Twin triumph
15 Jul 2011
RYAN VREDE chats to Robert and Sias Ebersohn about life, loyalty and the Springboks.
Sias is 35 seconds older. Is that reflected in the dynamic between the two of you?
Robert: Sias would tell you it is, and that he is older but most of the time you’d never say it. He’s not really responsible, although he is growing up now.
Sias: What?! I’m far more responsible than he is. The reason Robert could never be a flyhalf is that he just wouldn’t be able to deal with all that responsibility. You only need to spend a short time with us to know I’m the older of the two. He has no respect for his elders.
Do you share a close bond in the way that’s expected of twins?
Robert: No. Certainly we have a strong friendship, but we don’t spend all our time together. We have very different personalities and hobbies. Sias is far more outgoing and enjoys spending time hunting, fishing or tending to his cows on our family’s smallholding [just outside Bloemfontein]. We have a quiet understanding. Nothing will come between us, but we never give off that vibe.
Sias: He’s my best friend, but not in the way that you’ve become used to best friends being. I think our parents’ divorce strengthened that bond. We were 11 or 12 and we only had each other. We couldn’t speak openly to our parents about what was happening. It was painful for both of us, but the good that emerged was that we strengthened our relationship.
Are you competitive with each other?
Robert: Look, we support each other in our careers, but off the field it can get a bit heated. I’m the king on the PlayStation.
Sias: But I’m the owner of the PlayStation, so I determine when he’s played enough, which is usually when he gets on a bit of a roll.
What are your earliest rugby memories?
Sias: My dad [former Western Province and Free State midfielder Tiaan Ebersohn] took us to Free State and Springbok matches in Bloemfontein. I’ll never forget that time because it stirred the dream to play in front of big crowds. We also spent a lot of time watching my dad play club rugby, so we were always surrounded by the game.
Robert: Ja, we grew up in a rugby culture that only deepened when we were sent to Grey Bloem. In primary school after practice we’d often train again with my dad at his club, Collegians. On match days they’d order two Cokes for us and two cases of beer for themselves and we’d be part of the celebrations and banter in the change room after the match. We even showered with the team! So we’ve been immersed in the game from an early age.
Why has Grey Bloem been the dominant force in South African schools rugby for years?
Robert: That’s tough because there has to be more to it than good players, right? I think it has a lot to do with the pressure associated with the legacy of excellence at the school. For example, when I play for the Cheetahs I feel like I’m playing for the next win. When I played for Grey I always felt I was playing with the expectation of 150 years of success. You don’t want to be the team that is remembered for not meeting expectations, so you push yourself and your team-mates to ensure you don’t fail.
Sias: I’ve never known a Grey team to want to simply do well in a season. The challenge for us was to go unbeaten. That’s what we’d define as success. That plays a big part in Grey’s dominance.
Robert, you played sevens for two seasons after finishing school. How did that benefit you?
Robert: I believe it will add at least three years to my career. If I’d gone straight into Currie Cup or Super Rugby there’s no doubt as a 19-year-old who is significantly smaller than most of his opponents, I would have been susceptible to serious injury, particularly since I’d probably have played without a break because we don’t have the player resources the bigger unions do. Sevens allowed me to get used to mismatches of that variety, and also to develop ways to maximise my strengths to counter what I lack in size.
South African coaches seem to be losing their fascination with big backline players and we’ve seen the emergence of gifted diminutive men like Pat Lambie, Juan de Jongh, Gio Aplon and yourselves. Your thoughts?
Robert: We accepted at an early age that we weren’t going to get as big as some of the backs at senior level. Our parents are of average height, so we had a genetic ceiling. We’ve had to focus a lot more on improving our core skills and rugby intelligence, especially in contact, to make up for
what we lack.
Sias: Thankfully we’ve worked with some good coaches who’ve taught us how to get around our physical limitations. When we were with the SA U20s [Bulls defence coach] John McFarland worked with us on being smarter in contact, on building momentum into the tackle situation, and ball retention and presentation. That has stood us in good stead now.
Have you ever been tempted to bulk up using steroids?
Robert: Never. Our parents weren’t even keen for us to use normal protein shakes or supplements. We were always taught that a solid work ethic is key to your success. That said, I understand the pressure some schoolboys are under to get an edge. I’ve seen parents who put so much pressure on them to get a professional contract that you see why they would turn to performance enhancers. I’m not condoning it, but it’s a reality.
It was noticeable that the Cheetahs’ form graph curved steadily upwards when Sias started playing regularly at pivot.
