Swallow your pride, Pete
JON CARDINELLI says the Bok coach won’t find a better fullback than Frans Steyn between now and the 2011 World Cup.
The Springbok coaches, selectors and Saru bigwigs will meet to discuss the Frans Steyn issue next week. I have to wonder, what is there to discuss? The Boks can no longer afford to ignore his talents and, as Steyn’s stated on numerous occasions, he’s keen to rejoin the side.
Steyn started the one-off Test against Wales in June. He’s since been cast back into the international wilderness. What was De Villiers’s reason? Steyn was off the pace because he’d played all of one season in northern hemisphere club competitions for Racing Metro.
Meanwhile, De Villiers has failed to find a good option at fullback. Zane Kirchner was ordinary on the 2009 end-of-year tour to Europe, and while he’s produced some determined showings in the 2010 Tri-Nations, it’s clear he’ll never be a factor at Test level.
At 23, Steyn has won a World Cup, a series against the British & Irish Lions, a Tri-Nations crown and a Currie Cup. He’s played 37 times for South Africa, starting 20 Tests. In the matches he’s started, the Boks have won 17 and lost only three. Included in those starting wins are the last six 2007 World Cup Tests, four 2009 Tri-Nations games and the first two Lions fixtures.
You can’t compare Steyn to Kirchner or any other South African fullback option. He has the all-round game the Boks require. His powerful boot has become so vital to the Boks’ line-kicking game, and he’s able to kick those record-breaking penalties from within his own half. As seen by his recent exploits in France, he’s also capable of nailing some outrageous drop-goals from 60m out.
Jake White deployed Steyn at centre in the 2007 World Cup in order to extract value from his formidable stature, but the man also provides a useful running option from the back. While Kirchner lacks attacking incision, Gio Aplon is renowned for those gliding runs from the deep. In comparing Aplon and Steyn, you have to ask whether Aplon’s primary threat trumps Steyn’s all-round value. And can you ignore the fact that despite his age, Steyn has won the big Tests for South Africa and has an overall win ratio of 75%? Obviously not.
Conrad Jantjes recently began his comeback to rugby, and after speaking to him, I don’t think the Boks should expect him to be Test ready until 2011. He suffered a broken leg in May 2009 and is still not completely over his injury. He spoke about this year’s Currie Cup as part of his rehabilitation, and it may be some time before he can go flat out.
Perhaps a strong showing in the 2011 Super 15 will bring Jantjes back into Bok contention, but for the moment, it wouldn’t be fair to consider him and option.
If De Villiers needs to make a rugby decision, he should bring Steyn back for the home leg of the Tri-Nations and pick him for the Grand Slam tour. Steyn’s spent a year in northern conditions and his knowledge thereof will be an asset.
But the relationship between the Bok coach and Steyn has been on the rocks since the player announced his move to France last year. There’s been little communication between the two, and although De Villiers released a statement this May claiming they’d resolved their differences, his claim that Steyn was off the pace and his refusal to pick Steyn for more than one Test speaks volumes.
Three consecutive Tri-Nations defeats, however, could lead to that pride being placed on the shelf. De Villiers is desperate to save face in this tournament, which is now New Zealand’s to lose. He must reinstate South Africa’s best fullback option, and invest in him for next year’s World Cup.
So come on Pete, stop wasting time. Give the kid a call, and show the faith in him that you showed in 2008 and 2009. Think 17 wins from 20 starts. You won’t be disappointed.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
A lot of people on this blog are missing a very important fact: Forget everything else about Steyn – his massive boot means that opposition teams are reluctant to kick at him because they know they’ll get it back with interest. And this small fact forces them to change their game plan. Once you’ve done that to an opposition, that’s half the game won.
And when he is under pressure he has enough skill and strength to stand up in the tackle until support arrives. Neither one of these are skills you would attribute to someone like Aplon or Kirchner. Jantjies, possibly.
This is a crucial part of fullback play that the current crop don’t posess to any impressive degree.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:21 am
Quite frankly the only ‘complete’ 15 from RSA that can also kick for posts and play 10 or wing (other than Frans) has been allowed to escape to France too… namely Joe Pietersen… problem being he is white, blonde haired and blued eyed also!
July 30th, 2010 at 6:47 am
Joe Pieterson ? Maybe a player which you can on multiple positions, but defnitely not a replacement for Steyn. Nothing Joe Pieterson can do that Kirchner is not doing equally as well. Agree with Chappy, Steyn with his experience and presence a definite requirement for the boks going to WC next year. No use in trying to built “new” experience 12 months before the WC.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:12 am
@BrisbaneBok(BrisbaneBok)-50:
He’s also young. He has time on his side. I’d stay for about three seasons. Come back and wait to see which union offers him the best contract. The Boks are going through the worst time in a deacade and he could never have picked a better time to keep his reputation intact.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Interestingly, a number of bloggers have pointed out Steyns value is due to the fact that he forces the opposition to think twice before kicking the ball downfield and the threat of a drop or him returning the ball with interest. The only problem with that argument is that both the Wobblies and ABs are now keeping the ball in hand and not kicking it away.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:30 am
@slate(slate)-55: Interesting point re the locks, and well worth experimenting with (perhaps not at test level, in case it’s a total **** up). Matfield could be the greatest line out jumper ever in the history of this and every universe, but if line out jumping only makes up 5% of of play, and somebody’s better than him at the other 95%, then that somebody should play. If we had Juan Smith and Danie Rossouw at lock, then we could afford a Pierre Spies show pony type player, who would effectively become a half-back(literally, half-forward half-back), because there’d be 4 other loose forwards to do the dirty work. It might be that locks have been around for so long that everybody just assumes they’re crucial, when they’re actually not, and we’ll never know until somebody tries (cue Pissant or somebody with actual rugby knowledge to explain why this would be a complete *** up).
July 30th, 2010 at 9:36 am
@chappy(chappy)-201: Well, if his big boot is the only thing you see in Steyn, then you can just as well go with Daniller who has the biggest in-play kicking boot at this moment, or if you mean the kicking to poles (including drop goals) you can go with Viljoen who’s kicked just as far as Steyn.
Steyn has a bit more to offer than just his kicking, BUT that was what was missing in the game he played for the boks. He didn’t look as sharp in his running. But it was kinda expected in his off-month.
JC, they probably do have to discuss how they’re gonna get him out of his contract, or even some type of agreement.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
“his claim that Steyn was off the pace ”
This is TOTALLY ridiculous!
OFF WHAT PACE ???
HE is CERTAINLY not off the pace of the current state of the Bok team … he can ONLY improve that!
WAKE UP!
Why did it take 3 losses to realize this?
And how many more will it take before you get him in here?! Get him in now and lift the team … so we can at least defend the 2N with some pride!!!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
@David(David)-205: That’s only because they are not up against a team that makes that difficult, so they can easily keep the ball and get over the advantage line.
Once they’re up against a stronger more efficient Bok team they will look to try get it up-field, as they won’t be happy being pinned back so much of the time.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:37 am
Steyn is obviously very special…and young. He should be in the mix. Graham Henry, Robbie Deans and Martin Johnson would love him in their stable.
But the Boks poor form is NOT due to 15, it’s at 6 and 7 where we are being beaten clearly at the breakdown. Scalk is playing OK, but the open side is a serious weakness.
And Fourie is sorely missed…like a braai without the wors!