Player management and the threat of burn-out ahead of the 2011 World Cup has been big news in South Africa recently, but the Bulls don’t believe there is a problem.
South African sports science professor Tim Noakes lit the fuse that caused the furore when he claimed last month that the Springboks won’t be at their best for the 2011 World Cup – with many of the top players having been “over-played” in 2009.
According to Noakes, who played a significant part in the Boks’ 2007 World Cup triumph after he advised former coach Jake White to implement a strict player-management programme, feels it may already be too late for current Bok coach Peter de Villiers to follow a similar route.
Apart from suggesting that the core of the national team – which helped the Bulls win the Super 14 in 2009, beat the B&I Lions and won the Tri-Nations – were over-exposed to top-flight rugby last year, Noakes even predicted a series of crippling injuries will follow this year and quite possibly in the World Cup year.
However, Bulls coach Frans Ludeke moved swiftly to allay fears that his team – which provide 15 members of the year-end tour squad – will become victims over ‘over exposure’.
“We have a very good relationship with the players,” Ludeke told iafrica.com in an interview, as the defending Super 14 champions resumed their pre-season preparations in Pretoria this week.
Ludeke said they have a very solid and proven strategy of player management at the Bulls, with their Boks leading the way at training.
“When we chat to them, there is honesty and clarity about when we feel a player is struggling,” Ludeke said.
“I feel we managed them well last year, especially in the Currie Cup and Super 14, when we really needed them.
“There is certainly no problem,” he told iafrica.com, when asked about the criticism levelled against the amount of rugby played by the leading players – which include frontline Boks such as Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Fourie du Preez, Zane Kirchner, Wynand Olivier and Morné Steyn.
We are ‘hands-on’ in this regard [player management] and that is very important – to ensure we make small adjustments, be that in terms of game time or adjust training sessions.
“We know those are the players that are in high demand with SARU [for internationals] and ourselves, in terms of Super 14 and Currie Cup.
“We have a sound strategy on the table with those players, to ensure we manage them in a very responsible manner.”
Ludeke said every person is entitled to his own opinion on the matter of player management, but at the Bulls they have had very good discussions with each player.
“We can just work with what is in front of us – the feedback we get and how players react.
“I can tell you, our Boks are running in the front [at training] and they set a very high standard.
“I don’t want to mention names, but they are all there at the forefront – there’s a great urgency and you can see the hunger.
“Normally you can see the mental fatigue and in December you could see they had been through a long season with plenty of rugby.
“That is why we managed the players the way we did [at the pre-season camp in George] and I feel we did very well.
“It was just the fact that we had them available to assist with some of the off-field planning, that was very important to us.
“They were not really required to do much in terms of physical conditioning.
“I can see that the two-week [festive season] break, along with a week [in George] and the two weeks they had [after the year-end tour] gave most of them a five-week break. I can see a big difference in the players, the attitude is great and they look fresh.”
Ludeke has been supported in this view by Bulls captain and Bok vice-captain Victor Matfield, who also suggested that with proper management there is no need to panic and that the Boks will be at their best.
So our future content could be Latvian Lap Dancing (or whatever they do there) American football and some English stuff!! Judging by tonights visitors.
Actually the nationality of these bloggers would be most interesting as I think Voldy caters for both the local Saffa Rugby fan and the Saffa rugby fans who find themselves overseas.
Of course oddities like Irish, Jim and myself who just stumbled across Voldy will turn up too!
61@ Carol – Content will stay rugby… we will continue to focus on SA Rugby…. but maybe, depending on demographics, we might have to include some foreign content too.
Carol is it easy to get to my photos? Two more of young impalas posted. Do you go straight to the photos if you click my nick? or do you have to log in first to see it
GBS – What you mean some Heineken cup or Guinness premiership rugby, saints preserve us!!
Whatever next!! 😉
superBul – It appears I have to open a google account and also get a password before I can see your pics!! 🙁
Damn, People…. it’s raining cats and dogs here…. it’s so load I can’t hear myself think!
64@ Carol – We’ll have to see what the bloggers want.
Also considering a Podcasting Leg to this site…. where live games will be streamed… but that is in the distant future.
Hellooooo Toronto, Canada….
Donner, looks like I’ll be swimming to the house…. what shall I do… backstroke or breaststroke??
Hellooooooo Fandango from Canada…
Helloooo GBS – seker in Pretoria. Hier is selfs Bul ondersteuners in Kanada maar hulle is yl gesaai.
