Jean de Villiers has left the building

11210-adidas-newsletter_0000_1It feels almost like there’s been a death in the family.

Jean de Villiers has left the building, no longer prepared to rage against the fickle mistress of fate. One minute he was in action, the next he was off injured and, just as suddenly, he had decided to pack it all in.

Heyneke Meyer, the coach, had spoken of the need for a fighter, but De Villiers had no more fight to give.

The miracle of South Africa’s great captain is that he made it this far. He endured one catastrophic injury after the other, wearing his scars like badges of honour. His body is going to ache for years.

I recall reading about De Villiers for the first time in a magazine feature many years ago. What stayed with me was his view that he always felt ahead of the action, and he believed he could anticipate what was going to happen next. I thought it was a windgat thing to say. Except he was right.

He has always been deadly honest and his sense of anticipation was remarkable. How often did we see him zoom into frame and latch onto an attacking ball for an intercept try? He did it again and again, flirting with offsides but inevitably showing his prowess as the ultimate scavenger.

His past year was spent mostly in rehabilitation and glad-handing. De Villiers’ diary was packed from day to day, his remarkable narrative appealing to guests at golf days and corporate breakfasts and other such shindigs. Who could not be swept up by his resolve?

He always spoke bravely and warmly, displaying the driest humour this side of the Kalahari. For all his gifts as a player, De Villiers sure can work a room.

You can measure a player by what his rivals say about him. Social media went into overdrive when news of his retirement filtered through. From John Smit down, the messages from his rugby-playing peers were effusive. The buggers hated playing against him, but they were in awe of his skills.

Richie McCaw, the most decorated player in the game, played warm tribute when honouring De Villiers on occasion of his 100th cap in Wellington a year ago. McCaw isn’t in the habit of spreading his marmalade on other people’s toast, so his gesture was especially powerful.

De Villiers was beyond compare as a statesman of the game. Anyone who can handle the political furnace that the Bok captain is expected to endure has much going for him.

His defence of Oupa Mahoje last year demonstrated his sense of justice and brotherhood. He treated criticism of Mahoje’s selection as a personal affront and defended the loose forward with vigour. De Villiers was never short of class.

In a long career that concluded with 109 Test caps, it is impossible to think of a moment when he so much as suggested himself to be a lesser man. He was free of scandal and controversy, adored as much for his supreme skills as his dignity.

There was, perhaps, an inevitability about De Villiers’ ending at the top level. He was never less than totally committed. A flying Samoan, Tim Nanai-Williams, finally saw to his World Cup ambitions.

He’ll play on overseas for a few more months – the agonising rate of exchange makes it a no-brainer – but his time in the Green and Gold is done.

The De Villiers legacy is secure. He always understood that being a Springbok was more than an 80-minute gig. It was about being a good, decent and just man. Always.

 

 

Rugby revolution is in the air (or, at least, it should be)

RevolutionThe tremors still haven’t died down.

More than a week after that defeat, South African rugby remains in a state of disbelief. The game has been knocked off its axis. Rugby has known darker times, politically at least – think of the tour of New Zealand in 1981, or of Louis Luyt taking Nelson Mandela to court – but as performances go, defeat to Japan was catastrophic. The worst ever. And then some.

And yet . . . anyone with a less narrow view would have applauded it.

Rugby has long operated under the burden of being an old boys’ club; the haves and the have-nots.

World Cups are grand affairs, but we all know that only five or six teams can win it. In soccer, up to 20 teams can reasonably stake a claim. It’s a real world game.

Rugby needs its upset merchants and it needs to widen its appeal. While the Bok defeat damaged the SA psyche, for neutrals it was a treasure. Everyone loves an underdog and you sense that while Japanese rugby has limped along in recent years, this victory may prove a seminal moment.

The irony is that South Africans have abetted their improvement with the likes of Heinrich Brussow, Schalk Burger and Fourie du Preez all playing in Japan. Like any smart students, the Japanese have absorbed the lessons.

The eruption of joy at the final whistle was the moment of the World Cup so far, a cameo that captured rugby’s warm, enduring spirit. No-one could begrudge them their happiness.

I suspect we will feel the reverberations for a long time. This may be no bad thing.

