Meyer’s selection shocker
8 Nov 2012
MARK KEOHANE writes that Heyneke Meyer’s failure to include Elton Jantjies in the Bok match 23 cannot be excused or justified.
Meyer’s got this one wrong on every level. A coach lives and dies by his selections but the failure to recognise the merits of Jantjies as a player is made even worse because of the obvious issues surrounding transformation – and the illusion that qualifies for transformation in South African rugby.
I don’t want a numbers game with the national team. I am opposed to quotas because it does a disservice to the merits of selections and especially casts doubt on any black player. Jantjies should not have been included because of his skin colour. He is a merit selection in the match 23 and many would make an argument for him to start ahead of Pat Lambie.
The argument that Jantjies was the player in possession of the No 10 jersey can’t be dismissed without examination. Jantjies played the last 50 minutes against the All Blacks and now can’t make the match 23?
Meyer’s loyalty to Morne Steyn is a weakness in the context of the Boks in 2012. Meyer is doing himself no favours and he certainly is doing Steyn even fewer favours.
I’ve always felt Steyn would make a contribution to the Boks, this season, and in the lead in to the World Cup, but his form doesn’t warrant inclusion at the moment and he is a player drained by being overplayed at every level every for the past four seasons.
Meyer is failing to recognise this. Steyn, so in need of a proper break, should not have been on tour. What he offers the Boks is a known entity. Meyer will learn nothing new from Steyn should he play against Ireland. Steyn will not be wiser or more experienced for getting a cameo role against the Irish.
Meyer had the ideal opportunity to evolve the balance of the match 23, to improve the experience of a player like Jantjies and to provide an opportunity for him. All he has done is insult him.
I don’t care what spin anyone attempts to put on it there is no way this selection of Steyn ahead of Jantjies can be defended. It’s not only conservative it’s bloody disturbing, given the issue of transformation and the lack of national recognition for players like Jantjies and centre Juan de Jongh, who consistently have been among the best in their positions in the country.
De Jongh, the player to provide the inspirational and crucial moment in Western Province’s Currie Cup final win against the Sharks, must know now he isn’t rated as the go to guy. He couldn’t have made a more telling case for inclusion, yet he lost out.
So too Jantjies for Steyn.
It’s crazy when you consider it also comes at a time when the Saru administration has given itself a pat on the back that ‘this time after 20 years of unity’ they want to show genuine commitment to transformation.
I can’t believe the president and CEO of Saru did not guide Meyer on this one. Surely they must have had a whisper in his ear and said ‘No Heyneke. There’s nothing to gain here and everything to lose’. Clearly they didn’t or Jantjies rightfully (on merit) would have at least been in the match 23.
It tells me Meyer is blinded by his belief in Steyn because of a provincial affiliation and it also tells me that the game’s leaders have again failed transformation.
This is not about picking a player because it will appease the politicians. This is not about window-dressing. This is about common sense in the context of South African rugby and transformation and more pertinently it is about common decency in relation to the talents and selection merits of the player.
Just imagine Steyn, given his form this season, was a black player. Imagine what so many would be saying if a black Steyn was in the match 23 on Saturday.
There was a time when the absolute racial prejudice within South African rugby appalled me, but now it just saddens me because it is so inherently engrained when no wrong can be seen in the performances this year of Steyn and no right can be seen in those of Jantjies.
What price then for change when it can’t come naturally and from within? Actions make a statement more powerful than any spoken or written word. Meyer in Dublin was in an all-win situation given the talents of Jantjies and his form this year.
I am mystified he opted for an all-lose selection of Steyn, given what he has produced at Test level this year, but I am dumbfounded that Meyer – in his choice of player and explanation to the media and rugby people of South Africa – obviously believes Steyn is an all-win situation.
Meyer says he needed an insurance policy in the form of Steyn. Why?
This isn’t a World Cup final. This isn’t the final of anything.
Meyer talks of insurance policies in picking an out-of-form goal-kicker who this season averaged a less than 60% goal-kicking strike rate in seven successive Tests and in two of those missed goal kicks that would have won South Africa both Tests.
