Bob’s unfinished business
12 Mar 2007
Is Bob Skinstad too old, too fat or simply too good?
In his most revealing interview since coming home, Skinstad tells SA Rugby magazine why he wants to make another contribution to the game.
“When I announced I was returning to rugby I read that I was too old, that I had a beer boep, that I was too fat and that the game had passed me by,” he says. “The only way to counter those reports was to start at the back and work my way up again.”
Skinstad, who picked up 8kg of muscle in two months, believes his experience gives him an edge over the younger generation.
“I knew I would be up against guys who were physically stronger and faster, but I also knew they were mentally younger. The gym can’t give you life experience and the quickest 40m time doesn’t give you wisdom.”
Skinstad also reveals what was said during chats with Dick Muir and Jake White last year, how living in London changed him and why his wife and five-month-old daughter have given his life balance.
Also in the new issue of SA Rugby magazine:
– Why the High Performance Centre has failed
– How John Plumtree has given the Sharks pack an edge
– How the Sharks went from Super 14 chumps to potential champs
– John Mitchell rates the Boks’ World Cup chances and gives Luke Watson some advice.
– Graham Henry explains why the All Blacks can still get better
– Can Sevens save Gcobani Bobo‘s career?
– Jonny Wilkinson‘s magical return
– Naas Botha on why age shouldn’t matter in rugby
– Jonathan Kaplan defends Super 14′s under-fire referees
– Nick Mallett gives his verdict on the early Super 14 rounds
– Rassie on the new ruck laws
– We reveal AJ Venter‘s other life
– Who knows Monty better: wife Tasmin or team-mate Butch James?
189 Comments
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12 Mar 2007, 16:39 pm
ive got blog withdrawel over the last two weeks and still two weeks of limited access left
you okes have a good night
cheers
12 Mar 2007, 16:40 pm
I’m going to reserve my judgement on Bob until he plays, you guys are getting way ahead of yourselves, getting your knickers in a knot on a player who hasn’t played yet, wait a while and then we can start this fight.
12 Mar 2007, 16:40 pm
Mr Lam
What u up to????????????
12 Mar 2007, 16:41 pm
Molly
It’s not his play IT’S THAT COVER!!!
12 Mar 2007, 16:41 pm
And… I think Spies is not that into the rough stuff either, he’s a ball runner and there is nothing wrong with that.
12 Mar 2007, 16:42 pm
Dawn, some people are actually talking about his play… although I don’t think the cover has ever been a hit with the people on this site, except that one of Fran Steyn, maybe its because he was on the rugby field that it was deemed ok.
12 Mar 2007, 16:45 pm
Spies is a lot smarter, harder and stronger than bob.He just needs experience. Remember he moved from wing to loosie and is still learning the craft
He has tons more speed than bobby and a better step. He is not shabby in the line out either.
12 Mar 2007, 16:46 pm
Cant understand why there is a debate about Bobby. He’s a has been…………
12 Mar 2007, 16:47 pm
and has been one for years
12 Mar 2007, 16:48 pm
149 Mr Lam,
bit surprised actually – didn’t think the Bulls had ANY chance down under!
12 Mar 2007, 16:48 pm
Xkreni, he was actually a Loosie they tried to put on the wing, after that failed they moved him back. And I don’t think he is stronger than Bob, or harder, he wouldn’t even come close to AJ in the toughness stakes.
I would actually like to see them run next to eachother, could be interesting to see.
All your points are you presuming that he is better, I would love to see some facts, cause I’m guessing him and Bob would be the same in the lineout too.
12 Mar 2007, 16:48 pm
Spies is a lot smarter, harder and stronger than bob – based on what ?
Spies hasn’t played wing in two seasons, he was an 8th man at junior levels except when he played for the junior Boks on the wing.
In my mind Spies = Hype !
He still has a log way to go. He could be a great player if he keeps his head about him.
As to Bob, when he actually plays some rugby i will pass judgment.
12 Mar 2007, 16:53 pm
Spies sal sy verdediging moet opknap en meer sy werk doen. Ek twyfel egter nie dat hy dit in hom het nie. Hy speel ook soos sy coach dit v hom verwag maar ek moet darem se dat ek ken daai laaitie vandat hy 7 jaar oud is.
