| Volume 1 - Week 37 | ||
|
Brilliant!
Sacre bleu, how did the French do it? Bernard Laporte was in Doom Street with
the umpteenth withdrawal of the week barely 48 hours before kick off yet his
young charges disseminated the pride of the Springboks with unnerving maturity
and a display worthy of the heroes of RWC 1999. The Springboks, with a
calamitous effort managed to lose against a team everybody bar the most
hardened partisan French supporter gave a zero chance of winning.
Congratulations to Les Bleus for an outstanding effort!
The
England Australia match was a fantastic game and regardless of Clive
Woodward’s ignominious post match mutterings he can be truly proud of a team
who played some of the best rugby seen so far this year. The first half was an
awesome display of rippling forward power and the Springboks who watched the
game may have had preoccupied thoughts by the time they jogged onto the Stade
de France pitch. Talking of which, the grass disintegrated in spectacular
fashion when the beefy packs set down to scrum, Rob van der Valk must have a
bit of advice for the stadium management!
The
Springboks lost, a headline more prominent than the war in Afghanistan but the
reason for the outrage is not in the defeat but more in the method of defeat.
France like England, Australia and New Zealand is now in the elite group of
nations capable of destroying any team any given Saturday so Australia should
beware, a lackluster display will not be left unpunished!
The
beautiful city of Genoa is the next stop for the South Africans and the
pressure is on, they are lucky to be away from home and will hardly relevant a
mention in the soccer mad country’s press. The match is a must win situation
for confidence and continuity sake and a defeat is non negotiable as the
Bulldogs must be licking their lips at the opportunity to skin some Springbok
after a match against lowly Romania.
This
week saw the announcement of a Transformation Incentive Scheme where unions
stand to receive bonuses up to R 25,000 for a black coach, R10,000 for every
black player above the quota laid down and a few more. Fearing the trap of a
political discussion I can see why the Springbok incumbents are so listless in
their performance. Basically their employers are setting incentives for them
to lose their jobs, nothing like good old job security isn’t there? I cannot
agree more with transformation principles but incentives to accomplish them
will damage our rugby and kill development of all players in the small cash
strapped unions. Repercussions will be; black players will be used to
fill the union coffers regardless of their ability, teams and competitions
will become weaker, dwindling crowds will become extinct and the
“Platteland” will spiral even further into the abyss of rugby obscurity.
The
coming weekend will be full of interesting rugby with all the Southern
Hemisphere teams involved, the most interesting match will be the highly
anticipated Ireland New Zealand clash. The Irish have never beaten the All
Blacks but with a run of good fortune and two world superstars in Keith Wood
and Brian O’Driscoll in their midst the match should be a cracker. John
Mitchell has done away with some legends of the past few years but expect the
youngsters to perform way above the (already highh) expectation similar to the
French on Saturday and record a solid victory. The French face Australia and
somehow the fairytale can not continue forever, Gelez after a wonderful match
against the Springboks finds himself on the bench in favour of a 19 year old!
Boy oh boy but monsieur Laporte has got big cahoonas! Australia will show why
the were crowned world champions.
The
Springboks should be favourites against Italy however who will blame Johnstone
and Kirwan for being more than optimistic? Diego Dominguez is a key player and
the Springboks must target his frail frame and exploit the potential gaps
around his channel, its time to play thinking rugby as well as catch and pass
the ball at opportune moments!
Good
luck to all the teams and enjoy a great day of viewing, a last note, Tom
Marcellus one of the regular and popular contributors to RF is organising a
dinner in honour of the 1951 – 52 Springbok Grand Slam winning tour and its
formidable captain, Hennie “Windhond” Muller in February 2002, for more
information go to www.rugbyforum.co.za
Cheers
Lucas
What
an embarrassment! The might of South African rugby was dealt a severe lesson
in humility, flair, determination and tactical nous (in other words a mighty
"klap") by, with all respects to their magnificent performances, a 2nd
French team. The youngsters of France, flyhalf François Gelez only heard he
was playing 48 hours before the match never mind training, playing or living
with the squad, kicked the collective butt of at least 75% of South Africa’s
best players. Yes, we can argue as much as we want to but at least 75% of the
team is the best in their position and the rest are close second choices.
