PdV regretting Mapoe missed opportunity
18 Aug 2010
GRANT BALL says that Peter de Villiers’ panic to see Lionel Mapoe on the field again highlights his selection mistake last year.
The latest reports on the Mapoe transfer saga suggest that De Villiers wants to get involved. The Bok coach wanted to meet with Mapoe, his agent Jan-Harm van Wyk, and Sharks commercial director Rudolf Straeuli on Wednesday morning in order for the wing to play as soon as possible, but the meeting was apparently postponed.
Mapoe clearly doesn’t want to play for the Cheetahs, despite an arbitrator ruling in favour of them and that he must return to Bloemfontein.
De Villiers’ intent to see the player back on the field is admirable, but it just emphasises how big an opportunity De Villiers missed last year. A number of senior Boks want Mapoe drawn closer to the squad, and in order for him to be selected for the Grand Slam tour, he needs a decent run of games to build up his confidence after five months out with a shoulder injury (he last played on 20 March).
There is no doubting Mapoe’s ability and the fact that he should have been in a 37-man squad last year, but this is yet another example of the coach bowing to the demands of the senior players. It may be the right selection, but it will possibly be a year too late and although De Villiers wants to bring him into the squad, he may only be able to do that in the year of the World Cup, when he should’ve done so two years before the event.
De Villiers now runs the risk of picking Mapoe and trialling him internationally – which should have been the case last year – when he’s not at his best if he doesn’t get a decent Currie Cup run. That would be a travesty for the player.
What makes it worse is the individuals De Villiers selected ahead of Mapoe. De Villiers said last year that Earl Rose was a better option.
‘If you look at the wings from all the top six unions, they all could have been selected. I looked at guys like Earl and Juan de Jongh and selected them ahead of Lionel due to the make-up of the squad and the team dynamic. Lionel was one of the unlucky ones though.
‘We’ll use Earl as a fullback on this tour, but he’s equally good at outside centre and flyhalf, and we can use him there in future.’
De Villiers’ glory boy, Rose, now plays club rugby in Johannesburg and isn’t good enough for a Lions squad sixth on the Currie Cup log. Mapoe, who was last year just ‘as good as any of the wingers at the top six unions’, is now on De Villiers’ radar. That shows just how much De Villiers regrets that mistake.
De Villiers has hinted that he’ll rest some of his senior players for November’s Grand Slam tour, although he has contradicted himself on many occasions before. If he picks inexperienced players less than a year before the World Cup, he can’t afford any of the errors of last year in selecting players such as Rose, Davon Raubenheimer, Ashley Johnson, Riaan Viljoen, Heinke van der Merwe and Heini Adams.
A key part of coaching is identifying talent and getting the best out of them. De Villiers’ supposed strength is his man management, but in Mapoe’s case the consequences of him making a grave mistake are only now coming to bear.
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177 Comments
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18 Aug 2010, 13:09 pm
@wpw(wpw)-86: don’t worry Wes, when Alberts was with the Snoils, Sharks_lover didn’t rate him as a prospect for the Boks, now all of sudden he plays for the Sharks now pdv must have him in his bok plans
yeah right!
18 Aug 2010, 13:10 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-100: No. It is a future of brightness. Even our coach said he is very special. He deserves to be there more than Butch . He will take over from Morne wait and see.
18 Aug 2010, 13:11 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-55: ha ha…c’mon you can’t be serious with comments like that, don’t be over sensitive.
18 Aug 2010, 13:13 pm
@wpw(wpw)-86: nevermind that Vermuelen has been in the Emerging Boks setup for the past year or two.
Imagine Mapoe had been selected the eoyt last year and had kak games against leicester & sarries, these same scribes and arseholes on keo would be calling him a quota!
18 Aug 2010, 13:14 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-101: Alberts is overrated, just like that donkey Deysel!
18 Aug 2010, 13:15 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-102: Are you saying he deserves to take over from Morne? or just that he will?
18 Aug 2010, 13:16 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-104: Where is he, still injured or just not wanting to play for the Cheetahs?
Plus where is Wandile Mjekevu?
18 Aug 2010, 13:17 pm
@WP_(WP_)-105: ja right, I’m sure you WP supporters are praying that he won’t be in this week-end, coz he would be fn up Vermeulen. Remind me what happened to Stormers in their last game against Sharks?
18 Aug 2010, 13:20 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-98: Earl is kak. Elton Janjtes is already better + more reliable than that has-been/never-was
18 Aug 2010, 13:21 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-108: Geez you Sharks fans are insecure. he hehe.
18 Aug 2010, 13:22 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-106: Ja that is what I’m saying sir. But he needs the coaching of Oom Piet right now to help him be the best he can be. After Morne we don’t have anyone as naturally talented as Morne. And nobody can disagree with that.
18 Aug 2010, 13:23 pm
@WP_(WP_)-109: Don’t you remember EOYT sir last year ? Last time Earel played Bokkes he was our best player in midweek games. He always plays well in the big games.
18 Aug 2010, 13:26 pm
@wpw(wpw)-76:
Shot bud,just sick of the ridiculous proclaimations made on this blog by both “so called journos” and bloggers alike with little to no facts & without reflection/correspondence to past actions/practices (context etc)
Its BS
18 Aug 2010, 13:28 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-112: Haha. Big games like club rugby matches where he’s playing now?
Why is he not good enough to make the Lions squad? The 6th best side in the Currie Cup?
18 Aug 2010, 13:32 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-113: good thing you’re around to bring some facts, I’m sure there are many open-minded readers who do appreciate the context/background info.
