Colouring the numbers
3 Apr 2006
Keo, in his Business Day Column, writes there is no grey when it comes to picking the Springbok squad and too much black and white. There is also limited coaching science.
In SA national selection remains more of a colouring-in exercise, where what matters more is the colour of the final picture and not necessarily the merits of that picture.
The country’s politicians don’t seem to care that just two black wingers is the norm for the Bulls in the Super 14 and that wingers make up nearly 50% of the South African black-playing numbers in the competition.
It is not fashionable to hammer home the point in the months that lead up to the international season. Politicians — and some media — start showing an interest only in June every year, which is an indictment of the sincerity and motives of those who seek a colourful picture only at a national level.
Springbok coach Jake White can’t pick fewer black players than he did last year because that would be interpreted as transformation regression. Such an interpretation is flawed because White’s pool base is dependent on players chosen by the regional coaches. Invariably, this is limited to outside backs, the odd prop and the occasional scrumhalf.
White and his selectors have to balance each selection with a numbers count. How many black players? It complicates any selection when a quality white player is trying to force his way into the national squad.
Take Ruan Pienaar, Wynand Olivier and BJ Botha as three examples of players who have performed consistently in this year’s competition, and would be reasonably expected to make the Bok squad. If White is to pick Pienaar, he has to drop Bolla Conradie, who currently ranks behind Ricky Januarie and Fourie du Preez in the Bok pecking order. But that means a white player replacing a black player, and if White does that he has to balance it with finding a place for a black player at the expense of a white player already in the squad.
It gets more complicated. To accommodate (BJ) Botha, the form SA tighthead in the competition, he has to drop one of Lawrence Sephaka or Eddie Andrews. Again I am using the national pecking order that has CJ van der Linde as one and Sephaka and Andrews as two and three.
Wayne Julies is another who stands in the way of Wynand Olivier. Julies is behind Jean de Villiers and De Wet Barry in the pecking order as a No 12.
White has Bryan Habana and potentially Januarie as first choice options. Outside of that where does he go? To the wing with one of the Ndungane twins, Jongi Nokwe or Tonderai Chavhanga? Or does he reinvest in Breyton Paulse, back from France in June?
Nine months ago a Bok match that boasted nine black players beat Australia at Ellis Park. It was a significant day in Bok rugby, but if White and his selectors were able to pick who they felt were the 15 best, as all their opponents can, they would not get past three black players on any given Saturday, given form and black number limitations when it comes to positional choice.
In the context of Springbok rugby, that will never be deemed good enough. So invariably the compromise comes at a national level, while the likes of the Bulls and Cheetahs are able to pick largely white teams in the Super 14, using merit as their guide.
Who would want to be the national coach when the responsibility of painting the right picture comes against the expectation of winning a World Cup? Who would want to be him when regional coaches can do as they please, with total disregard for the colour of the bigger national picture?
Jake White in 2004 was voted the best coach in the world. He should have got the award as best artist because the colourful picture he painted in the past two years was a damn side harder than any coaching he did. Pretty pictures, though, don’t win you World Cups, which generally require a bit more science.
154 Comments
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3 Apr 2006, 15:42 pm
Ja Jondood, I gathered as much. But I got the impression that Mallet’s plan addressed this very issue (by forcing “quotas” onto traditional white and black clubs). And that, when our club competition becomes representative and of top quality, this would directly influence the player pool of the six franchises.
Ever since I started visiting this site, people have bemoaned the loss of a decent club-level competition, citing this as the big difference between us and, say, the AB’s. If our provinces/regions aren’t fed by club players exposed to the highest level of play, loads of them are going to fall by the wayside and not make the step up.
Mallet suggests rectifying this with enforced representation at the vital level. This should automatically take care of the make-up of the 200 players.
3 Apr 2006, 15:44 pm
I believe that it would still be the case.
3 Apr 2006, 15:46 pm
katman
Spot on, that is what I understood as well.
But right now the representation is not there yet.
