SA sport's Big Three on the up
Brad Morgan
24 February 2005
These are optimistic times for South African sport's Big Three: rugby, soccer, and cricket. While none of the three national teams, the Springboks, Bafana Bafana and the Proteas, could be termed dominant sides, they all seem to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Off the field, matters might seem a little murky at times, with the infighting in South African rugby of particular concern, but on the field the good times seem just around the corner.
On the rugby front, the Super 12 begins on 25 February and, despite the fact that a South African side has never won the competition, hopes are high for that unfortunate fact to be put to rest. There are some good reasons for this.
Boks' super 2004
Top of the list must be the strides made by the Springboks in 2004. Under coach Jake White, the green and gold showed a new zest, a controlled fire inside that was well utilised. For the first time in many years the
backs found a sharp edge to their attacking play, and the Boks topped the Tri-Nations' try scoring charts.
Young players were given chances and excelled, thus putting in place a solid foundation for the short-term future of South African rugby.
No player made a greater impact than Schalk Burger, who won a string of awards, including the IRB International Player of the Year award, for a sensational season filled with man of the match winning performances.
However, Burger was not alone. Players like Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, and Jaque Fourie made their mark, while a whole host of others appear to be waiting in the wings for their opportunity to shine. If that is to happen, Jake White is the right man, in the right place, at the right time.
White's path and focus
White came up through the age group ranks as a very successful coach. And it was no shock when he appointed John Smit national captain because the pair had formed a
successful team that led South Africa to the Sanzar under-21 title.
He knows the talent that lies in the youth ranks and it appears to be a particular passion of his to unearth those players that can make it to the top.
Looking back on last season's Super 12, it was the Stormers who performed best, finishing third on the log, losing 27-16 to the Crusaders in Christchurch in the semi-finals. Many believe the Cape team's running style of rugby, spurred by their sharp backs, is suited to the nature of the competition.
However, the Blue Bulls were the dominant force in South African domestic rugby last season, and let's be honest, the Blue Bulls don't differ much from the Bulls, much as the Stormers don't differ much from Western Province. Therefore, it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that the Bulls could well challenge for the title.
The Sharks look as if they might be making up the numbers, with a huge influx of new players, but the presence of Springbok
captain John Smit, and the return of flyhalf Butch James from injury, will no doubt greatly improve their chances. They started off superbly in 2004. Could it happen again?
The Cats go into the season with plenty of question marks, too. However, a fit Andre Pretorius at flyhalf will assist their chances immeasurably and, let's face it, they surely can only improve on their 2004 record of one win in 11 outings. Remember, it was only three years ago, in 2002, that the Bulls failed to win a match and conceded 500 points in their 11 games. That's over 45 points per match!
PSL healthier
On the soccer front, it appears that the Premier Soccer League is in a healthier state than it was some time back, now that Trevor Phillips is again the chief executive officer. And, maybe even more exciting, a strong first division, the Mvela Golden League, has emerged.
A huge sponsorship at that level means better prospects for up-and-coming footballers.
It also means that greater depth is developing through stiffer competition.
Competition for the top spots in both leagues is close. And while money can buy success, it is not a guarantee of it, because more quality players are coming through the ranks.
Money, though, is coming into the leagues, and the willingness of people like mining magnate Patrice Motsepe to invest massive amounts into clubs like Sundowns shows that big business views South African soccer as a healthy avenue through which they can promote themselves.
Bafana Bafana looking good
The national team, Bafana Bafana, is ranked just seventh in Africa, but their future is looking bright. South Africa tops its World Cup qualifying group by a point from Ghana, and qualification for football's showpiece tournament in 2006 would be a huge boost for the country. Especially as the rainbow nation will be hosting the 2010 tournament.
World Cup 2010 South Africa: that
shows that the rest of the world has confidence in South African football, and in South Africa as a nation. The country has shown before that it is capable of hosting major events - Rugby World Cup in 1995, the African Cup of Nations in 1996, the All Africa Games in 1999, and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. World Cup 2010 will be bigger than them all.
National coach Stuart Baxter is gathering more and more support from Bafana Bafana's very demanding fans. They sense he has the team on the right track, and in his short time in charge - since April 2004 - he has led the side to some decent wins: a 2-0 victory over African Cup of Nations champions Tunisia, in Tunisia, and a 2-1 win over Nigeria that ended the West African team's unbeaten run of success against Bafana.
Some of the best football seen yet
In South Africa's most recent outing - a 1-1 draw against Australia in a friendly - the national side produced some of the best football yet
seen by Bafana Bafana fans. It was only after Baxter made wholesale changes during the game, to put his squad through their paces, that the standard dropped.