Hou hom dop – moet hom nie nou-al afskryf nie.
Hy is ook iemand wat nie met sy kop in die wolke loop nie.
12 Mar 2007, 16:58 pm
Hey,
I see Bobby is doing an impression of me on the cover photo.
12 Mar 2007, 17:00 pm
staal ek rate ook vir spies,ek dink nie dat meyer se gameplan hom altyd komplimenteer nie.
12 Mar 2007, 17:15 pm
all I’ll say is it takes something to chase your dream…to walk away from a cushy life any of us would dream of, to put yourself at the mercy of the public’s self righteousness, and put your body at the mercy of the monstrous back three’s in this years S14…8 kg’s in 2 months, running on on Vodacom Cup games, moving to Durban…He’s got my attention, and if he can crack it wouldn’t that be a come back of Micheal Jordan proportions?…Respect Bob. Good Luck brother.
12 Mar 2007, 17:16 pm
die ding van Spies is dat hy geleer is om aan te pas.
Hy is daai tipe ou wat 10 keer harder sal probeer as hy swak speel. Hy het alles wat n jong rugbyspeler nodig het en ek dink hy het ook die coach wat hom sal help. Ek meen hel hy is nog bloedjonk.
Ek en sy pa was baie goeie vriende en Pierre (Ouboet soos ons hom noem), gaan dit nog vêr bring. Om die waarheid te sê hy het al klaar vrek baie vermag. IMO.
12 Mar 2007, 17:18 pm
Jamied,
I’m just not sure his motive is right, he’s been gone for how long? And now he comes back, like 8 months before the World Cup, and hopes to make it, when it was so easy to leave it all behind in the first place.
I would rather pick people that have been committed to SA from the beginning.
12 Mar 2007, 17:18 pm
166 jamied,
great post.
Ya we need to congratulate Bob for the decision he made. A great Skinstadt might be a plus for the Sharks – it’s now in his hands.
12 Mar 2007, 17:26 pm
168 Molly,
I don’t know what his life was like 4 years ago, I think he thought he was done…and he didn’t go easily, he even gave JHB a pretty solid crack before he left and lets be honest the Cats outfit must have been a nightmare to work with…he’s clearly made a decision and is going for it…that’s gotta be a tough call and the odds are stacked against him but who knows…
en staal, 167 nice post yourself, the kids got good a great ‘houding’ en ek dink ook hy gaan ver gaan. remember how good big joe looked running off bob back in the day…I think he’d have a great influence…
12 Mar 2007, 18:17 pm
Bob’s abs are almost as good as mine.
12 Mar 2007, 18:29 pm
I also saw Bobby on friday night, he was playing for the wildebeest… Played a great game actually, showed great tactical acumen and leadership, made some telling tackles too. His only blemmish is he got yellow carded early in the second half….
I suspect #6 was just expressing an opinion…
12 Mar 2007, 18:39 pm
on the game…
12 Mar 2007, 22:17 pm
pakslae is a lock. end of story!
comparing two playes of different styles is like comparing TWO PLAYERS OF DIFFERENT STYLES.
someones earlier comment, who would you rather have in a tussle against jerry collins?
collins vs bob or danie.
an unbias reply would be that collins would hand both danie and bob their arses in the physical exchanges. whereas in the link and support play bob (on previous form) would outshine collins. danie would have rings run round him by collins.
throwing spies into this arguement is typical rugby banter. this kid at the moment has to back up his game in his 2nd season or he becomes another 1 season wonder. spies has oodles of talent and has shown he could possibly make it at the highest level, and having the tutorship of skinstad on his doorstep would help his performance curve and his professional career.
but the stone age thinking of some rugby supporters wouldnt want their player spies to be polluted with bob skinstad speak fearing that spies will become a showpony, glitzy superstar that relies more on his skills than koppestamping opposition.
12 Mar 2007, 22:26 pm
is the mag available in auckland?
12 Mar 2007, 22:31 pm
ideal loosies for world cup. the following at their best are unrivaled in SA.
schalk, juan, aj, bobby, big joe and spies. danie must go as a lock – and nothing more barring a horrific injury list like we had last year.
the world cup is gonna be played at the end of summer, not in winter – its not gonna be typical NH conditions – so no need for dinosaur loosies.
by the way – Australia is the only team ever to win a world cup in the NH….
