Mailbox - South Africa's weakened squad
It has been a while since a piece of news stirred up such a reaction, but the news that South Africa are about to do with their squad to the Tri-Nations what New Zealand did to the Super 14 – withdraw their best players for ‘re-conditioning’ has opened up a right can of worms!
Here are a few of your responses and opinions to Jake White’s selection…
“South Africans have long been regarded as the dirtiest team on the park. They’ve now confirmed they’re the dirtiest team off the park also.
“Not so much their decision to “rest” their weary squad (the poor, precious things…), but the fact that they waited until after the New Zealanders and Australians had toured before making their intentions clear. The fact they didn’t have enough backbone to be upfront is more evidence that South African rugby is second rate. It won’t matter come October anyway. The Sprinboks are now so full of their own self importance after their first-ever Super rugby win that they’re bound to choke – especially from a team with the worst long-term away record in international rugby history.”
– Justin Kirkwood, Australia
“It is not an ideal situation that we all want, but I do not think that Jake had any other option. With his injuries at the moment, he would have to field a 2nd string XV anyway. I have always said in the Year of the World Cup, there should be no Tri-Nations and club comps should be played earlier or reduce the time frame of the comps. Yes, rugby would lose some money, but the sport is also losing players like Elton Flatly at a young age. I am from the ‘safety first’ school of thought.
“Rugby critics say the Boks have got amazing depth, I tend to disagree. They would have more numbers then their Australian counterparts, but in terms of quality they are about the same because South Africa is still a Soccer country in terms of participation. Majority of the rugby players over there still come from the private school streams.
“The William Web Ellis trophy is the pinnacle of the sport. Some players only get one shot at it in their careers. As a loyal Springbok supporter, I would like to wish Jake and the boks all the best for the up coming World Cup. Jake has had his critics, but I am a fan of his.”
– Ben Ibrahim
“I cannot understand the fact there is an issue over the boks team selection?
“Firstly this isn’t the first time that a team in this sport (or any sport) has taken a long term view to a season and rested keys players before a big competition. Do the minnows of rugby complain when a less than full strength team is fielded against them? No, they play the team put in front of them.
“I seem to remember a number of New Zealand’s Super 14 franchises being forced to field teams without key All Blacks at the instruction of the governing body. Did any of the other franchises request that the matches against these teams be scrapped?
“Secondly, the coach of a team should have the freedom to pick the team that will face any opposition without the shadow of sanction by any organisation or body (media criticism aside).
“I struggle to believe that Australia’s rugby union has questioned South Africa’s decision to field a team without certain key players, given the erratic form of their recent performances. The opportunity to reinforce their ‘strongest’ team’s cohesion and combined game time and greater chance to avoid a Tri-Nations wooden spoon should have been welcomed. The blunder they have made in highlighting this coming test in the manner they have, is that the whole world will be waiting to tear the Australian Union to shreds if they lose against this ‘weakened’ side (another feather to be added to the ARU PR dunce cap).
“Finally, how long is it going to be before this magnificent brotherhood/Sisterhood of sport is torn apart by legal wranglings and infighting? SANZAR making a mockery of the ‘World Game’ ideal for years, the European Unions suffering ongoing battles with the Clubs and each other, the IRB’s spurning of the opportunities to take the RWC to new host Nations are all disheartening the rugby enthusiast.
“Worst of all is the impact of all of the off-field problems and ridiculous season scheduling on the players. Burn-out, loss of form and career threatening injuries are a problem that won’t be solved until the Unions and the IRB pull their head out of the sand and work together to take the game to the masses, protect the clubs & players and still remain viable businesses. Stop scheduling revenue driven test matches that are to the detriment of the national sides, use the time to develop national team squad training regimes.
“Stop the nonsense! Agree a global season (which would then take away some of the pressure rest players) and leave the coaches and managers to field teams as the forebears have since the beginnings of the game.”
– Leigh Powell, Australia
“The Good: Good for Boks Rugby, because the last 20 minutes when the game speeds up, they look dead.
“The Bad: Real bad for International Rugby. If the Boks win then it’s Ok but if they lose then it’s nothing less than a disgrace (lack of pride in the jerseys)
“The Brilliant: Brilliant for Jake White, because if he takes a full strength side and loses both games, he will likely get the sack, now he will survive until after the World Cup.”
– Joseph Nguyen, New Zealand.
“So Jake White has chosen to rest a few first choice players for the rest of the Tri Nations. Personally I don’t blame him, the World Cup is more important than the Tri-Nations, which is past it’s sell-by date and needs a serious re-think to retain it’s interest and credibility.
“However it is still a major tournament, and it will be interesting to see what the people that made such a fuss about the weaker squads recently sent from the northern hemisphere, be they international coaches, journalists or email-contributors, have to say about it. Can we expect some more outrage from the All Black coaches ? After all this is surely more serious than for the recent ‘friendlies’.
