Get inside Big Vic’s head
29 Sep 2009
Victor Matfield is the undisputed lineout king, but what gives him the edge over his opponents?
Click here to subscribe (12 issues for R199)
In the latest issue of SA Rugby magazine, on sale this week, Eddie Jones and Gary Gold provide unique insight into Matfield’s ‘sixth sense’ at the lineout, while the player himself explains exactly what he does when the ball’s about to be thrown in.
Matfield also talks openly about his insatiable hunger for success, why playing 100 Tests for the Boks would mean so much to him, fears that the Boks are peaking too soon before the 2011 World Cup and his coaching ambitions.
Also in the new issue of SA Rugby magazine:
– The key to the Springboks’ Tri-Nations triumph
– Big Debate: Should John Smit be playing tighthead prop for the Boks? Robbie Kempson says yes, Ollie le Roux says no …
– Why Juan Smith is irreplaceable
– The departure of Frans Steyn has left Peter de Villiers with a selection headache at fullback. Percy Montgomery and André Joubert rate the leading candidates for the position
– South African club rugby continues to be plagued by violent incidents involving players, coaches and spectators. One man, though, believes his relaunched initiative will effectively tackle the problem
– How Dawie Theron has reignited the belief at Griquas
– Sharks centre Waylon Murray on his injury nightmare, getting back into the Springbok set-up, and his future plans
– When Harlequins were caught faking a blood injury during a European Cup match last season, it resulted in a record £259 000 fine for the club, a three-year ban for their director of rugby, and a four-month ban for the player involved. SA Rugby magazine finds out exactly what happened and what the implications of ‘Bloodgate’ are for the game in England
– It’s as though he’s never been away. Never shattered that Achilles tendon. Never had to fight his way back through six months of hard slog just to run up and down a rugby field again. it’s the latest remarkable feat in the career of Dan Carter
– Once the most hated rugby player in South Africa, Clyde Rathbone recently quit the game after a long injury battle. He explains his decision, reflects on the highs and lows of his career, and rates the current Springboks
PLUS: Six of the best match-altering tackles (and all of them legal)
212 Comments
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27 Sep 2009, 23:42 pm
But how do you know that Jake White and John Smit see his political ideologies as abborhent? How do you know what White and Smit personally believe, have they ever been asked to give their views on apartheid or the springbok under apartheid?
The only person who has voiced these views is Luke Watson. But i wonder if White even knew who Watson was when he did not select him.
Just because White did not select someone with more challenging political views, this has nothing to do with his size. White has said he would not have selected Brussow also. White may be sizeist, but how everything else you assume or import onto White or rangerman is speculation.
27 Sep 2009, 23:46 pm
I personally think Cheeky Watson and Oregan Hoskins are to blame for forcing Luke on Jake White. White probably resented Luke and the whole forced selection created resentment amongst the players as they may have felt he got there because of nepotism. I don’t JW is completely to blame here. Cheeky didn’t exactly do his son any favours. That’s my two cents worth anyway.
27 Sep 2009, 23:47 pm
rangerman was commenting on whether a JW coached team would beat a Pdv coached team and he said he doesn’t think so. Which he may not have said 2 years ago or maybe even twelve months ago. But that is not what we are discussing. We are discussing whether Luke Watson would be a good candidate for Bok captain which I say he is and not even 80% but more likely 99% of white rugby supporters would disagree with because like rangerman they distinctly believe Luke Watson is divisive, because Jake White, John Smit and Schalk Burger says so. But what does Rassie say or Juan de Jongh or even Andries Bekker or Jean De Villiers, or Joe Pietersen, do they also say he’s divisive, and if not, then why not. I mean if Rangerman and 99% of white south african rugby supporters believe he is divisive because those are the stories as promoted by White and Smit and co. What is actually the real truth about the guy if others who play under him actually enjoy doing so?
