You just knew I had to get my two cents worth before arguably the greatest North / South Derby to ever hit the world. But the Final isn’t all that’s weighing on my mind, I have quite a bit of other matters that need to be unearthed. So, keeping that in mind, this article will take no prisoners, if you are squeamish, don’t read it…this article is entirely my own view, and not necessarily that of anyone involved with Rugby-Talk.com.
I want to dedicate the first few paragraphs to all South African Rugby Players applying their trade overseas, be that ex-Springboks or just players in general, who left SA with reasons like…the quota system, or disagreement with SA Rugby, or having to look after the interests of their families, or simply, because of the money…which is actually, one of the ONLY two reasons, the other being, you are just not good enough.
In South Africa we have this irritating little habit, of blowing a player’s attributes completely out of proportion as soon as that player isn’t available for the Bokke anymore.
For instance the latest craze…Butch James and Francois Steyn.
Yes, James won a World Cup with SA, but would he have achieved it without Fourie du Preez? He was merely a guy that passed on possession, nothing great, merely a guy doing what every flyhalve in the world is supposed to do, being a link. His main claim to fame, is that he has a collection of discipline Cards that rivals the amount of red available during the age of communism.
He expressed his wish to again be a Springbok, but then, while negotiating with the Sharks, priced himself so far out of the market (allegedly R2,000,000.00 a year), not even the Sharks (One of SA’s richest unions) could afford him. Why would they? He is the wrong side of thirty, and has missed 3 months of rugby due to injury already, what does he have to offer, that we can’t find in SA? What makes him think that he is worth all that?
Francois Steyn is even worse, he landed a few drop goals, from 50 or 60 meters, (which is incidentally the same place Riaan Viljoen kicks them from), but has an overall kicking accuracy of less 50%. Meaning he either wins or loses a game for you, (much the same as Sireli Naqelevuki), but he is hailed as a player that MUST play for the Springboks, which we couldn’t do without, and who must at all costs be brought back into the team. (Much like Carl Heyman with the All Blacks, and we all know how that ended.)
However, Mr. Steyn is special, the day following the latest Springbok announcement, his agent, Gerrie Swart, made it clear there was still some issues regarding payment, that needed to be cleared up, before MR FRANCOIS STEYN would confirm his participation. In other words, HIS client, wouldn’t be treated the same as other Springboks, which then leaves me with the assumption that he must be much better than the rest.
What a slap in the face of all South Africans, especially the other 21 players in the team. It’s an insult to the green and gold jersey, and a big “Fluck You!” to all of his supporters. If you want to see him play, you will have to pay! It’s no secret that I do not think he is a great player, but now I am forced to think, he might even be a crummy human being as well.
I fully support the notion that an overseas-based player shouldn’t be considered for the Springboks, it is a leaf that we can take out of the NZ playbook.
There can never be unity in a team, when halve of its participants are only there because the price is right. We will never again see a Super 14 or Super 15 final played between two SAFFA sides, is SA Rugby decides to suddenly play foreign Boks. Everyone with even half a reputation, would get up and leave, chasing the buck, and dropping our provincial teams to battle it out for the Wooden Spoon with the Lions.
OK, enough of that.
Saturday will be the game to end all games. A contest of test-calibre, between two rivals, that has been antagonists since the day that “Die Groot Trek” took place.
I will even go so far as to say, that the Super 14 trophy is merely a side-mission, and that the true value of Saturday’s game is the bragging rights that comes with the spoils.
On paper, the Stormers face a Bulls team, that has done it all, won it all, and owns it all. They have the respect of the rugby world, their fans, and now even South Africa politicians commending them for playing at Orlando Stadium.
They boast players like Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and Pierre Spies, players who have been known to be the best players in their positions, in the world. To cap that, they head a team, that has more Super Rugby winning experience, than ANY other team in the world.