“Somehow I doubt it, and that should tell people plenty.”
– Simon King, Brisbane
“I think in World Cup year their should not be a Tri-Nations.
“In fact, I think the Tri-Nations should be played every second year only. Let the bigger sides play more against some of the smaller sides, to get their standard up as well.
“I support Jake White’s decision to rest the key players for the World Cup. Clearly, that is the main event of the year and we want to have our best team possible playing without injuries at World Cup time. To me, it makes more sense to have a rest now, as compared to the All Blacks who rested earlier in the year. New Zealand and Australia are the ones at risk to lose key players during bruising Tri-Nations matches now.
“Ii is a bit like the Bull’s “planned” meek performance against the Crusaders last year in New Zealand – it was a painful game of rugby to watch at the time. But in the end, it was more than worth it.
“So I say – Jake, stand tall, take the beating now and bring home the World Cup this year.”
– Abraham, South Africa.
“The Boks lost a game and Jake White throws in the towel on the Tri- Nations, what a poor sport! If the Wallabies pull off a win this weekend you can bet his Top team will be back in, tired or not. The great thing for all the teams that will play the Boks in the WC is how easy the Boks lose their confidence.
“The ABs will win by a much bigger margin in NZ when a ref will feel as though he can make it safely back to his hotel room without the pressure from the home team to ignore home team infringements no matter which team shows up.
“Hats off to Aussies for keeping it about RFU and not UFC.”
– Mark Rusden, New Zealand/
“Due to the love of money, there is now too much rugby and coaches are obliged to send second string teams from time to time as they cannot get the important results otherwise. This is not the coach’s fault, but those fatcat administrators who are squeezing the game for every last penny, thus “killing the goose which lays the egg”. All finger-pointing must be in their direction. What is White supposed to do? Incur further injuries in a lost cause down under and in the process lose the World Cup? His hands are tied.”
– Timothy Baker
“What are the ARU moaning about? This gives them a better chance to win.
“Further, do they moan when “quota” players are included at the expense of “merit” selections?
Of course not, they know the weakest link and who to target.
“This is a load of eyewash! Tell the Aussies to stop whingeing – they’re getting better at it than the poms!”
– Neil Porter, Kent, UK
“Australia is upset at the prospect of perhaps losing to a second team of SA players. No body moaned about the All Blacks leaving key figures out of the Super 14 so why should it be different for the Tri-Nations? Everybody is building towards the World Cup so to hell with the Tri-Nations for now. Why would you risk John Smit, Bryan Habana, Juan Smith, Vic Matfield, Butch James for the chance of winning the Tri-Nations at the expense of the World Cup? Besides, the guys going on tour are hardly a rubbish outfit when you look at some of the names – it will test, and beat, most sides in world rugby today! SA can do no right … ever!”
– Tim Proome, South Africa.
“Well….full strength SA teams competed in the super 14….surely there is a similar agreement to field the strongest possible teams….AB boo boys always crying foul eh?”
– Mark Koliasnikoff, UK
“RWC is the pinnacle of the game and all teams should do their very best to win the tournament, but the cheapening of Test Matches leading up to the event is a blight on the game. The IRB needs to act immediately to stop the rot. They need to make a ruling that teams are not eligible to play at the World Cup if they don’t field their full-strength line-ups in the Tests beforehand, although that will expose our great game to feigned injuries. Either that or there should be no Tests in a World Cup year.
“And Andrew Slack (ex-Wallaby Captain and Sunday Mail Brisbane Columnist) has the best idea for ensuring that Tests in non-World Cup years are legit, and that is to only pre-qualify the host nation and the winner of the previous tournament. Qualification should be based on consistency over the three years leading up to the event. Teams like France and Wales that get thumped because of second and third rate teams should be warned that such abominations will be punishable by non-qualification (not the best example considering both are hosting games at this tournament).
“It has to stop, or we turn into Soccer……..and no Rugby fan wants that.”
– Stephen Creagh, Queensland
“The ARU should pipe down, the SA 2ndXV will still give the Wobblies a hammering in their own backyard. After all, when it comes to gamesmanship Australia can certainly lay claim to being the world champions.”
– Carel Bezuidenhout, Brisbane
“Since my 1st experience of intense rivalry between the All Blacks and the Springboks in 1949 I never expected to see the Springboks walk away from a battle with the All Blacks, especially after being beaten on their home soil. The Springboks’ decision to send a second-rate team for the remaining Tri-Nations tests is an act of cowardice. Shame on them.
– Ron Lucock, Sydney
“I think the Aussies should take a good look at themselves before crying foul like the babies they are.
