Weary but up for war
Fourie du Preez admits that he and the Bulls’ Springbok contingent are in need of rest but insists they are determined to break their drought against France and Ireland.
It has been a taxing year for the scrumhalf and his team-mates, the likes of Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Bakkies Botha and Morne Steyn – the players around who those teams’ success has been built in 2009 – with the Super 14, followed by a physically demanding Lions series and a six-Test Tri-Nations campaign.
Du Preez has played 1853 minutes of rugby this season -the equivalent of 23 matches – and the aforementioned men have either clocked up more or are just below that collective mark. It is undoubted that they need rest, something Du Preez readily admits, but he stressed that fatigue hasn’t quenched their desire for success.
‘I’m not going to lie to you, I’m exhausted physically and it’s been a mentally challenging year as well,’ Du Preez told keo.co.za.
‘We played in two finals for the Bulls, a Lions series and the Tri-Nations. All those matches demand that you are at your physical and mental peak. Eventually that type of pressure takes it out of you, and speaking to some of the other guys from the Bulls, they feel the same way. It’s difficult to stay motivated.
‘That said, we don’t need a bigger incentive than to beat France and Ireland on their home ground,’ he continued. ‘We haven’t won in France since ‘97 and in Ireland since 2001, so the guys are determined to finish the year on a high.’
Du Preez’s comments suggest that despite a momentous season in which the Bulls’ players won every trophy on offer and continued their success with the Springboks, they have not become complacent.
‘Victor Matfield was right when he said that the more you succeed the more you want to succeed,’ Du Preez said referring to Matfield’s comments after the Currie Cup final.
‘This past season was even more sweet because both the Bulls and Boks had such bad seasons in ‘08. It makes you appreciate success more, and also makes you want to ensure that you never feel the lows of defeat. I mean, losing is a reality, and we will at some point, but you become addicted to success and I think that’s what will be our driving force on this end of year tour.
‘That, and the fact that there’s an expectation of excellence from the guy next to you. You don’t want to let your team-mates down because you know they’re giving their all for you. That’s the culture within the Springboks at the moment.’
Du Preez’s superb form and his telling contribution to the Bulls and Springboks’ success was recognised last Monday when he was named SA Rugby’s Player of the Year. He is widely considered the favourite to claim the world title at the International Rugby Board’s ceremony in late November, but says he hasn’t paid any attention to the growing calls for his sustained excellence to be recognised by the game’s governing body.
‘People have been speaking about me as a possible winner, but I haven’t even given a thought to the award,’ he said.
‘Whatever happens happens in that regard. I’m just blessed to have played in two special teams this year. It’s the players there who help make me look good.’
By Ryan Vrede
November 10th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Het nie die spanne gesien nie…
Speel Caveman teen Bakkies……. indien wel…. he will see what a real caveman is!
November 10th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Lol, Caveman is on the bench and will come on at 60 min when bakkies is tired.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:54 am
o ok, ek sien hy’s n reserwe.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:57 am
#50 Fidget: I agree that the game in the NH is more dominated by the forwards than the backs. But it also means that the backs also need to be better in clearing rucks and winning turnover ball.
Watching the game against Leicester as well as the NZ/OZ games..the Boks must miss more first time tackles than any other team!
Also is it just me or is the breakdown refereed very diffently compared to 3N/S14 and CC. Watching the weekend games it just seems as though whoever gets the most numbers to the ruck wins the ball..irrespective if those players are diving in..coming from the wrong side or just lying all over the ball! reminds me of how the Bulls approached rucks a few years ago before they the rules changed!
November 10th, 2009 at 9:58 am
I worry about Kirshner under the high ball, Adi defence against their 110kg center, Smit at no 1 (well the scrum in general)
November 10th, 2009 at 9:58 am
One of the best chirps i heard was….
a lions player sarcastically asking Bakkies 70 min in to the game: “Shouldn’t you be substituted now”…..
Bakkies told him… “naw – they let me play for 80 min against the smaller teams….”
November 10th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Deysel should start at 7 with schalla at 8.
Olivier in midfield with Fourie for this game.
For Ireland, play kanko and jacobs.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:59 am
#55 Fidget: Smit = no3.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:02 am
#54 My50cents: The laws around the rucks are just getting out of hand and these days the game is won or lost in this area depending on the refs interpretation of the law. Something needs to be done about this facet of the game.
Gosh, have to go into a meeting, nice chatting.
Later.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Sweet lord, who gave Tacitus the double espresso this morning? He’s like Julius Malema on speed.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:37 am
#56 Staal: lol. Bakkies is quite the comedian! There are a few others, like his blue eyes chirp at Mike Philips. Glad to see he’s enjoying himself out there in the heat of battle.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:39 am
“Du Preez has played 1853 minutes of rugby this season -the equivalent of 23 matches”
It’s not so much the amount of time they play that is the problem. It is the lack of resting time for the body to recuperate fully, that is the problem. Nowhere in the rugby calender will you find a window of 6-8 weeks in which the top players can rest. Therein lies the problem.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Is it physically and mentally more challenging being in a consistently winning team or a losing one?
