Januarie quits Boks, WP
24 Jun 2011
Ricky Januarie has announced his immediate retirement from international rugby on Friday.
The 29-year-old scrumhalf, who played in 47 Tests for the Springboks and 93 Super Rugby games for the Lions (43) and Stormers (50), has withdrawn himself from South Africa’s provisional World Cup squad.
He was also released from his contract with Western Province, which will allow him to join French club Lyon once the Stormers’ Super Rugby campaign concludes.
‘I’ve had a great run in South African rugby and have some fantastic memories but the time has come to move on,’ said Januarie. ‘Lyon have offered me a new beginning and I want to concentrate all my efforts on helping them in their first season in the French Top 14.’
‘Ricky and I chatted and he knew where he stood in our Rugby World Cup plans,’ added Bok head coach Peter de Villiers. ‘He has reached the stage in his career where he wants to move on and there was no reason to stand in his way.
‘He has produced some memorable moments over the years and his match-winning try against New Zealand in Dunedin will be remembered as long as the Springboks play.’
230 Comments
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24 Jun 2011, 13:53 pm
Played his best rugby in the Lions jersey. Good luck Ricky.
@Kobus Kitty(Kobus Kitty)-42: I heard your mother circumcised you by kicking your dad on the jaw….. idiot.
24 Jun 2011, 13:53 pm
@Kobus Kitty(Kobus Kitty)-86: You want to be like Michael Jackson… you like to kiddy fiddle??? Next thing you gonna tell us is that you want to be the Pope too
24 Jun 2011, 13:53 pm
Thanks for the good times Ricky! True warrior. And at times a world class scrumhalf. Other times not, but its also not his fault the what the selectors get up to. And this year he improved again, not up to his old best, but improving, all the best for France!
Kobus Kitty, you are a jerk. And if you can’t remember anything good besides the famous try you must be a teenager. Read all the comments on this blog, you are the only one sprouting sh_it like that. Grow up and get some manners.
24 Jun 2011, 13:55 pm
@LightZone(LightZone)-71: I am not sure why Bolla is out of contention with the stormers.. he did start the season with them.. any news??
24 Jun 2011, 13:55 pm
@youknowwho(youknowwho)-97:
Has he got a car? Who did he steal it from?
24 Jun 2011, 13:56 pm
@wpjoulekkading(wpjoulekkading)-103:
“….Grow up and get some manners.”
Okay……
24 Jun 2011, 13:58 pm
People let’s rather talk about the composition of the Tri Nations squad and who will probably be rested etc.
24 Jun 2011, 13:58 pm
Go well Enrico,
Enjoy France,
Enjoy your Rugby there.
Thanks for the entertainment,
cane.
24 Jun 2011, 14:00 pm
@whatever(whatever)-105: I got no idea.. but your GF/wife probably fancies a drive in it.. You better start making some real wonga before the GF/wife starts looking for black dudes with fancy cars
24 Jun 2011, 14:05 pm
@youknowwho(youknowwho)-109:
Aaaaag, ok.
I’m outta here.
24 Jun 2011, 14:06 pm
BTW, good job on the moderating KEO en kie. As always….
24 Jun 2011, 14:10 pm
@youknowwho(youknowwho)-104: No idea. Maybe not suited in that team? Maybe G10, JR or PA can tell you. I’m just a supporter standing way on the fringes of the outside circle. I do try and deduce things though.
24 Jun 2011, 14:14 pm
Ricky (together with Ashwin Willemse) is one of the few real players to really fight their way up the ladder from a disadvantage. He’s a real transformation success story. Have a look at where he comes from, and think about how many people can reach what he reached given that much of a disadvantage. Like many have said, he didn’t pick himself, and he definitely was one of the top 2 or 3 scrumhalves in SA for a time. Sure, not any more, and due to the lack of other quality black players coming through his past reputation counted too much for too long, but a few years back he deserved his reputation and place in the side.
