Frans’s future remains uncertain
23 Aug 2010
Peter de Villiers is planning to discuss Frans Steyn’s inclusion in the Springboks’ World Cup squad with Racing Metro.
Steyn cut an impressive figure at Monday’s training session, out-booting team-mates Morne Steyn and Butch James with consummate ease. He played in Racing’s defeat to Montpellier last Friday and has been cleared to feature for the Boks in the remaining Tri-Nations Tests.
While team doctor Craig Roberts is yet to receive a full medical report from the French club, he can confirm the injury is nothing but a ‘lammie’ and Steyn is ready to play. Whether Steyn plays for the Boks beyond the Tri-Nations is an issue that’s yet to be resolved.
‘Those discussions are on the cards for the next few months,’ De Villiers told keo.co.za. ‘I had planned to go to France to speak to Frans, but I just haven’t had the time. I will go and talk to his coach as well as the owner of his club about his availability. I will do the same with the coaches of BJ Botha [Ulster] and Butch James [Bath].
‘There can’t be any miscommunication. We can’t have what happened before the Wales Test [in June, where James was withheld by Bath] happen again. We’ve learned from the disruptions of the past. I need to get my ducks in a row.’
The relationship between Steyn and De Villiers has been strained since the young fullback departed for France at the end of the 2009 Tri-Nations. De Villiers has hit back at criticism around this issue, and cited Steyn’s agent as the primary stumbling block.
Speaking about their present relationship, De Villiers was reluctant to say that everything is hunky dory.
‘This whole storm around Frans is about miscommunication. I’ve had a nice chat to him since he’s arrived in South Africa and he understands his role in the next two Tests.
‘It’s a good thing you can’t see people’s hearts. You can’t see what’s inside, you can only see what’s on the surface. It’s like some people [the media] who smile in press conferences but then you see what’s really in their hearts when you read the paper.
‘Frans is interacting well with the others, but I think it’s a bit premature to say he’s happy.’
De Villiers confirmed that he hasn’t softened his stance on selecting overseas players, and that he will consider local players before those based abroad. However, he added that quality flyhalves and fullbacks are in short supply in this country, a fact that leads to the exploration of European options.
‘We struggle to find many in that [Test] class. There are still too many empty boxes, and with Frans, we tick more boxes.’
By Jon Cardinelli, in Pretoria
20 Comments
23 Aug 2010, 13:24 pm
The only issue to be overcome is snors own ego-trip. So far it has cost the 3N, including a good klap at soccer-city where he surely felt a right ***.
Specially after handing the game to NZ by replacing Hougard with MacD-man Januarie at the end.
FSteyn in bok team from game one would have given us a different edge, and we certainly could have taken 1 or 2 of those away matches. It should be enough to have tilted the scales.
I’ve no doubt was he there on Saturday we’d be smiling now. Even snor.
But that how expensive a coaches ego-trips are to the fans.
Farkin idiot.
23 Aug 2010, 13:30 pm
Not just FB’s and 10′s we’re short of. We’re pretty short of wings too.
The pick-any-black-player-on-the-wing policy is coming back to haunt us. The only wingers in the running at the moment who can tackle are Habana (yes he sometimes rushes up when he shouldn’t) and Gio. Oh, and in Div’s universe, Jean and Hougaard too. JPP is just an embarassment on defence. We need Frans not just because he’s way our best FB but also so Gio can play on the wing instead of JPP.
23 Aug 2010, 13:31 pm
We need a change more at 10 than 15.
And frankly, Snor could do worse than sub Habana for F Steyn for this weekend.
23 Aug 2010, 13:36 pm
frans will make a difference, but we should look further than that.
j smit must go.
matfield must rest.
spies has had his chance, off the pace (excuse the pun)
hougaard must stay at 9.
morne must be given a rest.
steyn at 15.
and now for the big one, we must stop kicking the ball away.
23 Aug 2010, 14:34 pm
PDV’s had to beg FS on bended knee to come to his rescue…
23 Aug 2010, 14:37 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-5: FS won’t save us. The problem is not at 15.
23 Aug 2010, 15:55 pm
“De Villiers told keo.co.za. ‘I had planned to go to France to speak to Frans, but I just haven’t had the time.”
No, you promised, bloody unprofessional (which goes well in most circumstances seeing as it is a South African team, but coupled with SARU’s incompetence, and you’ve got a media maelstrom.
