Top Boks out?
22 May 2006
Springbok coach Jake White is looking to keep some of his key players in cotton wool this season.
The Volksblad reported that Springbok coach Jake White and SA Rugby will hold their most important meeting yet before the 2007 World Cup in France on Thursday.
White is going to ask SA Rugby to relax their stranglehold on him and his top players like Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Bryan Habana and Jean de Villiers so that they can be rested this year without the threat of him being fired if the Boks do not perform without these stalwarts.
“This will be an important meeting. It will depend on the outcome of this meeting whether I can rotate certain players in Tests this year,” White told Volksblad’s Hendrik Cronje.
If SA Rugby turns down his request, White will be forced to consider Matfield for all 12 Tests in 2006 as well as the match against the World Team at Ellis Park on June 3.
White has a performance clause in his contract and he could be dismissed if he did not select his best team to play in the Tests without the permission of SA Rugby.
The coach does not only have the 2007 RWC tournament at the back of his mind. Some of his stalwarts could be injured prior to the start of the Tri-Nations series as a result of the hectic programme this year and the Boks will then face major problems.
The Boks will not be the first team to give some of the top players a breather. The All Blacks hope to rest about 30 top players.
32 Comments
22 May 2006, 09:40 am
as dit ons gaan help om die RWC te wen, dan sê ek laat die ouens rus.
Dit kan ook aan ‘n hele paar jong ouens kans gee om hul stempel in die CB af te druk wat nie andersins kans sou kry nie.
Dit kan ook help om die diepte te verbreed vir S 14.
22 May 2006, 09:44 am
Laat die manne rus, maar kies dan n groep vir die Skotte en Wereld 15 wat bestaan uit jong belowende spelers, soos bv Schalk Brits. Kyk wat maak hy teen internasionale spanne, toets nuwe kombinasies. Laat iemand soos Bakkies, Victor, Schalk, Os rus , kry hulle eerder in top kondisie vir die toer einde vanjaar
22 May 2006, 09:48 am
Andrew, the AB’s started this last year!
22 May 2006, 09:54 am
If SA rugby dont give Jake the freedom to do this, he must pack his bags and leave, because then being coach in this country is a lost cause
22 May 2006, 09:54 am
wie is schalk brits???
22 May 2006, 10:03 am
John Smit needs to be in that group. He has played non-stop rugby for 2 years now.
22 May 2006, 10:05 am
yeah White needs to be rested
lol
22 May 2006, 10:09 am
I think all 14 PROVINCES should play in CC this year and next year on the format of S14 – the cc is in any case not strenght vs strenght anymore!!
Just one question – are now doomed to have this type of scenario every 2 out of 4 years??
And if we BOMB out of RWC say in 1/4 or 1/2, was it worth it?
22 May 2006, 10:19 am
Monty needs to be included in that rest group too. If these guys were being managed properly during the S14 and CC, then no probs. But the SA S14 plank arse coaches r a bunch of unprofessional bafoons, except Muir. They just need to be managed properly, regular breaks, and then there will be no need for drastic actions
22 May 2006, 10:20 am
Is the World Cup really worth all this ****?
We all now that who-ever won it the past 3 World Cups wasnt actually the best team in the World. Are England the best team in the World…. NO their not, but they got the cup!!! Its what’s happening between world cups that matter
22 May 2006, 10:30 am
Bloem Leeu, the opposite is in fact true. What happens in between RWC’s is window-dressing, including sadly the 3N which has become dull and boring and needs livening up badly by the addition of the Pumas and the Pacific Islands. So the Poms are **** now, yes. Their gin-soaked Barbour-wearing hamper carrying tosspot fans will still point to 2003 in Sydney. Its only what we did after RWC 95 isn’t it!?
22 May 2006, 10:35 am
Agree Jonny. We are still talking about ’95 ffs.
Interesting to note though that JW’s job is under pressure? If he chose a second string side to tour Europe at the end of the year, i don’t think too many fans would mind losing if it was part of the bigger picture!!
22 May 2006, 10:46 am
hmmmm if that true where is Hougie “the point machine” in the squad ?
22 May 2006, 10:48 am
cape shark, the whole idea is to rest some of the guys during the tri nations and then play a fresh, full strengh team in europe, where the world cup will be taking place and the boks have lost a lot of games over the past few years. england at twickenham anyone???
22 May 2006, 10:50 am
I think the answer is straight forward and Jake already has this permission. I can’t believe that the SA rugby administrators would not agree to this approach, irrespective of how incompetent they may be.