27 Sep 2009, 23:53 pm
#153 skopskiet:
i dont listen to jake white on anything apart from rugby, and certainly not politics, i dont even listen to watson on that front – but watson has had many run-ins with many ppl and not just JW, i also watch him on the field telling ppl where to stand and such – and it is my impression that he does not have a good way of handling certain ppl.
In a nutshell, i would say he is selfish, and that is why he currently is not a captain’s captain that puts the team first. Smit is the opposite, its chalk and cheese, and a ridiculous comparison at this stage.
27 Sep 2009, 23:54 pm
#152 Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke:
That was a very poor move by Hoskins who should never have given into political pressure, they should rather have fired the coach then circumented due process.
27 Sep 2009, 23:59 pm
The Springbok under apartheid issue was more an ideological smoke screen about why Watson was resented by White and Smit.
It probably did have some bearing on much of the players resentment and ill feelings towards Watson before even the personality issues reared their heads.
Yes Cheeky did Luke no favors whatsoever by trying to foster him onto White who dug his heels in as a matter of personal pride and refused to see the players value. Now you say Pdv has done the same. Probably because of the same political interference by Cheeky in 2008. But all this does not detract from the real issue at hand. Is Luke Watson divisive in his own personality as a player and leader on the field and is he a competent and international class loose forward. I say without doubt he is one of our top loose forwards in the country and has been such since 2005. But more importantly he is without doubt most likely the best and most capable captain in the country after John Smit who will unlikely see out 2011.
28 Sep 2009, 00:04 am
R199 for the subscription and R500 for interntional postage? Have you heard of email? WTF? Why on earth dont you offer thsi option?
28 Sep 2009, 00:05 am
Yeah well i genuinely thought by political ideology you were referring to the springbok under apartheid, if not that, what do you mean when you say Smit and White aborred political ideology?
I dont know what PdV’s reasons were for non-selection, do you? All i do know is, Watson was selected when PdV came into the setup and then not. This had nothing to do with White.
But lets say White was the original person who turned everyone against Watson, its strange that the team has performed far better in 2009 with Watson not there, so surely this does mean he is divisive? I think what you are saying is that the coach needs to be big enough to bring in even the most difficult ppl, but he tried that.
28 Sep 2009, 00:05 am
#155 cab: Thing is though what’s done is done and as PdV says “I can’t do anything about it”…no but seriously there is nothing that can be done now. We need to look to the future and the present circumstances we’re in and the captaincy issue is a bloody tough one to solve.
Logic suggests that Juan Smith could be a potential stand-in but he may take up the role reluctantly. Matfield is not suitable and as skop said neither is FdP, which then brings me onto Habana. Habs like John is a humble guy with a lot of integrity. He’s very good with the media, speaks a lot of sense and the fact he’s involved with grass roots development of rugby in poor schools adds real value to his credentials. But the problem is his position. Can a wing truly captain a team from a position removed away from the action. Though Mortlock does Captain from the centre is it really that different? This is possible where that idea falls down.
If Habana was a forward then I’d say he would be the next best option.
28 Sep 2009, 00:09 am
ok fair enough, we will have to disagree, i’ve always thought there were better.
mallet probably had it right that he should have been selected when burger went down in 2006, but White like bash-em ou doos rugby, that has nothing to do with the ANC or his poltical persuasions.
totsiens, i’m out, another time.
28 Sep 2009, 00:11 am
#159 Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke:
yes, no real contenders, habana might be a good candidate actually, but wing is a tough place to captain from as you say.
28 Sep 2009, 00:25 am
I reckon Pdv fell foul of some similar meddling or manipulations by Cheeky and this became the root cause of the axing of Luke. I’m not sure if Luke would have been dropped if it were purely a rugby reason. Same as with White, too many personal and ideological reasons impacting on the judgements and prejudices which effectively caused White to determine that only beers get fetched from his fridge and that if he put the no.6 jersey in the change room and left Luke and Schalk to see who would emerge with it. Stupid little innuendo’s like that. Meantime as intelligent linking and to the ball open side fetcher flanks go Luke Watson was without peer through 2005-2006 and he was in absolute fact the very missing ingredient in that team that lost 49-0 and went on to lose to almost everybody after that inclusively through that year even against the French White had no answer to the breakdown ball and lost everytime he faced them with one draw.
