Back where he belongs
16 Jul 2010
John Smit wants to keep wearing the Bok No 2 jersey.
‘Would you start at hooker if you weren’t captain?’ It’s a question that has John Smit rolling his eyes. ‘Aw, come on,’ says Smit, who’s had to deal with the question since assuming the Bok captaincy in 2004. It’s a question that’s become even more relevant with the rise of Bismarck du Plessis.
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His face undergoes a transformation; the annoyed countenance morphing into a look of patience reserved for the ignorant and uneducated. He finally leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head, completely at ease. He smiles in a way that says I’ll never understand.
Statements about Smit’s playing ability are usually tempered with talk of his value as a leader. Popular perception is that you need to accommodate Smit in the Bok starting line-up because he’s the skipper, not because he’s the best player in his position.
The decision to shift Smit to tighthead in 2008 seemed to affirm the conjecture. Coach Peter de Villiers admitted there were better tightheads, but felt the move was necessary since he envisioned Smit and Du Plessis playing in tandem at the 2011 World Cup.
Du Plessis sustained a serious neck injury towards the end of the recent Super 14, which ruled him out of the Tri-Nations. It was a blow for the Boks, but one that brought about a necessary change in thinking. Smit moved back to hooker, and the move won’t be as temporary as some may expect.
So putting the question to the 32-year-old again, I ask Smit if the rugby community will ever give him his due. Now that he’s back in his favourite position, will they acknowledge him as one of South Africa’s finest hookers? It’s a question that doesn’t receive an answer as much as an explanation as to why it’s the wrong question.
‘The people close to me appreciate me for the player that I am,’ he says confidently. ‘I don’t feel unappreciated, and I’m certainly not unhappy with what I’ve achieved. If I had a chance to rewrite my script, I wouldn’t change much. The move to tighthead was a massive challenge, but if I look back at 2009 when we beat the British & Irish Lions and won the Tri-Nations, it was one of the best years of my career, if not my life.
‘In 2008, I was at the stage where I was thinking a lot less about what was good for me, and more about what was good for the team. That’s why I put my hand up to play prop. I know there will come a time when what’s best for the team is for me to stand aside completely, and that decision lies with the Springbok or Sharks coaching staff. For now, my ambition is to be part of a successful team.
‘I get far more satisfaction out of winning a match or a series than being named Man of the Match or reading about my 9/10 review in the Sunday papers. It’s nice to be the hero, but it’s my job to make the other guys heroes. I want to be the best hooker in the world, but I get more satisfaction out of a win than personal plaudits.’
CJ van der Linde recently signed a six-month contract with the Cheetahs, while another Ireland-based prop in BJ Botha could be moving back to South Africa in the near future. With these two available, the South African front-row stocks have been bolstered considerably, although if required, Smit could still slot in at No 3.
There aren’t too many people who think Smit’s move to tighthead was a success.
Os du Randt, the new Bok scrum coach, believes Smit is a better bet at No 2, while another former South African hardman in Rob Kempson felt the decision to shift Smit was flawed.
‘John moved there to fill a void, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out, as results will confirm,’ Kempson says. ‘It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem was technically, as you can never tell unless you’re scrumming against a player.
‘Hooker is his strongest position and if he’s going to captain South Africa at the next World Cup, that is where he must play. Apart from his contributions in other areas, he’s unparalleled as a scrummaging hooker, with Gary Botha probably the second in this respect. If John is playing hooker, it will certainly make the job of whoever is playing tighthead that much easier.’
Bok forwards coach Gary Gold, on the other hand, doesn’t believe the move was a complete failure.
‘So many people focus on the Benn Robinson incidents [where the Wallabies’ No 1 embarrassed Smit during the 2009 Tri-Nations], but it isn’t easy to scrum against those smaller looseheads,’ says Gold. ‘The biggest priority of the scrum is synergy, so you can’t blame one guy, as all eight players need to scrum well. You also have to realise that he’s played less than 10 Tests at tighthead. There are a lot of technical things that need time to develop, technical things that help when you’re up against a shorter guy like Robinson, who can use your own physical strength against you.’
From a scrumming point of view, Smit admits he did all he could just to ensure the Bok scrum didn’t move backwards.
‘There was a lot of trepidation when I moved to tighthead in 2008,’ he recalls. ‘I had played tighthead before, making my debut in Super Rugby alongside Ollie le Roux and Chris Rossouw for the Sharks, but when I put my hand up to play it again in 2008, I was secretly hoping not to snap my neck. It’s a position where experience is crucial, experience I didn’t have, so I had to use a few other tricks to survive.
