Smit conundrum lingers longer
2 May 2011
RYAN VREDE writes that the confirmation of John Smit as Springbok captain was expected, but Peter de Villiers is still battling with defining his role at the World Cup.
The Sharks have provided the blueprint for how to use Smit in the light of Bismarck du Plessis’ emergence as one of the pre-eminent hookers in the game. Sharks coach John Plumtree has remained resolute in his belief that Du Plessis is the superior hooker, and this is reflected in his consistent selection ahead of Smit.
Naming the 102-cap player as his leader for the World Cup didn’t come as a surprise, but De Villiers couldn’t decisively answer questions relating to how Smit would be utilised with the Springboks. He was, however, emphatic in saying: ‘For me, John is a hooker.’
One can only deduce then that he will not follow Plumtree’s lead in terms of Smit’s deployment. This creates a head-to-head scenario between the ageing master and his prolific student.
Smit has certainly shown he is a more than competent hooker through impressive performances in Du Plessis’ injury-enforced absence in the last fortnight. It was a level of performance that eased lingering fears about his capacity for another season of Test rugby, after he struggled to assert himself in 2010. Smit, in what we’ve seen from him in the last two weeks, is the second-best South African hooker on show at present, and remains a fine and respected leader.
However, surely, when you have a dynamic option (Du Plessis) at your disposal, you would opt for him ahead of an adequate one, which Smit has become? De Villiers should be acutely aware of what Du Plessis offers him in a game, shaped by the breakdown law interpretations, that has increasingly demanded that hookers are primary ball carriers, are athletic and quick, defensive weapons and are effective at the breakdown (although not as a primary role).
Du Plessis is among the elite No 2s in world rugby because he not only ticks all those boxes, but excels in those facets of play. That is a sterile measurement if you don’t also consider his galvanising effect on his team and the effect of his presence on the opposition. Smit pales in comparison when measured this way.
Smit, responding to the question of how he expected to be utilised in New Zealand, said he was willing to contribute to the cause in whichever way he was asked to: ‘If I play well in the coming rounds I can expect anything. All I can do is the best I can. If I can add value by being versatile then great.’ There was no question of him being diplomatic. You got the distinct sense that he was willing to play this role if required to. And he should be required to.
De Villiers didn’t offer any conclusive views on whether Smit possessed the qualities he looks for in an impact player either. I can’t see him filling that role effectively. Which leads one to believe that De Villiers may well back Smit as his run-on starter in the global showpiece.
Unless Du Plessis’ suffers a dramatic capitulation in form in the next few months, there’ll be no justification of such a decision.
88 Comments
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2 May 2011, 16:56 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-49: He is, yes. And a very large chap.
2 May 2011, 16:57 pm
@kaksioek(kaksioek)-51: Full name Coenie Oosthuizen
Date of birth March 22, 1989 (age 22)
Place of birth Potchefstroom, South Africa
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 127 kg (280 lb)
2 May 2011, 16:57 pm
His knees must be second to none!
2 May 2011, 17:00 pm
Do you guys think that Elstadt should go to the WC. He’s smashed Bakkies and everyone else he’s come up against. He competes well at the front of the lineout and is very mobile (is actually a #7).
I think Elstadt & Bekker should start for the boks.
2 May 2011, 17:00 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-42: I for one am really looking forward to this tournament! The Bokke are going to bring it, I have no doubt
2 May 2011, 17:03 pm
@kaksioek(kaksioek)-52: Man I love seeing that guy play. Goes into contact nice and low like a front-end loader and takes two defenders everytime!
And the tries! Shite that dive was a classic, never seen anything like it.
2 May 2011, 17:03 pm
@brains_trust(brains_trust)-48: “Bambie just hangs on”… Hmmm
Rather a childish argument going on here… Alucard probably has articulated everything that needs to be said rugbywise…
The rest is same old emo rubbish…
2 May 2011, 17:05 pm
Smit is finished, cannot cut it for more than 20 – 30 minutes at any level of intensity. Anyone not able to see simple reality are staring at flying saucers in space.
AB’s and Wallabies, not to mention Ireland and France and England and Wales and even Fiji or Samoa who now fancy their chances against us in the group series, are smacking their lips at the prospects of facing Boks with Smit as cappie and Matfield as stand in cappie when Smit don’t make the run on team.
Disaster in the wings waiting to implode. Big F’up of mammoth proportions. Smit could do nothing about gearing up his teams hopes against a rampaging Stormers, WTF he gonna do when he faces a rampaging AB or Wallaby outfit?
Big Kak on the horizon, bigger than anyone here is ready to accept.
And the players behind him know that he’s a quota captain playing purely on reputation and stuff all else. Which one of them in their heart of hearts will go flat out into battle carrying a croaking under achieving captain on their backs?
