Stormers right to look abroad
10 May 2012
JON CARDINELLI says it’s ludicrous to suggest the recruitment of a foreign Test player is a slight on the Western Cape loose-forward contingent given what’s transpired over the last three months.
Seconds after Canadian international Jebb Sinclair was named on the Stormers bench, the Twittersphere was ablaze with indignation. A lot of people alleged that the recruitment of Sinclair sent the wrong message to younger players in the Western Cape’s junior ranks.
Others were even angrier, spewing vitriol at the Cape union for gross mismanagement. This group said it was little wonder younger players accepted offers from overseas clubs or competing Super Rugby franchises. The Stormers and WP, they argued, don’t give youngsters enough opportunities.
The timing of these allegations couldn’t have been worse. If one stops to consider the evidence, the allegations are actually quite absurd.
There have been times when the Stormers have got it wrong, as Francois Hougaard and Johann Sadie are but two promising Cape-reared players who defected to other franchises due to a lack of opportunities. It is because of these defections that there is a perception in South Africa that the Cape union is guilty of squandering its young talent.
On this occasion, however, to say the Stormers management is guilty of not backing their youth and structures couldn’t be further off the mark.
An eight-from-nine record in the 2012 Super Rugby competition could not have been achieved had the Stormers coaches not backed the younger players. The Stormers started the first game with two 20-year-olds, Steven Kitshoff and Eben Etzebeth, in the run-on team, as well as another two 20-year-olds in Siya Kolisi and Frans Malherbe, on the bench.
Over the course of 10 games, these youngsters have been granted ample opportunity and, in the case of Kolisi, have stepped into the starting side when a key player has been injured. Aside from Schalk Burger, the Stormers have also had to deal with further long-term injuries to Nick Koster and Duane Vermeulen. This has forced coach Allister Coetzee to hand Nizaam Carr his first Super Rugby cap.
That the Stormers won three from four on their recent tour to Australasia doesn’t mean that they are not in a precarious situation. They are just one injury away from a massive crisis, and are going into a phase of the competition where they will play four physical encounters in a row.
They need to keep winning to keep their hopes of topping the South African conference alive, and while Kolisi, Ryhardt Elstadt and Carr are set to start the majority if not all four of those games, they will need some quality in reserve.
This is the message Coetzee tried to convey on Monday. The Stormers had been working to bring Francois Louw back to Cape Town for the four-game stint. When it didn’t work out, they brought in Sinclair, a Canada international with 25 Tests to his name and a season with London Irish under the belt.
Because of injuries incurred earlier in the season, the Stormers have already been forced to promote Carr and Don Armand from the Vodacom Cup, and while the promotion has coincided with success Down Under, Coetzee is concerned that the next rung of young loose forwards are not equipped to cover the No 8 or blindside position at Super Rugby level.
Indignant fans should not be asking why the young players at WP are being neglected, because as seen through the blooding of Kolisi, Etzebeth, Kitshoff, Carr and Armand over the course of the current season, this clearly isn’t the case.
The question should rather be: Who the hell is Jebb Sinclair? And why out of all the possible recruits, has Coetzee brought in a player from far-flung Canada?
It didn’t come as a surprise to me when the request for Louw was turned down, and I’m sure there were a few other high profile players who would have come to Cape Town if not for their commitment to overseas clubs and national teams.
It’s a bad time to be sending out an SOS for an experienced loose forward. The Stormers have a gruelling schedule lined up for the next four weeks, and not many clubs are willing to risk key players before the start of the European season, or indeed four weeks before the June Test window opens.
The reasoning behind the recruitment of Sinclair is that he is a big strong player at 111kg and 1.93m, and will be able to play a powerful defensive and ball-carrying role. This is why players such as Nick Fenton-Wells and Rohan Kitshoff have been overlooked for Super Rugby promotion.
The Stormers are looking for players who have experience at Super Rugby or Premiership level and who can play No 7 and 8. Fenton-Wells may have been playing No 8 in the Vodacom Cup (which is not his preferred position), but Coetzee feels Fenton-Wells would not cope in that position in the far more demanding Super Rugby environment.
