Bevin’s Bok crusade
12 Oct 2006
Free State fullback Bevin Fortuin will use this weekend’s game to stake a final claim for a Springbok jersey .
“It is something that I’ve always dreamed of,” Fortuin told Keo.co.za. “Obviously, I will be putting the Cheetahs first this weekend, but everybody has Springbok selection in the back of their minds.
“If I’m chosen for the tour, then that’s great, but if I’m not, I won’t be discouraged. It just means that I’ll have to try harder next year, or even the year after that. I will never give up fighting for that position in the Springbok team.”
The 27 year old has been a key figure in the Vodacom Cheetahs side for the past couple of seasons, his consistent performances in both the domestic competition and Vodacom Super 14 staking a for a national call-up.
On Currie Cup form, he has undoubtedly been one of the standouts. This is not an easy assessment to make considering the quality of fullbacks playing in this year’s tournament. Gio Aplon was phenomenal on the counterattack for Vodacom Western Province, and young Francois Steyn was similarily impressive when he wore the No 15 jersey. But another solid player that is yet to receive national recognition is the Vodacom Blue Bulls’s Johan Roets. Fortuin added to this perception, rating him as a formidable opponent in Saturday’s final.
“He’s an underrated player who can kick the ball a long way and is very secure under the high ball. Last weekend he ran it a bit more, so we’ll have to close him down quickly.
“I’d prefer it to be a running game on Saturday, but these finals tend to be a bit conservative and so players kick a lot more. Hopefully that won’t be the case this weekend.”
Fortuin has shown that he can adapt to either game plan which is a great indicator of his well-rounded abilities. His raking boot has gained the Cheetahs countless metres, be it from his own 22 or a penalty to touch. On attack, he has always been a vital link, coming into the line at pace and often providing that final pass that gets the more prolific try scorers like Phillip Burger away.
However, he understands the challenge that lies ahead on the weekend, not only in the personal battle with Roets, but in the greater war against a Bulls team that has had the Cheetahs’ number all year.
“Their whole side has been impressive as a unit up to now, and it would be foolish for us to focus on two or three players exclusively. We will need to break down their combinations and disrupt their rhythm if we are going to win this one.”
By Jon Cardinelli
33 Comments
12 Oct 2006, 06:51 am
Good luck but don’t hold your breath.
12 Oct 2006, 07:18 am
Fortuin Bok materiaal?…stem nie heeltemal saam nie, hou baie van daai Steyn laaitie van die Haaie, lyk of hy BMT het…kan nie glo hy is slegs 19 nie.
…of is sy beste posisie dalk losskakel?
12 Oct 2006, 07:21 am
More Muskadel
Ek sien die pre-match tension begin oplaai. Gelukkig kan ons twee terugsit en geniet, geen stres.
12 Oct 2006, 07:21 am
Ek dink dis die eerste jaar in CC Beker dat soveel jong laaities deurkom..
Begin al dink die Bokke moet meermale nie speel in CC Beker nie!
12 Oct 2006, 07:22 am
More Pieterman!
Jong my hart se Cheetahs en my kop se n ander ding…kan nie wag vir Sat nie!
12 Oct 2006, 07:27 am
Some players don’t learn. There’s a long list of players who have made public their desire to play for the Boks, only for their stated ambition to rub Jake White the wrong way. The first such player was Craig Davidson back in 2004. Another example is Schalk Brits.
12 Oct 2006, 07:29 am
#5 Jou hart praat reg!!
12 Oct 2006, 07:34 am
Why is everyone going on about this Steyn guy. To me he plays k@k.
12 Oct 2006, 07:43 am
Offended,
I rate him as well and i hope he continues to improve. The reason so many of us rate him in spite of his limited appearance is because of sheer intuition. He seems to have that “something” that great players have. Obviously he had a poor match vs. the Cheetahs but did you notice that **** Muir kept him on anyway. The Sharks coach is building for the future, that’s why he exposed the likes of Daniel, Kankowski, Barritt, Murray, Pieterson, Pienaar and others to a pressure S/F away from home. The team did disappoint but in the long run these players will, provided they continue to progress, benefit. For most they are playing their first semi at the age of 19-21, so next time they are in a semi or playing S14 they won’t be over-awed.
By the way Daniel also looks very promising (and fearless), and we all know about Pienaar.
12 Oct 2006, 08:26 am
Bevin is a good player, it was a great move to go to the cheetahs. Especially considering that they are on the up. And they are also a tight knit unit like the bulls, which is very good for player development as there is alot of support around you. I dont think he would have been that good if he went to another province like wp for instance…
Much rather have him in my bok team than Steyn(WTF????)
