Pienaar to take aim at the poles for Springboks
JUST a few months ago Ruan Pienaar was being hailed in Ireland – where he now plays his provincial rugby – with an All Blacks Test the furthest thing from his mind. In fact, he probably thought his Springbok career was over. How wrong he was.
And on Saturday at Soccer City, Pienaar will be the man on whose shoulders a Test win against world champions New Zealand will rest. How things have changed.
When Pienaar joined the Bok squad for the series against England he was the second-choice scrumhalf behind Francois Hougaard, and that was it.
Now, eight Test matches later, Pienaar is the firstchoice scrumhalf, preferred to Hougaard in the No 9 jersey, and his team’s first-choice goal-kicker.
And it’s going to be up to him, to a large degree, whether the Boks are triumphant over Richie McCaw’s All Blacks or not.
Wi t h Johan Goosen nursing a bruised heel – the reason he stopped goal-kicking after two failed attempts against the Wallabies at Loftus last Saturday – Pienaar will handle the goal-kicking from the start.
Bok kicking coach Louis Koen confirmed that Pienaar would take on the kicking duties at Soccer City.
“Johan went into the Loftus Test having not kicked for two weeks. He tried with those two kicks, but then battled when landing on his heel. I’m preparing Ruan to kick this weekend, and I’m putting in more time with him,” said Koen yesterday.
Despite Pienaar being a bit wayward with the boot, his general play has received praise from all quarters, including Heyneke Meyer.
“He gave the backs quick ball last weekend and his service was excellent,” said the Bok boss. “He also took a lot of pressure off Johan [Goosen], and that’s why it’s nice having an experienced guy like him at scrumhalf.”
Koen said he was struggling to pin-point why the Boks were struggling with their goal-kicking this season, but said it was certainly not a case of the yips – the golfing term for freezing under pressure when having to putt.
“It’s rather the pressure the guys are under and the expectation for them to kick everything over,” Koen said yesterday. “The thing is, the guys are kicking brilliantly in practice. Morne Steyn, for example, has kicked at goal 620 times in practice since the start of the England series, and he’s succeeded with 88 percent of those kicks. Ruan Pienaar’s had about 200 kicks and his average is 75 percent.”
Koen said he hadn’t changed a thing in the kickers’ techniques.
“I haven’t changed anyone’s technique. These guys are experts in what they do so there’s no reason for me to change anything.
“I think it’s also important to note that, bar the 2010 international season when Morne Steyn was successful with 90 percent of his kicks at goal, he’s never been better than 80 percent in any competition.
“Expectations for him to kick everything over have been very high, and he’s obviously been under enormous pressure,” said Koen. “It’s been tough for him. I think a poor kicking display can affect you, especially if it’s your main strength.
“It is something that will be on your mind. And now in Johan’s case, he’s very frustrated that he can’t kick or train. Hopefully he’ll be okay this weekend, without the kicking element in his game.”
Meanwhile, prop Coenie Oosthuizen has been cleared to play after consulting a neurosurgeon in Durban yesterday.
“We wanted to ensure that we don’t put Coenie at undue risk by playing him,” said Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts.
“The neurosurgeon is happy with his progress and the scans, and has declared him fit to play.”
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer was happy with the news.
“Our players are our greatest assets and I’m happy to have Coenie available again this weekend,” said Meyer. “We will always consider the players’ welfare first, which is why we decided to get several opinions on Coenie’s neck.”
The Bok team to face New Zealand will be named this afternoon.