Du Preez: ‘I almost quit’
1 Dec 2009
Fourie du Preez has decided to stay with the Springboks after admitting he had thoughts of retirement earlier this year.
Like Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana and John Smit, Du Preez is one of many stalwarts in the team that remains from the Boks’ victorious campaign at the 2007 World Cup and has been a star player for the world champions in 2009.
The Bok No 9 does, however, admit that he almost considered retiring at the end of this season because of personal reasons, but after a successful year, he now wants to be part of the Boks’ title defence at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
‘At the moment I’m really enjoying my rugby, and the atmosphere that has been created has brought out the best in my game,’ Du Preez told SuperRugby. ‘It was a difficult few months for me earlier this year, and a lot hinged on how things went. But the way I feel now I have a few good years in my. It wasn’t as if things weren’t good at the Boks in the past, but rather a case of whether I can reach my own goals and do better in my game.
‘A lot of us who were in the team that won the 2007 World Cup said we would make decisions after the Lions tour and take it from there,’ Du Preez said. ‘But the success we have had this year makes 2011 the next goal. If the year didn’t go so well, then my international career would be over right now.’
Du Preez has enjoyed a triumphant season with the Boks and Bulls, which has seen him win Tri-Nations, British and Irish Lions, Super 14 and Currie Cup titles in 2009. Many believe he should have received the IRB Player of the Year award, but he lost out to All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.
These achievements have influenced Du Preez’s decision to stay.
‘I’ve really been happy with this season – it was definitely my best yet,’ said Du Preez. ‘I really gave a lot of thought to retiring at the end of this season. I was planning for a season or two overseas and wanted to get out of Pretoria, out of my comfort zone.
‘But the way things have gone made it difficult to contemplate quitting. The atmosphere that was set by the Springbok management was really wonderful. This Bok management is really some of the best ever and in that aspect I enjoy being part of the Springboks. They made it easier to make the decision.’
Du Preez’s contract at the Bulls expires in October 2010, but it looks certain that the scrumhalf will sign an extension to fulfill his 2011 World Cup ambitions.
433 Comments
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1 Dec 2009, 14:49 pm
Bok rugby need more of the Davids and the open minded free thinkers around, these JW deluded debilitators always reacting to past tense insecurities and not taking the opportunities presented they the ones that cannot adapt, and ultimately die. Just like we died against France and Ireland, stuck in our illusions of kick and chase mastery. Kak useless non proactive approach and fundamentally resulted in some dismal losses.
Pro action not reaction, the secret to success, be a leader not a follower. Therein lies the answer to true success.
1 Dec 2009, 14:50 pm
@grant10: @4
G10, to add further flames to the ‘will Smit retire ?’ fire, I am due to attend a corporate dinner/fundraising gig tonight in London titled ‘John Smit – Leader of the Pack’.
Uusal guff comes with the Invite – ‘celebration dinner to mark Smit becoming Most Capped Test Captain in rugby history’. General special guests will attend (we have 1, as yet unidentified, sitting at our table) Carter/McCaw/Bakkies/Victor/Hernandez/Spies together with some unknowns Noon/Healey and what looks like to be a curtainraiser in the form of a Knee-in-the-Back competition between Simon Shaw and Danny Grewcock because I cant think of too many other reasons why they would otherwise be attending.
Perhaps its also a good occasion to make a big announcement….?
1 Dec 2009, 14:52 pm
@WakaNathan:
Good grief.
Who invited you?
1 Dec 2009, 14:55 pm
@rossoneri:yeah ranger is a major bromance with JSmit, but it pisses the living daylights out of Grant10, because he is in love with BJ Botha so he wants the 3 spot for his own bromantic squeeze
@rangerman: cheers mzingeli
1 Dec 2009, 14:55 pm
these new age wisselaars, wissel every which way the wind blows, there is zero consistency, they call for a new team at the drop of a hat, and what happens the snr players just keep developing into a better and better team.
if there was one single thing white showed was the benefit of consistent team selection, and now we want to go back to the hairbrained tactics of no-kicking and handing out caps like smarties to every CC player in christendom.
1 Dec 2009, 14:56 pm
@cab:
I reckon pdeV is far to shrewd to be openly nailed. If I read him correctly, he’ll “manage” his senior players, not drop them whilst keeping them on his side as advisors. I doubt whether he’ll get much opposition as the senior players won’t be asked to change their approach, just assist in developing the new players.
By doing it this way, he can subtly break their influence by introducing a new mindset amongst the newer players without the senior guys risking their personal reputations on the field.
1 Dec 2009, 14:57 pm
@Dawn:
You’ll nb its for VIPs, Dawn.
what, you didnt get yours ?
1 Dec 2009, 14:58 pm
@David:
i think thats the way to go, but he needs to keep them their as an insurance policy, because i dont have as much faith as some in the supposed depth of SA rugby.
1 Dec 2009, 15:01 pm
@cab: Ja. Jake made brilliant sellections like Jaco van der Westhuizen to play flyhalf and get an arse whipping of 49 – 0 in Australia. The genius of the man!
