Jean to retain Bok captaincy
26 Nov 2012
Heyneke Meyer wants Jean de Villiers to continue as Springbok captain in 2013.
When De Villiers was handed the captaincy in early 2012, Meyer made it clear that it was a short-term appointment. Meyer said that he would not be rushed into appointing a long-term skipper, and that he would review this position at the end of the 2012 season.
It was believed that De Villiers’s age (31) counted against the Stormers veteran, as he would in all likelihood not last through to the 2015 World Cup.
But it seems that Meyer has now had a change of heart. Following Saturday’s win at Twickenham, a victory that saw the Boks finishing their three-game tour unbeaten, Meyer confirmed that De Villiers is likely to continue as captain in 2013.
‘Provided Jean is able to carry on and he continues to play like he is at the moment, and there is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to, then I would like him to carry on as the captain next year,’ said Meyer.
‘Jean was new to me at the start of the year in the sense that I had not worked with him before. I had only coached against him [when Meyer worked at the Bulls]. But I went with him as the leader and it has worked out really well.’
The Boks have finished the 2012 season with seven wins in 12 Tests. They struggled with injuries to key players throughout the season, but Meyer feels that De Villiers played a key role in keeping the side together.
‘He has done a great job in creating the culture of the team and he was one of the few players, there being two others, who played every Test match this year.
‘He has proved himself to be a really good captain and he has been a great help to me during the course of the year, particularly with the way he has worked with the youngsters.’
92 Comments
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26 Nov 2012, 18:09 pm
@Horings-49: And so Botha, who is the same age, but has less experience than Etzebeth, will be a better captain? Why? Simply because he was the under 20′s captain?
26 Nov 2012, 18:32 pm
Adriaan for Bok captain 2013 – even if it is only in a care taking role.
26 Nov 2012, 18:36 pm
Habana in talks with Toulon….
26 Nov 2012, 18:50 pm
@Dwarslat-52:
imagine the hissy fit Bissie will throw if that should happen.
He’ll be having recurring nightmares of the deja vu with Smittie all over again.
Probably pack his bags and play abroad, and if he goes his boetie will also go.
26 Nov 2012, 18:55 pm
Jean De Villiers has been carrying Meyer, without JdV Meyer would have crumbled into a heap this year and Meyer knows it only too well.
JdV has been Meyer’s backstop and carried the can for him when Meyer din’t know which way was up or down JdV carried the can in spite of all Meyers outright fckups..
Strauss would have been one dismal failure as captain.. the only one in that squad able to carry off the captaincy role apart from JdV is Francoise Louw.
26 Nov 2012, 19:03 pm
@skopdiekan-55:
It would seem that cricket and rugby captaincy and teams are poles apart.
In the cricket set up the captain pretty much runs the show and the players are self sufficient.
Rugby the opposite.
Few coaches have found the balance.
Mallet wanted to assert his authority and dropped Teichman at a crucial stage, Divvie gave up on his plans and allowed the senior players too much power and HM doesn’t have a clear decision after 12 tests.
Seems like Christie and Jake got the balance right.
If HM had taken over in 2007 with Matfield still playing it would have been a completely different first year for him
26 Nov 2012, 19:12 pm
Just an observation on the cricket which Ali Bacher and others are calling the greatest draw ever. Does anyone remember Mike Athertons 185 not out in over 10.5 hours against us at the Wanderers to salvage a draw for England?
26 Nov 2012, 19:13 pm
Why why why why why why why !!!
31 years of age is old for a backline player.
Yes the year ended on a high but his poSition was meant to be temporary…while you found a suitable and younger candidate to lead the team forward.
WTF…..catch a WAKEUP !!!
26 Nov 2012, 19:13 pm
@ufo-44:
Your suggestion is not that far fetched.
However: In a team environment of this nature it could prove to be too much of a step up for a 20 yo. Daars ouens met harde baarde in daai team.
