Heyneke Meyer
We have received a request by a reader and newly registered blogger here on Rugby-Talk.com, Helgaard, to place an ARTICLE here on Rugby-Talk, containing an OPEN LETTER by him to SA Rugby, all supporters and interested parties as well as decision-makers in our country.
The topic of the Letter, follows the trend and main topic of discussion amongst Springbok supporters, namely whether Heyneke Meyer should stay on as coach, or whether he should go.
In his well-worded and well-reasoned letter, Helgaard supports the “Heyneke Must Fall” stance on the matter, and seeing as Rugby-Talk.com is “By the people, for the people” we gladly place relevant and requested reader content here on Rugby-Talk.com… once if conforms to the necessary literary requirements, of course. I wish more readers would act like Helgaard and send me their contributions, as it could lead to Rugby-Talk.com really becoming the official voice of the marginalized supporter out there and depicting the views of the average rugby supporter and not for supporters to be boxed in by the normal way media steers things to suit their own agendas.
Helgaard’s views are his own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.
Without further a do… here is Helgaard’s Letter in it’s entirity:
WHY HEYNEKE MUST FALL…
Background to the article
As a dedicated Springbok supporter, I watched my fair share of the 48 games played at the Rugby World Cup 2015, including the 7 Tests in which the Springboks featured. I also watched all of the other 40 Tests played since Heyneke Meyer took over as the Springbok coach.
I have been inspired by the comments that I have heard from astute observers of the game and the SuperSport panel during the Rugby World Cup and what I have read from respected journalists about the state of Springbok rugby. I feel strongly that the voiceless supporters of the Springboks should be able to communicate their opinions, because this wonderful game doesn’t belong to SARU alone. It belongs to all those who have faithfully supported our team over all these years. For these reasons I have decided to make a contribution by writing my views on why “Heyneke must fall!!”
I was also encouraged by the contributions of former Springboks, like Stefan Terblanche in an article in the Mercury and Wynand Claassen and Divan Serfontein in the Sunday Times. They all came to the same conclusions that Heyneke’s game plan and stereotyped playing style, with its inherent inadequacies, won’t take the Springboks to the next level.
It is well known that SARU pays scant attention to the views of the supporters, treating them as consumers rather than as stakeholders and as it is very difficult to communicate constructively with SARU and for this reason you need to resort to different ways of getting your views across. It has become a malaise in our country that the aggrieved consumers have to revert to alternative methods of getting their views across.
I have prepared my contribution to the debate, as supporters are increasingly pleading for constructive change so that South Africa can again emerge as a proud rugby-playing country. I acknowledge that getting rid of Heyneke is only one part of the solution, as there has to be structural changes in the way we approach and play the game. Yet I still believe that we have to be saved from what Heyneke stands for.
How should we judge Heyneke?
I think it is fair to say that every coach should be fairly judged on his tenure in charge of the Springbok team and after his first Rugby World Cup. The time has arrived to judge Heyneke and I have outlined some of the reasons why it would be ill advised to extend his contract.
Consider the following:
Some background
1. There is a massive gap between the All Blacks and the rest of the world in the way that they approach and play the game.
2. The clear signals are there that if the rugby system in South Africa doesn’t adapt dramatically, the Boks will keep on losing ground and won’t be good enough to compete against countries like New Zealand or Australia. This is based on the form that they showed during the Rugby World Cup. It is, however, relevant and fair to ask what role the coach has played in the demise of Springboks rugby?
3. Heyneke sometimes distorts facts so that his coaching efforts can be viewed in a more positive light. Consider just some of the many misleading statements that he has made:
- On arriving back in South Africa after the Rugby World Cup, he mentioned that the only difference between the Boks and the All Blacks was Dan Carter’s drop goal. This is a gross distortion and a misleading claim. It doesn’t acknowledge the undeniable fact that the Boks were outplayed by the All Blacks in most facets of the game.
- Heyneke also claimed that 80% to 90% of the current players would be available for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. I doubt whether more than 70% will be available.