1 Dec 2009, 15:02 pm
yeah new age wisselaars certainly would not cop it 49-0. New age wisselaars like Carel Du Plessis who developed a new strategy of total running rugby around players that could gain mastery over the entire field of play not just the aerial bombardment and collisions, who handed his brainchild over to Nick Mallet and went onto be the most successful run of winning games in our history.
You really don’t have a real clue as to who is new age and who is as ancient as the hills, you think dom doos delinquents are conservative strategists meanwhile they the ones with absolute rocks in their heads who couldn’t adapt f’all till they got an Arsetralian to show them exactly how.
Catch a wake up, it ain’t difficult, like I said, easy as simple pie, simply open them clouded shrouded dom doos eyes.
1 Dec 2009, 15:03 pm
@rossoneri:
tell me something, ou rugby genius, how many ppl in SA you know of that could’ve taken SA to where they were to a RWC in 4 years and whose team only has an average age of 27.
for all this so-called limitiations of these team, never can i remember a bok squad with so much worldclass superstars, not even in mallets team.
1 Dec 2009, 15:04 pm
@WakaNathan: Are you gonna punch him in the face?
1 Dec 2009, 15:05 pm
carel du plessis,…lol..now i;ve heard it all, i think he had the worst record of them all…there’s artistry for you, no wonder half of them are starving…gotta put bread on the table and not operate in neverneverland with the fairies.
1 Dec 2009, 15:05 pm
Guys the boks got beat by ireland so what, after what the players have achieved this year, they beat the lions and won the tri-nations the bulls boks helped the team to win the super14 again they were voted irb team of the year i think we can cut the players a little bit slack and just enjoy what they have done for SA rugby this year.I think personally the boks were a tired looking team and it showed in their general play which was lethargic.So all you bok fans out there give the guys a break and look forward to next season with anticipatition.
1 Dec 2009, 15:06 pm
@cab: Pdv can. And I don’t even have bromance with him, like you do with Jake.
1 Dec 2009, 15:06 pm
@WakaNathan:
Those tables don’t come cheap. It’s a charity event for Bobbi Bear, right?
About £2,000 a seat, I imagine.
John Smit, Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Juan Smith, Juan Martin Hernandez, Danny Grewcock, and Pierre Spies.
Jamie Noon, Austin Healey and Simon Shaw there for the champagne reception.
Hmmm, a charity event fighting for the rights of sexually abused children.
1 Dec 2009, 15:07 pm
@rossoneri:
wtf is bromance?
1 Dec 2009, 15:08 pm
@cab:
I don’t either. I just feel the problem is in our backs not having the confidence to break free of their defensive shackles, rather than in the forwards. I’m not advocating a wholesale rearrangement of the team and dropping of senior players. Just a period and gradual integration of players who don’t have the entrenched influence of the Jake White approach.
I don’t think we should fool ourselves that the ABs and Wobblies were probably at their weakest for years, due to player losses and injuries and to use the 3N and S14 as a yardstick of our own strength would be deluding ourselves.
1 Dec 2009, 15:09 pm
@cab:
Bromance is a portmanteau of “Brother” and “Romance”.
1 Dec 2009, 15:10 pm
@David:
the only thing is you seem to have bought into this theory of these snr players being overtly influence by White, i dont believe they are, in fact i believe matfield is a very fractious character, and smit is certainly his own man.
but this is why i think alot of you okes are older and more ou doos-like with your set theories, pdv also thinks they robots.
1 Dec 2009, 15:11 pm
@WakaNathan:
carefull susie is doing the catering ….
1 Dec 2009, 15:11 pm
Du Preez: “I almost quit.”
Don’t worry, Fourie, I’ve tried to quit many times…but every time I start up again after a few weeks…
Join the club!
1 Dec 2009, 15:11 pm
@cab: When one man admires another man he has a bromance with the one he admires.
If the admiration is both ways, the two men are bromatically involved.
It’s not homosexual.
1 Dec 2009, 15:12 pm
@cab: When one man admires another man he has a bromance with the one he admires.
If the admiration is both ways, the two men are bromatically involved.
1 Dec 2009, 15:12 pm
Morne Steyn should play for the Cheetahs or The Lions or even WP to strengthen his game. He will find it hard to develop other flyhalf skills at the Bulls. He needs to spread his wings and get out of his rugby comfort zone in Pretoria.
Both Ruan Pienaar and Morne need to re-think the flyhalf headspace.
Learn from Matt Giteau and Dan the Man chaps. Hardloop en maak kak op die opposisie.
1 Dec 2009, 15:13 pm
@WP Till I Die:
What a lag.
1 Dec 2009, 15:14 pm
@nama1: #255
Schalla is an international loose forward, Brussouw is international
Brussouw is abrilliant fetcher and Schalla more of a ball carrier/fetcher/defender
Brussouw is slowly getting more into his repertoire, I even saw him kick the other day.
Both these players need to work on their allround capabilities.
1 Dec 2009, 15:14 pm
@Dom Doos: Why did you choose that nick?