Where does this leave us?
As
they say in the classics, its time to wake up and smell the coffee! I don’t
blame HV, I don’t blame the players, I don’t even blame the supporters,
like Seve Ballesteros once said to his caddy after an important shot fell
short of the green, “I blame myself… for listening to you!”
For months now we are hiding behind a so-called process to excuse what
is in essence a stale, unimaginative team incapable of adapting and varying
Plan A. Plan A’s been designed to beat the Ausies hence our dominance in the
year 2001. England proved how easy it is to work out a plan against the World
Champions and the Northern Hemisphere struck a radical blow in the battle for
world rugby supremacy on Saturday.
The
process, a swear word in modern rugby, is the result of world rugby and
coaching tenures focusing solely on the Rugby World Cup and in theory it makes
wonderful sense. As a Springbok supporter, well aware of our rich history and
record it’s a fundamental change from the “win at all costs” mentality
to accept the gradual buildup of a team capable of returning the Webb Ellis
trophy to SA with the inevitable defeats along the way. Losing against the
Kiwi’s and Ausies will be par for the course, statistics over the last few
years show that it is unrealistic to expect an unbeaten run against the two
superpowers. The emergence of England as serious contenders regardless of
their propensity to self destruct in the games that matter is a fact, thus add
another team to trade regular win and losses with. France, always one of
SA’s bogey sides especially on South African soil is the final team with the
ability to beat us any day. Taken all this into account, the teams will
encounter victories and defeats and if you play a hard honest game of rugby to
full potential well then the victor deserves the spoils.
To
lose as part of the process to RWC dominance is good and fine but when there
were almost 20 turnovers, the penalty count against was shocking and the
quantity knocks more than on the door of the local pleasure house, the process
in my opinion is flawed, very flawed. Once again where does this leave us?
England, if we beat England we may salvage some pride but can we do it? Yes,
if every player can improve his game by the required percentage, if a game
plan not necessary Plan A is executed with venom, accuracy and commitment the
team may be in with a shot, anything less and the humiliation will be complete
and in true South African fashion a new coach will be appointed in 2002.
Saturday
night’s circus was the best compliment ever for the state and ability of
French rugby. The Springboks need to do some serious introspection, from the
administrators who arrange tours with so-called easy matches in the middle
rather than a gradual build-up to the coach who cannot extract the same fervor
and cohesion as the provincial sides to the players who were sadly lacking in
streetwise savvy. An example, Joost van der Westhuizen’s 76 caps were more
than the entire French backline combined!! A fresh-faced flyhalf who nobody
even had the bottle to tackle late or shoulder charge (where art thou Butch?)
was let off the hook when clearly a few bollocking runs at his channel would
have created some gaps to exploit. Hallo, do we have a technical replacement
for Jake White? What about all the communication between coaches and players
via the physio and the bench? Halftime speech? My guess is it was all there
but the players again under estimated their opposition and thought that by
turning up in a green and gold jersey it is their divine right to win.
Please
Harry, Bob; South African rugby will not be able to deal with another display
of such indifference, the players even less so, their confidence will be gone
and so any chances of a Super 12 crown. The Tri Nations will be a mess and
then we have one tour to Europe to prepare for the RWC in 2003, there is very
little time left and we are talking about a process!
"One Moerse
Pull" by Tom Marcellus
Another
ignoble defeat, this time to a band of baby-faced Frenchies.
My biggest concern as I watched these quasi-men pile up the score with
unexpected ease was whether they had told their mothers that they would be out
so late.
In any event, I pondered to myself as injury time ticked by, rather than
spending a Saturday night tormenting our forlorn Bokke, didn't they have
homework to do or pimples to squeeze?