28 Sep 2009, 00:29 am
#24 cab: And he would have been used as a centre instead of a winger under Jake. His preferred position and one in which he is much better
(he was not fast enough for winger). Ironic that Australia is now struggling to find a replacement midfield centre when Clyde retires.
#84 PissAnt:Have you not been reading between the lines? Chilliboy is teh next SA captain. Fact. He is being groomed in teh Bok manner, seeing how John deals with captaincy, and earning his stripes as a tackle bag holder with the senior players. As he gets older and stronger, his playe will be tighter, and he will take over where Bismark leaves off. He is also a great captain (U21 WC winners captain) and a good leader.
#87 NZINCHINA: I grew up in Pta, and I hated the idea of firearms being behind every bush. It scares the **** out of me – all you need is some fool with too many Brandys in him and a twisted sense of humour to take it out and start pointing it around in jest (happens way too often with idiots with a small pen!s and large bravado).
Now say he did not clean it properly or eject the cartidge from the chamber when he took the magazine out. It is scary to rely to have your life rely on someone else NOT being absent minded…
If people start horsing around with guns near me, I get anxious and upset. I tell them once to stop. If they don’t then I leave. If I can’t leave, I start klapping. It’s no joke, and they aren’t toys.
28 Sep 2009, 00:48 am
#162 skopskiet: not sure about the 49-0, Boks played Aus in Brisbane this year with a fetcher in Brussow and were still well beaten. I reckon they just like playing at Suncorp.
28 Sep 2009, 02:10 am
#162 skopskiet: The old Luke debate again. Who cares really? Sad people like you continue to hang on to the fantasy of Luke getting sick all over his green jersey. It is over. Turn the page, old man.
28 Sep 2009, 02:18 am
#164 Big Hit:
Don’t listen to Ubu… Jake White persisted with a ‘fetcher’ (albeit a quota) on Solly Tybilika in the 49-0 smashing… furthermore… he also played Kabamba Floors as a ‘fetcher’ in other tests… so the whole argument is moot…
Watson broke the code of the Springbok (or part of the Springbok oath) by criticising both the coach and the captain… that (and then getting monstered out of position @ 6) sealed his fate… boring boring boring…
#158 cab:
Yes Peter told the world media he thought (like Watson) that his best position is at 8 (as do I… a great utility-link-8 preferably off the bench with Vermeulen @8) but that in Spies/Kanko (not to mention Vermeulen) he had that position covered… enough said… his words… only some on this forum will look for conspiracy theories in light of his great CC (2nd tier) performance… happens every year in the CC even when WP cannot even make the play-offs as in the last few seasons… again boring, boring, boring…
Luke clearly does not relish playing as an open-sider as we have seen at many a level… and yawn again… prefers his roving roll as an utility-link-8 with the ability to turn ball over away from the engine room where he excells… fine for the CC and off the bench in the S14… but when it comes to the brutality of test rugby @ 8…
Spies
Kankowski
Vermeulen
Alberts
Potgieter
Nuff said!
28 Sep 2009, 04:13 am
The heading on this article is way misleading.
Just say you are trying to sell the magazine FFS
Proteas are the same as the AllBlacks
CHOKERS
28 Sep 2009, 04:43 am
#167 Boksarenumber1:
Only difference is Protea’s are still ranked numero uno…
28 Sep 2009, 07:04 am
#163 SjamBok:
Dude, I doubt Chilli will be the next Bok captain.
The captain will in likelihood be someone who is the best in his position and I can’t see Chilli starting ahead of Bismarck anytime soon.
There are also many leaders in the side who will probably do a better job and earn more respect than a guy who is not even the 1st choice at his province.