Firstly they played sub-standard rugby throughout the S14 with the Reds being the shining example and that should be enough to quiet them down. Why introduce such a crappy team to the S14 – A result of 92-3 should be enough to have them banned from the S14 altogether! Then they send sub-strength sides to Europe every year even though they do not have a proper competition like the Currie Cup/ NPC .They play club rugby throughout the season for Pete’s sake!
“They obviously don’t know what rugby 12 months of the year means and unless they are confronted with the same schedule they shouldn’t open their wide mouths – produce the goods and then complain – they haven’t even played our 2nd side yet!
“What if our 2nd stringers beat them – what excuse will they have then??????”
– Hannes Luttig, South Africa
“I think what Jake White is doing is correct because he is allowed to do it. It is yet another incident and hence criteria of pressure put on the hierarchy officials to do something about ‘long’ seasons. They haven’t done anything yet, so the individual nations have. Almost every nation now sends experimental teams, NZ takes players out of the Super 14, France threatens the Heineken Cup, and now SA is weakening the 3N.
“Rather than opinion and discussion over every incident as it evolves and occurrs, why are there no ‘ears’ or foresight to fix what we all can see as a big picture? It will only continue and get worse otherwise.
“For SA, they have played long through a tough Superv14 and immediately into tests – they need a rest. Morally it is not right, but they have been hammered by England & NZ this year already so why not? Tactically it is sound because it will be difficult to win anyway and SA can continue with their confidence at the RWC without any setbacks.”
– Stuart Smith, Ottawa
“As a Springbok supporter I am bemused at the decision to send a 2nd string side to Australia, however during the Super 14 I did not see many South African supporters moaning or teams threatening to pull out because the NZ franchises chose to rest/”condition” players for the World Cup, in fact I believe it played some role in the Sharks and Bulls making it to the final, not taking anything away from these teams.
“No Springbok supporter likes to see their team lose regardless of the side being 2nd string and I wonder what this will do for the confidence of those fringe players that may make the squad for the World Cup given that so much emphasis was placed on building this in the two wins over England recently. I am afraid this may lead to a break up of SANZAR and re-emerge the debate over the success of the Super 14 and Tri Nations competitions…
– Bryan Staff, South African in London.
“Aussies & Kiwis….get a life. So it’s ok for the Kiwi’s to take out their All Black players for the S14 for 7 weeks, but not for anyone else to do something similar? So it’s ok for the French, Irish & English teams to have reduced sides, but not the Boks? Are you just paying lip-service to the whole concept of protecting players and the possibility of burnout? It is a World Cup year and the top teams have been playing more than ever before….let’s look forward to a great World Cup with the BEST players available from every team, not just the fit ones.
“Go and find something else to complain about.”
– Rick Williamson, New York
“In any sport, a Team Coach should be able to select whatever team he decides is in the long or short term interests of this Team. Likewise his opponents. Can you imagine if you extend this to where your opponents can decide what the make up of your team should be!!!”
– Chris Richmond
“Every team deserves to look after their players! Come RWC year these things should be allowed, but I strongly disagree any other time.”
– Tyrone van der Haar
“And you guys say the Pommies can moan!! In the last few weeks we have had :-
1) Aussies blame the ref for their Springbok defeat
2) NZ say The Boks were guilty of cheap shots
3) Moan, moan about the weak Boks team to tour Australia – Why not just see how the game goes – Would be great for them to beat the Aussies.
“Just get a grip and get on with the game!”
– Stephen Morgan
“It was obvious for everyone to see that the SA side that played the Kiwis was shattered by the 60th minute. What one has to ask is a very simple question : Do you want to win the World Cup or the Tri-Nations?
“I think that during a World Cup Year the Tri- Nations should be scrapped to allow the players to rest. It is logical to assume that a large number of the players who play in the semi’s and finals of the super 14’s will be in the Tri-Nations sides. The World Cup is a stage for the best teams to produce their best rugby, is it not ? Oh, and one other thing, if one of the most reputable sports scientists, in the World, Dr Tim Noakes (Author of amongst other books, The Lore Of Running) says “rest your players or they will not be able to perform at the World Cup”, do you listen?”
– Rich B – France
“As an AB supporter I am disappointed of course, but I fully respect the SARFU decision. It is World Cup year and everything else is insignificant. The top players in the southern hemisphere play far too much rugby these days. It is the toughest rugby in the world and someone has to protect the players from serious injury. The TV promoters won’t. They don’t care for their futures in the game, merely for a dollar now. NZ rested its top players, SA has the right to. They need every bit of help if they are to have a chance to win the World Cup this year. The disturbing thing is that they had already given assurances to the Australian and NZ RFUs that they would send a full team. That is disrespectful. With injuries they would have struggled to manage a strength squad anyhow. I think they should have at least communicated with the Australian and NZ RFUs about their decision before doing so.
“I hope this works out for the good of the game and the South Africans can get to full strength and concentrate on playing rugby.
– Nathan Watson