I don’t know if Sinclair will prove an inspired recruitment or not, but I agree with Coetzee’s argument that a strong and experienced player was needed to cover the existing loose trio combination of Kolisi, Elstadt and Carr.
The Stormers have already shown that they are committed to backing their youngsters, and that shouldn’t be in question. And at this stage of the competition they are also under pressure to maintain their winning momentum. Having a specialist in the position who also boasts experience at this level is only going to help their cause.
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56 Comments
10 May 2012, 05:21 am
Agreed, need to win first and then worry about blooding young Dragons
10 May 2012, 05:23 am
Need to worry about blooding young Dragons and then win.
10 May 2012, 05:26 am
Haha……… Okay
10 May 2012, 05:55 am
Abroad dragons. I saw Sinclair on tv last night. He doesn’t look 1.93m and 111kg. Also doesn’t look like he’s been hitting the gym. But I guess we’ll have to see once he hits the field, maybe saw him in the wrong perspective.
10 May 2012, 06:23 am
If go down that track
why not a provincial player from NZ????
10 May 2012, 06:40 am
well the keewees poach islanders all the time so this is nothing new.
how many islanders does it take to make up a all black team?
10 May 2012, 06:51 am
Jebb to have a belter and shut everyone up. I think it is a good idea to bring these guys from all over. In Canada they do not necessarily get the coaching the can get in SA, so perhaps he blossoms here and becomes a great player.
Has he been a starter for his Premiership team though? That is the one thing I’ve been wondering…
10 May 2012, 06:55 am
If this is going to be a two month stint at best, why not just draft Hilton Lobberts from Vodacom cup obscurity?
10 May 2012, 06:59 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-6:
From those who played in Wc winning team final 2011…. ahh four maybe …Nonu , Meleamu, SBW and Kaino……but Nonu was born in Wellington NZ, Kevin born in Tokoroa NZ, SBW born in Auckland NZ,Kaino came from American Samoa when seven.
10 May 2012, 08:12 am
@lepel(lepel)-7: I think he started about 10 games for London Irish this season and came off the bench a few times.
10 May 2012, 08:15 am
@Pot Blou Gevaar(Pot Blou Gevaar)-8:
Lobberts does not fit the profile of the type of player needed to replace a Vermeulen/Burger/Koster as he is better suited to play as an enforcer lock and does not posess the general ball skills and agility of the mentioned players.
10 May 2012, 08:23 am
so many people suddenly so concerned about all the stormers young guns…??
come out of the closet people…!!
it’s okay…
really..
we’re living in the 20-teens…!
10 May 2012, 08:29 am
This is why he’ll never be a Bok coach. No forward thinking and creativity.
10 May 2012, 08:43 am
No 7 is a key position and in this tournament most franchises have a TEST candidate – dont see any problem with searching elsewhere if you havent got the quality …. Develop at vodacom cup level not Super level too much at stake
10 May 2012, 08:43 am
i am quite concerned about starting with deon fourie…
his scrummaging and line-out work are both not what they should be…
one of the cheetahs strongest attributes is their front row… playing deon we have handed advantage to them… imo…
gonna make it even tougher for steven and brok…
should’ve started with tiaan and could always have subbed early… if things were going well…
deon is much better in the latter stages of the game when things loosen up more…
mistake by AC and Matt in my opinion…
now i’m even more nervous for this game…
10 May 2012, 08:57 am
Agree – I get so damn tired of the same old BS from supporters (plus every other man & his dog in SA) everytime a player leaves this union. WP can only contract X amount of players. Like any other union they want a mix of experience and youth and like any other union they have a budget to work with. Both Flo & Sadie’s decisions were money driven. Is Sadie a beter player than De Jong??? Should Sadie earn twice as much as DeJong??? I don’t think so!
10 May 2012, 08:57 am
@Robzim(Robzim)-11:
I recall him starting his career @ blindside 7, before converting to no.4 lock.
Agree though – AC had a specific type player in mind it seems like.
