Strauss lauds Goosen’s mettle
27 Sep 2012
Adriaan Strauss says Johan Goosen appears never to feel pressure and says this quality has accounted for his staggering rise.
Two years ago Goosen was still a schoolboy player. A prodigiously gifted one, admittedly, but a schoolboy nonetheless. However, his showings for the Cheetahs in his post-scholastic days hinted at a special player, one that caught the eye of Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
Meyer has a strict criteria by which he measures players’ technical aptitude, but also places a high premium on their psychological constitution, believing it to be the thing that separates the good players from the great ones. In private conversations he has waxed lyrical about both these qualities in Goosen, although he is hesitant to speak too often about the 20-year-old publicly for fear of fueling the ever-growing hype.
Strauss, however, offered his opinion liberally. Having captained Goosen at the Cheetahs, he is well placed to do so.
‘He’ll be a little nervous initially but nerves won’t get the better of him,’ Strauss began when asked about Goosen’s first run-on start against Australia on Saturday. ‘I’ve said it to him before, he is the player who in my experience handles pressure the best. It’s as if he doesn’t feel it. Even including his technical skills, it’s his best attribute and under pressure you see the best of him.’
Goosen’s temperament will be sternly examined in the next fortnight. It is one thing to come off the wood for cameo appearances with relatively little expectation, but another entirely to carry the responsibility of steering the ship against the world’s two best sides. This against the backdrop of the team’s poor Rugby Championship campaign and a demand for victory. Not to mention the South African public’s poisonous obsession with finding a flyhalf of near superhuman capacity.
Yet I sense Goosen will emerge having grown in the estimation of South Africa’s rugby fraternity, with his mettle at the heart of his success.
I interviewed him for the upcoming edition of SA Rugby magazine in Bloemfontein last week and was struck by his responses to some of my questions. Emotions at his first anthem? Not much. Reaction from his parents upon news of his first selection? He forgot to call them. Approach to Test rugby? He just wanted to ‘jol’.
‘I didn’t really feel any more pressure than I ever have in, say, a school game,’ Goosen said, reflecting on his debut against Australia and subsequent fronting of the All Blacks.
Again, Goosen’s youthful spirit may be eroded by the appreciable on and off-field pressure that accompanies being the Springboks’ flyhalf. Here’s hoping it isn’t.
By Ryan Vrede, in Johannesburg
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25 Comments
27 Sep 2012, 07:41 am
Albino dragons?!
27 Sep 2012, 07:48 am
i only hope he gets his options right under pressure.
he made a few poor decisions the worst of which was kicking the ball away with a minute or two left on the clock.
i dont expect the boks to win anymore, in fact i expect the opposite, but fingers crossed all the same.
27 Sep 2012, 07:55 am
Time to make the no 10 yours for a long time to come .
We havent had a complete FH in years . Now to get a world class fullback selected
27 Sep 2012, 07:59 am
Looks the closest to a Carter-clone of any Nr10 out there.
Needs to work on his defence though as he will be targeted (like Nonu did) from the outset. Here he could learn a thing or two from Wilkinson who made defence one of his strengths.
The last player we had with Goosen’s array of skills was probably Naas. Fast, able to send the backs away and a great goal and tactical kicker.
Even if he reaches only halve of his potential, the Boks will be a different kettle of fish going forward.
27 Sep 2012, 08:03 am
Jaja Strauss – but remember you are still a filtyBasterd.
27 Sep 2012, 08:09 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-2: Bakkies are you still upset about Morne’s axing.
27 Sep 2012, 08:20 am
@RL-6:
He had a breakdown yesterday
Whatyoutalkingabout
27 Sep 2012, 08:21 am
Bakkies and Pops have more in common than they care to admit
Both high on the breakdown stakes
27 Sep 2012, 08:23 am
I foresee a nic change
“I love you Morne Steyn”
27 Sep 2012, 08:25 am
Boks should embrace this new Goosen / Jantjes era…..
