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First test for new Bok coach

Brad Morgan

6 June 2008

The first Springbok team of coach Peter de Villiers, set to tackle Wales in Bloemfontein on Saturday, contains only five players who started the Rugby World Cup final against England in October. One of those is John Smit, who leads South Africa for a record 50th time.

However, two players who played a decisive role in South Africa's World Cup victory, Victor Matfield and Percy Montgomery, are on the bench.

The pair moved to French clubs after the World Cup, and reportedly the reason they are on the bench is that they arrived a little later than most for the Springbok get-together.

Matfield was the player of the match in the World Cup final, while the reliable Montgomery contributed 12 points with his boot. Francois Steyn, who excelled in France, added the other three points in a 15-6 win over England, but he has been omitted from the squad altogether.

Eyebrow-raising

Those moves are eyebrow-raising. Matfield is regarded as the best lineout forward in world rugby and he led a Springbok domination of that set piece against the English. Montgomery was the top points' scorer in France with a high penalty success rate and was a steady, reliable influence at fullback. Steyn was selected by many as their pick at inside centre for a World Cup XV.

Andries Bekker replaces Matfield in the second row. He enjoyed a brilliant Super 14 season, highlighted by an outstanding work ethic, but despite that it should be remembered that the man he starts ahead of is widely believed to be the best in the world at his position.

Conrad Jantjes takes over from Montgomery at fullback. He, too, had an excellent Super 14 season, but Montgomery has an extremely reliable goal-kicking boot, which Jantjes does not. He is also a wonderful general at the back, boasting an enviable understanding and reading of the game, and while Jantjes is good, he is not yet in Montgomery's class.

No place for Steyn

Jean de Villiers replaces Steyn. He was the first choice inside centre for the World Cup, but was injured in the Springbok's first match. Steyn took over and performed very well. This season, however, Steyn has been moved between many positions in the Sharks' backline, while De Villiers excelled at inside centre for the Stormers.

Steyn's versatility probably hurt him, but one would have imagined that it would have helped him earn a place on the bench. Not so.

Only two overseas-based players will be in the starting 15, namely captain John Smit and flyhalf Butch James.

James influential

Smit was the one player guaranteed to be in the run-on side after De Villiers named him captain well in advance of the Springboks' first game, while James, an influential and very effective performer in the World Cup, will play the role of general in a position that lacks some depth in South African rugby.

With the selection of Tonderai Chavanga on the opposite wing to Bryan Habana, the Springboks undoubtedly have the fastest wing combination in the game and if they are allowed some ball and space the Welsh will be in trouble.

Adrian Jacobs, who last played for the Springboks in 2002 and was used mostly off the bench by the Sharks in the Super 14, will partner De Villiers in midfield. He's an incisive attacker and if there are any questions about his play, it is about his defensive performance. Organisation in the backline will be a key issue in Saturday's test because if it is done well there will be no holes in the defensive line.

Scrumhalf questions

There are some questions at scrumhalf too. Fourie du Preez is out of action because of injury and his replacement, Ricky Januarie, fouled up by transgressing team rules, which led to him being left out of the first test line-up.

Bolla Conradie, the back-up to Januarie at the Stormers, will start in his place and starting has become a foreign experience for Conradie. During the Super 14 he started only once, in week 11 against the lowly Highlanders, and when he did replace Januarie it was usually for only a few minutes at a time.

Ruan Pienaar will serve as his replacement. He was on the bench for the World Cup final, but spent most of the Super 14 season playing flyhalf after Fredric Michalak was injured, and because of the strong form of Rory Kockott, who wasn't invited to train with the Springboks.

Eighthman

Even the selection of Pierre Spies is a questionable decision. He was the number one choice for the World Cup, but was forced to withdraw when blood clots were found on his lungs. It was only midway through the Super 14 season that he returned to action and, although he put in some strong showings, his form is not where it once was.

Ryan Kankowski, on the other hand, excelled in his test debut against the Welsh at the end of 2007. He was continually lauded by television commentators – New Zealanders, Australians, and South Africans – as the form eighthman of the Super 14, maybe even the player of the entire competition, but finds himself left out of the matchday 22.

Top rugby websites, such as Planet Rugby and rugby365.com, chose him as their eighthman of the tournament, but it was not enough to crack a Springbok nod. The question is: what more does he need to do? It is a question one could ask of Spies and answer with far greater ease than one could answer about Kankowski.

Watson returns

With Schalk Burger out through injury, Luke Watson starts at flank. He had a really good Super 14 season, although he spent most of it playing at eighthman. As well as he has played, he is merely keeping the position warm for Burger, one of the most outstanding players in the game, regardless of position.