28 Sep 2009, 07:06 am
Proteas are useless!!!
1999, 2003, 2007…
And those were the CWC tournaments.
They have failed to reach the final of a major tournament since they won the Commonwealth final in 2000.
CHOKERS!!!
28 Sep 2009, 07:13 am
#169 wpw:
Wonder if Tiaan Liebenberg has the creds to captain WP… he’s most definitely the next in line with Strauss (already becoming a great captain) to top hooker mantle behind Bismarck…
Ralepele is a ‘never was’ form hooker despite his ‘caps’…
28 Sep 2009, 07:21 am
#168 money_man:
Yeah, but don’t deserve it with a shocker like that! Good knock by Smith though. The choker tag is sitting lekker vas with the Proteas.
28 Sep 2009, 07:25 am
#172 whatever:
Agreed… the Kiwi’s used to be able to choke and still remain number1… it doesn’t sit that well for us Protea’s supporters…
28 Sep 2009, 07:28 am
#173 money_man:
What pees me off even more is all the groot bek talk by Steyn before the tournament. When will we learn to shut the F up and do the talking on the park?? The Boks have done it as well…….. seems to be a Saffa thing (Apart from the AB’s of course
)
28 Sep 2009, 07:38 am
#171 money_man:
Which Strauss are you referring to? I don’t think that Andries Strauss has captained the Cheetahs that often.
28 Sep 2009, 07:42 am
#175 David:
He is the stand in captain for the Yster Smith… hence ‘becoming’… he has shown some good leadership in the last several games and his form is only parred by Liebenberg at the moment…
28 Sep 2009, 07:58 am
#176 money_man:
Wasn’t Scholtz the stand in for Juan and Strauss the stand in for Hendro when he was injured? As far as the Boks are concerned I can’t see Strauss even being considered as a potential captain.
28 Sep 2009, 08:03 am
#177 David:
Me either… but he’s a far superior hooker to Ralepelle… quicker, faster, stronger… as is Liebenberg…
28 Sep 2009, 08:09 am
#178 money_man:
I’m a great Liebenburg fan. Andries is good, no doubt about that, although I’ve always felt that Richardt was a slightly better player. But that’s a personal opinion.
No doubt we’ll be hearing from the Bulls supporters soon about who should be the Bok hooker, if the rumours are true about a certain gentleman returning to Loftus next year.
28 Sep 2009, 08:28 am
Skoppie must be paid for by keow to keep the hits coming. It’s sad to see how skops starts off with sensible rugby comments which rapidly degenerate to divisive racist drivel in the style of Julius Malema. I appreciate that a forum is agreat place to trade insults but, if you do, you can’t really be taken seriously.
Bok captain is a biiig problem. Chiliboy was certainly being groomed for the job but hasn’t yet come up trumps. Vic a bit old (ditto Bakkies) and not that inspitaional, not sure why FdP doesn’t get considered, Habs could be an inspired choice but a bit injury prone (ditto Juan). No obvious candidates who would always be selected for the team unless you consider Bissy, M Steyn and F Steyn (imagine that!!) then JdV and JF (getting on a bit).
To touch on Watson. Unless he has an inspired season at Bath he has a few problems. Is he the best in his position considering the loosies SA does have? Also consider that Watson hardly had the impact of Brussow in his Bok debut, against Samoa was it, where he was innocuous while Brussow shone immediately agansy the BI&L and in the TN. Then there’s the Watson baggage. Putting aside the JW fall out, how can he captain under PdV having fallen out with him? Could he weld team members from diferent cultures together when he’s so outspoken? He’s sort of managed at provincial level although helped by the WP chequebook. He wasn’t that great at the Sharks. And of course, he’s not getting any younger.
The Boks also have other problems. Who is going to be back up to kick for posts for Morne, where’s the next Bakkies and is Bekker really going to stand in for Vic?
