South Africa - A Tale of Woe
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Heyneke’s dilemma
If playing in the Super Rugby top-six playoffs depended on a strictly merit
list of log points accumulated, SA’s top team would have finished seventh, with
four New Zealand and two Australian teams contesting the top-six playoffs. For
his first-choice Springbok selection, Heyneke Meyer is keen to stick to those
players who have proven themselves at Test level during his reign as coach, but
his dilemma is this: Are there any of his favoured first-choice players other
than Duane Vermeulen, Bismarck du Plessis, and perhaps Eben Etzebeth (the
latter two after a slow start), who have performed well enough in Super Rugby
2015 to instil any confidence in the Springboks prospects for the year? Heyneke
has a rough road to negotiate in lifting his Springbok players’ performance
levels leading into the World Cup.
Dawie Theron on his way out?
Despite massive talent, a big budget, magnificent facilities, and vast
resources – including a preparation tour to Argentina – Dawie Theron’s SA under
20 team has again failed to win the World Rugby under 20 championship. Once
again the game plan was predictable, inhibiting rather than encouraging the
players’ full array of skills, and too easy to defend against. What SA’s
extraordinary junior talent pool needs are coaches who will take off the
shackles and allow the players to play creatively and adventurously, endeavouring
to give full expression to their skills and flair.
Revamp for the Stormers
Taking a six-tries-to-one thumping from the Brumbies in the Saturday’s
Qualifier was a sad way for Allister Coetzee to end his time as Stormers
supremo. While Gert Smal is searching for a replacement head coach – and
perhaps new assistant coaches – he should be on a mission to find a top
replacement for Jacques Nienaber as defence coach as well, with the Stormers
defence having deteriorated since Nienaber joined Rassie Erasmus at SARU.
First prize for the Bulls
First prize for the Bulls for 2016 would be Heyneke Meyer and Ian Schwartz returning to the Bulls employ after the World Cup, the former as Director of Rugby and/or head coach, and the latter as High Performance Manager. The Bulls need them both.