12 Oct 2006, 08:29 am
Ag as Roets net Swart was. As Bevin sprinbok materiaal is dan kan roets seker vir Dan Carter uitspeel
12 Oct 2006, 08:30 am
Can’t remember against who it was but Steyn looked good at fly half in the rain at Kings Park.
After that he was a little suspect but certainly has lots of potential. I’m not sure that **** is doing any players a favour with his pre-game selection juggling. I reckon Steyn would be the perfect understudy to Andre Pretorius.
12 Oct 2006, 08:31 am
Personally I love the kids coming through – but I simply do not agree on selecting players for higher honours simply on promise.
It is a conservative view but one I will stick with. There are very few people in SA that can spot real talent and harness it quickly, old Doc was a master at this, and he was seldom wrong.
A couple of cases in point is Bosman & JP. I rate Bosman, but he is still way off Bok pace if compared realistically to other 12′s in the country, and even 10′s.
JP did not do that well in the U/21 WC, and he was average to poor this year after that.
Same with Barritt, lots of promise, but hell, they struggle to keep up with Currie Cup pace.
Same for Aplon.
Let those guys prove or show they can be just as electric in the Super 14 then sure. But struggling in the CC and now Bok possibilities?
Roets and Fortuin has at the very least performed well in Super 14 for a couple of years.
12 Oct 2006, 08:47 am
agree PA,
bevin and roets will be a great dual on saterday
12 Oct 2006, 09:05 am
PissAnt,
Dude, you rock… We’ve been asking for a column from you for a while, please step up to the plate… I thought your justification on Steady Edy yesterday was really balanced.
Was he a great? no
Was he selected according to a plan and did what was expected of him? yes
–
Personally I would love a bulls victory purely because the Cheaters have modelled their game on the Bulls game plan (maybe with a little more flair).
What I would love to see even more (from a South African Rugby perspective) are teams like the Lions, WP and the Sharks stepping up to the plate and beating the Bulls with creative, exciting and running rugby. Until this happens, I’m very sorry to say but we will NEVER beat the Assie and NZ side (S14 or Tri-nations).
I say this because the Bulls are the best side in the S14 the last couple years and our own sides can’t beat them. FACT. We can go on and on about the Shark and Stormers but until they can beat the bulls playing running rugby we won’t get anywhere…
So here’s to running rugby this weekend…
Oh and BULLE!!!
12 Oct 2006, 09:16 am
PA
I would like to see a few exciting untested youngsters picked purely because of the lack of new blood that has been apparent at the boks.
Spies made the team due to a combination of injuries and a good u21 WC and eventually it turned out great for us.
JP seems to be very natural when running with the ball and seems to commit 2 defenders before sending someone away regularly. His game needs some work in other departments but for a 20year old to be having such an impact as he does, shows potential. You can teach discipline and positioning but not explosive running (IMO).
If Jake have not come to see the benefit of having players compete for places by now, we are in for a long WC. The bok team that played during the first part of the 2006 season looked predictable and flat. It was only after a few injuries forced Jake to pick new players that we looked a bit more dangerous.
CC stars may not be the new McCaw or Carter but they may add some spice to bok squad to fire up the rest.
12 Oct 2006, 09:38 am
DS,
I have absolutely no problem with new blood, but I do not like the idea of young blood based on promise.
There are a couple of individuals that can only add to the Bok setup, players as mentioned includes Fortuin and Roets, but these okes have proven over time they are quality.
Same goes for players like Floors, Ryno, Hougaard (in the last year or so), Botes (best S14 loosie in SA this year), Jannie du Plessis, BJ Botha, Jaco Engels, Barend Pieterse, Hendro Scholtz, Jaco Pretorius (he has been around for a while), Baywatch, etc etc.
Spies was phenominal in the U/21 world cup, unlike Pieterse.
Spies also struggled a lot when he got selected and looked way oout of his depth, he did improve of course. But he has also been phenominal in the CC, the others, JP, Barritt, Daniel, Steyn and the likes, had maybe one outstanding game, but then looked extremely ordinary.
There are many guys competing for places and I hope Jake and the selectors reward that, and I think they will, especially after the Bok incumbents gave such a poor show this year.
What I have a problem with is players picked on promise that apart from one or two good performances, has showed nothing to make me believe they should be awarded a Bok cap.
As far as JP Pietersen is concerned, I think he is currently the most overrated player in SA. He is slow, lacks a kicking game, and is very suspect under the high ball – his positional play is also not even close to Super rugby standard, let alone Bok standard.
