Jake White
Heyneke Meyer
On Rugby-Talk recently, debate in the comments sections between Sharks supporters and other South African supporters often turned and revolved around Jake White’s management or mismanagement of his core players and around the players who will have to do duty for the national side, the Springboks.
The argument often used by Sharks supporters were that the June Internationals are less important, against weakened sides and that Jake White needed to do exactly like he did, play his players week after week and arguably into the ground.
Players like Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Willem Albers and more pertinetly Francois Steyn have looked increasingly jaded and this past weekend’s Sharks loss against the Stormers was a stark reminder of the situation.
One of the regular journalists I share the Press Box at Loftus Versfeld with, Brenden Nel, of SuperSport, penned an interesting article on this same matter. I think he nails this one on the head, here is what he says:
Brenden Nel – SuperSport
Here we all thought that, for the good of South African rugby, Springbok rugby needs to come first?
After all, that is what counts in most Sanzar countries – the national team, a year before a World Cup, should always take priority.
Not in South Africa.
Any self-respecting rugby fan has to stop and shake his head when hearing Jake White now blames the Springbok training camp for his team’s loss to the Stormers this past weekend?
Last week the Bok management were asked to put certain players on ice – including Frans Steyn – because they were medically unfit to play.
The Boks complied and what did White do? He continued to play these players into the ground.
It is true that the Sharks players are “exhausted” with eight games on the trot and an overseas tour to boot.
In most sides there is a squad system, where players are rotated so that the coach gets the best out of them.
The Bok camp had been planned for months, to coincide with all five franchises being in South Africa. It wasn’t something that was sprung on teams by surprise
The Bulls also had a number of players out this past week and also suffered a shock loss to the Lions, but you never heard them complaining about the Bok camp.
They simply got on with the job, accepted they were not good enough and then moved on.
It is one thing to want the Sharks to do well, and it is increasingly certain that they will be South Africa’s only representatives in the final weeks of Vodacom Super Rugby.
It cannot be at the expense of Springbok rugby.
The irony that White misses is that he used to bemoan Super Rugby coaches overplaying players, and not keeping them fresh for Springbok rugby.
He was the same coach who sent Victor Matfield home from a Tri-Nations tour because he was unfit, only to see Matfield play the next Saturday for the Bulls.
He was also the same coach who chose Chiliboy Ralepelle against overwhelming advice that he was not ready for test rugby, but played him anyway.
In both cases the coach he was at loggerheads with was Heyneke Meyer.
Now Meyer is Springbok coach and, whether you are a Sharks fan or not, the bottom line is that the Springboks remain this country’s first rugby priority.
While I hate to say it, this would never happen in New Zealand.
There the franchises channel up to the All Blacks, and the black jersey is the No 1 priority, even if it harms Super Rugby aspirations.
With their centralised contracting system players are placed on sabbaticals to increase their longevity, their conditioning is done so that they are at their peak when the international season rolls around.
If a player has too much game time, you’d be sure Steve Hansen would be on the line asking for said player to be rested.
In South Africa the tail wags the dog. Jake tells the Bok coach not to train Steyn, then plays him himself.
It is a situation that is alarming in itself, one that will never contribute to the Springbok success, and one which highlights the problems that Saru CEO Jurie Roux is desperately trying to fix.
The bottom line is that Bok rugby matters little to White, except when it is a stepping stone to getting back into the international game.
His history speaks for itself.
In this case the Boks deserve as many fresh players as they can get, and Super Rugby coaches who work with, and not against them ahead of a tough international season.
Jake White has reason not to give Heyneke Meyer fit and fresh Bokke players…. it is as simple as that.
Jake’s made it quite clear he has aspirations to coach internationally again and what would be better for his chances than causing Heyneke Meyer to fail.
That shows how intensely selfish and self-absorbed Jake White is… to him the national cause only counts when HE is the national coach, till then, his Sharks stays his priority, well above national interests.
I am getting to loathe the man, good coach or not.
Jake is all about himself, and once the Sharks has served his purpose, he will discard them like a torn rag!
It’s not about IF… it’s just about WHEN!
@1
Difficult to argue with that, the difference being that if the Sharks do win the SR, Jake will be vindicated and his way will be proclaimed from the highest peaks of the Drakensburg as the only way
And that is exactly why you haven’t been no 1 in the world since mid 09′, what a selfish pric*k he’d be cut loose in NZ.
So much in fighting amongst the provinces the dressing room at times must be a shambles.
Julle is almal verkeerd. Dit is nog altyd ….
Bulle eerste,
Bokke tweede,
die res sleg laaste !
NZINCHINA wrote:
Imagine Todd Blackadder complaining after every game the Crusaders lose that Richie was given a sabatical, and Carter, and Read, and Dagg had to be rested etc etc
No, he sucks it up, players the hand he was dealt and goes about his business, never being in the news more than his team.
Kirwin is the only of the NZ coaches that has a Jake like streak in him and is in the news for the wrong reasons, but he has old sourpuss sitting next to him every game, lol, so they make quite a pair
Ben wrote:
Dog die Bulle is almal Bokke?