‘Over the years, when I was playing hooker, I saw what the loosehead would try to do to the tighthead, and I also knew what other tightheads didn’t like from a hooker. I used the knowledge gained by playing 80-plus Tests at hooker to my advantage.
‘If I look back at my time at tighthead, I’d have to say it was far more demanding to do my job as a captain from that position. We were under a lot of pressure at the scrum, and I did all I could to hold my own. It’s not as if we destroyed looseheads, but we often did enough to get that right shoulder.
‘We did fantastically well in other departments, but often people looked at the scrum and said we didn’t dominate. Obviously you want a Bok team to dominate everything, but what about all the rucks we hit, the tackles we made and the ball-carries?
‘The lowlight of my time at prop was the line of questioning. All the attention I got playing tighthead, it seemed like the media didn’t have anything else to write about. I had to try and diffuse the media, saying they should judge me at the end of a two-year period, because no matter what I said and no matter what the results were, the same story would come out every weekend.
‘Then you have a situation where your team-mates are trying to defend you and your coach tries to defend you, it was frustrating. Maybe the media persisted because it was an idea Peter de Villiers had driven, and any idea Peter drives is usually scrutinised by them.’
While Smit battled at the scrum, he delivered some industrious performances around the park. Gold said the Springbok management felt their decision to move Smit was vindicated and couldn’t understand why the public and media harped on about a perceived lack of dominance at the scrum.
‘There are eight to 10 scrums per game, but over 100 breakdowns, so we felt that with John’s mobility, defence and decision-making at the breakdown, he would be a great asset at prop,’ says Gold. ‘He adds plenty of value as a ball-carrier. That first try in the first Test against the Lions is a case in point; he had guys hanging on to him as he went over the line, and had left Brian O’Driscoll trailing in his wake.
‘The experience of scrumming at prop will make him a better hooker. Physically he’s probably the strongest hooker in world rugby, and his strength is particularly uncompromising at the scrum. His physique is suited to hooker in that he’s the perfect height and has a powerful core. He’s very good at the hit, and because he works so hard at his squats in the gym he’s able to generate immense power.’
In theory, a Test team that struggles at the scrum can still get the upper hand if they win the battle at the collisions and breakdown. It’s a point that’s prompted plenty of debate, and Smit feels that winning a scrum gives a team a psychological edge over their opponents.
‘The scrum determines the pack’s confidence. You can’t just say we’ll hang in there in the scrums, but drive the opposition in the lineout and smash them at the breakdowns. It’s like the first punch in a fight. If one oke throws a punch and connects, the second guy is rattled and will be thinking about that first punch for the rest of the fight.
‘The Super 14 is very different to Test rugby, and the northern hemisphere competitions, where scrumming is vitally important, is somewhere in between. If your scrum is weak, you can’t keep the ball in there for too long because you may eventually concede a penalty. It’s about getting the balance right according to your game plan.
‘You can’t just pick a mobile pack and think you’re going to run the other team around the park. A team like France will see a mobile front row of say, Beast Mtawarira, Schalk Brits and John Smit, and just keep the ball in the scrum in order to milk penalties. Penalties can then result in yellow cards and suddenly you are in trouble. You have to decide what you want to achieve in a particular match, and a lot depends on who you are playing.
‘Having CJ and BJ back will see the Bok scrum transform into a completely different animal. BJ’s exceptional at what he does at the scrum, while CJ is a good scrummager, but he’s one of those guys who is also a good athlete. Then you have Beast, Bismarck and myself. If you have those five guys available, you have a lot to work with. It might not be the same front row five weeks in a row, but you can work that to your benefit and pick horses for courses.’
The Boks will be managed carefully in the build-up to the 2011 World Cup, a tournament that’s likely to be Smit’s swansong. There are fears that his best days are behind him and that starting a spent player in this tournament could prove disastrous.
Smit believes there’s sufficient petrol in the tank, and the muscle car that proved so difficult to flag down in 2007 will be operating at optimum efficiency in 2011.
Any talk of him playing hooker is greeted with an optimism and energy that should be transferred to the rugby pitch.
‘You can ask me to perform a role at tighthead and maybe hang in there for a year, but it’s not something I want to do for the rest of my career,’ he says. ‘I only have two or three years left, and not all of that time is going to be spent at Springbok level. I’m no spring chicken, so I want to use that time well by getting back to what I do best, which is playing hooker.
