JP off the mark in style
9 Sep 2006
Springbok debutant JP Pietersen showed that he has a future at Test level with a solid performance at fullback at Ellis Park.
Apart from a single dropped high ball that led to a penalty and three points after flank AJ Venter deliberately played the ball from an off-side position, Pietersen did everything that was expected of him.
But as is expected of a player making his Bok debut, he didn’t get much rest last night. “I didn’t sleep much last night,” Pietersen said. “This morning I was still up. I went to the toilet a lot. But it in the end it was a great thrill to have played my first Test.”
The senior players helped calm his nerves and he showed a maturity way beyond his 20 years. At one stage he also showed his pace, winning the race to the ball that had been hacked ahead by the visitors. He was first there and then managed to earn a scrum for his efforts.
“The older guys made it much easier. It was really like playing a game for the Sharks and was actually much easier than I expected. I was really comfortable and felt really good.”
As the Wallabies had warned, Pietersen and Wynand Olivier were peppered with high balls all afternoon, but both came through that test with reputations intact.
“I knew it was going to come and I was lucky I just missed one otherwise it was good,” he said. “I did my homework on that. There was not a lot of attacking opportunities, but I took the opportunities I did have with both hands.”
“I still have a lot to work on and hopefully I will get another chance.”
By Andrew Hollely, at Ellis Park Stadium
93 Comments
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9 Sep 2006, 18:44 pm
i still think aplon is a better fullback
9 Sep 2006, 18:45 pm
pieterson is good but gio has the x factor
9 Sep 2006, 18:52 pm
what did aplon do in this years super 14? dont use currie cup form as any gauge for test rugga.
9 Sep 2006, 19:04 pm
well done boks well done to the young sharks fullback guys is this the end of percy
9 Sep 2006, 19:19 pm
Gio Aplon is a poor mans Russel.
If Russle is too small, then Aplon has no chance.
Sounds like JP can only go from strength to strength.
9 Sep 2006, 19:21 pm
breeker
Class and talent will show through no matter what league you are in and Aplon has this in abundance
9 Sep 2006, 19:26 pm
dont get me wrong people jp is good and will get even better, but Aplon is magical maybe a place could be found for both of them. Aplon on the wing?
9 Sep 2006, 19:34 pm
I hope this is not the beginning of another campaign by the WP supporters. We have only just managed to get over your braying about Luke, not it begins with Aplon.
Come on guy’s a bit of perspective, Gio has only shone on 2 games, in the last 2 weeks. A level head is needed and the rest of us cannot withstand another CT media hurricane telling us that the world is being cheated of a Cape talent.
Gio will have next years S14 to prove his worth, before then he is just a good performing Currie cup player, no more. Luke has proven, if nothing else that no matter how much you like someone, it does not make him good enough for the Bokke.
9 Sep 2006, 19:41 pm
In about 4 years time this lad will be as old as Aplon but he will be much better.
He will be the starting fullback for the Sharks in next years S14 working closely with Campo and Percy to develop his game. By the time that RWC’07 comes around he will be ready and one of the stars.
9 Sep 2006, 19:47 pm
Exactly Red…
Methinks the WP brigade are getting too carried away with one player(again).
JP, is the man of the future, if he stays on form (that is a message for JW). Currently JP is there because he has played well consistently, through the S14 & CC, not just one or two games in the CC. I understand Aplon was awesome in 7′s & he was very good Friday nights game, but that does not make you a springbok.
When JW does eventually see the merit of having a playmaker & stepper, I think Russle is first in the que, by some way (at current form).
9 Sep 2006, 19:47 pm
Bill #8
Must copy and save this post , how many times can it be used with different names.
Yes guys and girls we must not loose perspective
9 Sep 2006, 19:55 pm
okay point taken.but its only a matter of time before im proven right
9 Sep 2006, 19:57 pm
# 8
Watson Province pretty quiet now they’ve been shown up in the loose forwards over a couple of games.
