A stint on the farm can help an old tractor like Jannie to find more straw
NORMALLY, Jannie du Plessis would be one of the first names on any Springbok squad list for a World Cup. As long as he is fit to bend down and throw his tree trunks back to anchor the scrum, he would be the first-choice tighthead.
At his best, Du Plessis is one of the best scrumming No 3s in the world, a sort of cul de sac for looseheads
But over the last few years Du Plessis hasn’t quite been himself, mostly because Jake White played him into ground during his stint at the Sharks last year. The Doc looks tired, and as a result his work-rate around the park has reached unacceptable levels for a Super Rugby and international class prop.
In the Sharks’ match against the Waratahs on Saturday, Du Plessis was more of a spectator than a player.
In 59 minutes of rugby, Du Plessis completed only one tackle and missed two others. He had two carries and only made one metre. He conceded one penalty and made one handling error. the Bulls carried the ball six times for three metres and made four tackles this past weekend against the Blues.
Then you get to the new hotshot tighthead, the Stormers’ Vincent Koch, who has shown that a No 3 can scrum and at the same time do the dirty work around the park.
In his 19-minute cameo against the Brumbies two weekend’s ago, he made seven tackles to help the Stormers win the match. In his first start for the Stormers, in their first match of the campaign against the Bulls at Loftus, Koch played 57 minutes, completing 8 tackles and carrying the ball on three occasions for 17 metres. And on that day, he also scrummed the living daylights out of Springbok loosehead Trevor Nyakane.
Suddenly the Bok tighthead stocks look good again, with a plethora of youngters coming through. So it’s probably time that coaches stop experimenting with the likes of Coenie Oosthuizen, a fantastic ballcarrying loosehead prop, in the No 3 jersey.
The game is getting faster and athletes like Koch are starting to make their mark in modern rugby. And, at the moment, old tractors like Du Plessis need to find a way to gather more straw.
So, what do you do with Du Plessis?
If form is the yardstick, then Du Plessis shouldn’t even be close to a World Cup squad. But he has played over 60 Tests for the Boks and his experience could be invaluable as far as winning back the World Cup from the All Blacks is concerned.
As a fan, you have to ask yourself who would you rather see anchoring the scrum in the last minute of a World Cup final. I know the sight of Jannie taking his hand and wiping his combover to the other side will give me a lot more confidence.
Maybe the answer is a nice holiday for Du Plessis over the next month, especially because the Sharks aren’t even close to the playoffs. Maybe it’s time Doc Jannie goes to the family farm and recharge the batter- ies, sip on a few beers and just relax.
It’s definitely something “doctor” Heyneke Meyer should be ordering.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Shaun Pollock (@7polly7): Who is the Ref in this Sharks game, Rohan Doffman?
WHO TO FOLLOW
@pdrhoff: Referee Rohan Hoffmann’s Twitter handle. Enjoy! But keep it clean.
views: