Springbok captain John Smit has been given the all clear to return to the playing field and has already been training for a month.
rugby365
The 102-Tests veteran front row forward, who has captained South Africa a record 76 times, is expected to be a central figure in the Boks’ defence of the World Cup in New Zealand next year.
Smith, who underwent a successful operation to repair a chronic cervical disc in Durban on September 22, missed the Sharks’s victorious Currie Cup campaign and the Boks’ year-end tour to Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The 32-year-old Bok skipper confirmed that he was given the all clear this week to start playing again.
“I have passed the three-month mark, which is the time they expected it should take before I could play rugby, and that was on Wednesday,” he said, adding: “I went to go see the specialist that did the surgery and doctor Stefan Joubert said it is ‘thumbs up’.”
Smit added that he has been training “flat-out” for just over a month now.
“It is flat-out now, the pre-season is pretty hard as everyone knows – November, December and January are the hard months.”
He added that it is good to finally have a pre-season where he feels good.
Smit admitted it will take careful management of all the Bok resources by all the franchises when the expanded Super 15 kicks off next year.
The revamped 15-team format – which starts on February 18 and finishes on July 9, an increase from 16 to 24 weeks – will see the number of games increase from 94 to 125.
“Every year, everyone says the same: ‘There’s a lot of rugby this year, how are you going to manage it?’,” Smit said.
“It is going to be up to coaches to have contracted well and select well.
“One thing is for sure, no single player is going to be able to play 80 minutes every single game every single weekend in the Super 15 and hen played 80 minutes, seven games in a row, in the World Cup as well.
“There will certainly be a time and a place for rotation and I think what will help is that it will create a bit of competitiveness among the positions as well.”
Smit, the most-capped captain in the history of Test rugby, memorably led his side to the sport’s biggest prize at the 2007 World Cup in France.
He played in his 100th Test against the All Blacks in Soweto earlier this year and his record of 102 Tests – which he shares with Percy Montgomery – was overtaken by stand-on captain Victor Matfield during the 29-25 win over Wales in Cardiff last month.
Matfield, who inherited the Springbok captaincy from the injured Smit, now holds the Bok record at 104 Tests.
It’s fabulous to read that John Smit is ready and raring to go… but as what, where will he slot in?
Hooker – Bismarck is way better than him now from an on the field playing perspective and should definately be 1st choice hooker for RWC 2011.
Loosehead Prop – Beast won’t leave the Sharks, mark my words, and between him and Gurthro Steenkamp the loosehead position is quite sown up for RWC 2011.
Tighthead Prop – Jannie du Plessis needs to continue his good form in the run-in towards RWC 2011.
So logically I see John Smit being mostly a bench-player for the Sharks in Super Rugby 2011… yet still making the Bokke squad for the trip to the World Cup.
@ grootblousmile:
1 – Gbs, You that confident that Beast wont leave the Sharks? Well that has just made my day..hehe. Would hate for Sharks to lose Beast.
John still has plenty of a big role to play in the Boks and the Sharks. Remember in the S15 it is a very long season, we could have almost 2 top class players for every position. Some will rest some games and of course plenty gonna be rotated.
So really keeping my fingers crossed that Beast stays with Sharks. He is a legend down here in Durbs.
2@ Puma:
I look at the Beast issue this way…. he’s been happy at the Sharks, no quarrells with other players and coaches, he’s 1st choice Loosehead there… and became Springbok from there, he’s just signed on there again for 3 more years, and on top of all it’s not too many moons off to the World Cup…
These are the facts, why would he jeopardise that… and how much money would make him jeopardise that?
It’s mere speculation that his contract is not watertight at the Sharks, nobody has added properly to this issue… and even if it is’nt, he must be fully aware of the Lionel Mapoe saga, where if he disputes the validity of his contract, could well be in a position that he sits and rotts on the sidelines, unable to play for either Franchise… exactly like what happened with Mapoe.
Considering this… can you see him move?
@ grootblousmile:3 – Gbs, Looking at it that way, no don’t see him moving. But this is SA and nothing goes according to plan. Have to wait and see.
Hope he stays with the Sharks.
4@ Puma:
I wonder who is Beast’s player agent…
If it is Jan-Harm van Wyk (Mapoe’s Agent) or that scaly Erasmus Attorney dude or Bryan Habana’s dad, Bernie… then anything can and will happen…
But damn man, surely Beast will let himself be led by sound logic.
I heard farktup roumors that he was supposedly financially in the kak… but damn man, that might just be scandalous roumormongering at work… and surely he could work a deal with the Sharks as well to tide him over in a situation like that…
@ grootblousmile:5 – Gbs, Not sure who his agent is. Also not sure if he is in debt either. Have no clue.
Good to have Barney back. He will have had his rest, and Bismarck will be getting to his max no of minutes towards the WC. And on form Smit and an on form Bissie are pretty even. Bissie possibly edges in the turnover stakes, but in everything else, pretty even.
