Selections highlight flawed system
1 Nov 2009
Several tour selections reiterate a sad truth that Peter de Villiers and the Currie Cup coaches aren’t on the same wavelength.
De Villiers has defended the selection of Earl Rose time and again, choosing to ignore the player’s inconsistent offerings in the Super 14 and Currie Cup. He’s rather blamed the Lions’ coaching staff for not giving Rose more opportunities at flyhalf, where De Villiers feels Rose is best.
Chiliboy Ralepelle will tour with the Springboks this November despite playing understudy – when he was fit – to Derick Kuun for the better part of 2009. Bandise Maku is one behind Ralepelle in the Bulls’ hooker queue, but bizarrely has also made De Villiers’ 37-man touring party.
Adriaan Strauss and Tiaan Liebenberg have enjoyed fantastic seasons for the Cheetahs and WP respectively, and have also been involved with the Boks before. It would have made more sense to take these players on tour, as they wouldn’t let the Boks down if Bismarck du Plessis succumbed to injury.
For De Villiers to say Maku has made the touring squad on merit is an interesting statement, as it suggests neither form nor game time in the domestic and Super 14 tournaments are pre-requisites for national selection. Maku is talented and deserves to play at Super 14 and Currie Cup level, but what has he done in those tournaments to deserve elevation to the national squad?
Maku’s selection may be justified if there weren’t other players performing, but that just isn’t the case. It could be justified if Liebenberg (27) and Strauss (23) were on the wrong side of 30, but that isn’t the case either.
Rose is the classic example of a De Villiers favourite keeping a more deserving candidate out of the national set-up. There are other backline players that deserved to tour, WP’s Peter Grant as well as the Cheetahs’ Lionel Mapoe just two that come to mind. In the case of Grant, the tour would provide an alternative flyhalf the opportunity to gain game time so that if Morne Steyn broke down, he would slot in seamlessly. In the case of Mapoe, it would provide an up-and-coming youngster the opportunity to take the next step. Unlike Maku and Rose, Mapoe has earned the right to be there through his consistent performances in the Currie Cup.
There are other players that will feel frustrated. WP flanks Duane Vermeulen and Francois Louw have been outstanding this season, as has Province loosehead Wicus Blaauw. The young flankers would have benefited immensely from a tour experience, but instead De Villiers has opted for Griquas’ Davon Raubenheimer. Instead of Blaauw or other impressive young props like WP Nel and Coenie Oosthuizen, De Villiers has gone for Gurthro Steenkamp, a player that was embarrassed at scrum time in the Currie Cup final.
The decision to take a perfectly good loosehead in Heinke van der Merwe and switch him to tighthead is also ludicrous. Why not give this promising player from the Cheetahs a go? If Os du Randt feels Nel is national prospect, why aren’t the national selectors taking that suggestion to heart?
It’s hard to have faith in De Villiers’ masterplan to defend the Boks’ world title when it’s clear his view differs from that of the Currie Cup coaches. When Ruan Pienaar went back to the Sharks, they played him at No 9, even though De Villiers wants him to get game time at 10 and 15. The Lions prefer to use Rose at fullback or off the bench, while Ralepelle and Maku are regular bench warmers at the Bulls. One way or another, it’s not a healthy situation for Springbok rugby.
De Villiers and the respective coaches need to iron out their communication problems and work toward a common goal. It’s no use to the Boks if a South African side wins the Super 14 or Currie Cup without the starting players De Villiers plans to utilise at Test level.