The World Cup should be a watershed for SA rugby. We have long suspected that the local style of play is unsustainable, especially when measured against New Zealand. The Boks have occasionally snatched a win against them, but the balance of power rests heavily with them. The All Blacks are the standard bearers.

And it’s nonsense. With its financial and playing resources, South Africa should be neck and neck with them, if not in front.

The problem with the local game is that it’s riven with divided loyalties and political posturing. What’s more, unlike New Zealand, we have neither a national style nor a philosophy.

We need to adopt one.

A cleanout of personnel would also be refreshing. As the Japan match emphatically proved, the Bok veterans have had their day. It’s wise to be smart after the event, but we always knew the risk would be high.

The new broom should start with a new captain. Be bold, I say. Give the job to Tera Mtembu – he’s big, he’s a loose forward and he is commanding in public. He hasn’t been near a Springbok squad, but we need a revolution. We need to get this transformation issue right.

One of the tragedies of SA rugby has been the downfall of Chiliboy Ralepelle, who is sitting out after a doping ban. He looked every inch a future SA captain, but he’s lost his way.

Then it’s time to flood the team with tyros; players like Jean-Luc du Preez, Seabelo Senatla, Jaco Kriel and Vincent Koch, to go alongside Jesse Kriel, Handre Pollard and Trevor Nyakane. I’d also keep an eye on flyhalf Curwin Bosch, the Grey High prodigy.

SA has always boasted the value of experience, but it hasn’t counted for much in recent years, not in the games that matter anyway. What youngsters lack in experience, they make up for in fearlessness and instinct. They make mistakes by trying crazy things. Sometimes the best plays come from this habit. Just look at Willie le Roux.

The other point is that if you use 2016 as a year to effect a new wave, the youngsters may take a while to settle, but could be potent come 2019.

It’s all ambitious, and probably far-fetched, but the reality is that you can’t keep doing the same things and expect a different result.

If we were Japanese, we would undergo a ritual disembowelling (hara kiri), as per custom. That’s a little extreme, but in a figurative sense, that’s the way SA rugby should go.

The future is now. – © Sunday Tribune

 

 

 

 

Three must-see matches

39434786_rugby_pa1ARGENTINA v GEORGIA

Today, 5.45pm (SS1)

Don’t get too excited. This one isn’t for all the marbles, but it will pitch two of the world’s best scrummaging teams against each other.

Argentina aspire to greater things around the park these days, but their game is rooted in the power provided by the tight five. Just ask the Boks, who succumbed to Nicolas Ayerza’s dark arts a few weeks ago. The big guy is back for today’s clash.

Georgia, led by magnificent Mamuka Gorgodze, beat Tonga in their opener – producing more tackles (201) than any team in the RWC since 2007 – and will be looking for back-to-back wins, something they have never achieved at a World Cup.

Difficult by name, the front row of Mikheil Nariashvili, Jaba Bregvadze and Davit Zirakashvili are difficult by nature too.

It’s time to hide the women and children.

 

SOUTH AFRICA v SAMOA

Saturday, 5.45pm (SS1)

You would never have imagined a match against Samoa shaping up as one of the most important of the last 20 years. But here we are.

The self-doubt that has crept into the Springbok beast will only be banished if they beat Samoa at Villa Park, preferably by a couple of scores.

The defeat to Japan was shattering, but beating Samoa will help right things. No team has ever won the World Cup having lost in the pool stages, but the Boks will be chasing their own sort of history.

Samoa will likely start with a hiss and a roar, but blow themselves out at around the hour mark – so long as they follow the script.

The Bok XV is far better than the one that buckled against Japan. With a captain playing for his life and the Springboks’ psyche badly bruised, the backlash ought to be vicious.

 

ENGLAND v WALES

Saturday, 9pm (SS1)

This one is for the heavyweight championship of the UK, a belter in the making.

Over 80 000 lucky souls will cram Twickenham for a match that will largely define the fortunes of each team. England have made some high-risk selections, chiefly Owen Farrell at flyhalf and untested Sam Burgess in midfield. His battle with James Roberts in the midfield might well go full nuclear.

