Publications
Partners
Stephen Nell
London – Chances are extremely slim that John Smit will be the captain of the hooker position in the Springbok squad next year … but those smelling the blood of the Bok captain, will probably be disappointed.
With Bismarck du Plessis excelling at hooker and Victor Matfield making captaincy look easy on the current tour, it could be inferred that the writing is on the wall for Smit.
After all, he isn't the best player in his position anymore and there are other senior players like Matfield, Juan Smith, Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger who are all natural leaders.
But it's not that simple – and the reality is that the chance to tackle the Smit issue has probably come and gone already.
There are now only six Tests left for South Africa before next year's Rugby World Cup – and the risk of upsetting the balance of power is too big before the Boks defend their crown in New Zealand.
Smit's value lies not so much in his playing, but in his legacy and stature.
You only have to talk to senior Boks to realise that he is respected for his leadership qualities and that they want to be able to depend on his experience at the World Cup.
This week, a Springbok player said that Smit would take his "rightful place" again as leader next year.
Regardless of how much better Du Plessis is playing at hooker currently, he will probably only be able to regularly claim South Africa's number 2 jersey in 2012.
SA rugby's recent history is full of incidents where poor treatment of a player with stature affected a team's morale and rhythm.
One thinks of Bob Skinstad who was a match winner from the substitution bench on the year-end tour of 1998 but the former Bok coach Nick Mallett made a huge mistake when he chose him for the starting team in Edinburgh at the expense of André Venter.
The Boks won in Scotland, but in their last Test of that tour, they lost against England.
Remember also the ill-advised decision to drop Gary Teichmann the following year as player and captain while Skinstad was still injured!
In such cases, the underlying problem does not outweigh the merits of the case if looked at from a rugby perspective.
Smit, like Venter and Teichmann, represents something bigger in the eyes of his team-mates.
In the case of Smit and Teichmann, it is matter of their "Rightful leader", which plays a huge role in determining the values and ethics of a team that achieves great success.
Any act that points to a lack of respect for such a leadership figure could have potentially catastrophic consequences for a relevant coach. Nick Mallett found this out, much to his regret.
A lot could still happen though.
South Africa could have a successful or unsuccessful tour, Du Plessis's form could improve or even decline – and there are a whole host of Super Rugby fixtures to be played.
It is also whispered that Smit has worked very hard on his conditioning and has dropped several kilos.
He has a bit to prove though, even if it is only to give credibility to his status within the Bok team.
This tour will probably show that Smit is not irreplaceable and this alone is a positive development for SA rugby. But take on the man – and you still take on the team. And this probably means he will remain the captain, on his terms.
London – Chances are extremely slim that John Smit will be the captain of the hooker position in the Springbok squad next year … but those smelling the blood of the Bok captain, will probably be disappointed.
With Bismarck du Plessis excelling at hooker and Victor Matfield making captaincy look easy on the current tour, it could be inferred that the writing is on the wall for Smit.
After all, he isn't the best player in his position anymore and there are other senior players like Matfield, Juan Smith, Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger who are all natural leaders.
But it's not that simple – and the reality is that the chance to tackle the Smit issue has probably come and gone already.
There are now only six Tests left for South Africa before next year's Rugby World Cup – and the risk of upsetting the balance of power is too big before the Boks defend their crown in New Zealand.
Smit's value lies not so much in his playing, but in his legacy and stature.
You only have to talk to senior Boks to realise that he is respected for his leadership qualities and that they want to be able to depend on his experience at the World Cup.
This week, a Springbok player said that Smit would take his "rightful place" again as leader next year.
Regardless of how much better Du Plessis is playing at hooker currently, he will probably only be able to regularly claim South Africa's number 2 jersey in 2012.
SA rugby's recent history is full of incidents where poor treatment of a player with stature affected a team's morale and rhythm.
One thinks of Bob Skinstad who was a match winner from the substitution bench on the year-end tour of 1998 but the former Bok coach Nick Mallett made a huge mistake when he chose him for the starting team in Edinburgh at the expense of André Venter.
The Boks won in Scotland, but in their last Test of that tour, they lost against England.
Remember also the ill-advised decision to drop Gary Teichmann the following year as player and captain while Skinstad was still injured!
In such cases, the underlying problem does not outweigh the merits of the case if looked at from a rugby perspective.
Smit, like Venter and Teichmann, represents something bigger in the eyes of his team-mates.
In the case of Smit and Teichmann, it is matter of their "Rightful leader", which plays a huge role in determining the values and ethics of a team that achieves great success.
Any act that points to a lack of respect for such a leadership figure could have potentially catastrophic consequences for a relevant coach. Nick Mallett found this out, much to his regret.
A lot could still happen though.
South Africa could have a successful or unsuccessful tour, Du Plessis's form could improve or even decline – and there are a whole host of Super Rugby fixtures to be played.
It is also whispered that Smit has worked very hard on his conditioning and has dropped several kilos.
He has a bit to prove though, even if it is only to give credibility to his status within the Bok team.
This tour will probably show that Smit is not irreplaceable and this alone is a positive development for SA rugby. But take on the man – and you still take on the team. And this probably means he will remain the captain, on his terms.
