Call to arms for retired Springbok hooker Strauss
Comeback for retired star is another option for coach Erasmus
● The well-worn art of stacking eggs in one positional basket has hurt rugby coaches time and again.
Former Springbok coach Allister Coetzee was fortunate not to have No 1 hooker Malcolm Marx injured at any time last season.
In this case Coetzee, who was already under the cosh, would have been up the creek without a paddle.
Coetzee literally played Marx into the ground and hardly gave other hookers a look-in.
Johan “Rassie” Erasmus doesn’t have that Picture: Reuters kind of problem, especially with the form Adriaan Strauss has exhibited for the Bulls. Strauss has been capped 66 times for the Springboks.
There’s only one problem: he retired two seasons ago yet he’s playing the best rugby of his life. It is the kind of form that demands the rescinding of a retirement and at 32, Strauss is of prime hooking age.
His former captain and coach at the Cheetahs, Naka Drotske, said Strauss’s adherence to basics and the loose nature of the rugby he displayed in his younger years means he’s adapted quickly to the demands of the 2018 pace of the game.
“I’ve coached Adriaan for a long time and I’ve always thought he’s been one of the fitter, if not fittest, players I’ve ever worked with. I doubt the increase of the pace of the international game will have an impact on him so I think he’ll be well primed should he get the opportunity,” Drotske said.
“There’s been a lot of pressure taken off him since he’s not captain anymore. He’s playing with no pressure and that’s a good thing for his game. He needed the rest after the stressful 2016 season where he also captained the Springboks. I think it’s a case of him enjoying his rugby this year.”
The sight of Strauss hovering in the wide channels and creating mismatches with backs wasn’t something that was going to be expected of him. However, in the developing rugby revolution that’s taking place at Loftus Versfeld under John Mitchell, former Springbok
I think he’ll be well primed should he get the opportunity Naka Drotske Former captain and coach of Strauss
and Western Province hooker Hanyani Shimange said Strauss is playing the type of rugby that made him an irresistible prospect at Grey College. Bismarck du Plessis, who could come into the selection frame now that Erasmus can pick any overseas-based Boks, kept him out of the first team in 2002 before Strauss played a key role in an unbeaten side the following year.
Shimange also said Strauss has to be given first preference because he’s been playing Super Rugby.
“I’ve watched Strauss since his school days and he’s always been a mobile hooker but in the way the Bulls have played previously, he was required to come around the corner more and had to carry off the No 9 more. Now that he’s used in the wider channels, there’s more space for him to work with,” Shimange said.
“I’m not sure if he’s willing to come out of retirement but if he’s available, he should be selected. There’s nothing wrong with the way he’s been playing. The likes of Bongi Mbonambi were also playing well until the appendix problem. He’s been training well though but between Bongi, Strauss and Marx, we’ve got three very good hookers.”
Local depth will forever remain a concern but in Durban, Mahlatse “Chiliboy” Ralepelle, Armandt “Akker” van der Merwe and Franco Marais have stated serious claims while being rotated by Sharks coach Robert du Preez. Ramone Samuels has relegated the returning Siyabonga “Scarra” Ntubeni to the bench in Cape Town but the Mont pellier based Du Plessis can’t be discounted. Shimange said local players have made the most of their playing opportunities.
It’s all about opportunity and a player knows when he’s been backed and given an opportunity. That’s what’s happening with Chilliboy. He’s been around, he’s always been a great player but he’s being given a run and he’s taken it. Chiliboy, Bismarck and Strauss are in relatively the same age group and they’ve been competing. Rassie is in a good position,” Shimange said.