WP discard sends Poms into frenzy
6 Oct 2008
It’s premature to suggest that Bristol’s new South African signing Mathew Turner will become rugby’s version of Kevin Pietersen but the kid Western Province didn’t want has started his senior professional career brilliantly.
Turner has represented WP U19 and was the leading try scorer in the inaugural Varsity Cup for UCT in 2008. Many respected commentators predicted a bright future in South Africa for the youngster, some even suggesting that he was ready to make the step up to senior provincial rugby.
However, despite his obvious class he was deemed surplus to requirements at U21 level at WP and sought to forge a career with Bristol in the Premiership. He debuted on Saturday against Northampton and shone in a losing cause, scoring two tries and creating a number of opportunities for teammates.
Turner holds a British passport and has already been drafted into England’s Sevens 26-man training squad. If he makes an appearance for them he’ll be ineligible to play for South Africa. If he continues to build on his impressive start with Bristol there is every chance that he could be considered for the England Test side for their Year End Incoming Tours, where he could face the Springboks on 22 November. England have trialled a number of wingers in recent times and the position remains a headache for them.
Prior to the 2008 season Western Province opted to contract veteran wing Wylie Human from the Lions as cover for their first-choice players in that position. The deal made no sense given that Human is 29-years-old who had seemingly hit the ceiling of his potential. Turner was yet to spring to prominence during the Super 14, but WP would have surely known what Human could offer at that stage and could have gambled on a rookie.
Turner was apparently keen to stay at WP, but was given no indication that he was in the long-term plans of the union. This prompted his decision to move once the offer from Bristol came.
Western Province are particularly guilty of allowing their best young players to be poached by rival South African unions. They’ve already surrendered SA U19 players Francois Hougaard and Stephan Dippenaar to the Bulls. Both went on to acquit themselves well in the Super 14. Another former Western Province junior Juandré Kruger, has deputised brilliantly in the absence of Bakkies Botha. These are just the most recent of a number of top performers the union has let slip through their fingers.
Something needs to change at the union so as to ensure that they retain their best young players. If not, WP supporters must brace for more of the disappointment they’ve become all too accustomed to in recent years.
By Ryan Vrede
309 Comments
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6 Oct 2008, 18:37 pm
In professional sport no-one owns you anything. It is a dog eats dog business and being a superstar at schoolboy level does not mean you are going to make it at a higher level..
As with life, professional sport is not always fair and you must take the good with the bad. If you do not get selected or get offered a contract you have a choice whether to fight back or to leave. Turner has made his choice and good luck to him. There are only 15 people in a team and everyone cannot be offered good contracts.
I recently read interview with Nick Koster in which he was extremely positive about the WP setup and only had good things to say about the way they are treating him and the support he receives from senior players and management. The moaning from Turner’s supporters must also be seen in that perspective.
6 Oct 2008, 18:39 pm
#249 pedspin:
i agree with your post.
6 Oct 2008, 18:44 pm
#249 pedspin: Yay! Let’s drop kick politics out of rugby!
6 Oct 2008, 18:52 pm
#246 shooter: Agreed. The klieks in the Cape runs pretty strong. Mate of mine left the WP RFU because of this, joined another province, and became a Bok. Biggest joy wasn’t getting SA colors, rather not having to endure WP setup. Makes you think.
6 Oct 2008, 18:52 pm
The article says that he holds a British passport, just like KP’s mother was English. To have that he must have a British father or have been born there. What you guys, that don’t have a parent from the UK (or elsewhere perhaps?) don’t understand is that it is such an easy switch from the “banana republic” to a country that respects their history and traditions. I grew up in Natal, with a South African mother and an English father, but now I am a confirmed English supporter (with a funny accent I admit). SA is now my second team in everything because of all the **** and spin in the county. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
6 Oct 2008, 19:19 pm
#254 Nightwalker:
good luck with your economy etc…
6 Oct 2008, 19:25 pm
#115 grant10: One thing for sure you will have great weather in the winter in good old Durbs. Also a great team to support!!
6 Oct 2008, 19:30 pm
#187 Weepee: Agree but if any country had half the SA talent they would win the world cup everytime not just England.
6 Oct 2008, 19:32 pm
#164 The Rant Sniffer: Had a good laugh there.
6 Oct 2008, 19:35 pm
#164 The Rant Sniffer: let’s steal that cheque book from them and buy who should be bought (aka Stephan Dippenaar)
6 Oct 2008, 19:42 pm
What happpend to Stomers getting Ollie Le Roux throw in a few more rubbish purchases and our average age will be in the 30s with our average springbok caps barely in double figures. A shame to lose Turner, was a class act. Down with Jooste. Seems like if you white and dont go to Stellenbosch you wont be in the mix as a back. Think thats where Joe Pieterson has it on him
6 Oct 2008, 19:46 pm
#250 Robzim: Agree with you there. There is only space for so many in a team and if you are not going to get selected you have to take your chances overseas.
6 Oct 2008, 19:48 pm
#234 Fern: Well said there. I left SA and came back. No where else like home.
6 Oct 2008, 19:58 pm
#254 Nightwalker: you must have masochistic tendencies then
6 Oct 2008, 20:13 pm
#254 Nightwalker: Good luck to you. We love living here. You can support England. You live there now. Anyway as far as I knew you could only get a British passport if your father was British born not your mother. Go check that up. I am sure I am right. KP because he played so well they quickly gave him a passport. Call us a banana republic all you like at least our banks are not in a crisis. Take a look at the news over there right now.
6 Oct 2008, 20:30 pm
Hi guys
6 Oct 2008, 20:31 pm
#265 BonzaiGBS: Naand seun, hoe hang jou balle ?
6 Oct 2008, 20:33 pm
wats fout met my balle
6 Oct 2008, 20:34 pm
#267 BonzaiGBS: Hehehe hopefully nothing !
Don’t abuse your granny’s Internet for too long, hey !
6 Oct 2008, 20:35 pm
#266 grootblousmile: ???????
6 Oct 2008, 20:36 pm
#269 BonzaiGBS: Did you come right with the reload of your computer, so far ?
6 Oct 2008, 20:36 pm
#268 grootblousmile: how are you doing?
6 Oct 2008, 20:37 pm
#271 BonzaiGBS: Fine my boy… busy like a bee…..
6 Oct 2008, 20:38 pm
#270 grootblousmile: Yes so far but i phoned vodacom and they say they dont know any thing about the airtime
6 Oct 2008, 20:41 pm
#273 BonzaiGBS: Freegin hell, so they have stolen the R 29,00 airtime……. I’ll beat them senseless…. maybe it’ll show on your phone tomorrow, otherwise I’ll transfer some more…OK ?
6 Oct 2008, 20:44 pm
#274 grootblousmile: ok thanks, dont worry too much about it. why are their any people talking?
6 Oct 2008, 20:45 pm
Why arent their any people talking?
6 Oct 2008, 20:49 pm
#276 BonzaiGBS: It’s sometimes slowwwww in the evening man…. best time is usually on a Saturday afternoon during rugby matches… the rest of the week you have to STUDYYYYY !!
6 Oct 2008, 20:51 pm
Ok pa im gonna go now……lief vir jou………Baaaaaiiiieeeee
6 Oct 2008, 20:52 pm
#278 BonzaiGBS: Cheers my Bulletjie… slaap sag !
6 Oct 2008, 21:25 pm
All the talk earlier was about how Rose isn’t ready (will he ever be?), but it seems the question of whether Grant is ready was ignored (couldn’t be the WP bias on this site coming through, could it?). Perhaps James is still the 10 for SA…
_________________________________________________________________
The final Currie Cup league match between Western Province and the Lions at Newlands at the weekend should have been confirmation to Springbok coach Peter de Villiers that he does need Butch James as flyhalf.
With the competition reaching its pressured, decisive stages, neither of the two players touted to replace James on next month’s end-of-year tour to Wales, Scotland and England, Earl Rose of the Lions and Peter Grant of Province, did their chances any good in the bruising, untidy showdown which was won 14-6 by WP.
Grant was undeniably the better of the pair, but he also made too many mistakes for comfort and while he should be the back-up to James and shares the same ability to hit the gain-line and thus ensure that the ball is always in front of the forwards, there are still question marks over the distance he achieves with his field kicks.
It was Rose’s second poor game in a row. He started the match by kicking the kick-off too long, and then conspired to make a mess of much of his kicking and decision making from then on. He also has defensive weaknesses which would be exploited by opponents at Test match level, and after the game the man who has worked closest with him over the past few months agreed that he is not ready for the highest level.
“Earl is a good, talented player and I have no doubt he will develop to be a Springbok.
“But at this stage he is not ready,” said Lions coach Eugene Eloff. “He needs time to get used to playing flyhalf and he needs time still to mature as a player. The more he plays the better he will get, but at this stage I would say he needs time to develop in the Currie Cup and at Super 14 level before being called into Test action.
“I would say he is about a year away from being ready to play international rugby.”
Flyhalf has become a big debating point ahead of the Springbok squad selection on October 25, the day of the Currie Cup final, because the World Cup-winning pivot James is nearing the end of his career and also wasn’t in good form in the recent Tri-Nations.
Fears that his reconstructed knees will not hold out over a long period of time also prevented the Sharks from acceding to a request to contract James for three years, which is why he signed a contract for that duration with England club Bath. Although officially there is no ban on overseas-based players playing for the Boks, it is understood the Bok management would prefer to stick with players who are playing their rugby in the South African and southern hemisphere competitions.
But while James did battle during those stages of De Villiers’ first season as Bok coach, trying to settle into a strategy that many of the players struggled to understand, he was outstanding in those games where the Boks placed a strong emphasis on structure.
He was man of the match in the first Test against Wales in Bloemfontein, and would have come close in the 53-8 destruction of Australia in the last Test at Ellis Park where the South Africans kicked for position and attacked from territory.
James, like several other experienced Boks, is desperate to remain part of the national set-up until at least after next year’s big series against the British and Irish Lions.
With no one else putting up their hands, and the Boks in desperate need of wins on the end of year tour to regain the pride lost during the southern hemisphere season, he must remain the Bok first choice.
The former Sharks player turned his career around with a cool display of controlled rugby in one of the last Bok visits to Twickenham to play England in 2006, and he has now gathered a year of experience of playing in English conditions and knowledge of English players as a member of the Bath team.
James was reportedly in excellent form for Bath against Wasps last week, which was why it was good to hear on Saturday night that while the Springbok selectors are considering omitting James from the tour group, this is by no means set in stone.
The events of Newlands earlier in the day should have nudged them in the right direction.
6 Oct 2008, 21:55 pm
RANDOM QUESTION: What is the purpose of all the tape and stuff that players have around their thighs , arms , heads etc.? I always wonder when I wathc rugby but no-one can tell me why its used.
6 Oct 2008, 22:37 pm
#281 Ren: Good question, Ren.
The tape serves different purposes, depending on where it is worn.
Tape around the head is largely for the cool factor. People who feel sentimental about Rob Louw normally register high levels of awe for others sporting rugged headbands. Having this headband seen to (or added to) halfway through a game lends a sense of authenticity to the device and normally increases the cool factor substantially. Kobus Wiese is a notable exception here.
Around the thighs (if you’re a back) indicates a somewhat exagerrated sense of your own speed. People who regard themselves as “blistering” often believe their hamstrings could burst when approaching terminal velocity, so they strap them down in case. To date no-one’s hamstring has burst, but the quickies aren’t chancing it.
If you’re a forward, thigh tape is mostly used to disguise cellulite, although the “lifting in the lineout grip” excuse always pops up.
Around the arms usually indicates a genuine medical niggle, unless it is the rigid variety worn by Bulls players (Matfield, Spies, Nel), in which case it serves to conceal their forearm persuasion device – a rather crude alternative to mature debate.
Hope this helps.
6 Oct 2008, 22:39 pm
#281 Ren: its for support.
6 Oct 2008, 23:21 pm
#282 katman:
Brilliant
6 Oct 2008, 23:30 pm
#282 katman: It is good that you are back.
6 Oct 2008, 23:57 pm
#282 katman: You fine old Yak Skier you ….
6 Oct 2008, 23:58 pm
#284 Robzim: Bobby Z what’s cooking?
7 Oct 2008, 00:07 am
#287 SodaJoe:
Not much new, just the normal arguments etc. How are you doing – been quiet for a while?
7 Oct 2008, 00:13 am
#288 Robzim: Nothing too much interesting. Not uch Currie Cup in US which is a b1tch, but hopefully see the Semis & Final – we will see.
Working hard.
Went to see My Morning Jacket on Thursday – Unfknbelievable – dude you have to get this band on your playlist – start with the first 2 albums or get the live album – Oknonos.
Neil Young next Tuesday.
Oasis & Ryan Adams + the Cardinals support in December.
Minneapolis is rocking at the moment – and that’s in winter.
And the economic carnage is starting to smell.
7 Oct 2008, 00:18 am
Just seen the scheduling – we will have both semis live. Awesome.
7 Oct 2008, 00:22 am
#289 SodaJoe:
It sounds great musically. Even if he is old and slightly over the hill I would still pay a lot to see Neil Young.
The economics are not too bad here – markets fairly stable – very weak rand at moment – politics still a bit volatile but settling down after the “shock”- Allan Boesak having a go at fundamentalists in churches – Tutu says he wont vote at next elections, Skoppy still banned etc
Looking forward to semi’s – just a pity my team is not there!
7 Oct 2008, 00:33 am
#290 SodaJoe:
Just checked out “I’m amazed” from My Morning Jacket. Great stuff. I listen quite a lot to Richard Thompson lately – brilliant allround guitarist who used to play for the ancient 60′s band Fairport Convention.
Got to go to bed now. Speak again some time later.Cheers
7 Oct 2008, 02:49 am
#155 Sheriff: Kyk ons beter daai Shark “resurgence” in die kiem smoor, as die Bulle die een verloor gaan dit n Shark era inlui wat dalk heeltemal te lank kan aanhou en dan, wie weet is ons dalk netnou 5/6 jaar of meer bekerloos, dit sal bad wees.
7 Oct 2008, 03:04 am
#293 superBul: Hehehe superB, onthou om eers verby die Cheetahs te kom die naweek…
7 Oct 2008, 03:12 am
#293 superBul:
PS Sharks era sal net 1 jaar hou want volgende jaar gaan weepee wen, vra enige van hulle ondersteuners…
7 Oct 2008, 06:03 am
Now we know why Keo got a new webmaster last year
Headline in our paper today:
Spermicide Coke research wins Ig Nobel award
A researcher who figured out that Coke explodes sperm and scientists won an alternative “Ig Nobel” prizes.
What was Ig doing?????????
This is for real – check out at dub dub dub_dot_improbable_dot_com/ig/winners/
7 Oct 2008, 09:06 am
#286 SodaJoe: Don’t have much time for Yak Skiing lately, what with the little one and all. I might actually sell my Yaks. Let me know if you’re interested.
My Morning Jacket? That’s weird. I was listening to an album of theirs called Evil Urges this morning on the way into work. Really cool stuff. First time I’d heard them.
Ryan Adams is great. Heartbreaker is a seriously good album and Nuclear must be one of the best opening tracks out there.
I really envy people who can just, on a whim, decide to go and see Neil Young etc. That’s the biggest downfall of living down here. Enjoy the gigs.
#284 Robzim: Howzit.
#285 Loosehead: Howzit.
7 Oct 2008, 09:10 am
lets be quite honest, whatever one feels of the wrongs and rights of it, the fact of the matter is that it is very unlikely that SA will see a white player on the wing for a province let alone the Springboks in the next 10 years.
Rathbone was a fantastic winger. As for them taking a softer option, i dont believe that at all. Their whole roots are in SA, it would have been their schoolboy dream to play for the Springboks.
7 Oct 2008, 09:49 am
As long as we have quotas this will happen ! I dont blame him, he has about as much chance of playing wing for SA as Mbeki has of becoming president of SA again
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