The best Boks who never were

The selection of yet another Springbok touring side suggesting the Springbok selectors had taken leave of their senses shows the more things change the more they stay the same.

Luke Watson is at the centre of the latest controversy but his situation is by no means unique for if there is one thing that is true about Springbok teams, especially of the touring variety, is that they will contain surprises.

As far back as 1956 three other loose forwards found themselves in the same position that Watson is now. Many observers thought they should be in the Springbok side to tour New Zealand but when the team was announced in Cape Town their names were not read out.

At the time news filtered down from the selectors (probably at the behest of Doc Craven who, great man that he was, often intervened in selections – normally in favour of some or other Stellenbosch student!) that the trio in question had been left out because they were considered “too rough.”

Put another way these players had a reputation for getting involved in the nefarious areas of the game and South Africa, then the greatest force in world rugby, were keen to portray a good image.

Thus Stoffel Bosch, Ivor Dorrington and John du Toit never became Springboks and, as it turned out, how the tourists missed them when the All Blacks picked former heavyweight boxing champion Kevin Skinner for reasons other than his prowess as a frontrow forward!

There were other massively unfair instances of selectorial dementia – Joel Stransky not being picked for the ’94 tour to New Zealand; Tiaan Strauss being left out of the ’95 World Cup squad; Gary Teichmann being dropped ahead of the ’99 RWC tournament.

So, while Luke Watson ponders what it is he needs to do to convince Jake White that he should be a Bok he can at least console himself that there are many others who lost out for a variety of reasons.

In the times of isolation Calla Scholtz, John Robbie, Wilfred Cupido and Wessel Lightfoot were all members of the first internal Springbok touring team. They played in the jersey, were photographed for the official team pic wearing the jersey and were worthy of being Springboks. Yet, look at the records, they are not.

There were many others who were hard done by. In 1971 Buddy Swartz, Griquas’ versatile two-try hero in the previous year’s Currie Cup Final, was the obvious choice when Gert Muller was hurt while on tour in Australia.

Instead, the selectors called for Andy van der Watt to fly to Australia. I’ll never forget driving to the De Beers Country Club field to tell Swartz that he had failed to get the nod and seeing the disappointment register on his face.

I felt desperate for him but the incident also reminded me of how hard it must be to be in a position where you can make or break some young man’s dreams.

And, having since 1970 reported on this tough old game for muddied oafs, I have seen a good few who deserved to be Boks but never were.

One who stands out is former EP flyhalf Gavin Cowley. He was one of the most gifted footballers of his era but his creative skills were always cast aside in favour of the kicking kings or coach’s favourites; the Snymans, Jackie and Dawie, Gerald Bosch, De Wet Ras, Robbie Blair and, finally, Naas Botha.

Cowley sat on the Springbok bench during both the 1974 series against the British Lions and the 1976 All Blacks but never got onto the field – something which in this day and age of specialist substitutes would be unheard of - and thus is not a Springbok.

And then, in the same era, there was Peter Kirsten. Had he not suffered a massive knee injury the master batsman would surely have been a double international.

Others who probably deserved it but who lost out because of circumstance, and who come quickly to mind, were the former Western Province and Transvaal utility back Schalk Naude, the Griqua and Transvaal scrumhalf Gert Schutte, a raft of outstanding loose forwards Corrie Pypers (Tvl), Pote Fourie (N Tvl & Tvl), Pote Human (EP & OFS) and Tommie Bosch (Tvl), a lock such as Andre Markgraaff (GW, WP & W Tvl) and two formidable tighthead props in Northern Transvaal’s Jan Lock and Free State’s Dougie Heymans.

There were others. Great players who were unfairly denied Springbok colours – especially when you consider some who were picked.