Monty the master
14 Aug 2008
In a SA Rugby magazine exclusive, former Bok fullback Andre Joubert pays tribute to Percy Montgomery.
Playing for your country can be a lonely business at times. It’s not just about adoration and the bright lights. Sometimes, when it is going against you, and the crowds who normally support you are suddenly hypersensitive to your every false move, it feels like the world is against you.
It was for this reason that a couple of years ago, when Percy was going through one of those troughs that all top sportsmen do, I wrote him a letter of support. It was after a game at Newlands against Australia. He actually didn’t play badly at all, but it seemed that the crowd thought he was going through a nightmare, and the media were quite critical the next day.
I told him in the note to back himself, to believe in himself, not to listen to the well-meaning advice of others. I reminded him that only he knew what he was tasked to do for the team, what his job was, and whether he was succeeding or failing. Supporters can be fickle, but you have to remain true to yourself, and true to the team goal.
I think that generally Percy has been true to that. There have been a few hesitant moments, of course there have. He wouldn’t be human if there hadn’t been, but then that happens to everyone. For the most part though he has done everything the team could possibly expect of him, and he has been the consummate professional.
Our careers did not overlap that much. There were only two times that we shared a dressing room, one of which was in the final Test that I played at Loftus in 1997. It was that famous match against Australia, where we thumped them 61-22 in the final game of the Tri-Nations, running all over them in the second half.
I can’t remember too much about Percy. I had just come back from a spell out of the team, and I think we were all too concerned about playing for our own places to really think too much about what other players were doing. Percy was just one of several young guys in the dressing room.
He had played against the British & Irish Lions, and in that year’s Tri-Nations matches at outside centre. From what I recall, he kept very much to himself. He was a quiet member of the team, but then that tends to be the case when you are young. I wasn’t present later on, when he became a senior statesman, but I do know from watching him play on the field that he was a guy who appeared to exude a calmness which was transmitted to those around him.
One of my abiding memories of that Loftus Test, which also turned out to be Carel du Plessis’s last as coach, was setting up Percy for one of his first tries at international level. It came when a ball was kicked into touch near the halfway line. I summed up the situation, saw that the Wallabies didn’t have a lot of guys back, and I threw out a long throw to Percy who used his pace to score the try.
His unbelievable pace is what I remember about Percy’s play in those days. Those who had played against him spoke about how quick he was. He had started out for Western Province at flyhalf, but then moved to centre, which was where he played when we were team-mates.
As it turned out, it was me who gave him his first opportunity to move to fullback when I injured my knee and was unavailable for Nick Mallett’s first tour as coach to Italy, France and Britain. Justin Swart may have played in the first Test against Italy in Bologna, but then he was injured, and Percy took his chance of filling the last line of defence with both hands.
It was a great tour for the Boks, and Percy, both with his general play and with his goal kicking, was one of the shining lights. That set up his career, and from there it was hard for me to grab back the No 15 jersey. Nick had a winning team, they had momentum, and there was no need to change the winning combination.
If there is one thing that has disappointed me about Percy it is that I am not sure he has ever really done full justice to his potential as an attacking fullback. With his pace, he could have been devastating joining the line. He had the potential to rip defences to shreds in the same way that Christian Cullen used to when he was playing for the All Blacks.
The fullback orientation has changed quite a bit in the modern game. It has become much more of a defensive position than it used to be. It started changing towards the end of my career, and I got around it by setting myself up as a second flyhalf in the team.
Percy, with his early experience of playing flyhalf, was ideally suited to do that, to have an impact on the game by helping set up plays, but it is not something that he often did. Had he done so, I think he could have been even more effective. Apart from his pace and his distribution skills, he also has an excellent tactical brain and tactical kicking boot.
I don’t know why, but under Jake White the Springboks tended to neglect the fullback as an attacking option. I think Percy could have done more earlier in his career to turn matches in his team’s favour by getting involved from first phase. The Boks tended to shovel the ball back to the flyhalf, but if they could split the line more often – perhaps use Percy as a decoy on the blindside – I think it could have made the Boks so much more potent on attack.
But there again, so much depends on what game the coach wants you to play, and maybe Percy was just fitting into the game plan that the situation demanded. Generally you could not fault his catching and his field kicking, while his goal kicking is one of his biggest attributes.
I found it quite strange that he lost his place in the Bok team in 2001 through a perception that his goal kicking was inconsistent. I have always seen it as one of his biggest attributes and I don’t think enough of a fuss was made of this aspect of the successful Springbok World Cup campaign last year.
