There’s a good in every bad

Peter De Villiers only managed to win two games out of a possible six during this year’s Tri-nations. A bad feat considering that we are the current World Champions. His starting record does not look very alluring especially if you consider that his predecessor has an incredible record start when he took over the Springboks in 2004.

However, there are some positives that have come out during his mixed tenure as Bok coach. First of all he has been able to foresee talent that was overlooked by other previous coaches and he has also unearthed some incredible ammunition. The first name that quickly erupts from my lips is the BEAST. This young man has been the greatest revelation for the Boks in the just ended international season. Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira has had an implausible 2008 season. He has grown immensely in just over a year to become one of the greatest loose-head props in world rugby, having effortlessly out-scrummed some of the biggest tighties in world rugby circles (Sommerville and Mat Dunning). Mobility and loose play has always been his strength, but he was often criticised for his scrimmaging last year. He has worked on his conditioning and scrum techniques under the guidance of John Plumtree at the Sharks and this year he came back with a BANG. Big up to the BEAST and he surely looks set to fill up Os’s BIG boots.

Another eye-opener comes in the wake of Adi Jacobs, a player that has been overlooked for the past 6 years ever since his Bok debut in 2002. He has managed to silence his critics (including myself) about his worthiness for the Bok no13 jersey. With his diminutive size (as compared to Steyn), I openly doubted his defensive abilities in the 12/13 channel but have since been proved wrong. This guy is a marvel to watch on attack and has broken lots of opposition defensive channels many a times. His try scoring rate is probably the highest at the moment for the springboks. Hats off to DiV for having faith in the player that he had once coached at junior level.

Other revelations of the current international season include Conrad Janjies who gone to stake his claim on the no15 jersey (away from the legendary Percival). Great under the high ball and consistent attacking capabilities, Conrad has grown to be confident and composed at the back. Andries Bekker has also been one of the findings of the season. Superb on the line-outs (dah…..he’s 2.08m tall) and equipped with great hands and ball skills, this consistent grafter has given us a raison d'être to stop licking Matfield’s feet (he can very much contest the “Moemish of the season” award alone). Sorry Big Vic, you’re no more the National Treasure, gone are those days, you better go back to Saint-Denis and look for that “Mighty-King-Matfield-Status” tiara as well as that work-rate that you dropped after the world cup final against England.

Besides these revelations, other players have also been exposed (Frans, Butch, Percy, Matfield, Schalla, Juan just to mention a few)......Not for good reasons, but on the SHOCKING part. Nonetheless, I believe the POSITIVES out-weigh the negatives overall. So at least there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.