At 16.00 today (Sunday 15 April), Heyneke Meyer is set to release the names of his support team, but there may be a surprise in store……
It has been well documented that Heyneke Meyer wants to use the services of his ex-Bulls playmates, Johann van Graan, John McFarland, Ricardo Loubscher en Basil Carzis. For this privilege, he has asked the powers that be at SARU to advance this months pocket money to the tune of about R3,5 million so that can pop down to the local Bull-ders Warehouse to purchase them.
It is rumoured that the Bulls are willing to release the 4 musketeers, but they don’t come cheap. Apparently they would like, R1,5 million each for van Graan and McFarland, and R250 000 for Loubscher and Carziz. After a bit of haggling, it seems that the Bulls have got their way, and Meyer will be announcing his team today.
It is also widely known that Meyer has wanted to use the services of Matfield as a line out specialist for the upcoming test series. It now seems, according to JJ Harmse, writing in the Rapport, that Meyer is attempting to drag Matfield kicking and screaming, out of retirement for the 3 matches to not only play, but to captain the side too.
Added to this, he has said that the overseas players will be legible too, so that players like Du Preez, Rossouw, Steenkamp and Frans Steyn may join the fray.
I have no problem with that last part, if, the players deserve their place, but Matfield? Come on, please.
The man may be the greatest lock to have ever played the game, and he may be a genius in that position, and he may be a man mountain, but he retired after the world cup for heavens sake. He may well be fit – apparently he still runs with the Bulls during training sessions, but if he hasn’t played any competition rugby since the World Cup, and he won’t be playing any either, before the test series, how can he possibly be expected to play at his very best. What a daft idea. What of match fitness and match sharpness? They don’t come from the practice field – or rather from the side of the field, telling others what to do! Don’t kid me and tell me that anyone can just come in from the cold and play the way he was prior to his departure. He will be pushing nearly a year out of the game by the time the series comes round. Look how rusty the current players were coming into the season, and how long it took some of them to shake off some of that rustiness. By all means use him as a specialist – there probably isn’t anyone better, but please, not in the team. Trust me Mr Meyer, Matfield will be ridiculed by all and sundry if he plays again – the naysayers will be just waiting to pounce.
We have a wrath of locks that could, and should take his place, and these guys are the future. We have great leadership potential for a captain – Du Preez, Spies, de Villiers, Burger (if fit), Strauss, etc.
So, my final word, Mr Meyer, let the man be, don’t let him live with ghosts for the rest of his life. Use him wisely in the specialist role, and trust yourself that you can put together a team that can take on the world with out having to resort to the museum relics.
And to Mr Matfield, you were the greatest lock ever to play for South Africa in my humble opinion, please, please, don’t change that.
Matfield is the greatest lock to play rugby EVER, but he is not a great Captain. In any case it is time for new blood. If he wants to bring Matfield back, then he may as well bring Smittie back to captain the side and throw the ball in at the lineout.
No disrepect, but the Boks coaching staff are a little too blue.
Let’s just see what happens…. Harmse can run a mile with things, often enough.
From SARU presser – Rassie is appointed General manager: High Performance at Saru – Rassie will head up technical dept, more high performance on all national teams, not admin.
From SARU presser – Johan van Graan (fwds), Richardo Loubscher (backs), Basil Carzils (fitness), John McFarland (defence) on coaching team
From SARU presser – Neil du Plessis (fitness), Former french prop Peter de Villiers and Louis Koen (kicking) will be consultants
From SARU presser – Ian schwartz to be recruited as managerial position. Jurie: “Consultants easy to bring on. Ian Schwartz is a more permanent appointment with a bit more negotiation.”
From SARU presser – Bulls coaches will be involved until end of superrugby, released to boks when need them. agreement between saru & bulls
From SARU presser – Heyneke Meyer – Got exactly managment team i want. have worked with and against many of these guys. SARU very accommodating, Looked worldwide, if was 4 years back would have employed more overseas guys. But believe got lot of good local coaches.
From SARU presser – Heyneke Meyer – Victor will play big part in helping lineout jumpers in SA. Not about me. Need to use the best out there. This bigger than my ego. At this stage, I’m speaking to every player. Worried about crisis at locks at the moment. Nothing been finalised.
HM – no overseas players in training groups because admin not viable. Will be considered for tests. Will pick the best team for the tests.
