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, 12:23 pm
Gerald Bosch single handedly defeated the All Blacks in the 80′s, Andy Leslie’s whining notwithstanding. A true legend. Pity he’s helping Barnes in Aus right now.
14 Aug 2008, 12:23 pm
#297 4man:
You are thinking of Gavin Hastings.
Cullen was a phenomonin!!
14 Aug 2008, 12:23 pm
#297 4man: im south african too.like i say jouba was brilliant. just watch what cullen could do on youtube. seriously if you saw that clip, your opinion will change.
14 Aug 2008, 12:23 pm
#274 Dawn: Well I thought going for Dan Carter was a bit ambitious.
If you do run into him do tell him to brush up on his French.
When I saw Percy play for Perpignan at Newport in January, his French was a bit rusty,( and the Catalans don’t do English). He was having to wave his arms about alot because the other backs did’t understand his instructions. It looked exhuasting. No wonder he went back to W.P
14 Aug 2008, 12:24 pm
i would rather have cullen than carter in my time
14 Aug 2008, 12:24 pm
#282 4man:
Tank men are funny people.
Always brewing tea inside their turrets.
14 Aug 2008, 12:24 pm
but i prefer naas hehehe
14 Aug 2008, 12:24 pm
The Scottish guy was Irvine. Used to kick for touch from a place kick. Awesome.
14 Aug 2008, 12:24 pm
#304 carol meredith:
Dan’s just a normal guy underneath. I’m sure.
14 Aug 2008, 12:25 pm
#291 WP Till I Die: its actually a protest song.
Shozaloza (chorus)
ch
wenu ja balega
kule zontaba
stimela sekonde South Africa
etc
14 Aug 2008, 12:27 pm
A fitting tribute to a guy who I think finally vindicated himself.
He is in my opinion one of the greatest if not greatest we’ve ever had. Many others such as Frik, Danie and Naas etc just did not do it for long enough.
Congratulations Percy!!!!!! Youré a STAR!!!
14 Aug 2008, 12:27 pm
#306 WP Till I Die: Funny you say that, the only time they got revved in the first Iraq conflict, was when they had stopped for a brew. I also fancy a cup of tea when under physical stress, more caffeine than coffee and as a pick me up it is fantastic.
14 Aug 2008, 12:27 pm
#300 vindicated:
Shosholoza arose on the Witwatersrand, being sung by work gangs in the mines. A lot of these workers were migrant Ndebeles from the then Rhodesia. The original words go as follows:
Shosholoza
Ku lezontaba
Stimela siphum’ eRhodesia
Wen’ uyabaleka
Wen’ uyabaleka
Ku lezontaba
Stimela siphum’ eRhodesia
Freely translated, it means:
Go forward on those mountains train from Rhodesia, you are running away, you are running away, on those mountains train from Rhodesia.
The migrant workers on the Rand travelled by train down from Rhodesia to work the mines.
14 Aug 2008, 12:28 pm
Definition of ‘Greats’; noble, significant, loyal, humble, notable, remarkable, exceptionally outstanding
Percy is a Springbok great, alongside Naas, Gerber, Oom Frik, and a few others.
Dont read too much into it 4Man!
It was part of an article I did and I just thought because the word legend is used so often there must be a better way to describe Percy, and even so-called ‘legends’ before him.
The definitions of the words are correct though, it is not made up.
14 Aug 2008, 12:29 pm
#313 WP Till I Die: there we are, thats why we have you young guys around…you did it better than me, I had some Zulu stuff in there.
14 Aug 2008, 12:30 pm
#314 PissAnt: I’m not dont worry, merely making the world go along. Legend, as in *** etc has lost its true meaning over time.
14 Aug 2008, 12:32 pm
#303 louisbam:
I saw some of his runs against the boks on the springbok saga series. I am suprised that people don’t talk about him more. His ability to score brilliant individual tries is unmatched in my book.
14 Aug 2008, 12:32 pm
#313 WP Till I Die:
Speaking of Rhodesia, they had a beautiful anthem called Rise O Voices of Rhodesia, sung to the tune of “Ode to Joy” (the same tune now adopted by the European Union as anthem), from the last movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Some of you might know it better as the tune to “Praat ek mense eng’le tale”.
14 Aug 2008, 12:33 pm
#318 WP Till I Die: I remember it well.
14 Aug 2008, 12:34 pm
#317 Brickwall: Don’t run into it!: he was not human. i have no other words to describe him. 44 tries or something in 58 tests proves that
14 Aug 2008, 12:36 pm
#320 louisbam: The Lomu, Cullen combination was awesome, they used to play off each other. Wonder what Christian is doing now…would be nice if he was coaching some laaities somewhere.
14 Aug 2008, 12:37 pm
#320 louisbam:
And yet not many speak of him.
