel 49-0 in Brisbane. Those senior players.
As I said, all in the name of World Cup planning.
Yeah. Right.
821 Comments
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16 Aug 2006, 11:13 am
Talking of divisive players in the team, have a look at the effect Kevin Prick has had in the England cricket side. Here’s a guy who had his kit thrown off the change room balcony by his county captain Jason Gallian, and told to f##k off because of the harm he did to his county side. Many people questioned the impact of his inclusion in the national side. He made it, and has had a huge effect on the side’s performance. He also appears to have matured slightly. To digress somewhat, in my humble opinion he is still the biggest tosser around.
I see LW in a similar vein. No doubt he could add some benefit to the SA side, but he will require plenty of management. The jury is still out as to whether he is a tosser too.
16 Aug 2006, 11:14 am
kir
Have you got a cold?
16 Aug 2006, 11:17 am
Jokkol, jokkol, Jake White weet …… NUKS!
16 Aug 2006, 11:20 am
White does appear to have run out of excuses for not blooding a few players. He’s had plenty of opportunities to do so in the June tests and as SA are effectively out of the Tri Nations now, he has more opportunities to do so.
Throw a few youngsters into the mix. Even if it’s only for 20 minutes in a couple of games. Otherwise let them go play rugby somewhere. It’s completely unfair on a guy to take him overseas for 5 weeks and then not play him. JP Pieterson could have been honing his skills with the Sharks.
I’ve generally always backed White, as he has the harshest environment in which to operate, but his once wonderful player management appears to have been thrown out in favour of a dig your heels in and don’t let anyone tell you what to do approach.
He really has nothing to lose by experimenting the rest of the year.
16 Aug 2006, 11:22 am
Jake is on the right track…leave him alone!
Jake’s sister
16 Aug 2006, 11:22 am
Wooden spoon……..Talking absolute nonsense again…YAWN…..
16 Aug 2006, 11:24 am
geez .. what can happen next in SA rugby??? becoming like a soapie!! “go you good thing (Wallabies)!!” maybe Keo can take over the coaching role.
16 Aug 2006, 11:26 am
David,
no **** sapien, macaws are parrots.
16 Aug 2006, 11:28 am
Gold Coaster, go and chase a sheep!
16 Aug 2006, 11:28 am
Welcome back Keo, see you have recovered.
Eloise and the rest of us still need answers from you.
Will check later after 400 hits for answers.
16 Aug 2006, 11:29 am
cant mate.. they sleeping!! besides this is far more funnier!
16 Aug 2006, 11:31 am
Cab
Some merit is the bulking of the channel,
But when do we impose our own plan , instead of compensating for the Aus
As for Jaco , if white picked him as a running fly , for a running game plan why is it dead obvious that he must be under instruction to kick ?
him and others , they all do all the time ?
Meyer could easily defend his channel , you need to see him stand next to Juan and Joe , the lad is massive , that s why jake picked him.
Rassie also did jake favours last year by playing him ahead of Willem after he had been picked.
At the time i agreed with Rassie , if Jake was going to pick anyone , he should have picked rassies 1st choice , Willem.
Say what you want but he proves it week in and out he is capable of the running , kicking and passing and whatever game , no-one varies it up as much as FS and their complete turn around from last year conservative plan to secure the CC to return to their traditional style has been smooth as silk
With Willem scoring tries himself.
any way back to the selection issues , those youngsters should have been picked for post world cup
I would have picked some more experience lads from the other talent on offer with Super 14 experience for the WC and had those young chaps slowly in the mix.
but then im not bok coach !
Keo
ja maby a few times , you do have the inside track …
Could you say with any certainty why Russell gets shafted so much ?
it bugs the **** out of me !
16 Aug 2006, 11:32 am
“far more funny” or “far funnier”
not “far more funnier”
not sure what gets taught in those outback schools.