3 Apr 2006, 15:52 pm
perhaps, but mallett’s plan mentions that each of the unions would by enticed with big money grants for transformed talent. If this is high enough, could develop a smaller elite of quality talent and a powerful top tier of 6, rather than a high quantity of mediocre talent.
3 Apr 2006, 16:02 pm
Gecko, Mallet is loud, affirmative and straight talking. Just like the Nationalist Government.
The question is, can he walk the talk? He shot his mouth off early in the season about turning The Stormers around and Peter Grant being SA’s answer to Carter!!!
Look at Saturday’s performance. The Stormers beat the Farts by 1 farging point. A side that hasn’t even been around for half a season. One farging point!
3 Apr 2006, 16:21 pm
Amen BadBoy!
mallet is overrated IMO
3 Apr 2006, 16:21 pm
I think it was Mallett in 1999 to be the first Boks coach whose hand was forced by the quota system when he dropped Stefan Tereblanche and brought on the pathettic Deon Kaiser (Tereblanche was voted for the 1998 world team at No 14), so Mallett knew the mechanics of the quota long before most of the rugby coaches and administrators in this country.
3 Apr 2006, 16:26 pm
The only thing Mallet did right was not change the team/squad he inherited from the legend Carl du Plessis. The rest, as they say, was LUCK.
3 Apr 2006, 16:27 pm
Onlooker, in the 99 WCup tournament Kayser was voted one of SA best performers. And this by the SA and World media. He was a good player who always gave his best. Terblanche on the other hand started his Bok career with a bang only to be a passenger in the side in the 2nd half of his Bok career. he was pathetic from 2002 onwards. If he is so good why dont we hear of him while playing overseas? JW doesnt even rate him…
btw, it was Mallet who didnt rate Paulse and said he is too small even though the NZ & AUS players all voted him SA’s best attacking player in S12 for more than 1 season. When he got his chance he inspired SA to beat NZ in 3rd place playoff at the 99 WC.
Get your facts straight please…
3 Apr 2006, 16:30 pm
badboy, and what of his 3 french championships, stade francaise, arguably the best side in europe during his reign.
3 Apr 2006, 16:30 pm
Badboy – Mallet is under contract (as per his release from Stade Francais) not to coach till Sept 07. So he can talk about players (and admit it, wouldn’t you try to talk up your staff to motivate them?), but not coach Stormers/WP.
Can he walk the walk? Wel, he took False Bay from nothing to a force team in the WP club compitions, then made Boland a force in Currie Cup, we know his record with the Boks and became 1st foreign coach to win the French Championship – and won it twice in a row.
Compare to other coaches in the country his cabinet is booming.
By the way, he was always outspoken against the Natiolist government – so some irony in that comparison.
One last point – that prick Clive Woodward is also loud, affirmative and outspoken – and he won a few things.
Carel Dup and Mickey Arthur are not, and they won ****.
3 Apr 2006, 16:33 pm
Good one
and don’t forget the world record equaling 18 straight wins
3 Apr 2006, 16:34 pm
Onlooker(in the showers), a reliable source indicated that Terebalche was actually dropped becuase he is *** and spent too much time hitting on other players in squad, turning them a “soft”.
3 Apr 2006, 16:36 pm
Mallet had a problem with Paulse – in Nick and I this story is told. He was fine with Kayser, happy with his play, impressed with his attitude.
3 Apr 2006, 16:39 pm
No wonder our rugby is in KAK.
To many people like BadBoy think Mallett is kak.
But hey his record speaks volumes.
gecko summed it up much better than I could.
3 Apr 2006, 16:40 pm
wpw,
I can’t recall the SA media praises for Kaiser but at any rate, it’s the same media that sings the praises of Andrews, Davids, Sephaka, Shimanga Benjamin, Julius ets, I can only judge from what I see and by replaying the tapes.
