The Class of 2009 ... a special collection
rugby365 editor Jan de Koning goes back into the archives to find a team that compares with John Smit’s class of 2009. He has to go back a few decades to find it.
John Smit’s victorious Springbok team has been described variously as ‘better than the World Cup-winning squad of 2007’ and by none other than Richie McCaw as ‘one of the best’ Bok teams he has faced.
Those are great compliments, plaudits they thoroughly deserve.
But it does raise a few interesting questions.
Exactly how good is the Class of 2009? Where do they rate on the all-time list of Springbok teams?
Comparing teams from different eras is fraught with pitfalls. For one, the game and its laws have changed so dramatically that it now requires a different kind of athlete.
A ‘monster’ forward from the 1937 team – still the only Bok team to win a series in New Zealand – would be dwarfed by some of the backs of today.
Frik du Preez, a true legend of the game and still regarded as one of the all-time great South African lock forwards, stood a mere 188cm and weighed just 96.2kg
Victor Matfield, the modern day equivalent, dwarfs him at 200cm and 115kg.
Du Preez played 38 Tests between January 1961 and August 1971 – a celebrated 10-year international career. That, 38 Tests, was a Bok record for almost three decades – till the post-isolation era when ‘internationals played by a country started running into double figures every year.
Matfield made his debut in June 2001 and has played in 85 internationals in eight years. He is expected to reach his 100th Test cap before 2011.
Those are just some of the variables.
I also did not have the privilege of seeing in action the greats of 1937, or the 1949 team that whitewashed the All Blacks or the all-conquering 1951/52 touring team to the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
My first recollection of major internationals were the 1970 All Black touring team to South Africa. Just more than a decade later I started my journalistic career – the office junior helping with coverage of the 1981 Bok tour to New Zealand.
Thus, my point of reference, in comparing John Smit’s current outfit with previous Boks teams, is all teams post 1970.
And in my humble opinion the men from the 1980s were the closest we can come to a COLLECTION of players as talented as the Class of 2009. The current set of forwards may well be better as a unit, but the backs from the ’80s were simply awesome.
I will, briefly, look at each position in the current team and list next to him the player/s from the 1980s I regard as the best I have seen.
For the purpose of this exercise, I have taken the team that beat the All Blacks in the past fortnight, as that also closely resembles the side which played in the first two Tests against the British and Irish Lions and is thus the current first choice.
Only at flyhalf did the selection change between the first and second Test against the Kiwis.
Where there could be debate over the best selection from the 1980s, I will give as many names as I deem to be in contention and then make my choice. If there’s only one name, it means I regard that player as undoubtedly the best in his position:
Here goes:
Fullback: 2009 = Frans Steyn; 1980s = Johan Heunis/Gysie Pienaar (my choice; Heunis).
Right wing: 2009 = JP Pietersen; 1980s = Ray Mordt
Outside centre: 2009 = Jaque Fourie; 1980s = Danie Gerber
Inside centre: 2009 = Jean de Villiers; 1980s = Michael du Plessis
Left wing: 2009 = Bryan Habana; 1980s = Carel du Plessis
Flyhalf: 2009 = Morné Steyn/Ruan Pienaar; 1980s = Naas Botha
Scrumhalf: 2009 = Fourie du Preez; 1980s = Divan Serfontein
No.8: 2009 = Pierre Spies; 1980s = Jannie Breedt/Wynand Claassens/Morné du Plessis (my choice, Du Plessis – he is also my captain)
No.7 flank: 2009 = Juan Smith; 1980s = Gert Smal/Theuns Stoffberg (my choice, Stoffberg)
No.6 flank: 2009 = Heinrich Brüssow; 1980s = Rob Louw
No.5 lock: 2009 = Victor Matfield; 1980s = Louis Moolman/Kevin de Klerk (my choice, Moolman)
No.4 lock: 2009 = Bakkies Botha; 1980s = Moaner van Heerden/Schalk Burger (my choice, Van Heerden)
Tighthead prop: 2009 = John Smit (captain); 1980s = Flippie van der Merwe/Piet Kruger/Johan Strauss (my choice, Van der Merwe)
Hooker: 2009 = Bismarck du Plessis; 1980s = Uli Schmidt/Willie Kahts/Robert Cockrell (my choice, Cockrell)
Loosehead prop: 2009 = Tendai Mtawarira; 1980s = Henning van Aswegen/Frans Erasmus (my choice, Erasmus)
* Which team would win? What would your starting XV from this lot be? Did we miss anybody?