Percy was unbelievable during the tournament in France, and I think the Boks drew a huge amount of confidence from the calm way he went about striking the ball over from all angles and distances. Having a guy in the team who can kick like that makes a huge difference to the all-round confidence of the players.
They know that if the situation is set up, the kicker will make sure. It is quite different when your place kicker is less reliable and you aren’t quite sure if he is going to be able to capitalise properly on the pressure you exert on the opposition.
This is particularly important in a World Cup, and in a World Cup final even more so. It was the make-or-break game that comes around only once in a while, and yet if Percy felt any nerves, he did not show it. Every time the opportunity was created for him, he made sure, and by keeping the scoreboard ticking over, the Boks ensured that England were always playing catch-up, and thus always the team under pressure.
I watched the game on television and was amazed to learn from people who were there that Percy was actually carrying an injury from an early stage of that game. He did not look injured to me, but it is a tribute to his commitment and his bravery that he was able to play through an injury and produce such a match-winning performance.
Then again, it is probably a product of having played overseas for so many years. Jannie de Beer is a player who I played against often and never really rated that highly, but then he went overseas for a few years, and after his return, he was just a completely different player. His improvement was astounding.
Percy will probably be the first to admit that he was one of those guys who had several different careers. There was the time before he went overseas, when maybe he was still impressionable and vulnerable in the sense that he would still produce the odd scatty moment. But when he came back from Wales in 2004 to play for the Boks, you could tell that here was a professional, finished product.
I think we have seen something similar just recently from Butch James, who also underwent a major growth process as an international rugby player when he worked under Eddie Jones. There is a lot to be said for exposure to the professional approach of the northern hemisphere clubs. Percy’s approach is very professional and he appears to have his head in the right place.
He also quite clearly looks after his body very well too. He went something like 80 Tests without being injured, and you can’t do that without being supremely fit. To me that is another one of his big strengths as a player – he has done the hard work to ensure that he is physically up to the challenges that get thrown his way.
But even if you are physically fit, the nature of South African rugby is such that longevity is only really reserved for special players. When I say this I am referring to the chopping and changing that South African rugby tends to do, not just between players used in the team, but coaches as well.
Every new coach has a new idea and a different view on the merits of the individuals who are available to him. For instance, my last Test was also Carel’s last, but he had only been coach for eight matches. In that time, he had used a lot of different players, and then he made way for Nick.
Percy survived this transition between coaches, and then several other similar situations later on. It was a masterstroke on Jake White’s part to bring him back when he did, and the experience he built up through his career was crucial to the success of the Boks at the 2007 World Cup.
He is a bit like a good wine in that I don’t think I ever saw Percy play as well as he did at that World Cup. It was not just his goal kicking that was invaluable, but the way he kept things together at the back. As I mentioned earlier, he has a calmness about him that rubs off on the players around him, and it was clear that the youngsters in the team responded to him.
Given the chopping and changing that goes on in South African rugby, it is an incredible achievement on Percy’s part to be on the threshold of playing 100 Tests for the Springboks. It is a testament to the way he cares for his body and the overall professionalism of his approach – he has bounced back from setbacks, and he hasn’t allowed them to beat him.
I think that is an important lesson for all young players coming through who dream of being like Percy and following in his footsteps. As I wrote to him in that letter, it is important to believe in yourself and what you are doing. He came through that ordeal by playing good rugby and doing his talking on the field. That has always been his way, and I salute him for it.
– This article first appeared in the August issue of SA Rugby magazine.
542 Comments
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14 Aug 2008, 15:12 pm
#442 Rugby_Princess: Do as thou will shalt be the whole of the law. – Anton La Vey.
14 Aug 2008, 15:12 pm
#438 Dawn:
That was not a funny Dawnie……..We are just south of Upper Hutt.
On the banks of the Hutt River.
In the Hutt Valley…………
We even got a Pizza Hutt……
and even though he is not one of Ours…….we have a great affection for Jubba the Hutt.
We are an Ancient people us Hutites.
14 Aug 2008, 15:12 pm
#441 sondebok: What can I say Sondebok…. I was a young teenager in the 70′s, my older brother introduced me to Pink Floyd at a very young age…….. and till today they’re the best there ever was.
Those guys made music without the aid of fancy pansy synthisizers……. they made magic……. MAGIC STUFF !!
DEEP MUSIC !
I think Roger Waters is a GIANT !
