Smit must prop up Bok bench
12 Apr 2011
JON CARDINELLI says the Sharks have provided the solution to the John Smit conundrum.
Peter de Villiers may be blind, but the answer’s there for all to see. Smit must go to the World Cup as a leader; not as a frontline player. That’s not a contradiction.
De Villiers has criticised the Sharks for their present management of Smit. He’s made it clear that he wants Smit playing hooker at the Sharks and at the Springboks.
But Sharks coach John Plumtree has had other ideas. Smit has played just 18 minutes at hooker in the 2011 Super Rugby competition. While it seems clear to De Villiers that Smit is a hooker, the Sharks believe that he better suits their purposes as a reserve prop.
Plumtree and company are not at fault. Bismarck du Plessis is in the form of his life. He’s not only the best hooker in the country, but one of South Africa’s most important players. Du Plessis is a crucial cog at the set-piece and a bully at the breakdown. The Sharks need him to play as many minutes as possible in the big games. The Boks do too.
Smit struggled when he was shifted to tighthead at the end of 2008, and failed to make a successful transition back to hooker in 2010. He shed a lot of weight in the 2011 pre-season, but at 33 he doesn’t offer as much grunt and dynamism as Du Plessis.
The Sharks have at times included the bustling Craig Burden on the bench, preferring to deploy Smit as a reserve prop. In seven appearances, Smit has featured four times at loosehead and twice at tighthead. He may be given another crack at hooker this season, but his real value in the games that matter is as a reserve loosehead.
There may be an argument to start Smit at No 1 for the Boks, as he has done in three Super Rugby matches thus far. But to do so would deny the Boks another dynamic player. Beast Mtawarira continues to improve at the scrum, and his work-rate around the field is tough to match.
Mtawarirra and the Du Plessis brothers are likely to form the Bok front row at the World Cup with Smit providing support from the bench. Smit told SA Rugby magazine last year that he would play off the bench if it was best for the team. If the first eight rounds are anything to go by, Smit is making good on his word.
The truth is Smit still has a lot to offer as a leader. De Villiers has committed to Smit, and it’s no secret that the Bok captain and senior players play a big role in the running of the side. He may not be indispensable as a frontline player, but he’s crucial to the World Cup cause.
Victor Matfield is the natural successor to Smit, but his captaincy has been less than inspiring over the past 12 months. He made some dubious calls as the Bulls’ skipper in the 2010 Currie Cup semi-final, and wasn’t at his best on the Boks’ subsequent tour of the Home Nations.
The 2011 season has also witnessed a disappointing effort, as unlike Smit, Matfield doesn’t possess the underrated ability to stay on the right side of the referee. It’s something he needs to address, as with the Boks’ robust reputation, you need a charmer wearing the captain’s armband.
376 Comments
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12 Apr 2011, 14:35 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-249: no problem boet ,
12 Apr 2011, 14:35 pm
bob got a bronze in 99 and a gold in 2007
great player
kak useless commentator!
12 Apr 2011, 14:36 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-248: To be honest JR. Skinstad should have made it clear he was injured. NO injured player should ever, ever be selected. Cause it means one less we have on tour. Skinstad offered nothing in that world cup buddy. Nothing. We all know what a brilliant player he was before that car accident or pub brawl as we have heard here. After that he was never actually the same player. That is a pity cause he still had plenty to offer before that injury. He at that time was playing sublime rugby. But not after that accident.
12 Apr 2011, 14:36 pm
all i know is we drop bissy for the fat boy i will have a farken heart attack
12 Apr 2011, 14:37 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-248: who resents bob?? i sure as hell dont
and i think most resentment people do have that i have seen in here is ab out his commentating , and kinda sucking up to kiwi’s and aussies
hell he was on form a brilliant rugby player
12 Apr 2011, 14:38 pm
@grant10(grant10)-252: there you have just answered JR re Skinstand and what i said about his commentating
12 Apr 2011, 14:38 pm
@Puma(Puma)-253: bob should have said no?
Then why the fark doesent smit say no?
Smit not injured, but he plays like he is !!
Slow and ineffective in the extreme….
klaar
12 Apr 2011, 14:39 pm
@grant10(grant10)-254: fatboy club?? yeah brok is that
smit last year yes this year? i would recommend you open your eyes and see slim smitty
12 Apr 2011, 14:39 pm
i get so the moer in with bob when he commentates i rather listen to the farken radio
12 Apr 2011, 14:39 pm
Smit for President.
12 Apr 2011, 14:40 pm
@grant10(grant10)-259:
i think stranksy is the same
12 Apr 2011, 14:40 pm
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-260: lol boet ur stirring again
12 Apr 2011, 14:40 pm
as for andy capoastagno….fark me….what a wally !