It was Alan Solommons who didn’t rate Paulse but that is a different story, I always rated Paulse as a merit selection but let’s face it: Stormers has 5-6 wings of colour on their pay roll, and none is anywhere near Paulse
3 Apr 2006, 16:42 pm
I sometimes wonder how much rugby you actually watch (as opposed to going to games). You’re definitely being too pessimistic. There are four youngsters bubbling under who will help Jake to satisfy his “transformation” quota in due course, and on merit. Australia would already have them in their squad, i.e. Hilton Lobberts, Chiliboy Ralephela, J.B.Pietersen and Shandré Frolick (sadly injured). More immediately, Guthro is definitely set to replace Oz, Willemse will hopefully recover and Chanvanga won’t let anyone down if called upon. I really don’t see how Paulse fits in anywhere. I used to be a big fan of his, but he really is well past his sell by date.
3 Apr 2006, 16:45 pm
Gecko – I can tell you now that Kayser was a qouta player – There was no doubt about that – he did not deserve to be a bok. If were white he would not have even been in the Sharks side and the same goes for Quinten Davids…
3 Apr 2006, 16:46 pm
Mallet also shot his mouth off saying he would replace Jake with Meyer if he was running SA rugby.
Bulls performance this season makes this statement a load of kak. Just like Peter Grant.
Mallet’s success is history, the man has had his moment. It would be politically correct if he just stopped trying to hop into Jake’s lime light for a while and everyone focussed on what SA has got rather than what they don’t have.
3 Apr 2006, 16:49 pm
Badboy, you’re spot-on about Mullett. Carel’s team was about to achieve great things with or without Mullett, as evidenced by the thrashing they handed Australia in Carel’s last game in charge.
Onlooker, anyone who thinks Stefan Terblanche was great and Deon Kayser was kak has obviously got the two players confused with each other, or with someone else entirely. I don’t think it merits a further response, except to note that it is entirely consistent with your usual opinions on the comparative merits of white and black players.
3 Apr 2006, 16:49 pm
bigg – you are welcome to your opinion. However, if I had to pick between Joe Gillingham, Shaun Payne, Kayser (even at 34) and some of the other Sharks backs of that time I’d pick Kayser.
Onlooker – the SA press, the same press that sang the praises of Jorrie Muller, Marco Wentzel (got him 2 caps), Wessel Roux (yip, he’s been capped), Pierre Uys!!!! – i’d rather listen to muppits than the press.
3 Apr 2006, 16:51 pm
Is this the same Stefan Terrebalnce who got crucifief by every journalist and coach potato when Straueli brought him back in the team?
3 Apr 2006, 16:51 pm
Spot on, gecko. The same press that routinely puffs up the likes of Derick Hougaard, Werner Greeff, Butch James…
3 Apr 2006, 16:54 pm
Gutro, Paulse, Willemse, Habana and to a certain extent January are all merit players at all levels,
The rest can be rated on a scale from laughable to barely.
3 Apr 2006, 16:55 pm
Badboy,
How exactly do you explain the Bulls being the top of the SA teams in the Super 14 log then? Oh, sorry, I get it, ALL the Super 14 coaches are kak! Why don’t we just bring the Vodacom Cup coaches in.
And maybe whe should just shut up about SA rugby and let it run itself into the ground. We wouldn’t like people like Mallet wanting to improve rugby in SA would we?
No wonder the words, “Shut up and sit down.” are said so often in schools
3 Apr 2006, 16:56 pm
Onlooker – but what about all the white players who are – in effect, ****? Is this not Mallet’s argument – we field too many team, therefor need too many players, therefor have too many palyers not up to it, balck or white?
3 Apr 2006, 16:57 pm
Yes Gecko, the same *** Stefan.
PS, maybe you can pull a few stats on Straueli and provide a brief history on his loosing streak and/or appauling moments?
3 Apr 2006, 16:59 pm
ahhh badboy – pretty much his whole career after he booted tim lane.
3 Apr 2006, 16:59 pm
Are the Ndungane twins laughable? Is JP Pietersen laughable? Is Tri-Nations-winning Springbok Bolla Conradie laughable? I suppose it depends on your sense of humour. If you find the inclusion of black players in first class rugby to be ridiculous in and of itself, then you will probably think that these players are laughable.