Juan Smith, who put in one towering performance after another at the World Cup, is an easy selection on the opposite flank. He is a commanding presence in the lineouts, a strong defender, and also a physical carrier of the ball.

Bakkies Botha partners Andries Bekker at lock and it is that very aspect of the game – partnership – that one wonders about ahead of the Welsh test. In Botha and Matfield the Springboks had a combination regarded as the best in rugby. Botha was the hard man and Matfield the athletic ball-poacher and it was the mixing of the two that worked so well.

Front row rookie

In the front row, World Cup starter CJ van der Linde gives way to Brian Mujati at tighthead prop. Van der Linde hasn't been in the best of form, but he has played at the highest level, winning 48 caps, and it is always a risk blooding a newcomer in the front row. Inserting him against the Grand Slam winning Six Nations champions increases the risk that things could go wrong.

John Smit is the right selection at hooker; he has the kind of leadership tools that cannot be taught. One either has them or doesn't have them, and they are very rare. The quality and influence of his leadership was clear for all to see at the Rugby World Cup.

He earns his fiftieth cap as Springbok captain against Wales, which is a record for a South African captain. "It's a fantastic honour," said Smit, "but believe me it's the last thing on my mind heading into the Test on Saturday. Wales give us more than enough of a challenge to keep our minds totally on winning the match on Saturday."

Os replaced

At loosehead prop, Gurthro Steenkamp takes over from the retired Os du Randt. He is solid in the set pieces, but not as dynamic as Tendai "the Beast" Mtawarira around the field. Coach De Villiers apparently wanted to start Mtawarira against the Welsh, but then decided against going into the contest with two rookie props. The Sharks' star was ultimately left out of the matchday 22.

Besides the aforementioned Matfield, Montgomery, and Pienaar, Van der Linde is also on the bench, along with Danie Rossouw, who started the World Cup final at eighthman, Sharks' hooker Bismarck du Plessis, and Stormers' flyhalf Peter Grant.

It is a good team, make no mistake. However, it could have been even better.

'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'

I go by the maxim: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". It took former coach Jake White four years to put into place the pieces for a World Cup winning side, and hopefully Peter de Villiers won't try to rid himself of those pieces as quickly as the South African Rugby Union got rid of White.

One obstacle that the Springboks will have to overcome besides Wales on Saturday will be the challenge of reverting from the experimental law variations (ELVs) used in the Super 14 to the "old" laws under which they won the World Cup.

Leading South African referee Jonathan Kaplan, who has refereed using three different sets of laws this season, believes it won't be much of a problem. He says adjusting to the ELVs is a much tougher problem than adjusting from them.

Improvement?

Coach De Villiers has suggested that the Springboks can improve by 40 percent which, in my opinion, sounds like it belongs in the same category as his prediction that three South African teams would make the Super 14 semi-finals.

During the World Cup, the Springboks scored 24 tries in their four pool matches, and added another nine in the quarterfinals and semi-finals. They didn't score a five-pointer in the final, but that match was all about the result.

They gave up six tries in the pool matches, three in the two games leading up to the final, and none in the title decider against England.

It will be hard to better that sort of play by 40 percent. If the Boks can replicate their World Cup form, De Villiers should be happy. Reinventing the wheel is not what is needed.

The example of former Springbok coach Harry Viljoen should be remembered. He promoted an attacking approach, but it didn't take long for him to realise that a top-class defence is more important in the international game. Jake White insisted that it was defence that would win the World Cup and he was right. The game has not changed.

Emulating White

Where De Villiers has followed White is in giving players he coached at international age-group level an opportunity. It worked for White. Will De Villiers have the same kind of success?

Because Saturday's first test against Wales marks De Villiers' debut, there are tons of questions in the minds of South African rugby supporters, starting with whether or not the SA Rugby Union made the right move in appointing De Villiers ahead of the highly successful former Bulls' coach Heyneke Meyer.

De Villiers has a chance to begin answering those questions on Saturday when his charges try to put into practice his coaching efforts. He will surely be nervous, but relieved as can be to finally get done with talking and get onto playing matters. After the test there will surely be a few less questions from people like me.

SPRINGBOK TEAM

• 15. Conrad Jantjes
• 14. Tonderai Chavanga
• 13. Adrian Jacobs
• 12. Jean de Villiers
• 11. Bryan Habana
• 10. Butch James
• 9. Bolla Conradie
• 8. Pierre Spies
• 7. Juan Smith
• 6. Luke Watson
• 5. Andries Bekker
• 4. Bakkies Botha
• 3. Brian Mujati
• 2. John Smit (c)
• 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp

• 16. Bismarck du Plessis
• 17. CJ van der Linde
• 18. Victor Matfield
• 19. Danie Rossouw
• 20. Ruan Pienaar
• 21. Peter Grant
• 22. Percy Montgomery