Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Five points Rassie’s new Boks will need to focus on
Target 2019: Van Niekerk won’t rush back to competition
NEW Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, in his first Test in charge, will want to see his team tick several boxes when they come up against Wales in Washington today. Here rugby writer
discusses five key areas that will be closely watched by the Bok team’s coaching staff
The set-pieces
It’s a cliché, but the reality is everything does all start up front. Even the Lions, who play free- flowing, attack- minded, running rugby, have a solid set-piece. In fact they’ve scored more tries through their driving maul than from any other play in Super Rugby this season. And Erasmus is no different to every coach in the world – he’ll want his scrums and lineouts to function properly. It matters little that the men in action might not play in the first Test against England; it’s currently one big squad of players who’ll have followed the same training drills; and the Boks need to fire from the off. Today’s match is a big opportunity for especially tighthead prop Wilco Louw, loosehead Ox Nche and new lock Jason Jenkins.
Defence
Erasmus’ right-hand man, Jacques Nienaber, is widely lauded for his defensive coaching skills so every tackle, push and press will be closely watched. Positioning, alignment and unity in defence is crucial in applying pressure on the opposition and it will be hoped the Boks in 2018 are as stingy in letting players past them as the Stormers were some years ago when Erasmus and Nienaber were involved in the coaching set-up there. A strong defence is something the new coach spoke openly about this week – “We’re scoring tries but leaking too many ourselves,” he said. They say tackling and defending is an attitude thing – that it reveals one’s character – well, we’ll see what this new-look Bok squad is made of today.
The back-three
There is no disputing there’s an excitement factor in the back- three that will run out today; Curwin Bosch, Makazole Mapimpi and Travis Ismaiel have plenty of running in them, and skill to bam- boozle any defence. But, it’s one thing showing off your attacking abilities and quite another when you’re working off the ball. Too often in recent times Bok teams have been found wanting out wide
Page 27 My take on first Test under new coach Rassie Erasmus
There’s always plenty of excitement ahead of the first Test of the year, but with a new coach in charge and several young in-form players in the mix today, the bar has been raised just a little. I think it would be unfair though to judge any player or coach on today’s showing; this is a match on neutral ground that is perhaps something of an irritant to both outfits, between two teams that have an experimental, second-string look to them. But the Boks will still want to win – and how
and at the back, with players being caught out of position and unable to field high balls. These three men today, and those who’ll run out against England over the next month, have simply got to put their bodies on the line and show they’re ready to be the steady rocks at the back.
The No 9
Erasmus has made it clear he is excited about young Bulls scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl, a player with a good pass and an equally strong kick, and this is his time to shine. The Boks are desperate to find a scrumhalf or two who can nail down their spot in the team and produce quality performances from one match to the next. Van Zyl and his back-up today, Embrose Papier, must stand tall and take charge, and show their coach they are, indeed, worth investing in. Faf de Klerk will start against England, but who’ll sit on the bench as his deputy will be determined by who does what against the Welsh. What an opportunity for the two men.
Attack
It’s somewhat surprising the Boks don’t have a full-time attack coach – perhaps that job is shared by Erasmus and crucial that may be. No new coach wants to start with a defeat, and certainly not a few days before the first, highly-anticipated, Test against Eddie Jones and his England team. We must hope the Boks today – with 13 uncapped players in the 23 – play vibrant, powerful, exciting rugby that showcases their skills and hunger for success. A win would not only build confidence in the coaching team and player group ahead of next week’s Ellis Park showdown, but also ensure every rugby follower gets behind Erasmus and his team from the beginning. – Jacques van der Westhuyzen
Nienaber – but in the Lions’ Swys de Bruin, who’s acting as a consultant, they have someone in their midst who’s conjured up plenty of magic at Super Rugby level. Now, can he do it at Test level? With Elton Jantjies at 10 – a player who knows De Bruin well and is the key decision-maker for the Lions – the Boks might just be on the right track. What they dish up and how they vary their attacking play – with run-arounds and kicks to the wings - will show what type of game the Boks will deliver in the coming months and years under the new coaching team. WAYDE VAN NIEKERK may be consumed by the itch to burn up the track again but he has wisely decided to ignore that burning desire, instead opting for patience.
When you are the fastest man ever around a single track patience is certainly a virtue but when you are constantly chasing your place in history it is worth the wait.
It has been seven months since the 400m world record- holder
had an operation to a busted right knee.
“I’ve got time to do it right, I don’t have to rush any process, I don’t have to try and put me through any different strain than what it’s already going through so I can basically be patient and allow my body to heal on its own,” Van Niekerk said at the premiere of his documentary in Johannesburg on Thursday.
“Once the body’s healed I can come back a stronger athlete.”
Van Niekerk had initially expressed his hope of settling into the blocks towards the end of this year but South Africans can only expect to see him back in action in 2019.
“We’re giving me another two to three months before I start running again so let’s see how the rehab goes,” Van Niekerk said.
“I go back again late August, early September to do another few tests and those tests will dictate whether I can start slowly but surely be running again, but I’m sure we’ll introduce a bit now in the next few weeks and just test the body and feel what types of strain I can take.”
Van Niekerk was bullish about the progress of his rehabilitation which he said started out slowly but has been gaining speed.
The South African superstar has been treated by some of the world’s best medical experts with world-renowned complex knee specialist doctor Robert LaPrade overseeing the
Page 27 operation.
He has made regular trips to Doha for rehabilitation under the guidance of Dr Louis Holtzhausen, who looked after Van Niekerk in Bloemfontein for years.
“I’ve been listening to my body step by step each and every day,” Van Niekerk said. “The first few months was a bit slow and now these last few months I’ve been going quite quickly so to me it’s really about listening to what my body can handle.”
While the light at the end of the tunnel is nearing and shining brighter, it does not mean the process did not take its toll on the star athlete.
“It was definitely one of the most challenging moments of my life being on the high that I was on but luckily I dwelled on it too much,” he said.
“From the operation, I’ve been going from strength to strength, looking at the improvements and the signs, the results that have been coming out, I feel very confident and positive in coming back a stronger athlete.”
As the itch intensifies so does Van Niekerk’s drive towards more record-breaking runs as he aims to become the first man to break through 43 seconds over the one-lap sprint.
“It’s very intense (the itch), watching the documentary, seeing where I left off I have massive expectations on myself and I want to carry on to that immediately after the injury and continue improving me as an athlete,” Van Niekerk said.
“I know what I’m capable of, I know the goal is definitely 42 so for me my mind isn’t even at 43 anymore, I’m a 42 athlete.”
With next year’s IAAF World Championships in Doha only scheduled for the end of September, there is no reason to rush Van Niekerk back onto the track.
Some may even argue that the real goal should be the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with 2019 serving as a year to get the Bloem sprinter in the best possible shape.