Would Jantjies have been given seven successive Tests in 2012 for Steyn’s return this season?
Springbok rugby in 2012 needs inspiration and innovation. It certainly does not need a dated and questionable insurance policy.
367 Comments
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8 Nov 2012, 12:25 pm
racist dragon!
joking
8 Nov 2012, 12:33 pm
I couldn’t agree more with this article.
8 Nov 2012, 12:33 pm
I think he doesn’t want elton getting techy sitting on the bench for another full 80.
Because lets face it he wants to give Lambie the full 80.
And Morne will be quite happy not playing at all in fact, he’d rather not be there but he is a contracted bok and not injured so is probably obliged to tour.
damded if you do damded if you don’t.
Of course there is an argument that Elton should be starting…but then half the country would be complaining that Lambie is sitting on the bench for another full 80 or even not at all?
8 Nov 2012, 12:36 pm
**** transformation, please Keo, on pure rugby terms EJ should be in there ahead of the Golden Boy.
8 Nov 2012, 12:39 pm
Great article! Can someone please send it to Heyneke Meyer
8 Nov 2012, 12:45 pm
Insofar as Steyn shouldn’t be on tour – I agree 100%.
Lambie is a better #10 than Jantjies IMHO and Lambie should play with Jantjies on the bench.
Kirschner should be out with JdJ at #13 and Taute at #15.
Other than that … seriously dude, you sound like ANC candidates looking for votes just before conference time.
8 Nov 2012, 12:46 pm
I’m looking forward to the Stormers Super rugby campaign next year and couldn’t be bothered if I miss any of these Bok games.
I hope the likes of Elton, Juan, Aplon and Kolisi have a great tournament. It seems like they need to work harder than other players to get into this Bok setup.
8 Nov 2012, 12:49 pm
Keo, I don’t think this is racism, but rather an inability to grasp the extent of the affirmative action required. It’s more about Heyneke’s naivety, wanting to make selection decisions based on his own (pre)conceptions and plans. Affirmative action/transformation means that if a black player is even vaguely as good as a white rival he HAS to be picked in the team. I agree with you — that freedom of selection has to be taken out the coach’s hands or, alternatively, his bosses have to “coach” him into doing that of his own accord. Nothing else will satisfy the pro-transformation lobby. Whether one agrees with this or not — it’s the South African reality.
8 Nov 2012, 12:55 pm
Meyer is a coward.. a racist coward which is even worse than a straight coward.. Meyer is an outright self preservationist two faced sickly racially entrenched and ideologically bent coward.. and he should not be anywhere near the control and management of the SA rugby team.. nowhere near…
8 Nov 2012, 12:57 pm
Well I have said my bit on this.
8 Nov 2012, 12:59 pm
Il repeat what iv said before.
Morne steyn was a breath of fresh air when he first entered the national setup. At that time pienaar nd butch were either injured or out of form.
He played efficiently and even showed variation in this approach when his forward were dominant. However we all knew that morne wasnt dan carter
the time has come for him to step aside, and take a marginal role in the bok squad
lambie, jantjies, goosen (when he bulks up) are the players we should be investing in
im sure mornes a decent person and a good lad very religious also. But his time has passed
jantjies deserves to start a game by now
8 Nov 2012, 13:00 pm
Meyer is a plank.He admitted earlier that Steyn needed a break,but ,if sent back to the Bulls,he would only be selected for them.He was quite correct there,to give him his dues.What is mind boggling is Steyn’s selection for this tour.What changed after making that statement that Steyn needed a break from rugby?After the CC,Meyer had the perfect opportunity to have given Steyn that break,but he didn’t.
8 Nov 2012, 13:03 pm
Meyer’s dishonesty is coming to bite him in the butt… He was a fool when he made his first squad known and has officially got the tag of clown.
