Meyer’s a man with a plan
23 Dec 2011
RYAN VREDE, writing in SA Rugby magazine, finds out how Heyneke Meyer aims to make the Bulls the world’s best domestic side again.
The Bulls’ dynasty is over. For now.
An era of unprecedented success – a nine-year period where they won six Currie Cup titles in eight attempts (one shared) and three Super Rugby crowns – now gives way to a time of rebuilding.
This is primarily (although not exclusively) due to the crippling effect of departures, mostly of senior players. In a mass exodus, one that includes the loss of eight Springboks and a handful of extremely competent squad players who ensured strength in depth, the Bulls were significantly compromised. It is the experience of the departed they will miss the most. With Victor Matfield, Gary Botha, Fourie du Preez, Danie Rossouw, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Bakkies Botha retiring or seeking fresh challenges in Europe and Japan, they have lost 581 Super Rugby caps in addition to a wealth of Test experience (the sextet are all World Cup winners). Their absence will be felt most deeply in high-pressure situations.
In the likes of Matfield and Botha, 34 and 32 years old respectively, they had a second-row duo whose powers were patently waning. Still, even in the twilight of their careers they were among the best in their positions in world rugby.
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Then there are those who still had much to offer, like Fourie du Preez (29), Steenkamp (30) and Rossouw, who despite being 32 has in recent years been a consistently good performer. Furthermore his positional versatility (he is able to cover lock, flank and No 8 with similarly high degrees of competence) is a rare and invaluable asset in a squad.
Following shoulder surgery in mid-2011, Du Preez struggled to impose his will on the opposition as readily as he had when at his best. Yet it is likely that he would have rediscovered the skill and tactical sharpness that for years marked him as the pre-eminent scrumhalf on the planet. But sushi will take precedence over prime steak at supper time, Du Preez opting to continue his career with the Suntory Sungoliath in Japan. He, above all others, is the loss the Bulls will lament most deeply, even though they have a prodigiously gifted successor in Francois Hougaard. In addition, from a leadership and tactical perspective, his and Matfield’s exit compounds their pain, as the twosome were heavily involved in the formulation and effective implementation of game plans. It is imperative that the players quickly progress beyond the psychological comfort Matfield and Du Preez elicited.
Certainly the Bulls’ position cannot be likened to the one they found themselves in in 2002, when the union was in turmoil and their ambition was being undermined by mediocrity on and off the field of play. Rectifying those flaws and steering the Bulls towards the success they subsequently achieved required a dramatic overhaul, primarily with regard to the playing structures, recruitment processes and culture. It is an area the Bulls’ director of rugby Heyneke Meyer, who is tasked with spearheading their drive into a new era of success, has put an intense focus on.
‘When I took over [as Bulls coach] in 2002 I was criticised for cutting 12 Springboks from our squad because I felt they didn’t fit into the team culture I wanted to foster,’ Meyer says. ‘This happened again recently, where some players had to go and be replaced by youngsters willing to embrace the culture I envisage – one of an unmatched work ethic and team above the individual. I felt that had gone away since I was last involved at the Bulls [Meyer was appointed to his current role after last coaching the Bulls to the Super 14 title in 2007]. That is something I’m ruthless about. Some of the players who were not granted contract extensions had gotten bigger than the union and I wouldn’t have that.’
Their recruiting has been purposeful and designed to ensure that there are successors of a high calibre when senior players succumb to the lure of foreign leagues, retire or endure torrid form. Hougaard is a prime example. It is a quality that will ensure they aren’t blown away in the holding years that lie before them, and the one that should make them title contenders in due course.
Recently some positional holes have been filled this way, the most notable being through the acquisition of the highly-rated midfielder Johann Sadie from Western Province. How Sadie responds in a new environment will be telling to the Bulls’ cause and his aptitude for Super Rugby will be tested in a way it never was as a bit-part player for the Cape union. It is certain that he will grow technically under the tutelage of the coaching staff, but the measure of the man will be how he negotiates the mental challenges that will mark his journey.
The famed Bulls’ junior structures will further supplement losses. The likes of centre Francois Venter and loose forward Arno Botha are treasured at the union and are seen as future Springboks. They will be blooded slowly but purposefully, with the intention of not compromising their ability to realise their immense potential.
