Is success in rugby defined by an individual or by a collective team effort?
I know it is almost impossible to define so I won’t try and give you an answer to that question, but I am going to try and explore which is more important.
Throughout Peter de Villiers’ tenure when people tried to play down his achievements I insisted that better Bok teams lost against worse New Zealand and Australian teams in the past, and I stick by that.
During the week Zelim Nel from the Cape Argus wrote a column many De Villiers supporters did or will not enjoy, basically asking and telling us to put his record into perspective. Now the arguments he used in his column is not necessarily something I agree with, but I think most people missed the message in his column, and that is quite simply, if we lose John Smit we are screwed.
Great teams and great era’s are defined by many things, for me, any great team currently or from the past always had a great captain.
I was asked recently why I was so emotional whenever something negative is said about Peter de Villiers. And I think I need to put my support for old Snorre into perspective.
Nothing he has done in the past, or what he has done in his first few months of his appointment as Bok coach, convinced me that he is on the right track until the moment Peter went over to France and asked John Smit to come back to South Africa and lead the Springboks. From that moment, and until he is fired (which is the only way Bok coaches leave) he will have my support for that one single action.
We have debated many times in the past whether you select your captain first, and your team around him, or whether you select the best 22 and pick your captain from that group. It was a contentious debate back in 1995 when Francois Pienaar’s selection of captain basically guaranteed Tiaan Strauss’ exclusion from the Bok team, and it there was similar sentiments when Jake White stuck with John Smit as his captain and first choice hooker when he clearly was not the best hooker in the country.
All of this is of course a matter of opinion and preference, and I am sure you will know on which side of the fence I am sitting on! But it is an opinion which made me slept much easier when I recently read an article by one Gregor Paul of New Zealand when he chatted to Alan Whetton, a former New Zealand loose-forward flanker.
It was a discussion with the former All Black great on why New Zealand, dominating world rugby for the last 20 odd years, failed to win a World Cup since the inception of the tournament which was held on New Zealand soil in 1987.
In what was a summation by Whetton (which I am sure many South Africans will enjoy too given how he lashes out at the lack of discipline we instill in our children today) it basically came down to one thing he said that caught my attention; “We have lost a generation of leaders”.
That one quote sums up so many things for me personally it is almost unbelievable and impossible to highlight all of them in one single article – but the message is clear, strong and to the very point I, and I believe Zelim Nel try to make when we say that; “If we lose John Smit, we are screwed”.
Yes one man cannot win you a game of rugby, as much as one swallow does not make it summer, just as many conspiracy theories or opinions and ‘open secrets’ about De Villiers is, or might be true, but the one thing that defines this Bok team, hailed by some as the greatest ever is defined by only one thing, or one person, John Smit.
@Morn̩ РMaybe and it proves one thing that that attitude can work. You need a good captain and the full belief of the coach. Do you remember the heated debates over that decision by Jake? The paying rugby supporters queried Jake heavily about that decision.
Heyneke Meyer had won trophies with three different captains, Joost, Anton and Victor.
Some people believe in prophets, other believe in systems. Last year PdV had the systems wrong, this year he had it right.
By the way, I do not need the media to tell me what is going on on a rugby field.
@dWeePer –
Out of all three SANZAR teams the Boks played the most expansive rugby scoring the most tries…
You tell me how the systems differ?
Super,
I do remember, but I also believe in choosing your captain first and then your team. Even if it means a guy like Tiaan Strauss is left out…
Hell the site is slow on my side.
I will be back later.
On my side it is still fast , but i am a bit slow. :monkey:
@Morné – Just a quick comment am on the phone. Morne you are a rugby genius in my book and you do put things so eloquently.
I dont care if Smit is only slightly average in his position as a player he gets the job done, when he is on the field the rest of the team seem to play better as he seems to install confidence in them and when they are rattled he brings calm and the team can focas.
My humble and not sort after opinion has always been he is the glue that holds the goo together
🙂
@superBul – I know we achieved our break through win without John in NZ last year. Then if he never got injured we would still probably have won that game last year. It came down to a brilliant individual try by Ricky. That is what got us that win.
This year I think it was a whole team effort. Big difference Super.
@Treehugger – 36
We agree with that , we ask what after JS?
What if he is not there anymore, injury or retirement.
Well if you read my posts you will see i am not too worried.
And especially right now , we have a team so experienced it can almost go on auto pilot. :airplane:
But funny enough we implode when the boss is not there, although i dont subscribe to that view. We had JS as captain in 74 tests
53 in the hooker position where he won 37 and lost 15 drawn 1
11 at tight head won 9 lost 2
The captain that replaced him most Victor has a 60% win ratio in his 10 matches as captain.
