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, 15:15 pm
@nama1(nama1)-119:
AB de Villiers or Hashim Alma
18 Aug 2010, 15:17 pm
can’t be amla … SAB won’t allow it …
18 Aug 2010, 15:19 pm
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.
PdV is such an idiot.
WTF was SARU thinking when they hired him – oh yeah right, they weren’t thinking. They turned away the candidate who was the best for the job because he didn’t fit the BEE mould.
18 Aug 2010, 15:44 pm
@wpw(wpw)-150: Don’t be fooled by past results. As in cricket, you are only as good as your next innings, not your last. Sharks as WP are on the way up. Sharks might have the edge in the forwards department as their pack looks a little more matured, but as time passes, the WP will become better and more stable, and then their explosive backs will have a field day.
18 Aug 2010, 15:58 pm
I like Mapoe but FFS we got Hougaard, van Den Heever and Aplon as great wings. PDV needs to wake up and stop looking at JPP. Actually, rather Mapoe then JPP. My list for right wings is 1. hougaard 2. Van den heever 3. Aplon 4. Mapoe. Although Habana is in terrible form. Maybe I’d have Hougaard on the left and Gerhard on thr right with Sarel at SH
18 Aug 2010, 15:59 pm
Grant, FFS!!!, put a freaken sock on it!!!!, I see you are aiming at Earl Rose’s selection ahead of Mapoe when in fact it was Houggard who was supposed not to have been on that tour, Houggard was owned, literally embarrassed by Mapoe in both the games they came up against each other.
The game at Loftus was so embarrassing even the Australian ref blew Mapoe for having jumped so high that, Mapoe’s arse was literally on Houggard’s mouth, ( Mapoe could have farted directly into Houggard’s mouth),The Aussie ref blew Mapoe, it was hilarious.
The irony here is that, Earl Rose went on to prove why he was selected for the EOYT ahead of many but why do you journalists not want to acknowledge that is a mystery or the fact that Houggard went on to further embarrass himself on that EOYT by single-handedly losing the game by himself after the Heini Adams/Ruan Pienaar had given a master-class.
You guys are disgusting!!!!
18 Aug 2010, 16:06 pm
xhosakid ..you don’t judge a player after 1 game .. i remember mapoe having some shocking games against weak opponents ..
18 Aug 2010, 16:07 pm
and if you rate earl rose, then you and PDV probably went to the same school … when you planning to complete grade 8?
18 Aug 2010, 16:12 pm
@WP_(WP_)-109: I never thought that I would agree with a WPian so easily. 100% spot on, EJ as a 19 year old already has a great feel for the game, he passes well, his out of hand kicking is great (did you see that chip against the cheaters?) He is solid in defense and he is not afraid to carry the ball into contact. He is also well conditioned like all players should be … unlike that skinny Rose who at 28 has the body of a 17 year old.
18 Aug 2010, 16:16 pm
@wpw(wpw)-151:
For some reason I don’t think either of them should be given the captaincy.
Amla is making a strong bid to be the best batsman in the world. Making him captain of the T20 or ODI team next year will put other responsibilities on his shoulders that can hamper his progress.
AB is still to inconsistent (especially in the test arena) to shoulder added responsibility like being captain of the team.
@geroom_sexwater(geroom_sexwater)-157:
Like Xhosakid, you will now give us examples of your claim?
18 Aug 2010, 16:23 pm
@geroom_sexwater(geroom_sexwater)-157: I was referring to Houggard vs Mapoe, head to heads last year, please feel free to tell the rest of us, which shocking games did Mapoe have last CC?
18 Aug 2010, 16:25 pm
@geroom_sexwater(geroom_sexwater)-158: Wow!!, grade 8 insults are out.
18 Aug 2010, 16:30 pm
@nama1(nama1)-119: Johan Botha for Captain, De Villiers to keep wicket for both T/20 and ODI, Boucher to focus purely on Test matches
18 Aug 2010, 16:36 pm
One lousy drunken quota feels for another for not being able to join the ‘Gravy Train’
18 Aug 2010, 16:37 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-163:
I’ll go with that.