De Villiers confirmed that he hasn’t softened his stance on selecting overseas players……………We struggle to find many in that [Test] class. There are still too many empty boxes, and with Frans, we tick more boxes.”
Which is another way of saying that there are no principles that PDivvy stands by, and that he and his cronies are incapable of utilizing South Africa’s depth.
23 Aug 2010, 15:59 pm
Frans won’t patch things up here. It’s not as if Morne’s kicking at posts was a problem. It’s creativity that is lacking for the backs. Morne keeps kicking posession away.
Frans cannot do much there, besides he is even dumber than Morne! People are just dreaming about 60 meter penalties to save their bacon, but that is not a look term sollution.
23 Aug 2010, 16:00 pm
long term
23 Aug 2010, 16:01 pm
@DontThinkJustWonder(DontThinkJustWonder)-2:
not sure what games you were watching, but aplon inability to tackle was the real problem, yes he made one good hit but was nothing more than a slight hindrance for most tackls excluding the 5 he missed totally…
JPP amde a certain try siving tackle and was solid on defense and was actually looking like a player that was eager to play and look for work.
what a huge mistake to take hougaard off as well, man ricky is just useless and fear if he is in the WC squad..
JS might have missed the tackle, but it was one dim Morne who was supposed to be in that channel, Bring back Butch and Frans
and sommer Pienaar on the bench as well.
spies has been ineffective long enough now, time to bring in some brilliance rather than just ‘smash it’ or lately trying to smah it… Kanko is a much better bet.
and what a difference Juan made on flank, wow we missed him. sam akkas happened when he was replaced, test rugby seems jsut a step to far for Louw
23 Aug 2010, 16:02 pm
@TheBoksAreBack(bringbacktheboks)-1: Jy praat k@k. Who missed the tackle? John Smit, and how exactly was Frans Steyn’s kicks at goal going to be better than Morne who didn’t miss once?
Frans is not an intelligent rugby player. He has a big boot. Dis al.
23 Aug 2010, 16:11 pm
Has Snor not heard of a video conference, heck whom I kidding!
The fool cannot even use a mobile phone nor speak coherently.
23 Aug 2010, 16:19 pm
@rossoneri(rossoneri)-8: @rossoneri(rossoneri)-11: I agree with you on all points. Frans has a role to play but to consider him as the saviour that will redeem all is mad.
We do lack creativity in midfield, and Steyn doesn’t have that. But he does do the basics well.
Just a crazy idea, but if Morne is solid and pretty much just a boot, wouldn’t he make a good fullback?
On the creativity front we need options, JDV in form gives you some of that, so does FDP. Neither are working, for different reasons.
I must say that I’d hate to be a selector at the moment, because the really vexing problems have no easy solution.
23 Aug 2010, 18:02 pm
Face it lads we have all the talent in the world, we showed it last year and with the super 14. There is only one factor that is withholding us from performing and that is management! Poor player management with senior players and just plain poor coaching. PDiv doesn’t have a clue, no tactics and no plan. He has been found out and he doesn’t know how to fix it. Players are out of form because they don’t respect the coach which means the coach doesn’t have control over any of the players. If we had a coach that was worth his salt we would have used all this abundance in experience and get the best out of the players when it is needed. I say if PDiv loves rugby he should put his ego aside and retire while we have a little time to salvage something for next year’s world cup. I still think we can win if the players are fit and we have more than one game plan.
23 Aug 2010, 20:47 pm
In a totally unrelated sad event
Riot at rugby match leaves 10 year old dead.
THE 10-year-old son of a former Eastern Province rugby boss was killed and more than 20 fans injured in chaotic scenes after a clash between rival rugby fans in Uitenhage at the weekend.
Bevan, the son of former EP Rugby chief executive Philip Joseph, died when stampeding spectators pushed over the wall at the bottom of the Uitenhage Central sports field pavilion in a bid to flee after being pelted with bottles.
Keen rugby player Bevan would have turned 11 tomorrow.
About 6000 fans had gathered at the sports field on Saturday afternoon to watch the game between Progress and Gardens.
When the final whistle blew at 5pm with Progress running out 15-10 winners, alcohol bottles were hurled between supporters.
Bevan’s devastated father compared the incident to a “war zone”.