As
I sucked on my tumbler filled with murky liquids, which was a most welcome
companion at that ungodly hour, I could not help pining for the old days; to a
time, now almost lost in the mists of time, when the little leaping springbok
bestrode the rugby-playing world like a colossus.
Did you know, for example, that the 1956 loss in New Zealand was the
first series loss by the Boks of the 20th century?
Yep, successive bands of wannabe marauding invaders had been repulsed:
grand slam-winning tours to the UK were the norm; the wild men from the Land of
the Long White Cloud had been held at bay in 4 grueling series; and as for those
Aussies – hell, they could barely muster a scratch XV to play against our
illustrious manne.
What
a pleasure it must have been to stroll into a bar in downtown Wagga Wagga or
Wanganui in those days, secure in the knowledge that victory on Saturday
afternoon was all but a formality.
All that the Doc, oom Boy, the Windhond and the rest of the legends had
to do was show up with their togs, and the game was won.
Unlike today, there was no need then for a loyal supporter, far from
home, to try and disguise his gruff Japie accent with a newly-discovered but
temporary Antipodean twang.
There was no need for him to ask Travis the smarmy barman for a wretched
XXXX, just because he was too shy to ask for his favourite tipple, slow brewed,
extra matured.
Nope,
in those days our travelling Wilbury could walk down any Outback street, his
shoulders yea wide with pride, knowing full well that he came from the greatest
rugby nation on earth.
Our mate Travis wouldn't have known what hit him.
"China, gooi me a polisiekoffie.
And don't check me out skeef.
My mother grazes ballet dancers like you with her pap."
Since
that brutal tour nearly 50 years ago, when Kevin Skinner so infamously
"softened-up" the hitherto invincible Bok frontrow, the losses have
come thick and fast.
Following that tour, the looming spectre of Bok supremacy that had so
tormented Kiwis for nearly 20 years was vanquished, possibly forever.
In more recent times, the re-admission of the Boks into the international
rugby fold has been an especially sobering escapade.
No longer could we fans rest on the laurels earned decades earlier, or on
the strength of our beloved Currie Cup.
I
remember listening in respectful silence to a member of the 1992 Bok management,
as he held forth down at the bar on how the Boks would comfortably subdue their
Antipodean arch enemies, a few weeks prior to the long-awaited All Blacks game.
Our friend was asked how the Boks would have fared in the 1991 World Cup,
had they been able to take part.
Hell, he said confidently, as he took one moerse pull on his frosted No
17, any one of the top 3 Currie Cup provinces from that year would have won the
darn thing.
Man,
those were the days….
I
think I'm going to be an ardent fan of the gallant Gauls from now on.
Vive le Bleus, Allez Francais and
all that jazz.
With the youth, panache and typically devil-may-care attitude of their
backs, coupled with a smattering of Foreign Legion deserters amongst their
forwards and my irrepressible zest, we will surely conquer the world together.
But I'm not French.
I don't drive a Citroen and I can't pronounce Yves St Laurent.
In fact, I don't even speak French.
At the moment, I just kiss that way – but I'm working at it.
Passez
le baguette, mademoiselle, s'il vous plait.
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The debacle against France on Saturday has
led to the usual media frenzy around selections and playing strategy. This
week’s article focuses on what is potentially the reason for South
Africa’s continued inability to move forward as a team.
Gavin Rich, writing for Supersport, commented that
Snyman and Halstead should not have been selected in tandem for a test. Other
reporters have continuously criticised the fly half selection and the lack of
a playmaker. It is clear that there is a lack of continuity in selection.
There are several further reasons for the stagnation.
The South African public is not prepared to accept
a few consecutive defeats or close calls. The selectors are not planning
beyond each test series. The players that are newly selected are not being
allowed to develop in the midst of continuity and experience.
Injuries have played their part, but it is not acceptable to use this as an excuse when it could have been avoided in the first place. Hindsight provides the writer with a factual advantage; however these issues have been raised by various analysts for several years.
