From the WP WEB.
Last year was a frustrating one for Juan de Jongh, with injury cutting him down just as he was making his presence felt and starting to challenge for a place in the Vodacom Western Province team. De Jongh had made enough of an impression on Vodacom Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus to be chosen for the squad that undertook a successful away tour during the 2008 Vodacom Super 14. Just 20, he was part of the Vodacom Stormers group throughout the pre-season to Erasmus´s first stint in charge, and sat on the bench when the Vodacom Stormers played the Chiefs. But after his return home to South Africa, De Jongh suffered a serious hip injury playing for Maties against UCT in the Varsity Cup final. He had to undergo an operation, and was ruled out of rugby for 10 to 12 months. He was only able to train again in February this year, which made it too late to challenge for a place in the Vodacom Stormers squad.
It was an extremely frustrating time for me, and what made it worse was that it forced me to miss out on challenging for the SA 20 team as well as seeing how far I could progress in my challenge for a place in the Vodacom WP senior side,´ says De Jongh.
Then this year I came back and played in a Vodacom Cup game and broke my ankle, which ruled me out for a further eight weeks. So when the Absa Currie Cup started and I was selected for Vodacom WP, I had not played a lot of rugby in the previous year and a half.´ The cloud did have a slight silver lining, though, in that the injury did not completely prevent De Jongh from training, and he was able to get in a lot of quality gym work while he wasn´t playing.
I could still do certain gym exercises, and I needed to put on a bit of bulk as I only weighed 80kg. I have now put on 5kg of muscle, so currently weigh 85kg. I don´t want to get too much bigger than that, as I am quite short. But I reckon somewhere between 88 and 90kg is what I should aim at getting to ultimately.´ The extra bulk has helped De Jongh make a successful transition from junior rugby to senior rugby. Now 21 – which means he would still qualify to play U21 rugby – he has made a full fist of his opportunity. After playing off the bench against the Sharks and the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the first two games of the domestic season, De Jongh has cemented his place in the Vodacom WP team ever since.
My first game in the starting team was the one against the Cheetahs at Newlands, and I would rate it as my best and most memorable so far. It was such an honour to be selected to start, and I am so grateful to the coach for giving me an opportunity.´
Now that I have started playing in the senior team, my aim is to try and keep on doing that. I just want to ensure that I make progress, make an improvement, in every game that I play. It is going well so far.´ It has been an added bonus to De Jongh that he is playing his first season for Vodacom WP in a team that has Robbie Fleck as the backline coach. The former Springbok was De Jongh´s hero when he was at school at Hugenote High in Wellington.
Robbie Fleck was my boyhood hero, the player I most admired and the one I most want to be like. It has been a huge privilege to be coached by him and I already feel that I have learnt a lot from him. It helps that he played the same position as I do.´ De Jongh had to switch positions recently following the injury to Morgan Newman, slotting into the No 12 jersey against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
I played inside centre quite a bit when I was at school, so it is not completely new to me, and I think I can do well there. But I have not played it much since I started playing senior rugby, so there are a few things I need to learn,´ he says. De Jongh´s school career was capped by his selection for the Boland Schools team that played in the 2006 Coca-Cola Craven Week. From there he was selected for the SA Schools B team. He then went to the WP Rugby Institute in Stellenbosch, and recommends the experience to any aspiring young rugby player who wants to break into the big time.
I was at the Institute in 2007 and 2008, and it was an unbelievable experience. I learnt a lot there from coaches such as Stef Nel and Dawie Snyman, and it was also good to have a number of former Vodacom WP and Stormers players coming in to give advice. It really is a great place to start off your career.´
He was a very good player some years ago in a WP U19 side
Juan de Jong has played very well so far…he might just go on tour with Boks in a months time.
Should Juan play inside center with Mossie at 13 or play off the wood to replace Mossie? Id like to see him start against the s14 oppostition.
Supa – ek dink Juan is baie lig – maar boks verseker bo sy gewigsklas. En ek hou daarvan dat hy weer ‘n slag daardie tackles maak waar die crowd oooooooohhhhhhhhh gaan!
Ek sal hom graag op 12 wil sien – aangesien ek dink daar so spot ook oop is in die Bok set-up.
Wonder of Mossie se skuif eintlik gaan gebeur.
Juan de Jongh speel goed.
@Ex Player –
Daai spot is nou vir eers Wynand s’n! Nee ek grap sommer. Ek stem saam, Mossie is 13, as hy n kans wil staan moet hy 12 probeer. Maar Juan verkies 13 seker.
Ek dink De Jong en Mapoe gaan saam toer oor n maand. Dalk goed om hulle nou daar bloot te stel.
@grootblousmile – morning Cappie
Jis…must be my deoderant…everybodey has ducked.
8@4man –
… or the lack thereof? .. 😀
7@4man – Helloooooooo
Just a bit busy this side… still here.
I always worry about young players like this when I start reading about them after only a very short time playing at a good level.
We are world champions of mismanaging our young player talent.
It normally starts with people writing them up, before they are ready.
Ex Player, jou ou grapjas… ek sien jou loer…
@tight head – I hear you, but it is the players themself.
If you take a look at Lomu, o Connor, Guitau, Carter, Mendez,Schalk Burger, Mortlock ect – they are all (except o Connor) legends of the game, and started at 20/21 – with Mendez and Lomu at 17!!
Burger played Boks, before he played WP. So it have to do with the attitude of the player.
Look at Frans Steyn – nothing went to his head – and he was 19 or 20 – and after 1 season. Brussouw is also in his first real season – and a star!
If you’re good enough…you’re old enough – and same goes for experience.
Hahahaha – GBS – hopeloos te veel mag – hahahaha.
14@Ex Player – Hoe sê hulle… te veel van ‘n goeie ding… raak net beter !
Hehehe
@Ex Player –
But that is just my point.
It is not about how old you are.
It is about whether you are ready or not.
Some, like those you mentioned are ready, however many are not and are badly managed as a result.
It is the ability to recognize how to build and manage a young player that is sometimes lacking.
@tight head – I hear you – but I still believe that it rest upon the player to make a sucsess of it.
If it was for caution, we still would not have seen
O Connor. But he was mentally mature enough.
How do you decide who is ready – and who not? I mean this in a question – because it would be interesting.
I have no idea – you can’t judge him on phisically in the gym, or there is no test. All you can really do, is prepare him for what will happen – how his life would change, and hope for the best.
Age is completely relative… what stuffs young players around more than using them at a young age is shifting them from one position to the next, a la Gaffie du Tiot, Ruan Pienaar, Brent Russell…… ect.
Managing players includes settling them in one position…
@Ex Player –
Exactly, it is not an exact science, but good professional sports coaches around the world have that special abilty to bring young players through at the right time and in the correct manner.
It is easy to judge whether a player has the physical ability and skill set to step up, but most importantly for a young player is what is going on in his head.
Great coaches are good physchologists, and have a way of judging whether a young man is at the right place mentally.
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