Totally smart article by Jake White

People who say that South African teams should play the Kiwi way must understand that we can’t play like the Kiwis because we’re not the Kiwis. And the Kiwis can’t play like South African teams, because they’re not South African. . Rugby must never lose that – we all know how Fiji and Argentina play the game, and in all sports there are styles that are unique to various teams. . Whether it’s soccer, basketball or even American football – not every team has a quarterback who can throw the deep ball, so they adapt their style to play a shorter passing game. . In all team sports, you have to find a way of playing that suits you as a club and there are ways to be successful within that. . There isn’t just one way to play to be successful and, when it comes to South African rugby, we must aim to be unique in what we do well. . But where we can and must copy New Zealand is in what they do off the field. Let me say that it’s not just about copying and pasting. We must copy, edit and then paste. . The one thing that they get right in New Zealand is that they make every rugby decision with the goal of the All Blacks being successful. . A few years ago when they were struggling to string wins together in World Cups, the Kiwis relooked at their domestic competition. They looked for ways to ensure that there were knockout games in the ITM Cup to expose their players to big-game experiences with a view to helping the All Blacks, and they also got that from the Ranfurly Shield which is a challenge competition. . If you were listing South African rugby on the stock market, it would be a sought-after share just because of the country’s rugby history and ethos, the TV numbers, and the highly ranked rugby schools. So what’s missing, why aren’t our results reflecting that value? . What’s missing is that in South Africa, decisions are not made primarily with the best interests of the national team in mind. We have to consider that question when we ask about the quality of our domestic competition and how we plan on keeping players. Where’s the pathway for coaches and players? Why isn’t the franchise system working? Why aren’t we sharing intellectual property and resources? . Another thing that South Africans like to talk about is centralised contracting. It’s not just the central contracting of players that’s so important, it’s that every coach and conditioning coach is also paid by the national union, and it’s therefore in everyone’s interest to make sure that the players are looked after. . In South Africa, there are some coaches who blatantly refuse to share their intellectual property. The reality is that you wouldn’t get a job in New Zealand rugby with that mindset. There, players and coaches don’t have the right to say they’re going to do things their way. . That doesn’t mean they can’t come up with their own ideas; it’s not to inhibit coaches, but everything fits into the framework of where they want to be as a national team. . New Zealand’s players also play in combinations that are chosen to help the All Blacks perform. It’s not by chance that they move one player to another region to develop a combination, and I’m not talking about the average player – there are some really good players that have to move. . In the Six Nations this past weekend, Dylan Hartley threw the ball to the back of the England lineout to Courtney Lawes three times and Jonathan Joseph went through on first phase. . In the English premiership, Hartley throws the ball to Lawes at the back of Northampton’s lineout every week. . It’s the same with the Lions. There’s no doubt that they were so successful last year because they’ve had to play together for so long, and those those combinations have grown together. . So you have to ask why the franchise system in South Africa isn’t about the best players playing across the franchises. You have to live in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein or Port Elizabeth to play Super Rugby – it’s bizarre! . You can’t tell me that, among all the other provinces, none of those players are good enough to make one of the franchises. We’re saying that there aren’t five players from the Pumas and Griquas who are good enough to make one of the franchise teams. . A couple of years ago, I coached a renegades team against some of the Super Rugby franchises and we won. And in the games we didn’t win, it went all the way down to the wire. . There are a lot of guys making careers of rugby overseas who people in South Africa have never heard of. If they’re not good enough to play Super Rugby, how are they doing it? . So there are things about New Zealand rugby that we should be copying, editing and pasting, and there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s common sense. . But one thing I’ve realised in rugby is that, just because something is common sense doesn’t mean it’s common practice.

 All the above has been discussed at a number of workshops of SARU recently and there is zero new in what he wrote.   The issues  raised by White is all about administration.    All reasonable people believe SARU is a collection of dolts - despite that what White wrote about has all been dealt with at the recent workshops organized by SARU.
He says zero about what should happen on the field of play - he claims that teams must play to their strengths - but what strengths?   Not a word about what strengths SA must play to,   White apparently still believe in the pre-2008 format and this story about playing to strength is a thing that went out with the introduction of professional rugby.
Before professionalization the position was that SA could maintain some degree of forward domination - but in the present scenario it is just not possible.   Professional advice and methodology on physical development is worldwide  and their is no guarantee that one country has all the mechanism to dominate anything.
White unfortunately came up with nothing else  on player development and performance, game plans. etc.   I would have loved to see what he writes about that - but that just did not happen.      

It is a chicken and egg situation. SA coaches don't understand backline or ruck play- so the players dont learn the skills. 
A coach like Eddie Jones could play a running game that fits within the SA skill set. This could be emulated and improved upon by younger players that have not become creatine zombies
The South African 7's team know how to run, catch and pass- but they play an SA brand of the game

 Sentimentalistic Jake White supporters...JW has had his day but he must lean over and let more progressive teachers slot in...he is definitely not a solution to SA' ongoing quest for a rugby style solution...everything must change.

I think we must let Johan Ackerman have free range of the tutor job in SA rugby...let him in perhaps gradually but without unrealistic pressure...he deems to understand rugby individual players and earns respect...has the courage and nackers to do it...I believe SA fans must unite behind this man...I'm convinced he won't disappoint... the Lions are a classic example and blueprint.

Our guys have always been better at counter attack than phase play.....watch the Lions in the playoffs last year and it was skilled counter attack off turnovers that won them their games. They lost when they encountered fast line speed.....the same thing that confounded them against the Jaguares last week. It's not even clear that Ackerman is the architect of the Lions style....or that he can pass it on in the absence of his team....as we saw with the Junior Boks last year, easily handled by England.

 I'd dearly love to know what Ackerman thinks about many of his top players spending virtually all their 'downtimes ' in Japan ...... some of these oaks (beeno-ism) like Jantjies, Whitey are now in month 26 sans a decent break . Probably contributed to their kak performances on the EOYT.

"Our guys has always been better at counter-attack than phase play" may be true or may not be.  Counter-attacking depends on two things - opposition mistakes depending on poor kicking or handling errors and breakdown balls recovery or turnovers.
Because of atrocious selections the latter issue went out of the window years ago.   So the rest is extremely limited and the opposing teams have a field day using our poor kicking game and all to frequent handling errors and lack of breakdown ball protection and recovery to attack.  
What a farce.  

 
Jake's trying his best to stay in the news .

He can't bear the thought of being forgotten and so he comes up with the obvious.

A man with so much potential to go on as a great has fallen away to nothing.

I wonder if he'll ever be appointed as a top coach again?