Global Boks make for stronger Boks

Once again the much maligned keo hits te nail on the head and leaves plenty of egg for ou maaaikie, muncher and others who have no grasp of reality where this and other matters are concerned.

Restricting Springbok selection to only local-based players won’t limit the exodus. Of the 232 playing abroad, only 12 have been picked for the Springbok tour. That represents five percent. (232 and the kiwi bird brains question our depth!!!)

South Africa’s greatest flyhalf Naas Botha was this country’s first true rugby professional – in terms of earning and in terms of attitude.

Botha, in the amateur era, would play for the Bulls on a Saturday afternoon, get on the last flight out of South Africa and be playing for Rovigo in Italy on a Sunday afternoon.

He didn’t do this every weekend but he did it when the two seasons schedules clashed. Botha was the best-paid rugby player in South Africa and one of the most rewarded in Italy.

Botha and I share one common view about the Springboks and that is the best players should get chosen regardless of where they play their rugby.(Seems these two lads are following the example of Beeno!!)

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer is right to pick whom he believes to the best. (Unlike ou maaaikie who is hopelssly confused)

It is absolute nonsense to accuse South African players abroad of betrayal or of a lack of loyalty to South African rugby or the Springbok jersey.

Why condemn a player who is maximizing his earning potential in a professional career that rarely has a lifespan in excess of 10 years? Why reward mediocrity by picking an inferior player because he is based locally?

Why punish a player who can earn a three million Euros overseas contract when in this country he is being offered three million rand?

The game is professional and all the mutterings from administrators and a disgruntled rugby public scream of ignorance, petty jealousy and a failure to understand a rugby union professional evolution that has fast become a French and Japanese professional club revolution.

The rugby public, Meyer’s employers and everyone associated with the Springboks wants the team to be the best in the world. Meyer will be judged on his results and if he doesn’t succeed at the 2015 World Cup, he will be fired.

So why can’t he pick the best team, without restriction, in order to achieve on the expectation?

The French Top 14 is a better competition than the Currie Cup and most of the Top 14 teams are on par with those teams in Super Rugby.

The European Cup, English Premiership and Top 14 have different challenges to Super Rugby. All the tournaments are tough, so form in all the tournaments is relevant.

There is this mad obsession among supporters to always want the next youngster and to discard the veteran. It is because we are blessed with so much natural talent, but being young doesn’t always mean being better, especially not in Test rugby.(Now if only ou snapster could grasp this elementary fact - hahahahahaha)

There is room for both the old and the young in the national equation and Meyer should be tapping the last bit out of his grizzly veterans while at the same time introducing the next generation of players who could be global Springbok icons.

Meyer selected 12 overseas-based players in his Springbok squad of 32. I believe it should have been more.

The difference of opinion in player selection is not the issue, however. It’s the principle that no player should be punished because he happens to be in demand overseas. (Get the principle u maaaikie and you confusion may clear up!!)

I also believe there is no substance to the view that preventing selection to overseas-based players would limit the player exodus.

Meyer picked 12 overseas-based players and all of them have played for the Springboks previously. There are currently 98 registered South Africans in France’s professional league, 67 in England, Scotland and Wales, 34 in Italy, 14 in Ireland, 10 in Australia, 7 in Japan and two in New Zealand. That’s 232 professional South African players abroad. Meyer has picked 12 of them, which represents five percent.

But it is a five percent that makes the Springboks a stronger squad. Not picking the five percent weakens the Boks and certainly wouldn’t have kept the other 220 players in South Africa’s domestic leagues.

It should never be one or the other when it comes to who plays in South Africa and who plays abroad. It has to be about who is the best here and who is the best there and then making a call about who is the best Springbok selection.

There has to be maturity and common sense applied to the process of what constitutes the best Springbok squad. There also has to be perspective.(Beeno clearly has it, ou maaaikie, snapster , muncher and some others havent got it!!)

No rugby administrator, rugby writer, politician or rugby fan has ever lost his job because the Springboks have lost Test matches and the World Cup.

But no Springbok coach has survived a World Cup, win or lose.

Allow Meyer to pick what he believes to be the best Springbok 32 and then judge him on the subsequent results.

Don’t expect his Springboks to be the best but then demand he picks only local players because of the romance of some outdated amateur sporting idealism that playing in South Africa equates to loyalty and playing overseas is befitting of betrayal.

Sound common sense by Keo. I tr ust this article will enlighten some darkened minds.

Beeno

This is a highly theoretical article.  In the case of selection - it is obviously necessary for Meyer to pick the best available talent - even in respect of NH based players.  

However, there is a counter-argument as well.   How does Meyer - or for that matter anyone else - know what performance levels are maintained by players playing club rugby elsewhere?   There is in fact abundant proof already in evidence that players like Steenkamp is not in any way better than players like Kitshoff.

