8/13/2019 Rugby’s movers and shakers

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WINNERS

RISING STARS

Theantithesis ofeverything (wethought)HeynekeMeyerstoodfor.He surprisedbypicking thedaringfullbackfromStellenboschwho madehis wayintoSuperRugbyvia Griquas tobecomeamatch-winner forthe Cheetahs.Andwhata gooddecisionitturnedout

tobe– MeyerallowedLeRouxtohavehisheadand herespondedby addinga goodfewattacking optionsto theSpringboks’

arsenal

LOSERS

an absenteepresidentand allegationsongdoing gatheringaroundthe headeCEO,themanaging bodyof localyhas,well,failedto manage.Kings/LionsSuperRugby stando debaclethat remainsunsolved,therRugbyformatis amess,the-headermid-yeartestsfailedto ignitexcitementof thefans,and theunionnuedto bendits kneeto thesportrtment,whilebeingled around bythe

by theirpartnersin SANZAR.dit appearsto havenoworkableonfor transformation.No amountof ”can disguisethe factthattaking aom itsown boss,SA’srugbynistrationhas beenmissingin action

Rugby’s movers and shakers

ackpagepix

hAfrica’srugbycathedralhadn’tdthe AllBlacksin nineyearsandt gotinreturnwasthegameoftheTheBoksandtheAll Blackswentatmmerandtongs,scoringnine trieseenthem,as theKiwis clinchedyin TheRugbyChampionship.ays somethingfor theAll Blacksheywerealso involvedin theon’sotherclassicagainstIrelandinn

RomainPoite’sinfamouscardingof Bismarckdu Plessisat EdenParkinAucklandwasthenadirofa badyearformatchocials.Insteadof accessto theTMOmaking forbetterdecisions,all ithas

doneis encouragea dereliction of responsibilitywith referees nolonger“thesolejudgeof fact”.From thescrumengagement lawsto

thebreakdown,threewords sumup theproblem– inconsistent,inconsistentandinconsistent

It’sonething tolose senior players,butto

loseso manyin onehit… andintheyearof theunion’s75thanniversary, saysonlyonething:somewhere,someonetookhiseyeotheball

“Failingto turnup”is a phrasethat turns

uptoo often whenit comes toProvince,whateverguisethey’rein,and yetagaintheylosta keyknockoutgame atNewlands.Maybeit’stime theymoveto theCape

Town Stadium

Samoa’sfullbackcommittedone orugby’s no-no’sby “bag-snatchingAdriaan Straussin thetestagainstSpringboksat Loftus.Butthe biggestcensureshouldp

befor theIRB’sjudiciaryprocessthallows thelikesof So’oialo,Ma’aNoAlesanaTuilagito geto scot-freeincidentsof foulplay,whilecominghardon others forlesserindiscreti

mpactplayerof theyear,highlightingZealand’s depth in thecrucialber10 position.The thirdin lineto”DanielCarterand behind Aaronen, Barrett’swalk-on rolesdrewdingovations– especiallyat Elliswhere hiscontributioneectivelytfortheAll Blacks

MoveoverGio Aplon,Kolbe is abouttoassumethehot-steppercrown.TheCape isrenownedforproducing

pocketrockets andKolbethrilledwheneverhe hadball inhand.Here’shopinghe isn’talsocondemned

tothe “toosmall”straitjacket

Grantedtheydid notwin anything,but byreachingthe Super Rugbyplay-osforthefirsttime,the Free Statersshowedupricher teamslikethe Stormersand theSharks.Everyone’s “secondfavouriteteam”, asthe menfrom Bloemfonteinhavebeendubbed,played witha senseof adventure.Theyburiedtheiroverseasbogey,

punchedway abovetheirweightandpushed thelikesof AdriaanStrauss,WillieleRoux andCoenieOosthuizen stronglyintotheSpringbokambit

Facedwith career-endinginjuries,twarhorses refusedto givein, anditgoodto seeBurgerbackfor WesteProvinceandthe Baa-Baas,and Smmakinga miracle comebackfor To

The“moneyball”teamdid itagain,winning back-to-backSuperRugby titles,thistimewithoutSonny BillWilliams.Theystruggledagainstthe Australian

teams butwhen itcountedin theplay-osagainstthe Crusadersand theBrumbies,theyproducedthe goods