They enter this clash with a confidence second to none, and an aura surrounding them, saying, this is our trophy, if you want it, just try to take it…
But all of the above counts for nothing when heading into a derby.
With the expectations of a 100 years of WP Rugby legends on their shoulders, coupled with most probably the biggest rugby fan-base in the Southern Hemisphere or maybe the world, the Stormers will not be bowing out to champions without a serious talking to.
Jacque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Alistair Coetzee, Rassie Erasmus and many others, swore that they would get this team back on track, and they had done just that. So, with the Storming locomotive heading up to Johannesburg…expect heads to collide, and reputations to be shattered, because come 19:00 on Saturday evening…one team would fully have deserved the title, of the best provincial side in the Southern Hemisphere…and possibly the world.
Saint
You forgot to mention by how many the Stormers will win… 😕
Saint agree on your views, If overseas based players play for the boks every young player in this country would hunt the big bucks, provincial teams would be a development academy until it is time to play who wants to be a millionaire..
In general I agree, do not make overseas players eligible for selection of the Bokke… for various reasons but mostly because making them eligible would create the impression that I can leave these shores and still have my bread buttered both ways.
In a world where the lure of the stronger European currencies conspire against us, more has to be done to keep players here in SA, not giving them a Bok jersey whilst overseas goes some distance in achieving this.
But valuable players who are overseas, like BJ Botha, should be brought back to SA somehow.
In light of the present circumstances, where it is logical to rest as many Bulls and Stormers Bok candidates for the Wales Test, I understand that some overseas players have been picked.. still I would not have done so.
The only position where the SA cupboard is a bit bare from within SA sources, is tighthead prop and outside centre (bar Jaque Fourie)…. as far as the rest goes the best are here in SA and there’s depth in SA.
So, in essense Butch, Fransie and Joe van Niekerk would not have made a Bokke team this year if I was a selector…
Frans Steyn has to take responsibility for his own actions, but it does seem to me that he is a young man getting bad advice.
Of course none of us know the real story, except to say that there are normally 2 and sometimes 3 sides to every story.
Having said that, I agree that no player is indispensable, and if he cannot end up with the right attitude and committment to the Boks then it is no loss to rugby, but a sad indictment on how young men can end up in this age of professionalism if they are not well led and mentored.
@ grootblousmile:
First we were told that no Bulls or Stormers would be selected for the Welsh test, and now we end up with a “fruit salad” team that has some of these players and overseas based players in it.
The coach has missed a great opportunity to play a “B” team chosen from S14 players.
It would be just as strong a team as the one chosen, and he would have sent the right message, as well as give perfect preparation for the World Cup next year.
Posted this on the FS thread too, but since it’s discussed here, here it is…
The Springboks face Wales in Cardiff on 5 June in their first Test of the year. De Villiers has decided to include overseas-based players in the match 22, which sees Steyn selected at fullback in the starting line-up for the first time since the Tri-Nations clash against the All Blacks in Hamilton last year.
However, it was reported in Die Burger on Thursday that Steyn sent De Villiers an SMS earlier this week saying he does not want to play against Wales. It is also rumoured that the two have a strained relationship, which is behind Steyn’s withdrawal. De Villiers has denied these claims.
‘There has never been tension between Frans and I. The problem involves me and Frans’s agent Gerrie Swart,’ De Villiers told keo.co.za.
‘Gerrie has poisoned Frans’s mind by saying I don’t want him in the Springbok setup, which is far from the truth. It’s because of these lies that Frans does not want to play for the Boks.’
De Villiers said Swart was playing the middle man between him and Steyn in a deceitful way.
‘Two weeks ago, Gerrie sent me an e-mail saying on Frans’s behalf that he doesn’t want to play for the Boks. He also suggested some players I should replace Frans with. Who is he to tell me, the head coach, who to select?’
De Villiers said there has been poor communication between him and Steyn, but believes the truth will be revealed when the two parties meet in Johannesburg on Friday.