Anyone who wants HM as coach, please put up your hand. I was vocal from day one and didn’t sing in the choir of praise singers. He has an agenda and will do everything in his power to ensure he meets it…
The sooner he is shown the door the better for SA rugby in a whole…
You are so right Mark! If Steyn was black he would never have been given so many chances. Poor Elton plays two minutes and then 50 minutes against the world’s best team and is discarded like trash. Morne continuously plays poorly and is selected. Hougaard has been very poor and plays out of position at 11. Taute was poor but gets a second chance! That answers the question of most rugby lovers… JdJ deserved a spot too…
The door is open, walk out
8 Nov 2012, 13:05 pm
Bringing race and racism into this is absolute bull-****. I think this is starting to become personal for Keo, I highly doubt that EJ’s skincolour had any bearing on this selection, maybe Meyer’s provincial bias, yes, but to now try and create a second Geo Cronje/Quinton Davids scenario is pathetic.
More and more what Graeme Joffe says are starting to make sense, this article says Keo has an agenda, he has gone from a Heyneke Meyer supporter, to someone spreading discord, and I doubt whether it is for the benefit of SA Rugby.
Keo should rather be focusing on the Kings and their transformation agenda, as they are a team that he’s been advocating for a while now, I mean they actually have their Super 15 spot down because they are supposed to be transformation super-heroes, but they couldn’t buy a player of colour in their promotion / relegation matches against the Cheetahs.
8 Nov 2012, 13:08 pm
@thesaint-14:
I disagree. Leave out racism then answer how Taute gets a second chance after such a poor showing… Be consistent…
8 Nov 2012, 13:10 pm
Brilliant article Keo. Think its the first time I’ve ever read one of your articles and thought so . I think your talents as a sports writer are better equipped to comment on political situations rather than the nuts and bolts of Rugby
Meyer must lack some serious foresight. The truth of the matter is he will take care of his own at any cost .Ill give him till the end of next years Castle Rugby Championship to deliver, thereafter I will not withhold any summations I have of him as a person/coach.
8 Nov 2012, 13:17 pm
Taute for Kircher, Mvovo for Hougaard, De Jongh for Taute, Jantjies for Steyn. F..all to do with colour, just form.
And before Hondo comes moaning his racist nonense, we all know he is in fact Daniel Hondo, the Zimbabean winger and occasional captain.
8 Nov 2012, 13:19 pm
Taute is an overrated player.Seriously,I don’t see the fuss here.Hopefully he will not see out the season at my beloved Stormers.
8 Nov 2012, 13:20 pm
@thesaint-14:
I agree with you … and there’s another article on this site saying that Lambie should start in all 3 tests – who didn’t get the Memo ??? (LMAO).
I do understand that SA has it’s own set of challenges that the rest of the world doesn’t have to deal with; but, ‘effing racists (and politicians) should stay out of all sport … coaches pick squads and teams, then get judged on their results.
8 Nov 2012, 13:22 pm
As a none South African, its a very poor article. Basically calling the man a racist because he didn’t select a black play is in itself racist.
8 Nov 2012, 13:23 pm
@Gumboots-15: Meyer isn’t a racist. He is a thicko, and a man of weak character, who from day 1 has shown that he WON’T trust anyone who isn’t in his ‘circle of trust’
Fucknows how one gains entry into that circle though……therein lies the fukkup.
8 Nov 2012, 13:23 pm
@phalanx-20: This issue is to big for you,mate.Thanks for trying though.
8 Nov 2012, 13:24 pm
@Gumboots-15: From day one Meyer has had an obsession with size, he said so much before leaving for Europe. Jake White did the same, playing big guys ahead of small guys, 50% of bloggers on this site feels De Jongh is too small, especially in European conditions.
I dissagree, I think he will be able to cope, and that the fact he is left out is stupid, because he is a better player than Taute in that position, read well, BETTER player, not DARKER player.
I am a huge De Jongh, Aplon, Kolisi etc. fan, but trying to get them selected using politics as a backdrop does them a disservice. I am 100% certain, they would prefer being picked on merit, rather than being picked after a campaign starting with an article like this.
8 Nov 2012, 13:24 pm
@thesaint-14: The article captures what 90% of the rugby public think. I don’t think there is any hidden or political agenda here.