The following list of centre pairings used by
Harry Viljoen was published by iafrica.com this week.
Argentina: Robbie Fleck and Grant Esterhuizen
started. Esterhuizen injured, Fleck to outside centre and Braam van Straaten
to inside centre. (SA won)
Ireland: Fleck and Esterhuizen. Fleck injured and Van Straaten to inside centre. (SA won) Wales: Van Straaten and Fleck. Fullback Thinus Delport got concussed, Percy Montgomery moved from flyhalf to fullback and Van Straaten moved from inside centre to flyhalf. Fleck moved from outside centre to inside centre and Esterhuizen completed the match at outside centre. (SA won) England: Mulder and Fleck: Mulder left the field for 15 minutes because of a head injury. Fleck to inside centre and Esterhuizen to outside centre. (SA lost) France: Mulder and De Wet Barry: Barry substituted in the final 10 minutes and is replaced by Fleck. (SA lost) France: Fleck and Barry: Fleck is injured. Montgomery moves to outside centre and Barry to inside centre. (SA won) Italy: Mulder and Fleck: Deon Kayser replaces Mulder. Fleck to inside centre and Kayser to outside centre. (SA won) New Zealand: Fleck and Marius Joubert. The latter is injured and replaced by Kayser. (SA lost) Australia: Van Straaten and Fleck: They complete the match, although Fleck takes a heavy blow just before half-time. (SA won) Australia: Van Straaten and Fleck: Fleck injures his ankle and is replaced by Kayser. (Drew) New Zealand: Van Straaten and Snyman: Snyman injures his calf and cuts his ear. He is replaced by Kayser. (SA lost) France: Trevor Halstead and Snyman: Snyman cuts his head and is replaced by Montgomery. (SA lost)
Injuries have resulted in continuous changes to
the centre pairings. There are only three consistent selections, which is as a
result of a poor squad strategy. New players are not developed over time.
There are certain selections which should never have been made in the first
place.
There is a poor squad strategy which goes back to
the tenure of Nick Mallett. Key new players are thrown into the fire without
the opportunity to develop over time. De Wet Barry and Butch James are great
prospects that have been surrounded by new players, changing tactics and being
dropped, only to be brought back at a later time. Players like Jaco van der
Westhuizen and Trevor Halstead should have been in a squad from the beginning
of this year.
There is nothing wrong with a player being
released from the squad, but this should be as a result of performance and not
because of the management’s inability to groom players and thus set them up
for failure.
The only players to be part of a winning team on a
consistent basis are Van Straaten, Fleck and prior to injury, Andre Snyman.
Japie Mulder has only been on the winning side against a weak Italian team and
has failed to remain fit on a consistent basis.
There are several players that have not been
injured continuously. They are Fleck, Halstead, Van Straaten and Kayser. The
selection of these players alongside a comparable player would enable
consistency, a stable environment and a replacement plan which does not change
the overall strategy.
Players with a history of injury or those that do
not compliment each other should not be selected. The decision to select Japie
Mulder ahead of Halstead made no sense and killed any belief in Viljoen’s
long term strategy. The same can be said of Marius Joubert who has a history
of injuries and was not part of the original squad this year. Injuries will
happen, but there should be a coherent strategy of replacement which prevents
this stop and start approach. South Africa cannot claim to have limited
resources in the game of rugby.
Van Straaten may not be a playmaker, but he is a
reliable kicker and should have been in the team from the beginning of the
year. Pairing him with a younger person more suited to the long term strategy
would provide a more stable environment. Added to this is the debacle around
his contract.
De Wet Barry has been extremely successful for the
Western Province team and yet he is not part of the current squad. He cannot
be expected to operate without a complimentary centre partner on a continuous
basis.
Robbie Fleck is clearly the most talented
playmaker in South Africa, yet his injury brings us back to square one. This
is because he himself was part of the selection scandal and was not given a
consistent partner.