16 Aug 2006, 11:32 am
Maybe Jake has a plan, but does not want to show the rest of the world what is is before say the EOY tour or maybe even next year. Also, not many realise the diff. someone like Bakkies, Schalk and Jean makes to a team!
16 Aug 2006, 11:32 am
Morning sporto!
What got you to crawl out of your hole?
16 Aug 2006, 11:33 am
GC
Is a gold coaster one of those yellow round things your wife makes you put your beer on?
16 Aug 2006, 11:34 am
klim op ‘n vliegtuig dan wys ek jou cab..
16 Aug 2006, 11:34 am
muprh,
De Waal is a very good provincial flyhalf and the CC’s leading point scorer, but would you pick him if you wanted the boks’ creativity to improve?
16 Aug 2006, 11:35 am
ek is nie bang vir jou gold coaster
16 Aug 2006, 11:37 am
wie praat van baklei bro.. net ‘n lekker kangaroo braai!!
16 Aug 2006, 11:37 am
lol…baie dankie, dis wat ek bedoel ook.
16 Aug 2006, 11:37 am
Murph,
I’d put money on it that White (like so many before) believed he could teach old dogs new tricks.
When he realised that he wasn’t going to be able to create a backline that could compete with the top dogs on a skills basis, he reverted to the tried and trusted SA pattern of kick for the corners, pressure the set-pieces, tackle the moer out of anything within a metre of you and rely on turnovers and penalties.
There are signs of this changing, but it’s a huge mindset to change in our players and it’s made no easier by the various provinces all coaching very different styles. Too many of our players are asked to play a game that is not natural to them.
16 Aug 2006, 11:38 am
wel in die geval.. ‘n springbok!! just for u..
16 Aug 2006, 11:38 am
guys, not to stir, but luke watson is on the front page of SI as well!
16 Aug 2006, 11:39 am
I’d be very scared of a kangaroo braai.
Especially if Gold Coaster is living in Bris-vegas.
16 Aug 2006, 11:40 am
IMO De Waal is overrated. Makes to many mistakes under presure. Hardly ever shines in the big games. He does have his moments…, but by no means a Springbok! Meyer B have the best distribution, but needs to work on his kicking out of hand, nothing wrong with his defence.
16 Aug 2006, 11:41 am
en as jy in engeland too kom, moet ons a vindaloo curry he, want daar is fokol braais.
16 Aug 2006, 11:41 am
Vetkoek.. Gold Coast is 1hr drive from Brissie..
16 Aug 2006, 11:42 am
Cab
Yes
it has become clear that De Waal can adapt to whatever the coach requires.
How many other SA flyhalves could you say the same about ?
Good provincial is a convienient argument , one dimentional can be said about most of our fly’s , i believe that willem is an exception here.
He seems to have thrived under the responsibility rassie has given him and i believe jakes people skills would only enhance that.
right now he is the only out and out fly we see in SA , no-one talks of him being a better 12 or 15 , the same cant be said for anyone bar pretoors and hougie who are if’s at the mo
16 Aug 2006, 11:42 am
Murph – re Russel – i agree most under utilised player in SA – i watched lot of him at under20 level and he single handedly destoryed teams – and since then he just hasn’t been given the run he deserves !
16 Aug 2006, 11:42 am
lol out cab… here we call it BBQ.. proe kek!!
16 Aug 2006, 11:43 am
Murph – De Waal is just more questions. IMO. I would still like to have seen Jake give the Mayor of Bos a run at 12 in place of WO.
16 Aug 2006, 11:44 am
Russel- here today gone tomorrow!! just like Habana!
16 Aug 2006, 11:45 am
GC
I hope Habana has learn’t how to catch a rugby ball again. I think his head had been getting in the way!
16 Aug 2006, 11:45 am
I know, I’ve been there, but most of the Bris-vegans I’ve met like to stretch the Gold Coast to incorporate their flashy city…
Having said that. I had a pretty awesome time in Brisbane. That whole coastline is pretty special. Coffs Harbour amongst the nicest places I’ve ever been!