Don’t expect any frills from England. They aren’t the most dynamic team at the best of times, but with the Group of Death to be overcome, they will play it safe and tight.

Ultimately, home ground advantage and Wales’ injury toll will probably determine the outcome, but not before some spicy twists and turns.

 

 

The Bok XV for an SOS job

red-dead-redemption-14422-1920x1200-1422042801743It’s all change, or at least it should be, if the Springboks are to rediscover their mojo this weekend.

Samoa loom like a bad headache and they must be beaten. No ifs, ands or buts.

It sounds nuts to be talking this way, but Samoa looked pretty useful against the US at the weekend and just a few months ago gave a good account of themselves by going down by just a handful of points – 25-16 – against the All Blacks in Apia. They’ll be drooling at the prospect of getting stuck into South Africa’s wounded.

They’re big and they can play, although they’re hot-headed and often lose their way. Ordinarily, you would expect the Boks to swamp them, but these are strange days. After the Japanese tsunami, all bets are off.

History says the Boks will retreat into the laager and come out firing. They often do when their backs are against the wall.

The team below is the one that would do the business. It’s all new with a razor-sharp edge.

It’s not the most profound or revolutionary selection in history – the Springboks’ current state makes the calls easy.

15 Willie le Roux.

14 Lwazi Mvovo.

13 Jessie Kriel.

12 Damien De Allende.

11 Bryan Habana.

10 Handre Pollard.

9 Fourie du Preez.

8 Duane Vermeulen.

7 Schalk Burger.

6 Francois Louw.

5 Lood de Jager.

4 Eben Etzebeth.

3 Frans Malherbe.

2 Adriaan Strauss.

1 Trevor Nyakane.

Rugby’s biggest battle (it isn’t what you think) *

Many People Holding the Word Coach, Isolated

It was Shane Warne who famously advised that the only time you need a coach is to get to the ground.

This might be true when dealing with one-off geniuses, but nothing could be further from the truth in rugby. As this World Cup will prove, the coach is king.

The team invariably plays in his image and all the important plays are executed on his say-so.

As much as the World Cup will test the strength of the countries that matter, the very best coaches will also reveal themselves. On the flipside, the tournament will also claim victims. It always does.

Just ask Jake White – and he won the thing.

There are some extraordinary personalities involved. Australia’s Michael Cheika, for instance, might look all mongrel, with world class cauliflower ears, but he made his fortune in fashion. From Lebanese stock, he seems rougher than a bear’s backside, but looks can be deceiving.

He’s a cerebral coach who advocates nothing but attacking rugby. He celebrates individuality too, saying “you want your quiet guy, the lover, the joker, the fighter . . . you need those guys in the team.”

It’s a refreshing attitude from a bloke who used to be Randwick’s No 8 and its enforcer. He’s still street wise and ruthless.

Across the ditch there’s Steve Hansen of the All Blacks. When he inherited the job from Graham Henry, the general view was that he would fail, having to let go of Henry’s coattails. Not a bit of it. Hansen has extended their excellence and just last week Henry himself pronounced the New Zealand class of 2015 to be better than the lot that won in 2011.

Hansen lives by the simple doctrine of having to improve. It’s his job to find the means and to exploit it.

He has also become something of a mentor to Heyneke Meyer, who has forged a bond with the ex-cop.

England’s Stuart Lancaster is from farming stock, which seems somehow apt. He is elemental and direct with an extreme work ethic. He’s enlightened too, borrowing ideas from American football, basketball, Dutch soccer and even British cycling. Lancaster takes analysis to the nth degree and even keeps a record of every coaching session he has ever held.

He’s beaten the Wallabies and the All Blacks, but a Springbok scalp eludes him. Perhaps he will get another turn in the coming weeks.

More certain to have a crack is Vern Cotter, the shrewd New Zealander who coaches Scotland. No coach who has won the World Cup has been an outsider, so the deck is already stacked against him.

Like Lancaster a man off the farm, Cotter has drawn comparisons with Scottish legend Jim Telfer for his direct, no-BS approach.

