PdV’s misplaced loyalty could cost Boks
7 Oct 2011
JON CARDINELLI writes that Peter de Villiers has failed the Springboks by favouring John Smit over Bismarck du Plessis.
‘Don’t be surprised if Bismarck starts the big games,’ a source close to the team told me last week. By that point, Smit had started the Boks’ first three World Cup matches, but there was still a strong belief that Du Plessis would wear the No 2 jersey in the play-offs.
Before Thursday, Du Plessis had pledged his support to his mentor and captain, although privately he may have expected to start the big games. When the team to play against Namibia was named, Du Plessis told an Irish journalist that he’d accepted his role as Smit’s understudy, but following the announcement of the Boks’ quarter-final line-up, he cut a dejected figure at the team hotel.
When he was interviewed, there was none of the good humour that had characterised his media offerings earlier in the tournament. There was also a rumour that he’d reacted badly to the news that he would be riding the bench, and that the head coach was unimpressed with this reaction.
De Villiers calls it a bad attitude, I call it a bad decision. Not for the first time in the last four years, the Bok coach has favoured Smit over Du Plessis even though it’s become increasingly evident that Smit can no longer meet the standards of an international hooker, let alone match the trend-setting Du Plessis.
Smit is also no longer the indispensable leader he was during De Villiers’s early years. On the 2010 tour to the Home Nations, Victor Matfield proved himself to be a capable leader in Smit’s absence. When he was handed the responsibility at this World Cup, Matfield admitted that the captaincy wasn’t as demanding when you had leaders like Bryan Habana (73 caps), Jean de Villiers (71), Jaque Fourie (68), Schalk Burger (67), Danie Rossouw (62) and Fourie du Preez (61) in the side.
There can be a case made for Habana’s exclusion, but the rest of these players deserve their places regardless of their age. The same cannot be said of Smit, and you have to wonder if the reasons around his selection are truly rugby related.
There will never be another John Smit. He’s already the most decorated Bok captain of all time, and his achievements are all the more remarkable given what he’s had to endure from an off-the-field perspective.
It was during the turbulent times of 2008 and 2009, when De Villiers was at his controversy-inciting worst, that Smit needed all of his experience and diplomacy, and behind the scenes, Smit worked to ensure the right calls were made in terms of selection and tactics. While he had already achieved so much prior to 2008, his value and contributions during the first two seasons of De Villiers’ tenure should never be underestimated.
When I interviewed Smit in April 2010, he told me that he would continue to put the team first. He said that the time may come where he would need to step aside, either to warm the bench or support the team as a non-playing squad member. He said this with conviction, and his past deeds both on and off the field gave me no reason to doubt that he would make good on his promise.
I couldn’t help but think about that conversation when Smit was announced as the starting hooker for this Sunday’s quarter-final against the Wallabies. The senior players have a big say in selection and strategy, and so I felt Smit’s selection didn’t align with his commitment to put the team first. By marching on as the starting No 2, he is doing the Boks no favours. By standing in the way of Du Plessis, he is, ironically, doing his country a disservice.
De Villiers will also need to accept responsibility for this situation. He may feel that he owes Smit something but the reality is that a Bok coach should always place the needs of the team above the needs of individuals.
Du Plessis is right to feel aggrieved. The best player won’t start in the No 2 jersey this Sunday, and this decision could cost the Boks’ in the decisive battle up front. It could cost the team everything they’ve worked for over the past four years and lead to an embarrassing quarter-final exit on par with that of Rudolph Straeuli’s side of 2003.
Through the weak management of De Villiers and Smit’s refusal to face the fact that he’s a spent force, the rugby world has been denied the privilege of seeing Du Plessis in his prime on the greatest stage of all. From a South African perspective, the decision to favour Smit has robbed the Boks of the stronger, more dynamic starting option, and it’s likely to be a decision the entire nation will come to lament.
717 Comments
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7 Oct 2011, 06:34 am
AND Spies. Dragons !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 Oct 2011, 06:50 am
very poor decision, this is the end of the bloody road favoring that dumb fck useless has been chump over those that would have taken Boks all the way to glory. Sorry to say this time Keohane is right this fckup of a decision is the last nail driven deep into Boks disconsolate coffin, Boks coming home because of this.