‘I haven’t heard from Frans since he left for Racing Metro after the Test in Hamilton last year. It is true that he sent me an SMS earlier this week, but it didn’t say he didn’t want to play for the Boks. He tried to get hold of me. We tried to call him back but we couldn’t get through to him after several attempts.
‘But I don’t think I should have to call Frans to find out if he wants to play for the Boks. I don’t call John Smit, I don’t call Victor Matfield, no player gets special treatment.
Another twist in the tail…
‘n Mens moet nie al die sensasionele koerantberigte glo nie, sal graag uit FS se eie mond die “bat ad de oder hand, Derm” kant van die storie wil hoor.
As dit wel egter so is, dat FS vol voorkeure is om vir die Bokke te speel, dan moet hy maar liewers wegbly. Soek nie primadonnas in die span nie … daar is klaar genoeg wp’s in die span.
Die Bokspan kan in elk geval net soveel haarkappers en haardroeërs bekostig, en met Schalla, Dewald en WO in die span, is die ‘budget’ op sy limiet !
@ bdb:Snaaks uit die 3 primadonnas wat jy noem is net die een van die WP en twee van die Bulls…
9@ Scrumsaam:
ja, Bulle klop die Stormers in alles …
@ bdb:Kan nie met dit stry nie maar wen die Stormers saterdag dan gaan die bulle nooit die einde van dit hoor nie……:LOL:
Hier is iets wat Morne uit gelig het wat vir my nogals sin maak…
******************************************************************************************
As most will know now thanks to the article above, Frans is managed by Gerrie Swartz, his agent.
Now the deal with Metro was apparently concluded before Frans made a name for himself last year at fullback, to which he publicly commended Peter for sticking by him, supporting him and for once played him in one position.
In fact, Peter played Frans last year as an overseas based player since Frans after the Super 14, was no longer contracted to the Sharks but Metro as this site (I believe) reported.
Following 2009, and the season Frans had with the Boks he was obviously not to keen to give it all up, but since he signed a contract, he had to go, and his agent made him.
I think it is public knowledge that Frans is earning a **** lot of money in France, and I also think it is quite obvious to everyone that because of this, his agent will of course also earn quite a lot of money because of this.
If Frans, who by all accounts from what I heard, wants to come back to SA and play for an SA team to please the Bok coach and give himself the best chance of going to next year’s World Cup, he, and his agent, will take a massive paycut.
IRB regulations however states, that if a player is selected for his national team, the club has to release him.
If Peter, from what I have heard, selects him for most tests this year including the expanded 3N, Frans will not be available for his club in France a lot of the time. This is not good for the club, as they do not get the value out of Frans as they want and the money they spent on him.
This obviously puts his future with said club in danger, and the agent’s commission too.
So the only real option here is hoping (or deliberately ensuring) Frans does not get selected for the Boks.
When I first read the article about this whole Frans issue, I thought it was a badly written article which mainly grasped at straws, i.e. the fact that people in SA Rugby not wanting to give the coach’s number to Frans but Frans effectively sms’ the coach to pull out of the test (which of course is flatly denied by the coach himself in this article above).
I then had a look who wrote the article.
Hendrik Cronje.
Now Gerrie Swartz and his partner contract quite a number of Bloem or old Grey boys including CJ, Brussow, Juan etc. Interesting to note as-well is the Gerrie, and Hendrik Cronje who writes for the Volksblad (Bloem based paper) from which this article appeared (translated into English for News24) were in fact classmates…
I reckon a good exercise will be to go back and look who wrote articles about Frans in the past from a positive or negative spin perspective…
A lot of people stand to lose a lot of things here.
Frans his place in Bok rugby and World Cup
Peter a great player
Gerrie a **** load of money…
Frans apparently made over R10-mil last year, and is not flustered too much about the bucks, but he is quite concerned about the Boks.
