Tank Lanning
When flying to Joburg or Cape Town, do you buy a ticket or build a plane?
Simple answer if you fly once a month. Slightly more complex if you fly every day. And vastly more complex if you actually own an airline.
When needing to win a Super Rugby title, do you buy in Vincent Koch or develop Steven Kitshoff? The former developed by someone else and coming in at a cost. The latter developed by you, and now buggering off to make money off those skills in France?
WP come in for a lot of stick re losing players. Think Francois Hougaard, Handré Pollard, Willie le Roux, Thomas du Toit, Tim Swiel and Johann Sadie. Yet in their Academy and Institute, they have one of the best player development systems in the world!
One only has space for 23 players each week. Loyalty seems to be something you get only from a dog in today’s professional era. So is it really worth spending all that money on player development and retention? Why not just buy what you need at the time?
I’ll tell you why. Buying in players gives you the Sharks. Developing players gives you the Lions.
A cursory glance at a recent Sharks match 23 revealed that only 5 players, Pat Lambie, Marcel Coetzee, Fred Zeilinga, Waylon Murray, and Kyle Cooper were schooled in the region. Their solution to losing Willem Alberts? Signing ex-Bulls and current Waratahs flank, Jacques Potgieter.
Yes it is a professional game, and of course you can now buy a team, but money does not grow on trees, and there is still a lot to be said for a team and province culture that gets developed from the bottom up.
Hence Lions coach Johan Ackermann making the call to develop their talent from within instead of paying out millions for marquee players. Players are then given the assurance that they are backed in the system as a young player. Through trusting their talent conveyor belt, they now have eight or nine players who were not on Heyneke Meyer’s radar a year ago, who could play for the Springboks.
In a fully professional era, it’s pretty damn awesome to see so called “old fashioned” values like playing for the jersey and your team-mates, together with an incredible team spirit, playing out successfully between the white lines.
In a recent edition of Vodacom’s “Think Tank” I was asked to pick my form XV of the tournament thus far, and took a little stick for not picking a single Lions player. Rightfully so perhaps, but what I did not get to say was that the next best player in almost every position would be a Lions player.
None of Ruan Combrinck, Harold Vorster, Lionel Mapoe, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley, Jaco Kriel, Franco Mostert, Julian Redelinghuys, Ruan Dreyer, Akker van der Merwe, Schalk van der Merwe, or Jacques van Rooyen would let a Bok side down!
So apart from the continuity allowed via not having to rest the Bok players this year, they also have no big egos to manage (something definitely bothering Gary Gold at the moment). And through backing the players in their system, not overly complicating the coaching structure or on filed game plan, they have built a culture that everyone buys into.
Something that is much more difficult to implement when buying players in from all over the show.
Tank Lanning
I am afraid but Tank Lanning speaks in HALF-TRUTHS in this article!!
… and my opinion of him has always been that he’s not the sharpest pencil in the packet…
The only difference between the Lions and Sharks is WHEN they buy players… the Sharks seems to buy already developed Super Rugby players, whereas the Lions just astutely bought cheaper players (due to their financial constraints) – players who were on the fringes for other unions – and turned them into bloody good Super Rugby players.
There is a host of ex Bulls, Cheetahs, WP okes and fellas from the traditionally smaller Provinces in their contracted squad… and of course some home grown talent too.
The other BIG DIFFERENCE not addressed in the whole analogy is the teams cultures and environment and how a happy and well coached Lions team plays for one another, compared to a disjointed effort by the Sharks, who seem to be in total disarray (with a massive heap of big-name players on their books).
The answer lies inbetween… grow some players (and work bloody hard at it) whilst at the same time buying quality players where your depth is not that good!
The Second part of the answer is to then create an environment where players flourish!!
This last aspect – the environment – is what troubles me deeply about not only with the Sharks, but definately with the Bulls too, where loyalty to players seem to be lacking! This has bitten the Bulls in the arse since Ian Schwartz left with Heyneke Meyer and when the jelliebrain, Xander Janse van Rensburg took over THAT vital part!