10 May 2012, 09:07 am
@predawn. Forward thinking? The current Bok coach is looking at players who have retired. Stormers have blooded plenty of young future Boks in the forwards this year. Maybe you’d like to see him recruit Andy Goode or Marius Joubert.
10 May 2012, 09:10 am
UFO. Tiasn needs a rest and the Cheetahs are likely to try and play an open game. From also offers a good fetching option. Agreed his throwing and scrummaging are not great though.
10 May 2012, 09:13 am
From = Fourie in phone text language.
10 May 2012, 09:28 am
This is ridiculous! Province would not have picked Gagiano if he still played in the cape, but he is an international test player now with USA. Is he now good enough to play for the Stormers.
To say if a guy has played test rugby he is good enough is not a good enough reason. Some of the Pampas players have played test rugby, but they are probably worse than WP Vodacom Cup team in most positions.
10 May 2012, 09:33 am
I thought the Stormers are well stocked in-house with the likes of Kolisi, Carr and Lobbert?
They always have surplus to export, think Watson,Pieter and Fran Louw, Melk, JvN, Robbie Diack to name just few.
10 May 2012, 09:39 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-19:
yeah bud, i know he does… as does young kitshoff…
but i really rate the cheetahs front row… and as they say… it all starts upfront… i just hope this doesn’t put us on the back foot…
would rather start tiaan… see how it goes… better to take him off early to rest… than to take deon off early if things don’t go well…
but of course i’ll still back him all the way…. i hope he has a really strong game… and shows me my concerns are unjustified…
10 May 2012, 09:46 am
Here is WP team for Vodacom semi-final against Pumas. Is Schalf Ferreira now WP/Stormers 2nd best loose head? So I assume he is better than Deon Carstens? What has happened to Wicus Blaauw, is he injured?
Why is Scarra not recerve hooker – he is not used by Stormers on Saturday.
15. Kurt Coleman
14. Danie Poolman
13. JP du Plessis
12. Berton Klaasen
11. Ederies Arendse v 10. Demetri Catrakilis
9. Nic Groom (VC)
8. Nick Fenton-Wells (C)
7. Don Armand
6. Rohan Kitshoff
5. Quinn Roux
4. Hilton Lobberts
3. Tom Botha
2. Sidney Tobias
1. Schalk Ferreira
RESERVES:
16. Rob Herring
17. Deon Carstens
18. Wilhelm van der Sluys
19. Tyrone Holmes
20. Rick Schroeder
21. Marcel Brache
22. Michael van der Spuy
Kick-Off: 16h15
Referee: Rasta Rashivenga
10 May 2012, 10:00 am
@Jonck(Jonck)-24:
was going to ask you what time… but you’ve covered everything… cool…
will be there
thanks…
10 May 2012, 10:02 am
@ufo(ufo)-23:
I also have reservations about Deon Fourie starting against much vaunted Cheetahs front row,but If things do go wrong Teabag bound to come on and make a big impact,especially against his little bro’
10 May 2012, 10:10 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-13: I agree….but not holding my breath!
10 May 2012, 10:18 am
@skyewalker(skyewalker)-26:
yeah… well let’s hope for the best…
10 May 2012, 10:19 am
“Referee: Rasta Rashivenga”
Is this game televised?
10 May 2012, 10:22 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-29:
Rasta is an awesome ref,hopefully the occasion does not intimidate him but he is pure proffessional.
10 May 2012, 10:23 am
I believe he’s quite good.
10 May 2012, 10:23 am
@Horings(Horings)-21: Gagiano was training with the Lions a month or so ago, not sure if they eventually gave him a contract or not.
Lions target Gagiano
15 Mar 2012
The Lions are looking to recruit JJ Gagiano for the rest of the Super Rugby season.
The loose forward first caught the eye for UCT in the Varsity Cup and later represented USA at the 2011 World Cup, qualifying through his mother’s origin.
Beeld reports he joined the Lions on a trial basis last week and has impressed enough to earn a season-long stay. The Lions say that Gagiano has not yet been signed and that they are still negotiating the player’s release from his current club.
