Potgieter puts team first
17 Nov 2009
Dewald Potgieter won’t dare to dream of a Test debut until the dirt-trackers have revived the Bok tour with a win over Saracens.
Schalk Burger has until Thursday to recover from a rib cartillage injury and did not take contact in Monday’s training session. Jean Deysel ran with the senior side which suggests he could feature against Italy on Saturday, but there is also a chance Potgieter will stay with the Boks when the dirt-trackers return to South Africa.
Coach Peter de Villiers is yet decide just how many players will stay with the touring party in the build up to Italy and Ireland, and so every player in that midweek side will be out to prove a point against Saracens.
Named captain because of the injury to Chiliboy Ralepelle, Potgieter believes it’s the wrong approach. If the Bok second-string can win at Wembley, the senior team will benefit from the resultant momentum.
‘It’s definitely a good opportunity for me as a player, but we’re focused on getting the win because it’s important to the squad as a whole. You can’t worry about individual ambition, you have to do your job and beat Saracens.
‘If we manage that, we would have done our part, and then it’s up to the coaches to decide whether we should stay or not.’
The midweek side was embarrassed by a depleted Leicester in the first tour fixture. Potgieter admitted they need to lift their showing at the breakdown and scrum, but it won’t be easy against a formidable Saracens outfit packed with South Africans.
‘We were very disappointed with that performance against Leicester. Peter said to us before the tour, “Every team will be coming for you because you are wearing the Springbok jersey”. We heard it, but we didn’t really understand it until we were on the pitch.
‘Every team is going to play their game of the year to beat us and we realise that now. It’s difficult to get to the top, but you have to work harder than you ever did just to ensure you stay there.’
The versatile loose forward captained the Emerging Springboks in their 13-13 draw with the British & Irish Lions, and has led the Blue Bulls at Currie Cup level. To skipper the Boks, even in their dirt-tracking guise, is a dream come true.
‘I’m enjoying captaining the team, it’s a huge privilege. I’m also looking forward to playing at Wembley Stadium.’
Potgieter is another player who feels the South Africans were let down by the anthem singer in Toulouse. He laughed when spoke of Bryan Habana and Wynand Olivier downloading the debacle on youtube, and is grateful that it won’t be a factor on Tuesday.
‘It’s a huge part of the game for us South Africans. There will be any national anthems for us in this game, so we won’t have to worry about it. We have to focus now on improving our performance on the pitch.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in London
57 Comments
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17 Nov 2009, 16:55 pm
#46 Cheetah 4 Eva:
It’s the professional era, SABC needs first to buy the rights from M-TV, and that’s not gonna happened, then they would be requested to maintain a televising teams, crews and technical profeciency, do you reckon they have the capabilities?
“Rugby for the people” is nice but the ‘people’ must pay
17 Nov 2009, 17:01 pm
‘Captain Chiliboy’, how nice
D. Potgieter says all the right things before the match, he will also take the blame if his team lost and will be quick to give credit to Rose, Adams and Johnson in the event the mid week team wins.
17 Nov 2009, 17:10 pm
What do you guys think our best possible Bok team can be at the moment excluding the overseas based players?
This would be my team at the moment considering injuries:
1 Wian du Preez
2 John Smit
3 WP Nel
4 Bakkies Botha
5 Victor Matfield
6 Heinrich Brussouw
7 Jean Deysel (a hard man on the flank was really missing in the french test – Burger needs a vacation to think about what he wants to do)
8 Willem Alberts (another hard option and one with more experience than Johnson – I reckon this back 3 would DOMINATE)
9 Fourie du Preez
10 Morne Steyn (that was a very off game for him)
11 Habana
12 Wynand Olivier (defensively better and bigger than Jacobs)
13 Jacques Fourie
14 JP Pietersen (I hope that was just an off game for him)
15 Stefan Terblanche (always the age card against him but he is in better shape than most and with a couple of 30+ players in the team anyway why not? he is our best option at the moment and could easily make it to the World Cup)
16 Beast Mtawarira (if you dominate the first half he can help open it up in the last 20)
17 Bismarck (ditto)
18 Anton van Zyl (we need a strong solid lock as cover)
19 Dewalt Potgieter (can play various positions – other options that would do well too would be Johnson, Vermeulen)
20 Ruaan Pienaar (although off form as a flyhalf he is still good at scrumhalf and can be used for flyhalf and fullback if need be – if you dont like this option you could include a livewire scrummie like Sarel Pretorius or Francois Houghaard)
21 Juan de Jongh (could only pick him if Pienaar was picked too, but he has some good ability to open the midfield later in a game)
22 Lionel Mapoe (Could do with a solid wing)
17 Nov 2009, 17:18 pm
#29 Blindspot: Totally agree with you. It was so nice watching a game this weekend in Ireland where the crowd respect the kicker and everything quiet down and applaud both teams after a good move or a try. Real decent people.
17 Nov 2009, 17:41 pm
#53slumtown
Regarding your mention of WP Nel. Do you think the management left him beacause he is too lite?
If you look at him he looks “fat” (you know like a prop should), but apparently he weighs something in the range of 96, which is much less than some of our backs who weigh more than a hundred. I agree with you he looks to be the best tighthead at the end of this year, but do you think they were thinking experience (even if they are strugling) trumps a lighty in international terms.
Can someone perhaps explain the combination of a front row?
Short versus long and what type of hooker for what lenghts’ of prop?
I am more embaressed about the scrumming of the southerners than Ras’ singing. When Aus is the south’s best performers in that regard SA and NZ must feel there is something very wrong.
Perhaps a effect of the ELV’s?
17 Nov 2009, 19:49 pm
#51 Hondo:
The reason why SABC won’t do it is because Rugby is still deemed as a white sport by the propaganda arm of the government (SABC).
Consider the obvious facts.
17 Nov 2009, 19:54 pm
#55 vlam:
The Ozzies have had to live with the same Elves as the rest of us do.
The reason why they have become great proponents of the scrum is because they have become experts of the technicalities of the dark art. They do not rely on hard men, as is the case with the Boks, Kiwis, Welsh, Irish and Frogs.
All that they do is go out and find some fattie who has eaten too many fast food burgers, educate him in sneakiness and them let him loose to embarrass the real rugby countries.
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