12 things for Jake to wish

It is a competition that features 12 teams and it lasts for just longer than 12 weeks. For Jake White, and for Springbok rugby, there are probably 12 things to look out for, and maybe even wish for, over the coming 12 weeks and a bit.

1. The Boks won the Tri-Nations last year. Will this give the players the swagger and the confidence to start winning more consistently in Australia and New Zealand? The tide was turned a bit in the past two years, with the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls all winning some games on the road. It is a tall order, for the scheduling does always leave South African teams at a bit of a disadvantage, but imagine the confidence that would be generated if one or more of the teams won three or even four games on the road. That really would mean the Boks could start the new year fearing very little.

2. There are those who say not enough use is made of the Bulls forwards that won three Currie Cup titles in a row. There is a view that the Bulls style is not suited to the competition, and that some of the Bulls forwards are too slow. But if they dispel that as myth over the next few weeks, it could be good news for the Boks in that White would then know for sure that he has the material to dominate the international game up front – and we all know the class and talent available at the back.

3. One name – Butch James. The Sharks talisman was in excellent form last year, and had cleaned up his act. He got injured before the Springbok selection in 2004, but another consistent showing from him in 2005 could just prompt a few nervous flutters for the overseas based Bok flyhalf incumbent Jaco van der Westhuyzen. And ditto when it comes to Andre Pretorius. The No10 in the 2002 Tri-Nations is perhaps the most talented of all South African flyhalves, and hopefully this season he will be injury free for the first time in a long while.

4. Bryan Habana was in outstanding form for the Lions in the Currie Cup last year and scored good tries for the Boks after that. He starts the Super 12 on the wing for the Bulls, but if he moves back to centre he could just be the catalyst Ettienne Botha needs in his long quest for well-earned recognition. There is a perception Botha’s distribution is not that great and that he scores scrumhalf and forward type tries. With Habana outside him he will be encouraged to distribute as well as step. It will be interesting to see how he goes, and White should be interested in this one too. While on the subject of Bulls, and Bothas, let’s not forget Gary either…

5. The days of specialist openside flankers are numbered, or so White says. By the way, Nick Mallett appears to agree with him. But Luke Watson, now that he has moved to the Stormers to team up with Schalk Burger, can prove that a left/right combination, as opposed to an open/blind, might just free the IRB Player of the Year up a bit and make that blonde mop less of an irritating presence to the eyes of the referee. If this happens, Watson might become a valuable commodity at international level, and even White might get to agree. Let’s hold thumbs…

6. Derrick Hougaard? Wunderkind extraordinaire when he hit the scene a few years ago, his star appears to have been on the wane recently. The key for him is the following: Can he play more than one game? The Super 12 might tell us more, but the most important thing is that he gets to play with confidence, and he has always somehow managed that when Heyneke Meyer is his coach. It would give South African rugby a valuable extra option if he comes through again for his coach, this time at Super 12 level, where he has battled in the past.

7. Jean de Villiers starts the season for the Stormers on the wing. My money says he is a much better inside centre, and should be playing there for the Boks. But De Wet Barry is a fine player himself, and is presently the incumbent at both the Stormers and the Springboks. How will this one unravel? I have a hunch White might agree with my assessment that De Villiers is too creative a player to leave on the wing. When, or if, De Villiers does find himself in the No12 jersey, opposition will need to watch out.

8. Continuity, ball retention, skill levels. These have all been problem areas in the past. Even the more successful South African Super 12 teams have tended to fall down in these areas, and no-one this side of the Indian Ocean comes close to a team like the Brumbies in these areas. There was talk of an improvement last year, and the Bulls, with their more conservative game, certainly do hold the ball for long periods. Can a South African team start putting together multi-phase movements with a more expansive style. If they do, White should be smiling.

9. Tighthead prop. Last year Eddie Andrews played there for the Boks, now he is the Stormers loosehead. Faan Rautenbach is back in the Cape, and back in full fitness. But come on, Richard Bands does deserve more than just passing consideration. And CJ van der Linde is extremely promising.

10. Black players. Not all of the guys who won places on the last Springbok tour are starting in the Super 12. But hopefully when they do they will grab their opportunities and show the coaches that they can do it. If this happens, poor old White will have much less of a fine balancing act to do between politics and rugby when it comes to Springbok selection in May.

11. Playing in all conditions. The Stormers, when parading as WP in the last Currie Cup season, made a right mess of it when a bit of drizzle fell on Newlands during the semi-final. The Bulls, to be honest, did not look that inspiring when they played a wet weather game or two at Loftus at the start of the last Super 12 season. And the Boks? Well, they just completely spat the dummy when they were presented with a wet day on their last visit to Twickenham. There might be a wet day or two in the next few weeks in places like Dunedin and maybe even Sydney. If the rain arrives, let’s hope the South African players show something other than tactical naiveity.

12. Discipline. Perhaps the most important aspect of all. Messrs Burger, Watson, James and AJ Venter will be among those eager to show that South Africans do learn from past mistakes. If the South African teams are for once consistently on the better side of the match penalty count, the Bok coach might start growing back some of his hair.