None of the overseas players selected - bar perhaps Louw - thus far has shown that they are performing on par with the performances they did for the Springboks prior to their departure.   That goes for all the selected players  - even Du Preez.    All the foreign  club players have had in the main bog ordinary performances with some real poor plays at times.

The answer remains - only select key players  where  there are real local deficiencies and of players like Habana and forget about the present free for all.

Beeno

Some bit of truth emerging - but not at all with a clear mind.   All Meyer's selection thus far has been based on reputation and none of the older selectees have managed to get anywhere near the level of performance they maintained prior to their departure to play for foreign clubs.   

Does that not prove anything in your book?  It proves conclusively in mine that selection of foreign based older players is at best a gamble, which should be limited to really deserving cases where there is no reasonable alternatives available in SA. 

Sasue

As per normal Beeno is on cloud nine - and you are correct.   In any event the foreign-based players ultimately did not really produce the goods and in some cases were downright inadequate.       

Money talks and bullshit walks …

Making it as a South African test player guarantees you an enormous salary abroad. Money is after all what it’s all about in the end … especially after you’ve already done your national duty. 

If you just so happened to be better than anyone at home then why not be available for your country? You’ve put in a lot of hard work and should surely be eligible. Your spot should be taken from you … not donated to some up and coming wannabe just cause your abroad.

The best South African should represent us.

A player who hasn’t made it to the test arena will obviously not be paid as big a wage. Chances of him ever representing his country is highly unlikely.

Out of the hundreds that leave our shores a mere handful are looked at, all of which have already played test rugby.

I don’t see how this does damage to our domestic competition nor do I see any harm done to our national side.  

 Having a small cadre of top players play overseas is a positive.

1) Those top players get more versed in the foreign game and like Monty come back as better players, more capable in NH conditions.

2) It opens up the flood gates for younger players at CC and S15 level. And a player like JJ has had a chance to cement his position at 13, while Fury is absent. If Fury was around he would never have been selected. So now we have two test exposed centres to choose from....not one. And even when the foreign player is available for selection, the local player has an advantage. It can't but increase the player resources.

3) Financial success makes guys more secure in their futures and more passionate about their rugby. Again you can see it in Bakkies and Fury who are probably more motivated than ever.

4) Having our top players plying their trade in the NH has made those competitions more interesting to Bok fans.

This is so typical. Lets make a rule.....how South Africans love rules....to limit....how South Africans love limits .....Bok teams to local players....how South Africans hate guys who had the guts to leave and make good. This is good old South African 1970s think.

Mozart

This is not good old 1970 thinking - it is shi t Mozart thinking.   Nobody but a small minority wants to see no foreign-based players in the team.   However, for a variety of reasons it is clear that from a performance perspective virtually all players are better Springboks before they leave than when they come back to play for SA again.

It is thus not a benefit from a learning perspective - that really is a junk argument - but the negative performance after return is probably due to -

*   the natural decline in player performances once they go over 30 years of age (that is why Louw being virtually the only exception);

*   the lack of strong enough opposition on Club level to keep the players in top form or in the case of Japan specifically the very limited playing schedule.

Name me  just one of the present returning Springboks where the above statement as to  their quality of play is not correct. They all are way below where they used to be.

Based purely on reputation and with no reliable means to test their present performance  capacity - selection  is nothing but a pure gamble. 

When will you ever learn about performance assessment?   I suppose never because of prejudice and rank stupidity.     

Mozart

You are again attempting to side-step a direct challenge - showing up rank stupidity again.  How can one ever discuss anything with you - you are always too cowardly to admit the truth and try rubbish arguments in return.   Smaller denominator ha nothing to do with the issue - you stupid old fool.  

Sushi we are speaking in generalizations here. Louw left at 27, others may leave later. My point is all these top guys could earn more money overseas. Some will stay because they get home sick....I rather suspect JdV is one of those. Some because they prefer rugby in RSA. But the rational, economic man, decision....is to leave.

So we use Bok colours to balance things. The younger guys know if they leave before attaining Bok colours, they are at a big disadvantage even if foreign based players can be chosen. Has any non capped foreign player been chosen for the Boks?

The older guys are going anyway if that's their plan, so if we remove Bok colours after they leave....the incentive will be to leave sooner, all other things being equal. And after a while Bok selection will become less important. As in soccer, club play will be defining for many players.

We shouldn't shoot ourselves in the foot, just for the dubious benefit of a clear rule. Sometimes it's smarter just to accept that the world has many shades of gray.

Mozart

Simpleton - answer a plain question by yes or no - Woosh indicate that you have no idea and live in the past - wanting to avoid the answer by hook or by crook.