…So for now the rant about Matfield’s been a bit premature…
All I read is that Victor Matfield will rightly be helping the Bokke lineout jumpers… no appointment YET of him as Captain.
… and even if he gets to play 3 more games, considering the short turn-around between Super Rugby games and the June Tests against England… what’s the fuss?
Just the week before the 1st England Test we have some massive SA Derbies, involving SA’s premier playing locks… might be a blessing in disguise resting Langbek, Juandre Kruger, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Etsebeth… yet have them under Matfield’s tutelage… to become even better than what they are.
Heyneke Meyer is an astute tactitian… and there will be solid thought into why and what he wants to ultimately achieve.
10@ grootblousmile: No, it must not happen.
So, because of this dumb-assed, extended, money spinning, ill-conceived and 50% rubbish called S15 we are inflicted with for 15 weeks means that any decent rugby that comes along, can be watered down with a bunch of has-beens (full respect to any player chosen), just so as to rest the good players for some more dumb-assed, extended, money spinning, ill-conceived and 50% rubbish for a further 6 weeks after the Test Series. Nah, I for one would be ultra happy if Matfield came out of retirement to play in the S15 so as to rest the necessary personnel for the Tests – that would be more astute
12@ Just For Kicks: nou praat jy. A far better idea.
Let’s just see what happens fellas… nothing has been cast in stone… everything is still speculative… and we have not heard Heyneke or Matfield speak about the issue yet.
… or how the thought processes are running on the issue.
Let me put it this way… in Heyneke I trust.. and he has so far managed to convince SARU to play ball for him to have the assistants of his choice… that in itself is a major feat!
14@ grootblousmile: stop being so sensible, lets have some hysteria from you.
16 @ Loosehead:
Hahahaha
Maybe I should be hysterical…. the Bulls are losing some fine people!
17@ grootblousmile:They are, I was waiting for the first comment on that, it really is leaving them a bit vulnerable, although they will still be with the Bulls, the work rate is effectively doubled, if not tripled.
I wonder when I should start going for the Bulls opposition on Bru? Hahaha
19 @ Just For Kicks:
The Bulls machine, including those leaving would have identified by now who are the candidates who should be apprached to replace those leaving, and with a strong purse by selling these coaches, they will have the money to make the right appointments in time.
…. so pick against the Bulls at your peril….
The old addage is still true… nobody is irreplaceable…. except me of course!
20@ grootblousmile:Very true, well, apart from Snor, who, apparently you don’t want, the only other person I can think of who’s twiddling his thumbs is Tricky Dicky Muir!
21 @ Just For Kicks:
No thanks x 100 for Tricky Dicky…
You never had the unfortunate experience of sitting in at a Presser where Tricky Dicky made some kak excuses and evaded honest answers as best he could… all I can say is – What a tosser!
I’m thinking about guys like Tuks coach Nollis Marais…. hell there’s a number of people out there!
I for one don’t think Vic is coming out of retirement is a great idea. I don’t think he will want to either.
Where will he play for now? He has not played for 8 months. NOTHING NO RUGBY AT ALL. Are Bulls willing to play him from here on in until the first test in June? Come on everyone be real. Victor will have to play some rugby to play in any test at all. If it is what Meyer wants then Victor will have to take the place of the Bulls 5 lock and play for the Bulls. Now is that realistic? I think not. AS he would have to be included in the Bulls team to tour NZ. NOW really does Victor want to tour NZ AGAIN this year? I doubt it. Don’t think for one minute that Matfield will captain and play for the Boks without playing a big part in the SuperRugby from here.
He IS NOT GAME FIT AT ALL or conditioned. Just look at him in SuperSport. Sure he has not gained weight but really where is the muscle that comes with conditioning? This is just a super sized fantasy right now. UNLESS Matfield gets fit and condtioned and travels with the Bulls on their away tour, also then starts in most of their games when they are in NZ/OZ and back home. I doubt he will be included in the Bok team. For me this is just a journalistic tripe from Report AGAIN!! Meyer’s captain will be Spies I have no doubt. So I for one will not take any of this serious.