Heyneke’s record
4. Heyneke has only won 1 out of 8 games against the All Blacks and I can’t imagine that many international coaches would have survived such a record? It gets worse when you consider that:
- He hasn’t won a single Rugby Championship (Four Nations) and in 2015 he took the Boks to an all-time low by not winning one game in The Rugby Championship.
- During the End-Of-Year tour in 2014 he lost to both Ireland and Wales. Wales at that stage had only beaten the Boks once in 109 years of competing;
- This was followed by our first-ever losses against the Argentinian Pumas and Japan.
5. Wynand and Divan posed the question what fate would have befallen Steve Hansen, the All Black coach, if his team lost against Argentina and then losing to Japan at the Rugby World Cup and returned home with only a bronze medal as a conciliation price?
Question marks about Heyneke’s game plan as an international coach
6. Heyneke has been slow to adapt to the changing playing environment in the world and when under pressure his default position is to revert to his conservative playing style.
7. As Wynand and Divan have pointed out, he is a pattern rugby coach instead of coaching individual skills. He is obsessed with size and power. His archaic style doesn’t work, but he is persisting with it while the rest of the world has moved on to playing total 15-man rugby. As a consequence all other countries know exactly what the Springboks will do and plan accordingly.
8. During the last year he has not impressed as a technically capable coach. He seems reluctant to experiment with new ideas. During the Rugby World Cup he was out-smarted a few times by other coaches. Consider the following:
- Early in 2015, the Argentinians surprised the Boks with their ball in hand approach and outplayed them with their fast-paced game;
- The Japanese were well prepared against the Boks and they anticipated virtually every move that that the Boks used against them. The Boks were also caught flat-footed when Japan scored the last try. Eddie Jones, their coach, remarked that they knew exactly what the Springboks would do and they were prepared for it;
- In the semifinal, the All Blacks kept putting kicks in behind the Boks and turning them around. They beat the Boks by stealing 4 lineouts, missing only 3 tackles out of 86, (Boks lost 20 out of 151) and they won more gain line collisions.
9. Nic Mallet has commented that Heyneke game plan is based on No 9 controlling the game and deciding to whom the ball should be passed. Most other teams allow their No 10 to control the game as they are in a far better position to pick the runners that could break the advantage line.
The big problem – Lack of skills and what has Heyneke done about it?
10. During Heyneke’s tenure there has been very little improvement in the skill levels of the Boks and one must question whether this was treated as a priority area. In 2015, the Boks were characterised by poor aerial skills, they often used poor exit strategies and the line kicking by the two pivotal players (Pollard and Le Roux) were unacceptable. These skills were below international standard and need to be fixed if the Boks want to make progress.
11. In the Sunday Times of 1 November, Heyneke is quoted as saying in defence of his game plan that there was “only one way for the Boks to play”, because the team did not have the necessary skills to do it differently. This is an astounding statement as by implication he is saying that the Boks don’t possess the ability to improve their skills. They, however, had the skills to adapt to his pattern style of playing? That is probably the crux of where Heyneke has failed as a coach. He has put the Springboks back a further 4 years and it is a dreadful thought that we might have to endure him for another 4 years.
12. Consider how the All Blacks reacted after 2009, when they lost 3 times against the Springboks. Collectively they improved their aerial skills, strengthened their back three so that they could add another attacking option by running from deep.
13. A weakness over the years has been that Bok runners often die with the ball without attempting to find support players. Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel are both players who have the ability to break the advantage line, but they often fail to pass the ball to a linking player. These are basic things that any coach has the ability to improve, but Heyneke has failed in this regard.
14. Heyneke places inordinate reliance on players and officials that are close to him, rather than questioning what is the best is for the Springboks.
Transformation Record
Heyneke’s transformation record has been described as woeful. Under pressure he took 9 Black players out of 31 to the Rugby World Cup. Only Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen, Beast Mtawarira and Damian de Allende got regular game time. Trevor Nyakane was involved in every game, but as part of the bench. Lwazi Mvovo played two-and-half games while Siya Kolisi and Rudy Page only appeared twice off the bench.
