White - 'You should have 15 fetchers'
'Using the term 'fetcher' is a total misnomer'
Luke Watson, it seems, will never play a Test under Jake White, with the Springbok coach stressing once again that he does not believe in playing a specialist 'fetcher' in his starting line-up.
White on Wednesday revealed his Bok XV for Saturday's clash with France at Newlands, with a revamped loose trio in the absence of injured former IRB World Player of the Year Schalk Burger.
Juan Smith retains the No.7 shirt, Joe van Niekerk moves from No.8 to the now vacant No.6 shirt, whilst Bulls star Pedrie Wannenburg will wear the No.8 shirt – his first start in a Bok jumper since June 2004.
Another Bulls man, Jacques Cronjé, will provide back row cover from the bench – with second row Danie Rossouw also able to move to the side of the scrum in an emergency – but the absence of a recognised (or should that read specialist?) ball scavenger is glaringly obvious.
At least it seems obvious to this so-called 'pundit' – even if the Bok coach does not agree.
"Using the term 'fetcher' to describe an openside flanker is a total misnomer – we should have 15 fetchers on the park," argued White, who in the past has gone on record as saying that he would never play Burger and Luke Watson in tandem. "The only specialised fetchers I know are my sons when they fetch me a beer from a fridge on a Sunday afternoon."
He added: "The fact remains is that everybody should know what to do at the breakdown; whether to commit himself and contest for the ball or submit – it's a skill you could teach anybody.
"I just don't believe you can have one guy who can always be at the breakdown, it's physically impossible, just like your scrum-half can't make it there each time to make a pass. France usually play Elissalde and Michalak together, who can both play nine as they complement each other, just like Healey, who played on the wing for England, but at scrum-half for Leicester."
And when asked about the presence of recalled local man De Wet Barry, whose physical style of play at inside centre often sees him play the role of an additional 'fetcher', White continued: "He probably fetches better than most players, but like I said, my best two fetchers are Clinton and Wesley (White) and they're not playing on Saturday!"
Meanwhile, White and captain John Smit once again lamented the loss of star No.6 Burger, who has been ruled out until January 2007.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we'll miss Schalk," declared White. "Anybody that says we won't miss him is living in a dreamworld. Schalk not only slows the ball up, but he also gets into places and into positions where he makes it difficult for his opponents to clean him out, which means more numbers have to be committed to secure the ball and they will therefore have less numbers to attack.
"It's something we've spoken about as a pack and it just means that every guy has got to make himself available to that job and also make a conscious effort to improve their work-rates."
Skipper Smit – who will become the second most-capped Bok skipper on Saturday – added: "There's not enough you can say about losing a guy like Schalk and I think it would be very difficult for those outside of our 'family' to realise what effect he has – not just on the field.
"I saw the knock he took and when he dropped I knew there would be trouble, whereas I think most of us would still be lying down on the field in PE. He plays like a wild animal and throws himself at the opposition even just for a half-chance of making a difference. He's got plenty of rugby left in him; in my eyes he will always be indestructible and a true legend of Springbok rugby.
"Maybe six months off from the game will prove to be a blessing in disguise. He's 23 years old and his body has taken a lot of physical contact over the last two years. Hopefully, he can recover and come back better than ever.
By Howard Kahn