By Jon Cardinelli
503 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 8 9 10 11 » Show All
1 Nov 2009, 15:53 pm
murray wont be leaving , watch this space
1 Nov 2009, 15:53 pm
#197 sharks_lover: definately -maybe just a bit small i sit in the same box as he does nad hes about 5,8 -but im realy impressed if we could put his player know how in guys like frans -but ya hes gona be huge -alot of my friends played with him at rovers and they say he is going to be a bok some day
1 Nov 2009, 15:56 pm
#199 grant10: grant its different thing for matfield to keep together a provincial team then a sa combined team , and dont try tell me its the same thing , its not
not too long ago we saw when smit was injured
matfield had the chance
the rest is history
dont compare the bulls to the boks mate , not the same thing
1 Nov 2009, 15:57 pm
rovers he is big enough trust me
he reminds me so much of hugh reece edwards , just not as big as hugh
1 Nov 2009, 15:58 pm
#203 sharks_lover: J Smit can captain Boks till 2030 for all i care…just not as a tighthead…
1 Nov 2009, 15:58 pm
like i told you before i too have met the cronje’s and lambie etc , i have no doubt lambie is a huge star in the making
1 Nov 2009, 15:59 pm
#204 sharks_lover: Yes….but more incisive on attack…..that youngster will be a star….is he playing super 14 next year???? I reckon he amd Ludick will be the premier 15 s ….
1 Nov 2009, 15:59 pm
#205 grant10: all i can say is he will be there lol
well till 2011 , thats where he will hang up them big boots
1 Nov 2009, 16:00 pm
#207 grant10: grant i am thinking we need a fast 13 , and to me lambie might just be the answer
he has all the attributes
1 Nov 2009, 16:00 pm
Apparently BOD wants R8M a season for Lions….insane i reckon.
1 Nov 2009, 16:00 pm
Guys, guys, guys,
Didn’t the great Jake White actually build this worldbeating team we now have around the juniors he had worked with earlier in his career? Why shouldn’t PdV be afforded the same opportunity?
Johnson, Chilliboy, Maku, Spies, Heinke, Rose, Raubenheimer, Kanko, Bekker and Hargeaves all played under him at Junior level at some or other time if I’m not mistaken and he is rewarding them by building the next echelon of Bok worldbeaters around them.
And yes, Brussouw and Morne Steyn weren’t in his starting line-up plans in the beginning of the year, but when they banged on the door hard enough he admitted his mistake and look where they are now. I can live with that, just as I can live with it that a guy like Dewald Potgieter has played himself into PdV’s plans. Old Ratel Brussouw is a lone voice in the jungle when it comes to condemning Pottie. Probably a case of sour grapes- who knows maybe he personally has been Pottie’s ***** a few times in his life or he has some family ties to the guys who unfortunately lost out.
Be that as it may- Pottie is the type of player who wins matches without even having to touch the ball. His ability to read and react to the game is uncanny and his greatest value, appart from his defence and linking ability is the way in which he complements and frees up other players in the team to play to their strengths. Afterall, rugby is a team game and it is not about the individual, which is why players like Kanko, Watson, Deysel and the like would never make my team. Their style of play speaks about them rather than the team, and I have a problem with that if it becomes excessive as in their case.
And then, in the final analysis, it is the coaches prerogative to decide on the gameplan and style of rugby he wants to play, which in turn implies that it should be his prerogative to be prescriptive to the selectors about the merits and type of player he requires for his squad to enable him to achieve his goals within his vision and the fact that gameplan.
So I guess what I’m saying is merit is subjective as well- from the perspective of the coach. Afterall, his **** is on the block. And maybe the fact that the Deysels of this world aren’t in the squad signals that they are less able or equiped to deliver on his expectations than those who have been selected, and not that they are bad or not talented.
And that view has merit of its own- maybe not in the view of the average rugby supporter, but certainly in the view of the coach. Who knows, maybe it is that MERIT which OH and PdV are referring to.
1 Nov 2009, 16:01 pm
#186 grant10: excellent news
Murray to replace Mossie. Maku to leave the bully boys where there are 4 other hookers and Lombaard our very own enforcer.
Lions are building nicely.
1 Nov 2009, 16:01 pm
#207 grant10: i have no doubt the sharks will pull him into the super 14 squad
i watched him closely on saturday , damn this kid is class
his decision making is classic
1 Nov 2009, 16:01 pm
#180 AndrewBK: very mature
1 Nov 2009, 16:02 pm
#209 sharks_lover: well you know me and playing okes out of position!!
