Other than Smit (who I think should play from the bench, as he still offers a hell of a lot of experience), I think it would be a huge mistake to chuck Habana and Matfield out of the starting lineup, not to mention the team. I'd be happy for both those players to feature in both the All Blacks and Australian starting lineup. Victor Matfield isn't having a great season, but you drop such an experienced and respected player from your starting squad, especially when things aren't going your way, the whole teams moral drops. Habana's problem isn't even form. He's playing fine. Just like Rokocoko has had in the last few years though, he's just not getting given the oppertunities from both his own team (the running game the Boks implimented looked unorganised and desperate), and the teams he's been playing ( especially in the All Blacks game, he was covered the entire game by Cory Jane, never given any space. When players like Rokocoko and Habana don't have space, they are ineffective (by no real fault of their own.
I understand why people like to drop experienced players, it gives talented new comers the chance to shine, while reminding the older players their spots are theirs only while they are performing, and it keeps them honest. However, when over 200 test caps disapear between 3 players you suddenly get panic and even less leadership. Sometimes dealing with a player whos off form, by showing loyalty, can get the best reward.
In normal circumstances, i would agree with you. However, these are not normal circumstances. Leadership is one thing, but player ability, is another. What do you think is more important? A leader, who is keeping everyone calm, but at the same time, loafing around the field getting nothing right, or someone who is actually setting an example by showing just how high the bar is that they have set? Guys look up to the experienced players as a benchmark, but, if these players are doing nothing, then what is the rest of the team supposed to do? I'm not saying get rid of them forever. I'm saying, take them out, and give them a rest, as well as a chance to get back into their game in the Currie Cup, at their own pace. Habana has been rubbish. Absolutely rubbish, doing nothing but look for intercepts, jogging after kicks, and giving away penalties. He needs to have a good look at himself, and figure out what's wrong. What i am saying, is let him do that for his Currie Cup team, NOT in the Springbok team. The same goes for John Smit and Victor Matfield.
It doesn't take a genius to see that there is something wrong in our team. Everyone was fine, with all the laws, as well as their form. Now, look at these rather interesting facts. The Bulls, scored more points than any other team in the Super 14, which meant that they had the best attacking statistic, as well as meter gains in the competition. Can anyone guess which team was the best defensive team in the tournament? That's right. The Stormers. Now, bring those two together, and you have a team who's defense is absolutely shocking, and who scored 4 tries in 3 games? How's that for Irony eh? I stand by my statements regarding the coaching staff, as well as mental states.
Habana is absolutely shocking against Australia, but the coach refuses to bring on Francois Hougaard. Eventually, he does put him on, but replaces Ruan Pienaar. Next, we have a sniff of perhaps coming back, and maybe losing more respectably, but, what does the coach do? He replaces our prime goal kicker. Very intelligent. WTF difference does it make replacing fat forwards thinking it's going to have any impact on the result? PDV has no clue what a bench is even for. He has proved this time and time again, starting with almost costing us a Lions tour last year thanks to stupid decisions at the wrong time.
Lastly, one has to look no further than what happened last year, regarding PDV's refusal to replace a certain veteran player. Schalk Burger was in the side after injuries, and a poor season, while the rest of the country screamed for the inclusion of Heinrich Brussouw. Everybody knows what happened next don't they? Bakkies Botha is another good example. Many South Africans, including myself, called for Botha to not be in the squad, rather having Andries Bekker partnering Victor Matfield. Again, the 'experienced enforcer' was frustrated, and ultimately tarnished an entire teams reputation. Should i mention Jean de Villiers? I don't think i need to. Pierre Spies is heavily off form, whilst Ryan Kankowski is really showing that he wants to play. What happens? He gets put out of position, and even though he played well against Aus, before he was inexplicably substituted, he is now a scapegoat for what went wrong.
We need these players to show their worth. Not to plod along with whatever issues they have. We need something injected into this team. I think that new players could only benefit us, whilst our veterans concentrate on getting their mojo back.
This coach, however, is nowhere. He doesn't have a clue how to manage a team, or how to manage individuals. He needs to go.