Ruben Moggee, the Golden Lions Rugby Union’s CEO, said: ‘It was needed, given the duration of Super Rugby. We’ve already witnessed how big a role injuries play. JJ is a physical player and counts among two or three that really stood out for America in the World Cup.’
10 May 2012, 10:23 am
Rasta the Ref? seriously? i see another Pro legota hapening ! okay ref @ varsity cup level – still needs alot more experience … oh well, you’ll hear it on Sunday morning
10 May 2012, 10:23 am
@skyewalker(skyewalker)-30:
Vodacom cup doesn’t really intimidate anyone.
10 May 2012, 10:26 am
rasta is an excellent ref…
look out for him…!!
10 May 2012, 10:27 am
@grant10(grant100)-33:
Shut up
10 May 2012, 10:27 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-34: I guess .
10 May 2012, 10:29 am
@grant10(grant100)-33: Pro just takes everything too seriously,Rasta is not so intense,makes for an open game of rugby.
10 May 2012, 10:33 am
Fully agree JC, Allistair showed last year already that he is heavily in favour of brooding in youth when he played guys like Kolissi and co in the CC at the expense of wining , he basically sacrificed the CC to an extent to get an idea of the future of WP rugby as well as exposing these youngsters.
Couple of things , first off – WP cannot sign every player , just not possible , we will always lose quality players. Sadie left becos ahead of him at the time was 3 Bok centres and all 3 current boks as well. He was offered more money and there was really no way that WP could afford to pay 4 centres that amount of money. I was more upset of Whitehead and so far my concern was justified. Every Union needs at least one strong player with a good backup , Whitehead was for me that cover. Not bok material but dam good at Super level.
Now back to the loosies , we lost our whole first choice trio guys , at super rugby level you dont experiment , you do that at CC level. Its absurd to expect that the Stormers region have 4 super level 8th men and even if we do another youngster with potential he would seriously lack exposure in a team already short of experience.
Allistair is 100% correct in getting the balance right , I am not sure if anyone can comment on who that player should have been because we don’t know who was contacted and who was unavailable. As a matter of fact it looks like Allistair did very well to at least get a solid player.
I know there are politics but the one thing that bothers me is how come Luke Watson was not considered ? He is heavily favoured in the Cape ? Talking about the Cape its interesting to note that the majority of the people against the recruitment of Sinclair are the so called “Cape Crusaders” , I wonder what they would have said if a New Zealander was brought in ? Probably the thing what they said when WP played Chris Jack a few seasons ago and that was Jack Shite !!
10 May 2012, 10:38 am
based on what? 2 varsity cup and 7′s games? he simply makes 2 many mistakes. You’ll see come Saturday! he does alot of guessing – talking alot in a decent accent doesn’t make you a good ref
10 May 2012, 10:41 am
@grant10(grant100)-40:
Give him a chance man,he has all the right attributes and will soon step up.
10 May 2012, 10:53 am
@grant10(grant100)-40: Yes he makes mistakes but tell which ref doesn’t ? Walsh and brycie get more wrong than they get right. In fact I even rate pro better than those two IMO.
10 May 2012, 10:56 am
@SteveWarren(SteveWarren)-42:
Yeah,those two have no more excuses,but week after week, wtf?
10 May 2012, 11:14 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-32: So he does not even make the Lions team, although he is a player with test match experience. There must be someone in this country, not playing super rugby, that is better than a Canadian no name TEST match player. They should have looked at Okkie Kruger before the Sevens snapped him up.
10 May 2012, 11:15 am
@SteveWarren(SteveWarren)-42: And Jonker.
10 May 2012, 11:19 am
@Horings(Horings)-45: a true plonker!
10 May 2012, 11:48 am
JC
There are a lot of red herrings in the fishing net here, but more about that later.
You mentioned that Sinclair will add experience and a ball carrying ability to the team. I will now consider the relevance of that by making three points.
First point: There is a difference between “experience” and “experience”, or alternatively put, there are two kinds of experience. Sinclair might be an experienced player in terms of test rugby, but how experienced is he in terms of the WP / Stormers structures on defense or offense? Or in terms of playing rugby on the faster fields of the southern Hemisphere?