28 Sep 2009, 11:51 am
Captaining a rugby team is about 1/100th as hard as captaining a cricket team. A rugby captain only has about ten decisions to make in the average eighty-minute game. And most of the rest is just pep-talk and rah-rah . Complete waste of perfectly good breath, mostly. Rugby captaincy surely has to be the most wildly over-rated job description outside of politics and religion. Cricket captaincy? Now THAT is entirely another matter.
28 Sep 2009, 12:49 pm
No wonder Fitzy kept the job for so long.
28 Sep 2009, 12:50 pm
#181 TheTackler: tell that to Richie McCaw, he’s still in tears about his decision-making flop in ’07. Cost millions in the end.
28 Sep 2009, 13:06 pm
#183 Big ****:
Ritchie doesn’t seem to have much of a problem against your bunch of sad sacks Biggles.
83% winning record against Pom-golia.
28 Sep 2009, 15:03 pm
#184 cane: don’t hate me for speaking the truth, he was at it again in Hamilton, going for the try instead of taking the 3 points. The man is too busy concentrating on his cheating to be bothered with making genuine rugby captain’s decisions.
28 Sep 2009, 16:28 pm
#166 Money Man
Solly did not play in the 49-0 trashing, Danie Rossouw was the openside flanker.
28 Sep 2009, 16:49 pm
#166 money_man:
Kak.
Solly didnt play in 49-0 thrashing,he played the next week vs AB’s along with Butch
Kabamaba Floors played one game vs Eng after Jake lost the first Test vs Poms partly due to persisting with 3 big loosies.Lost the breakdown battle the week before,won it the week after with Floors at 6.
Jake play the following at 6 majority of time during tenure:
Danie Rossouw
AJ Venter
Schalk Burger
Gerrie Brits
Jacques Cronje
Which of those are fetchers?
f**kall
28 Sep 2009, 16:53 pm
#187 mshiniwami: when i see those so called fetchers i get the moer in all over again….bloody hell….free lunches for ythe aussies and Kiwis…..
28 Sep 2009, 18:28 pm
Jake didn’t know what a fetcher signified, he admitted as much as the only fetching he ever required were his sons fetching beers from the fridge.
He conveniently skirted around the one individual who could have saved him his credibility and his ignomony, Mallet, Frik Du Preez, everyone that knew anything about rugby were screaming at him to pick Watson, instead he picked Tyabaliyka or Floors, where are those 2 today, playing second string rugby somewhere off the bench or in Solly’s case right off the bus, meanwhlie Watson is leading his team possibly to CC semi’s and beyond.
Now they continue deluding themselves Jake knew what he was doing by playing Roussouw or Spies at open side and losing hand over f’ng fist in the process, then they delude themselves further after he lost against NZ and Aus throughout 06 and 07 that by beating Argentina and England all that losing gets redeemed.
So he compromised and picked Tyabalyika or Floors as his attempt to compromise his penchant blindness in respect of his denial of Watson. Its been a long way round the rosemary bush, but its coming around again, and this time they got it right by default, eventually the penny dropped that a fetcher was paramount, otherwise no way in hell would this team be anywhere with Burger still plumbing away at 6 and Brussow off the bench behind Roussouw.
29 Sep 2009, 10:42 am
#189 skopskiet: who is tyabalyika?
29 Sep 2009, 11:25 am
#189 skopskiet:
I think that is correct, JW never recognised the qualities of a specialist fetcher, he believed everyone should fetch – I think he was wrong here – but he stuck to this reasoning where recently he said there was no chance he would select Brussow over a fit Burger.
It might be that Watson would have added what was lacking, perhaps you were right, perhaps White got this wrong. Mallett i believe said he would have picked Watson at this time as backup to Burger.
However, I still struggle to see how this was anything other than a ‘poor’ rugby decision, as considered by many but not all, at the time. To bring in supposed political ideology is too much imo. you may be right, but i think its others who are importing this political ideology where there is none.
