A Uncomfortable Decision

Heyneke Meyer has finally been appointed as coach of the Springbok rugby team. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the right man for the job.

The question is whether he has the horns to make a tough decision straight out of the gates. What I am referring to is the report that some of the senior players have intimated that they will return if Meyer is appointed. Those players are Blue Bull stalwarts in Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Fourie Du Preez.

Quite apart from the age factor, which is the subject of further discussion below, I am concerned about the continuation of what I believe may have been an achilles heel of the Springboks for the past 4 years, that is a small cabal of senior players running the show with the coach an amusing spectator (and sideshow). Now I believe that may have developed out of necessity, whether it was due to the incompetence of Die Snor or a laissez faire approach to coaching. However, the fact remains that there was an unhealthy atmosphere of the prisoners running the prison instead of the warders!

Turning to their age, it is an imutable fact of sport that players' skills diminish with the advancing years and young talent must always be infused into teams. One only needs to cast one's mind back to that game against the Welsh in the 2011 World Cup (after we heard that drivel about the the team being the most capped team in the history of the World Cup) and the team looked decidely flat. As soon as Bismarck Du Preez and Francois Hoegaard were added to the mix, there was an immediate and discernable spark.

In addition thereto, we must avoid the spectre of young talent becoming despondent and looking to the English and French (and to a lesser extent, Japanese) shores to ply their sporting trade.

In the result, Meyer must make a tough decision and politely decline the invitation extended by his former players to make themselves available. Francois Hoegaard must be given the 9 jersey now! Frikkie Van Der Merwe must develop into the enforcer in the engine room. Bismarck as hooker and Andries Bekker as the lineout specialist (taken over from Matfield).

Schalkie must captain this side, he commands absolute respect for the manner in which he plays the game. Although mention has been made of Pierre Spies, I cannot believe that he would regarded in the same light as Schalk.

Personally, I also happen to think that that would send a much needed message to the Blue Bulls based Springboks that this is not an old boys club ("maak al die Bulle Bokke"). That much is clear after the debacle under De Villiers.

We await Meyer's first move!Dog of the Law Blog