rugby’s movers and shakers
TRANSCRIPT
8/13/2019 Rugby’s movers and shakers
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WINNERS
RISING STARS
Theantithesis ofeverything (wethought)HeynekeMeyerstoodfor.He surprisedbypicking thedaringfullbackfromStellenboschwho madehis wayintoSuperRugbyvia Griquas tobecomeamatch-winner forthe Cheetahs.Andwhata gooddecisionitturnedout
tobe– MeyerallowedLeRouxtohavehisheadand herespondedby addinga goodfewattacking optionsto theSpringboks’
arsenal
LOSERS
an absenteepresidentand allegationsongdoing gatheringaroundthe headeCEO,themanaging bodyof localyhas,well,failedto manage.Kings/LionsSuperRugby stando debaclethat remainsunsolved,therRugbyformatis amess,the-headermid-yeartestsfailedto ignitexcitementof thefans,and theunionnuedto bendits kneeto thesportrtment,whilebeingled around bythe
by theirpartnersin SANZAR.dit appearsto havenoworkableonfor transformation.No amountof ”can disguisethe factthattaking aom itsown boss,SA’srugbynistrationhas beenmissingin action
Rugby’s movers and shakers
ackpagepix
hAfrica’srugbycathedralhadn’tdthe AllBlacksin nineyearsandt gotinreturnwasthegameoftheTheBoksandtheAll Blackswentatmmerandtongs,scoringnine trieseenthem,as theKiwis clinchedyin TheRugbyChampionship.ays somethingfor theAll Blacksheywerealso involvedin theon’sotherclassicagainstIrelandinn
RomainPoite’sinfamouscardingof Bismarckdu Plessisat EdenParkinAucklandwasthenadirofa badyearformatchocials.Insteadof accessto theTMOmaking forbetterdecisions,all ithas
doneis encouragea dereliction of responsibilitywith referees nolonger“thesolejudgeof fact”.From thescrumengagement lawsto
thebreakdown,threewords sumup theproblem– inconsistent,inconsistentandinconsistent
It’sonething tolose senior players,butto
loseso manyin onehit… andintheyearof theunion’s75thanniversary, saysonlyonething:somewhere,someonetookhiseyeotheball
“Failingto turnup”is a phrasethat turns
uptoo often whenit comes toProvince,whateverguisethey’rein,and yetagaintheylosta keyknockoutgame atNewlands.Maybeit’stime theymoveto theCape
Town Stadium
Samoa’sfullbackcommittedone orugby’s no-no’sby “bag-snatchingAdriaan Straussin thetestagainstSpringboksat Loftus.Butthe biggestcensureshouldp
befor theIRB’sjudiciaryprocessthallows thelikesof So’oialo,Ma’aNoAlesanaTuilagito geto scot-freeincidentsof foulplay,whilecominghardon others forlesserindiscreti
mpactplayerof theyear,highlightingZealand’s depth in thecrucialber10 position.The thirdin lineto”DanielCarterand behind Aaronen, Barrett’swalk-on rolesdrewdingovations– especiallyat Elliswhere hiscontributioneectivelytfortheAll Blacks
MoveoverGio Aplon,Kolbe is abouttoassumethehot-steppercrown.TheCape isrenownedforproducing
pocketrockets andKolbethrilledwheneverhe hadball inhand.Here’shopinghe isn’talsocondemned
tothe “toosmall”straitjacket
Grantedtheydid notwin anything,but byreachingthe Super Rugbyplay-osforthefirsttime,the Free Statersshowedupricher teamslikethe Stormersand theSharks.Everyone’s “secondfavouriteteam”, asthe menfrom Bloemfonteinhavebeendubbed,played witha senseof adventure.Theyburiedtheiroverseasbogey,
punchedway abovetheirweightandpushed thelikesof AdriaanStrauss,WillieleRoux andCoenieOosthuizen stronglyintotheSpringbokambit
Facedwith career-endinginjuries,twarhorses refusedto givein, anditgoodto seeBurgerbackfor WesteProvinceandthe Baa-Baas,and Smmakinga miracle comebackfor To
The“moneyball”teamdid itagain,winning back-to-backSuperRugby titles,thistimewithoutSonny BillWilliams.Theystruggledagainstthe Australian