26 Nov 2012, 19:13 pm
@nortierd-56: If Meyer had chosen any other captain this year from Strauss to Bismark to Spies to Daniel to whoever you fancy he would have crumbled into a heap of psychological distraught mess
JdV kept his show on the road in spite of all Meyers dismal self delusional fck ups.. JdV and help from his stalwart backups in Louw, Vermeulen, Strauss, Etsebeth, JdP, Alberts, Habana and JPP
The only other candidate for captain in this group of players is Francoise Louw.. not Strauss or Bismark or Spies or anyone else.. It is only JdV or Louw who can carry this can for Meyer and he knows it very very well that why he needs JdV to continue carrying the can.. because nobody else would be able to under the conditions he has been coaching the team.. JdV carried the team in spite of Meyer’s own frailty and weak decision making.. JdV been carrying the can unbeknownst to you and 90% of the so called supporters out there calling for JdV’s head on a block.
26 Nov 2012, 19:26 pm
@skopdiekan-60:
Jean can carry my cans anyday. I love him
26 Nov 2012, 19:33 pm
@skopdiekan-60:
yes, despite Jeans’ shortcomings as a centre, the respect he has from his peers counts the most.
HM has summed it up.
I think supporters misjudge the impact a captain has on the media and foreign public perception.
Pienaar had it, John Smit had it in spades, he had to totally get our credibilty back after the fiasco of the previous 4 years, and Jean comes accross well enough.
I am an Afrikaans male, yet even I sometimes cringe at interviews held with players that goes out to an international audience and the player talks Afrikaans.
I know it his right and am not knocking the language as it is my mother tongue, but common sense should sometimes prevail.
You can’t have the national captain standing there going ” ja, erm, we needs to go back to the drawing board, we stick to our guns”
You need to be an eloquent speaker to successfully do the job
26 Nov 2012, 19:39 pm
@nortierd-62:
Interesting point. The International Tennis Association (or whatever it’s called) has a rule that players must be able to speak decent english in order to give interviews and comments.
26 Nov 2012, 19:43 pm
@David-63:
Translater might be an option?
Maybe Divvie could have done with one
26 Nov 2012, 20:12 pm
Jean has had his time in the sun. I’ve been a great fan of his over the years but as with all top sportsmen, Father Time has caught up with him. I’ve never been a fan a top backline players over the age of 30 keeping a youngster out.
Bissie, Adriaan and Schalk were all mentioned by HM as part of his recognised leaders before JDV was given the captaincy.
But next year, I’d give it to Flo.
I agree with Willie there.
26 Nov 2012, 20:23 pm
@I am a stormer-65:
I doubt he’d give the captaincy to someone playing abroad.
Flo is a very good option, but not a recognized captain so it will also have an element of risk.
Maybe the first thing he should do is come back and play for a SA franchise again.
26 Nov 2012, 20:52 pm
@nortierd-66:
There are so many things to consider:
- Adriaan Strauss is a contender being the current vice-captain
- Bissie was the vice-captain until he got injured – and HM knows that Bissie won’t play second fiddle to anyone – he doesn’t want a repeat of the John Smit fiasco
- Schalk still has to prove his fitness after a super long lay-off at the Stormers and prove that he has what it takes
- JDV in my opinion is the wrong side of 30 for a backline player to be considered – captaincy is one thing, form is another. His play defensively has been great – the Boks leaked 1 try on the EOYT – but he the 12 needs to spark the backline as well.
That is why I settled on Flo.
We have all recognised by now that HM will select NH players. Why not as captain?
26 Nov 2012, 21:03 pm
they will all fck it up… Meyer knows if he wants to be successful he needs a proper captain at the helm.. who can carry the motivation of the team on the field… Bismark. Adriaan and anyone else will fck it up.. there are only two candidates in this team right now.. JdV and Frans Louw.. nobody else. And not schalk either.. no way.
26 Nov 2012, 21:04 pm
@I am a stormer-67:
Heyneke is big on training camps and get togethers pre International season.
To hold these without your captain, not sure it will work.
Not sure what his contract in the NH is like, but it probably stipulates he may be available for the test window only.
I might be completely wrong and HM might think along the same lines as you, so we’ll wait and see what happens next year.
26 Nov 2012, 21:08 pm
@skopdiekan-60: Hi Skop.Trust you are
well.Not fighting but drop the “E” from Francoise.Female as in Hardy.
