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JJ Harmse
So was that so hard? Finally, we have heard that it was not because of a rugby reason that Os du Randt was not offered another consultancy post, but rather because of incidents off the field while on tour with the Springboks.
Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues at Media24 newspapers, the whole saga has now been brought to light. First there was the news that Os was not going to be offered a new deal, then the true reasons and finally admittance from the legendary prop that there were indeed valid reasons for his dismissal.
This issue should now be laid to rest. It is done and dusted. What we now need to do is to focus again on the real deal, the World Cup and how we can prepare best for that. The Du Randt issue was a side-show but it did show up some problems with regards to communication around the national team.
Again it is the job of the rugby journalists to tell the public that people like Eddie Jones or Rassie Erasmus are being considered as consultants. And that Jake White feels sidelined in the whole process.
It is pretty ironic for the former coach to actually feel the cold shoulder from Peter de Villiers. What was he expecting after coming in from the blind side last year, offering to take over the team as an ambulance job, and to take them to the World Cup?
What I would like to see, and I am sure most of you, is for the two coaches to actually meet and try and talk things through.
It is silly that all that intellectual property of White, who was employed by SA Rugby for a long time in various disguises, should remain with him and not benefit the 2011 defence of the World Cup.
We have stability amongst the office bearers, with Oregan Hoskins and his fellow administrators making good rugby decisions and the Jurie Roux broom has swept away some cobwebs of lethargy that existed within the corridors of their Boundary Road offices.
Surely White’s commitment to the Springboks cannot be questioned and neither can that of De Villiers. Why is it so hard then, for the two to work together, if only for the good of the World Cup cause?
Maybe that is something Hoskins can manage, either by getting involved himself or by getting a mediator to try and do that. Someone like Morné du Plessis, perhaps?
I am not saying White should get involved in the coaching, I am asking what bad a chat between him and De Villiers can do?
Either way, there is only one loser on this issue and that is the Springbok team. And that, let us not forget, is our team. If they lose out, we lose out.
We need to have some clarity on what plans are in place for the Springboks for the rest of the year. We need to know because a lot of fans will be paying a lot of money to go and support the team.
Also, we still don’t know whether Os will be replaced and if so, by whom?
The public’s attention may be occupied by Super Rugby at the moment, but we would all like to have a broader understanding too, of how that will fit in with the Springboks and their planning.
Perhaps it is time for Peter de Villiers to have a press conference and to tell us what is happening. We want to know and we need to know how his plans are working out.
Talking about the working out of plans, how is Super Rugby shaping up so far for you? After a month of action, is this what you expected?
Last year at the same time, we saw 120 tries and so far only 87, and that with an extra team added! Yes, derby matches are great to get fans to pitch up, but honestly, how was the quality of rugby offered last weekend by the Stormers and Cheetahs? No tries? Really? Even with that backline they have down in Cape Town and the breakdown application favouring attacking rugby?
I am not convinced that the quality of rugby was that great over the weekend. Yes, the Sharks played quite well, but it was rather their ability to use the numerical advantages given to them by the Force that ‘freed’ them up.
Let’s hope this weekend shows improvement on the quality and execution. We certainly need some excitement. This is not the bigger and better we were promised, is it?
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
So was that so hard? Finally, we have heard that it was not because of a rugby reason that Os du Randt was not offered another consultancy post, but rather because of incidents off the field while on tour with the Springboks.
Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues at Media24 newspapers, the whole saga has now been brought to light. First there was the news that Os was not going to be offered a new deal, then the true reasons and finally admittance from the legendary prop that there were indeed valid reasons for his dismissal.
This issue should now be laid to rest. It is done and dusted. What we now need to do is to focus again on the real deal, the World Cup and how we can prepare best for that. The Du Randt issue was a side-show but it did show up some problems with regards to communication around the national team.
Again it is the job of the rugby journalists to tell the public that people like Eddie Jones or Rassie Erasmus are being considered as consultants. And that Jake White feels sidelined in the whole process.
It is pretty ironic for the former coach to actually feel the cold shoulder from Peter de Villiers. What was he expecting after coming in from the blind side last year, offering to take over the team as an ambulance job, and to take them to the World Cup?
What I would like to see, and I am sure most of you, is for the two coaches to actually meet and try and talk things through.
It is silly that all that intellectual property of White, who was employed by SA Rugby for a long time in various disguises, should remain with him and not benefit the 2011 defence of the World Cup.
We have stability amongst the office bearers, with Oregan Hoskins and his fellow administrators making good rugby decisions and the Jurie Roux broom has swept away some cobwebs of lethargy that existed within the corridors of their Boundary Road offices.
Surely White’s commitment to the Springboks cannot be questioned and neither can that of De Villiers. Why is it so hard then, for the two to work together, if only for the good of the World Cup cause?
Maybe that is something Hoskins can manage, either by getting involved himself or by getting a mediator to try and do that. Someone like Morné du Plessis, perhaps?
I am not saying White should get involved in the coaching, I am asking what bad a chat between him and De Villiers can do?
Either way, there is only one loser on this issue and that is the Springbok team. And that, let us not forget, is our team. If they lose out, we lose out.
We need to have some clarity on what plans are in place for the Springboks for the rest of the year. We need to know because a lot of fans will be paying a lot of money to go and support the team.
Also, we still don’t know whether Os will be replaced and if so, by whom?
The public’s attention may be occupied by Super Rugby at the moment, but we would all like to have a broader understanding too, of how that will fit in with the Springboks and their planning.
Perhaps it is time for Peter de Villiers to have a press conference and to tell us what is happening. We want to know and we need to know how his plans are working out.
Talking about the working out of plans, how is Super Rugby shaping up so far for you? After a month of action, is this what you expected?
Last year at the same time, we saw 120 tries and so far only 87, and that with an extra team added! Yes, derby matches are great to get fans to pitch up, but honestly, how was the quality of rugby offered last weekend by the Stormers and Cheetahs? No tries? Really? Even with that backline they have down in Cape Town and the breakdown application favouring attacking rugby?
I am not convinced that the quality of rugby was that great over the weekend. Yes, the Sharks played quite well, but it was rather their ability to use the numerical advantages given to them by the Force that ‘freed’ them up.
Let’s hope this weekend shows improvement on the quality and execution. We certainly need some excitement. This is not the bigger and better we were promised, is it?
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
