ABs reaping benefits of Kiwi system
4 Oct 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes the All Blacks avoid mass injuries and burnout because the NZRU manages the country’s top players accordingly. Why can’t Saru do the same?
A good question was asked of All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster this week. Why is it that the All Blacks seem to sustain fewer injuries than their Australian and South African counterparts?
Why is it that we are now into month 10 of the 2012 rugby season and the All Blacks aren’t missing key players because of injury and fatigue?
‘We do it differently,’ was Foster’s curt reply. ‘And I’m not going to tell you exactly what that entails.’
Foster doesn’t have to, it’s no big secret. The New Zealand Rugby Union has long looked after its most prized assets, that is its players.
Through a central-contracting system, it ensure that the cream of the crop don’t play too much rugby during the Super Rugby competition. The national team is viewed as the priority, and to compromise the success of that national team wouldn’t make much sense. Right?
Unfortunately, there is a different outlook in South Africa.
Every union and franchise looks after its own interests. Top players are contracted to a union as well as to Saru.
What this means is that a franchise has the option to start a Bok player in every Super Rugby game. Ultimately it is the franchise’s success that matters most to the franchise, not the success of the Boks.
It’s for this reason that we have players who arrive for Bok duty overplayed and fatigued. For example, Andries Bekker has long been considered indispensable to the Stormers’ Super Rugby cause, and has started the majority of the matches over the past three seasons. That workload has taken its toll on his body, and injuries have prevented him from playing more games for his country.
There are other examples across all of the South African franchises, and the point is that if South Africa employed the same system as New Zealand, the Boks may have more fit players available for the most important period of the season, that is the Rugby Championship.
The current system has been a handicap to every Springbok coach in the professional era. The system rewards the franchises when it should be geared towards propelling the Boks to that No 1 ranking. It is something that incumbent coach Heyneke Meyer has also made note of on several occasions.
On Wednesday, Meyer pointed to the example of Richie McCaw, the All Blacks captain and veteran who will enjoy a six-month sabbatical next season. This course of action will prolong McCaw’s career, and possibly allow him to play at the 2015 World Cup.
The NZRU keeps tabs on all of the All Blacks throughout the Super Rugby season, and ensures that nobody is overplayed before they join the national set-up for the June Tests or the Rugby Championship.
It’s been an intense season, the most congested in history, and still the All Blacks were able to produce their best performance of the year in Argentina. They are now in South Africa preparing for a physically taxing clash against the Boks on the Highveld, and still there is a sense that they are favourites. Why?
‘New Zealand manages their players very well,’ Meyer said on Wednesday when probed on the subject. ‘You can see what’s been done with Richie McCaw, and there are overall not as many injuries. Everybody seems to be working towards a common goal.’
Keeping players fresh allows for continuity in selection, and as Meyer suggests the All Blacks were able to win the 2011 World Cup because of that continuity. There aren’t as many injury disruptions because the NZRU is doing everything it can to prevent burnout and fatigue-related injuries.
Every South African franchise is chasing results and trophies, and every team is inclined to believe that the more they play their best players, the better their chances of achieving those lofty objectives.
And in that unfortunately all too real scenario, the national team is the biggest loser.
By Jon Cardinelli, in Johannesburg
425 Comments
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5 Oct 2012, 10:43 am
@cuntlyn-399: Hehe
The Kiwis, and him in particular, mostly fall for it
Poppa knows I try to bait them and is starting to get the better of me though
5 Oct 2012, 10:47 am
@willievz-401:
Now Now Willie, you meant ever bit of it as you corrected what you were suppose
to say later on.
5 Oct 2012, 10:50 am
@Hurricane-397:
> the truth is you guys will complain about a ref….only if you lose or the Kwiw/Ozzies win against another team…its a fact
You don’t know what the definition of “fact” is.
> Been on here longer than you so i know.
Irrelevant.
> You guys complain about the RWC 2007more than us
We won the 2007 world cup idiot.
Right Hurricane, I’ve had enough of you. You are dismissed. Run along now. There’s a good boy.
5 Oct 2012, 10:58 am
@Kaizan-403:
Correct you won the RWC 2007,well done but again you stated that we always complain
about it. Show me on here who bought it up.
As i have said you guys bring up RWC 2007 more than us.
And you guys complain about us complaining.
But you seem to think we always do it. Please find the posts where i complained about RWC 2007?
I am an AB fan, you said the ABs fans,or were you just generalising?