I believe the objective of this meeting is more of a change management exercise to prepare the press and fans for some strange team selections and disappointing results. If Jake does not do this the press and fans will call for his axing before the end of the year.
Also I agree with Jonny the 3N has become monotonous and the new expanded competition only means that we will know the winner before the competition starts.
22 May 2006, 11:27 am
These guys are all ‘professionals’- players and coach. It’s what they do for a living and they are handsomely rewarded.
I do not see why JW should be excused for bad results. If he decides to rest players, he should pick competent replacements and we should still win.
22 May 2006, 11:32 am
It’s a catch 22. Jake doesnt wanna lose his job through lack of performance, but what about the currie cup coaches? The provincial teams that benefit most from this setup are the ones that have strong players that tend to get overlooked for higher honours (ala Watson, the Ndunganes, Botes, Brits, Ackermann, you get the idea).
Teams with alot of springboks like the sharks and bulls will be the hardest hit.
I think there should be a clear policy on the amount of games each springbok will see, so the provincial coaches can account for it and plan accordingly. eg. Matfield and Smit can start no more than 3 games and be on the bench for one.
22 May 2006, 11:38 am
nah we such a good side the bulls we can lose r springboks and still field a side good enough to be in the springboks
22 May 2006, 12:15 pm
I dont agree that the tri nations is boring, its been flipping good the last two years running. If thats boring than why do you even bother to watch Rugby, what do you propose, no tests against the Wobblies and AB’S? mabey only once every three years?
And play who? Scotland a few more times?
22 May 2006, 12:31 pm
wls- i never said the tri-nations is boring bud, but think about the bigger picture. would you rather we won the tri-nations than the world cup. we need to learn how to beat teams like england and france away from home.
22 May 2006, 12:32 pm
and with the way things are going, it looks like most of our 1st 15xv will be resting anyway, through injuries….
22 May 2006, 12:36 pm
wls, perhaps the rugby has been exciting but surely playing the AB’s and Oz so many times a season isn’t good for the sport? Rather extend the competition by opening it up to more teams than simply extending the number of games, no?
My proposal is simple. Extend to a 5N format incorporating the PI’s and the Pumas. Play each team home and away, so to account for the increase in games we cut the pre 5N “warmup” tests from 4 or 5 down to 2.
22 May 2006, 12:48 pm
Blood new talent and build depth regardless. Their is always the chance that a super rested bok could get injured in the build up just before the WC starts so having prepared reserves ready is not a bad idea…and if we rely THAT MUCH on 4-5 guys to win the WC, we don’t stand a chance anyway.
22 May 2006, 13:18 pm
What will Jake do if the so called 2nd team beats the AB’s and Ozzies away from home and at home? Who is his best platers then? The ones resting or the ones beating the best?
22 May 2006, 13:42 pm
True gee gas, but would’nt that be a wonderful position to be in!!!!!!
22 May 2006, 13:48 pm
I just don’t understand the logics. May be someone can explane me why does JW tells everyone thatplayers are abussed and overplayed but still organises extra test with meaningless world 15?
22 May 2006, 14:35 pm
go ahead ABs and Boks rest your players so that they will be under done. The wallabies have struggled on tour when our have players haven’t had any fair dinkum games under the belt after the trinations. We didn’t rest players in ’99 when we won the World Cup and England toured with their best squad to Aus and NZ in ’03
22 May 2006, 15:27 pm
The idea of resting players has some merit, but only if the players have some useful backups as we saw with McCaw towards the Super14 table finish.
Gee Gas has a point in, that should wholesale resting take place and the backups play better rugby, it would look kinda foolish to say the least, I think that a few players should be rested providing adequate backup is available.
22 May 2006, 15:58 pm
If Skeate was in the squad , Victor could be rested.
22 May 2006, 20:23 pm
It is easy for Wallabies to mock this strategy: they don’t have a decent domestic competition…
22 May 2006, 20:24 pm
Gee Gas, that would mean we have two squads and more than adequate cover…strengthens us! Don’t knock it.
23 May 2006, 12:52 pm
If I understood correctly, it is the performance clause in JW’s contract that stops him from selecting players outside his squad. Weel then Mr White, you are a KAK coach because a coach work is to develop players and if you do not have a back up player it means one of two things.
1, Your initial selection was KAK and now you are to **** scared to admit it, or.
2, you can’t spot talent and develop it and your additional players are KAK and only window dressing.
Please do us all a favour and shut up cause when you open your trap you sound like KEO. Only **** flowing out.
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