I think Heyneke missed a golden opportunity to bring some more and talented players into the Springbok frame. By doing that, he would create role models for more than 90% of South Africa’s population who are ‘black’, to increase our current pool of rugby players significantly. There will continue to be pressure on the Springboks to increase the quotas as the new Transformation Charter has been presented to the Government and it is cast in stone. There will have to be a concerted effort to bring more Black players into the system. Is Heyneke the man who will achieve this?
Has Heyneke enhanced the standing of the Boks in world terms?
Perhaps we were given a clear message on how the state of Springbok rugby is perceived by the international community when the Springboks weren’t nominated for any of the awards presented at the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup. The only South African in the awards was, Werner Kok, who was chosen as the best Sevens player in 2015.
During the last year the standing of the Springboks in the rugby playing community has declined and South Africa is no longer the feared rugby playing country we once were. During the Rugby World Cup a number of countries like Wales and Scotland seriously rated their chances of beating the Boks. It will be the case in the future because of our predictable game plan and if our tactics remain the same.
Heyneke also comes across on TV as not being in control of his own emotions. One can only wonder what persona he presents when dealing with his players in a playing field or team room environment.
Wynand and Divan asked the question: “Can SA rugby afford to have someone who behaves like a maniac in the coaching enclosure, wearing his Springbok blazer, in the eyes of the whole world on television?” My allied question is whether a coach who so consistently loses his cool can be reasonably expected to take a professional side to the next level?
How we can move forward?
A lot needs to change in South African rugby for the Springboks to be successful at the next Rugby World Cup. The first acknowledgment has to be that there are structural problems with the way we play rugby which needs to be addressed at national level. The coach is not the only person to blame, but you need to put a coaching structure in place that can best deal with the structural deficiencies.
Our problems cannot be fixed in the short term and it will take the concerted effort and commitment of the rugby community to do so. There has consistently been talk about this and it can be done and for once the lead must come from the top and SARU must show the commitment to making the tough decisions. The need to contract the Springboks players on a national rather than on a provincial basis, Central Contracting, has been consistent topic of discussion. This way their progress and workload can be properly planned without a fair percentage of the Springboks plying their trade overseas.
The problems can only be fixed if there is an acceptance that the Boks won’t be good enough unless our rugby system changes. My overwhelming impression after putting these comments together is that the Springboks will struggle to show meaningful improvement if the current coaching staff remains. Before any remedial action can commence “Heyneke must fall.”
@ grootblousmile: Lotta change in the pipe. Business partners. A new product line. Possible relocation to Hong Kong to export SA wine for a few years. What else can I tell you? Change is in the air. Any you ouboet?
@ grootblousmile:
“It is in the last 20 years, under various coaches, that the Springboks have lost the battle in the win / loss ratio.”
For a brief period of 4 years, in the last 20 years, we were right up there in the win/loss ratio against the AB. Winning 5/11 and losing 6….one can argue that the only reason why we had one loss more than our victories, was because we played one more game away.
I suspect the coach in that period operated under the same circumstances than HM did the last 4 years. In fact, I’d venture to say that he operated under even more difficult circumstances as he never had the same backing from SARU and the media, and dare I say supporters, like HM had.
HM’s record against the AB…1 from 8 and only because of a dubious last minute penalty. Thank you Mr TV Producer.
The reasons for keeping HM on as Bok coach is becoming more ridiculous by the day. This is the same guy who said:
“Players must be an extension of myself on the field.”
“Execution before innovation.”
“We can only play one game plan because our players don’t have the skills to play another game plan.”
“We will be the fittest team at the RWC.”
Let’s begin on a clean slate in 2016…new SR coaches…new Bok coach…new systems at junior level…new way of playing our rugby…
Let’s forget about Japan 2019. We won’t win there as it is virtually in the backyard of the AB. Let’s make it vision 2023 and give whoever we appoint the necessary support to introduce a new way of playing. By that I don’t mean give the person a 8 year contract. Give him access to consultants of his choice and concentrate on the development of skills instead of muscles.
