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Former Springbok coach Jake White has warned that South African rugby will end up in the junkyard if decision-makers don’t take a firm grip of the steering wheel.
http://www.vodacomrugby.co.za/time-running-sa-rugby-jake/
“In the next five years, unless we make some really strong decisions as a union and a country, our rugby reputation will be lost â€" maybe forever,†White told Vodacom Rugby from France where he serves as head coach of Montpellier. “The writing is on the wall.â€
The Springboks have surrendered four historic losses in the past 12 months â€" including defeats against Japan, Ireland and Argentina. The recent resignation of SA Rugby president Oregon Hoskins, and the retirement announcement of Bok captain Adriaan Strauss, has come at a time when the gap between the quality of rugby in New Zealand and South Africa is arguably at its widest since the game went professional.
With the majority of South Africa’s best players plying their trade abroad during the Currie Cup, what was once considered the world’s premier domestic championship has effectively been downgraded to a competition that showcases junior talent.
“I love South Africa and our rugby, I always have,†said White, “one of the greatest days of my life was becoming the Bok coach. But when I look in from overseas and see the Blue Bulls playing the Golden Lions in a Currie Cup match on a Friday night, when there’s no Test match on the following Saturday, that for me is a telltale sign of where our rugby is going.
“The Currie Cup was South African rugby’s saving grace during the isolation era. To play Currie Cup rugby was almost tougher than playing Test matches at times â€" when touring sides came to South Africa, and they had to play Northern Transvaal, a lot of teams called it their ‘fourth Test match’.
“If you look at the kind of players who are playing Currie Cup now, with the Springboks and internationals away, we are saying that the Currie Cup is not what it used to be, and my fear is that we’re accepting mediocrity.
“When I was a youngster, the likes of Hennie Bekker, Schalk Burger Snr and Henning van Aswegen were playing for Western Province. How many 19-year-olds played then? None. And how many of the youngsters playing today would make that Western Province team? None.
“That’s a worrying sign because whatever is happening now, there’s no doubt it will impact where we will be in the next five years. There are a lot of factors â€" overseas players, spreading the talent base â€" but I don’t think people want to admit that the consequences are going to come back to bite us.â€
The Boks won three out of eight Tests against the All Blacks during White’s term at the helm between 2004 and 2007; South Africa have only beaten New Zealand twice in 13 matches dating back to 2010.
“The difference is that New Zealand are not using rugby as the benchmark for their success. The All Blacks coaches aren’t measuring themselves against the greatest rugby teams, they’re looking at the greatest professional sporting teams in the world â€" Barcelona FC, Ferrari’s F1 team…
“As an ex-Bok coach and a fan of South African rugby, it hurts to say that, the way we’re heading, we’re going to end up where we can’t be a force in World Rugby anymore. And remember, the All Blacks aren’t waiting around for us to get our house in order.â€
South Africa head into the third round of the Rugby Championship eager to rebound from their first loss in Argentina when they take on Australia in Brisbane on Saturday. White says that a big part of the Boks’ current poor form is because the coaches who succeeded him failed to make any provision for their successors.
“When I started the Bok job, we had 175 Test caps, of which Breyton Paulse had 60 and Os du Randt had 40.
“I remember it like yesterday, it was the first Test for Eddie Andrews, Jacques Cronje, Fourie du Preez and Henno Mentz, and it was Schalk Burger’s second Test. That’s where we were in 2004.
“That same group, when they finished with me in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, had 649 Test caps. That group played under Peter de Villiers and Heyneke Meyer, and in some games went over the 1000-Test mark.
“I looked at a team photo of the current Boks the other day. Traditionally, the front row of the team photo always has the guys with the most experience. I saw Lood de Jager and Damian de Allende in the front row. They’d have 16 or maybe 20 Test caps each, and they’re in the front row.
“Guys like Juan Smith wouldn’t sit in the front row when he played for us, and he had 60 caps…
“What I’m saying is that there’s a glaring obvious flaw in what you see. There’s no succession plan. When the Bok coach packs his bags and leaves, he doesn’t leave anything for the next guy. Heyneke never rested a player, never rotated his team, he knew that he needed to get results. You can’t blame him for that, that’s the nature of the job.
“But the irony is, that when he left, Lood and Damian are in the front row. From 2004 to 2016. you can see enough in that photo to see that things aren’t right.
“For the All Blacks, when Dan Carter left, they had Beauden Barrett and Aaron Cruden. When Richie McCaw left they had Sam Cane. That was their succession plan and they showed it to you; it wasn’t a secret.
“They also don’t make a secret of what they want to do. The All Blacks say that they want to be the top team in the world. Why are we so scared to say that? We say ‘we want to e competitive’.