Luck, science, timing and instinct combined in equal measure in uncovering Matfield, Du Preez, Botha and Bryan Habana and to a lesser degree Morné Steyn, Wynand Olivier and Pierre Spies. The plan is to have those characteristics conspire again to unveil an equally potent generation and in so doing lay the foundation for another era of dominance. That said, Meyer has little time for talk of hope in this regard.
‘We can’t hope that the players we have brought in and will bring in will succeed. We have to have some degree of certainty. I’ve been trying to improve our ability to achieve this by travelling to the USA to meet with top gridiron scouts and see what methods they have of identifying players who’ll make the cut. Obviously technical ability still ranks highest as a criterion, but there is also a huge emphasis on mental toughness. There are tests designed to measure that trait in a young player that I want to adapt for our purposes.
‘I also visited the US Military Academy at West Point [the world’s leading military university] where I interviewed soldiers and leaders who have been on the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan to see how they deal with the huge mental pressure associated with being in battle situations. It’s mental toughness that will win you the close games and that’s what I want to define my players.’
Bulls high-performance manager Ian Schwartz has worked closely with Meyer and the coaching staff on the recruitment of players for the bulk of his 11 years at the union, brokering the deals that have brought some of the country’s best talents (established and schoolboy) to Pretoria and indeed negotiated the retention of the region’s best young talent. He is optimistic about the future.
‘Firstly, when we recruit players for our Super Rugby squad from other unions we do so only if we believe they have the capacity to become Springboks,’ he says. ‘Johann Sadie and [former WP wing] JJ Engelbrecht are prime examples of that criteria. It has worked for us in the past if you look at Zane Kirchner, Bjorn Basson, Flip van der Merwe and others. It is important that players who come here have Test potential because that ensures we compete at a high level and don’t fall away like we would have in a situation like we just went through with so many senior players leaving.
‘We also believe we sign the best schoolboy talent every year. We look for four primary criteria when signing a schoolboy – he must have exceptional talent, that is, an ability that surpasses his piers in his position, and be big, strong and quick. The fifth criteria can only be established once the player is with us – mental toughness.
‘Some of those types of signings are coming through now. They may not be ready for Super Rugby just yet, but the fact that our U19 and U21 sides made the finals of their domestic competitions [the U21s won] indicates there is a wealth of talent at our disposal. Not all of those players will contest for Super Rugby places, but we only need three or four outstanding ones and we’re in a position of strength. Arno Botha and Francois Venter are the first of those to come through of the new crop. There will be others in the near future.’
Meyer adds that they have to resist the temptation to speak longingly of the past.
‘People said there would never be another Joost [van der Westhuizen] and then Fourie came along. I hear people saying similar things about Victor now. I don’t believe that.
‘It is our goal to continue to deliver players of that calibre consistently. With all due respect to the greats who have moved on, I’ve already seen things in some of our young players here that surpass what they had at a similar age. I’m excited by players like Francois, Arno and [flank] Jean Cook. There are others with the ability to go all the way.’
One of the challenges will be to ensure that the core group of players identified to take the team back to the summit of the southern hemisphere and recapture national dominance are retained in the rebuilding phase.
Meyer sold Matfield, Du Preez and co on his vision in the early 2000s and that vision was enticing enough for those players to resist the advances of local rivals and big-spending foreign outfits. Meyer has again cast that vision and he and Schwartz will endeavour to secure the short-term futures of the likes of Hougaard, Sadie, Venter, Botha, Morné Steyn and Pierre Spies in the face of what is sure to be stern competition for their services in the coming years.
‘The players, coaches and management are fully aware of what we’re looking to achieve here. We want to be the best domestic team in world rugby again. We don’t want to be reflecting on the success of past teams. We aim to create new memories across all our sides, not just the Super Rugby and Currie Cup ones. That is the vision, but the outworking will be difficult as we need to evolve. The leading franchises are all on a similar level in terms of their professionalism, so you aren’t going to gain an edge by having a better game plan, for example. That edge will come in the players knowing exactly why they’re doing what they’re doing, the culture I spoke about already and improving our structures by first identifying the best people for those structures, then improving the people within those structures.’
So what are realistic expectations and acceptable standards, given where they stand at present?