No GBS…Heyneke Meyer MUST go. While he is not solely responsible for putting our rugby back about 20 years, he is MOSTLY responsible for doing so.
31 @ Tassies:
I’m in the market to buy a few cheaper properties, cash… lick and promise them a bit and rent them out.
Want to buy on Deputy Sherrif Auctions / Liquidation sales, people seriously in the kak, bank take-backs… and I want to buy at MY price….
Then also, I am officially now tired this time of year working the hours that I do, have far too much on my plate for 1 person.
In my life I have tackled a lot of things. What I have learned a man has two choices.
1) Run away from the problem (like firing the coach) or
2) Work through your problems to obtain success
Now look what happened to the national coaches since 1995:
Kitch Christie resigned due to ill health.
Andre Markgraaff got fired
Carel du Plessis got fired
Nick Mallett was fired
Harry Viljoen run before he was fired
Streauli was fired
Jake White was fired
Peter de Villiers was fired.
Springbok rugby is not weaker today due to Heyneke Meyer, but because SA does not work through its problems.
We always took the easy way, fire the coach and run away from our problems.
The next coach will inherit the same problems and be fired after 4 years.
The truth is that 4 years is too short a period for a coach to work through all the problems.
Just remember that the Lions appointed John Mitchel as coach with Johan Ackerman as assistant. When Johan Ackerman took over there was at least continuity.
Continuity is a problem SA never work through. Graham Henry/Steve Hansen is a great example what continuity does.
What GBS suggested makes at least provision for continuity.
@ grootblousmile: Yip. That would not be wise. I normally lie low (mostly at the office) when the Vaalies hit town over Dec/Jan. Even getting to and from my factory in Muizenberg at that time of the year is like driving in downtown Bangkok traffic in rush-hour. You simply wont believe it. I get there faster on my bicycle, by a country mile. The Weskus north south of Honderklipbaai is tjoepstil in terms of humans and traffic comparatively speaking. Just the way I like it.
32 @ Nama:
Name your preferred replacement for Heyneke… the one you want that will be available.
I am open for suggestion.
I think we agree on the other things which need to change also… if I read between the lines.
@ Helgaard:
Hi Helgaard welcome on board. Nice to have more authors hope we get many more from you. Don’t necessarily agree with all in your article, am one of the fans of Mr Meyer, but guess the results point to a pretty poor year (including the end of year tour last year in this year). On this one though, having met and spoken to the man and one of his assistants and found them to be great guys, suppose my view will not always be objective.
” in 2015 he took the Boks to an all-time low by not winning one game in The Rugby Championship.” –
We had a disappointing Rugby Championship but did win a game.
34 @ dWeePer:
Ah, another one who sees some semblance of sense in my solioquies.
I like the way you refer to the fight or flight syndrome…
grootblousmile wrote:
Your three options are Gert Smal, Eddie Jones and maybe at a long shot John Dobson.
@ dWeePer: well that is a sound business argument. Its supposed to work in sport too. But doesn’t account for the extreme emotional factory built into our Springbok Rugby DNA. That’s another baby altogether.
@ Nama: Howzit Mnr Kalahari. Facts are good. Argument’s good too. So who do you propose as the next coach? Can’t wait for your answer.
40 @ MacroPolo:
What do you think of Matthew Proudfoot as an option… or John Plumtree.. or Johan Ackermann?
I said that I think they are future options, who if groomed nicely, could be contenders in a couple of years time.
Do you think SARU would look at Gert Smal and / or that Gert Smal would be willing?
John Dobson is a surprize nomination, considering he is not deemed good enough for even a Super Rugby berth.
@ Tassies:
“One argument I’ve heard is : “anyone but….”. But that’s hardly constructive.”
Is it okay then to argue, “Yes, I acknowledge that HM is kak but the others are kakker.” Because that is in essence what the proponents of “the cupboard is bare” are saying. How do we know that they would be kakker?
@ grootblousmile: soliloquies???? Spelling GB??? Tsk. Tsk. Are you plagiarising your friend Nortie’s material now?