What was especially exciting was that the squad he chose comprised the best players South Africa has. Previous coaches, Shakes Mashaba and Styles Phumo, alienated some of the overseas-based stars, and Baxter has done tremendous work to get them back into the fold, willing and eager to play for South Africa.
The country needs a strong national football team so that the 2010 World Cup can be promoted as well as possible. It appears that the right foundation work is being done and the prayers of the organisers for a strong, world-class team to emerge could be answered.
Cricket changes bearing fruit
The South African cricket team has undergone some changes in recent times, and experience some growing pains young players were introduced, but now some of those changes appear to be
bearing fruit.
Early in 2004, the Proteas brushed aside the challenge of the West Indies on home soil as Jacques Kallis went wild at the crease, scoring 712 runs in only six innings, including four centuries and one fifty. His average was an astounding 178.
Herschelle Gibbs wasn't that far over Kallis' pace either, making 583 runs in seven innings, including three centuries and a fifty. He averaged 116.60.
The 3-0 victory in the four-Test series, and a 3-1 win in the one-day series, however, were the precursors to darker times in 2004.
Facing New Zealand next, in the land of the long white cloud, the Proteas managed a 1-1 draw in the Test series, winning the third Test by six wickets to give long-time star batsman Gary Kirsten a fitting send-off on his retirement.
One-day disaster
The one-day series was a disaster, however, as South Africa slumped to a 4-1 defeat.
Matters unravelled further when the Proteas
toured Sri Lanka in mid-year. After an honourable draw in the only Test, South Africa stumbled badly in the one-day internationals, which for so long had been one of the team's strengths, losing the five-match series 5-0 in a whitewash.
Those poor results left coach Eric Simons considering his resignation. It didn't happen immediately, but it came about later, in October.
Ray Jennings replaced Eric Simons as caretaker coach and was faced with the unenviable task of leading South Africa on an away tour of India with little time to prepare. The Indians were on the up-and-up after drawing a Test series against Australia.
Jennings adds steel
Jennings opted for a squad that reflected some of his personal choices, and immediately seemed to lend some steel to the SA team, a vital ingredient that was missing at times before he took over. Nonetheless, India secured a 1-0 series victory in the two-Test series.
It didn't get any easier
for Jennings, captain Graeme Smith and the Proteas as they returned for a five-Test series against a strong England team, whose fortunes under former Western Province coach Duncan Fletcher had sky-rocketed.
A superb series ensued, with the English eventually claiming a 2-1 victory. Despite the loss, South Africa could take plenty of positives out of the series.
The English Tests
In the first Test in Port Elizabeth they were manhandled as they fell to a seven-wicket defeat. Next up, in Durban, South Africa led by 193 runs on the first innings, but ended up coming out on the wrong end of a draw.
Then, in Cape Town, the side clicked, crushing the English by 196 runs. They seemed to have found their feet, but their inexperience showed in the fourth Test at The Wanderers as England won by 77 runs after trailing on the first innings.
The fifth Test ended in a draw as one of the young guns, AB de Villiers, excelled with innings of
92 and 109.
During the series, Jacques Kallis moved to the top of the world Test batting rankings, scoring three centuries as he tallied 625 runs at an average of 69.44. Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, as always, stood out with the ball, picking up 21 and 25 wickets respectively.
Proteas gaining in strength
The feeling after the series was that it had ended too soon because the Proteas looked as if they were gaining in strength, while England looked a little ragged. In the one-day series that followed, South Africa definitely proved that their game was more "together" than England's by that point of the tour.
They secured a convincing 4-1 victory, made all the sweeter by the return to form of Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, both of whom scored two centuries.
Justin Kemp emerged as a devastating hitter of the ball, maybe the replacement for Lance Klusener that South Africa desperately needs, while all the while Shaun
Pollock provided the steadying hand of experience and class.
By the end of the English tour Pollock had upped his South African record Test wicket haul to 374, and stood third, behind Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan only, in the Test bowling rankings. In the one-day rankings he filled second behind McGrath.
Makhaya Ntini ranked seventh in Test bowling and 10th in limited overs internationals.
Optimism about Proteas
The English tour finished on an optimistic note and as such, with the post of national coach up for grabs, support has been coming in for interim coach Ray Jennings.
It seems the general consensus is he has done well in a short time, and that a noticeable change has taken place in the national team, mostly in the mental department, where the Proteas appear to be regaining some of the steel that they were in recent years been renowned for.
With the big three on the rise, South African fans are
optimistic. There can be few fans that show better support than happy SA sport fans. Admittedly, they can also be very harsh in their condemnation of the national teams when they are unhappy. Right now, though, they are quietly humming a positive tune.
Let's hope it's well founded.
| 
