Bouncy baby among weary Boks
LionsNo 8 Whiteley played Currie Cup on Saturday and now faces Argentina in Buenos Aires
THE Boks arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday with scars of Saturday’s trench warfare still clearly evident but new recruit Warren Whiteley was the bouncy baby among the weary heads.
WHEN the majority of the Springbok side arrived in Buenos Aires yesterday afternoon, the scars of Saturday’s trench warfare against Argentina at a sodden Loftus Versfeld were clearly evident.
Coupled with the gruelling transatlantic flight, they were the embodiment of fatigue, but new recruit Warren Whiteley was the bouncy baby among them.
The Lions No 8 had a prior Currie Cup premier division engagement against the Eastern Province Kings on Saturday afternoon before the heavens unseasonably opened on the Highveld. As unexpected as the callup was for the 2014 Commonwealth Games sevens gold medallist, Whiteley said the Springbok dream was first conceived with his Sevens stint two or three years ago.
The Lions captain has replaced Sharks looseforward Willem Alberts, who pulled up lame with a hamstring strain on the eve of SA’s physically exacting 13-6 win in Pretoria, which was their lowest winning margin at home against Argentina since their nail biting 26-25 win Port Elizabeth in 2003.
“Before that Sevens stint, I didn’t really believe that I was good enough. My time with the Blitzbokke was the first time I had represented my country in any form and it got something going within my heart. It ignited a dream to become a Springbok,” Whiteley said.
“I want to learn as much as possible and contribute to the squad in any way that I can and in any way the coach wants me to help.
“I want to give my all. I am here to learn from the guys who have done it all before and I am here to learn as quickly as possible.”
Under Whiteley’s captaincy and Johann Ackermann’s stewardship, the Lions have slowly blended into a side that has become difficult to beat, even though the Currie Cup is still in its infancy with two rounds completed. There were flashes of brilliance and cohesion in their above-average Super Rugby campaign, where they took points off every South African team bar the Sharks, beating the Stormers, Bulls and the Cheetahs at Ellis Park.
Whiteley credited the Lions team environment for his rapid rise in form, and also the way in which former Springbok lock Ackermann had turned the serially underperforming franchise into a trustful brotherhood.
“Credit needs to go to my team because they are the ones who helped me to get here. Ackermann has given me the freedom to develop as a player and he has had an impact on everyone in the squad. His ability to form friendships in the team has been one of the turning points,” Whitely said.
The Springboks have twice got out of jail in Argentina in their pre- vious trips, so a new outlook from a novice traveller could be the fresh air that they need.
“I can only talk from what I have seen from watching the Springboks on TV and that is the only experience I have of watching international rugby, but I know that Argentina is quality and they are physical,” Whiteley said. “We’ve seen how close it can get here in the past. It is not going to be easy.”
His Super Rugby form virtually demanded selection but the No 8 position was tightly contested, with characters such as the often-injured Duane Vermeulen able to get through a Super Rugby season unscathed. His Sharks counterpart, Ryan Kankowski, introduced a physical edge that was often missing from his game.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said his selection was warranted by the need to cover the No 8 position with a specialist. “I have always been worried about the eighth man position should Duane get injured, so we needed a typical No 8. He is a classical No 8 and Duane can also play at blind side. In Warren we have a No 8 who could move well if the game opens up and he is a brilliant ball player,” Meyer said.
The Springbok women’s side was not good enough at the IRB World Cup, coach Lawrence Sephaka said yesterday. They failed to improve on their 10th place finish at the tournament four years ago.
On Sunday, the side were beaten 36-0 by Spain in the playoff for ninth and 10th place. The result was the Springbok women’s fourth defeat at the tournament, with their only positive result coming from a narrow 2524 win over Samoa in the match to avoid contesting the wooden spoon.
“We are very disappointed that we could not improve on our 10th place finish in the tournament, especially since we showed a lot of promise going into the competition,” he said. With Chumani Bambani