Pathetic useless Fckng idiots !!
7 Oct 2011, 07:04 am
What a load of **** JC. This really has got so stale. Smit for 50-60 minutes while the game is tight then Bissie to come on and give horns. Bissie is not an 80 minute player.
7 Oct 2011, 07:20 am
@JamesNkomo(JamesNkomo)-3:
Why is he not an 80 minute player?
7 Oct 2011, 07:21 am
Great article, right on the money !!
7 Oct 2011, 07:26 am
Agree with you James. Smit is a better scrummager so should be there when it’s tight. Bring on bissie after 55 min. Don’t agree with Habana or Spies though. Would have started with hougaard and alberts
7 Oct 2011, 07:30 am
Gotta agree with Cardinelli on this one.
7 Oct 2011, 07:34 am
Matfield can captain the Boks during test matches, but is not a World Cup captain. this was pvoved against Samoa.
Matfields captaincy in knock out tournaments is dogy. personally i would sleep easier with Smit being the captain as this time of the World Cup.
Smit is a World Cup captain, major difference, Martin Johnson will tell you.
7 Oct 2011, 07:38 am
@SHARKattack(mabu)-8:
Vic’s captaincy Dodgy ??
He won the S14 3x ??
Smit never won it, and when they won their latest CC , Terblanche was captain, I feel you still riding on the emotions of the 2007 WC and BIL series win. His form and captaincy record sine has been way below par !!
7 Oct 2011, 07:40 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-9:
Having said that, good luck to Smit and the boys, make history chaps !!
7 Oct 2011, 07:45 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-9: thing is, its easy to be captain when the whole team is on form.
7 Oct 2011, 07:52 am
according to Wooden Spoon & his guppy ilk bismarck is a traitor because he is annoyed at plod starting before him. he is supposed to just accept pdv’s selections and not question them.
7 Oct 2011, 07:52 am
This story is so old it’s retired. Please JC, wake up and smell the grass. The worst game we played in the WC so far was against Samoa, and who started? The messiah Busmarck Du Plessis! Did his performance alone lift the boks to great hights you amagined? No, the boks played directionless rugby because the curator was on the bench, and a bad call by the ref limited his effect on the team.
7 Oct 2011, 07:52 am
it doesn’t matter who takes to the field they all need to man up
whoever wins this game will win the cup
7 Oct 2011, 07:55 am
@SHARKattack(mabu)-8: smit is dikgat and a HUGE liability to carry in a Quarter-final. his “aura” is worth Sshit if he is plodding around the field like he did against Wales.
7 Oct 2011, 07:56 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-12:
How crazy is that,!!! but the guppy supporters have a habit of turning on their own !!
7 Oct 2011, 07:57 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-9: @SHARKattack(mabu)-8: SHARKattack still bitter because of the loss plod took against matfield in the 2007 S14 final?
7 Oct 2011, 07:57 am
its called a game plan john.
7 Oct 2011, 07:58 am
@SHARKattack(mabu)-8: Agree with you on Matfield but like the article says he does have Du preez to marshall from behind the scrum ….. I think it is working quite well with Bis coming on 2nd half – he will just have to wait , how the cookie crumbles
7 Oct 2011, 08:00 am
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-13:
Strange ,I thought the worst game we played was against Wales we were actually losing until JS was summonsed !!
Never had the feeling we would lose the Samoan game , at any point !!
7 Oct 2011, 08:13 am
The only misplaced loyalty at this stage is Butch over De Jongh. Misplaced loyalty is keeping Butch in the match 22, I mean Lambie can cover 10.
7 Oct 2011, 08:17 am
These Keolites are determined to for divisions. Really distrubing. Talking to Butch and Bissie and asking how it feels to ride the bench? The right decision has been made. Smit is playing well and Bissie creates a huge impact.
7 Oct 2011, 08:19 am
This is a CR@P article. Where are the Bismarck quotes???