12 Apr 2011, 14:40 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-248: I hear you, but I can say this: I was close to many of the local players around that time and the feeling in the WP set-up was one of mild surprise.
Also, the players that I’ve asked the question all agree that Bob was freakishly skilled. That seems to be the consensus.
Problem is, it came out every now and then in a big way, but that injury was a real concern.
As for Nick, I know you guys like the guy and all, and I’m not anti him per se, but having a big mouth and strong opinions doesn’t automatically mean that you have an astute rugby brain.
As my wife sometimes likes to remind me, there’s a difference between knowing it all and being a know-it-all.
Nick gets a lot of credit for his record breaking run, and it’s totally deserved, but he did inherit a team that had gone through the experimentation phase under Carel. Remember how they shifted Percy around looking for his best position, and then Justin Swart got injured and they moved Percy to 15? The rest is history. That was Carel. Picking a mercurial running fullback at 11 (Slappies) out of the blue, that was Carel.
So yes, Nick was good, but it’s a leap to say that just because Nick says so, that it’s so. I’m not on the Bob train as far as that selection was concerned. Not becaiuse he wasn;t talented, but because he was still recovering. Not even just unfit, but still basically injured.
Anyway just my opinion.
12 Apr 2011, 14:41 pm
Smit offers something to the team that is why he can’t say no.
Bob was INJURED you get nothing out of a injured player. Teich was our best 8 at the time and our best captain that had captained the Boks on a unbeaten 17 record. Teich should have been there and Bob should have been left at home where all injured players would have been.
Very simple to work that out I think.
12 Apr 2011, 14:41 pm
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-260: of Libya?
12 Apr 2011, 14:41 pm
according
to bloggites
bulls are
going to
take
this one
12 Apr 2011, 14:42 pm
@Puma(Puma)-265: smit is a cancer
plain and simple
a kak prop
and a kak hooker
klaar
12 Apr 2011, 14:43 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-255:
Good after all he is a Hilton boy !!
12 Apr 2011, 14:43 pm
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-264: TY for awesome honesty M
12 Apr 2011, 14:43 pm
@Pick the team in August not March(stormersboy)-264:
motormouth
mallet
was taking
the team
downhill
even before
the rwc
12 Apr 2011, 14:44 pm
i would rather have a half cripple bissy than a fully fit plod
12 Apr 2011, 14:44 pm
Well Skinstad and Stransky our worst commentators. Can’t argue with that. Stormers had Bob on Saturday but we had Stransky………
Both useless at commentating. Surely we have better?
Why can’t Dan Retief with a brilliant rugby brain do commentating? I often wonder.
12 Apr 2011, 14:44 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-269: lol that he is , but you guys let him loose here in the cape and he lost it , lol maybe the mountain is to blame
12 Apr 2011, 14:45 pm
@grant10(grant10)-254: Looks like Beast will be dropped instead.
Curiously on Keo’s current poll, the majority of the posters on here still think the Bulls are going to win the SA conference…I thought April Fools day was two weeks ago!
12 Apr 2011, 14:46 pm
@Puma(Puma)-273: true puma, dan is a man with huge knowledge of the game rugby , excellent reporter
12 Apr 2011, 14:47 pm
we play plod, matfield and spies , with schalk as a fetcher….i tell you all right farken now , make mates with all these kiwi okes here on this site….
and pray for mercy
because as nite follows day we will get done 6 love ….6 love….6 love….
then listen to the 4 more years ad nauseum
and remember this post come wc quarters when we come home wondering what the fark happened.
12 Apr 2011, 14:47 pm
So Stegmann an FdP on the bench for Bulls on Saturday.
Kuun and Huogaard to start.
Could be a good move. Bring em on later. Reds could be tired. Played Stormers on Saturday. Then had to fly back to Brissie.
Bulls could win this. Well if they play better than last week, which I think they will. But starting with Kuun and Hougaard is interesting.
12 Apr 2011, 14:48 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-275: I dont think so , somehow sensibillity must prevail and yes i believe Smitty is a must for the Squad , but on present form he should not be in the Starting ,lineup
As big a fan as a i am ??? we want to win the cup and that means choose on form and yes smitty’s form is getting better , but its not there yet
12 Apr 2011, 14:48 pm
@Puma(Puma)-265:
Surely the medical team needed to make the call, again I say the fact that they were willing to risk Bob with an injury , says more about Bobs abilty that anything, the fact that it did not perhaps work out for everybody is debatable, yes teich was the fall guy, mistakes made and learnt !!!
The way of the jungle !!!