2 May 2011, 17:07 pm
@brains_trust(brains_trust)-54: Shot in the dark here. You a Stormers supporter by any chance?
2 May 2011, 17:11 pm
Elstadt is the stand in successor to Juan Smith
Anyone not able to see this clear as day are also still living in Neanderthal dream states of delusion. He smashed Alberts and Deysel and Bismark into never never land with the assistance of Vermeulen Bekker Burger and Louw, but he is too small for an international lock. He is the very next best thing to Juan Smith as the absolute enforcer No.7, in fact probably even better as current standings show because he has the advantage of youth and exuberance and sheer power and mobility and guts as well as the extra bit of height to offer the all important extra line out option.
2 May 2011, 17:16 pm
@upyoraski(upyoraski)-60: Elstadt from what I saw on Sat may not last that long – he is already gaining a reputation one that may rival that of Bakkies.
2 May 2011, 17:17 pm
@upyoraski(upyoraski)-60: ah thought it was skop!
Elstadt was a seven before retreadmentisation to lock eh? The look in his eye is very convincing, as is his action.
2 May 2011, 17:20 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-57:
look I know all you Sharks fans are in love with Bambie with his boyish good looks and all – but if you were to remove those rose tinted glasses and truly analyze his game [like y'all slated Janties] what would you find?
good points:
he scored a try and handed off Burger in the 2010 CC final
he caught a testy ball in the wet in the 2010 CC final
he had a solid (not spectacular) EOY tour
other than that he’s goal kicking is improving not yet upto international standard
what I see:
in most games he just catches and passes the ball and doesn’t attack the gain line much.
he hangs on in defense and doesn’t impose himself by dominating opponents
FYI – he passed the hospital pass to Bosman on SAT when JDV smashed Bosman and this led to the Aplon Try. He should have taken the contact himself.
I’m not bagging the kid, I actually like him but when most people here rate him as the next Messiah it p!sses me off.
and beware if anyone has anything negative to say about Lambie !!! but everyone shredded Jantjies (who played behind a weak Lions pack, not the Bok laden Sharks)
Most Sharks supporters seem to think they won on SAT and that golden boy Lambie “unlocked” the Stormers defense .. I saw a different game then…
2 May 2011, 17:23 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-59: cleva
2 May 2011, 17:25 pm
Elstadt and bekker for the bok second row – that would be awesome indeed.
2 May 2011, 17:35 pm
@upyoraski(upyoraski)-60: I have not seeing him play at 7 but if he is that good playing out of position then he must be something special at 7 – he owned the powder puff guppies this weekend and gave them a taste of their own dirty medicine.
2 May 2011, 17:39 pm
Am not enamored with the cowardly approach we have entered this WC campaign.
I reckon its gonna back fire big time, Pdv can be commended for sticking with his honor and his loyalty to both Smit and Matfield but neither of them are in any way playing with any kind of leadership credibility currently and as things stand Smit is probably 5th level hooker in the country who cannot even command a run on spot for more than 30 min tops, and Matfield poses as only 2nd best line out option behind Bekker.
Rugby is played at intensity levels way beyond what these guys experienced in 2007 this year and they are all 4 years older and running out of steam and intensity fast. In 2007 we faced nobody higher ranked than 6th in Argentina, this year if we negotiate our pool we get either Ireland or one the top 4 in the quarters and then semi’s.
I watched Smit clearly from the grandstand at Newlands and he is a wasted player, completely and utterly passe. He will not be able to lift himself anywhere near the uotput or intensity required at C in NZ and that is the absolute reality facing himself and PdV and all Bok supporters here in this country.
The Teichmann comparison does not feature here, Smit is hanging on by a far stretched ball hair to try and somehow miraculously survive let alone conquer the 2011 WC, he won’t even make most the run on 15′s in any of the important games yet he’s going as squad captain which basically means he is more of a quota even than Chili who at least is able to put in a good 60-70 min of concerted mobile effort where Smit is kaput after 10.
2 May 2011, 17:47 pm
@Roar Loud(RL)-66:
Can you imagine that intensity and enforcing power at his preferred position which is blind side flank. WTF are these idiots missing when his absolute domination in the loose whether it be against Bakkies or Alberts or whoever is so patently obvious that he is the absolute missing link to the Juan Smith injury conundrum?
He is too small for international lock, he will get found out at international level at No.4 because his height and size is just that few inches and kg. on the sort or light side, but at blind side flank there wouldn’t be another candidate to touch him anywhere in this country and I dare to suggest neither anywhere else either.
I don’t know what it actually takes for so called rugby kenners or coaches to see what is so painfully crystal clear obvious that to play your best team you need the best players playing in each and every position in the team no matter what their so called leadership or reputable reputations might otherwise suggest.