18 Aug 2010, 13:33 pm
@WP_(WP_)-110: c’mon you wingat supporters are also insecure..ha ha
18 Aug 2010, 13:34 pm
So what happens now? Mapoe does not want to ply for FS but is told he has no option. He is seen down in Durban practicing with the Sharks. WTF
18 Aug 2010, 13:35 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-111: A potential is Lambie. I don’t really rate Butch.
18 Aug 2010, 13:36 pm
@WP_(WP_)-110:
What do you make of Greame Smith’s announcement? Who do you see as his successor?
18 Aug 2010, 13:36 pm
I must admit divvy looks like an australian cricket of old..maybe just maybe divvy is our mervyn hughes!
18 Aug 2010, 13:37 pm
@wpw(wpw)-86: oh shut up when im trying to stir
hiyas wpw
18 Aug 2010, 13:37 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-116: ya well, may the best team win on saturday
By the way I think Koster, Louw and Duane have just as much fire power as your loosies can dish up. deyesl is just a thug haha
18 Aug 2010, 13:38 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-118:
Lambie is going to be the Golden Boy. The Sharks have also bought Jaques-Louis Potgieter. Who is going to get the game time?
18 Aug 2010, 13:42 pm
@nama1(nama1)-119: Hey bu, ya interesting…
Just for T20 is intesresting… I’d say Hash, but he doesnt always play T20… Not sure
18 Aug 2010, 13:43 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-121: always hey??
18 Aug 2010, 13:43 pm
@nama1(nama1)-119: Johan Botha can take over the T20 for now I suppose. But who after 2011 for ODI…
18 Aug 2010, 13:44 pm
@WP_(WP_)-122: Unfortunately you guys might have an easy one coz Deysel is out and I heard Alberts might also be out. You know if we had our loose trio of Kanko, Deysel and Alberts you guys would go down like a lead balloon..ha ha. Even with some of our big guns down must admit looking forward to the game, its gonna be a good one, may the best team win.
18 Aug 2010, 13:44 pm
@THEBokFan(bokfan1)-70: True true – which brings one to the point – in the end hardly any of them made it to the WC. And Jake had enough good players to take the worl cup. Will Pdiv do the same?
18 Aug 2010, 13:45 pm
@renoog(silent_shadow)-53: No difs between him and January? FFS!!!! You cant be that dumb!!!
18 Aug 2010, 13:46 pm
@DROOOL(DROOOL)-123: Lambie at 10 at Potgieter at either 12 or 13 – that’s what I’m thinking will happen next year. But they mustn’t bug*ger Lambie about, he’s already played in 3 positions which is a bit annoying.
18 Aug 2010, 13:48 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-127: Oh really, but Daniels, Botes will still be a challenge. Yeah I’m slightly worried, given the recent history in Durbs, but we’re not going to lose our unbeaten record now!
18 Aug 2010, 13:49 pm
time to go, cheers folks
18 Aug 2010, 13:49 pm
@WP_(WP_)-114: You laugh now sir – but wait and see.
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-118: Lambie is good but frail on defence.
18 Aug 2010, 13:53 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-57: Just like there’s no difs between Peter Grant and Earl Rose?
18 Aug 2010, 13:53 pm
@WP_(WP_)-126:
Yes, right.
They’ll probably go for Botha.
I was also thinking about Amla. Not sure if that would be a good thing. Rather let him concentrate on his batting. Botha would be OK, I think.
18 Aug 2010, 13:54 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-133: go look at the stats , lambie has missed 1 tackle in his last 3 matches
that seems to suggest anything but frail
he is not a big tackler and is probably a lot like JDJ whom some say cant tackle ,
well JDJ is technically a very good defender as is lambie
18 Aug 2010, 13:54 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-133: He’s useless get over it. He’s nearly 27, he’s no longer one for the future. He’s a bad memory from the past!
18 Aug 2010, 13:56 pm
@rugbygenius(rugbygenius)-133:
It is still early days for Lambie but he certainly shows a lot a promise. Will be able to rate him after a S15 season. I agree that they must play him in one position to grow in confidence. The Sharks are not very good @ that considering what happened to Pienaar and Steyn
18 Aug 2010, 13:57 pm
@nama1(nama1)-135: Ya Botha for T20 I’d say, maybe for post 2011 too…
But we’ll have to see how his form is then.. I dont think AB woudl be a great captain, maybe I’m wrong but he doesnt come across as a skipper. Would affect his batting too just like Hash.
I’ve got a feeling the next major fulltime captain will come from outside the current group…
18 Aug 2010, 13:58 pm
@UnbeataBULL(UnbeataBULL)-134: No, Hougaard is not as good a scrumhalf as he is a wing… yet.
18 Aug 2010, 14:02 pm
as long as it is not quota prince or quota duminy
18 Aug 2010, 14:05 pm
At least one of the Smit(h)’s retired from their codes!
Quota Duminy for T20 captain!
18 Aug 2010, 14:07 pm
duminy must first score more than 10 runs in a season
18 Aug 2010, 14:11 pm
@geroom_sexwater(geroom_sexwater)-141: why are they quotas?
18 Aug 2010, 14:12 pm
The whole Mapoe thing is really complicated because he could be earning a whack more somewhere else. Have to feel for him
18 Aug 2010, 14:34 pm
JC,
Why exactly was Riaan Viljoen a selection error?
18 Aug 2010, 14:34 pm
@willievz(willievz)-146: Sorry Grant not JC :blush:
18 Aug 2010, 14:50 pm
@WP_(WP_)-105:
For once we agree.
18 Aug 2010, 14:51 pm
@willievz(willievz)-146: Ja Ashley Johnson, Riaan Viljoen and Heini Adams had proved there worth with strong currie cups.
Viljoen is the best 15 in the country INHO
18 Aug 2010, 14:52 pm
@foreverrugga(foreverrugga)-108:
Remind us where the Sharks ended on the log nou weer?
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