24 Jun 2011, 14:14 pm
@willievz(willievz)-24: What happens in the case of a slugfest? I’m sure you appreciate the differences between superrugby and test rugby. Has Sarel displayed an aptitude for test rugby? Does the strong aspects of his game compensate enough to cover the weaker points of his game? Is he able to galvanise the forwards by directing the attack? Is he able to impose a gameplan using his kicking skills? For me, his strongest skill is his running, which makes his primary function, 2nd or third best. As we’ve seen from the Bok hooker, you need to be the best at delivering your skillset.
24 Jun 2011, 14:16 pm
@youknowwho(youknowwho)-104:
Bolla Conradie is focusing on his role as captain of the Boland Cavaliers.
By the way, Regent Insurance yesterday announced a new 2-year sponsorship of Boland Rugby.
24 Jun 2011, 14:19 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-115: Thanks WPTID. I still rate him as a good scrummie. Lost a bit of speed but that torpedo is ridiculously long.
24 Jun 2011, 14:19 pm
@youknowwho(youknowwho)-109:
nice try doos, I don’t have a wife………….maybe thats why u a racist wa nker, cause your wife likes the wit ou’s ………… do you know wet pantie? Biscuits anyone?
24 Jun 2011, 14:21 pm
Thanks for playing Ricky. As many said, at your best you were fantastic, other times not so, but a good servant to the game!
And on a lighter note, thanks for all your work educating young people about the fact that anerexia can, in fact, be beaten!
24 Jun 2011, 14:28 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-118: THAT is funny. HAHAHA
24 Jun 2011, 14:29 pm
Still think Ricky had something to offer at the WC, but he’s made a big decision and is sticking by it. Good luck gangsta
24 Jun 2011, 14:31 pm
@LightZone(LightZone)-119: Thank you. I’m here all week. Which basically means the next 2 hours….
24 Jun 2011, 14:33 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-8:
Why not have a little respect for RJ, and wish well before taking out your tired old boring malice.
Lose leerer Raum in deine Kopf
24 Jun 2011, 14:34 pm
@whatever(whatever)-117: No GF either??? and you call me a w anker??
.. My missus is blond with green eyes. I suppose you would call her white. She had plenty of opportunity to choose a white ou.. but I have my doubts if she will ever. Just one of those things and I dont think that she is a racist 
24 Jun 2011, 14:43 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-114:
Well all test players need to start somewhere, don’t they?
I have always thought Sarel is a special player with, as you call it, a skillset to succeed at the highest level. His primary function, distribution, is top-class.
Apart from that:
He is a threat around the fringes with quick feet
He has great vision and anticipation which allows him to be quicker to the ruck
He is dynamic and energizes the receivers next to him
He has vision on attack
His support play ranks among the best I’ve seen
Sounds like the ideal impact player to me in the last 20 minutes of a test.
And yes, you probably don’t back his kicking game, but I have never been a fan of a kicking 9 unless you get it spot-on most of the time like FDP does.
His one-on-one defense is often criticised, and I think often unfairly so, but one can work with him on this. However, his cover defense is outstanding – have you noticed how many ball carriers he tackles out of touch by drifting behind the backline on mature phases?
It is all about accommodating a specific player in a specific gameplan, and Sarel offers us that extra flexibility in approach.
We missed a trick in not selecting this guy for the 3N, he has world-class written all over him and would have been the starting AB 9 if he had a NZ passport.
24 Jun 2011, 14:45 pm
@OhYeah(OhYeah)-122: umsunu wakho
24 Jun 2011, 14:45 pm
@OhYeah(OhYeah)-122: as if you have any respect for ricky either than shielding plod
24 Jun 2011, 14:50 pm
We know what Ricky, Pienaar and Hougaard offers us as backup 9s.
And to be quite frank, it is nothing spectacular.
Why not give Sarel a chance and in turn, make the battle for the backup 9 jersey a bit more interesting?