Sasue

Mozart's arguments borders on the absurd - there are relatively few younger uncapped players leaving SA and they do so because they themselves feel (like CJ Stander) that their local options are minimal.   The main group leaving from a Sprinbok selection perspective are those Springboks in the higher age category who apparently feels that they are nearing the end of their playing career.

In the present Springbok squad there are in fact three categories of players, namely -

*  the top players that gets paid fortunes in Europe - eg Habana;

*  the middle group that gets good offers and run for it - because their positions in the team are under threat and  they could get lesser offers in future as a result  of potential loss  of their Springbok selection  - eg Morne Steyn, Kruger,  Kirchner,  Vermaak,   etc

*  the bottom of the pile players - like Alberts and Aplon that would never get any job offers from overseas.

Most of the younger aspiring players have turned down offers (eg Le Roux) or are not even considering leaving  (eg Etzebeth and Du Toit).

The impression Mozart  and some others are creating is that the local players are  financially badly off - they are not and they get augmented income through extensive sponsorships and other revenue as  well.

 Sasuke:"pride in the Black jersey and wanting to play for the All Blacks is huge and a bigger incentive that stops many kiwi players from seeking a bigger pay day, just look at the roster in the kiwi spXV teams of players who have played bugger all tests yet still stick around for that glimmer of a chance."

I absolutely agree with you...that's what gives you the edge...learn from the AB's...that's why they dominate...victory always has a cost or sacrifice.

Keo said it perfectly....it's a professional game. Smart players should be trying to maximize their career earnings and acheive meaningful career success. Those players who are just "playing for the jersey" are pretty stupid....as they will find when they are 45, yesterday's news and left with a legacy of injuries. If you are going to be a gladiator, at least get paid.

Most top South African players are voting with their feet. If you want contra evidence of South African players being paid enough, you only need look at the stream of South African players going overseas.

And if you want to stop the move, don't make reactionary rules....pay the guys more. Find ways to get more people in the stadium, provide an accessible high quality internet site to watch all the games...get better advertising contracts. You wont do all those things with our best players leaving. The biggest opportunity.....cut the fat and the graft, too much money is going into the pockets of all the hangers on, as opposed to the guys on the field.

Mozart and Beeno

The arguments raised by you are basically crap and have no real basis.   If you analyse the situation there is like in any career a desire to earn more and ensure a better standard of life.

So lets look at the impact it has on our local players and the reasons for leaving.

Younger Players

In this group there are really just 2 players - who left as Springboks - namely Louw and Pietersen.   Louw thought at the time his career as a Springbok was finished and he decided to go for the money.   Pietersen went for the money - but made sure his contract allows for him to play Super Rugby enough matches and for the Springboks.

In the remainder of this category there are two groups of players, namely -

*   those feeling that they have been ignored and they will not gain any higher selection in SA (CJ Stander, Strauss, Elstadt, the Ebersohn brothers for example).

*   those who feel that even though they are already Springboks  they have little chance of remaining in the team (eg Vermaak)

The remainder of the younger player are no fools - they know that if they make the Springbok team and establish themselves in the team - the ultimate offers will be much higher than the present offers players can get on franchise level.   A player like Le Roux has already turned down an offer and there is no intention on the part of players like Etzebeth, Malherbe  and Du Toit to leave SA and play for foreign clubs.

Nobody ever makes offers for players like De Jongh and one wonders why?    

Older Players

In the main the crying by some are the departure of Springboks after 2011 and during  this year - but nobody ever thinks why it happened.   Older players realize that they need to make money playing overseas because most of them are nearing the retirement age of players.   They are near the stage where offers will dry up or may be reduced - if they lose there place in the Springboks team.   This group include players like Morne, Kirchner and Kruger, all of whose positions in the Springbok team is under threat.

Habana at 31 realises the end of his career is approaching and that was the main reason for departure to cash in as quickly as possible.   There was some talk about the Du Plessis brothers leaving for France - but that died down, probably because of their farming interests more than anything else.

Why players like Alberts never get offers is no mystery - probably because the foreign clubs realise they are no good.

Talking of the 2011 departures there are in fact doubts whether they are still performing on the level they did prior to departure - and their selection by Meyer is really questionable.

Is the situation serious - sure it is - and SARU should make sure they sign contracts with the essential players and leave out contracts with disposable ones.  They should also make sure that remuneration is increased by saving money from the hangers-on and looters.

Lastly coaches should realize that younger players should be utilized properly and not left down-hearted - Coetzee is n expert in this.   Lastly Meyer should not experiment with has beens in his selection and should concentrate on selecting local players - unless there is a dearth of such players in critical positions and also in exceptional cases like Habana.        

Mozart

Summary - you are an idiot if you do not comprehend or understand the above analysis.  Best advice - read it with care and maybe something will dawn on you and open that closed brain of yours a fraction.