Dear Pierre

Dear Pierre

 

I am dreadfully sorry to hear about your bicep injury sustained in the game against Samoa. You really didn’t deserve to get injured.

 

For someone that prides themselves on not getting dirty, hurt or tackled in a game more than once, you were extremely unlucky to get hurt.

 

I hope that your recovery process is a quick one.

 

But Pierre, when you recover from your injury, unless you have a change in heart, and feel the need to help your 14 other players one the field during a game as opposed to posing for photographs for the Sunday times, I really wouldn’t suggest rugby as a hobby. Especially not at number 8, where your speed, athleticism and (supposed) skill as a link man would really come in handy.  If you really want to keep at it, but cant commit yourself to a ruck, perhaps shifting to the wing and appearing for Tukkies on a Saturday afternoon would be more to your hearts desire?

 

Pierre, I have been watching your games very closely. You have some amazing skills. Like putting your hand on a ruck, or standing off on defence waiting to tackle that blindside runner that never turns up… and your incredible ability to lie on the ground with ball in hand, even before a tackler has managed to lay a hand on you. Pierre, I am sure that the Leopards or Eagles would appreciate you a lot more than any Springbok supporter.

 

You see Pierre, there are quite a number of other players, who also love wearing the number 8 jersey, that would give blood, bones, brains and skin to wear the green and gold.

 

Your mate Duanne Vermuelen, groot Willem Alberts, young bok Pieter Labuschagne… heck even an out of form Josh Strauss are all chomping at the bit now that you are injured, as they know that no matter how well you polish Heyneke Meyers Isuzu, you still won’t be standing in their way come selection time for the Championship.

Pierre, when you burst on to the scene as a frighteningly quick, big, muscular and talented brute of a rugby player… our very own Jonah Lomu, you had every single Bok fan chomping at their biltong in anticipation for your Bok call up. You even had a few of the fairer sex slipping off their chairs when you turned up your rugby jersey after sweating for 80 minutes.

 

But Pierre, its become so bad, that after watching the full game against Samoa with my wife, she turned to me to ask “doesn’t Pierre Spies play for the Springboks anymore”? … she didn’t even notice you on the field!

 

Now I am sure that you are a hell of a guy. You seem to be a very polite, well-mannered Afrikaanse seun from Pretoria. So I have little doubt that whatever you do in life, you will make many friends along the way…. So anything from modelling to organising hunting trips…. I am sure you will succeed.

 

But please Pierre, when your arm is better, PLEASE don’t start polishing Henyekes Isuzu again… he seems to feel obligated to return the favour by giving you another cap in the green and gold.

 

Thanks for taking time to read this.

 

Regards

Flash

 

Flash that really sums up the very sad end Pierre has come to rugbywise. I dont think his heart is in rugby and he has had so many opportunitites to get it right that one wonders if he can come back.

His place in the bulle side will also be lost as he is not Super 15 level really.

In my opinion Spies and Matfield were the weakest links in the Bok pack. Matfield groupies are probably stunned that our lineout still functions well - such was the level of conning that went on re matfield an dhis lineout abil-ty  -groupies beleive dh ewas indespensable!! Thankfully they are both gone. We also have a much better 6 in Louw. Things are looking up and one foresees a very powerful Bok pack emmerging with, at long, long last, two genuine locks. Hopefully we will never blunder like this again -106 kg string bean locks must be gone forever!

When you think we had Spies, matfield and a non performing Brussouw was it any wonder we did not regain the world number 1 spot - bent kiwi refs aside? We have also had problems with Beast fading and loafing about. I see now Meyer is shrewdly not plaing his for 80 minutes as he cant last that long. In any even Coenie is on the horizon.

I think Spies and the recent form of Frans have been the biggest disappointments to Bok fans regarding players. Possibly Frans can come back if he gets over his medical issues.

 

Beeno This was a real masterpiece by Flashdakota - it sums up the situation comprehensively in an amusing way. There are some elements ofyour comment I do not agree with - but in essence I was always upset by two things insofa as lock players of the past are concerned. I did not like - * Mattfield's habit of standing around in the backline and bedevilling backline play in the process; and * the frequency with which Bakkies Botha was penalized for illegal and even questionable play. However, both are folk heroes now and what ever is said about them is regarded as heresy. So leave that one be. As to the issue of Francois Steyn - yes he may get back into the frame - provided he can get rid of the large amount of lard and come down to a reasonable playing weight of say 105 -106 kgs. . He will also have to speed up considerably and develop a positive playing style. Whether that would be achievable is not a certainty and Venter will have a lot on his hands to get him into some reasonable shape - Saffex will have a fit if he reads this - but it is a fact of life.

Ou maaaikie you have to understand that Fran's medical condition prohibited him from training properly. If that gets sorted and his mind is right we could have a world class back playing for the Boks again.

If any coach can get the best out of Frans Its Venter. Dont  bother ou snapster with the facts Mike - I mean Kolisi before Louw at 6  -say no more - piss poor and bog ordinary judgement! Fact.

@ Flash, your writing skill is flash mate, great interpretation of what exactly going on with regards to Spies' performance. Sad he's injured, but he'll never be missed for sure. Like most people on this panel, I used to be Spies' fan, even when he dropped his former brilliant form. Your wife was bang on when she asked you "is Spies not playing for the Boks anymore". I did suggest last time on one of my post that maybe Modelling would suite Spies from here on in; the is no ruck no scrum to worry about. I just hope Meyer gives the Labuschagne a chance to prove his worth as a Bok candidate. @ Beeno, I agree about the Beast, he's lost his bit too, Jannie is the same guys, these two folks served us well. But as of current, their form has dropped big time. Under these two guys, our scrum will become our weakest link IMO.

Beeno With Steyn out of training - his weight will probably be back to the staggering 118 kgs he carried last year in the tests and early this year. Venter surely will have a weighty problem on his hands in this case to get him down to 106 kgs.

Well done Flash! All 100% true.

Hey Mike, I thought Bigger is better, in this case for Frans Steyn?