‘So in answering your original question, I want to perform well enough to remain part of this special team. I’ve never seen a group like this together and I wonder how long it will be before we see another group or era like this again. When we prepare for a match, we know it’s only a matter of getting our heads right, because we have the ability to beat anyone. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of something like that, because there’s no risk of complacency.’
By Jon Cardinelli
– This article first appeared in the July issue of SA Rugby magazine. Visit keo.co.za tomorrow to read Grant Ball’s analysis of Smit’s performance against the All Blacks in Wellington.
249 Comments
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16 Jul 2010, 15:27 pm
@stonespirit(stonespirit)-80: Is stone spirit code for KLIPDRIFT?
16 Jul 2010, 15:30 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-99: You can’t deal with something that hasn’t happened.
Besides, you sound like you could do with a little dealing with the past yourself. The weight that lifts from your shoulders is astounding. I can recommend it.
16 Jul 2010, 15:34 pm
@katman(katman)-102:
I have no weight on it – except when I do shoulder presses in the gym.
16 Jul 2010, 15:35 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-59:I cringe whenever they break into their amatuer poetic rumblings
@grant10(grant10)-84: How ironic that the moment you finally get the opportunity to give Smit a justified rollicking you roll over and act civilised. You are an eternal disapointment.
16 Jul 2010, 15:36 pm
For What it’s Worth………….
On last Nights,
“The Crowd Goes Wild”………..NZ’s highest rating, half-hour, daily, Free to Air, Sports Program.
I saw Graham Henry, give PdV a hug.
I was friggen stunnnned.
Forget then **** you read on here. These Guys have a special bond.
16 Jul 2010, 15:37 pm
@Mike H(Mike H)-98: Good heavens my man….get a grip!!!
We hear you…..Smit will be there and we will retain bill and all will be great…….ffs……point taken
16 Jul 2010, 15:38 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-105: Fck me. What happens in NZ stays in NZ.
16 Jul 2010, 15:39 pm
@Diliza(Diliza)-104: LOL
JA MY MAN….
NOT IN MY NATURE TO KICK A FAT GOG WHEN ITS DOWN…..
Sorry caps
16 Jul 2010, 15:40 pm
dog
16 Jul 2010, 15:41 pm
JOHN SMIT FOR TIGHTHEAD!!!!
16 Jul 2010, 15:42 pm
@grant10(grant10)-108: Well,you in bad company cause the majority of the vultures on this site will make it a point to trample on the corpse, and I’m talking about the “columnists”
16 Jul 2010, 15:43 pm
Cane
Maybe Lord Ted of Eden Park was just tempted to use the Clowns mo fo mo’ as a brush for his sweepover ?
16 Jul 2010, 15:45 pm
To quote Smit:
“BJ’s exceptional at what he does at the scrum, while CJ is a good scrummager, but he’s one of those guys who is also a good athlete. Then you have Beast, Bismarck and myself.”
Where does that leave Jannie duP and Chiliboy?
16 Jul 2010, 15:46 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-110:
I just puked on my bok jersey…
@Diliza(Diliza)-111: If i had to regurgitate my Smit commentary i am sure most bloggers would fall asleep at there keyboards…..
In a nitshell….he should have retired at the latest after the last Tri Nations….
He is a liability….
and now no more from me…
16 Jul 2010, 15:46 pm
@willievz(willievz)-113:
“Then you have myself.”
Yeah, please elobarate…
16 Jul 2010, 15:47 pm
nutshell
16 Jul 2010, 15:48 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-110: Hey wena, I nearly popped a vein in my brain. Are you baiting?
16 Jul 2010, 15:50 pm
@GI POT(GI POT)-117: i am currently hyperventilating and taking heart meds!!
16 Jul 2010, 15:50 pm
@willievz(willievz)-113: Where does that leave Gurthro? The best of the lot
16 Jul 2010, 15:50 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-115:
Sigh.
Elobarate elaborate..
16 Jul 2010, 15:51 pm
@grant10(grant10)-118: A brown paper bag should do the trick!!!
16 Jul 2010, 15:52 pm
What time is the game tomorrow?
16 Jul 2010, 15:53 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-122: kick off 09 h 30…..
16 Jul 2010, 15:55 pm
i have got myself 4 cool tickets for the wp game tomorrow….coursesy of my business associates….so look forward to seeing wp and the lions….
will need to fly home to watch bulls and sharks….