Robert: He’s had to refine his game to make it at Super Rugby level, but I’ve always believed he had the ability to. I think his personality suits the Cheetahs. My mother always said that I think first then do, where Sias does first then thinks about the consequences of his actions. We needed that free spirit at flyhalf and it’s paid dividends. I love playing with him. He knows me so well and that in turn has benefits for the team.
Sias: I’ve had to be patient, and it was frustrating to see Robert get his chance before me. But the coaches at the Cheetahs felt my kicking game wasn’t up to scratch so I spent time working with [former Springbok flyhalf] Louis Koen in Cape Town and [Cheetahs backline coach] Hawies Fourie. Now I feel like I’ve got a rounded game without any obvious weaknesses. In retrospect I’m thankful the Cheetahs coaches didn’t throw me into Super Rugby while I had those flaws. I could easily have bombed and then been discarded. We’ve seen that happen to too many talented players in South Africa. I’m still not expressing myself as fully as I’d like. My strengths are my running game and my distribution – I think I have a better pass than most flyhalves in Super Rugby – and when I’m more confident I can use those strengths to create space and time for those on my outside.
Why did you guys stay loyal to the Cheetahs despite better offers [Robert was coveted by the Sharks and Bulls, while the Sharks and Force were after Sias]?
Robert: Sias and I want to be seen as a package, in the same way Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis have branded themselves. If we move it would have to be as a flyhalf-centre package. The Cheetahs offered us that opportunity and we are still young, so it made sense to stay. Sure, we thought about the fact that we could have won the Currie Cup with the Sharks [in 2010], but the Cheetahs are moving in the right direction and that is comforting.
Sias: It wasn’t a simple decision to stay. I wasn’t playing regularly at the time and the Force offered me the chance to do so. But time is on our side and if we are playing good rugby we’ll always be in demand. So the decision to stay isn’t detrimental to our careers.
Your contracts with the Cheetahs expire after the Currie Cup. Is it a foregone conclusion that you will re-sign or are you contemplating other offers?
Robert: We haven’t been offered new deals as yet, but neither have we decided that we will definitely stay. I’m not one of those players who’ll commit to a union for life. I haven’t even played 50 matches for the Cheetahs yet, so I don’t share an unbreakable connection with them. Our goal is to play for the Springboks and if we believe we can make that step up while playing for the Cheetahs then we’ll stay. Our immediate future is probably in Bloemfontein, but if in a couple of years we’re still playing well but still struggling to break into the Bok side then we’ll have to make a move. [Stormers centre] Juan de Jongh already has an edge on me because he has had the benefit of working with Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie every day, getting advice from them and stealing with his eyes. For the most part I’ve had to teach myself or learn from them by watching or playing against them. I don’t have their ears every day at training and in match situations. With no disrespect intended to the players and coaching staff at the Cheetahs, they’ve been good to me, but being surrounded by players who could take my game to the next level and make me look good is appealing.
– This article first appeared in the July issue of SA Rugby magazine. The August issue will be on sale from Wednesday, 27 July.
92 Comments
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15 Jul 2011, 11:05 am
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-39:
don’t worry.
transie does his fair share.
15 Jul 2011, 11:05 am
@Griqua_warrior(willievz)-49: hehehe
15 Jul 2011, 11:06 am
@Gunther is looking to the future with hope in his heart.(gunther)-51: never, lone Xhosa warrior right here.
15 Jul 2011, 11:12 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-53:
15 Jul 2011, 11:23 am
@ Trans, nope you’re wrong! Habo wena! Nokwe and benjamin played for boland when kobus van der merwe was the coach. When kobus moved to Wp then he brought them with, nokwe then went to sharks but never made the team then he went to cheatahs. Hehe
15 Jul 2011, 11:26 am
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-36:
ja, those were dark days. i remember those empty stands at loftus with just one overweight guy wearing a bulls ‘horings’ helmet and another skinny guy waving a flag.
dark times, dark times…all that was missing was dr evil and his friggin death ray…gloating…
15 Jul 2011, 11:29 am
@RugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-55: andikhathali, into ebendiyitsho yeyokuba abaqalanga ukudlala pha kwi-cheetahs.
15 Jul 2011, 11:31 am
@RugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-55: when was jongi at sharks?
was once courted by Bulls at some point early in career
he was at Lions after wp/stormer stint
then went to free state
I think you have him mixed up with Chumani Booi who played some superrugby for sharks a few years back.decent player too.Wonder where he went?
15 Jul 2011, 11:32 am
@willievz(willievz)-42: There are many names you can add to that list! Players from memory that the Cheetahs have lost, that would most definately have made a difference and added depthsince 2005!