Predicted this all in round 5 already
http://www.rugby-talk.com/2014/03/super-rugby-2014-weekend-teams-round-5/comment-page-1/#comments
7 @ nortierd: hulle is nou almal oorsee.
Just an interesting Stat, Duane Vermeulen has played all but 4 minutes this year..
Jake and AC sticking together like old times.
@ nortierd:
Lol maybe but ultimately no NZ coach would stand in the way of the big picture in our rugby, despite winning 99% of the super titles nobody really cares.
MacroBok wrote:
Duane is tough and can take it
NZINCHINA wrote:
Very true, the AB’s come first.
Internasionale seisoen:
Toetsreekse van Feb tot einde Mei (4 nasies en 6 nasies)
Jun-Aug heineken en super rugby
Sept-Okt plaaslike reekse in elke land
Nov europese toetsreekse oorsee en binneland, een jaar hier en jaar daar
Desember rus
Januarie begin oefen.
Dit beteken ook dat die toetsspanne van Nov tot Mei toetsrugby speel, en dan van Jun tot Okt in provinsies.
Geen onderbreking en verdeelde lojaliteite nie.
So maklik soos dit, hoekom het die IRB my nie al lankal gevra nie ?
@NZinC
Just out of a matter of interest, would you as an AB supporter dismiss these June tests against “inferior” opposition as a waste of time and advocate that your Crusaders, who are leading your conference, but it could have been any of the other sides too, to not be selected for the AB’s as to rest for the resumption of the SR as it’s more important than these tests against useless opposition?
Damien de Allende and Lwazi Mvovu has played 1111 minutes this year, averaging 79minutes per game.
Fransie 1087mins (78m/game)
Willie 1081mins (77)
Serfontein 1080mins (77)
The problem is no one else plays the attrition fueled defensive game the sharks do, but the Stormers.
Conrad Smith (79) and Barret (78) are also in the top 10
Notable south african FORWARDS in the top 20
Vermeulen
Strauss (78)
Jacque Dup (76)
top 60
Whitely (73)(think he missed a game)
Alberts (73)
Bissie (74)
Lewies (66)
top 100
Big Vig (61)
Jono Ross (61)
Beast (65)
Mind you finding All Black forwards in the top 100 is RARE
I calculated the minutes/game on all games played by the TEAM, so guys like matfield will have a higher average per game he played in.
@ nortierd:
Hell no Norty, we want our best side out there for 95% of the tests we play, second stringers for the minnows is ok. We want these next three tests badly- 17 straight is on the line.
The All Black forwards
Coles (60)
Mealamu (31)
Crockett (55)
Faumuina (55)
B Franks (53)
O Franks (55)
Woodcock (56)
Bird (52)
Retallick (70)
Tuipulotu (47)
sam Whitelock (78)
Sam Cane (54)
Jerome Kaino (49)
Richie McCaw (39)
Liam Messam (75)
Kieran Read (35)
Victor Vito (44)
The Poms at full strength will be no push over and could win a couple of tests if they click.
it is RIDICULOUS how overplayed we are, what pisses me off about the sharks is that they have the depth to be actively rotating a player or two.
And we wonder how a team can play Argentina on the Saturday, fly on the Sunday and beat the Boks at altitude the next Saturday.
Fuckadilly won’t like this one bit.
MacroBok wrote:
Reckon you are right, and maybe their B team would have beaten the mighty Stormers
😉
Then again, Jake has ticked all the boxes, but Gert has Henning, and if we know one thing, it’s that the Sharks have a penchant for choking when it matters.
Maybe Jake should have thought of Henning first, but would the budget allow for all the overtime?
I hear that the English Language fundi’s are busy coining another term for “colour-blindness” and another for “absolute denial”.
It’s in the process of being taken up in the new dictionaries, as we speak!
For people who only see black and white, and no other colours exist… it’s called Shark-blindness!
For people who are in the deepst forms of denial, no other options available… it’s called Jake White syndrome.
Jake White syndrome is that part of denial, which borders on the rediculous, the most selfish form of stupidity!
I better put a smilie in, otherwise just now we’d have to coin a new term for throwing toys out the cot too…
The Bulls supporters had a Blue Monday today…
The Sharks… well they did not have a Monday, they are still all in hiding, their week only starts later in the week… some time!
I was stressing big time when the rumour that White would be going to the Stormers. I have and never will like the guy. He is self scented and will drop the Sharks without any thought if an international job comes up.
27 @ Gumboots:
I could somehow still see Jake functioning in a Cape setup… but he won’t last a week at the Bulls or the Cheetahs!
Hahahaha
grootblousmile wrote:
Hey, if your whole world comes crashing down in a blink of an eye, well, it takes time to recover.
I’m sure they would have accepted a loss to any other team, even the Purple People Eaters, but not to the Stormers, man that hurts where you don’t want pain
@Gummi and GBS
Skop would have been petitioning in front of Newlands and pelting Jake with overripe tomatoes.
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