It means a far more direct ,ball in hand approach.
Not in these 2 10 s DNA to skop en jag….
My concerns are at 9 and 13….we fast moving in right direction though. I must say I am pleasantly surprised that Heyneke has shown a willingness to make these far reaching decisions…..well done Coach.
PS…..He also said he rates Brussow highly and as soon as Brussows injury problems are behind him and his form returns he will be strongly back in the selection frame…
27 Sep 2012, 08:41 am
@RL-6:
ag look i dont know what to feel about all this, rl.
it was never about morne, it was about my desire to see the boks winning at home.
i trully believed we would all our games this year, with meyer.
and then i decided to believe we would win everything at home, but now i cant even be sure of that.
i am looking to next year, and if the boks do not go unbeaten then i will be writing letters to all those responsible, and it will not be kind words.
this year is gone, kaput.
27 Sep 2012, 08:42 am
@Dawn-7:
its terrible what’s happening to the boks, dawn
terrible
27 Sep 2012, 08:46 am
@Dawn-8:
the difference between pops and i is that i have always spoken truthfully about the facts of things as they are.
pops has a problem with honesty.
@Dawn-9:
no, none of that.
i do feel for him and hope he bounces back but i am more concerned for the team right now.
we are on the edge of an abyss
27 Sep 2012, 08:51 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-13:
Blah
Admit you had a breakdown yesterday
27 Sep 2012, 09:08 am
I take my hat off to HM – He has accepted he made a mistake with M Steyn, to play him for so many games. I am confident the Boks are on the up, and with the team we have at the moment and with HM – The Boks will be no1 soon enough, it’s only a matter of time. What they did in Dunedin is just glimpses of what they are capable of, and that’s with loads of players off injured. Now he just needs to realise a few more positions need tweaking and then we are good to go.. And please give Lambie some game time….Send M Steyn back to the CC – let him get his comfidence back and it’s up to M Steyn to fight his way back into the Bok mix
27 Sep 2012, 09:16 am
@Dawn-14:
27 Sep 2012, 09:17 am
“Not to mention the South African public’s poisonous obsession with finding a flyhalf of near superhuman capacity”. Well the tragic reality is SA really never has had a truly exceptional fly-half, so I can completely understand the hype and more importantly, hope. Possibly the next best in the post-isolation era was Henry Honiball, although also not the “complete” flyhalf. Good luck Johan, as one of the “obsessed” I will be holding thumbs SA’s own Carter, Mehrtens or Wilkinson arises.
27 Sep 2012, 09:19 am
@DumbSupporter-4: Except, he was a touch tackle-shy.
27 Sep 2012, 09:48 am
@wasabi-18: Goes without saying.
27 Sep 2012, 10:41 am
@grant10-10: Where did you read/hear that he rates Brussouw please?
27 Sep 2012, 13:37 pm
@Spiesisworthless1-20:
http://www.supersport.com/rugby/chat/news/120925/QA_Heyneke_Meyer?fb_action_ids=10151054116391611&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={%2210151054116391611%22:108388332650116}&action_type_map={%2210151054116391611%22:%22og.recommends%22}&action_ref_map
28 Sep 2012, 02:37 am
jees people talking about poor decisions this boy made last time round hoping de does not duplicare them…! He is going to screw up and not just once but again and again. Why? ****** he is just a kid…
Its all good news Morne is not there, right?
Merthens was a saffa…born and bread.
28 Sep 2012, 07:45 am
That is smart – because at teh end of teh day, it is still just a game right? It snot like a fa ily will be left parentless or somebody will die if he misses a kick… so in that respect, it IS just like a school game.
28 Sep 2012, 07:57 am
Excited about Goosen starting. Hopefully he gets the support from the loosies and gets some space. First ten minutes are vital.
28 Sep 2012, 11:11 am
Johan Goosen ,Let your rugby talent shine tomorrow.as it did when you played in the super 15 competition. Remember you where the highest point scorer until you where injured.Pray that it starts for you well.
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