24 Jun 2011, 14:52 pm
@willievz(willievz)-127: give Sarel a run in the tri-nations, make or break Test rugby ain’t for sissies
24 Jun 2011, 14:53 pm
@OhYeah(OhYeah)-122: don’t waste your energy with transie.he hates zulu and coloured men but absolutely loves banging coloured chicks.
24 Jun 2011, 14:53 pm
Why did this guy even want to play for his country, he received so much racist abuse it was sickening, the Klan finally got their wish and ran him out of town.
24 Jun 2011, 14:54 pm
@LightZone(LightZone)-112: on bench for Boland….Bolla…they beat a wp team on Thursday !
24 Jun 2011, 14:54 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-128:
We will need some serious defense against the ABs.
Someone like Barry Geel. Tackles made 17, Tackles missed 0
24 Jun 2011, 14:55 pm
go well ricky j.
24 Jun 2011, 14:56 pm
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-130: kkk?
24 Jun 2011, 14:58 pm
@willievz(willievz)-124: 3N never even started yet. Maybe (very big outside chance maybe) he does get picked?
24 Jun 2011, 14:58 pm
the nazi-loving afrikaner scum will now just intensify their attacks on bryan habana.
24 Jun 2011, 14:58 pm
@willievz(willievz)-127: that gets my vote.
24 Jun 2011, 14:59 pm
@LightZone(LightZone)-135:
I hope so, but don’t think PDV will pick players outside of this preliminary WC squad for the 3N.
24 Jun 2011, 15:01 pm
@grant10(grant10)-131: Thanks Grant. He won’t ever play in the top tier again but I think still has some to offer where he is now.
24 Jun 2011, 15:02 pm
Why did he quit, worried about not getting test game time or offered an incentive by Lyon? seems an odd decision.
Terrific player at his best, unfortunately like Frans Steyn he’s carried too much weight in the past couple of years.
24 Jun 2011, 15:03 pm
@gunther is nazi-loving german rent-boy(Valkyrie)-129: hayi bo!!!!
24 Jun 2011, 15:03 pm
Pompies,
In addition – Harry Viljoen picked an u-21 rookie and a Boland CC player for a test against NZ in 2001.
Did they show any of the qualities for test rugby to merit their selection against the best team in the world?
I was furious too.
Yet Joe van Niekerk and Marius Joubert became two of our best players in the early 2000s.
Sometimes coaches just know if someone is the real deal, and everyone needs to start somewhere.
24 Jun 2011, 15:04 pm
@willievz(willievz)-138: I doubt he’ll pick a scrummie other than the ones he does have BUT Snor does learn from his mistakes. He might try Ruan at SH in 3N, as he does show consistency in selection.
24 Jun 2011, 15:04 pm
@willievz(willievz)-132: you know barry “sbw killer” geel is the man for the job, nobody, even HG can call barry a donkey
24 Jun 2011, 15:08 pm
@willievz(willievz)-142: I’m with you on this. How will we ever know if we’re only ever going to pick from the established places. We need to do things differently and show that we can reward from outside the traditional schools/sides/areas/regions.
24 Jun 2011, 15:11 pm
@LightZone(LightZone)-139: may be a year or 2 past his prime….awesome at his best
24 Jun 2011, 15:12 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-106: What’s your problem? Grammar police? Ok, “learn some manners”, there you go. Everyone has a brain **** now and then.
Or is it that you don’t agree with the general sentiment? Did you read his comments?
24 Jun 2011, 15:16 pm
@grant10(grant10)-146: Pity for him he played before the French league really came to the fore with getting players at all costs. If Ricky could fit in there imagine how well Bolla would’ve suited their game.
24 Jun 2011, 15:19 pm
I’m sensing a lot of negativity.
I hate two faced fans. When Januarie was ruining the Boks, a lot of you were all in agreement with me. Now that he’s gone all of you seem to be trying to take this noble approach to the situation.
I feel sorry for Lyon. Silly frenchmen have more money than sense.
24 Jun 2011, 15:26 pm
this is the kind of base attitude from KKK that drove poppa from an amiable blogger into a raving lunatic that uses aids and baby deaths to “return serve”.
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