29 Sep 2009, 11:52 am
Solly Tyibilika or however you like to spell his name. But then you knew who I was refering to already.
Jake tried to make him the open side flank he was missing while palpably ignoring the one who was holding his hand up week in and week out.
All it really showed was as far as true strength of character went Jake was the one that came up consistently short. Hell he even had to get Eddy Jones in for the WC because he basically knew that his heart and nerves would never last out the cauldron of the exercise. Not only did EJ give his entire team a totally new perspective on the game, but psychologically without EJ Jake would have folded in a heap of insecure desperation at the first sign of falter. I almost know so and I reckon perhaps so does Jake.
29 Sep 2009, 12:11 pm
It was personal cab, otherwise why did he recognize the need albeit belatedly after his 49-0 snot klap and introduce Tybilika and later Floors who both filled the role far better than Roussouw or Spies or Cronje or Gerrie Britz?
Jake had a personal vendetta against Watson and possibly not many know exactly what for, but I reckon it went around more than just one or two issues. I think possibly Watson had stood up to his authority already at junior level when Jake suggested if he wanted to play in his team he should play hooker and Watson refused and said he wanted to continue his career at flank or loose forward. Also there may have been leadership conflict at Sharks with J. Smit and White rallied round Smit which is understandable. Some rumours doing the rounds about a thing with John’s wife which sounded rough and might just be rumour. But I reckon perhaps the initial issue is what David touched on that he was Cheeky’s son and that his influence under ANC political ideology was simply abhorred by the bulk of the rugby status quo and this is possibly along with all the other divisive speculation which sparked the vendetta off.
Why would one single individual represent such a diverse conflict in a rugby nation if it was not fraught with all manner of personal and ideological issues, impossible. He was voted by the rugby players as players player of the year in 06 I think it was yet White refused point blank to pick him and picked Tybilika and Floors instead. Blindness is the word absolute prejudiced blindness nothing else suffices as a true representation of the issue. And ultimately what we reap out of it is a player who is either martyrd or despised 29 the rugby fraternity. Totally unnecessary stand off for petty personal or ideological reasons.
29 Sep 2009, 12:13 pm
#193 skopskiet:
Cape Town – Former Springbok coach Jake White says he is ready to help save the team from their present crisis. He also wants to play a notable role in the future of SA rugby.
“I want to be director of rugby in South Africa,” White said on Tuesday.
But the man who masterminded the SA World Cup triumph in France last year does not want his former job back and he wants to stay out of the limelight.
SA Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins has already made it clear that Peter de Villiers’s position as national coach is in no danger.
However, the Springboks have lost four of their five Tri-Nations Test matches this season and the players seem to be struggling to adapt to De Villiers’s rugby philosophy.
“I don’t want to get rich from SA rugby,” White said. “I don’t want to be in the limelight and I’m not looking for the pressures that go with it. I’ve had my turn.
“All I’d like to do is help. That’s what I have always wanted to do.”
White was unable to attend the Test in Durban last week when Australia beat South Africa 27-15.
However, he has formed an opinion on the basis of observations he made during other matches.
“There are too many forwards standing around in the backline,” he said. “They try to do half of what we did, and half of their own thing. Half of everything leaves you with nothing,” White said.
“Schalk Burger was, until recently, the best player in the world. Now he is replaced during a match by Luke Watson. I don’t understand that.”
White said it would be easy for him to join in as a consultant. He would be comfortable with the players because the core of the team that had won the World Cup was still there.
29 Sep 2009, 12:30 pm
Thank goodness he never got it right to manipulate his way into the Springbok DOR job. Imagine Pdv having to work under White and his straight jacket style.
Since Schalk was sidelined out of WP for injury reasons, Province have suddenly come right and under the captaincy of Watson. I can tell you that Schalk Burger as much as he is so highly rated by many across the country and the world isn’t fit to tie the boot laces of Watson if it comes down to intelligent rugby captaincy no matter what White thinks or says.