45 @ Tassies:
I am using his word, I take it he refers to my long comments… and consider them ramblings of some sort.
I do tend to want to explain myself fully… hahaha
In fact the single is solioquy and the plural is indeed soliloquies… indicating that I am talking to myself.
Here’s what the free dictionary says about soliloquy(ies):
noun
plural noun: soliloquies
An act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
@ grootblousmile: Gert would be my man. The others have potential but need more top level experience. Plum is the exception but then he’s a foreigner for one and never (to my knowledge) coached at national level as yet. Gert is cut from the same lappie as the convict successfully coaching the Oz.
Maybe it’s because am a bit further away and have not watched them play but am not on the Ackermann bandwagon. He may have coached his team to Currie Cup win this year BUT Mr Meyer did him a favour selection-wise, would they have managed to win it is say half a dozen of the Lions were at the World Cup, it wasn’t a huge win (according the scoreboard) in the Currie Cup final.
Also this from an article on here : “This season, Ackermann coached the Xerox Golden Lions to an ABSA Currie Cup title while they also had an adequate Super Rugby campaign as the Emirates Lions, winning 9 of their 16 games. ”
How is it ‘adequate’ to win just over half of your games, where are the people clamouring for the removal of Ackermann as Lions head coach? Nothing in fact it is the very opposite, he and one of his assistant coaches are being promoted as potential to coach the Boks, if these are the kind of options we have from within SA then surely it is better to look abroad if we have to change the current staff?
Maybe am being a bit harsh on the Lions and should be more on the bandwagon, let’s see how they get on next Super 15 but by then surely it’s too late if they are truly successful to then appoint their coaches to the Bok setup.
Evening
@ grootblousmile:
Just a tongue in cheek post.
I suppose there are quite a few nominations… I just think the whole thing gets a bit complex…
– Jurie and Oregan “need” to look after themselves politically.
– Not everyone is willing to coach the springboks… who would? The public badly turned on the last few coaches we had, coaching the Springboks appears to be career suicide, Jake has some longevity, but who knows where he would be had we played Australia or the All Blacks in the 2007 RWC and lost?
So there are coaches and assistants we could probably nominate, the huge obstacle is whether they would actually take the job.
@ grootblousmile:
@ Tassies:
Hi Tassies. See you planning to visit my neck of the woods during the festive season.
I’m on record as saying that I would look no further than Gert Smal.
– RWC winner as assistant coach.
– 6N winner
– years of experience on the international scene.
– both Border and WP played an exiting brand of rugby with him at the helm.
@ Nama: we don’t. Until you try them out. That’s the conundrum. You find out when it’s too late. Just like the incumbent. But this doesn’t preclude one from making the play. It’s simply a big risk in the current circumstances, I’m sure you’ll agree. So wie’s jou man Nama?
The fact is that Meyer has had his time. New blood beckons whoever it may be.
Bullscot wrote:
My humble apologies, sorry. Gee what a plonker don’t know what was thinking of
@ Nama: you see guys, some of us can agree. Not so difficult then. And yes Nama, I’m a fan of your neck of the woods. I likes the wilderness parts of our too busy planet. Less skelms roaming the landscape.
What exactly was the reason Gert Smal never coached further here in SA after he was Assistant Springbok Coach under Jake the Snake?
Did’nt he have some sort of fall out with SARU?
My brain is no good on this issue, I could have been partying past this episode when it happened, end of 2007.
@ Bullscot:
The Ackerman fans are not looking at just the results, like you are doing now. They look at the brand of rugby that his team is playing. If the Lions can do better over the next couple of years than than they did this year, while playing the same brand of rugby, I think he can become an option in a few of years’ time. For now, I’m also not yet convinced.
@ gunther: thought you had died and gone to heaven. Or was it mere hibernation?
@ Tassies:
I’ve been busy lol
I see Wiki says Gert Smal offered to develop Eastern Cape Rugby after Jake got the boot and was turned down by SARU!
Imagine where Eastern Cape Rugby could have been by now!
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