‘Look, not qualifying for the Currie Cup semi-finals wasn’t acceptable, even though we fielded a young side with a view to getting some of them ready for Super Rugby,’ Meyer says. ‘We will never tolerate mediocrity and there’s enough talent in our group to ensure that we are very competitive. But even though I have a clear idea in my mind about the time frame I expect to see results in, I never share that with players and coaches. That limits their thinking. For example, when I first started coaching the senior side, I expected to win the Currie Cup in year three of my plan. We won it in year two. I guarantee you that if I’d told my players and coaches that plan they wouldn’t have been as urgent as they were. That said, in a results-driven game you don’t have a lot of breathing space. We have to get it right as quickly as possible and I believe it won’t be long before we start achieving our goals.’
– This article first appeared in the December issue of SA Rugby magazine.
110 Comments
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23 Dec 2011, 10:23 am
Pissant @ 33
I agree with you about that statement/philosophy…
He does however have his work cut out for him WRT sadie and cronje… sadie wanting a guaranteed start at WP over established internationals has been proven to put his own interests above the team ethic… and cronje is reported to have never been a team guy at WP and never fitted in as one of the group while he was there…
so hopefully meyer’s no nonsense approach will sort them out…
I believe the bulls will challenge for a semi spot and would not be surprised if they are the SA conference winners…
Meyer is widely considered the best coach/rugby brain in south africa and being back on home turf in pretoria I expect him to pull out all the stops and instill his team philosophy and keep the buls in the top flight and prove to saru that he should have been their automatic choice for Bok coach in 2007 and now… he’ll ensure that next time it’s not even a debate… and they will offer him the Bok job…
as rassie is the brains behind WP heyneke is bulls brain… and no surprise their ‘decline’ occurred while he was otherwise occupied…
Lions don’t have the depth… Cheetahs neither… Sharks in disarray even with bissy starting every game won’t guarantee wins despite what fans say… WP too many off-field issues and a complacent player culture that takes their foot off the pedal too soon every time …
so bulls to win SA conference… even if they finish mid-table… SA teams to prop up the table…
23 Dec 2011, 10:23 am
@PissAnt-43:
What happened to “I want to play flyhalf” a couple of years ago?
23 Dec 2011, 10:24 am
The Gautengaleng Lions had their 15 minutes of fame and now the fairytale has ended with their BEE financier going belly up. All too predictable in Gangsters Paradise….here today and gone tomorrow.
The Bulls made the perfect decision to get back their coach. The Sharks have their work cut out for them again to beat what will be a Bulls resurgance.
Cheetahs and Stormers will be a little competitive but as with the mangey Lions, they’ll be expected to bring up the rear again.
23 Dec 2011, 10:28 am
@Groot Wit Haai-53: you will be glad to learn that the Lions new financiers are white broederbond 100% … just the way you like it, no black anywhere.
23 Dec 2011, 10:31 am
You guys will be seeing a black hole where you will exit at the business end of the Super Series.
23 Dec 2011, 10:33 am
@PissAnt-43:
Farming is a good way of making a small fortune out of a large one.
He needs to play for a union that won’t pay him in agrimart vouchers.
23 Dec 2011, 10:36 am
@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011-40:
hehehe
loving the tough talk… loving it…
will follow the mighty lions with much interest next season…
23 Dec 2011, 10:40 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-56: Yeah he should play for us. We can pay him in the Dop System.
23 Dec 2011, 10:41 am
@Groot Wit Haai-55:
lmfao
23 Dec 2011, 10:41 am
Bulls (and Sharks) success in 2007 was down to Louden (and Campese) more than Meyer (and Muir) who may have been the one to put some structure in place but Louden got them to play avant guard winning rugby, same with Campese at Sharks, which brought through to Boks success in 2007 also along with E. Jones. So bottom line it was Australian thinking which directly (and indirectly) led to Bulls and SA domination of rugby through 2007 – 2009 after which it all went balls to the wall flat again after that due to no new innovation like thinking being brought through from wide awake lateral type thinking as per Louden Campese and Jones. This time around Meyer will have to rely on his own innovation and not that of the Australians.
23 Dec 2011, 10:45 am
@stormersboy-58:
That’s if there is any dop left.
Extraball has been here for a while now.