Wian du Preez, Daan Human, Duanne Vermeulen, Rory Duncan, Marius Joubert, Michael Claasens, CJ van der Linde, Falie Oelshig, Flip vd Merwe, Hendro Scholtz, Ronnie Uys, Bevan Fortuin, Wilton Pieterson (injury), Nico Breedt, Bees Roux, Ollie le Roux, Lionel Mapoe, Kennedy Tsimba, Rayno vd Merwe, Bjorn Basson and Corniel van Zyl! Quite a few good players there!!
15 Jul 2011, 11:40 am
The brothers XV:
1.
2. Bismarck du Plessis
3. Jannie du Plessis
4. Geo Cronje
5.
6. Callie Wanenburg
7. Jacques Cronje
8. Pedrie Wannenburg
9. Ross Cronje
10. Sias Ebersohn
11. Odwa Ndungane
12. Guy Cronje
13. Robert Ebersohn
14. Akhona Ndungane
15.
Any other ideas?
15 Jul 2011, 11:45 am
You can also add Jannie du Plessis, and Barry Goodes to the list of Cheetahs players that moved on!
15 Jul 2011, 11:56 am
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-59:
As good as those players are, the overwhelming majority of them are hardly world-class players that would have made a notable difference to the Cheetahs’ cause of late.
But that is just my opinion.
15 Jul 2011, 12:25 pm
@ Mshini, I’m sure he attended a training camp but didn’t make the squad. I could be wrong though, but I’m 100% sure he started at boland.
15 Jul 2011, 12:36 pm
@Griqua_warrior(willievz)-62: You are entitled to your opinion, fact is not many of the players that played this year were highly rated either, yet at the Cheetahs the individual brilliance is almost always secondary to the team. Average players have excelled in the team strategy, and style. Cheetah stars sometimes go to other Unions which doesn’t suit their style of play. an example was Kennedy Tsimba, who thrived in Bloem, and wilted in Pretoria.
The following players would most certainly have made a huge difference in this regard
Wian du Preez, Jannie Du Plessis, Daan Human, Duanne Vermeulen, Rory Duncan, Marius Joubert, Michael Claasens, CJ van der Linde, Flip vd Merwe, Hendro Scholtz, Ronnie Uys, Bevan Fortuin, Wilton Pieterson (injury), Nico Breedt, Bees Roux, Ollie le Roux, Lionel Mapoe, Rayno vd Merwe, Bjorn Basson and Corniel van Zyl!
15 Jul 2011, 12:38 pm
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-41: Yip, it’s a pro world. Grey Bloem still has the biggest Springbok representation out of anyof the schools, I think it’s just that some don’t become springboks when they are at Free State, some are at other provinces when it happens.
Pro sport as you say.
Good luck to them, if they can do it at Free State ,then power to them. I’m not convinced they have what it takes (yet) but in time they may become greats.
They do have to learn to overcome their lack of physicality, Robert has done well this year in that department, much improved.
15 Jul 2011, 12:40 pm
@ cheetah4eva, ja good one! What happened to wilton peterson, he was the new kid on the block and what went wrong?
15 Jul 2011, 13:06 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-58:
Chumani captains the Bulldogs
15 Jul 2011, 13:10 pm
@mxhosa(mxhosa)-67: and that’s where howard Mnisi is headed, watch.
15 Jul 2011, 13:50 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-68:
He should come to the Kings, saw a clip on youtube, he reminds of me of Gcobani Bobo…..
15 Jul 2011, 14:08 pm
@RugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-66: Injuries.
15 Jul 2011, 14:12 pm
Okay Ebersohns, come to the Sharks as a package then….
The backline will then be:
9. Hoffman
10. Ebersohn
11. Mvovo
12. De Jong
13. Ebersohn
14. JPP
15. Lambie
Thank you Rudi.
15 Jul 2011, 14:13 pm
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-64:
Fair point about the added depth these players would have provided.
And yes, they never reached their full potential at the Bloem union.
For one, I always got the feeling that the Naka-Cheetahs were scared to try new things – they reeked of ultra conservatism since Rassie left.
Perhaps more importantly, sometimes they had no gameplan but to pass the ball to the outside carriers. And they did so with nr10s who stood deeper in the pocket (De Waal, Strydom) – nothing wrong in theory with these types of 10s, but then you can’t expect to be successful if you play a crash-ball 12 next to them.
They certainly need to invest in proper systems that channel their resources from u/19 to u/21 to senior level. But I appreciate the magnitude of this challenge since Bloem is hardly the most exiting place in the world (no offense).
