One win does not make a tour

John Smit and his Springboks managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat for coach Jake White in the second test against England but does this win really signal that all is well with the state of South Africa’s rugby or our preparation for next year’s World Cup?

The win, inspired by André Pretorius’s four dropped goals, has prompted many “what do you say nows,” “I told you so’s” and much talk, from the travelling Press, about how White’s squad “has been grown” ahead of next year’s high noon in France; now just nine months away.

But “grown” does not necessarily mean “improved,” while I hesitate to attach too much importance to a backs-to-the-wall, do-or-die victory against a palpably bad England side with massive problems of their own.

Talk of having gained a psychological advantage and having England “at our mercy” seems not to take into account that the English will not be our only opponents in France while papering over the realities of a dreadful and haphazard season.

The fact is that we lost five of the 12 internationals played while conceding a record 49-0 defeat to the Wallabies, being thrashed by France (36-26 at Newlands), twice by New Zealand (35-17 in Wellington and 45-26 in Pretoria) and miserably to Ireland (32-15) in Dublin.

The best two wins, 21-20 against an All Black team with one foot on the plane in Rustenburg and now against England (25-14), were achieved against a backdrop of desperation – a formula that can hardly be expected to work in a World Cup where the only recipe is to win seven matches in row.

It also seems to be forgotten that in many of the defeats we suffered this year the players “who were left at home,” and who would ostensibly make such a difference, were in fact in the team.

We are now lauding André Pretorius, as we did after we beat New Zealand at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and Australia at Ellis Park – the same André Pretorius who was summarily dropped after a stupidly selected team (there is no other way to put it) shamed a 100 years of the Springbok badge at Lansdowne Road.

So, one has to ask, do we really know who will play flyhalf for us in the World Cup?

The question can be posed in relation to virtually every position and I’m afraid if there is a plan I cannot see it.

How can there be when you analyse the pattern of selection during the season. There have been injuries, there always are, but this does not account for what appears to be a complete lack of focus.

In the 12 official tests this season White and the selectors Peter Jooste and Ian McIntosh if, as we are led to believe, they have a say in match-day selections have, while picking 38 different (run-on) players, come up with the following:

Five different No 8s
Four different left-wings
Four different No 7 flanks
Four different right-wings
Five different fullbacks (five in successive tests)
Six different No 6 flanks
Four different locks
Five different lock pairings
Five different frontrow combinations
Nine different loose trios
Six different centre pairings
Six different halfback combinations

Difficult to believe, but true. The fullbacks have been Percy Montgomery, Jaque Fourie, JP Pietersen, Bevan Fortuin and Francois Steyn while the No 6 jersey, normally (in South Africa) awarded to the open side or fetcher flank and vacated by Schalk Burger, reflected the coach’s obstinacy with Joe van Niekerk, Solly Tyibilika, Pierre Spies, Danie Rossouw and Kabamba Floors all getting a chance to wear it.

The five No 8s were Joe van Niekerk, Pedrie Wannenburg, Pierre Spies, Jacques Cronje and Danie Rossouw with the irony being that the latter, one of my players of the season, turned in a stormer at Twickenham but was hardly given a chance to properly press his claims as the next lock up after Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha.

Rossouw, in fact, had the distinction of playing in four different positions (4, 6, 7, 8) while Pierre Spies (6, 7, 8) and Wynand Olivier (11, 12, 13) wore three different jerseys.

Only one player, John Smit, started all 12 test matches, and in only four of them did the replacement hooker get to go on the field; Hanyane Shimange against Scotland for five minutes, Danie Coetzee (remember him being brought back along with Andre Snyman?) for 13 minutes against Australia (the 49-0 one) and Chiliboy Ralepelle for a minute apiece against New Zealand and England.

Smit therefore missed just 20 minutes of the duration of all 12 test matches. Make of that what you will but it does mean that we have no idea who would lead the Springboks in the event of an emergency.

In spite of this White and the selectors still failed to include a number of players who could make a difference while another worry must be the falling off of the standards of some and the lack of development of others.

Bryan Habana hit the test scene like a rocket but instead of him being up their with the Rokocokos, Sivivatus, Gears, Howletts and Tuqiris he has slipped back while a player such as Ricky Januarie does not seem to have done much to improve his essential lack of quick and static passing skills which was already evident when he was one of the coach’s under-21 “pets”.

What of a JP Pietersen? He made his debut in a winning test against Australia, one he had some part in, but then fell right out of favour amid whispers about his kicking ability. What, pray, has been done to improve this area of his game? And these are not the only examples.

In the end we were outscored by 321 points to 258 and 32 tries to 22 and my contention is that the Springboks are a long way from being ready for the World Cup and that one win over England does not change the realities we are faced with.

And that this so is not just the fault of the coach, the selectors and those surrounding the team. The problem stems from chaotic administration and unless officials start taking responsibility, start facing in the same direction, start talking in one voice, start putting the Springboks first, I fear France 2007 will be a repeat of Australia 2003.