2 May 2011, 18:26 pm
Speculations are premature at this stage, wait for the Test season first
2 May 2011, 18:58 pm
@BokiNZ(BokiNZ)-37:
I hope you enjoyed the Force fwds getting pinged for going off their feet at the ruck.
how were Burgers shoulder-chargeS yest ?
2 May 2011, 19:14 pm
@upyoraski(upyoraski)-68:
According to the official Stats on the Stormers website Elstadt is not so small- IBased on it he is 1.98 m (6 feet 6) tall and 115 kg which is certainly big enough for a international no 4 lock- in fact, he is just about the same size as Brad Thorne, even a bit taller.
Not sure how accurate the stats is but he might just be a bit bigger than we think he is- remember we compare him to the giant Bekker who even makes Bakkies look small.
2 May 2011, 19:59 pm
Tac, as you suggest, one shouldn’t confuse the boks latest performances with any individual players performance. The game plan, player choice and general managent was suspect at best, but trying to boost Smit’s postion at this point is ludicrous..Teishman was captaining a record equaling team, Smit has under-performed at test level for long enough now, to put his captaincy as his best quality smacks of desperation. In my mind, this is all premature anyway, lets get through the super 15, tri-nations and see who’s left standing
2 May 2011, 20:04 pm
there is still the perception that both locks need to be complete opposites, so to speak, the tactitoin and the enforcer. is the the gap between the two still so obvious, or are ‘modern’ day locks more a combination of the two?
2 May 2011, 20:26 pm
The Sharks lose when Smit is captain and win when Terblanche is captain…p1ss off Smit!
2 May 2011, 21:42 pm
this is developing into the rugby debate of the year. Smit the leader or Biz the yellow card? There will be little quarter asked or given. Just stubborn refusal to give and take, particularly from the anti-Smit brigade. Interesting times ahead.
2 May 2011, 21:43 pm
@daydreamer(daydreamer)-74: ja right and its that simple
2 May 2011, 21:51 pm
@TASSIES(TASSIES)-75: eish tassies same as some shouting schalk shouldnt be there , crazy i tell ya
3 May 2011, 00:20 am
Love the new name Skoppie. Welcome back.
3 May 2011, 04:54 am
Bit of trivia,who posted this in 2008?
Firstly I support rugby in its purest form, not the biff bash up n under hallelujah lets hope they drop the ball and pass us an intercept type game.
When they’re playing decent rugby I support Province, but that goes back awhile now, I have been supporting the Lions secretly the past couple seasons, because if ever there was a hard battling underdog it has been the Lions, and I got immense respect for Loffie Eloff and his great heart and courage and commitment and belief, but such qualities can only get you so far if the bank balance and the talent pool is pretty much empty.
Stormers I’ll watch with skeptical interest, and Bulls, well I was never a bulls lover and I’m not about to change that now, (though funnily enough I was actually rooting for them in the S14 final against Sharks last year – dunno quite why, but I was.)
3 May 2011, 08:08 am
I havent been here for a week so somebody tell me how is the mood after John Smit’s performance against the Hurricanes?
3 May 2011, 08:15 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-80: you thought he was great?
Average
and then a disaster against Stormers
same old
he is rubbish
3 May 2011, 08:23 am
@grant10(grant10)-81: As expected.
3 May 2011, 08:25 am
Can he captain the side from the sideline?
3 May 2011, 08:29 am
Eldstadt is the best no4 in the country at the moment. I can’t understand why some are calling for him to switch. We have enough depth at 7 with Juan, Alberts, Deysel, Vermeulen and Schalk. At 4 we only have Bakkies and Flip who are both a little dof.
3 May 2011, 08:32 am
@garth(garth)-84: Agreed but i think in future he should switch to 7. I rate Flip.
3 May 2011, 08:44 am
@iori Yagami(iori Yagami)-85:The Stormers 2nd row can become one of the greats. They are highly mobile, smart, good jumpers and immensely powerful. Don’t break up such a promising combo. I cannot wait for next year. Hopefully there should be a good coach for a change, all the old men will be gone. I don’t hold much hope for the RWC, but next year we are going to gooi.
3 May 2011, 08:58 am
@garth(garth)-86: You are probably right….with all the players we have available at 7 he should focus on staying at 4. Stormers have great lock depth Bekker, Elstadt, De Kock, Van Zyl, Fondse…..we can surely share with the Lions….they could use a decent lock.
4 May 2011, 10:41 am
Smit is de Villiers’ choice for the RWC.
de Villiers is grant10′s choice for Bok coach.
To get around his embarrassment for talking up de Villiers grant10 says that it is in fact Smit that is the Bok coach…logic Cape style.
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