The great eight debate
rugby365 columnist Steve Farrell entertains us with his weekly contribution, this week looking at the stars of the Currie Cup and who of them will make Peter de Villiers’ year-end Springbok squad.
The Sharks all but secured their place at the top of the Currie Cup log after a clinical display against the Lions at Coca-Cola park on Saturday, but it was Sharks No.8 Ryan Kankowski who made the greatest statement of them all.
The Sharks ran riot in the second half, with Kankowski coming into his own. The hugely talented Springbok has only recently come back from injury, but it didn’t take him long to make is mark on the game. His pace made a mockery of the Lions defence, but more importantly, his deft offloads are what impressed me most. He manages to keep the ball alive when others are unable to – something Bok coach Peter de Villiers is trying to instill in his team – and keeps opponents on their toes with his pace and vision. We all know he has speed to burn, but a modern day No.8 needs more than just speed.
Kankowski has been criticised for ‘disappearing’ in tight games and not getting his hands dirty enough. Yes, he needs to work on that aspect of the game, but he’s young and he will get better. He is the most complete No.8 in South Africa at the moment and deserves an extended run in the Springbok No.8 jersey.
Kankowski has endured a rather frustrating international season to date. He was overlooked for the Tests against Wales with Peter de Villiers opting for Pierre Spies at the back of the scrum. This despite Kankowski having a storming Super 14 season for the Sharks. Who will ever forget his spectacular try against the Crusaders when he gave Richie McCaw the ‘don’t come on Monday’ (apologies to Warren Brosnihan) hand-off. I said it then that he should have worn the No.8 jersey against Wales and I still believe De Villiers made a mistake in not picking him. Spies is also a rare talent, but since his long lay-off, he just hasn’t been the same player. He doesn’t seem to use his size as much as he could and his hands have let him down on occasions this season.
It will be interesting to see who De Villiers opts for on the end of year tour to Wales, Scotland and England, but Kankowski must surely be on the top of the pile.
The heavy fields of the northern hemisphere will influence who De Villiers picks, but for my mind, Kankowski must surely get the nod. De Villiers has stressed time and time again that he wants to play an exciting brand of rugby and what better man to have at the back of the scrum than Kankowski? The Cheetahs’ Duanne Vermeulen has been a consistent performer all season and could force his way into the Bok set-up, but not at the expense of the Sharks No.8.
Another Springbok who put his hand up in Johannesburg was JP Pietersen. Originally dropped from the Bok training squad because he was ‘too fat’, Pietersen has looked sharp of late. He is looking for work more often and looks to have shed some of that ‘puppy fat’ that got his axed earlier in the season. His brace of tries on the weekend confirmed that the World Cup hero is back to his best form.
A player that did himself no favours at all on Saturday was Lions pivot Earl Rose. The gangly flyhalf has been talked about a lot of late – both for his play on the field and his behaviour, or lack thereof, off it. Some say he is the answer to the Bok flyhalf woes. Others have compared him to Stephen Larkham, a very big call indeed! But on Saturday, Rose looked nothing like a Bok and certainly didn’t resemble the great Aussie No.10. He was erratic at best and gave away two tries courtesy of some very ordinary chip kicks that were intercepted. To be fare to the former Western Province back, he has been in good form this season since moving to flyhalf, but he is by no means a polished No.10, not now anyway. He makes too many mistakes, which at international level, he can ill-afford to do. Lets keep the comparisons to Larkham on ice for now and let Rose develop into his new role at flyhalf.
The Sharks’ pouncing of the Lions gave Western Province a huge lifeline after they failed to secure the four-try bonus point in the mud, sawdust, sand and the odd tuft of grass in Wellington. The state of the field ensured that the game would be a scrappy affair and matters weren’t helped by the referee or the TMO, who made some rather pedantic calls to say the least.
But the less said about the game in Wellington the better. But a special mention must go to Sireli Naqelevuki, who in the process of a very impressive TV dive, managed to leave the ball behind and squander a certain try-scoring opportunity.
What matters now for Naqelevuki and his team-mates is that they need to beat the Lions by 19 points or more, and in the process score four tries and deny the Lions a bonus point. A tough ask indeed considering how well the Lions have faired all season, but with Jean de Villiers set to return to the fold and a host of Springboks in their ranks, Province will be quietly confident of doing the business at Newlands come Saturday.
That’s if the weather allows them to do so! Cape Town has been lambasted this winter with heavy rain, and with more showers predicted all week, the Newlands turf could be heavy under foot. But compared to the Wellington mess, anything will be an improvement. I have a feeling that Province will win, but come up just short of the 19 point victory needed to oust the Lions.
Fleckie lamented in his column last week that the Currie Cup just wasn’t worth watching without the Boks, and I have to agree with the former Bok centre.
The last few weeks of Currie Cup action have been riveting with all the Boks back, and all eyes are once again on the Currie Cup. It’s just a pity that with so much rugby on the go nowadays, domestic competitions like the Currie Cup tend to stagnate when the Springboks are on national duty, but I suppose that’s the nature of professional rugby.
There will be no stagnation this weekend though, and by Saturday evening local time, we will know who whether it will be the Lions or Western Province who will have a shot at contesting the 2008 Currie Cup Final.