23 Dec 2011, 10:49 am
@Sasuke-47:
Not with JDV there
23 Dec 2011, 10:49 am
@Sasuke-47:
Not with JDV there
23 Dec 2011, 10:50 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-61: True…….
Coke seem a little low on stocks too.
Katembas R ET.
23 Dec 2011, 10:50 am
@WP Till I Die-52:
No idea.
23 Dec 2011, 10:51 am
@the artist formerly known as gunther-61:
No wonder there is a fuel shortage in Johannesburg.
23 Dec 2011, 10:51 am
@60 two things: although louden did play a big role, to say the success was down to Louden more than Meyer is wishful thinking to say the least. Secondly, what stops Meyer from getting an Aussie again?
23 Dec 2011, 10:52 am
@stormersboy-64:
Apparently the market for 25-year-old Pinotage has really exploded in the last few weeks.
23 Dec 2011, 10:54 am
@Upho-51:
I heard Meyer once mention he contracts personalities, not players…
Which makes the Lionel signing all the more interesting. Perhaps it is the culture at the Bulls which is different to that of CPT that he can relate to.
23 Dec 2011, 10:56 am
@ashampoopaloo-60:
look, heyneke meyer hired louden.
heyneke will hire all the specialists he deems necessary.
the boks fell off as much because of a lack of coaching leadership from divvy as from everything else.
23 Dec 2011, 10:56 am
@WP Till I Die-68: hahahaha Yes. Must be stocking up.
23 Dec 2011, 10:56 am
Cronje is kakkas kakkerig Gaffie du Toil reincarnated, Bulls can have him with cherries on top.. Sadie is great prospect but fitted the Stormers rugby style better and his agent jumped the gun imo and he may not be as devastation laden loss as WP might have initially considered though a defined loss nevertheless he surely is. The worst loss of the trio imo is Engelbrecht who for me is far better rounded devastating wing than Hekkies his trade in. However Meyer is building a new young dynasty around his new recruits like Arno Botha, Hougaard, Venter, Sadie, Engelbrecht etc only problem is he chose wrong man for captaincy should be Botha way ahead of software hearted Spies.
23 Dec 2011, 10:59 am
Pissant @ 69
yeah does seem strange… But I reckon you’re right there and they may be more at home at loftus
23 Dec 2011, 11:17 am
@stormersboy-71:
I just hope for everyone’s sake somebody has warned Extraball not to swim in False Bay at the moment.
And by “for everyone’s sake”, I include the sharks.
23 Dec 2011, 11:47 am
@WP Till I Die-74:
Lolapalooza.
They will spit the rancid kont right out.
23 Dec 2011, 11:51 am
Like a corked pinotage.
23 Dec 2011, 11:54 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-70:
Great post.
It’s impossible to coach and keep up with how the game evolves from season to season.
A large part of being a good coach/DoR is hiring the right personnel.
23 Dec 2011, 13:07 pm
@Jeraldjay-77:
yes, and in this respect i believe heyneke wil prove to be pretty much on top of things / trends. the bulls wont fail (if they do) at going back on top as one of the best provincial/domestic/club/international sides because of lack of effort on their but because of greater efforts on any competitiors part.
the real unfortunate thing here is that heyneke meyer is not instead guiding the springboks back to glory as apposed to the bulls.
he could split his time between them perhpas as i think ludeke is given a lot less credit than he deserves.
23 Dec 2011, 13:13 pm
lack of effort on their = lack of effort on their part
apposed = opposed
23 Dec 2011, 13:17 pm
Okay folks I am off, have a nice Christmas!
23 Dec 2011, 14:05 pm
@PissAnt-80:
Be good …. and come back back next year showing Keo and his clowns how to be a proper rugby journalist
23 Dec 2011, 14:52 pm
Heyneke puts a lot of thought into what he does including canvassing opinions away from rugby itself. And he places tremendous importance on mental toughness. That message comes through all the time.
The good folk down at the Stormers/WP set-up can learn a lot from this sort of approach.
23 Dec 2011, 15:41 pm
Stormers have lost 2 world class players in F Louw and JF……add to that the loss of the youngsters and I reckon we will be off the pace in 2012…..also dont have a clear cut 10….Grant messing about in Japan as well will have a detrimental effect on preparations….