Francois Louw.Keep Well.Goodnight
26 Nov 2012, 21:14 pm
@nortierd-69:
June next year is the first test window. And Bath permitted Flo to participate in the Rugby Championship as well. But that was their off-season. But HM is headstrong – and will get his man. For now, that is JDV. It seems to me that HM is no different from other Bok coaches and is slowly building towards the World Cup in 2015 – and I don’t want to see JDV make it that far. There will be too uch competition for places as we get closer to that event. HM must concentrate on winning home and away matches against the AB’s – with the right players and captain in place. That is his goal, is it not?
26 Nov 2012, 21:20 pm
@I am a stormer-71:
I agree.
We should be in a postion where we beat the NH sides more convincingly, we should dispose of Argentina home and away with more ease, beat Australia home and away maybe, run NZ close away and beat them at home.
I do believe he has a plan and it’s no use being dragged behind kicking and screaming, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt and support the team and him.
It won’t make an iota of difference to HM whether I agree with him and moan and groan about his selections so why bother?
26 Nov 2012, 21:33 pm
Jean plays a fairly specific game, takes the ball to the line a lot, defends really well, not the best passer but what he does he does better than anyone else.
The problem is that he will play 13 a great deal of next year and i don’t feel that’s best for the Boks.
But we’ve had to put up with Pierre and a bunch of other useless players over the years so jean looks like a shining light compared to them.
Good captain too.
It depends on who plays around him. I think that there are some great leaders in the team, Adriaan Strauss, Francois Louw, so he can consider himself lucky in a way.
I wouldn’t pick Bismark as Bok Captain. No way, Don’t see it.
26 Nov 2012, 21:34 pm
@nortierd-72:
If you look at his loss ratio this year – it is 25%. 3 losses out of 12 played. If you had offered that to HM at the beginning of the year, he would have bought it. But he will want to beat the AB’s at home next year. Even away. Those are his goals.
But 2012 is done and dusted. HM will have learnt a lot. He has brought through plenty promising youngsters and now knows the players he can build a great squad with.
2013 is going to be interesting as more players come back from injury. And who knows, maybe there’ll be more NH players included. Including those in Japan.
26 Nov 2012, 21:37 pm
@I am a stormer-74:
He had this year to find his feet, 2013 will be much better, 2014 traditionally the year where he might experiment more and 2015 the year of reckoning
26 Nov 2012, 21:56 pm
@stormersboy-73:
Jean has passed the HM test. Or maybe it should be the other way around. Both are passionate about Bok rugby and will take us forward in 2013. HM did play a massively
conservative game plan but the main thing is he instilled in the squad is a winning culture.
People around here don’t give enough credit to HM – sure the game plan wasn’t pretty. But he still came out on top. And he now knows who is in and who is out.
26 Nov 2012, 22:04 pm
@I am a stormer-76: Fair comment.
26 Nov 2012, 22:05 pm
strange that so many commenters on this site call for innovation and out-of-the-box thinking from heyneke… who has his job on the line… and criticise him as too conservative and unadventurous is his approach to springbok rugby…
yet they… with nothing on the line at all… are decidedly conservative and predictable in their own thinking…
very interesting…
in cricket graeme smith was chosen as captain after very few games… can’t remember how many now… and without a full international season under his belt yet… and has a fairly good record over a near decade of international sport…
eben etzebeth is a helluva talent… is spoken about by all foreign commentators as a future great… comes from a family of leaders and is one of the few springboks guaranteed a place in the team by some distance, barring injury…
leadership imo would force him to focus and direct his natural aggression and energy in a positive, constructive and successful manner…
the most successful teams (generallising i know) at world cups have generally been more experienced ones… or ones in which the core of the team has been togetyher since before the previous world cup… aussie in 99, england in 03, nz in 11… even many of jakes team did in fact play in 03…
if heyneke was really innovative and brave and made eben captain now… he would have three years and over 30 tests experience as captain in 2015… and would still be young enough to lead the team into 2019 as well… with the yoing talent we have coming through we could have a hugely experienced team with massive competition for places in it…
but we’ll all do the predictable thing and nominate the usual captaincy candidates straight out of the usual safe suspects box of same old same old favourites… and then we’ll all criticise heyneke when he sticks with his predictable, safe choice…
if we can’t think out-of-the-box with nothing riding on our ‘choices’ how do we expect heyneke to think out of the box with everything riding on his…?