The following group of players could have solved
the selection crisis, complemented the long term strategy, provided cover for
injuries and enabled the development of young players.
Flyhalf:
Braam van Straaten Butch James Jaco van der Westhuizen
Inside Centre:
Trevor Halstead De Wet Barry Robbie Fleck
Outside Centre:
Robbie Fleck Deon Kayser Andrian Jacobs
This blend of players negates the injury argument
proposed by analysts, provides a mix of experience and consistency and would
have prevented the habit of dropping new players who are not able to produce
miracles in their first test appearance.
The national team is now facing a third round of
having to deliver under extraordinary circumstances. Reference to a World Cup
strategy cannot be substantiated at this point in time. A year has passed and
there is still no consistency in selection. The squad strategy appears to be
flawed and the consistent changes in coaching have only delivered in the area
of defensive patterns.
The coach is ultimately responsible for the
team’s performance and it is time for Harry Viljoen to do just that.
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Match Briefs and Opinion
England vs Australia Carl Orf’s Cramina Burana set a dramatic atmosphere for the 75,000 crowd amid the maneuvers of the Royal Marines at Twickenham for the highly anticipated clash between England and Australia. The two teams did not disappoint and produced a memorable game of high intensity rugby. The match was highlighted by a marvelous display of forward power and cohesion from the English pack undaunted by the loss of Johnson and Dallaglio, they out jumped, out drove and out rucked a strangely subdued Wallaby pack. The Australian backline with world-class players in Gregan, Larkham, Roff, Burke and Herbert was reduced to tackling practice and plenty of it. Such was the England dominance that the Wallabies only scored their first point in the second half. England capitalized on every visit to the Wallaby half; Jonny Wilkinson was superb, with two dropped goals (one with each foot!) and five penalties he kept the scoreboard ticking. England did not rely solely on his boot and only dogged Australian defence kept Dan Luger, Robinson and co at bay as the whites launched attack upon attack with the abundance of quality ball. In a very good England performance there were a few stand out performers, Vickery and Grewcock were magnificent in the forwards and Catt and Luger always looked dangerous. A bit of reckless play from Catt summed up England’s day when he flicked a hurried ball through his legs to avoid an oncoming Australian attacker only to find a man ready to catch and punt the ball into touch. Commitment and pure bulldog survived the day. The Australians did not have a fun day at the office, Burke struggled with his kicking and the forwards were reduced to spoils and Owen “town thug” Finnegan deservedly received his marching orders from Paddy O’Brien. The second half was kinder and two well-worked tries threatened a comeback of monstrous proportions but Neil Back’s men were not to be denied. England played magnificent winning rugby and at the end of the day it is the scoreboard that counts the most and it read England 21 Australia 15.
Man of the match: Danny
Grewcock
France vs South Africa
The beautiful Stade de France was an impressive
setting for the third test of the year between the Springboks and the
Tricolors. Touted by most players and supporters as the series decider the
French crowd arrived in their droves to watch their team improve on a dismal
record in Paris. Improved they did, in spectacular style.
The Springboks may have thought that with seven
new caps and a couple of teenagers in their midst the French would be easy
pickings however this thought rapidly evaporated after the very first scrum.
Ironman Visagie, one of the best props in the world struggled against Crenca
and was penalised for not binding properly, the result a very unsteady
platform for the Springboks in the conventional phases. The French on a
disintegrating pitch scrummed superbly and as is so often the case, the winner
of the forward battle wins the match.
With an excellent platform and hard-working
loose-forwards the French backline had many opportunities to sparkle and their
depth in attack saw the uncustomary sight of centers having to turn around and
chase opponents. Young François Gelez, the flyhalf who hardly had time to
train with his side after Merceron’s late withdrawal marshaled his troops
impressively. He also kicked superbly and the only cross against his name was
poor kicking out of hand in the beginning but he is forgiven for having some
jitters! The French are expected to do the unexpected but there was little
unexpected in this performance, strong scrumwork, excellent loose play by
Magne especially and backs producing vast amounts of flair in attack displayed
rugby in its most conventional sense. The unexpected for the Springboks was
the attitude of the new caps and players like Traille who played beautifully
epitomised the honour and dedication to the national cause and to hell with
experience.