Now who has the most to lose? And where and to who does all these lose ends point to?
Peter is not allowed to see Frans alone (remined me of Rassie Erasmus and Frikkie not so long ago) but only with his agent, which is why I suppose he said in the article above, he wants to look both of them in the eye, and find out just who is talking kak here…
I know who I am leaning towards most.
@ Blouste:maak sin maar hel klink soos n sepie series om elke hoek en draai kom daar nog iets uit die kas..
@ Blouste:
Thanks Blouste for shedding some light on this. I know Frans is not the bad guy here neither is PDV. It makes a lot of sense now.
@ Scrumsaam:
Wie gaan jy tip op superbru? Bulls?
Once again a Player Agent in the middle of things….
We’ve had nothing but trouble from a few of them…
@ rugbybal:
Credit must go to Morne
@ Blouste:
Nice to see that you are naming your source 🙂 🙂
@ rugbybal:
😆
16 @ grootblousmile:
bloody agent !
@ rugbybal:Nee ou maat ek het gedink ek kani slegter as derde eindig nie so ek gaan maar my span support all the way STORMERS vir n wen met 10..
@ Scrumsaam:
So daar is ‘n hele 22 punte verskil tussen ons predictions 😯
Ek dag jy begin die lig sien… 🙂
The root of the entire problem in rugby, is the quota system.
Just as it is in the Commercial world.
2 million professionals (mostly young) have left SA’s shores, because they cant be guaranteed a level playing field.
The rugby players are the same, the rules change all the time and the goalposts shift all the time. All of the other peripheral stuff (Like young FS’s attitude at the moment are a sideshow (he is probably getting sh!t advice)).
No one goes into a situation, does a job or plays a game (especially for your country) intending to do badly, that is part of the basic value system of every South African I know….the sideshows are the things that cause the problems and tend to make people forget their value systems. If Butch gets the game, he wioll play his heart out, you can be sure of it and so will Frans Steyn.
This is a good article, I take issue with one thing only though and thats the comments on James being carded….you have obviously been looking at some other guy for the last few years, he does not get carded in the UK and when he played for the Boks, the refs used to single him out and watch him, until they too eventually gave up, he has managed to curb his exuberance and vicious temember, which puts a feather in his cap. In English rugby he is the “play maker” second to none, so your comments re him in the world cup are also out of line….he matched any of the flyhalves in the competition….and got the medal to prove it. BJ Botha, has never really impressed me, and for me the jury is out still, jean de Villiers has improved overseas, as has CJ van der Linde.
Club players leaving is a travesty and it goes to the root cause of the problem, as I mentioned earlier. A Malmesbury club player Gavin……. (hell i forget his surname now) who played centre at Perpignon for a number of years, would in the ordinary course of events come into contention for Bok Colours, as would Brad Barritt….but the larger problem in SA is forcing them away from SA’s shores. I agree with GBS, in my heart I think that overseas players should not be considered for Bok colours in a normal world, but in SA’s abnormal world….they should be considered.
@ Scrumsaam:
Jy kan 2de eindig as jy die Bulls tip. 🙂 Jou bru lyk mooi, ek het lankal uit die bus geval.
“temember”= temper
Butch die laaste paar jare en Schalk (hierdie jaar) het dit goed reggekry om die laaste paar jaar nie al die ref se geelkaarte op te gebruik nie, geluk aan hulle.
Nou nog net vir ou Bakkies, alhoewel Snorre sê Bakkies is onskuldig gewees aan sy ‘poging tot moord’ skoonmaak by die misdaadtoneel (losskrum).
@ rugbybal:
2de is die eerste verloorder 😆
Ek het ook sleg uit die bus gemoer…
@ Blouste:
Ja dis ook waar die Stormers gaan eindig Saterdag.
ek het die blerrie bus gemis!!!!
halloooo julle
@ rugbybal:
100% Korrek !!!
Wat is jou margin prediction ?
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