I am glad to see that many have awoken to the reality that Damian is not a test quality player, but I am saddened that it has taken this long. Worse yet, when he is the very best of himself. South Africa simply doesn't reward talent, or ability. They are happy with feel good storylines, and certain personality types. Some, like Damian, just happen at the right time when the media are looking for a new face to peddle a positive line. There never was any substance to his performances, and he has never really been held in account for his 75 poor performances to date. Whether it was singlehandedly losing the Wallaby test of 2015, to lose the RC, or contributing to us failing to make a final, the pseudo fan really didn't have a problem with it. The media senses that someone has to fall for the creaky and sinking ship, and he is a lesser name amongst other myths, like Malherbe, Kolisi, Steph, Lood, et al. I've seen an attempt to push Willemse into the sacrificial lamb role, and thankfully for him, he hasn't played a big enough part to be given the position. Esterhuizen has been our best 12 for seven years. We have lost out on seven years of quality from a better player. This is what makes this Bok side so hard to like. It isn't just poorly coached, it doesn't reward performances. There is no honesty among the fan base. Erasmus has hung over the team like a dark cloud, and has poisoned SARugby in a manner I have never seen before. Steph has 73 caps, with two good performances in 2018; Kolisi has 80, without a single standout performance and only a handful of references of positive contributions, and barely anything beyond very basic actions. Lood has 66 caps, with only the debut against Scotland being a performance of note. If the Boks want to be the best team in the world, they have got to sober up, they better look after their best players, and start holding each individual into account. How can a coach be a video analyst genius, and never feel it necessary to sit Steph down and work on errors that he commits test after test? It seems that these players only hear smooth words, and are coddled. The analytics is seemingly non-existent. It simply cannot be, for the decisions being made would be much different. Damian has 75 caps, the 58th longest Bok career. Despite ranking almost bottom of a production list for all the best centres in the game, he will likely be talked about as an all time great player. We lost seven years of Esterhuizen for this. What might have been? A better player will never receive the praise he deserves, because we have no honesty in our rugby. It has affected status, earning potential, and ability to appeal to a wider range of clubs. I don't enjoy watching things like this unfold.
2,348 posts
I am glad to see that many have awoken to the reality that Damian is not a test quality player, but I am saddened that it has taken this long. Worse yet, when he is the very best of himself. South Africa simply doesn't reward talent, or ability. They are happy with feel good storylines, and certain personality types. Some, like Damian, just happen at the right time when the media are looking for a new face to peddle a positive line. There never was any substance to his performances, and he has never really been held in account for his 75 poor performances to date. Whether it was singlehandedly losing the Wallaby test of 2015, to lose the RC, or contributing to us failing to make a final, the pseudo fan really didn't have a problem with it. The media senses that someone has to fall for the creaky and sinking ship, and he is a lesser name amongst other myths, like Malherbe, Kolisi, Steph, Lood, et al. I've seen an attempt to push Willemse into the sacrificial lamb role, and thankfully for him, he hasn't played a big enough part to be given the position. Esterhuizen has been our best 12 for seven years. We have lost out on seven years of quality from a better player. This is what makes this Bok side so hard to like. It isn't just poorly coached, it doesn't reward performances. There is no honesty among the fan base. Erasmus has hung over the team like a dark cloud, and has poisoned SARugby in a manner I have never seen before. Steph has 73 caps, with two good performances in 2018; Kolisi has 80, without a single standout performance and only a handful of references of positive contributions, and barely anything beyond very basic actions. Lood has 66 caps, with only the debut against Scotland being a performance of note. If the Boks want to be the best team in the world, they have got to sober up, they better look after their best players, and start holding each individual into account. How can a coach be a video analyst genius, and never feel it necessary to sit Steph down and work on errors that he commits test after test? It seems that these players only hear smooth words, and are coddled. The analytics is seemingly non-existent. It simply cannot be, for the decisions being made would be much different. Damian has 75 caps, the 58th longest Bok career. Despite ranking almost bottom of a production list for all the best centres in the game, he will likely be talked about as an all time great player. We lost seven years of Esterhuizen for this. What might have been? A better player will never receive the praise he deserves, because we have no honesty in our rugby. It has affected status, earning potential, and ability to appeal to a wider range of clubs. I don't enjoy watching things like this unfold.