Ok, we are finished, you have no points at all. You are the weakest link…..good bye
5 Oct 2012, 11:16 am
@Hurricane-404: You’re scraping the barrell son. He did not state that you “always complain”… He said that all fans complain. Show us one rugby nation whose fans don’t.”
You truly are an idiot and you have been well and truly owned.
5 Oct 2012, 11:21 am
@Hurricane-404: PS: “The weakest link”? Really?
My apologies, I had no idea we were dealing with a f**king loser.
5 Oct 2012, 13:33 pm
@the authority-405:
Owned?lol
You have no clue what owned is but i do. I support the best rugby teamin the world.
You guys have been owned in the RC, you have just been schooled a$$hole.
@the authority-406:
You are the idiot, are you kaizans little helper??
As i said i did not bring upthe RWC 2007, someone else did and complained about it( South African).
Yet he said we always complain about it, so where did he see that i complainied about it?
Nowhere thats where.
5 Oct 2012, 15:03 pm
@Hurricane-407: Haha all you can do is change the subject!! You got owned boy, just like I am owning you now. This is about you. Don’t try and change the subject to the All Blacks. P*ssy.
You are making a monumental fool of yourself. You should just quite while youre behind.
I agree with Kaizan, you’re a waste of time. Dismissed.
5 Oct 2012, 15:05 pm
What’s all this then
5 Oct 2012, 15:36 pm
@Hurricane-404: Don’t have a little cry fest little girl. Damn ! How petulant of you. Are you on your period ?
5 Oct 2012, 15:39 pm
@Hurricane-407: You guys got lucky for a Springbok kicker that was off form…..get your facts straight narrow foreheaded islander.
5 Oct 2012, 16:27 pm
@David-321: Dawie went tio Bellville. H.S.Never got to play against him.Fantastic player.Same generation as Mannetjies.
5 Oct 2012, 16:29 pm
@David-321: Sies.And Sies again.
5 Oct 2012, 16:38 pm
@Hurricane-386: self confessed
5 Oct 2012, 16:41 pm
@ryecatcher-413: Bloody hypocrite
5 Oct 2012, 22:47 pm
@the authority-408:
You are so off target clown its embarrasing
What subject did i change??
I asked for proof when i was told that I being me complained about RWC 2007.
Go ahead, you can try but there is nothing.
Just watch after tonights game, you will be gone.
6 Oct 2012, 02:45 am
Omg just seen the comments on this page. Serious ownage put down on hurricane. Gonna be difficult to recover from that.
6 Oct 2012, 02:55 am
@poltergeist-417:
What are you on about.
I have been accused of moaning about RWC 2007??
I have asked where and not one bit of proof. If you guys think this is owning you really need to get out.
A kiwi well show what an owning is mummy boys
6 Oct 2012, 02:56 am
@Dusky-410:
You know nothing clown.
Takes 5 South Africans to try and put me in my place….lol.
Good try Dusky,but i think it might take 7 South Africans
6 Oct 2012, 03:04 am
@Hurricane-418: don’t worry about ’07,we’ll have ’11 & ’15 WC’s to keep us happy.
6 Oct 2012, 03:26 am
@Hurricane-418: It seems to me like you and wallabie were casting the first stone. You said south africans always complain when a reffing decision goes against them. Kaizan tried to point out to you that all rugby fans complain about this.
Can you copy and paste the exact quote where Kaizan accused you of moaning about the 07 world cup?? And dont paste the sentence about when the all black fans complained about the forward pass. That is NOT an accusation on you.
I have a very strong feeling you wont be able to produce such a quote.
The floor is yours.
6 Oct 2012, 03:48 am
All fans moan about the ref. Moral is if u want sympathy dont go to the oppositions website. If the ref had made a mistake against SA there wouldnt be much sympathy on Australian websites either.
Time to move on. This ones got a bit tired.
6 Oct 2012, 03:55 am
@McAwesome-422: Agreed.
Hurricane, dont worry about finding me that quote. Youre off the hook.
6 Oct 2012, 04:19 am
@poltergeist-421:
So he said AB fans…that is me but he didnt mean me?
RRRiiiigggghhhhht
@poltergeist-423:
No hook at all.
6 Oct 2012, 04:45 am
Hurricane get over it mate. U asked him if he saw any kiwis or ozzies bitching about mistakes the refs made and he answered your question. Now all of a sudden he was accusing you?? Just move on mate this is embarrassing.
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