Rest and rugby sanity must prevail
Stormers coach John Dobson spoke in the week of the ongoing communication with South African Rugby in terms of a compulsory rest period for the World Cup-winning Springboks in February and March.
Dobson trumpeted looking at individuals, rest and game time needs, as opposed to a blanket approach, where all those involved in last year’s World Cup get an eight-week break in preparation for June’s two-Test series against Ireland in South Africa.
It will be Ireland’s first visit to the republic since 2016, a series remembered for the crass and reckless head challenge from CJ Stander on Pat Lambie, and for the first Ireland win in South Africa when the visitors beat the Springboks at Newlands despite playing the last hour with Stander red-carded.
The Boks levelled the series in Johannesburg but it was a poorly coached Bok team back then. Post this, and a 38-3 humiliation against Ireland in Dublin in 2017, many things changed within the Bok structure and the result was back-to-back World Cup successes.
What will irk Bok coach Rassie Erasmus and the World Cup winners is that they lost 19-16 to Ireland in Dublin in 2022 and were edged 13-8 by the Irish in Paris during the pool stages of the World Cup. The Boks missed 11 points off the kicking tee in that defeat, their only one in the tournament, but won when it mattered most and Ireland lost in their most defining play-off match against the All Blacks.
Ireland will be a scalp the Boks will be seeking, and herein lies the question that will be debated between the national coach and the United Rugby Championship (URC) coaches in the build-up to the June internationals. Is this series, for example, bigger than the prospect of a South African
The URC playing schedule makes preparation difficult, so losing leading national players only complicates matters
winner in the URC, Champions Cup or Challenge Cup?
In a World Cup year, the Springboks are everything in rugby in this country, but outside that there must be consideration given to the needs of the provinces, especially those who house many of the World Cup winners.
The Stormers and Bulls are the best positioned of the South African teams to challenge for silverware, and February and March see them involved in South African derbies in the URC, while the first week of April is when the last 16 of the European competition matches are played.
The URC playing schedule is stop-start in February and March. There are fortnightly breaks in-between matches and no
European rugby. Its schedule makes preparation difficult, so losing leading national players would further complicate matters.
Reason and rugby sanity must prevail. Erasmus’ discussions with the coaches will focus on the non-negotiables of a handful of players, but the larger portion of the World Cup group should be playing, especially those who had limited minutes during the tournament in France and still made a late entry into the URC.
The likes of Sharks scrumhalves Grant Williams and Jaden Hendrikse, who share the No 9 duties at provincial level, can’t get enough game time. Players who have come back from injury or who are injured must be assessed individually and not through a blanket policy.
Stormers tighthead Frans Malherbe, as one example, has not played since the World Cup. He has been given an extended rest to recover from a World Cup workload that aggravated an old injury. When he returns, he needs as much game time as possible.
The reality is that Ireland’s best will play five Tests in the Six Nations and then go back to their provinces for the remainder of the URC and European competitions. They will be battle-hardened.
It’s a balancing act for Erasmus and the South African URC coaches, but it is one that must service all professional aspirations in the country in 2024 and not just those of the Springboks.