14 Aug 2008, 12:37 pm
#321 4man: yep would be even better if those laaities were south african
14 Aug 2008, 12:37 pm
Speaking of club anthems, they have such beautiful ones in the UK, like The Fields of Athenry and Swing Low Sweet Chariot etc.
What do we have?
“Go Bulle Go” and “1-2-3-4 Province”
We are a bunch of savages…
14 Aug 2008, 12:38 pm
#322 Brickwall: Don’t run into it!: one day… i’ll teach my children about him hehehe
14 Aug 2008, 12:40 pm
#324 WP Till I Die: Considering the two teams you are talking about…I would agree, but you must try and get over it and visit Durban a few times to pick up some culture
14 Aug 2008, 12:40 pm
#324 WP Till I Die: true… but if we were paying as much attention to poetry and singing as they do, our rugby would be just as kuk as theirs is
14 Aug 2008, 12:41 pm
Maybe thats what went wrong with Wales in the last series to SA…they came here to sing…and…oh dear.
14 Aug 2008, 12:43 pm
SA Olympic Team Manager says “political interference has affected our performance”
14 Aug 2008, 12:43 pm
#320 louisbam:
One critisism against him might be that he tended to be very individualistic. But then again he did not need to link up often since he finished the job himself so often.
14 Aug 2008, 12:50 pm
I have been trying to catch some of the Olypics here in Australia but when I flick through channels all I see is what appears to be some world swimming championships! When does the Olympics start?
14 Aug 2008, 12:52 pm
#329 vindicated
They will always interfere. My respect for PdV is growing – he is his own man, just like other great coaches (Christie, Mallett, White). He picks it as he sees it.
14 Aug 2008, 12:58 pm
#331 church – like chch but pronounceable:
14 Aug 2008, 13:00 pm
#333 Dawn: Aussie ranked 3rd on Medal table behind China and USA
14 Aug 2008, 13:02 pm
#333 Dawn: have you ever been diagnosed as “passive aggressor”
14 Aug 2008, 13:08 pm
#334 vindicated:
That is sad ****. You sound like Aussie TV. Did you ever stop to think that football gets 1 gold and pool event 42. That all it appears to be about for Australians
Divide each sport by the number of medals available then add the total together … then see where things are
14 Aug 2008, 13:12 pm
#336 church – like chch but pronounceable: Sounds like sour grapes – by the way how many medals has your nation won ?
and here’s something even more sad – divide the medals won by head of population and Aussie would be first
14 Aug 2008, 13:13 pm
#336 church – like chch but pronounceable: isnt Aussie TV the worst ? have you seen the ads they have for the olympics ??
14 Aug 2008, 13:24 pm
#334 vindicated:
Where’s Russia?
14 Aug 2008, 13:24 pm
Ten best fullbacks of my time:-
1-C. Cullen……………. NZ.
2.Chris Latham………..Oz.
3. Andy Irvine …………….Scotland.
4.JPR Williams………..Wales.
5. Serge Blanco……Fr.
6.Andre Joubert……SA.
7. Gavin Hastings ……Scotland.
8 Roger Gould………..Oz.
9.Jenkins ………….Wales.
10. John Gallagher. NZ.
14 Aug 2008, 13:25 pm
#339 WP Till I Die: 6
14 Aug 2008, 13:26 pm
#339 WP Till I Die:
Right next to China
14 Aug 2008, 13:26 pm
#337 vindicated:
New Zealand are yet to win a medal.
No sour grapes …. I have always thought it a farce. Swimming actually gives out 53 medals. To measure success on a total medal count is lame
This has nothing to do with the country I am from … your issue not mine
Divide medals by head of population is also very sad **** …. since developing athletes takes money how about divide by GDP? …. or since human development requires a healthy environment how about divide by a would health index?
so we divide by GDP, a world health index, the total money invested by govenments in sports development, the average professional income of the athelete and you have what you want …. some sort of comparison
14 Aug 2008, 13:27 pm
#339 WP Till I Die:
As opposed to being in Eurasia, of course.
14 Aug 2008, 13:28 pm
#343 church – like chch but pronounceable:
You tell him, chch.
14 Aug 2008, 13:28 pm
Must say the men’s team gymnastics I saw so far is some of the worst I’ve ever witnessed.
At Olympic level they shouldn’t be falling off the bars and sitting on the pommel horse in middle of routine.
14 Aug 2008, 13:28 pm
#337 vindicated: yeah maybe, but then again, NZ does not commit even half the amount of money Aussie pours into sport…. would love to see the amount of dollars spent per medal… think that would be a truer indication…
14 Aug 2008, 13:28 pm
#338 poppa69:
I don’t watch adds …. tell me?
14 Aug 2008, 13:29 pm
#339 WP Till I Die:
Just a stone’s throw from Outer Mongolia.
14 Aug 2008, 13:32 pm
#348 church – like chch but pronounceable: theres one were the commentator is calling a race, and just the way they go on ….
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