26 Nov 2012, 22:08 pm
wales/warburton for example… last year…
26 Nov 2012, 22:37 pm
Francois Louw for captain.He comes from the right background.
26 Nov 2012, 23:18 pm
Announcing a captain over 6 months before the next test seems a ridiculous thing to do. A lot can happen in half a year.
Was this really necessary?
tbh as nice a guy as JDV seems, I don’t think he can say with any real confidence that he is the best 12 or 13 in the country. It might be time to look at other options in this position if we want our back line to ignite with some semblance of creativity.
27 Nov 2012, 01:44 am
@ufo-78:
Out of the “boxsmart” comment UFO. Eben is the next great captain of the Springboks. Heineke knows that. I think 2013 will be the final stage in JdV mentoring him at WP and in the Bok team. By the end of next year, Bissie, Schalk and Co. will not even be in his leadership league. JdV retires, and Bob’s your uncle!
27 Nov 2012, 04:49 am
Spies should be the captain but that is just my humble opinion.
Juan Smith another candidate
27 Nov 2012, 05:40 am
@greatest13gerber-83:
Where would Juan Smith play, positionwise?
27 Nov 2012, 05:44 am
@Jinx2-84:
I think from the coach’s box at best. He will need to put in a storming season before he will be selected for the Boks again, even more so to take on the captaincy role.
Like JdV you have to think it is a step backwards and not forwards…
27 Nov 2012, 07:41 am
lets see who is available next year before we rush to condemn. a lot of rugby to played before the boks next match. and a lot of “availability” questions to be answered too.
JDV filled a void this year, and did extremely well considering he was probably 5th choice captain when HM got the job. i’m of the belief we should be looking at the next generation, but we also need to focus on results. it is not about building, it is about winning and so experience in key positions will always be needed.
27 Nov 2012, 08:01 am
@Jinx2-82:
shot bro…
i believe eben is the only springbok who stands head and shoulders above the rest in his position, literally and form-wise, and assigning him a leadership role sooner rather than later would be a massive and worthwhile investment in the future of bok rugby…
and if there are guys like jdv, adriaan/bissie, bryan, jpp etc around him initially to assist i can see no reason why he shouldn’t be appointed and do a successful job which he will just get better at all the time…
it’s not that i think jean has done a bad job… far from it and i’m a big fan of his… would just rather get a long-term captain in place as soon as possible…
my fear is that heyneke will continue to use him as a ‘stop gap’ solution until he does breakdown and then leave us having to appoint and establish a new captain a few months before the world cup…
and now that heyneke has said that he intends building towards the world cup such an appointment would make sense…
of course any captain can break down… but as least pick one nearer the start of his career than the end of it…
anyway as munkiboi says… let’s wait and see…
27 Nov 2012, 08:48 am
Jean is taking the role at the Stormers and Boks that Stirling Mortlock did successfully at the Brumbies and Wallabies… not rocket-science until a 12 or 13 of ‘note’ coming into the set-up… something neither the Boks nor Stormers have at the moment…
27 Nov 2012, 09:16 am
@bryce_in_oz-88: I think JDV will retire from International rugby next year. So HM needs to be sure about his next captain. Bissy, Flo, Bekker, Pienaar, Vermeulen.
27 Nov 2012, 11:04 am
@Jinx2-84:
8.Spies
7.Smith
6.Louw
8.Veumelan
7.Alberts
6.Burger
8.Botha
7.Kyolisi
6.Coetzee
27 Nov 2012, 13:21 pm
I think we must be careful of taking what journalists write completely as fact. When asked about the Jean captaincy would anybody expect Heyneke to suddenly say…”no I think I will drop him as Captain next year”? Of course not, they just got a NH clean sweep.
What we also know is that what Heyneke’s has said in the past, he has abandoned or suddenly changed course. So lets see next year how Jean copes in Super Rugby and maybe the 1st couple of tests next year. I would like him to play better and stay with this team but his current shortcomings (no pass, crash and generally not helping this backline fire) could be too difficult to ignore if it repeats itself or gets worse next year.
27 Nov 2012, 20:30 pm
greatest13gerber, Spies will battle to make the team again. He has no ball sense, and is one of the most overrated Boks in the history of the game. He is one of the worst candidates for captain as he has no rugby brain to speak of.
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