He’s something of a drill sergeant but has won the Scots over with his methods, one of which includes the establishment of the “Thistle Group” made up of senior players. Not only must they lead, Cotter himself wants to learn the best of Scotland from them rather than impose Kiwi and Gallic traditions, where he learned the arts of coaching. It’s been tough, though, with just 44 percent of games won under him.

Ireland’s Joe Schmidt, who also hails from New Zealand, is, like World Cup-winning coaches Rod Macqueen and Jake White, a former teacher. He’s transformed Ireland into Cup contenders with an aerial game and an attack that are world class.

The Irish used to be 10-man merchants, but under him they play a wide game that creates space in defensive lines.

The irony of Philippe Saint-Andre, the coach of France, is that he was a magnificent, mercurial player who has replaced flair with force. Modern France play pragmatic rugby, made worse by the coach’s glum demeanour. Win or lose, he intends stepping down after the tournament.

If a winner is likely to come from one of the aforementioned coaches, the best of them may yet be a man who over-achieves with limited resources. Someone like Eddie Jones of Japan, perhaps? Maybe Argentina’s Daniel Hourcade, John McKee of Fiji or Samoa’s Stephen Betham?

If they knock off one of the superpowers, that would be a World Cup triumph all of its own. – © Sunday Tribune

* This column was written before the Saturday tsunami in Brighton.

The 10 things I’m most hoping for from Rugby World Cup

rugby

  1. Attack trumps defence. Fat chance, I know, but the World Cup would be the better for it.
  2. Referees don’t steal the show. Comprendre, Monsieur Poite?
  3. England shape up – the World Cup mood depends on it.
  4. Matt Dawson runs into Richard Loe in a dark alleyway.
  5. Duane Vermeulen and Jean de Villiers reach full fitness. Before the end.
  6. The small teams aren’t blown away (don’t hold your breath).
  7. We get to see WP Nel wearing a kilt.
  8. Meaty, mighty rugby with the most positive team triumphing.
  9. At least one huge upset. You listening Fiji, Tonga and the rest?
  10. A new superstar to emerge.

 

Deadly, deathly week for SA boxing

Boitshepo-Mandawe800x600

The late Boitshepo Mandawe, who was murdered this week.

Local boxing has never known a week like it.

Two pro fighters were murdered in the streets and another died from injuries suffered in the ring.

Established fighters Lwando Mulwana and Boitshepo Mandawe both met violent ends, as so many South Africans do.

The other, Mzwanele Kompolo, slipped into a coma after an early knockout loss in the Eastern Cape. He later died in hospital.

Molwana died on the dirty streets of the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi in the Western Cape, shot, it seems, in a random attack so typical of life in South Africa. Ironically, yesterday marked 10 years to the day since Mzukisi Sikali, a former champion, was stabbed to death in Port Elizabeth.

Perhaps the most predictable death was Mandawe’s. The welterweight died after being stabbed in a shebeen in Soweto on Sunday night.

In his prime he was good enough to give future world champion Chris van Heerden hell in two rousing fights, but his life spiralled out of control. He revelled in his “Gangster” nickname, running with the wrong crowd and drinking heavily.

He fought big names like Paul Kamanga and Ali Funeka and finally lost his last fight in Thailand just over two weeks ago. The miracle was that he was able to box at all given the life he chose.

As a professional athlete, he had no business being in a shebeen.

“I’m not surprised it ended this way,” said his former trainer Nick Durandt. “He lived fast and loose.”

Boxing, as ever, will go on.

It always does.

 

SuperSport setting gold standard for World Cup

 

LewisLewis “Mad Dog” Moody, who arrives in Johannesburg on Friday to do duty for SuperSport, expects a grand spectacle when the World Cup kicks off, with England and Ireland pushing the southern hemisphere giants hardest.

A World Cup winner with England in 2003, Moody says he expects no change from the World Cup tradition of teams that stick to what got them to the World Cup, in terms of playing style, ultimately being the most successful.

He also believes that teams able to adapt to the erratic conditions ought to go best.

“The weather can be very changeable. Last weekend we had England against Ireland. It was a beautiful day that produced fantastic rugby. But this being England, next week we could be in the middle of a monsoon,” said Moody, who earned 71 caps for England.