In fact, one can put down an argument that he is very inexperienced where it counts.
Second point: This season has proved again that your most effective ball carrying players in terms of meters gained and ball retention are the shorter opensiders, who protect the ball a lot better in contact than the taller players who are more upright in collisions.
Third point, related to the second: If the Stormers were looking for a strong, ball carrying player, why was Francois Louw the first choice?
10 May 2012, 12:57 pm
Hilton Lobberts must be helluva annoyed.
He’s playing great in the vc, and has the lineout experience which AC was going for. I’d really like to know why he wasn’t considered.
10 May 2012, 12:57 pm
People use Sadie as some example of how WP dropped the ball.
But consider this:
If J Fourie was honest with the WPRU then Sadie would have most likely staid with WP, as he would have gotten a chance to play, but at the time WP had three springbok centres. Also Sadie is the most overated player since Gaffie Du Toit, the guy has shown nothing to justify this amount of hype.
It’s a case of Meyer saying he is talented and the truth, which is he is decidedly average.
I am more irritated that we gave away JJ Engelbrecht, that guy is the real deal, alos how we lost Hougard (F), is a big buggerup.
10 May 2012, 13:14 pm
@grant10(grant100)-40:
Only names are changing, in essence it’s the same: Rasta Rashivenga, Legota, Japta or Christier Du Preez
@skyewalker(skyewalker)-41:
When they get that ‘chance’ it comes at the expencese of a competent, up and coming young refree with a potential, bear it in mind
10 May 2012, 14:19 pm
@BreakdownBoy(goodstuff)-49: Sadie is a good player.
He is just struggling outside a 12 that attacks the advantage line with his outside shoulder. Olivier prefers playing with a 13 that cuts inside him in scissor fashion, which JJ does so well.
Sadie performs better next to a straight running 12 or a passing 12, such as Francois Venter.
Ludeke is spot-on with his combinations.
10 May 2012, 14:26 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-50:
“When they get that ‘chance’ it comes at the expencese of a competent, up and coming young refree with a potential, bear it in mind”
OK, we all know that the above is Hondo-speak for a “white” up and coming referee. Now, to prove to us who these young white referee/s is/are, perhaps you should name them and allow people to form an opinion about WHO is the better ref at this stage of their career.
Rasta or “the competent, up and coming young referee with potential.”
At least it is not Ratsa Dumisane. If he refs the way he sings, there’d only be one outcome.
10 May 2012, 14:30 pm
@Stormtrooper(Stormtrooper)-16: I totally agree. Why everyone is shouting Sadie Sadie Sadie I don’t know. He may have talent but he is only showing at a very very slow rate.
10 May 2012, 16:25 pm
Totally disagree with you Jon. I am not someone who always says WP waste their talent, but in this case, they shouldve gone to someone like Piter Louw (recently discarded by Stormers).
He did the same excellent stand-in job for Schalk in 2010 or 2011. He is perhaps more of a “fetcher” but he has the experience of S15 and proven himself to excel at that level.
Let’s be honest – being a Canadian international doesnt mean very much with the level they play at.
2ndy he has been playing in the grey, cold mud of England. Even Schalk Brits looked a tiny bit off the pace when he helped the Stormers out last year. And he runs around like a winger that sniffed gunpowder in the UK!
This Jeb oke is gonna come in, not knowing the structures, defensive patterns etc. and then get blown away by the speed of a S15 game.
If it was an International like Dusatoir then I would say no problem
But how good is a Canadian flanker playing for London Irish?
Now I do hope I have to eat my words, but there are too many instances of players looking like Supermen in the UK and struggling back in SA…
10 May 2012, 18:08 pm
Gee whatever happened to the social side of rugby, the beauty of playing with people from all walks of life. All the worthy/rated looses have been given a chance to playing or are injured playing. Nothing wrong with given a guy from a minnow country some experience in Super Rugby for a couple of weeks. It is hardly going to impact the national team but will help build relations with other rugby playing nations.
10 May 2012, 18:09 pm
Okay should have read before posting, no use correcting as there are too many mistakes.!
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