3 Apr 2006, 16:59 pm
Pierre,
Tereblanche was selected to the world XV in 1998, enough said, he is still making a decent living in England as a wing, something that could have never been said about the poor Kayser
I can’t recall any praises for Muller except that he is a fearless tackler who missed too often, sorry, you guys are carried away a bit
3 Apr 2006, 17:01 pm
Badboy – Strauli high points – resigning
Low points – where we start? Struggling to beat a poor Wales team in his first few tests. Pulling off Sephaka against NZ while we dominate the scrum and the tight and leading – just to lose the game, picking his 2002 EOYT squad, losing vs Scots onthat tour, beating Argentina by one point in SA, etc etc etc
3 Apr 2006, 17:01 pm
So what you are saying, Ollie, based on the Bulls being the best performing SA side in the Super 14, Meyer should be SA coach ahead of Jake?
3 Apr 2006, 17:02 pm
Onlooker – Terreblance end up on the bench most weeks with Ospreys he is so poor now.
3 Apr 2006, 17:07 pm
Uh… Onlooker, Kayser got man of the match at RWC 1999 against Scotland for among other things scoring the game-breaking try. You might recall that Scotland were considered a threat that year because of being 5 Nations champions (“Today Europe, Tomorrow the World” was their campaign slogan). He was a highly respected Sharks stalwart for years after that. People still laugh at the way he humiliated Robbie Fleck at a Stormers/Sharks Super 12 game in Wellington. Onlooker, I don’t think you are a mouth-breathing neanderthal like Stan; occasionally your arguments contain some semblance of reason. But when you call someone like Kayser a quota, you squander a lot of credibility.
3 Apr 2006, 17:08 pm
Nice article. With the current limits shown by the major unions in their colouring in exercise I presume then that there is absolutely no shortage of black players available to the Spears?
I mean if the all have only 8 players (quota) in each squad thn there really is a whole shedful of talent just waiting for the Spears to sign up? Por Ce?
3 Apr 2006, 17:10 pm
Badboy,
Nooo. JW doesn’t coach a Super 14 team in order to judge him on that level.
You said
“#
Mallet also shot his mouth off saying he would replace Jake with Meyer if he was running SA rugby.
Bulls performance this season makes this statement a load of kak. Just like Peter Grant.
Mallet’s success is history, the man has had his moment. It would be politically correct if he just stopped trying to hop into Jake’s lime light for a while and everyone focussed on what SA has got rather than what they don’t have.
Comment by BadBoy : April 3, 2006 @ 4:46 pm”
And so I was implying that Meyer is the best of the SA coaches judging by the Super 14 , and if Mallet says he would take Meyer over JW then Meyer would be the next obvious choice.
Personally I rate JW highly. And although I do not agree with Mallets comment on replacing JW with Meyer (if he actually said that), I do think that he is receiving unfair bad press at the moment. but, it is typical of SA supporters roasting somebody alive when they disagree with them.
3 Apr 2006, 17:11 pm
BadBoy – Mallet has nothing to do with the coaching of the Stormers. He has a gentlemans agreement with the president of Stade Francais that he would not coach, anywhere in the world, until the summer of 2006 (or is it 2007).
He has also stated that he needs 2-3 years to put in place the kind of structures that will make the province successfull.
So, please explain the relevance of the Stromers narrow victory over the Farce, when bringing his credentials into question.
3 Apr 2006, 17:18 pm
Onlooker,
“I can’t recall the SA media praises for Kaiser…”
To be honest, from the quality of your posts here, I’m guessing that your sampled media didn’t include much more than the Huisgenoot, a dog-eared copy of Scope and some rightwing church quarterly.
“…but at any rate, it’s the same media that sings the praises of Andrews, Davids, Sephaka, Shimanga Benjamin, Julius ets,”
Hmmm… dirty communist propaganda tools, eh? Can’t believe they let the media publish nice things about BLACK people. Won’t find that smut in your house.