They’re pretty good but not quite as good as their supporters believe.
9 Sep 2006, 20:04 pm
Akes, I hope so, becuase if you are proven right, it will mean he is the best 15 in SA.
9 Sep 2006, 20:53 pm
JP’s better then aplon… give aplon a season to prove he’s the best and then we will reconsider, aplon should maybe stick to 7′s and make extra cash at super14 level like basson..
9 Sep 2006, 21:19 pm
Aplon is another Brent Russel brilliant but not placeable. Sorry Get a dedicated fullback in the vein of Percy. JP has my vote for the future!
9 Sep 2006, 21:36 pm
Aplon is too small !
9 Sep 2006, 21:44 pm
ha ha ha!
9 Sep 2006, 21:53 pm
Have anybody listened to what Jannie Engelbrecht said about Gio Aplon on an mnet rugby program?Those who are complaining about Aplons size must take a look at what happened to players like Ricky January and the Bulls backline.Creatine +pumping too much iron slows you down.
9 Sep 2006, 21:56 pm
look, i love watching aplon, but lets see what happens at a higher level.
did anyone notice that they listed JP’s weight as 120kg and height 2m at the start of the game when they showed the lineup. surely he is not 120 kgs.
9 Sep 2006, 22:00 pm
jp off the mark in style….do me a favour! the oke dropped a ball right infront of the poles just beyond his own 22m
aplon doesnt need to prove himself in any kak super 14 comp,hell no sa team has ever won that forum and i see the bok are loaded with dutchies from pretooooria,mmmm that would explain the recent demise.
started on end of year tour last year and has gathered momentum.however spies is a rather special player and a exception to the rule.
9 Sep 2006, 22:01 pm
None of those ex boks seemed to be happy with the current selections and game plan of Jake,maybe they had a bit more freedom to say what they wanted.Unlike Naas and Joel the famous fence sitters
9 Sep 2006, 22:03 pm
haydn sais,thats what the ous from loftus verloorsveld said before both there encounters with wp this year and look what happened you knuckle head.
oh…”we are going to moer him,flatten him and so on” bwahahahahaha aplon has more talent in one eye lash than jp has in his body boet….period
9 Sep 2006, 22:06 pm
precisely akes1,even mallet kopped it from bok hq for speaking about over priced match tickets….yet it was the same palookahs who asked him to attend THAT meeting of all the ex bok coaches last week.
my oh my some people are rather shallow indeed.it seems all the outspoken chaps come from cape town and ALL the ‘clones’ come from pretooooria,the mind boggles
9 Sep 2006, 22:08 pm
Thug
I agree.Jp seemed to be hiding himself.Didnt even notice he was on the field until that error
9 Sep 2006, 22:10 pm
Cape thug, haven’t you got posters to make, Luke for president & Aplon for pope!
They are not in the Bok side for a good reason. Nice that you compare Aplon’s size with JP’s eyelash. They probably weigh the same!
JP is there because he deserves it! Gio is not there because he does not deserve it. No conspiracy bud.
Sad you have to get all provincial after a Bok victory. Especially after you got such a whipping on Friday, with the world famous Luke & Gio!
Is this about to turn into a 2 person parade?
9 Sep 2006, 22:12 pm
cape thug, i am not bull but tell me, where would we have been tonight without FDP, Spies and Matfield?
cummon man, this is the the bokke, leave you wp vs bulls agenda somewhere else. it is like being on holiday or going to dinner with a couple that are always bikkering.
9 Sep 2006, 22:13 pm
spot on The Bill
9 Sep 2006, 22:13 pm
Are you all waiting for the highlights tonight? I hope they don’t replay the whole of the Sale Northampton game & then the 4 minute Bok Oz highlight again!