@Morn̩ Р34
Morne once again a great article.
I for one agree. With John there our team does always pull out all the stops.
Remember that game against Fiji in the 1/4 final in France? I think without him doing his bit there we may have lost that game. He brings huge confidence to the Boks. May he still be able to Lead our Boks to victory in the next world cup. That would be awesome.
@Morn̩ Р34
On my side the this site is working fine.
@Puma – 39
Also the first Lions test when John was off the field. We just started going backwards. Thank goodness he came back on and we won that test.
@Puma –
Rugby genius is a bit heavy but thanks.
My brother asked me how I write my articles and where I get my material from.
Answer is simple, I hang around guys with great rugby knowledge and passion (like here), from there it is just practice to put it into a post!
No genius involved, chatting to a bunch of guys around a vitual braai sharing thoughts.
@Morn̩ Р42
Well I for one have always read your posts and Tightheads. Your rugby knowledge is superb. You write well too. I do enjoy your articles.
@Puma –
Thanks dude.
@Puma – If you take your 2 examples now, is it not worrying to see how a experienced Bok team can be so headless when the captain goes of the field.
The article is for me not to debate whether JS is good or our best but WHY can a team of 15 players be so dependent on one man to lead them. How can we implode if he is not there.
Thats where my first post was going too, how could we allow this. Where is the teams ability to rather get motivation out of a missed captain, in other words to put their bodies on the line for the cappie, to die for him.
So by the way i think JS is now the only Captain in the world who led his team 6 times of the field as winners against NZ.
He is 6/5 ratio win/lose
Against Aus he is 8/5
@superBul – 45
Yes you definitely have a point there Super. Not sure why they don’t always play well when John is not there. Well not always but mostly that his how it is when he is not there. Especially that most of them have been together for such a long time.
It just seems that way when he is not there. They did do very well against Oz in the last test last year and Victor was captain, but John was sitting right there on the bench and I believe gave them a talk before the game, just like he did again when he gave that great speach to them before the game against England last year. Think he is a great motivator.
@superBul – 46
Yes that says a lot. Then I also think that this is one of the best Boks sides ever. Hoping most can still be around for the next world cup.
@superBul – 46
See the final for the cricket is for tomorrow. Wonder why a Monday? There will probably be hardly anyone at the game. Should have been today.
Well i said it earlier but that is the problem with every captain filing in for John now, John is looking over his shoulder. Very hard to get all to work to your plan if they have the old captains voice ringing in their ears.
Must say Victor have won cups without anybody shouting out instructions from the sideline. The thing with VM is the footsteps he must follow will forever be a albatros around his neck. We are hard on new coaches and new captains.
@Puma – 49
yes agree, would have been nice to watch now.
Hi There
Just thought I would let you guys know that Wooden Spoon (Spooner from Keo) has been in touch from Bangkok, he is doing a 9 month round the world jaunt with his girlfriend, he is having a great time. Bangkok for a couple of days then North to Laaos….He hopes all is well in Rugby Blog world!
Till later, have a relaxing Sunday……
@superBul – 51
Yes was actually looking forward to watching the cricket today. Crazy to have a final on a Monday. The stadium going to be empty.
@carol – 52
Thanks Carol, Saw on Voldy that he was on for a bit the otherday.
Must be great just to take off like that and do around the world trip.
Ag, what its like to be young hey!!!! :-))
Super / Puma,
I think the answer is perhaps more obvious than we think.
For all the analysis done in rugby today, one of the most crucial aspects imo is overlooked…
The importance of a great captain above all else.
Very hard to find studies on captaincy out there.
@Morn̩ Р55
Do you really fear the day when JS retires or is injured for a prolonged time?
@Morn̩ Р55
Have to agree there. Always remember Jake saying a coach cant do well without a good captain.
Some are just born to be great captains. My favourite captain is John of course but before was M. Du Plessis. That was years back. Always thought he too was a very good captain.
@superBul –
I do.
I believe the role of the captain is hugely underestimated in my experience.
Good captains make good coaches, not the other way around.
It does not matter how good a team or a coach is, if they have no one to lead them when it matters most (on the field on match day) they will be average.
@superBul – 56
He is injured right now but think its not a serious injury.
Think our next captain will be D. Potgieter. Talking after the next wc. He was superb when he lead the E. Boks against the BIL this year.
@Morn̩ Р588
Agree 100%.
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