7 Oct 2011, 08:23 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-12: Exactly, you gimp. Thats what you do for your nation. Its not about him. I couldn’t give a cr@p if Bissie is crying himself to sleep at night, its the team that matters. You do what is asked of you, because to do anything else at this stage is not good for the team.
Having said that, I imagine that this article is completely made up, as there is absolutley no supporting evidence.
7 Oct 2011, 08:33 am
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-13: the “worst game was samoa” hahahaha you’re dreaming, did you watch the wales game?
7 Oct 2011, 08:34 am
I am in the minority when I say this, I know, BUT starting with John Smit is the right thing to do, I remember paying a fortune for a trip to Wales in’99 when our best captain in years Teichman was dropped for Skinstad, do we all remember how that turned out. If Gary was playing that saturday against the ozzies I think our next game would have been against France, FOR A BACK TO BACK WORLD CUP. Lets not repeat that error, Bismark is an excellent player, and will get game time, of that I have no doubt. But lets learn from our errors of the past, I am pretty sure Nick Mallet would do it differently given a chance………
7 Oct 2011, 08:37 am
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-24: hehehe yes ride the bench for a guy who can’t even HOLD a candle for you at your franchise. i like Plum, he is a nearly-astute kiwi, he saw through the bullshit about the “aura” and pdv nudging him to play smit and kept him on the bench for 78min against the bulle @ loftus because he wanted to win and to win you play your best.
7 Oct 2011, 08:44 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-27: Not the point, right or wrong, you do whats asked of you for your country at the World Cup.
Personally I think this is all just made up Keo rumours anyway.
Comparing S15 to WC rugby. Come on trannsie, wake the hell up. Cooper is the best S15 10 in the world, nowhere near the top 5 in tests, let alone WCs. Stop being niave and try see the real picture.
7 Oct 2011, 08:46 am
@surreyshark4(surreyshark4)-26: I agree with you, but I don’t agree that we are the minority. Tactics with Bissie perfect at this stage, to have him starting and John coming on, just doesn’t make any sense.
7 Oct 2011, 08:54 am
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-28: no naivety from my side whatsoever, you’re just willing to accept and go along with a bullshit “aura” story whereas i don’t buy it, fair enough.
7 Oct 2011, 09:02 am
It does not end with the Bizzie/Smitty saga. There is no way on earth Morne Steyn should play ahead of Butch James especially if we are talking horses for courses. This selection has literally thrown Genia / Cooper a bone to play with. I also believe if I were looking for a starting 15 for this game Hougaard ahead of Habana would be high on my list. All we can do now is pray.
7 Oct 2011, 09:06 am
@surreyshark4(surreyshark4)-26:
Have to agree with you on this one. You have to look at the team dynamic. Having Bissie and Hougaard on the bench, itching to get out there actually benefits the team in a whole.
7 Oct 2011, 09:08 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-30: I suppose you would go with Bissie to start and Chilli off the bench? Surely you’re not saying John should come off the bench?
Basically if I look at those 2 scenarios, I see a fair amount of niaveness. In fact the first one is so unlikely, you might as well still be pushing Butch like Stormpooper here.
7 Oct 2011, 09:09 am
@pakslae(pakslae)-32: EXACTLY!!!! Its a good thing, not a negative. The last 20 minutes is hugely important.
7 Oct 2011, 09:11 am
Our strength at this world cup is our bench. That is all thanks to Bismarck being on the bench amongst other players. It has worked well so far having Bismarck come on at 50 mins. Why re-invent the wheel? Smit has also been playing well this World Cup.
7 Oct 2011, 09:14 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-35: Welcome to the sane group. Watch out for the loonies, they’re hiding everywhere!
7 Oct 2011, 09:22 am
@justrugby(justrugby)-9: Thats S14 rugby not WC rugby , huge difference just ask the All Blacks. Matfield showed once again last week that the Captaincy is not something he enjoys , at one stage Schalk was leading the pack. Matfield much better without the captaincy , if not Smit I would ironically give it to the other player that many feel should not be in the team and that is Jean De Villiers.
7 Oct 2011, 09:26 am
So, it is vital to start with JS because of his captaincy .. but it’s ok to play the last 25 min without it???