Happy Gilmour is freekishly gifted !
I had a great evening last night !
14 Aug 2008, 15:13 pm
#449 BuckT: hau!
my umkhonto (spear) is held before me!
14 Aug 2008, 15:14 pm
#446 Dawn:
Anytime……..just don’t bring Fernly.
14 Aug 2008, 15:15 pm
#452 cane:
Twice!
#454 rangerman:
Sies! put it away.
14 Aug 2008, 15:15 pm
#448 rangerman: Hey Ranger, how`s the hangover?
#445 BuckT: Cobain had very sloppy technique.
14 Aug 2008, 15:16 pm
A cop in Cape Town who was found gulity of sexually assulting a woman prisioner
14 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
#454 rangerman:
There are ladies present. Don’t want to see your spear dangling in front of you.
14 Aug 2008, 15:17 pm
#458 vindicated:
And don’t you wish you were him.
14 Aug 2008, 15:19 pm
#456 Dawn: naughty girl!
#457 sondebok: howdy mate. its gone, i went for another beer.
the problem was unfortunately the george and dragon’s fine draught hansa you see.
but i killed it.
14 Aug 2008, 15:19 pm
#458 vindicated: was then cleared of the offence by a police internal enquiry and is back at work
Its madness
14 Aug 2008, 15:21 pm
#453 grootblousmile: You inspired me to bring `The Final Cut` into work with me this morning. Haunting, depressing album. Very beautiful though.
14 Aug 2008, 15:21 pm
#462 vindicated:
Then leave.
14 Aug 2008, 15:21 pm
#458 vindicated: an aussie politician was found guilty of shagging a chair you ferret, now shut it.
#459 Dawn: not dangling. brandished.
14 Aug 2008, 15:22 pm
#431 Sheriff:
um, i am lost?
#432 cane:
Stop watching Lost!
#433 Sheriff:
hehe Sheriff, where will it end
#443 cane:
Cane, get over it. Mitchell made him make the phone call. The NZRU was happy for the lies to be told about the injury too
#447 Sheriff:
I think it’s your constant whining for female attention
#436 Dawn:
Not far from NZRU headquarters. Right Cane
14 Aug 2008, 15:23 pm
#465 rangerman: are you still pissed ?
14 Aug 2008, 15:24 pm
#467 vindicated: no.
why?
you feeling lucky…..?
14 Aug 2008, 15:26 pm
#461 rangerman: I remember the George`s Hansa`s. Coldest pints of Hansa I`ve ever had, I was well impressed. We went to an engagement party last night at the Waterfront where this place was charging R29 for a glass of white wine. Needless to say we left the place stone cold sober.
14 Aug 2008, 15:26 pm
#465 rangerman:
While it may not be dignified.
Shagging a chair is a victimless crime Dangerman.
14 Aug 2008, 15:29 pm
#467 vindicated:
Just pack your bags and go.
Please.
14 Aug 2008, 15:29 pm
#466 church – like chch but pronounceable:
I know. You’re jealous.
14 Aug 2008, 15:30 pm
#470 cane:
Ja. vindicated shags his chair everyday when he thinks no-one’s looking.
14 Aug 2008, 15:31 pm
#463 sondebok: Get yourself a copy of “Echoes”, you won’t be sorry !
Talking about Pink Floyd……. have you seen their Movie, The Wall…….. freegin hell… it was revolutionary for it’s time and still ageless !
14 Aug 2008, 15:31 pm
#470 cane: its funny you mention that…. apparently there was a man in China (not all there obviously) , well he tried to shag a bench, got his ****** caught and had to be freed from the chair… hilarious stuff, unlucky for him, the TV cameras were there too….
14 Aug 2008, 15:31 pm
#469 sondebok: lol, R29 in CT???
how do they justify that?
i have my table at the george booked for sat.
party we shall!!
#470 cane: this is true cane.
unless it is your co-workers chair and she finds you doing it (as i believe the case went down).
14 Aug 2008, 15:32 pm
#474 grootblousmile: with Sir Bob Geldof…. I was given a copy of the Pulse conert on CD, great stuff… massive Floyd fan here, cant beat Gilmours riffs…
14 Aug 2008, 15:34 pm
#469 sondebok: and with that voice of his, it’s amazing he was so successful…enjoyed some of his music though! i remember hearing teen spirit in San diego in 91′ . a friend gave me a tape, remember those! and thought…this is different
14 Aug 2008, 15:34 pm
#470 cane:
Listen.