3 Apr 2006, 17:22 pm
katman – I didn’t realise anyone actually praised Kaiser. I thought it was purely a lack of colourful alternatives…
3 Apr 2006, 17:26 pm
Mallet was and still is a quota
3 Apr 2006, 17:29 pm
Katman,
It’s still a fact that the SA teams those guys are playing for (Stormers, Cats) aren’t doing too well, or do they?
Pierre,
Kayser was an honest player, something I can’t say about most of the newcomer crop of quota wings, but he was physically inadequate while never possesed the flair and X-Factor like Paulse and Chester, simple
3 Apr 2006, 17:32 pm
You guys are talking kak, Kayser was a real performer in his day. How anyone can remember who said what 7 years ago about players is beyond me. You are creating stats.
The point is, that Mallet has raised an issue & a solution to the problem that is the cancer of SA rugby. Full stop.
Bad boy & WPW are missing the issue of Mallets coaching ability, with his political vision.
Simple economics dictate that the current situation cannot continue. How many of the smaller unions are solvent? How many were given loans for votes.
The whole crux of Mallets well though suggestion, is if you offer transformation incentives to the clubs, you will build up your base. The cream will always rise to the top. No questions asked.
You will then be in the position to be able to say, everyone is getting a fair chance to play & be able to do away with quotas and select on merit.
Keo should get some of these opinions onto Boots & All for a good debate.
3 Apr 2006, 17:33 pm
We haven’t had many wings better than Chester since readmission, perhaps not as quick as some but a supreme finisher.
3 Apr 2006, 17:49 pm
Well put, The Bill.
Onlooker – I’m not entirely sure what point you’re trying to make here: “It’s still a fact that the SA teams those guys are playing for (Stormers, Cats) aren’t doing too well, or do (sic) they?”
So the Cats and Stormers are languishing at the bottom because of the inclusion of Andrews, Davids, Sephaka, Shimange, Benjamin and Julies in their respective teams – is that it? Apart from the fact that Davids is quite far away and Sephaka and Shimange have (sadly) had very little time in which to influence the performance of their teams, your argument is laughable.If you’re going to try and make the black guys the scapegoats for the weak performance of two teams with huge coaching and motivational issues, your racist agenda is much more poorly disguised than you perhaps think.
3 Apr 2006, 18:11 pm
point well made, katman
3 Apr 2006, 18:41 pm
Katman,
There is no argument on my side, I just pointed out at an interesting corrolation.
How did you rate H Adams performance for the Bulls last Sat? while I thought the Bulls were too lethrgic as a whole, still I am not convinced of Adams merit inclusion.
So it’s just a numbers’ game, now it stands at 4.
3 Apr 2006, 19:27 pm
Keo , great article -the point is that we do not have enough good black players .Has anyone ever asked themselves this question ? Do Black people like playing Rugby ?
3 Apr 2006, 20:03 pm
Onlooker
You crazy!
Kayser had it all. Sterling defence, good passing, pace and composure. Never ever had a bad game. One of the most consistent and reliable players of his day. Seriously, the guy was so underrated.
3 Apr 2006, 21:54 pm
Sephaka was better than great when he was playing with Willie Meyer (my favourite bok prop pair ever), since Willie retired hurt Sephaka has never shone like that again, it’s like Willie enlightened him.
The times that the Cats dominated upfront was when Saphaka was on the bench (i.e. Saders 1st half, highlanders)
4 Apr 2006, 00:16 am
Pick the teams on merit. If, in doing so, they end up being all black or all brown or all white, too bloody bad.
That’s proper “non-racialism” not enforcing so-called “transformation” race-quotas and then quibbling even more about how many nonwhites are mere “coloureds” and that there are just not enough “black Africans” etc etc …
And then to add insult to injury and PRETEND that all this “transformation” and “quotas”and window-dressing is really “non-racial”!
And that people who want teams picked on merit alone are somehow “racist” !!!
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