Lions may have some depth issues….but I feel they will hold there own when thry get their best 22 on the squad…..I cant wait to see Taute and Elton build on there 2011 form….Mitchell will have these guys superfit and primed….
Bulls? Will take at least a year to get their acts together ……
Sharks? No out and out fetcher…..Locks seem a bit light and centres remain a weak point……
Cheetahs….will be a handfull when they at full strength, also some concerns about quality depth ,
I reckon the SA sides end as follows
Stormers
Lions
cheetahs
bulls
bulls
sharks….
23 Dec 2011, 16:32 pm
@grant10-83:
My prediction for 2012 (and I am usually right) :
Stormers
Bulls
Sharks
Cheetahs
Lions
When in doubt, always go for the true blue blood teams namely the Stormers or Bulls-the rest are just pretenders and will always be.
23 Dec 2011, 17:23 pm
@Robzim-84: @Robzim-84: shame, every year, year after year you predict glory for your glory boy brokebacks … only for reality to sink in and for you to sink into boxes … of cheap Cape box wine, or whine which ever you prefer.
23 Dec 2011, 17:57 pm
@Robzim-84: Within a super rugby context the Stormers are pretenders
Only the Bulls and Sharks have had legitimate chances at winning the trophy, and only the bulls managed to pull it off. Unless you count the super10 which the Lions won!
The 2010 final (even though reasonably close score wise) the Stormers were outplayed and had no chance.
Didn’t expect you to be trolling?
23 Dec 2011, 18:50 pm
Lions
Stormers
Bulls
Sharks
Cheetahs
23 Dec 2011, 19:11 pm
Did someone mention fuel shortage.
Ugh.
23 Dec 2011, 20:17 pm
@Robzim-84: Truth Brother!
Can’t beat the pedigree.
23 Dec 2011, 20:28 pm
@Dawn-88: Not in Cape Town thankfully/……
You’re making sure of that, aren’t you??
23 Dec 2011, 20:43 pm
The teams are so even this year its incredibly hard to pick. I cant help but feel optimistic for the Lions – but CC form does not always guarantee Super form. So…
Lions
Bulls
Stormers
Sharks
Cheetahs
23 Dec 2011, 21:14 pm
@stormersboy
Trying!
Watchin scent of a woman. Hooha.
What a movie.
23 Dec 2011, 21:19 pm
Waiting for that final epic speech!
23 Dec 2011, 21:26 pm
……”Out of order, I show you out of order. You don’t know what out of order is, Mr. Trask. I’d show you, but I’m too old, I’m too tired, I’m too ******’ blind. If I were the man I was five years ago, I’d take a FLAMETHROWER to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you’re talkin’ to? I’ve been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn’t nothin’ like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you’re merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are… executin’ his soul! And why? Because he’s not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you’re gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, **** YOU TOO!”"”"
There you go Dawnie!
23 Dec 2011, 21:34 pm
Oh my hat I wish I had all pacino’s movie speeches somewhere.
He is epic!
23 Dec 2011, 21:40 pm
@stormersboy-94: Yes he’s intense. i remember his speech in Heat, which is one of my favourite movies of all time.
Classic stuff.
23 Dec 2011, 21:42 pm
Have heat on dvd. De niro and pacino. Face off!
23 Dec 2011, 21:42 pm
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: [Lt. Col. Frank Slade is speaking in defense of Charlie Simms at meeting at the Baird School] Now I have come to the cross-roads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard. Now here’s Charlie. He’s come to the cross-roads. He has chosen a path. It’s the right path. It’s a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.
23 Dec 2011, 21:44 pm
All teary I am.
23 Dec 2011, 21:55 pm
@stormersboy-96:
@Dawn-95:
are you friggin kidding me!..?…
I don’t know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either we heal as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we’re finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the **** kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.
Now I can’t do it for you.
I’m too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh….
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.
You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That’s, that’s part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don’t quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don’t quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in every break of the game
every minute, every second.
On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that’s going to make the ******* difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.
I’ll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.
Now I can’t make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.
That’s a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That’s football guys.
That’s all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?
love that movie…love it…
i could just start moering oke’s, guy’s, dude’s…whatever…left right and center after a speech like that.
i would ffuck my big boet up after a speech like that.
i would ffck anybody up after a speech like that.
love al pacino, love him…
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