Ex supersport
When Springbok newcomer Marcell Coetzee was asked by a journalist whether it was a challenge to be replacing Heinrich Brussow in the squad, his reaction said everything that needed to be said about the high regard in which the Cheetahs flanker is regarded by his peers.
“Hell, I never thought of it like that, that I was replacing Heinrich. When you say it like that it makes the whole thing seem quite scary,” said Coetzee.
“I have massive respect for Heinrich, we all have. He is one heck of a player who has achieved a lot in his career. I am sure he will be determined to get back into the Bok jersey and will be competing very hard for the chance to play for his country again. I am sure he will be back and if I am replacing him then I am going to have to really be on my toes.”
Coetzee, who is expected to start in the No 6 jersey against England on Saturday alongside his Sharks teammate Willem Alberts, is not the only person who appears to think that Brussow will be back. The man who left him out, Heyneke Meyer, thinks so too – according to the Springbok coach it all comes down to when the referee interpretations at the breakdown change again.
“Heinrich is a great player and he has done an excellent job for the Springboks in the past, but unfortunately for him right now the way the game is being played and the referees are blowing it is working against his kind of player,” said Meyer. (As noted by Beeno of course!)
“Rugby is changing all the time, and sometimes the specialist openside flanker has a massive role to play and at other times the role becomes obsolete (As noted by Beeno and subsequently by Moz). At the moment we are in one of those periods when the specialist fetcher (can be become a liability) in that the referees are penalising them. You can’t have the entire back row playing the same way, you still need someone to play to the ball, but at the moment the way the game is being played and refereed it makes more sense to have an allrounder.
“Rugby is a fluid game though and the interpretations and refereeing trends are changing all the time. When the game changes again I am sure the Brussow type of flanker will come back into his own. When that happens he will be back. So you can see this as a horses for courses selection – I am sure that Heinrich will play a role for us in the future and his international career is definitely not over.”
There shouldn’t be too much quibbling over the selection of Coetzee as the openside flank for Saturday’s first test against England. He has consistently boasted the best allround statistics of any loose-forward in Super Rugby this year, which is quite a feat if you consider the standard of the loose-forwards in the Southern Hemisphere.
Even when the Sharks were struggling Coetzee stood out for his high work-rate, with his line breaks and other aspects of his game matching the number of steals on the ground. There were times when he was used as the main ball carrier in the Sharks loose trio (when Alberts and Jean Deysel were absent) but has adapted well to the openside role since Alberts returned to the starting team.
“I think I am a different kind of player to Heinrich, I don’t see myself as a specialist opensider. I am fortunate to have been given the task of doing everything during my time at the Sharks. I enjoy carrying the ball but I also really thrive on the defensive aspects of the game,” said Coetzee, a product of the local Port Natal High School.
Coetzee, like another probable debutant on Saturday, Stormers lock Eben Etzebeth, has enjoyed a meteoric rise since arriving on the scene towards the end of the 2011 Super Rugby season and his choice of names to forward when asked who the players were he admired when he grew up confirm that he is true to his word when he says he hasn’t spent his years dreaming about becoming a fetcher flank. He was used quite a bit at No 8 when he first played for the Sharks, so maybe it isn't a surprise that the name of a No 8 was what seemed to be stuck on his lips.
“Ryan Kankowski is a guy I used to admire when I watched the Sharks play when I was at school and he is a guy I have learned a lot from since being part of the Sharks set-up. We have roomed together a few times and I think he is an awesome player.”
Pierre Spies was running at No 8 when the Springboks trained at Northwood College on Monday so it looks like Coetzee, like he does at the Sharks, will be playing ahead of his boyhood hero during the coming international season. Maybe in time though they could be part of the same Springbok team as Meyer is known to have a high regard for Kankowski's capabilities.
Well good luck Marcell you have definitely earned your place.
As for kan Kan he is extremely lucky to be in the sqaud and has a lot to prove. He needs to have a role tailored to his skills as a loose playing number 8