No…SL…thnat oke is a born 15….maybe a 10….but yesterday he was absolutely fantastic in that u 21 final.
1 Nov 2009, 16:04 pm
#212 RedLion: mate murray is contacted till 2011
and he does not have a lions type contact , unless the sharks and lions come to an agreement re alberts and ludick , and then release murray
so maybe not totally impossible
1 Nov 2009, 16:06 pm
#212 RedLion:
I don’t know about building, looks more like trying to fill the gaps, to me. I wonder which position DM wants Murray for?
1 Nov 2009, 16:06 pm
#215 grant10: look he is 19 years old , the world is his oyster
i know he is a 15 and has played there since primary school
his positional play is fenominal
but i know he has the skills to help out at 13 if need be
, anyhows stefan is only there for the super 14 then he retires
1 Nov 2009, 16:06 pm
#216 sharks_lover:With technicalities contracts mean nothing these days
1 Nov 2009, 16:07 pm
#216 sharks_lover:
Even the Lions wouldn’t be that gullible…would they?
1 Nov 2009, 16:09 pm
#211 catleya: excellent post….agree re Dewalt 100%
But LW still my favorite!!
1 Nov 2009, 16:09 pm
#219 RedLion: uhm sharks dont have the loop hole technicallities the lions contracts have
but like i said one never knows with **** muit and the sharks , there might well be a gentlemans agreement where murray gets released to the lions for the services of ludick and alberts who want to and can leave because lions contracts are willy nilly worth lol
1 Nov 2009, 16:09 pm
Well after a bit more thought I think I know what the real problem is. We have an embarrasing amount of talent and by all accounts I reckon we could field at least 4 international squads at any given time…. the 3rd and 4th may not be up to beating the All Blacks but theyd certainly still beat the vast majority of the other top 10 interantional rugby teams.
1 Nov 2009, 16:09 pm
Sorry- strike “the fact that”.
1 Nov 2009, 16:10 pm
#220 David: eish boet with lions who knows
1 Nov 2009, 16:10 pm
#218 sharks_lover:
I sometimes wonder how much some of the bloggers here actually follow the game. A number of them are still punting Stefan for a Bok place after he’s announced his intention to retire and also that he wants less game time in the S14, next year.
1 Nov 2009, 16:10 pm
anyhows ill believe signing of players when they officialy announced
there is to many ifs and buts right now
1 Nov 2009, 16:11 pm
#218 sharks_lover:Lambie is a player i will watch closely….class…
1 Nov 2009, 16:12 pm
#226 David: not sure i cant speak for them ;wink:
but i agree stefan has announced his retirement , so to call him up now would be futile
joe peterson should have had a call up
well lemme put it this was , i am for profssionalism , so to me jdv and f steyn should be there
and bj
1 Nov 2009, 16:13 pm
#227 sharks_lover: Brussow will be a shark
Waylon Murray will be a lion….
I bet you some cold windhoeks??
1 Nov 2009, 16:14 pm
#228 grant10: as i am grant , i am yet to see him play a bad game , and **** i must have seen him in 15 games or more already
1 Nov 2009, 16:14 pm
the super 14 2011….watch those SA Franchises cook….all the saffas back…watch this space…
1 Nov 2009, 16:14 pm
#230 grant10: sure thing mate 1 doz lol
1 Nov 2009, 16:14 pm
I believe that Mapoe has been left out to buy time to retread him into a 12 centre. He will become a legend there- he has everything to succeed there. Power, speed, tenacity, defence, size, hands and feet, and above all, the elusive guile. At 14 he is just to far from the play.
1 Nov 2009, 16:17 pm
the sharks need another class center
even if they got alberts ludick and brussow,
well they also got mostert the big lions lock lol
but its center where there is an issue to me
murray has not had form for about 2 years
adi is nowhere near the player he was , wish he would find form
i posted a possible sharks squad recently as you saw grant and i took it we got the players as mentioned , and in that squad it quite clearly shows a problem at center
1 Nov 2009, 16:29 pm
The danger with leaving Mapoe out now is he goes off the boil. I believe in striking while the iron is hot not wait till after its cooled down. Mapoe in my assessment was perfectly ripe for big time exposure right now not later
1 Nov 2009, 16:33 pm
#221 grant10: We’ll agree to disagree on your last comment- LOL!