“The southern hemisphere boys tend to adapt; the French tend to go well too. Teams may play tighter in the pool games because of anxiety. Given that it’s a British World Cup, the boys from Scotland, Wales and Ireland will feel at home, which will make for a great spectacle.”

Lewis predicts that the Rugby Football Union’s heavy investment in the World Cup will ensure the most special of events, with rugby fever sure to take hold when England start proceedings against Fiji at a revamped Twickenham on Friday night.

“I’m gutted,” Moody quipped. “I’m too old and battered to play in this home World Cup.”

Instead, he will be one of the expert analysts for SuperSport’s broadcasts.

SuperSport plans to broaden the appeal of its World Cup coverage with a range of new shows, top guests and cutting-edge technology.

With a 24-hour rugby channel already on the go, SuperSport intends offering something for every type of rugby supporter: from the casual observer to the hard core fanatic.

All 48 matches will be broadcast exclusively live and in High Definition, with buildups featuring some of the best analysts in the game.

Former World Cup champions Kobus Wiese, Joel Stransky, Bobby Skinstad and Ashwin Willemse will be joined by overseas counterparts Moody and Ben Kay, plus a number of other former internationals like Sean Fitzpatrick, Taine Randell, Nathan Sharpe, Colin Charvis, George Gregan, Paul Wallace, Gavin Hastings and Jeff Wilson.

Shirt

UK-based ITV is the broadcast host and will supply the international commentary feed.

On SuperSport, all Springbok matches will enjoy four commentary options: international English; SA English; Afrikaans; isiXhosa.

All other matches will have three language options: International English; Afrikaans; isiXhosa.

The ITV commentary team includes Tony Johnson, Miles Harrison, Gordon Bray and Stransky, of SuperSport.

For its fifth broadcast of Rugby World Cup, SuperSport has put together eight different shows that will feature on a 24-hour channel from September 1:

  • World Cup Rugby Weekly.
  • Master Plan.
  • Super Rugby.
  • Insights.
  • Show Me Your Passport.
  • Boots and All.
  • Full English Breakfast.
  • Fan Zone.

Content will range from the light-hearted to news events, analysis to general rugby entertainment.

One of the shows, Show Me Your Passport, will be fronted by Elma Smit, the original “Lady Rugga”, who will be travelling throughout the UK to bring viewers stories and sights from the heartlands of rugby. Accompanied by a regular SuperSport pundit, she will lift the lid on local rugby culture.

Other top guests lined up for SuperSport’s coverage are Nick Mallett, Matt Pearce, Owen Nkumane, Toks van der Linde, Naas Botha, Robbi Kempson, Hanyani Shimange, Sharky Robinson, Kaunda Ntunja and Thinus Delport.

Multi-platform

DStv premium PVR subscribers with a DStv Explora will be treated to 26- and nine-minute highlights available on CatchUp for every match.

In addition, all knock out and Springbok games will be available in their entirety.  In the spirit of the eighth Rugby World Cup, DStv Premium PVR subscribers who have connected their Explora to the internet will have the unique opportunity to access historical content.

Since August 1 these viewers have been able to watch full replays of every Rugby World final on top of incredible footage from 1987 through to 2011.

Additionally, every Rugby World Cup 2015 match will be streamed live to subscribers (who have a DStv connect ID linked to their DStv Premium PVR subscription) via supersport.com or alternatively through the DStv Now app and SuperSport App respectively.

Potholes litter Boks’ path

Rug1There are two contrasting statistics that embody the depth of the challenge facing the Springboks, who arrived in England on Saturday to launch their sixth World Cup challenge.

South Africa have the best overall win rate in Rugby World Cup history: 25 wins in 29 matches (86.2 percent).

However, there’s a catch: they have not beaten Australia or New Zealand in regular World Cup play since hosting (and winning) the 1995 edition.

The comparison is apt. The Boks go in with great expectations, but they will likely have to subdue their two major southern hemisphere rivals to become the first nation to lift the Webb Ellis Cup on three occasions.

Pencilling in probable outcomes, South Africa’s route to the final on October 31 is pock-marked with potholes and pitfalls, chiefly in the shape of the Wallabies in the quarterfinal and then the All Blacks in the semifinal. By comparison, 2007 was a breeze.