Come ON PEOPLE we are in April and the England tests are in June for goodness sake this will not happen, get real. Matfield has not played ANY rugby at all since October last year. How the heck can he captain and play 5 lock in a Bok test without ANY rugby in 8 months??????????????????? I don’t believe any of this. The Bulls 5 has been the inform 5 lock and Eben has been our best 4 or the absolute best 4 out of any Super15 team this tourney. So no way will we see a Matfield/Bakkies partnership. I personally would be disappointed as Eben has been the most outstanding player in the whole of SuperRugby this far. HE deserves to be our number 4 with the Bulls 5. Bekker has not been as great as last year, but no way in heck should Matfield be our number 5. He will never ever be ready after not playing a stich of rugby for 8 months, NOT EVER, no matter how great he was before his retirement.
Get real all. If Meyer does choice him then I have serious doubts about Meyer being our Bok Coach.
@ Puma:
choice = choose
Two opinions by me
8 months away from the game is not such a long time, some players was injured for a year and no one thought their days are over. I DO believe that he must play in one game at least. Although some players come of a injury straight into their teams. The conditioning they go through is sometimes mind boggling, but i am still from the old school who feels you must be MATCH fit.
Victor as captain, if he is appointed by HM it will only be to get the record out of John Smits hands, HM is very loyal to VM and i think he might just push his loyalty a bit too far, hope this is not the start that HM have to his coaching career.
@ superBul:I certainy can’t remember anyone coming back from nearly a years lay off and straight back into a Springbok side going into a physically demanding Test Series – I may be wrong. If they have, chances are that they have been training and keeping rugby fit leading up to it. The big difference with VM is that he has retired, so although still fit, his mind hasn’t been focused on playing again, and I very much doubt he has been practicing in a way that is needed to play again. When running with the Bulls (sounds like Pamplona!!!) he is not doing it to play again, but to coach the players.
If HM’s motivation for doing it was to upset JS’s record, I would lose all respect for HM – However, I am sure that wouldn’t be the motive
@ Just For Kicks:
I doubt that anything i said caries water, but you never know.
Remember there is still about 6 weeks left before the tests, that is enough time for anyone in VM,s condition to get top fit and hardened.
Maybe the Lions will love to use him NOW.
If you look at the reaction this web had with the Juan Smith and even the Heinrich Brussows return after long serious layoffs, i wonder why the possible Matfield return is so impossible to bear?
Look Matfield will be truly rested and he is not that old. He could be a masterstroke by HM.
@ Just For Kicks:
I missed the game between the Stormers on Saturday but i hear they say that Etsebeth had another good game. I must say we have quite a few new players who could be great assets to the Boks. I wont write up JJ Engelbreght after Saturday, but i must say he looked good, showed great penetration skills. I in fact wished that FL took Wynand of and tried JJ and Sadie together.
Heynecke needs a good start to his career and therefore i expect that he wont pick a lot of new players to start. He simply cant ask us to wait a while for his new team to settle, we want wins , right from the start.
But the SA rugby horizon looks great with all the young players coming in and making their mark.
26@ Just For Kicks:
Did wonder when first reading this one before the press conference whether is was all just wild speculation and you have quoted Mr Meyer as saying Vic will help lineout jumpers so hopefully that will be in a non playing coaching capacity. Matfield sounds like he is very fit, think he did the Argus and all that but certainly can’t see him being match fit, agree with another post of yours if he is to help because of player workload and poor timing of England test series then he should be playing at Super 15 level to let potential Boks locks rest, whether that be for Bulls or Stormers (I know that is really pie in the sky idea) but you never know.
@ Bullscot:
Look if you can believe JJ Harmse and understand Afrikaans this is what is written in the Beeld.
J.J. Harmse
Daar is niks fout met Victor Matfield se vaardighede as speler of leier nie en as al die nodige administrasie afgehandel kan word, behoort dié slot wel in Junie vir die Springbokke teen Engeland oorweeg te word.
In ag genome sy onbetwiste leierskapservaring is daar geen rede dat hy nie ook die Springbokke in daardie toetsreeks kan aanvoer nie.
So het Heyneke Meyer, Springbok-afrigter, gister gesê nadat hy sy bestuurspan bevestig het waarmee hy vanjaar die Engelse, All Blacks, Wallabies, Ierland, Skotland en Argentinië gaan aandurf.
Meyer het bevestig dat hy Matfield gaan kies mits dié legendariese speler die nodige fiksheidspeil bereik en onderhandelinge met sy huidige werkgewer, SuperSport, suksesvol is.
Sou dit gebeur, sal die voormalige Bulls-kaptein waarskynlik sy terugkeer tot Superrugby vir die Sharks of Cheetahs maak om homself te pantser vir die Engelse.
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