Makes no sense, especially since we won the Wales game without john and Matfield on the field.
JS is a better scrummager than Bismark. Really?
Just how does one see or prove that .. absolute ****, your props and locks have allot to do with that.
JS throws in better at the lineout’s than Bismark. Really?
Maybe by a balls hair, if ever that much
Bismark is by far the better No2 and rugby player. Why is john starting and not Bismark? Why is john even in the match 22?
Who the %$#@ knows … and I really don’t care anymore because people will see and believe what they want to see and believe
That said, even with our strongest team not on the field the Boks still stand a 50/50 chance of winning the game, despite john smit being there. There are too many permutations to consider regarding weather, players attitudes, the bounce of the ball extra, the refs interpretation at the break downs and rucks, ext.
Would I bet my house on the Boks beating the Aussies, no .. then again I would not bet my house on them coming home either.
7 Oct 2011, 09:27 am
@pakslae(pakslae)-32: Agreed as i said before our bench will win this World Cup for us. Also guys like Alberts and Aplon add great impact when introduced from the bench.
7 Oct 2011, 09:35 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-39: And there is a loonie rant from Paws!! He can’t tell who scrums and throws better, but Bismarck is definately the better hooker????
The fact is Bismarcks skill sets suites the bench, whilst John’s suite the early stages. It doesn’t matter who is the better “rugby player”, its about what each individual brings to the teams gameplan.
7 Oct 2011, 09:41 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-35:
Bismarck has exceptional natural strength, he’s almost a freak of nature to me. So he’ll always make an impact coming off the bench against a tiring pack.
We won’t benefit much starting him as that physical strength and ball carrying ability will be nullified in the early stages of the game. We will actually lose that advantage we have over other teams.
The same can be said to a certain extent about Hougaard. He’s more deadly when the game opens up in the last quarter.
7 Oct 2011, 09:46 am
@pakslae(pakslae)-41: Yup.
7 Oct 2011, 09:48 am
@pakslae(pakslae)-41: Agreed. They will receive their chance to start next year in a new team dynamic. Within the current team dynamic they are perfectly suited on the bench. Although it also wont hurt if they started also.
7 Oct 2011, 09:50 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-43: Wow, sanity is prevailing. This is amazing. Where are the loonies??
7 Oct 2011, 09:53 am
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-40:
Nit pick all you want, looking at the semantics of the sentence instead of the substance … like i said, I don’t care anymore … if the Boks win, great, if not, I’m not going to go into a depression.
I’ll be up at 7:00 on Sunday morning hopefully enjoying a good game of rugby and supporting my team the Boks.
7 Oct 2011, 09:54 am
The loonies have been vanquished!!!
7 Oct 2011, 09:56 am
Smit is a major weakness and this conversation should have put to be bed two years ago. Surely the trinatiobs game where Genia ran rings around him and he missed 5/6 tackles. Should have been the final final straw
7 Oct 2011, 09:59 am
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-46: Oh no, typed to soon.
@Paws(Paws)-45: What semantics? You caregorically state that Bismarck is the better hooker, but give no evidence regarding his throwing and scrumming, the 2 primary roles of a hooker. In fact you do the opposite, you say it can’t be proved and no-one really knows and in fact lean towards John.
Is that not what you said? And if that is true, how can you definately know that Bismarck is the better Hooker. Maybe he is, but is he the better starting hooker? I know he adds more impact then John after 60, and I believe leaving John out of the 22 at this stage is just lunancy.
I mean, I am having sleepless nights, imagine what the players are going through.
7 Oct 2011, 10:01 am
@Olivergm(Olivergm)-47: He’s improved since then, his fitness is up and our defensive system is better. That said he was a weakness in the 3N, but he needed the game time.
7 Oct 2011, 10:04 am
@Olivergm(Olivergm)-47: I agree Smit should of retired about a year ago after he got his 100th cap. That game that you are talking about was a few months ago. Surely that would of been too late to drop him.
Seeing that Smit is in the squad right now and is teh official squad captain who would you start Smit or Bismarck?
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