I never recall McCaw for instance being so drained after being in succesful Canterbury and AB units.
And i’m not trying to be jack@ss about it – but we have great years and we still manage to find the negatives. It’s like squealing about your final month end report for the year a week before the Xmas holidays and a huge bonus!
November 10th, 2009 at 11:01 am
#57 cab: Problem you have is Schalla ’s handling is terrible, but I like Deysels prensence.
8 Pottie
7 Deysel
6 Brussouw
November 10th, 2009 at 11:33 am
#64 capebull: Which Province did JOOST play for ????
November 10th, 2009 at 11:42 am
#11 Tacitus: Which team did that other guy named Joost play for ????
Geeze after 3 years of WAtson Watson Watson. Its nice to be in my chair now . Joost Joost Joost Waaaahahahahhaha. Twice as bad as Watson.
I thought brandy was the thing up in Pretoria , but think again kids Joost will show you how its done.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Anybody wanna hear a joke about the Blue Bulls ??????
Joost played for them waaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha
November 10th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
#65 wp_boytjie: What does that got to do with the price of eggs
November 10th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
#67 wp_boytjie: Obvious you have some mental problem, I can suggest help for you.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
#67 wp_boytjie: If there was a trophy for the team with the most trouble makers, WP would at least have some silver wear this season – Luke, Percy, Ricky etc
November 10th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
#60 katman: bwahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
omg too flucking funny
November 10th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Springbok Team (Test caps in brackets):
15 Zane Kirchner (1)
14 JP Pietersen (30)
13 Jaque Fourie (51)
12 Adi Jacobs (28)
11 Bryan Habana (54)
10 Morné Steyn (9)
9 Fourie du Preez (52)
8 Ryan Kankowski (9)
7 Schalk Burger (53)
6 Heinrich Brüssow (10)
5 Victor Matfield (89)
4 Bakkies Botha (63)
3 John Smit – Captain (90)
2 Bismarck du Plessis (30)
1 Tendai Mtawarira (19)
Reserves:
16 Adriaan Strauss (5)
17 Wian du Preez (0)
18 CJ van der Linde (56)
19 Andries Bekker (18)
20 Danie Rossouw (43)
21 Ruan Pienaar (34)
22 Wynand Olivier (24)
November 10th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
No so-called quotas on the bench but it still does not look convincing to me.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
#72 nama1: They the guys who’ve been doing the job so far…but the selectors may have missed a trick again by not selecting more in form CC stars…
November 10th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
#17 skopskiet: Wow thats narrowed it down then …
I reckon it will be very close and Boks better be ready as they cant rely on Frans to punt from over the half way.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
#73 nama1: Nama, u just wrote 1 ine but you really got me worked up. Quotas, non-white payers, blacks or coloureds or whatever you wanna call them doesn’t necessarily make a team weaker. It’s just that when you are not white, the magnifying glass is on you all the time. Now this is racism at it’s worst. I’ve read a million racist comments on here, but your one certainly takes the cake.
And you what, it hurts. You have oppressed us for so many years – why do u wanna continue when it is against everyhting this country stands for. I laughed at Tacitus( his comments about victor matfield being able to jump so high were hilarious), Pissant (farting against a thunderstorm) and Dawns quick wit are all worth reading. But your one liner just ruined it for me. Maybe in your mind that is something that should make you proud, but it disgusts me, and hopefully many others guys/gals on this site as well.
Jannie du plessis is not the best, but the selectors saw something in him we don’t. Same applies to John Smit, Wynand Olivier, etc.
What really gets to me is that the first thing u look for when the team gets announced, is who are the “quota players”!
Do you really still want to see an all white team?
November 10th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
This is my first time, and I’m certainly not a rugby fundi.
What I did find a bit refreshing, is that this site does not seem as vicious as the news24 site, as far as racism is concerned.
The standard of writing is also “higher”.
I was interested to read your comments ‘My Face”. Have you read Mandela’s book, “Playing the Enemy”?
Mandela and Francois Pienaar made it possible for our rugby to be where it is now. (Just my thoughts).
November 11th, 2009 at 11:34 am
‘Playing The Enemy’ was as boring as watching grass grow. I was cursed with this book by my dad who thinks I like that kind of drivel. Looked at a few bits and pieces and nearly threw up in my mouth so had to put it down.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
78 PREDAWN: Predawn? Dawn? Are you the same person, because you display the same sharp wit. Well, it wasn’t easy reading, but at the end of the day, rugby was used brilliantly to “normalise” things.
What worries me, was that our Bok front row was given a hiding by the Cheetahs. Do you guys think that Pieter, (what’s his name – the French oke) will be able to coach our front row so that we have parity in the test?