When will Boucher make his announcement or should Corrie force his hand?
18 Aug 2010, 16:38 pm
@nama1(nama1)-160:
I thought your cricket expertese by far exceeding your rugby ones, go for your strenghts!
18 Aug 2010, 16:51 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-166:
You should try to find your own strength and develop it further.
At the moment you don’t display any.
Yapping about “drunken quotas”, “non-merit players” etc day in and day out, all year round, actually shows a weakness on your part.
18 Aug 2010, 17:51 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-161: well there were games where hougaard last year didnt play well either
lots of moans and graons at the time between bulls supporters
this year yes hougaard has been good at wing
personally i am still not convinced with him at 9
18 Aug 2010, 17:52 pm
@nama1(nama1)-167:
Ya, truth hurts
But money talks, if you get an 85%+ score with the Bookies, that all it counts!
“Talks are cheap, money Buys the Whisky” -PdV
18 Aug 2010, 18:45 pm
We have some very exciting young wings coming through the system at the moment, which has been along time coming.
Deon van Rensberg, Gerhard van der Heever and Lionel Mapoe are three promising wings who all should be included in the Springbok Team for the end of year tour.
We need to find more quality young wings urgently for the future!
18 Aug 2010, 19:14 pm
@ ICEMAN
Not to mention Mvovo & Bjorn Basson, who are at least as exciting as those 3.
18 Aug 2010, 23:08 pm
EOYT SQUAD:
Backs:
Jantjes, Aplon
JPP, Basson, Mvovo, Mapoe
De Villiers (capt.), De Jongh, Bosman, Murray
James, Lambie
Pienaar, Bondesio, Januarie
Forwards:
Beast, CJ, BJ, Du Plesis
Chilli, Maku, Burden
Flip, Hargreaves, Skeate, Sykes
Flo, Juan Smit, Kankowski, Brussouw, Potgieter, Big Joe
Rested: Habana, Fourie, Steyn, Du Preez, Guthro, John Smit, Victor, Bakkies, Rossouw, Burger
Axed: Kirchner, Hougaard, Bismarck, Spies
19 Aug 2010, 10:31 am
@rugbywriter(rugbywriter)-155: Bulls supporter ?
19 Aug 2010, 10:35 am
@Suidkapenaar(Suidkapenaar)-154: Actually no. You’re only as good as your last innings. Your next hasnt happened yet.
19 Aug 2010, 14:02 pm
156. XhosaKid(XhosaKid) :
Grade 8 jokes are too high for your one peanut brain hence why you are not catching it. Ice-cream goes into your mouth not forehead plonker.
Hougaard was not selected as a wing but scrum half with Ruan a fly half. And with that Hougaard was a scrumhalf come wing last year when Akona got injured thus it is expected that he’ll make a mistake or two. Did you see what he did to the supposed next springbok fullback Joe Pieterson in the S14 final, never in Habanna’s life has he left a player for dead like that. Even Joe had to leave the country so embarrassed is he. And did you not forget how he caught mr. Mapoe out with that cross kick for the first try of the CC final. Go talk you k#$*k with the ANC else ware.
19 Aug 2010, 14:08 pm
172. psycho(psycho) :
K$#@k team. Where the hell do you put in overrated Meyer Bosman and Murry in? O and Skeate, Bondesio, Januarie? Do actually know that rugby is played with a oval ball and not a round one. Stick your hands down your pants(if you are a male otherwise it would make sense) , feel them balls, that is what a rugby ball is like, oval.
19 Aug 2010, 14:17 pm
151. wpw(wpw) :
Hashim Alma. He can actually take over all captency from fat **** Smitty. I heard that there is a new car on the market. apparently the roof is a bit more eleveted than normal cars so Smitty can fit in that head of his.
Proteas suck and will always suck as long as softies coach the team with Smitty. Fire all and get an hard arsed coach in like Jennings or similar to kick the dead Table mountain wood out. Funny how that Protea click all live in or move to cape town. Also funny how these exact plonkers also always suck at any event worth while.
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