9 Sep 2006, 22:20 pm
knersboy,i don’t recall say anything harsh about victor,spies or man of the match(and top scrummie in sa) du preez,its the mentality the boks have my china,bash it up and hope for the best.
wanneburg and cronje are clueless! even a guy like botes from the clown fish could do better or prehaps knew clown fish signing for next year….the once immortal bob himself!
brains will always win over brawn old chum,look at france in rwc 1999 against all blacks and the frogs again against the boks at newlands this year!
eddie andrews,supposedly bigger and stronger than his opposite number got snapped in half that day.
russell,a classic example of a wasted talent.should have satyed in cape town brent,atleast the crumpet down here shave under there armpits hehe
9 Sep 2006, 22:21 pm
joke wit MUST be fired.give rassie and **** a go.
9 Sep 2006, 22:54 pm
Cape thug, now you the one not using their brain. Rassie & **** have had 1 S14 & are on their 2nd CC, with limited experience in Club rugby (****).
Mad to throw them in at the deepend, illequiped.
Anyway, thank goodness the Boks are run with people with more brains than you.
I don’t think that you automaticaly can asume the intellegince high ground, just because your guys are not as big & strong. You play a different game. In fact if you want to talk about more intellegent, the Cheatas had your number on Friday, there is no points for running like headless chickens & having one player try to do all the work!
9 Sep 2006, 23:07 pm
bill,lay off the samp and beans.
brains…joke wit,do me a favour!
oh and watch your spelling **** face.
“just because wp are not big and strong”….what a silly thing to say!
precisely what is wrong with the boks set up at present,
they need to learn how to run around a wall and not through it.classic example,breytie coming on for green horn ndungane who is as quick as os is after pulling a hammie!
9 Sep 2006, 23:07 pm
Cape Thug you are linning yourself up for a cape , your head as a trophy in someones plaas toilet , those long drops on Geo,s farm will be the best spot for you
9 Sep 2006, 23:10 pm
superbul,you been snarfing stevie hoffs dirty under rammies son?
liefling bwahahahaha
only good thing to come out of pretoooooria are those cheerleaders but i noticed some of them dont shave under there arms…siesa
9 Sep 2006, 23:38 pm
Andrew, did you attend the game? What **** are you writing. Pietersen called a mark inside his 22 and then had to tap and pass the ball to Pretorius to kick. Because he can’t! Can you recall any South African test fullback that would do that? He is ****, an Ivan October quota selection.
Please man, give us real insights, not the popular Sharks **** – oh look how he runs. Like Forrest Gump, I might add.
He is a wing and I will back him to play at the World Cup at either 11 or 14, but please, not 15. Even grandad Percy, Roets, Aplon, Fortuin, Rose, Mangweni and Luke Watson are better fullbacks!
10 Sep 2006, 00:25 am
Poublou LMFAO and what proffesion do you confess to come from to make such a harsh statment? you a proffesional rugby player? what contribution have you mader to the South African rugby of late? (if you can clear that up for use we can take your opinion to heart)
10 Sep 2006, 01:03 am
poublou # 36
Interesting. Luke was at fly half much against the cheetahs. Is he now wanting a No 15 jersey too?
hehehehe
10 Sep 2006, 02:26 am
jp pieterson is 1.90m and 93kg’s i think. aplon is about 1.77m and 75kg. based on size, pieterson should be in the side. but when one thinks of things such as speed, sidestepping, kicking, you just have to see aplon to realise how brilliant he is. his balance and positioning (an underrated facet of fullback’s game) is incredible. another factor to think about, is that aplon is yet to be bounced and run over like russell, joe pieterson, earl rose and other flair players have been (which had effectively ended chances of playing international rugby). aplon is superb on defense. if aplon can pick reach 85kg, he should surely make the springbok team, because matt giteau weighs that, and he plays in a far more physically demanding position (inside centre). in the end, what are we worred aplon will not be able to do because of size? if the answer is tackle, then you have not watched much CC action this year. and the question of giving him more experience is bullshit. isaia toeva was plucked out of obscurity to play for the kiwi’s last year. south africa is in desperate need for game-breakers, and in aplon we finally have one who combines swift feet with gutsy tackling.