HM has shown a total lack of judgement right from the start and his latest team selection, with the exception of Lambie, is disgusting. Everyone knows that JdJ should’ve been at 13 and Taute at 15. I reckon HM has pushed his luck too far and he’ll be out after this tour, mark my words. He has now p1ssed off the public, politicians and certainly quite a few players in his “team”.
It often feels as though HM watches different rugby games to almost everyone else. He seems to only value and rate Bulls players and does not have the savvy to understand the political necessities or even subtleties of coaching the national team in SA. I have absolutely no confidence in him at all, even less than I had in PdV.
8 Nov 2012, 13:25 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-21: You need dodgy-looking blue eyes to get into the circle.
8 Nov 2012, 13:25 pm
Good work Keo (first time those words have left my fingertips!). Elton Jantijies is unquestionably one of the two best flyhalves available and there is no reason, except for misplaced loyalty, for Meyer to have Steyn on the bench. I rate Lambie as a marginally better all round player, and possibly a shade more consistent, but Jantjies is an excellent flyhalf and should flyhalf and should definitely be on the bench at least.
De Jongh is excluded because Meyer wants big players who can dominate the tackle situation and go forward in contact. Well, De Jongh at least makes his tackles, which is more than we can say for Taute at 13 – he missed 3 crucial ones against the Kiwis. Now, I’m not knocking Taute, and I think he’s an exceptional fullback. In fact, I would have him in my starting XV in that position, but 13 has often been called the toughest defensive channel, and it needs a specialist. De Jongh is a brilliant tackler, and I really don’t think that his lack of bulk costs us anything, as he has a big heart and is powerful despite his short stature. He is also one of the few backline players in SA who provide that moment of magic two or three times a game that can change everything. With Frans out, he is head and shoulders better than any of our other options and should be in.
8 Nov 2012, 13:26 pm
Ah that’s Keo for you.
Always knows when the timing is impeccable for jumping on any particular bandwagon.
8 Nov 2012, 13:27 pm
Should we not start some sort of online sweepstakes?
When will Meyer resign, get booted? Or will he last his full term?
8 Nov 2012, 13:27 pm
Keo jumping on the wagon again, causing a racial stir in sport to up the responses on blog. Cheap – but I will say that I think Steyn has reached sell by for now, while I think Elton was average to Kuk in CC semi which everyone has forgotten about. Sending Steyn on tour is pointless for the future. Oh and I think If taute wants to play top level fullback he needs to learn how to place kick and…. Pull up his socks. But I do rate him
8 Nov 2012, 13:29 pm
Ok I have to disagree with this the reason Steyn is there is incase Lambie goes down early so against a strong opponent like Ireland the boks might go into a kicking contest.
I am a Jantjes fan and yes he should be in the team but perhaps not for this game.
However De Jongh should definetly be starting and the inclusion of Taute a 13 makes no sense considering De Jongh has partnered De Villiers for years.
Taute would have been good off the bench covering all options from 11 to 15 this woulf have made space for Mapoe instead of Mvovo on bench.
8 Nov 2012, 13:29 pm
@Tacitus-27: Yup, gives a new meaning to go with the flow…
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-28: I think he will last his term, gonna have some trouble, but White also had, in fact, White go directly interfered with, yet he still finished his term.
8 Nov 2012, 13:30 pm
Meyer is under pressure with his lower than expected win rate this year.
He will take 1 point wins on tour, as long as they are wins. Hence his desire for insurance on the bench.
Let’s face it, when he picked Goosen against the All Blacks that was already a step into the unknown. But when Goosen went off injured and he was suddenly stuck with Elton for the large remainder of the game, well, that was never part of the plan.
And the end result of that game certainly did nothing to change that view.
8 Nov 2012, 13:30 pm
Where’s the oke that set up Andre Markgraaff when you needed him??
8 Nov 2012, 13:30 pm
@PissAnt-10:
Please share again for those who missed it…..or direct me to where it was said.