1 Dec 2009, 15:14 pm
@rossoneri:
so what is the collective noun for the worship of madiba?
are u godsdientelik-inclined?
almost certainly, its you guys with all these heros who acuse others of having them.
1 Dec 2009, 15:15 pm
@rossoneri: @311
and why on Earth would I do that ?!
I still have a photo of him holding my 1 yr old son (and an AB ball), from 5-6yrs ago, in NZ. He laughed when I said to my son “the next thing he could be lifting is the RWC”. True story.
Lovely chap. When he intro’ed rest of Sharks squad he made a hilarious chirp about AJ Venter not being too bright. The squad was in stitches.
1 Dec 2009, 15:17 pm
@WP Till I Die: @315
thats the one.
1 Dec 2009, 15:20 pm
@cab:
I agree that both Victor and Smit are strong individuals, but they also won the WC and no doubt believe that their tactics are the correct ones for themselves. If you look at the “structured” play, it revolves around the forwards with the backs playing no more than a supporting role.
It’s that balance and focus that I believe needs to change if we’re to progress further. Our pack is about as good as it could be, apart from our set scrums, it’s now time to work on integrating the backs into the game as more than an appendage to the forwards.
1 Dec 2009, 15:21 pm
@WakaNathan:
Hmmm, being held at the Honourable Artillery Company. Wonder whether there will be some explosive announcements tonight?
1 Dec 2009, 15:21 pm
@rossoneri: Still here guttermouth?
1 Dec 2009, 15:21 pm
@rossoneri:
Because I’ve been kicking up and unders all day and have not once got the riff-raff street jollers in life to buckle to my Dom Doos tactics.
1 Dec 2009, 15:23 pm
@WP Till I Die:
hence my speculation @ 301.
Im so excited, Im going to get Smitty to autograph my shirt-sleeve. Just at about armband height would seem appropriate.
1 Dec 2009, 15:23 pm
@cab:
Madibatheism?
1 Dec 2009, 15:23 pm
@WakaNathan: I would hate to be in the same room as you, cannot believe you got a ticket
1 Dec 2009, 15:24 pm
@David:
yes thats more interesting, i see it a slightly different way, which is that the pack should continue to hone itself and focus on its strenghts and upping collision intensity in numners.,,but the so-called plan b should be a more helter skelter approach where the backs take over and laat hom val waar dit wil. the problem if one wissels and does not focus on executing one thing very well, is that the other suffers.
but i agree if we are getitng beat in the collisions, then it should be opened up – there is npothing to lose = apart from 49 points.
1 Dec 2009, 15:25 pm
@WP Till I Die:
lol – this whole thread is surreal – they want to drop FdP.
ja nee, brilliant!
first it was the fetcher, then the scrums, now the halfbacks.
wisselaar central – the root cause, the consitency is the collisions.
1 Dec 2009, 15:27 pm
@WakaNathan:
Well, enjoy your £2,000 in-aid-of-charity three-course meal in the company of legends.
1 Dec 2009, 15:29 pm
@cab: #338 It is, but why can’t the refs control it better
Every man and his dog came in from the side, and falling over the ball is also not being controlled. I sat at the game and I could see each and everyone of the mistakes. Nigel Owens is hopeless,he was 3 or 4 times in the players way.
FDP had a few shocking passes in the dying minutes, I have to admit
1 Dec 2009, 15:29 pm
@cab:
A typical Saffa, knee-jerk response.
1 Dec 2009, 15:30 pm
@WakaNathan:
he has a contract to play for the sharks next year… I doubt very much he is retiring tonight…
1 Dec 2009, 15:30 pm
@WP Till I Die: £1500 per table of 10, Waka is bullshitting again
1 Dec 2009, 15:30 pm
@WP Till I Die: @339
cheers, I’ll pass that on to Smitty.
1 Dec 2009, 15:31 pm
@cab:
I’m not advocating a “helter skelter” approach, just a better and more aggressive use of the possession by the backs. Our try against Ireland was certainly not the result of a wild tossing the ball around.
Anyway, must pop out for a bit.
1 Dec 2009, 15:33 pm
thick as two planks thats all I can say about these dom doos delinquents don’t have eyes in their heads. Wonder in fact if they even got heads on their shoulders or just dom doos thick headed rocks upstairs.
1 Dec 2009, 15:33 pm
@JL1:
Hey d*ck wad.
2 tables, 2 prices. 1 with Legend in primo position; 1 without & situated in the dunny.
As for me BSing, I think you’ll find I didnt provide those details.
1 Dec 2009, 15:33 pm
@cab: Agreed CAB about the collisions but they also have to have the ability to think on their feet. Did anyone by the way see that last play where Danie was blown up for bridging ( technically correct as he was leaning on the player on the ground) however one of the Irish players came through the ruck flying right over the top without even attempting to bind which I thought would have been more of a penalty offence at the time.
Refs sometimes blow for bridging and other times tend to let it go if you have enough numbers to the breakdown so it becomes a technicality but the guy who went over the top went through like guided missile even worse than Bakkies incident against the Lions.
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