Unlucky No9

Craig Davidson’s absence from Springbok coach Harry Viljoen’s training group for the camp at Plettenberg Bay makes the Sharks scrumhalf the latest victim of the unlucky No9.

The enthusiastic and competitive Natal halfback – to use the New Zealand name for his position – who played such an important role in taking the Sharks to the final of the Vodacom Super 12 is the latest scrumhalf to be discarded after having gone on the previous season’s end-of-year tour.

Others who have suffered this fate are Hentie Martens, Joggie Viljoen, Chad Alcock, Dan van Zyl and Dave von Hoesslin.

The fact that the national coaching panel appear to be completely oblivious to the role played by Davidson in the Sharks’ success, and have instead included Neil de Kock of the Stormers, brings to eight, yes 8, the number of Springbok scrumhalves currently playing provincial rugby in South Africa.

Add to the list the names of Joost van der Westhuizen and Werner Swanepoel and you can see that a succession of coaches have not really known what it is that they want in the man who would understudy the great J9 from Pretoria.

Another of the star-crossed No9s was Kevin Putt who left Natal to play for London Irish but I have been unable to establish whether he is still playing.

Viljoen opined on “Boots and All” that De Kock had got the nod because he was the kind of scrumhalf “you can play off.” The irony about this is that it is exactly the conundrum with which André Markgraaff and Nick Mallett wrestled when they thought of playing Putt instead of Joost during the tour to Argentina, France and the UK in 1996.

After this Mallett also, on occasion, tended towards the notion that Smiley Swanepoel was better able to get more out of the players around him than the individualistic Van der Westhuizen.

I recall a conversation with Markgraaff in the coffee shop in the foyer of the Concorde La Fayette Hotel when I quizzed him about persistent rumours that Putt was going to be picked for the test match at the Parc des Princes and cautioning: “You must be careful to drop Joost and then find out what he means to the team.”

In the end the extra things that Joost could provide – his tackles, his ability to rip the ball free in mauls, his powerful breaks and his attitude – won the day but it seems the national coaches may yet again be looking for a linking rather than a thrusting scrumhalf.

The question has to be posed though: If this is the thinking then why is Joost there at all? Especially a Joost who was not his usual influential self in the Super 12?

The problem of finding similar, settled and skilful halfbacks continues to be a challenge for Viljoen and his new team because when it comes to flyhalf the handing out of colours has been equally profligate.

Although injuries have played a role in the picking of some flyhalves it is staggering when you consider that nine Springbok No10s are presently playing first-class rugby – Jannie de Beer, Franco Smith, Boeta Wessels, Gaffie du Toit, Braam van Straaten, Louis Koen, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Percy Montgomery and Chris Rossouw.

Butch James looks likely to push the number in double figures, but one is not encouraged by the complete mismanagement of the decision to include young Francois Swart in what the public, the players and the Press see as a “Springbok” squad.

Not only were the like of Van der Westhuyzen and André Pretorius sent a demoralising message but the intrigue and secrecy woven around Swart have already introduced an element of suspicion and media scrutiny that could be damaging to his development.

The Monty experiment seems to have been no more than that so perhaps it is time that Viljoen adopted a new motto for every selection panel meeting: “If we pick ‘em, we stay with ‘em.”