Don’t be fooled by the hype. South Africa will top Pool B, notwithstanding slugfests against Samoa and Scotland before these pretenders blow themselves out.

It’s a soft group compared to Pool A where Australia, England and Wales will fight it out for the top two spots and Fiji will look to mess things up with one of their traditional shake-ups. Twice they’ve made the last eight. Wales, who hate playing them, will be particularly terrified by the prospect.

England could theoretically make the final without playing the All Blacks or the Boks, the one team they have yet to beat under Stuart Lancaster. It’s a shrewd bit of scheduling.

You wonder how Wales could have ended up in that deathly pool, but it’s their fault. The seedings were done in 2012, when they were hopeless (seven straight defeats) and had dropped to ninth.

I’m betting they will be the unlucky ones who end third, remembering that they’ve lost 10 on the bounce against the Wallabies, plus they’ve been ravaged by injury. Plus they will be playing in London, away from their Millennium Stadium fortress.

As tough as it sounds, South Africans could do worse than support England initially. The Boks would rather play Australia (or Wales) than the World Cup hosts in the quarter-final. The Boks have had the wood on England for 10 years, but all bets are off in a World Cup where the Twickenham roar is easily worth 10 points. We must hope England win their pool, which pits them most likely against Scotland in a quarterfinal.

Pool C will be a doddle for New Zealand with only Argentina offering meaty resistance. Their reward could be a quarterfinal against France, their old bêtes noires who won’t be intimidated in the least.

This, however, assumes that Ireland will top Pool D with France running second. Ireland haven’t looked too tidy in their recent friendlies and France recently beat England with something to spare in Paris, but Ireland boast a better pedigree in recent years.

The quarters would then stack up as follows: SA v Australia; New Zealand v France; Ireland v Argentina; England v Scotland.

There are no gimmes here, but if logic and common sense have any say, the semifinals will see the Boks against New Zealand in the one half of the draw and Ireland against England in the other.

The Boks haven’t looked too flash in recent months, but if a miracle or three comes through for Fourie du Preez, Duane Vermeulen and Jean de Villiers, our lot could put out a thoroughbred XV able to rumble with anyone. Everything would have to go right.

World Cup rugby suits the Boks’ style; that is, it’s typically hard, grinding and chanceless, characteristics that embody much of the Boks’ DNA.

October 24 could be massive for the Boks; a showdown against the All Blacks for a place in the final. Don’t be conned: the All Blacks will always start as favourites.

They are the defending champions and assuming they don’t implode against France, will be ferociously difficult to beat. The smart money (and mine) is on a New Zealand-England final a week later.

I’m just thrilled the World Cup is again upon us. England will be magnificent hosts and the rugby ought to be dramatic and full-blooded.

Game on. – © Sunday Tribune

 

10 takeouts from Mayweather’s ‘final’ fling

Floyd-Mayweather-Jr-Cartoon-HD-Wallpaper

  1. Despite his age and miles on the clock, Mayweather remains unrivalled at welterweight. Keith Thurman, Kell Brook and Amir Khan are good fighters. Mayweather is better.
  2. Mayweather is just too small to entertain ideas of a fight against Gennady Golovkin, the middleweight beast. Pity.
  3. We marvel at his speed and defence, but Mayweather’s footwork is special too. Fred Astaire would have been proud.
  4. The only obvious weakness in his arsenal is a lack of power. You have to go back eight fights for Mayweather’s last stoppage win, and even that was controversial. Brittle hands are partly to blame.
  5. Mayweather claims the fight against Andre Berto was his last. This may be, but he’s skilled enough to survive at the top for another two or three years.
  6. Mayweather is more than the best boxer of his generation. He’s the best matchmaker too. Teddy Brenner would have been proud.
  7. Mayweather’s claim of being “TBE (The Best Ever)” is best taken with a dollop of salt. He’s probably top five among the welterweights, but a little behind Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong and Sugar Ray Leonard.
  8. Orlando Salido getting screwed on the undercard proves that judges the world over have bad nights. It’s not only South Africa’s jokers.
  9. Love him or hate him, no-one does shtick like Mayweather.
  10. He’ll be back.