teams butwhen itcountedin theplay-osagainstthe Crusadersand theBrumbies,theyproducedthe goods
Byhis ownadmission,the WesternProvinceandStormerscentre wasnotcoachHeyneke Meyer’sfirstchoice ascaptain whenhe tookoverthe Springbokslastyear, butDe Villiershas respondedtohaving themantleof leadershiphungonhis shoulders.He’sclearlyin chargeonthefield,has a
knackwithreferees,handlesthemediaexceptionallywelland alsojust happenstohaveplayedarguablythe bestseason of hiscareer
Two coacheswho areat theopposofthe SouthAfricanrugbyspectruthroughtheir diligenceand attentidetail,are nowwinners.TheubiquitousVenterwiththe C
Cupon hisCV andmuscularcroonStonehouse takingthePumas intoPremierDivision,witha recordof p28,won25,lostthreesaysit all
ANYISOTSHWAKU and DAN RETIEF run the rule over the past seasonand highlight their winners, losers, rising stars andchangingforces
Chiefs
Cheetahs Jean de Villiers
Lovehimor hatehim,you’vegotto handitto SonnyBill,he’sthe ultimatewinnerinrugby.Afterwinningthe Rugby WorldCupwiththeAll Blacksin2011andtheSuperRugby titlewiththe Chiefs in 2012,hereturnedto RugbyLeague andwonAustralia’sNRL titlewiththe SydneyRoosters,cappingthe seasono bybeingcrownedthe RugbyLeagueInternationalFederationPlayerof theYear.There’snot enoughspaceto listhis
other accolades,butsuceit tosay he’salso gotawin underhisbeltas aprofessionalheavyweight boxer
BeatingWestern Provincein theCurrieCupFinal cannot beviewedin isolation,butit representeda massive stride fromthefranchise’ssplutteringSuperRugbyoutfit.TheSharkswentto CapeTownwitha
planto exposethe low-lyingProvincedefence,andwith CharlMcLeodand PatLambieexecutingwithprecision,the boysfromKwaZulu-Natal strodeconfidentlytovictory
Sharks
SonnyBill Williams
BrendanVenterand JimmyStonehouse
SchalkBurger and JuanSmith
SouthAfricavs NewZealandatEllisPark
TheSharksraisedeyebrowswhentheydecidedto appoint SouthAfrica’smost-cappedcaptainand player astheirnewCEO.“Heknowsnothingof business,”saidthe naysayersbutothersapplaudedamovetobringsomeoneintothecommitteeroomwith an intimateknowledgeof theplayingside ofthings.Anditseemstobeworking– soonafter
Smittookover,theCurrieCup returnedto
KingsPark
TheformerWallaby prop,WorldCuwinner andsuccessfulReds coachsucceededNewZealander RobbieDafter a disappointingrun fortheWallabies.McKenzie’s initial resultspoor buthis“Iam theboss”attitudzero-toleranceapproach towardsindisciplinestartedto paydividendFourwinsina rowon theiryear-e
tourseemsto suggestthe Wallabi
mightbe back
JohnSmit EwenMcKenzie
SARugbyUnion
Referees
TheBlueBulls
BeaudenBarrett
CheslinKolbe
WesternProvince
JamesSo’oialo
Victor Matfield’sretirementlefta voidatnumber fivein theSpringbok side, butthesearchmight wellbe overwiththeemergenceof DuToit,who is thegrandsonof thegreatSpringbok prop,Piet“Spiere”du Toit
Pieter-Steph duToit
Sensing theBlue Bullswerein trouble
against theBrumbies in theSuperRugbysemifinalat Loftus,the skipperwent forbroke,choosingto eschewthreekickablepenaltiesin search ofa winning try.Fate conspiredagainsthim,the bigscore
failedtomaterialise andPotgieterbecamePretoria’spublicenemy numberone
DewaldPotgieter
CHANGING FORCES
Aperfectyear– 14winsin14 tests.KieranRead(above)was theIRB Player oftheYear, theAll Blacks weretheTeamof theYearand Steve Hanson wasCoachof theYear.Nowthat’sa blackoutof a dierent
kind!Coming oa played14,won12,drewoneand lostonerecordin 2012,there’snodoubtingthe AllBlacks’numberonestatus
AllBlacks
Williele Roux