He has promise, I have no doubt, and at times he shows glimpses of what he might develop into, but as far as current form goes, he wont even rate in my top 5 as choices.
Being ready for the step up, your physical attributes although important, plays a very small part in relation to what you have upstairs and if you are mentally ready.
Yes there are exceptions to the rule where young geniusses absolutely rocked when they burst onto the scene and went on to complete long and successful careers, guys like Horan springs to mind – but that is very far and few between, and the players mentioned by the rugby pundits currently like JP, Steyn, Barrit, Keegan, Aplon, and so on, can hardly be compared to a genius and freak like Horan.
A good yardstick I use is to look at how they perform in crucial Currie Cup encounters.
Take Luke as an example, he was phenominal against certain teams and early in the competition. But then go and look how he performed against the Sharks’ Britz, Botes and AJ.
Also against the Cheetahs’ Ryno & Floors, and more recently, his performance in the semi.
When put against good opposition, and in crucial matches, some of that magic disappears, which tells me that although this guy is good, he has not made the step yet to be phenominal, and that in my view is what each person in our Bok team must be, phenominal – because it is our rugby’s elite, not a development platform for future greatness.
Blue Jay raises an interesting point. The Bulls cannot buy a win in crucial matches in Super rugby, but yet no-one at home seems to be able to beat them when at full strength – sort of gives you an idea of the quality of rugby in SA.
But I would venture futher and say it gives you an idea of the quality of coaching in SA.
Our coaches currently (apart from maybe one or two) simply do not have the ability to take ‘promise’ and turn it into ‘legend’ to give the Bok coach a ‘finished article’.
How many times have we seen amateur mistakes from guys in a Bok jersey? Stuff school kids wont even do…
12 Oct 2006, 09:45 am
PA agreed… Ok, time for work… Cheers all… Will be back on Monday…
12 Oct 2006, 10:08 am
Fortuin is FAR and away the best fullback in SA rugby…
12 Oct 2006, 10:11 am
You have my support Baven. You deserve to go
12 Oct 2006, 10:18 am
PA,
Agree big time with your assessment of Pietersen; he was way out of his depth against Australia and he looks uncomfortable (at best) on the Currie Cup stage. The only thing he seems to excel at is dirty play. He’s a liability and should be jettisoned sooner rather than later.
Floors and Fortuin on the other hand have been consistent performers for the whole of this season. Floors has to be the best out-and out opensider in the country. His work rate is phenomenal, his defence sound, and his play on the ball is really special. I can’t see him not making the end-of-year tour and I predict that if he can stay injury free, he will play a large part in our World Cup squad next year.
So too Fortuin. He’s exciting, is arguably the best punter of a ball in the country and has the knack of being in the right place at the right time.
As for Bosman, I too rate him very highly. I think he is a special player whose star will shine again. He’s too good not to succeed at the highest level and I agree with those who compare him with Henry Honiball. He has very similar attributes, although obviously he still has a lot to do to be considered a worthy successor to Lem.
12 Oct 2006, 10:20 am
Hulle het laasweek so gerant and rave oor Aplonkie en niemand is eers seker of het hy toe gespeel nie – Roets was ‘n yster en dodelik op die aanval.
Fortuin se fortuin le nie by die Bokke nie!
12 Oct 2006, 10:30 am
shame…old bev deserves his shot at the big time.
miles better than that plodder from the moftus crew(roooots)
12 Oct 2006, 10:44 am
PA
As usual you rise valid points.
One thing that we have not really discussed is the development that a player goes through by playing test rygby.
Spies, Roussouw and Olivier are players that seem to have come back better players after the Tri-nations. (BTW Daniels had a phenominal u21 WC and was appropriately named man of the tournament). For this reason I think it is imperrative that players who show potential early on be given that oppertunity to develop further.
Van Heerden is one player that might have been a grade or two better today had he played consistent test rugby. Now he seems to be a quality player stuck in 3rd.
Habana went on the 2004 EOYT after a few excellent CC games but not S. Brits.
Both have been off the boil as of late (Brits injuried as well).
Some exciting players are ready for test rugby after a few CC games and some not. A quality coach can spot the difference. A poor coach picks all of them or none at all.
12 Oct 2006, 11:02 am
Fortuin is a solid Currie Cup player, will offer nothing special on the international stage. Whatever happens on Saturday won’t influence White, he’s squad has been finalised some time ago.
12 Oct 2006, 11:10 am
DS,
Valid point and definately with some merit.