Jokes aside, Luke is a great player, and has always been, but we all have our favourites, so to each his own. I personally like Duane Vermeulen, and personally cant wait for the day the Boks play Brussouw at 6, Vermeulen at 7 and Dewald at 8. He is the only complete 8 in SA, and is being utilized out of position due to his youth and the death of talent at the Bulls. Be that as it may, he is so highly versatile and talented that he can play international rugby at 6, 7 & 8 any day, which is brilliant for the Boks.
I always say, if you want to know how good a guy is, as the okes who play against him. I wish Ratel Brussouw would do that!
1 Nov 2009, 16:38 pm
#236 skopskiet:
I wouldn’t consider 2 games against a depleted Sarries and Tigers side the big time, exactly. The Springbok 7s isn’t to be sneezed at either, especially as it’ll be an olympic sport in 6 years, only 1 year after the 2015 WC.
1 Nov 2009, 16:42 pm
#235 sharks_lover:
I reckon one of the reasons for Murrays loss of form is that when he played 13 he had Barritt at 12 to set him up.
Why not, as I’ve posted before, play Dumond at 10 with Hernandez 12. It’ll also help Dumond to develop further with Hernandez outside him.
1 Nov 2009, 16:42 pm
death = dearth
1 Nov 2009, 16:43 pm
as = ask
Hell, my eye-hand coordination has gone to ****.
1 Nov 2009, 16:52 pm
Daar is hy
S14 …. Done and Dusted
CC…… Done and dusted
and then sad fcuks like skopskiet and johnnymain wants to blame the ref. Same old excuse as always.
Rather go look at why you support such a kak team
If the CC is played from today the standings will be
Bulls
Cheetahs
Sharks
Lions
en dan die Lulettes
Go Bulle!!!!!!!!
1 Nov 2009, 16:53 pm
Holy ****!!!
I am so sick of the Sharks fans with their “shopping lists”
Does the Bulls have world class players from 1 to 15?
No they don’t, yet they won the S14 and CC
How does that work then??
SHARKS MANAGEMENT = DUMB MONEY
1 Nov 2009, 16:54 pm
#199 grant10:
No way, G10. Please don’t even think along those lines. Matfield’s not an international captain.
What’s this now with JS having to play from the bench? The captain must lead from the front not from a bench. I believe that JS has enough integrity to inform PdV if he feels that he is not up for the task at TH. He may not be the best but liewe hemel, our second choice is Jannie Dup! WP Nel needs at least one more season of CC and Super rugby before being considered.I think he will be great from 2011 onwards. So for now, let us just accept that JS will be our TH and captain till 2011.
1 Nov 2009, 16:56 pm
#211 catleya:
Excellent post. Really well put.Hopefully some will take heed of your comments and stop whining.
1 Nov 2009, 17:00 pm
#233 sharks_lover: done!!
1 Nov 2009, 17:01 pm
#235 sharks_lover: Ja,,,, just leave Juan De jongh alone!!!
1 Nov 2009, 17:03 pm
#237 catleya: Ratel Brussow is a Sharks fan like i have never seen before!! If it aint a shark it dont count!!
Dewalt is capt post 2011….yesterday he again showed his class and versatality.
Woulsd love to see him at 8…
1 Nov 2009, 17:05 pm
#244 nama1: i will try and accept it…but fark its not easy for me…i always thought a 3 needed 1st and foremost to be able to scrum!!
1 Nov 2009, 17:40 pm
#249 grant10:
Hi Grant,
John might make it till 2011, but we wont win the world cup with a prop that cannot scrum.
Unfortunately Peter has already made up his mind, so John will probably play and NZ will become champs in their own country.
That is how I see it.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 8 9 10 11 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.