Many rugby players will go down in history as legends, very few will be classed as a genius.
If the IRB website is to be believed, we have well over 1-million players playing the beautiful game of rugby at any one time around the world. A select few of these receive the honour to represent their country at the highest level, even fewer are seen as ‘world class’ with only a handful being recognised as legends of the game.
So when it comes to the level beyond legendary, being rugby genius, you are blessed if you come across one person in your lifetime.
In the last 6 years South Africa has been fortunate to produce a few individuals who has arguably been the best ever to wear the Green and Gold.
In such a golden era, many of these players will go down as legends, but only one of them will go down as a rugby genius, and the best player in history to wear that number on his back.
A recent paper produced by a Doctor at the University of Auckland suggested that if New Zealand were to lose the services of Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, they will fail to lift the World Cup.
Although many New Zealand rugby supporters will disagree with that, I tend to agree.
In South Africa, there are arguments for quite a number of players who are also seen as absolutely crucial if the Springboks are to make history and become the first team to retain the World title. Some argue the value of John Smit as captain is non-negotiable, or that the genius of Victor Matfield at the set pieces crucial to the cause.
Both of them, with a couple of other individuals, are already legends of South African rugby, but also, both of them and most other players can be replaced.
Only one player in the current Springbok team is as crucial as Carter and McCaw is to New Zealand’s cause, and that is Fourie du Preez.
When one thinks back at some of the best scrumhalf’s the world has ever produced, there are one or two specific aspects of their game that stands out or which made them unique and the best in the business in their prime. When you look at Fourie du Preez, you see a player that has been blessed with the specific skills and talents of all those players, being as good as they were in all those aspects of play, morphed into one single human being.
But skill is not the only thing that makes Fourie du Preez the rugby genius that he is. There are many players we can all name off-hand that were, and still are, stupidly talented, but all of them lack the precision in application that Fourie du Preez brings.
And what further elevates Du Preez to the status of rugby genius, is the level he does this in – consistently.
The bigger the stage, the bigger the influence Fourie du Preez has on the game. Many players are believed to be the difference in a team winning or losing games, very few actually are.
The success of the Bulls in Super rugby and in the domestic scene is all largely due to this man, and as 2010 proved, the success, or lack of it in Springbok rugby also.
If South Africa are to make history in 2011 and retain the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, we need not worry about John Smit, or Victor Matfield so much, we need to hope, and ensure, that Fourie du Preez gets on that plane fit and ready.
Many of you will remind me that rugby is a team sport, and of course it is, but as with every aspect in life and throughout the history of humankind, the few geniuses within every environment or aspect of life, allowed their peers to reach previously unimaginable heights.
dont agree with you morné
1. he’s a blue bull
2. have the blue bulls EVER delivered champoins … let alone genuises? 😀
Baie goeie artikel en jy slaan die spyker op sy kop. Hulle moet maar vir Fourie in watte toedraai want sonder hom gaan dit maar neuk in die WB.
Seeing as the boks only have one gameplan du Preez is invaluable as he is the only current scrumhalf with the skills to implement it accurately.
If the gameplan was one that was more flowing and running orientated then there are a couple of 9s who could perform equal to him.
Yes, he is an exceptional player and indeed one SA cannot afford to lose before or during the RWC
Wat SA betref, was daar nog net drie manne wat die game kon oorheers het op sy eie:
1. Naas Botha
2. Fourie du Preez
3. Jonathan Kaplan (met sy fluitjie)
I remember that Dr Danie Craven said many many years back that in his lifetime he saw 5 geniuses, i can not remember them , maybe someone else can search for the names. It must have been reported in the Beeld and maybe by Quintes van Rooyen(Blouwen)because Naas Botha was one of them, think the names of Frik du Preez and Morne du Plessis was also in that article.
@ superBul:
Michael du Plessis I believe too…
@ Morné:
seker dan ook Gainsford of Mannetjies Roux
#1
not one fish 😥
not even a tiny little one!! 😥
#6, 7
danie g?