“The whole package has to be right if you want to be a top team in the world. We’ll be okay for a while, because our schools rugby is among the strongest in the world, but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that our aura is disappearing.â€
http://www.vodacomrugby.co.za/time-running-sa-rugby-jake/
“In the next five years, unless we make some really strong decisions as a union and a country, our rugby reputation will be lost â€" maybe forever,†White told Vodacom Rugby from France where he serves as head coach of Montpellier. “The writing is on the wall.â€
The Springboks have surrendered four historic losses in the past 12 months â€" including defeats against Japan, Ireland and Argentina. The recent resignation of SA Rugby president Oregon Hoskins, and the retirement announcement of Bok captain Adriaan Strauss, has come at a time when the gap between the quality of rugby in New Zealand and South Africa is arguably at its widest since the game went professional.
With the majority of South Africa’s best players plying their trade abroad during the Currie Cup, what was once considered the world’s premier domestic championship has effectively been downgraded to a competition that showcases junior talent.
“I love South Africa and our rugby, I always have,†said White, “one of the greatest days of my life was becoming the Bok coach. But when I look in from overseas and see the Blue Bulls playing the Golden Lions in a Currie Cup match on a Friday night, when there’s no Test match on the following Saturday, that for me is a telltale sign of where our rugby is going.
“The Currie Cup was South African rugby’s saving grace during the isolation era. To play Currie Cup rugby was almost tougher than playing Test matches at times â€" when touring sides came to South Africa, and they had to play Northern Transvaal, a lot of teams called it their ‘fourth Test match’.
“If you look at the kind of players who are playing Currie Cup now, with the Springboks and internationals away, we are saying that the Currie Cup is not what it used to be, and my fear is that we’re accepting mediocrity.
“When I was a youngster, the likes of Hennie Bekker, Schalk Burger Snr and Henning van Aswegen were playing for Western Province. How many 19-year-olds played then? None. And how many of the youngsters playing today would make that Western Province team? None.
“That’s a worrying sign because whatever is happening now, there’s no doubt it will impact where we will be in the next five years. There are a lot of factors â€" overseas players, spreading the talent base â€" but I don’t think people want to admit that the consequences are going to come back to bite us.â€
The Boks won three out of eight Tests against the All Blacks during White’s term at the helm between 2004 and 2007; South Africa have only beaten New Zealand twice in 13 matches dating back to 2010.
“The difference is that New Zealand are not using rugby as the benchmark for their success. The All Blacks coaches aren’t measuring themselves against the greatest rugby teams, they’re looking at the greatest professional sporting teams in the world â€" Barcelona FC, Ferrari’s F1 team…
“As an ex-Bok coach and a fan of South African rugby, it hurts to say that, the way we’re heading, we’re going to end up where we can’t be a force in World Rugby anymore. And remember, the All Blacks aren’t waiting around for us to get our house in order.â€
South Africa head into the third round of the Rugby Championship eager to rebound from their first loss in Argentina when they take on Australia in Brisbane on Saturday. White says that a big part of the Boks’ current poor form is because the coaches who succeeded him failed to make any provision for their successors.
“When I started the Bok job, we had 175 Test caps, of which Breyton Paulse had 60 and Os du Randt had 40.
“I remember it like yesterday, it was the first Test for Eddie Andrews, Jacques Cronje, Fourie du Preez and Henno Mentz, and it was Schalk Burger’s second Test. That’s where we were in 2004.
“That same group, when they finished with me in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, had 649 Test caps. That group played under Peter de Villiers and Heyneke Meyer, and in some games went over the 1000-Test mark.
“I looked at a team photo of the current Boks the other day. Traditionally, the front row of the team photo always has the guys with the most experience. I saw Lood de Jager and Damian de Allende in the front row. They’d have 16 or maybe 20 Test caps each, and they’re in the front row.
“Guys like Juan Smith wouldn’t sit in the front row when he played for us, and he had 60 caps…
“What I’m saying is that there’s a glaring obvious flaw in what you see. There’s no succession plan. When the Bok coach packs his bags and leaves, he doesn’t leave anything for the next guy. Heyneke never rested a player, never rotated his team, he knew that he needed to get results. You can’t blame him for that, that’s the nature of the job.
“But the irony is, that when he left, Lood and Damian are in the front row. From 2004 to 2016. you can see enough in that photo to see that things aren’t right.
“For the All Blacks, when Dan Carter left, they had Beauden Barrett and Aaron Cruden. When Richie McCaw left they had Sam Cane. That was their succession plan and they showed it to you; it wasn’t a secret.
“They also don’t make a secret of what they want to do. The All Blacks say that they want to be the top team in the world. Why are we so scared to say that? We say ‘we want to e competitive’.
“The whole package has to be right if you want to be a top team in the world. We’ll be okay for a while, because our schools rugby is among the strongest in the world, but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that our aura is disappearing.â€
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