71@ Fandango – Nee boeta, ek is ‘n Pretorianer gebore en getoeë maar bly nou in die wille Oos-Rand, Brakpan, om presies te wees… al van begin 2001
GBS – See you tomorrow, gotta go! xx
71@ Fandango – Lyk of jy direk in Toronto sit…. hoe naby of vêr is ek uit?
73@ Carol – Cheers, Sweetie!
Ek was al een of twee keer in Brakpan, maar het nie gekwalifiseer vir verblyfsreg nie. My kar se mags was nie flashy enough nie…..
Indien julle live-streaming op RT kan implementeer sal dit ‘n bonus vir ons oorsee wees. Sal dit enige koste bedra en sal ons dit ook hier kan sien? Gewoonlik is daar mos lisensie issues in sekere lande.
Ek sit in die middestad van Toronto en vanuit my kantoor kyk ek uit op die CN Tower. Jy is 100% akkuraat.
76@ Fandango – Dis juis die lisensie-issues wat ek wil uitsort, sal seker eers plaaslike SA games Stream vir julle oorseese voorvelletjies wat so lekker hiernatoe terugverlang…. maar wees rustig broer, dis gaan nog lank wees.
Hierdie website is nie my brood en botter nie en ek het ander besighede wat ek moet onderhou, first and foremost…. maar ek dink aan julle arme drommels man…. ek het ‘n hart… hehehe
77@ Fandango – Scary om te weet ek kan soooooooo vêr sien hier deur die Internet drade…. hehehe
Dankie dat jy aan ons dink. Ek kyk op Rugby Zone maar kon bv nie die vorige toer na die Britse Eilande sien nie agv uitsaairegte met Sky ek dink. Daar is ander “onwettige” sites wat die wedstryde in Spaans of so iets onverstaanbaar uitsaai. Die voordeel van Rugby Zone is dat jy die wedstryde na die tyd kan ook kan kyk. Mens krap nogal jou vrou en jou hele naweek om as jy al slim van die Canadian Molson is teen 10 uur op ‘n Saterdag oggend.
Fandango, dit lyk of jy naby die University of Toronto sit… naby Christie Pits Park…. Bloor Street West…
GBS – in daardie omgewing. Op die hoek van King Street West en Bay Street langs die Kanadese aandelebeurs.
82@ Fandango – Ons probeer op die oomblik gedurende games die oorseese ouens uithelp deur Live-feed links te verskaf wanneer games aan is… so kom blog toe wanneer games aan is… ons sal help waar ons kan… dis mos die vriendelike rugby-blog die.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) on Thursday announced another addition to the franchise from the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand ahead of the Super 14, in former All Blacks conditioning coach Wayne Taylor.
Taylor joined the Lions on Tuesday and the Union said in a statement they where “thrilled” to have him joining their ranks. He will work alongside the Lions’ director of coaching, Dick Muir, who filled the position towards the end of 2009.
Taylor is vastly experienced in fitness periodisation and planning, gym technique, nutrition, recovery, self massage and injury prevention, strength and conditioning, stretch and strength, team building and values and standards.
He replaces ex-conditioning coach Gerhard Jordaan, who has moved to the Boland Rugby Union, and he has experience in fitness training since 1995.
“Coaches are incredibly difficult to come by, and we at the Golden Lions Rugby Union are ecstatic that we are able to enter the 2010 Vodacom Super 14 with Dick leading the reigns and Wayne at his side,” said GLRU chief executive Manie Reyneke.
“This is going to be an exciting year for the Union, and with so many changes that have taken place over the last year, we are confident that there will be a massive change in the team come the Super 14.”
Cheers vir nou. Ek sit eintlik nou by my “brood en botter”….
Kyk daar in die middel al sy kennis. Hy is tot n draadtrekker. 😆
85@ Fandango – Cheers, gooi mielies.
86@ SuperBul – Die Lions supporters spring nou op en af en vloek ons moere suur…. hulle dink nou al teen die tyd hulle kan die Super 14 wen
Jis ja jong daar is omtrent n geremoer daar in die Coke Blik. Seker n klomp bye in daai Coke blikkie.
Maar hulle praat baie sal moet sien wat klouter daar uit.
Ek groet nou maar my se oge val al toe
Nag ou grote
Users Online
Total 296 users including 0 member, 296 guests, 0 bot online
Most users ever online were 3735, on 31 August 2022 @ 6:23 pm
No Counter as from 31 October 2009: 41,823,711 Page Impressions
_