The plonker vindicated goes through the news and posts one-liners he thinks will convince him that he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Secretly he hopes someone will say “Relax, it’s not so bad.”
He finds this country despicable and obscene, yet he chooses to live here. Crime is not unique to SA. This ain’t the first cop to assault an inmate WORLDWIDE and he won’t be the last.
On the other hand, ******** a chair is just plain farkingwell sick.
14 Aug 2008, 15:34 pm
#468 rangerman: you shouldnt blog when you’re pissed
reminds me of most Saturday mornings at the bank – Im always telling these coloured okes that they should come into the bank pissed
14 Aug 2008, 15:34 pm
964447″>466 church – like chch but pronounceable:
Actually it’s Dr Who……………I don’t watch Lost.
14 Aug 2008, 15:36 pm
#471 Dawn: have you ever been medical tested for Passive Aggressor syndrome ?
14 Aug 2008, 15:36 pm
#470 cane: does that include the couch potatoes?
14 Aug 2008, 15:37 pm
#472 Sheriff:
not sure what of …. no still not sure
14 Aug 2008, 15:37 pm
“458 vindicated Report comment
August 14th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
A cop in Cape Town who was found gulity of sexually assulting a woman prisioner”
I mean, look at it! It’s dropped into the thread like a hard piece of sh*t into a toilet bowl. No context, no substance, nothing to do with anything.
14 Aug 2008, 15:38 pm
#480 vindicated:
He’s not pissed enough to f*&^k his chair.
14 Aug 2008, 15:38 pm
#480 vindicated:
You shouldn’t blog when you’re sober.
14 Aug 2008, 15:39 pm
#480 vindicated:
You shouldn’t blog at all.
14 Aug 2008, 15:39 pm
#474 grootblousmile: I`ve got the whole discography, also 2 DVD`s. The Wall is spine chilling, brilliant. If you are looking for something novel the look for the Dub Side of the Moon album by the Easy Star All Stars. It`s the Dark Side of the Moon done in a dub reggae style. It works amazingly well, not cheesy and does justice to the original. They tried the same thing with Radiohead songs (Radiodread) but that sounded contrived and missed the mark by far.
14 Aug 2008, 15:41 pm
#479 Dawn: that’s very unfair of you to write that
I posted that comment about the policeman because we should all be aware of what is happening in this country – knowledge is empowerment
If you are happy to turn a blind eye and pretend it doesn’t happen then that’s sad
But by raising awareness, by bringing it out into the light at least there is a possibility of something happening to ensure these sorts of crimes are not allowed to continue unpunished
In my book Dawn you are just as bad as the internal disciplinary body that allowed this guy back at work
Police are employed to protect the public – not to sexually molest them
14 Aug 2008, 15:41 pm
#488 Dawn: yeeha!!!!
what a weasel. why bring these comments to the table anyways.
at least mine was humorous.
14 Aug 2008, 15:41 pm
#476 rangerman:
It’s the Waterfront.
No-one goes there except tourists.
14 Aug 2008, 15:42 pm
#475 poppa69:
TV cameras………is nothing sacred these days…….for goodness sake, China with it’s one child policy what do they expect.
Actually……… just between me and you, I’ve seen some very attractive chairs.
14 Aug 2008, 15:43 pm
#490 vindicated:
Stop preaching.
I trust that the investigating body did their jobs.
Now pack your bags and get out.
14 Aug 2008, 15:43 pm
#490 vindicated: blah blah blah.
go sort your own country out chap.
start with the aborigines and “refugee camps” in the outback.
you are a nasty little piece of work.
14 Aug 2008, 15:43 pm
Percy should retire after dis game………dat situation of being outran by a prop in Duniden was embarrasing…….quit while ur are ahead, they say
14 Aug 2008, 15:44 pm
#492 Dawn: in that case….fleece away!
14 Aug 2008, 15:45 pm
#490 vindicated:
Your country elected a raciest leader for a record 3 terms and that was less than 30 years after white rule. I don’t know why you are pointing the corrupt society finger
14 Aug 2008, 15:46 pm
#489 sondebok: I’ve got Dub Side of the Moon………. and I quite like it……. somebody here on Keo actually pointed me to it many moons ago…….
Have you got some of Roger Waters’ stuff away from Pink Floyd ?
14 Aug 2008, 15:46 pm
#484 church – like chch but pronounceable:
I know you want to be like me.
(I’ve got your number, and I’m dialling it right now)
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