16 Jul 2010, 15:57 pm
@grant10(grant10)-124: Take your tissues along.
>^..^<
16 Jul 2010, 15:57 pm
“If John is playing hooker, it will certainly make the job of whoever is playing tighthead that much easier.”
I think Gary Gold is generalising a very difficult concept.
Didn’t the Bok scrum against France and Italy looked stronger when Jannie DuP scrummed alongside Chiliboy? Or am I living in a dream world?
Let’s get the record straight – I am a Smit fan. But the combination of the front row and how their strenghts compliment one another to complete the package is the key to building scrummaging success.
From what I’ve seen, the Sharks front row of Beast, Smit and Botha looks the best as a combination.
But here is the key – if one of the front row is injured, you need to rethink the whole balance of the pack, and cannot simply replace the injured player.
16 Jul 2010, 15:57 pm
Well ………………
I live in UPPER WYNBERG.
In a box.
16 Jul 2010, 15:58 pm
@grant10(grant10)-114: Sorry buddy,dont think you can resist the temptation.I’m willing to wager that you wont make it past the away leg of the Tri Nations before we are witness to another one of your Smit horibillus rumblings
16 Jul 2010, 15:58 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-120:
Now we all know that Tac does shoulder presses.
16 Jul 2010, 15:58 pm
my perfect weekend about to begin….
A walk on my beach….
hot shower
dinner at my favorite restaurant
up early…
watch the boks nail the kiwis with my daughter and best mate
gym
rush to newlands to watch wp do the lions
rush home
watch the sharks and bulls get down and dirty…
then a quiet evening with the blonde sat nite….
love it!!!
cheers all
have an awesome weekend….
go smitty….prove me wrong boy
go boks…
outta here
16 Jul 2010, 15:59 pm
@grant10(grant10)-123:
Thanks Grant. So I can set my alarm for 9.25, switch on the kettle and make some coffee and rusks while the guys run onto the field.
That’s how I prefer to watch my sport.
16 Jul 2010, 15:59 pm
@GI POT(GI POT)-119: Yes I agree! But read my comment 126 about the balance in the pack.
Gurthro is probably the best example of where the inclusion of the best player in his position does not necessarily lead to the establishment of the best combination.
16 Jul 2010, 15:59 pm
@katman(katman)-125: hope lions show some real improvement my man…
16 Jul 2010, 16:00 pm
@Diliza(Diliza)-128: ja
i tend to believe your money safe….
16 Jul 2010, 16:01 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-129:
Haha. Maybe I made it up.
16 Jul 2010, 16:02 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-120: Are you asking me or Smit to elaborate?
16 Jul 2010, 16:02 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-129: Shouldn’t take too much prompting to get him to disclose his weights and reps too.
16 Jul 2010, 16:02 pm
@Panzer Chief(cane)-105:
Listen boet. And to all our other Kiwi brothers.
Please can your stadium DJs now realise that the world has moved beyond Crowded House (You better be home soon) at every game.
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
@grant10(grant10)-130:
Whose this blond you keep talking about? I hope it’s your wife.
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
@grant10(grant10)-133: One game at a time. And so far we’re one from one.
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
@willievz(willievz)-136: Sorry ignore :blush:
16 Jul 2010, 16:03 pm
last thing….
willie….you really are a credit to the Keo experience….your insight is unsurpassed imo….
okay…with that …i am headed to Clifton…..dog now has his lead in his mouth and checking me out with pleading eyes!
16 Jul 2010, 16:05 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-129: You said you were in fuel,am not happy with my supplier at all.Where you based?
16 Jul 2010, 16:05 pm
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-139: my politician partner/ girlfriend…..
very cool lady.
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@willievz(willievz)-136:
Sorry. Smit. As in, he just said “And then there’s me”. So I’d like him to elaborate a bit about his perceived strengths.
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-134: I dont gamble and that wager proves it
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@katman(katman)-137:
Now we know that Tac likes coffee rusks for breakfast.
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-144:
Your politician?
How come you’ve got your own politician?
16 Jul 2010, 16:06 pm
@grant10(grant10)-144: Not the one with the leash in the mouth?
16 Jul 2010, 16:07 pm
Zane “The Simpson” at the back is creating cartoon characters out of nation. How do you make a cartoon a real-life person?
Perhaps whoever was able to bring The Simpson Kirchner to our Springboks should do the same with Meep-Meep and gooi him on the wing!
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