Ex Keo
RYAN VREDE writes that South African Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux has bought into Heyneke Meyer’s dream of a uniform playing pattern at national, Super Rugby and provincial level but selling that concept to coaches will be near impossible.
Meyer transformed the Bulls during his tenure there, recruiting and identifying young talent astutely, introducing advanced measurements for technical and psychological aptitude and, most notably, implementing uniform playing patterns across all the Bulls’ sides. While he encouraged freedom of expression within a set framework, Meyer was adamant that the playing structures he put in place would result in consistent success.
In conversations with Meyer both recently and over the last six years he has stressed the importance of such a model. He has floated the concept of a uniform playing style for all South African teams in meetings with Super Rugby coaches. He was met with a cool response, with most coaches concerned about the time it would take for their players to learn and master the system and what impact that would have on results.
It is therefore unlikely that the concept will ever be met with universal approval from Super Rugby coaches, who operate in a result-driven environment and who would insist on winning or losing on their terms and with a game plan that reflects their philosophy. This is understandable.
Meyer’s cause is, however, aided by the fact that the Bulls and Stormers – the franchises likely to supply the bulk of the players to the Springboks – already play in the manner Meyer believes will give the Springboks the best chance of winning consistently. Newly appointed director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has much to do with the Stormers’ structures mimicking the Bulls’. He was a keen student of Meyer’s during his time in the same role at the Stormers, constantly discussing the game and its evolution with him. (Please Meyer was learning from the master and hence the awe in which Meyer holds rassie!))
Roux, through his offering to supersport.com, has clearly been sold on the idea of a uniform pattern. ‘No person in this country can tell each franchise how to coach,’ he began. ‘What we can do is to put structures in place to help unions know how to operate on a daily and weekly basis, and how the bigger structures should look.
‘It’s the one thing that has never been done well in SA Rugby. We worked differently at an U13 level than we did at an U16 level, we often get players together a week before the time and each coach does it the way he feels is best. Afterwards the players leave for their unions and there wasn’t much value added during a week like that.
‘We didn’t have a technical department and we now have one. Three individuals have already been appointed. They have already started work but they will now focus on the strategic direction we will follow in SA Rugby – what direction will we head in the next five years.’
While the idea is a good one in principle Meyer is more likely to see his plans take root at national level, where he and Erasmus would be able to influence the respective junior international coaches to buy into the concept. At present transitioning between national teams means learning new defensive and attacking patterns, new tactical calls and having your role redefined. A uniform approach would alleviate the stress that accompanies such a transition.
The concept infinitely more likely to be met with the approval of Super Rugby coaches and players is the one involving the ready availability of up-to-date technical analysis and technical guidance to each of the 14 provinces in the country.
On this issue Roux said: ‘It is my dream to sort out every rugby union’s technical aspects, especially the smaller unions who don’t always have the money or infrastructure to do so. If we can, for instance, record all their games, decode it on a weekend and deliver it on a Monday morning to them, then we will make a marked contribution to unions and we will add value to the game. That is our mission as SA Rugby, to add value on every level, especially for those unions who don’t have the resources to do it themselves
Can't see the Cheetahs playing like bulle -they are to intelligent! But support with technical analysis could help. One also has to agree that Rassie made a huge difference to our WP juniours so his setting up the right structures in the country could be very beneficial.