The Springboks were horrid, dropped passes,
turnovers, penalties, incomprehensible decisions all contributed to one of the
worst performances seen in the past few years. The ball-carrier seemed intent
on off-loading at every opportunity regardless of the situation and so many
promising moves were spoilt by the inability to think, summarise and decide.
The worst culprit was veteran halfback Joost van der Westhuizen, his inability
to control a game and his propensity to involve himself with the loose cost
his team dearly, and this must rank as his worst performance in what has
become of long line of mediocre matches.
The anarchy behind the scrum reduced Braam van
Straaten and strong runners Halstead and Snyman to crash ball tactics (so
predictable) against men as big and powerful as themselves. Out wide the
“flawed genius” of Rossouw came to nothing, hesitant on attack and useless
in defence not even his try which Cabous van der Westhuizen’s grandmother
could have scored vindicated his selection. Paulse, as brilliant an attacker
as he can be was harmless and defences has worked out his chip kick option, he
dropped the ball and knocked a crucial grubber from Joost (his only brilliance
in a shocking 80 minutes) to round off a bad day for the flyer. Jantjes,
hesitant from the back was not called upon that often but his insistence on
letting the ball bounce caused minor angina attacks in the collective living
rooms of SA.
The Springboks were exposed as an unimaginative
and one-dimensional side incapable of changing tactics on the field of play.
The French were wonderfully innovative and had they trained together or God
forbid played together for a longer period of time an even bigger humiliation
would have been inflicted on the green and gold.
The Springboks deserved to loose this match and it
was not only their weak display that was to blame for this defeat, more the
brilliance of a young French team destined for higher glory.
Man of the Match: François
Gelez
Match opinion
The Springbok effort and the word is an anomaly of
what transpired in Paris begged to be criticized and rightly so however there
have been more than enough words committed to paper about the on field fracas.
The question we need to ask and discuss is why?
Confidence: The players,
professional or not are human beings that suffer from the natural ailment of
confidence, to clarify, regardless of the apparent confidence boost in being
chosen as the best in your position (arguably!) the players need confidence to
perform. Confidence comes with routine and winning, both ingredients seem to
be lacking in the Springbok set up. Select players with confidence derived
from current form, it is stupid to think that guys returning from weeks of
injury will perform to optimum best regardless of the amount of experience.
Skills: For inexplicable reasons
and both coaches and players acknowledge responsibility for the defeat there
seem to be a sad lack of skills in executing a gameplan. HV can rightly be
peeved if certain aspects were drilled day in and day out yet on match day
it’s all gone, confusion reigns. Dare I say we don’t possess the personnel
anymore to be world-beaters? Sacrilege! The players are there and we can see
it during the Super 12 and the Top 8 of the Currie Cup, the next step up is
the problem, the players seem unable to perform at a higher level and this is
the root of evil that must be exterminated. Test rugby is not a kindergarten,
sink or swim and if you can’t swim, no disgrace, go hone your skills in
lesser company and return a better player with more character and better
skills. Simple.
BS: Harry Viljoen embarked on a
process and the word sounding more and more like procrastinate has lulled the
players and some supporters into a false sense of security that there is time
in building a team capable of winning RWC 2003. Defeats are alright and lets
all have a group hug! Agreed it will take time and we will lose but where are
we in the process? It can obviously not be compared with France or England,
they must be light years ahead of our process and that is extremely
disturbing. The process should be easy, adopt a game plan with variations,
execute the plan with commitment and hone it with the personnel available.
Somewhere somebody is feeding the other a bunch of bullsh*t!