@ Ashley: 8 and 1
Hey ash jou stoute kaboute you must be bored how else can you write such twak 🙂 We all know Fourie and Blue Bulls are the best!
bullscot @ 10
😯 but that was my honest unbiased province opinion!! 😉
as its almost time for the cric wc to start, heres
Ten of the best (or worst) sledging exchanges according to news24
– Rod Marsh and Ian Botham:
When Botham took guard in an Ashes match, Marsh welcomed him with: “So how’s your wife and my kids?” to which Botham shot back: “The wife’s fine, but the kids are retarded.”
…
– South Africa batsman Daryll Cullinan and Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne:
As Cullinan was on his way to the wicket, Warne told him he had been waiting two years for another chance to humiliate him. “Looks like you spent it eating,” Cullinan retorted.
…
– Robin Smith of England and Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes:
Hughes said to Smith after he played and missed: “You can’t ******* bat”. Smith to Hughes after he smacked him to the boundary: “Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can’t ******* bat and you can’t ******* bowl.”
….
– Hughes and Pakistan’s Javed Miandad:
Javed called Hughes a fat bus conductor. A few balls later Hughes dismissed the Pakistan star: “Tickets please”, said Hughes as he ran past the departing batsman.
….
– England’s James Ormond had just come out to bat and was greeted by Australia’s Mark Waugh:
Waugh from the slips: “What are you doing out here? There’s no way you’re good enough to play for England.” Ormond: “Maybe not, but at least I’m the best player in my family.”
….
– Warne and Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga:
Wicketkeeper Ian Healy believed he knew a way of tempting the portly Ranatunga out of his crease – “Put a Mars Bar on a good length. That should do it.”
…..
– England captain Douglas Jardine and Australian counterpart Bill Woodfull during the notorious Bodyline series:
After Jardine complained that one of the Australian players called him a b******. Woodfull turned to his team, pointed to Jardine and asked: “Which one of you b******* called this b****** a b******?”
…..
– Sunil Gavaskar of India and West Indies’ Viv Richards:
Gavaskar, normally an opener, had decided to bat at number four, but Malcolm Marshall dismissed Anshuman Gaekwad and Dilip Vengsarkar for ducks, setting the stage for Gavaskar to walk in at 0-2. Richards said: “Man, it don’t matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero.”
…..
– Richards and England fast bowler Greg Thomas:
Thomas: (Describing the ball) “It’s red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering.” Richards: (Having smacked said ball out of the ground) “You know what it looks like, now you go and find it.”
11@ Ashley:
haha don’t think you can use the word province and unbiased in the same sentence ou pel 😉
14@ Ashley:
Those were great gave me a good laugh thanks ash, the banter at the cricket can be really good at times. Oh well must just step out into the super Scottish sunshine for a bit, dog is impatiently waiting for walk.
Bullscot wrote:
my favorite one
bullscot @ 13
😉 exactly!!
super @ 15
i looooooooooved
“Which one of you b******* called this b****** a b******?”
..
Bullscot @ 14
my pleasure
15@ superBul:
Nah I think that was my least favourite one, admittedly it was in response to a nasty question by Marsh but for me there’s a fine line and going on about others’ family like that is crossing it.
One of the best for me was Cullians reply to Warne 🙂
bullscot @ 18
agree that marsh on that occasion crossed that line,
but
i also think the response from botham (where most other batsmen mightve lost their cool) was brilliant
..
dont thinkl marsh had anything to say after that one!!
I hear what you said about crossing the line of decency, i just liked the way the gentle Englishman gave the rude question a answer back at the Aussie
McGrath to Eddo Brandes : Brandes, why are you so fat?”
“‘Cos every time I f@ck your wife she gives me a biscuit”
Even the slip cordon doubled over.
20@ superBul:
and Ash 19: Yeah did well to keep calm after a chirp like that, think I may have taken my bat to Marsh and thats not hitting the ball he just bowled. Superbul wonder how Beefy Botham would react to be referred to as a ‘gentle Englishman’ he certainly was a ‘breker’ in his day not what one would call a decent role model 🙂
Oh well cheers for now lads must try get some shut eye, have to be a nag uil again tonight 🙁
@ superBul:
Get hold of his daughter Gerna van Rooyen, she runs a PR company out of Pretoria, she used to do work for me in my shopping centres….ask any PR people they will know here. I’m sure she has all her Dads old article (Quintus van Rooyen)….he used to actually pick the Bok team, the selectors would wait for his article before making their final choices.
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