When good is not good enough

The trouble with South African rugby players is that they’re just not good enough.

It was a thought that struck me last week when I noticed that André Markgraaff who, if the whisperings on the grapevine are to believed, is actually South Africa’s coach, had donned his Griqualand West cap and started to beat the Gaffie du Toit drum.

In an interview with The Cape Times, a paper that seems to have become the mouthpiece of the national coaching panel, Markgraaff said he would like to see the Gaff-man play flyhalf for the Sharks.

It was interesting, too, that my new colleague and fellow columnist Gavin Rich also sensed there was more to Markgraaff’s message than a chance remark in a casual interview. Years of deciphering SA rugby-speak has given us a heightened aptitude to read between the lines. Put another way… we can spot a kite flying at a considerable distance.

Markgraaff’s known predilection for powerful and aggressive forward play has gone from insignificance, in Harry Viljoen’s original plan just three months ago, to a definite theme in “vision 2001”.

Sound tactical kicking has also slipped on to the agenda and perhaps that’s why Markgraaff has put Gaffie du Toit into the equation, for he is the man who made Markgraaff’s Griqua team tick on an All Black pattern based on fast, aggressive forward play and raking kicks to force opponents to play from deep.

Naturally, the real reason for all this Monty/Gaffie/Braam/A.N. Other/S.O. Else stuff is going on is because South Africa finds itself without a flyhalf. It is the most critical problem in our rugby and you don’t need to be a Springbok coach to know it.

Hence my conclusion that South African players are just not good enough.

What I mean is that in too many positions South Africa at present has no genuine world beaters; no players who utterly command their positions.

In the current team I would nominate Breyton Paulse, Rassie Erasmus, André Venter and Mark Andrews, possibly Corné Krige, as the only five who are automatic choices. Not all of them would be shoo-in selections in a World XV.

The problem for the Springboks, however, is that none of these players operate in the key decision-making, match-breaking, situation-changing positions of flyhalf, scrumhalf, inside centre or fullback.

And no-one, to use a favoured Kiwi phrase, has put his hand up and claimed the No10 jersey. Not one of a staggeringly big group has demonstrated incontestably that he is the best.

Thus the argument rages on. Viljoen has plumped for Montgomery. Markgraaff is edging towards Du Toit, but are they that much better, if at all, than Jaco van der Westhuysen, Chris Rossouw, Jannie de Beer, Louis Koen, Butch James, Boeta Wessels, Franco Smith, Clinton van Rensburg, MJ Smith, Monwabisi Mdyesha and Andre Pretorius?

We need one of them to say to Viljoen: “I’m your man.” Not “maybe I can do the job,” but a Naas Botha or Barry John “give me the ball and I’ll do the rest”. That’s why I say… sometimes being good, is not good enough.