Negative talk I hear you murmur but are we truly
honest and open minded about our rugby? Defeat so often bring a turnabout in
fortunes and the recent history (post isolation) of SA rugby is splattered
with examples and a popular refrain is that a wounded Springbok is the most
dangerous animal in the rugby kingdom. The problem is though, the Springboks
have taken numerous batterings this year; can anyone withstand such punishment
and dare hope to bounce back? Character it will take and it is up to the CC
combination (captain and coach) to turn the ship, if they can’t do it they
don’t deserve to be in that position.
Quotes
Individual commitment to a group effort, that is
what makes a team work. Vince Lombardi
I want to show Harry that I'm still good
enough to play for South Africa. He told me what he wants from me and that
he'll pick me if I play good rugby. Rassie
Erasmus
You gotta lose 'em sometimes. When you do, lose
'em right. Unknown
The players accept responsibility for the way they
played and each one is keen to put it right against Italy and against England
the following weekend. Andre Vos
Dear Ed
There are two things on my mind regarding Springbok rugby. (1) Selection and (2) Bob Skinstad. First things first. With players like Stefan Terblanche, Tinus Delport, Johan Ackerman, etc not in the Bok Side, a quick word of advise. Guys, pack up and go earn some pounds. Terblanche has consistently been better than Rossouw during the 2001 season, but is still not selected. Same goes for Delport vs Percy, and Ackerman vs "penalty wing" Van der Berg. Include Rassie in the same cauldron of bad selection criteria, and you can have a few English clubs rising to stardom. Danie Rossouw was selected on 3 substitute performances!!, while Rassie got the better of Bob in both the matches at Newlands, which the Cheetahs lost! There will be another time for players like Wylie Human to go to the top, but I hope it's sooner than later. Pieter Rossouw is undoubtedly the most genial pathetic rugby player we have. Is it worth while having him in the side for 2 touches of sheer brilliance, to be followed by the expected stupidity? Secondly. I would like to know if the rumours are true that reason behind Vossie's sudden sacking as Bok Captain, is money. Is it true that Nike/Castle and other sponsors put pressure on SARFU to oust Vos in favour of a more marketable captain? Rumours also have it that that is the reasoning behind the omissions of Rassie and Krige from the Bok Side. Are they to strong in character for the Harry/Bobby marriage? Enjoy the rest of the Bok tour of the Northern Hemisphere. Bren
Beste Ed.
Almal weet beter en almal het hul idees... Soos hulle se - "die
beste speler sit op die kantlyn".
Ek dink die span is nogal n baie goeie een - kaptein ingesluit !! Ons
probleem hoekom die Bokke stoom verloor het, was nl. losskakel en
binnesenter - na Henry Honniball is bietjie misgetas oor die identifisering
van sy opvolger. Nou dat dit te laat is, weet ons almal Braam Gilbert
van Straaten is die beste !! Dinge lyk egter rooskleurig vir n
opvolger - Kleintjips Rossouw. Ja selfs Gaffie kan ingespan word
afhangende van wat ons benodig vir die betrokke Saterdag.... Ek
is baie tevrede met mr Viljoen - as jy gan kyk van waar hy ons Bokke agter
die bult gaan haal het, en tot n wen/gelykop uitslag teen die Aussies in die
3Nasies gebring het !! Ek glo dinge sal nou begin gebeur - Het ons nie klaar
n les geleer met Carel en Gert Smal nie ???!!! Ek moet egter byvoeg dat ek
baie bly is die 2 is by WP...
Dit daar gelaat - Dink bietjie voor jou emosies en selfsug oorneem oor wat
jy graag sou wou he of wat jy dink wat goed is/sal wees. HV is die man
in die warm stoel, so laat hy die warm besluite neem.
Mense maar ek kan nie wag vir die Engelse om te kraak onder ons
"nuwe" Span met Amadeadly ek bedoel Braam daar nie.
Groetnis en vat dit maar rustig met al die kritiek - kom ons kyk wat
gebeur....
Hendri
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