“As the game finished the players on the field started to fight, leading to supporters throwing glass bottles and at one another on the pavilion.
“It was crazy and all the people on the pavilion tried to run to the bottom so that they could get away from the bottles that were flying everywhere,” Joseph said from his Mountain View, Uitenhage, home yesterday.
“People were jumping over the wall at the bottom of the stand to get away which is when it broke and fell on top of Bevan.
“While the game was on, Bevan and other children were watching and playing on the grass between the field and the pavilion.
“Once the game finished the bottles started to fly and we think one hit him on the head which is when he fell and the wall fell on him.”
Joseph said he did not witness the incident but was alerted after someone yelled at him saying that his son was trapped under the rubble. “It was chaos and I started running towards him when some people stopped to lift the bricks so we could get him out,” he said.
“While people were holding parts of the wall up, Lionel (Joseph’s older son) managed to pull him out from the rubble while I ran and got the car so that we could rush him to hospital.” Lionel, 15, carried his brother to the car and held him in his arms while their father drove them to Cuyler Clinic.
“There was blood everywhere and Lionel was trying to talk to Bevan and get some sort of response but he was just was not responding to anything,” said Joseph.
“At hospital the doctors came to me and told me that he had passed on.”
Bevan was a Grade 5 pupil who played scrumhalf at Muir College Primary in Uitenhage.
Joseph described him as a child with a “passion” for rugby. “We are trying to encourage the youth to take part in rugby instead of turning to crime and violence and now something like this happens and my son gets taken away,” he said.
“It is really sad and my entire family is devastated.”
EP Rugby chief executive Anele Pamba, who went to the sports field shortly after the tragedy, said the union “strongly condemned this type of behaviour”. Police were investigating.
“From our side all management representatives are going to meet in the near future to decide the way forward.”
The Herald team visited the grounds yesterday and saw pieces of glass and alcohol bottles scattered around the pavilion.
Numerous spectators who watched the game returned to see the damage and recover some of the items that were left behind in what they described as a hasty escape.
One Progress supporter, who declined to be named, described the entire incident as “something from the movies”.
He said that bottles were allegedly initially thrown by fans of beaten side Gardens sitting next to Progress supporters in the pavilion.
“As the whistle blew, the bottles just flew and we all started running off the pavilion to get away,” he said.
“They first threw the bottles at the roof and when the glass shattered and landed on everyone we started to run.”
As the Progress supporters fled in their droves, the Gardens’ fans allegedly started throwing bottles.
“It was complete madness and something that I never want be in again,” the supporter said.
“There was glass everywhere and people were screaming and trying to run away.”
Another supporter, who has been watching games at the ground for 15 years, said that there was usually security at the gates to stop spectators from bringing alcohol inside, “but at this game there was nothing”.
Spectators said that around the same time another fight erupted between supporters on the opposite side of the field.
“They were stabbing and hitting one another with the legs of the chairs,” he said.
“That was finally sorted out when the final whistle blew and I walked back to the pavilion where it was complete chaos.”
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Marianette Olivier said the police were alerted by panicking supporters.
“We received phone calls from people at the game and responded,” she said.
“But by the time we arrived the actual fight had stopped and there were only injured people.
“Ambulances came and transported the injured while others were taken to hospitals in private vehicles.
“We know of 20 injured spectators at Cuyler Clinic while other patients were taken to other hospitals,” she said.
Olivier said anyone with video footage should come forward so that it could be used in the investigation.
A case of culpable homicide is being investigated
23 Aug 2010, 20:48 pm
Sad to say this is what EC club rugby and too a large degree WP club rugby (though in the past) is all about. Thankfully there had been very little thuggery in Wp club rugby recently
23 Aug 2010, 20:55 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-16: thats a very very sad story, my condolences go out to the family…
23 Aug 2010, 20:56 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-15: terrible sad story.
23 Aug 2010, 21:15 pm
Thanks Poppa69 and while I have the chance I wanted to say to you and Cane both – congrats on a awesome Trinations you guys copped a lot of flak last year and you sticked it out!! Respect.
23 Aug 2010, 21:20 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-19: cheers mate… Ive been involved in my fair share of mudslinging too…so guilt is on both sides lol..
end of the day, there is a healthy underlying respect from both sides, and after a test match like this weekends its not hard to see why..
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