16 Aug 2006, 11:47 am
I realy hope that Jake comes up with something. Maybe it’s time for him to meet with Mike Stofile. So that Mike can ask him to go. Jake’s not doing things right at the moment. Don’t the sponsors have a say these days ? Get rid of Jake please ????????
16 Aug 2006, 11:47 am
murph,
maybe, but i wonder if your FS bias is clouding the issue on this one. De Waal is good, but he doesn’t seem to have that X factor. Also, dodgy on defense and wonder how a test-match atsmosphere will get to him. i think we want someone that can cut the line and at least let oppo defenses know that he is capable of doing this.
16 Aug 2006, 11:49 am
we dont wanna be part of Brissie mate!! have u visited Byron Bay mate?? very laidback..
16 Aug 2006, 11:50 am
Vetkoek
agreed , funny i said that to someone the other day …old dog new …
one thinks of how Hennie le roux used to get stuffed around though between national and prov … except he pulled it off !
When he brought Meyer in he should have moved Jaco to 15 and percy to fly or russel if he wanted running as CAB said and given meyer starts off the bench , that way he would have cover for percy tried and tested …
that said there is nothing better than willem at fly with meyer outside him at 12 for FS , and that makes me wonder sometimes if what the Aus have done with Giteau is not the right option
Play him at 12 to settle in to pattern and learn form point blank from to no 1 fly and wwhen larkies retires just shift him up.
Mark my words thats what they will do
same with Rathbone , he will eventually slide into Mortllocks jersey at 13.
16 Aug 2006, 11:50 am
u guys r calling for JW head… what about Clive Woodward?? it took him yrs..
16 Aug 2006, 11:51 am
We don’t have a flyhalf in SA to compare to the likes of Carter, Larkham or even Michalak.
Butch James and Pretorius are the best we have at the moment and we should stick with them.
In the interim, SARU should be scouring the country at schoolboy level for the best young 10 and sticking them in the non-existent SA Rugby Excellence Academy.
16 Aug 2006, 11:52 am
exactly GC.
16 Aug 2006, 11:54 am
vetkoek
I used to have the same opinion about our skills level yet looking at this years CC I’m beginning to wonder if our players are as one dimensional as we think.
There’s been an amazing change of approach and teams are actually trying to outplay their opponents instead of running over them.
The only coach who seems unable to implement this type of play is Jake.
16 Aug 2006, 11:54 am
CAb
i know it looks like bias , but over the last 2 seasons who else have we seen consistantly produce the results … with trophy to boot … the next logical step is up to see how that equates at national level … just like pretoors and Hougie when they were just good provincial fly’s
Ig
re Bos at 12
see post 239
16 Aug 2006, 11:54 am
We need Jake but we also need him to wake up. I think he is a great coach but a terrible selector.
Face it. To get back from a 49 point loss to a 2 point loss is not bad. That is good coaching among other things. I believe that if he were to be forced to pick the likes of Pienaar, Watson, Russel, barrit and Peterson, we won’t just loose by 2 od points but win a few.
16 Aug 2006, 11:55 am
we r preparing for the departure of Larkham.. and we already have a schoolboy waitng in the wings.. he practises with the squad in Coffs at times.
16 Aug 2006, 11:58 am
CAb
Thats how meyer has scored the tries that hold him as the only fly half in the upper echelons of try scorers thus far in the CC , and we are not talking after a couple of games
16 Aug 2006, 11:58 am
Brickwall.. during the S14 when the sharks were here Pienaar was thinking of joining a rugby league team in Aus .. West Tigers.
16 Aug 2006, 11:59 am
i mean willmem !!!
DOH !
16 Aug 2006, 11:59 am
Wooden Willy,
The only way Habana will become a star is with a move to PPPRRROOOVVVIIINNNCCCEEE!!!! who knows… he might even walk on water.
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