10 Sep 2006, 04:45 am
Aplon is a nobody who has played against nobodies. Let the boy-child get a few years under his belt and a few good beltings in the S14 before he even deserves to wear green, socially.
10 Sep 2006, 04:52 am
Aplon? Sounds like a Japanese kitchen garment. To protect your kimono while doing a quick stirfry.
Does the lad still live with his parents? Still tied to them by the aplon stlings?
Geo whizz!
10 Sep 2006, 04:55 am
JP is 1.90 metres. That’s six foot three. He’s a pretty large okie. Way taller than SA’s player of the century and a lock-forward, Frik du Preez!
Amazing, hey?
10 Sep 2006, 08:02 am
JP is not a Springbok fullback – he didn’t had a good game – plenty of times he were nowhere back when larkham kicked (du preez had 2 safe our asses, as did plenty of the loosies when jp were nowhere 2b found)
10 Sep 2006, 08:46 am
Pietersen Played well in his first game, defended well, took all but one of the high balls thrown at him, came into the backline a few times one of which led to Paulse’s try. He has shown that he is solid and has a great future ahead of him in Springbok rugby. He should ahe come into the side in Australia and NZ to give Monty a break.
Well played JP, can’t wait to watch you over here in the UK.
10 Sep 2006, 08:55 am
Daggles and where were he when larkham turned us around with kicks – duPREEZ AND WANNEBERG had 2 safe his *** plenty of times – he is 2 predictable
10 Sep 2006, 10:17 am
I often wonder how people manage to use so little of their brain when watching a rugby match.
First, they don’t really have a grasp of the technicalities of positioning. Then, just like primary school children, they follow the ball in sheep-like herds, forgetting all about the rest of the field.
Suddenly, they see a hole or a guy not in his “prescribed” position, and they blame the first relevant person they can think of. Usually, it’s someone they don’t like — if they manage to be intelligent enough to recognize that even their golden boys can make mistakes, they’re still too stupid to pick the correct culprit (if there even WAS a culprit — much of what these fools cry about is completely imaginary).
Du Preez and Wannenberg “covering” for Pietersen isn’t because of anything Pietersen did wrong. They didn’t just magically appear back there. Wings and fullbacks get involved in play. When they do, there is a system of rotation in place to ensure that the field is covered. The players know who they have to cover for, and do so accordingly.
If the fullback is pulled into the play and suddenly a kick goes sailing overhead into no-man’s land, then the responsibility of covering that ball was first the wings’, and then a rotating group of others. Blaming the fullback for actually playing the game just seems utterly daft to me. This is especially so when he is not at fault for others’ errors.
Get a clue, guys.
10 Sep 2006, 10:54 am
If you look closely when du preez had to save his ***. You will find JP jogging over towards the ball at the top right of the tv screen.
10 Sep 2006, 11:14 am
A fullback that cannot take a high ball is a kak fullback. peroid.
No matter what other good qualities he might have.
Roets and Pienaar are way better.
Pietersen only made it because the quota system….
10 Sep 2006, 11:38 am
cummon man it was his first bok game, he is only 20, and it was againt the aussies, give him a break and keep some perspective. remember johnny wilkinson’s first few games?
this oke can take the high ball, i have seen him do it in super 14 and cc. and GWB, pienaar is a scrummy.
marrauding is right. it is the number 8′s job to cover the fullback. so maybe JP didnt have the best positional game, like i said, it is just the beginning for this oke and he aint no quota.
i also rate roets, but is he a long term solution? i dont think so. now was the time for jake to start blooding JP because he is the long term solution.
10 Sep 2006, 11:42 am
Kners, Like his dad, ruan will become a legend after 5 games. he has it all to become a second Cullen.
Old Pissant also agrees with me on this one.
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