8 Nov 2012, 13:31 pm
I think Lambie is by far the best fly half we got at the moment. Elton is good but not as good as Lambie. But Elton should be there instead of Morne. He has had his chance and now should pack his bag. What is crazy is HM claims he is an insurance policy. Does he really believe that the NH teams will pose any threat to us. Lambie and Elton can handle the pressure of test rugby up north. Either flyhalf can control the game enough to win it for the Boks. If it was the all blacks maybe it might make sense but still.
8 Nov 2012, 13:33 pm
@phalanx-20: read it again. Keo is not calling Meyer a racist. He’s saying that Jantjies is a better player than Steyn, and merely points out this incorrect selection will be in the spotlight even more than usual, due to the unavoidable fact that SA Rugby is a very race-sensitive environment.
The ANC spokesperson, Gwede Mantashe HAS called Meyer a racist and it’s all over our news today, so Keo is commenting on a currently relevant topic and making the point that Meyer has invited this criticism by passing over the better player (who happens to be black) in favour of a white guy who’s not good enough. I don’t think Meyer is racist, but I do think his loyalty to former Bulls players is blinding him, and his selection of Kirchner over Taute or Ludik is further evidence of this, with the opposite race situation. In the case of Jantjies his stubborn backing of his “inner circle” has caused the race police to make a fuss. Keo, to be fair on the man who I’ve often criticized, is not part of that group and his article is clearly based around the fact that he feels (as most of us do) that Jantjies is a better player than Steyn.
8 Nov 2012, 13:35 pm
I”m telling you, De Jongh could lift his career ceiling significantly by just getting rid of that stupid dance.
Meyer’s not into that kind of thing.
8 Nov 2012, 13:35 pm
@Tacitus-32: “and he was suddenly stuck with Elton for the large remainder of the game, well, that was never part of the plan”???????????????????????
Go back and read what you have written, and then tell me again why we have the fuckingissues we DO have in our rugby…….
Tonight I stick pins a Taccy voodoo doll.
8 Nov 2012, 13:37 pm
@Tacitus-37:
or by moving to the Bulls!!
8 Nov 2012, 13:37 pm
@pokkel-34:
ANC thread, from comment 150 I think.
8 Nov 2012, 13:37 pm
This is so damn sad, bloody PR nightmare for SA Rugby.
Many people said this early in the tests against England. HM’s missplaced loyalty to certain players will cost him his job. This is similair to PDV and Januarie, it’s like there is no reasoning with the man.
8 Nov 2012, 13:38 pm
@PissAnt-40:
Thanks
8 Nov 2012, 13:39 pm
@pokkel-39:
Only 3 Bulls in the current team (1 of them only because Bekker is injured), and still the guys are moaning. They apparently will only be happy once there are zero Bulls.
8 Nov 2012, 13:41 pm
@Tacitus-37: Valid point, but he could’ve potentially watched JdJ doing that silly dance thing three times on Saturday and he I think he would’ve enjoyed it. Missed opportunity.
8 Nov 2012, 13:42 pm
@PissAnt-40:
Cheeky, is that you?
8 Nov 2012, 13:43 pm
@Tacitus-37: Well then g #d help the poor Bok candidates who happen to enjoy death metal and are atheist to boot……
Your man Meyer is a wankiepedia of conservative kak.
Ditto for you.
8 Nov 2012, 13:43 pm
Ai Taccie.You surely can’t argue with a chap walking around his fortified kleinhoewe with wires protruding from his arse hole,willing rather to blow up himself than to be touched/harmed by a black man.
8 Nov 2012, 13:43 pm
Best article i’ve read in ages on Keo. Nothing to do with quotas/affirmative action but simply Meyers inability to adapt to players outside his own bubble. Kirchner and Steyn being selected ahead of Jantjies and De Jongh says it all.
The problem with Divvy before senior players took over was he saw one approach to play the game – Meyer exactly the same
8 Nov 2012, 13:43 pm
@wnbb-47:
Er…?
8 Nov 2012, 13:43 pm
The ANC will come strong on Meyer and he has lots top answer for.
How can Jantjies not make the squad?
He should be back-up.
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