Byhis ownadmission,the WesternProvinceandStormerscentre wasnotcoachHeyneke Meyer’sfirstchoice ascaptain whenhe tookoverthe Springbokslastyear, butDe Villiershas respondedtohaving themantleof leadershiphungonhis shoulders.He’sclearlyin chargeonthefield,has a

knackwithreferees,handlesthemediaexceptionallywelland alsojust happenstohaveplayedarguablythe bestseason of hiscareer

Two coacheswho areat theopposofthe SouthAfricanrugbyspectruthroughtheir diligenceand attentidetail,are nowwinners.TheubiquitousVenterwiththe C

Cupon hisCV andmuscularcroonStonehouse takingthePumas intoPremierDivision,witha recordof p28,won25,lostthreesaysit all

ANYISOTSHWAKU and DAN RETIEF run the rule over the past seasonand highlight their winners, losers, rising stars andchangingforces

Chiefs

Cheetahs Jean de Villiers

Lovehimor hatehim,you’vegotto handitto SonnyBill,he’sthe ultimatewinnerinrugby.Afterwinningthe Rugby WorldCupwiththeAll Blacksin2011andtheSuperRugby titlewiththe Chiefs in 2012,hereturnedto RugbyLeague andwonAustralia’sNRL titlewiththe SydneyRoosters,cappingthe seasono bybeingcrownedthe RugbyLeagueInternationalFederationPlayerof theYear.There’snot enoughspaceto listhis

other accolades,butsuceit tosay he’salso gotawin underhisbeltas aprofessionalheavyweight boxer

BeatingWestern Provincein theCurrieCupFinal cannot beviewedin isolation,butit representeda massive stride fromthefranchise’ssplutteringSuperRugbyoutfit.TheSharkswentto CapeTownwitha

planto exposethe low-lyingProvincedefence,andwith CharlMcLeodand PatLambieexecutingwithprecision,the boysfromKwaZulu-Natal strodeconfidentlytovictory

Sharks

SonnyBill Williams

BrendanVenterand JimmyStonehouse

SchalkBurger and JuanSmith

SouthAfricavs NewZealandatEllisPark

TheSharksraisedeyebrowswhentheydecidedto appoint SouthAfrica’smost-cappedcaptainand player astheirnewCEO.“Heknowsnothingof business,”saidthe naysayersbutothersapplaudedamovetobringsomeoneintothecommitteeroomwith an intimateknowledgeof theplayingside ofthings.Anditseemstobeworking– soonafter

Smittookover,theCurrieCup returnedto

KingsPark

TheformerWallaby prop,WorldCuwinner andsuccessfulReds coachsucceededNewZealander RobbieDafter a disappointingrun fortheWallabies.McKenzie’s initial resultspoor buthis“Iam theboss”attitudzero-toleranceapproach towardsindisciplinestartedto paydividendFourwinsina rowon theiryear-e

tourseemsto suggestthe Wallabi

mightbe back

 JohnSmit EwenMcKenzie

SARugbyUnion

Referees

TheBlueBulls

BeaudenBarrett

CheslinKolbe

WesternProvince

 JamesSo’oialo

Victor Matfield’sretirementlefta voidatnumber fivein theSpringbok side, butthesearchmight wellbe overwiththeemergenceof DuToit,who is thegrandsonof thegreatSpringbok prop,Piet“Spiere”du Toit

Pieter-Steph duToit

Sensing theBlue Bullswerein trouble

against theBrumbies in theSuperRugbysemifinalat Loftus,the skipperwent forbroke,choosingto eschewthreekickablepenaltiesin search ofa winning try.Fate conspiredagainsthim,the bigscore

failedtomaterialise andPotgieterbecamePretoria’spublicenemy numberone

DewaldPotgieter

CHANGING FORCES

Aperfectyear– 14winsin14 tests.KieranRead(above)was theIRB Player oftheYear, theAll Blacks weretheTeamof theYearand Steve Hanson wasCoachof theYear.Nowthat’sa blackoutof a dierent

kind!Coming oa played14,won12,drewoneand lostonerecordin 2012,there’snodoubtingthe AllBlacks’numberonestatus

AllBlacks

Williele Roux