Eish copy and paste time:
That article was also poorly written imo
“When flying to Joburg or Cape Town, do you buy a ticket or build a plane?”
Worst analogy ever
“A cursory glance at a recent Sharks match 23 revealed that only 5 players, Pat Lambie, Marcel Coetzee, Fred Zeilinga, Waylon Murray, and Kyle Cooper were schooled in the region. Their solution to losing Willem Alberts? Signing ex-Bulls and current Waratahs flank, Jacques Potgieter.”
I think we can all assume the Lions have more locally based players, but we don’t know, because Tank did not even attempt to compare, so he is essentially comparing and apple with nothing but guesswork, also ignoring factors such as how many people actually play rugby at a renowned rugby school in matric in Natal compared to Johannesburg?
The Lions also have 2 Varsity Cup teams to essentially draw from So do Western Province… the sharks have… eh a Varsity Shield team to develop players from.
There is almost no choice for the Sharks but to buy players… just need to buy the right players.
Lions starting team this weekend
Player (Shooled or Youth Career)
Andries Coetzee (Mpumalanga, joined lions at 21yo), Mapoe (cheetahs), Harold Verster(Limpopo), Alwyn Hollenbach (Cheetahs), Jantjies (Gauteng), Faf de Klerk (Pretoria)
Warren Whitely (Sharks), Robert Kruger (Pumas), Jaco Kriel (Mpumalanga/Lions), Franco Mostert(North West/Bulls), Martin Muller(WP), Redelinghuys (Sharks), Robbie Coetzee (Sharks)
So in the Starting 15 there is one player Schooled in Johannesburg, and the way he got there is also debatable.
Now if you are goign to say, well 2 or 3 of those players developed at the Lions, surely It would be the Same for guys like, Beast, Bissie and Jannie… just to name the first three I could think of.
2 @ MacroPolo:
Looks like we see it much the same way!
@ grootblousmile:
Nee hel die mense kryp nou erg gat
Correction. Robbie coetzee is from pretoria.
2 @ MacroPolo:
Don’t forget that the Lions Super Rugby Franchise also comprises the Steval Pumas and the Leopards, so one can regard them (For Super Rugby purposes) as home-grown… hehehe
“When flying to Joburg or Cape Town, do you buy a ticket or build a plane?”
There are further options…..if you have the means you can also either charter a plane or buy one for yourself.
And the Sharks have the means, so they can buy players.
Last year when they were comfortable conference winners we didn’t see these type of articles, so the real issue isn’t whether they “buy” teams or not, it’s really about how poor they are faring with plenty of “big name brand” players.
Which youngsters must they bring in? Their Vodacom Cup side failed even more dismally than their SR side is, so surely those players are not capable of taking the step up.
What other option do they have but to bolster their flagship SR team but with known players who have some pedigree?
To compare any side with the Lions currently is unfair….they are in the middle of living in a fairy tale.
It’s all about perception at this stage, they are the flavor of the month, and deservedly so IMO, but the bottom will drop at some stage, teams will work them out better and it will get tougher in coming seasons.
grootblousmile wrote:
Jeez, “Steval” Pumas, do you get some advertisement commision GBS? 😆
@ nortie:
Yep like I said in the other post, If the Lions can keep this going for another 3 or 4 years ill be mightily impressed, and ill secretly root for them till they become contenders, then ill openly hate them 😆
but for now, are we seriously praising a team 8th on the log that pundits claim to be the benchmark?
Ill say one thing though, their defense since the Crusaders game has pretty much been the benchmark, kinda reminds me of the Stommers 2012.
@ MacroPolo:
How does having the “Steval Pumas” players available to “bolster your ranks” do you any good when their star p,ayers are running out for the Stormers and Sharks?
