Mozart
I was particularly interested in your comments as well as the responding postings. Some postings are very appropriate and enlightening - others are absolute crap.
In dealing with the issue there are two aspects to be borne in mind in dealing objectively with the issue and those are -
* the major teambuilding programme of 2004-06 - ie in the Jake White era; and
* the present situation.
Insofar as the above is concerned the team members in 2003 was with rare exceptions very poor and the previous coach a disaster. The few above-average players was not properly coached by Straueli and the whole set-up was worse than now encountered. White had to virtually start afresh with selection. The one advantage he had was that most players seledted by him was already in their mid-twenties with a few years experience on Super and CC levels. The players involved in essence inlcuded plyers like Bakkies Botha, Smit, Mattfield, Fourie Du Preez, Danie Rossouw. The problem then was that their skills-level was wickedly poor. A player like Bakkies Botha was like an out-of-control boxer rather than a rugby player. If he was playing in present circumstamces he would never have played rugby at all - he would have been on permanent suspension. They had the pgysicl attributes - but skills were competely non=existent.
Consequently White arranged a special programme involving -
* Playing skills development; and
* Psychological rebuilding of players.
The said programmes had significant results - unlike the situation when they came in by 2006 they achieved an advance degree of proficiency and the team as a whole was deservedly winners of the WC. Problem was -and largely in favour of White was that by 2006 he had a squad of mature players with ages mainly ranging between 26 and 29 years of age in the team - the only real youngster was Francois Steyn.
The age factor had an impact and a lot of player replacement should have been implemented in 2009-10. Nothing was done and most of the Springbok team of 2011 was way past their sell-by dates. Really bad news and we had effectively no chance of success. However, the most detrimental of a virtually non-existent renewal programme was that a gap developed and that some players who may have been utilized lost interest - especially since their skills level slowly regressed. The Bulls managed well on Super level - but he achievements of the Springboks were not up to standard.
One other comparison made was between the youngsters available at present and players - for example between Bakkies Botha and Etzebeth. When Botha became a Springbok he was 25 and he had played on provincial level for a few years. He was big and strong with severely deficient skills and only became a great player after nearly two years of skills development and psychological treatment to cure him of his rougher edges. On the other hand Etzebeth is barely 20 years old with less than a years expereience on Super and CC level. My contention is that such comparisons are really not worth the paper it is written on. Bakkies as a matter of fact at 20 was not even half the player Etzebeth is at present. Leave out the comparisons and let us deal with fact.
Gor some reason there are no more experienced playes to draft into the squad and Meyer sits with only one real option - and that is to look at the 19 and 20 year-olds as a resort for potential deelopment.
The younger players mentioned by you - and even Lambie - niamely Goosen, Etzebeth, Coetzee and Oosthuizen are barely 20 years old- with only one or less seasons of Super 15 or CC experience. Taking that into account I was really amazed by their progress and I am not in any way mnegative about their ultimate development as star players.
One issue with a replacment process is that thre would be successes and there would be failures. Amongst the failures you would enevitably find good Super 15 level unable to make the step up to higher level. Recent performances have shown that players like Engelbrecht and Jantjies for different reasons cannot make the step up. Insofar as Jantjies is converned - he is a top kicker at goal. but he is deficient prtiularly insofar as defence is concerned. In recent CC games Engelbrecht failed badly on CC level.
However, the failures does not necessarily mean the renewal program should not proceed - especially based on the fact that there are really players past their best or are under-perfomers in the in the present Sporingbok team. Objective analysis shows that the failing players include Kirchner, De Villiers, Morne Steyn, Alberts, Bekker and the present props.
The only way open to Meyer is to gradually bring in youngsters into the team. Some youngstes will be successful - others not. Playes like the following will have to be considered sooner rather than later:-
Rhule, Jordaan, Taute, Elstadt, Du Toit, Malherbe, Kitshoff and even some others will have to go through the process. Inevitably some will fail and others will succeed.
I am not so unhappy as you seem to be about the initial outomes of the renewal program - matter of fact I am delighted by it. What was achieved is better than I hoped for. Meyer must just be careful with his selections and most of the above has a more than reasonable chance of success.