12 Apr 2011, 14:48 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-275: fark me….drop beast for plod!!!!!
Are you befark in your kop!!
12 Apr 2011, 14:48 pm
@grant10(grant10)-257: Smit wasn’t that bad on Saturday. His cleanout caused a turnover which lead to the 2nd try. He wasn’t great but he certainly wasn’t as kak as previous weeks.
12 Apr 2011, 14:49 pm
Hi Puma, I saw that show with Mallet on Saturday, he was sitting in the lounge and you could see a part of the swimming pool with a fence around it out the window, he actually said a few times he made a mistake not choosing Teichman.
12 Apr 2011, 14:49 pm
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-260: ha ha…
12 Apr 2011, 14:50 pm
@grant10(grant10)-272: ok ok ok ok ok ok we get your friggin point, you have a problem with Smit, every friggin day, the same posts over and over … do you even have to type it anymore or is your keyboard in cruise control.
12 Apr 2011, 14:50 pm
@Puma(Puma)-278:
Spies should be getting splinters as well !!
12 Apr 2011, 14:51 pm
@grant10(grant10)-277: Grant to me we are all barking up the wrong tree
i dont care if we choose the best team even without smitty etc and on form , unless we start thinking and playing effective rugby like the kiwi’s and aussies are ? we in trouble
What our coaching staff are planning is of more concern to me
12 Apr 2011, 14:51 pm
@grant10(grant10)-281: No you thick dense domkop I’m NOT saying I want the Beast dropped, I’m saying that PdV will probably drop the Beast (most likely) to the bench so that he can have his cake and eat it with Bismarck and his captain on the field at the same time!!!
Jassus you really need glasses. Take some valium to calm down.
12 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
We play the gameplan we did last year the kick and chase stuff. We not even gonna make it out our pool let alone to the quarters, no matter who is playing. We had to adapt or get left behind.
I have a horror feeling that could happen. We have Fiji/Samoa and Wales in our pool. We have to be smart. Hope we can. For now feel worried after seeing Bulls totally outplayed by Saders.
My feeling it will be Oz and Nz in the final. Can’t see us beating NZ in the semi. IF we make it that far. Don’t look like we will at this stage.
12 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-283: hey hugger hun
yes he did , and kudo’s to him for being big enough to admit it
12 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-270: And i like Bob. I’ve spoken to him many times he’s a great guy, this is nothing against Bob at all, the timing just wasn’t right IMO.
Now if you have the privilege of chatting to Carel ever, that is quite a positive experience.
Nick’s more of a talker than a communicator. Good coach for sure, but totally different style. Somethimg tells me that Joost was the perfect captain for Nick, temperament wise. Carel has very good vision and understanding of the game. It didn’t work out with him as coach, but remember, we were one Jeremy Guscott drop kick away from winning the Lions series.
On such fine things the career can turn.
12 Apr 2011, 14:52 pm
@daydreamer(daydreamer)-232: If you say Smit to retire does the same go for Ricky, Spies, Wynand, du Preez, Victor, Bakkies, Morne and Habana because they all seem to be way out of form at the moment.
12 Apr 2011, 14:53 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-287: SNAP. my post 289. Great minds think a like brudda…..
It is how we play the game that will cost us.
12 Apr 2011, 14:53 pm
@JR – The Real Make The Circle Bigger(JayDaFiveOh)-282: fark my man…..of course he will play the odd decent game….
but hell man a Bok starter????????
Is the jersey that cheap????
You farken nuts my man…..the Saders showed thre truth…
now he has a slightly better game against the lions and it is back in the green and gold?
my man you not lekker in the head!
12 Apr 2011, 14:53 pm
Okay catch up later.
Cheers everyone.
12 Apr 2011, 14:53 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-283: heard that too from the horses mouth he admitted that he made that mistake.
12 Apr 2011, 14:54 pm
@kevin w(kevin w)-285: lets see when we on the plane home…and you crying like a baby with a wet nappy…..
12 Apr 2011, 14:54 pm
@Puma(Puma)-289: lol bro great minds think alike , fools never differ
MY POST ABOVE URS SPEAKS OF OUR STYLE OF PLAY, as in whats our coaching staff planning
that for me is our biggest problem
all the bulls players are playing a very old style of rugby
luckily stormers and Sharks more alike which would be good for the boks
even cheetahs playing a better brand this year
but the bulls team is full of boks?? and they are not only out of form , but playing the kind of brand that wont do the bok cause any good
that is a big concern
12 Apr 2011, 14:55 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-262: Again?
12 Apr 2011, 14:55 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-283:
True TH, but he did not say he made a mistake picking Bob ?
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