Agendas flow fast and furiously in this ideologically driven sport here none more so where coaches favorites are challenged by so called politically active upstarts. But if I have to chose between Watson and Burger to captain any side or for that matter to play open side or 8th man I reckon under current circumstances I stick with Watson. Not saying Burger has become superfluous or redundant, his ferocious defensive capabilities are legion, the pity is that between those two there seems to be such bitter rivalry and such absolute animosity and zero love lost that they simply cannot get the best out of their compatriot association.
Such is the great pity where ideological or personal vendetta’s get blown so way out proportion by coaches who rather fan the fires of incompatibility than utilize the variety of talents for the overall good cause. Such is the nature of such divisiveness. If the coach was half the man manager or potential DOR he pretends to be, he would never have incited this stand off from the beginning and would have been far more mature and encompassing about it all.
29 Sep 2009, 12:38 pm
Just look where we stand a year later. A team on top of the world. A happy team of committed players and associates all working together to a common end. A team that has beaten Nz 3 times in succession in one season and back to back victories against them at their home grounds. When last did a Springbok team enjoy such unbridled successes. Never in Jakes time and hardly in any other coaches time before that. And all this achieved without the meddling manipulations of a JW as a DOR. thank the good lord above someone saw sense enough to not grant his manipulative self centered wishes.
29 Sep 2009, 14:44 pm
#196 skopskiet: if he got the job we wouldn’t have “winning ways”, which means the Golden Lions wouldn’t have contracted the consultancy which would’ve meant Loffie would’ve still been in-charge and hans coetzee would still be regarded as nothing either than a high school coach and earl rose would be playing flyhalf instead of warming the bench.
29 Sep 2009, 14:57 pm
#193 skopskiet:
I dunno, you a pretty insightful guy so perhaps you are right, but i just cannot go on gut feeling, i will rather give someone the benefit of the doubt before all sorts of extraneous judgments are placed on them.
I believe it did beoame slightly personal, in light of JW’s abbrasive untactful approach, but i just am not sure the initial non-selection was a personal one.
You probably feel White ruined Watson’s career, but the coach can only select those he feels will best implement his vision, i think you and many others felt Watson was an automatic shoe-in, but not everybody felt this way, even Stephen Jones is not a big Watson fan (tho he also seems to be tjoms with White). I just do not think White rated him, but perhaps there was more, i dunno.
Where I think White’s personal ideology was very questionable was the terrible opportunism shown immediately after RWC2007 in which he touted his services for the touring BIL. That was bladdy poor smaak imo.
29 Sep 2009, 15:02 pm
#196 skopskiet:
yes, that is also true to an extent, i believe the team is playing better and is even a happier environment now, but it was a pretty happy camp under JW’s reign too imo. White was perhaps over-controlling, but perhaps that was what was needed at the time he took over to break the bad habits that had crept into the boks game.
29 Sep 2009, 16:00 pm
Skopskiet you can’t make JW and PDV comparisons.
Jake built a team from nothing to one of teh most caps teams in history.
PDV took a mature team and helped them developed.
The real test will be what happens when these core players identified by Jake have to reture and replacements need to be found.
Who will have the vision to pick the right players and let them develop over time.
It takes time to develop a team into the unit the Springboks are today.
England under Woodwood back up that statement.
A young NZ and Aussie team not playing as well is also testament to what Jakes core belief was> Pick teh right players and let them build caps.
Thats what happened and look now.
Skop you have always been a person that can’t see further than one game ahead or remember anything previosu to the last game played.
Get perspective on what has been achieved over 6 years. Yes 6 years since the core of this team was formed. over 800 caps between them.
It took Jake and PDV to achieve that not either one. And I will always back Jake as teh better coach of the 2 as he built teh team, he made the hard decisions, PDV make the right decision but they were much easier to make.
But I am happy to say PDV is our Coach. He is doing a great job. The players seem really comfortable and happy under him which is a great testament.
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