Ex Supersport
This is a tale of two centres of rugby power in South Africa.
Age-old battles have been fought, and whispers of legendary tales have been sewn about each, from the days they were born into South African folklore until the most recent battle when the final whistle was blown.
One sits under a mountain in the Cape, surrounded by lush wineries, beaches and the occasional South Easter while the other bakes in the Highveld, under the watchful eye of the seat of government and in the shade of the Jacarandas.(the bulle you might say are fully baked - hahahhaha)
While few have noticed it, with the advent of the professional era, both provinces have been fighting an unseen battle – often at school level – to recruit the best available personnel, to ensure the upward flow of talent into the senior ranks is kept alive, and most of all, to continue to strive for the success of their respective rugby brands.
So where we sit at present – Western Province rule the under-19 ranks, and the Blue Bulls rule the under-21 ranks. Province are deserved Currie Cup champions, while the Bulls continue to tell everyone they are rebuilding.
But where does the truth lie? Both have very different approaches to the way they recruit players, with differing results. The Bulls continue with their habit of recruiting the best of the junior ranks, so it is never a surprise when their recruits dominate any SA under-18 or SA under-20 side that is chosen. They have the bulk of talent, scouted through rugby weeks through the years, lured with bursaries and contracts, and the promise of buying into a rugby legacy.
It isn’t anything new, it was an approach that made them a power in the last decade under Heyneke Meyer, that saw Ian Schwartz become the most feared High Performance manager in the country – soft-spoken, polite and deadly in his recruitment drive.(A disgusting parasite at work!!)
Western Province felt they couldn’t catch up, no matter what happened, the players simply wanted to leave. The offer up north looked exceptionally good from where they were sitting.
But then things changed. Meyer and Schwartz moved onto the Bok jobs, and started focusing their time and attention there.
It coincided with the departure of a host of World Cup winners, Boks who had become synonymous with winning, players who never seemed to back down.
Those that were left were often hounded, offered depleted contracts or simply told their time was over. In short the new management took over and there was a clean-out.
PROVINCE STEPPING IT UP
Contrast this to Province, who stepped up their recruitment drive, and apart from losing one or two junior stars, started finding the right rhythm in recruitment. They invested heavily in their junior stars and backed them to the hilt.
It almost cost Allister Coetzee his job in Super Rugby, as youth and exuberance didn’t always translate into success, but if a senior player went down, it simply was left to a junior to replace him and take the step up.
In Pretoria the new management despite “backing” the juniors took some strange steps. They brought back Dewald Potgieter from Japan, Wimpie van der Walt was drafted but hardly used. There was even an approach to bring back Jacques Potgieter, a player they had deemed surplus to requirements just nine months previously.
Junior players were not always backed. Some were lucky – as in the case of Burger Odendaal, others like Handre Pollard and Jan Serfontein would always have made it wherever they were. But think of Bongi Mbonambi behind Callie Visagie, William Small-Smith behind JJ Engelbrecht and Marcel van der Merwe behind Werner Kruger this season, how many of these players should have been given the chance earlier?
But where Province put their faith in the youth, perhaps the ultimate example of how the Bulls didn’t trust their structures was when they played Pollard at 12 for the semifinal a few weeks back. This when they had three SA under-20 midfielders who could have fulfilled the role.
So which side is doing a better job of bringing through young talent into the senior ranks?
All we have to do is look at history to find the answer.
The under-19 final in 2010 shows an interesting array of fresh-faced players destined for higher honours. The Blue Bulls had recruited almost every top junior but lost the final to Western Province.
Four years later, a quick scan of those names makes interesting reading.
Western Province fielded a side that included Scarra Ntubeni, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Nizaam Carr, Siya Kolisi, Australian Sam Lane and Michael van der Spuy. On the bench was a youngster by the name of Damian de Allende. Ricky Schroeder has left and is at the Lions. But nine players out of 22 that have made their mark at senior level is truly remarkable.
The Blue Bulls side they played included Arno Botha and Tony Jantjies. Also in the side but since departed for other teams were Schalk van Heerden (Lions), Courtnal Skosan (Lions) and Francois Venter (Cheetahs). Lean Schwartz has retired, while Bongi Mbonambi was on the bench, but has since signed for Province.
A PROVINCIAL DEBATE
But let’s not focus only on the Bulls-WP debate. A year later the Blue Bulls under-21 team faced the Sharks in a final they won handsomely.
Playing for the Bulls in that game were Bongi Mbonambi, Arno Botha, Jono Ross and Ulrich Beyers. Others that have either left or signed elsewhere in that team include Franco Mostert (Lions), CJ Stander (Munster), Lohan Jacobs (Lions), Louis Fouche (Japan), Courtnal Skosan (Lions), Francois Venter (Cheetahs), Sampie Mastriet (Lions) and Clayton Blommetjies (Cheetahs).
In contrast the Sharks side had the following who still are in Durban: Danie Mienie, Monde Hadebe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Terra Mtembu, Cobus Reinach, Paul Jordaan, Sibusiso Sithole and Heimar Williams. Piet Lindeque has retired and Gouws Prinsloo is at Griquas.
It is worth asking for all they spend in the junior ranks, does it translate well into their senior ranks? Or is there a glass ceiling in Pretoria for junior talent that simply has to finally leave?
Western Province have a different approach. They target players and look for “quality and not quantity”, and their bold assertion of backing their youth has to be applauded.
The Bulls will continue to dominate the junior signings with the way they recruit, but as the facts above show, it doesn’t always translate into success. The lack of transformation in Pretoria is also a worry with a host of black players being recruited and leaving as soon as their contracts expire.
The reality is that if you recruit 20 top juniors every year, somewhere a bottleneck will form, and unhappiness will continue. Compound that with some panic in the recruiting structures, a lack of transparency and honesty (players were told that the Bulls weren’t negotiating with Trevor Nyakane and Adriaan Strauss and were utterly surprised when they signed) and it is clear the days of the Bulls being a happy family are long gone.
Province may not be doing a perfect job, but it is the best example at the moment of how a young player can fight his way to the top through hard work, form and talent.
It is a system that has rewarded the Cape side for the way they’ve trusted in their players. And not that anyone noticed, but with eight players of colour in their match 22 on Saturday, they are also the leading side in terms of transformation in this country.
The Currie Cup sits firmly in the shadow of table mountain at the moment, and while other sides live in self-denial, it is clear the Cape strategy is working.
One wonders if those in the north will take these lessons to heart?
It's hilarious that the Bulle's greedy cheque booked approach has back fired.