15 Jul 2011, 14:15 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-71:
Howzit HG, not concerned about the size of your backline there?
15 Jul 2011, 14:19 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-71: You and De Jong. He’s signed for WP again boet. Sorry.
Actually, I’m not sorry.
Well done on Superbru. Not quite the winner, but a good performance for sure. Much like WP.
15 Jul 2011, 14:30 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-74:
sounds to me like your rewarding failure. sounds to me like your pulling a ‘steve tshwete lifetime achievement award’ opportunity?..
15 Jul 2011, 14:37 pm
@Griqua_warrior(willievz)-73: Howzit Willie… Size? I wouldn’t care with these players. Ball players all.
15 Jul 2011, 14:40 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-74: Hehehe. Cheers. I farked out at quarterfinal stage – wrong call for both games… Stormers let me down in semis too… Other than that could have beaten old Hong Kong *******… Never mind… Where did you land up – must have given Grunter a hiding at least
15 Jul 2011, 14:45 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-77: Was ahead of grunter until the last pick. I had the saders and he the reds, so he pipped me on the line.
Not really happy about it but there you go,.
15 Jul 2011, 14:46 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-78:
15 Jul 2011, 14:58 pm
@he’s not the messiah. he’s a very naughty boy!(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-75:
15 Jul 2011, 14:59 pm
@RugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-55: nope you’re wrong! Habo wena! Nokwe was coached by Hawies Fourie at Boland. He never was with the Sharks. Kobus vd Merwe went to Provine/Stormers from Griquas.
15 Jul 2011, 15:10 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-78:
suck it up byatch.
show us your titties.
15 Jul 2011, 15:28 pm
@SuperStirrer(SuperStirrer)-81: Yep, Jongi was a Boland boy.Used to take a train from Langa to training everyday until he scored some sponsorship.Will never forget that hattrick against the Bulls in Wellington.
15 Jul 2011, 15:31 pm
@SuperStirrer(SuperStirrer)-81: Kobus Fester vd Merwe . Damn, talk about the bad old days
15 Jul 2011, 15:31 pm
@Provincejoulekkading(Provincejoulekkading)-83: Im pretty sure it was Khayelitsha, actually.
15 Jul 2011, 15:34 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-85: I’m pretty sure you are correct.
15 Jul 2011, 15:36 pm
Boland wing Jongikhaya Nokwe said goodbye to taxis and trains on Wednesday when he received the keys to a new sponsored vehicle to help ferry him to training and gym sessions and develop him as a future national rugby star.
The 23-year-old Boland player has been identified by Springbok coach Jake White in a group of eight black players he wants to develop for the next World Cup in 2007. No surprise there after Nokwe’s sprint tests this year had revealed that he was one of the speediest players in South Africa.
A time of 4.42 seconds over 40m puts Nokwe alongside Western Province flyer Tonderai Chavhanga – the two are the fastest wings in South Africa. Unfortunately Nokwe, due to circumstances, was not very quick getting to and from training. Until Wednesday that is.
Thanks to White’s initiative in setting up the High Performance Squad, a joint venture aimed at fast-tracking 20 talented young black players into the top flight by giving them the right training programmes and supervision, Nokwe will now be able to travel in style.
On Wednesday Nokwe, who passed his driver’s test recently, drove his new car from the small Khayelitsha home he shares with his aunt, granny and five other family members to training at Wellington.
Until he received the keys to his new Toyota Tazz, Nokwe had had to spend two hours catching taxis and buses to get from Khayelitsha to Wellington and to gym sessions in Paarl. And that was just one way.
This entailed a taxi ride to Site C before he had to switch taxis to make another trip to Bellville station. From Bellville it was a one-hour train ride to Paarl where the final leg of his journey – a third taxi trip – took him to Wellington.
Often he had to stay over in Wellington at the Jackie Abrahams House for young players living afar, and was unable to return home to his family.
15 Jul 2011, 15:51 pm
@Gunther is looking to the future with hope in his heart.(gunther)-82: No moobs here boet.
15 Jul 2011, 15:59 pm
@Provincejoulekkading(Provincejoulekkading)-87: I remeber reading somewhere that Jonghi was a very sensitive soul and that he was at his best and happiest while working with Hawies Fourie.
15 Jul 2011, 16:07 pm
@SuperStirrer(SuperStirrer)-89: Yeah I believe they had a good relationship
15 Jul 2011, 16:23 pm
@ superstirrer, you’re right, I got my facts mixed up, hawie fourie was the coach at boland! It happens when you start drinking early in the day! Hehe
15 Jul 2011, 16:52 pm
@RugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-91
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