As I mentioned earlier I think the problem starts and ends with our coaches.
It is one thing to spot talent, it is quite another to nurture it and mentally prepare that player quickly to cope with the pressures of international rugby.
Something that also carries value is the much publisized fueds between our provincial and national coach.
We need a proper structure in place where a **** Muir would tell Jake, listen, give JP another Super 14 season first, he is not ready.
This of course is not the case.
Even **** in some instances got it wrong with player selection in my view, but much of that was injury enforced (still no excuse though), so too Rassie to be honest!
The only coach with an inkling of ability from what I have seen to do this very well, is Heyneke Meyer.
He is not scared to use a youngster like Spies in the Super 14, because he knows how far mentally this boy has developed, but he is also of the believe Chiliboy is not ready (something I agree with), and this kid is our future captain hence Heyneke insists that he plays at the age group levels first.
There is a huge mental side to coaching which very few coaches in SA, and indeed the world have, and that is a major problem.
In the professional era there is so much young players go through and things happen so quickly, that they miss out on so much and are actually immature as people as well as players. There is a definate imbalance in the lives of professional youngsters these days who are sprialing out of control because they simply cannot cope with the pressure.
Strangely enough, you find the Afrikaners way different in this respect simply through the culture and type of upbringing they have which is a lot more conservative than what most would imagine, hence the down-to-earthness of Spies – and please I am not trying to piss on anyone’s batteries here or start those typical arguments, it is just an observation.
You often find guys saying that their families or friends will quickly put them in their place if they grow too big for their boots.
Dan Carter is also one of those, coming from the farm.
12 Oct 2006, 11:51 am
Good luck Bevin, but don’t keep your hopes up.
Jake is a one-eyed, half-blind, prejudiced twat proccupied with stats that can justify his own double-standarded choices.
12 Oct 2006, 12:01 pm
Reading your sad but true observations on the coaching scenario in this country gets a guy quite dispondent.
I think Jake was also made coach of SA too early after his U21 WC victory (similar to some young players). The pressure and non-rugby issues one has to deal with is immense and he might have been somewhat naive in his approach(shooting his mouth off, giving 3-year contracts to the 2004 squad).
I would think the best chance for the boks at the next WC is to appoint an co-coach. Maybe an ex-coach like Mallet, Du Plessis, MacDonald or even Pieter De Villiers, Rassie, ****.
Just to give some balance to the Bok setup.
SARU is not going to fire him and he does have a lot of good qualities. But a co-coach might just be the thing.
A man can dream…
12 Oct 2006, 12:10 pm
Steyn het nie BMT nie. Het al genoeg gechoke die jaar dat hy nie moet gaan nie. Aplon going for gold
12 Oct 2006, 14:09 pm
Hey Jon! Geo Aplon, “Phenominal on the counter-attach” totalllly dis—agree with you! It was one brief moment that he played well. There-after …non-event!!!!
Cheers!
12 Oct 2006, 16:33 pm
This is exactly what you reporters love to do. Doesnt anyone realise we cant all play for the springboks. Maybe Bevins just not world stage material.
12 Oct 2006, 23:08 pm
It is strange that no one has mentioned Jaco vd Westhuizen as an option at fullback for the EYT and the WC.
Yes, he had a poor Tri-Nations;but as the saying goes, form is temporary and class is permanent.
Fullback is a crucial position in the white-hot crucible that is the test arena; and particularly in the pressure situations which the Boks will find themselves in come the WC.
Jaco was superb in the last WC.He has experience and all the attributes required of a world class fullback i.e pace, safe under the high ball, has vision, can tackle, can punt a ball a long way….and he has that X-factor.
Why Jake does not take Heyneke Meyer’s advice and play him at fullback, I cannot understand.
Imagine a back three of Habana, Jaco and Jaque Fourie playing with a centre combo of WO/JdV & JdV/in form MJ…awesome prospect when coupled with our exciting half back options.
Jaco and Percy as our FB options.
No time to mess around;we need look no further.
That’s my humble opinion.
13 Oct 2006, 00:51 am
Bevin has been excellent the past 2 seasons for the cheetahs,very consistent both in attack and defense.He has a good boot and his timing into the line is fantastic but him being Bok material i guess the jury is still out and age isnt exactly on his side.
Johan Roets is a good player……In THE BULLS SYSTEM!!He is too limited an attacker and the only thing he does exceptionally is the high ball. But realistically how many times does the high become a factor on attack in test matches…Next to none.He never joins the line with any purpose and who remembers his BOO BOO last yr…COST THE BULLS THE CURRIE CUP
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