12 Mar 2007, 23:32 pm
good reminder there munkiboi about aussie only team to win in NH. that makes for some interesting re-analysis
i agree with your list of loosies too.
12 Mar 2007, 23:35 pm
keo
are the articles from old SA rugby editions available to read online? in auckland the only rugby mags i can get my hands on, are one eyed kiwi worshipping mags and the ones from pommieland.
id love to get a read of some sa rugby articles, even if they are a month old. cheers
12 Mar 2007, 23:53 pm
Bobby you legend … we deffo going to avail ourselves of his services at the WC
13 Mar 2007, 01:19 am
So big joe and Bobby are now bok contenders in ppls minds??? are you on smack, or is nostalgia more important than form…?
13 Mar 2007, 08:56 am
8 kg of muscle in 2 months???? Hahahahaha. He should sell his secret to the pro bodybuilders. Even with all the steroids in the world they battle to put on 8kgs of pure muscle in 2 months!!!!!!
Nice try.
13 Mar 2007, 09:27 am
It’s a little too early to be shouting praise from the rafters for Bob….but it’s also too early to discount him entirely. In his day, he was a fantastic rugby player. Yes, he had a bad attitude, he was arrogant and he had a strange compulsion to point his tongue at everyone…but he was a supremely talented rugby player. My choice for starting loose trio for the WC… Watson(6), Ernst Joubert(7) and Spies(8). With Rossouw and AJ on the bench.
13 Mar 2007, 09:42 am
Pommie # 121
The boks are winning the AB`s one out of ten games.That is when the AB`s are on their k@kste and the boks on their best and the game on SA soil.
“Our forwards will just about outmuscle all other packs” – I don`t know what the world “outmuscle” means (its only used by saffas).While you are busy outmuscling yourselve McCaw will be running with the ball making yards.
“Need a solid flyhalve” – You don`t have one.
“We need Percy as a kicker – Old percy will kick alright and thats about it but first teach him to catch the high ball.
“De wet Barry at inside” – for heavens sake!!
Your whole post sounds like a dream of some lunatic.
13 Mar 2007, 09:48 am
Can you guys not remember what Bobby and Joe did when they played together. As a team, if they are on form it will be a unbeatable combination.
They can not be played in every game but if the fields are fast they have the skill to demolish any oposition.
Just think of this, Skalla, Bobby & Joe in perfect shape and playing well.
We have incredible depth in our loose forwards this year, Ernst, Baywach, Pakslae, JS, AJ… none of them will let ANY side down.
13 Mar 2007, 11:33 am
Namblack
Butch James and Francois Steyn are solid flyhalves who would walk into most teams in the world. Percy is suspect under the high ball but brings alot of experience to the back and has been playing some excellent rugby this year. Maybe you should watch De Wet Barry objectively and tell me if he is really as poor as people would make him out to be. The Springbok pack will outscrum, outjump and drive any team in the world off the ball. That is outmuscle in my view – hopefully this enlightens you. This would neutralise the effect of guys like Richie McCaw and allow guys like Schalk Burger to make the metres. One out of ten times you say? Go read your stats again boy.
13 Mar 2007, 11:34 am
Why dont you and your all blacks go CHOKE on that once again.
13 Mar 2007, 14:27 pm
So what are you saying,the AB`s will loose the WC because they will choke or because they will be outmuscled by a Only-Rustenburg-Winning-by- intercept-try Boks?
Which one of the two.
Try first things firts.Firts try win the S14 without 22 AB`s then the worst England team in history.Then you try and out muscle us and if that does not work hope for the AB`s to choke which will probably not be against you because you will not reach the final.
Stop hoping for things and start producing results!!
13 Mar 2007, 17:40 pm
Sien Bobby het niks van sy Rooi Rose en Sarie voorblad gesiggies verloor nie … waarvoor nou n kaalbolyf op n mans tydskrif?
Nee wat Bob ek dink jou besigheid in London het jou meer nodig as die Sharks.
14 Mar 2007, 02:34 am
There is nothing like a 5 month old daughter to shake you awake and make you focus on whats important, and what tyou want. and what you always want is your little daughter to be as proud of her daddy as she can possibly be.
Make no mistake, he WILL be back, come hell or high water…
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