Get somebody to do a credit check on Beast.
hell, but that picture is ugly….the bulldog on the other hand is quite cute.
Barney at full strength….I’m happy to put a bet down that he will start either at hooker his preferred position or at tighthead.
8@ 4man:
Sammajoor… go check my Hunting trip pics on Facebook…
@ grootblousmile:
Did u manage to hit anything…I will look.
@ grootblousmile:
lekker pics Brother….6mm flat and fast.
@ grootblousmile:
…you rode a horse too? 😆
11@ 4man:
See you in Graaf Reinet next year… hehehe
12@ Blue Bird:
Look at the pics and tell me I don’t look ever so natural on the back of a horse!
Blerrie nice t-shrt wat die ou aan het sy aandele het sommer weer gestyg in my oe
Captain Fantastic looks fantastic, Bissie might be better in the loose, but Captain Fantastic scrums better than him PLUS he is an outstanding captain.
VIVA CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (John Smit)
@ grootblousmile:
‘A natural on the back of a horse’!! Heheheh
Did you get out of a walk?
Oh yes, I have never seen anybody ride with a bottle of beer in one hand!! 😉
Is that considered cool in S.A ? lol
BREAKING NEWS ””
ENGLAND RUGBY PLAYER MIKE TINDALL IS TO MARRY THE QUEENS GRANDAUGHTER!!
Congratulations, take note he is not even a ‘pretty back’!!! 🙂
17@ Blue Bird:
Hey, that is not just any beer… it’s a Savannah!
What can I say… I was thirsty…. hehehe
We went on a long outride and on the way back herded a lot of their breeding stock and foals to the stockpens.
Also Rode through one little farm dam a few times…
Then on the second ride, we all went all the way down to the quarry dam, stripped off most of the clothing and swam with the horses…
If that ain’t cool, then nothing is!!
18@ Blue Bird:
What’s so breaking about that… has she got something most women don’t have… or does the smile sit horisontal or something… I must be missing something?
Just finished making a HEAPPPPPPPP of Blesbok biltong, probably about 35kg… they now have to soak in the biltong spice mix for 18 hours, before the first lot is hung out to dry, the second lot after 12 more hours.. and the thickest bunch after a further 12 hours.
Also had about 14kg of Droeë Wors made, which I’ve also just hung to dry….
Additionally I’ve kept about 4kg of Blesbok boerewors (Suasages), for braaiing purposes.
All the bones and left over bits all packaged neatly in portioned plastic bags and into the chest freezer, quite a number of Kg’s… the maid or errrr.. rather, domestic house executive assistant, is going to jump out of her skin when she learns it’s all for her, tomorrow… hell that is probably more meat than she and her family sees in a year.
… speaking about horses… I looked and looked for the indicators and hooter on the damn thing… could’nt find them anywhere, so I’m assuming it’s an all-off-road type of vehicle… hehehe
@ grootblousmile:
A horse is a supreme ‘off roader’ who needs to indicate, just go with the wind……..and brakes are for wimps!! Yee Haa
But looks like you and Bonsai had fun. Did you make the biltong out of the ‘antelope’ type thingies you shot?
I hear Jinx had a good send off and the bloggers were out in force to bid him farewell…..
His brother in his address mentioned the two blogs and the friends he had made on them.
Byee Jinxie….It was fun. xxx
@gbs daai billies gat groen word as jy dit nou ophang dis dan somer
22@ Blue Bird:
Yes, those antelope thingies are called Blesbokke…. and yes we had fun!
24@ smallies72:
Nooooooooooit man, jy moet net billies reg maak, reg pekel, reg hang en so ou fantjie op hulle gooi terwyl hulle droog worre… hoe de moer dink jy die slaghuise kry billies reg innie somer…. dis maklik man!
23@ Blue Bird:
Old Jinx was in my thoughts all of yesterday… UFO mailed me very late yesterday afternoon with news on how the funeral went and said he’s spoken to Jinx’s mother, 2 brothers and sister about Rugby-Talk, conveying our condolences…. Russell, Jinx’s brother, and I had also been in good E-mail contact and he read the Ode to Jinx Article here on Rugby-Talk thoroughly….
OK, bigbluegamehunter out… see ya in the morning!
Nee wat Barney, jou tyd is verby broer. Retire, en assist jou pappa, Divvy, eerder as ‘n bestuurder. Ek is seker Hoskins kan dit organise vir jou.
Ons het jou leierskap en uitstaande ander kwaliteite buite die speelveld nodig, maar kan ongelukkig nie jou onbeholpenheid oppie veld bekostig nie. Daar’s net te veel ander beter spelers. 2 Smitties = 1/2 Bismark…
@ grootblousmile:
slaghuis billies is kak beste is ma winters billies wat vir drie weke onde die stoep gehang het
@ smallies72:
29
hier is mos wild wereld , maar ir my is die lekkerste biltong die sout en pepper biltong , bykans geen ander kruie nie. Ek haat naeltjies.
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