Everyone buys talent these days, the professional era sees to that, but the Sharks have been more successful than most at doing it well.
WP do it too, but also develop home talent as well, same as everyone else.
Can we move on now please.
and another thing, people are championing a team 8th on the log, people are championing that half their players should be in the bok team based on form…
meanwhile the Bulls won the conference cup and ended 2nd in the overall log in 2013, and people still claimed we were shit, it also felt like people were campaigning against basically any bulls inclusion in the Springbok team.
can only laugh 😆
nortie wrote:
Those mercenaries, Duane Vermeulen also used to be a Puma 😆
MacroPolo wrote:
And there you hit the nail on the head….supporters of the “big 3” don’t mind the other teams running around garnering support and praises, until they become a serious threat for your side.
Nobody worries too much about the Cheetahs, every bodies “second favorite team”…..ja right, because they are not a real serious threat for a full season, maybe a game here or there, but the day they challenge the Bulls, Sharks or Stormers week in and week out, let’s see how many will still regard them as their second favorite team
@ Stormersboy:
Tank deserves condemnation though, first the blog about condoning illegal scrummaging as “skill” and now this 😆
@ MacroPolo:
Maybe, but unlike many of the other
bloggersjournalists Tank has played the game at a high level and in a position that is a very contentious one at that, so I do read his stuff, although I don’t always agree with everything. His views on front row play are better than most for that reason.Plus he’s a great guy to have a beer (or 3) with.
@ Stormersboy:
I am sure he is a good guy, but he does put these blogs up in public to be discussed, for people to openly agree or disagree, maybe he is just outsmarting us 🙂 the controversial posts are regularly the most read… All things said, he definitely got the facts right with this one or it was just a lazy attempt… He should be criticized, and hopefully he will learn from the experience?
MacroPolo wrote:
I got no problem with people taking him on at all, my original post was not meant to come across as defending him at all, in fact I was making the point that the post was a bit pointless as everyone does it so lets move on…
I do enjoy his insights into the analysis of front row play though. As en ex provincial level player he knows more than most, much like Charles, who doesn’t blog here much anymore.
9 @ MacroPolo:
Even as a staunch Lions supporter I agree with what you say.
Until the Lions are contenders for 3-4 years in a row, they can’t be considered the benchmark for ANYTHING.
As long as we (Lions supporters) consider a mid table finish to be acceptable and a “good season”, then we just accept mediocrity and DESERVE not to finish in the top 6.
Make no mistake, I am chuffed no end that the Lions are STARTING to show some potential, but for people to be calling for them en-masse to be drafted in to the RWC squad is not only premature, it’s actually quite silly.
Sure, most of them could be on the fringes, but no more than 2 or 3 could be considered serious Bok contenders under HM IMHO, and I personally don’t think EJ is one of them.
Nou ja.
Here in SA we love to talk certain players up and become indignant with rage when some pundits criticise our “heroes”, so I take most things written, and commented on by bloggers with more than just a pinch of salt.
Get down to your local stadium or sit in front of your telly, scream at the ref’s decisions, whail with delight when your “hero” scores a try, and drink a dop or 20 when your team savours a come from behind unexpected victory, but remeber one thing, opinions are like arseholes. Everone has one.
So sometime, before one puts one’s erstwhile opinion into writing and posts it somewhere on the WWW for all of humanity to see and comment on, perhaps one should do a little comparison with one’s anus, and decide whether it is really prudent to show the world our innermost thoughts (or aresehole)?
Fark me it’s Friday. Why am I writing such drivel.
Go Bulls. Go Lions. Go Cheetahs.
@ Scrumdown:
I think everyone Is being swept along, because pretty much everyone can admire how well the lions hit the ground running after 2013, but its also easy to forget that they won the currie cup two years before being relegated as well and that was supposed to be the start of something new back in 2011
And we all root for the underdog, and the lions are the ultimate underdog at this stage.
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