Jake knows what he wants

There has been the predictable outburst of displeasure at Jake White’s first Springbok squad, but then we could hardly expect otherwise when a national rugby squad is selected.

Although as always there were selections I agreed with and others I didn’t, the most important thing for me is that it appears in most parts to be White’s team, rather than that of national selection convenor Andre Markgraaff, or anyone else for that matter. Knowing White, and the players he rates, it would seem that at the very least he and Markgraaff are seeing eye to eye in most areas.

In this modern age when results determine whether a coach is employed or fired, that he gets the final say in selection should be a non-negotiable. After all, he is the one who knows what he wants to do with the team, and he should therefore be the one who composes the combination that is best equipped for what he wants to do.

It is of course no secret that in certain areas the Super 12 coaches did not help White. He is a great admirer of Werner Greeff as a flyhalf, but the Stormers player never got to wear the No10 jersey in the Super 12.

His appearance as a flyhalf in the South African A side to play Namibia, rather than in the Springbok squad, can be seen as a sign that White wants him as a flyhalf. Don’t bet against seeing him there in the Springbok team that plays in the Tri-Nations later this year.

That White wanted Percy Montgomery as his fullback, chiefly as a frontline goalkicker, was advertised several months ago. There will be those who will say this is wrong as Montgomery never played in the Super 12, but my gut says it is high time the coaches chose the best players regardless of where they are campaigning at present.

Of course, in both the Montgomery and Jaco van der Westhuyzen cases, it is going to be hard for those critics who did not watch the European Cup or the other British games these past few months to really say for sure whether White has it right or not.

Again, the important thing for me is that he knows what he wants, and unlike some previous Bok coaches, he appears to have been quite decisive about what he wants in the sense that many of the selections were ones that he would have made two months ago.

There are exceptions. Butch James would probably have been the flyhalf had he been fit, which might in turn have made it less necessary to rush Montgomery into action at a time when he has a broken hand. White says Monty will be ready in two weeks, but overseas sources say the injury will take two months to heal.

We will know this week what the truth is, but if Montgomery is ruled out we will see the arrival of another personal White favourite, Gaffie du Toit. I should perhaps clarify that – White sees Du Toit as a gifted player who can enhance his squad, he does not necessarily see him as a first choice flyhalf or fullback (I still reckon he might get to play left wing before this year is out!).

One of White’s biggest strengths is that he has worked with most of the players selected to his squad before. For instance, while there are many who wonder why Etienne Botha was excluded and Wayne Julies made the team, it is a fact that White has always rated Julies extremely highly.

To illustrate this, I will recall a conversation I had with White before the 1999 World Cup. Julies, who had starred in the under-21 tournament, was selected into the Bok squad, with many feeling that there were political reasons for this.

When this was put to White during a stroll down the corridors of SA Rugby, White responded that not only was Julies not a token, but if Nick Mallett knew what was good for him he would consider Julies for his first choice starting lineup at the World Cup. Considering that an inform Robbie Fleck and Pieter Muller were then the centres, that was quite a statement.

Not that Julies should start. De Wet Barry underlined once and for all against the Crusaders in the Super 12 semi-final why he is considered the best inside centre currently playing (when Jean de Villiers returns from injury this might change) and if White can work on Barry’s passing game (there are times when it seems he doesn’t have one) he could yet cement the No12 jersey as his own for some time to come.

There are several other players in the squad that White has been instrumental in bringing through, with scrumhalf Fourie du Preez (2002 under-21 player) and Schalk Burger (2003 under-21 skipper) being the most obvious. White also worked with Barry at the 1999 under-21 tournament, while Pedrie Wannenburg, perhaps the surprise and most incongruous of the selections at No8, also played for him in the winning 2003 team.

For my money, another White prodigy, Juan Smith, would be better suited to No8, with Wannenburg a better No7 or even lock.

The thing that White can boast that previous national coaches couldn’t is his intimate knowledge of the young talent coming through. For instance while Jacque Fourie may not have played for him, White would have watched him at schools level and will have a good idea of what he can and cannot do.

Down in Durban they may be a bit shocked at the omission of Henno Mentz, but I have always felt that Mentz has a bit of work to do on his off the ball play before he can be seriously considered as a Springbok.

Talking of Natal, Craig Davidson is a fine Super 12 player and does wonders for the Sharks at that level. I have never been sure whether he would fit into the game that White intends playing, and the coach obviously feels the same. Would he have been selected had James been fit? It’s a moot point.

White places a high premium on having a scrumhalf who can clear quickly, so it would appear that Neil de Kock, despite not making the squad on this occasion, may still come into the reckoning later on. His selection to the SA A side to play Namibia seems to confirm this.

On the subject of Luke Watson, White has made his feelings on specialist openside flankers known before. Had Corne Krige been available he too might have missed out for the simple reason that White believes in players who have more allround attributes, and in this case both Burger and Joe van Niekerk can fit that bill.

It may also be fair to say that while Watson started the season well, he did not exactly set the world alight in the latter stages of the Super 12, and might have benefited had his coach Kevin Putt found a gap somewhere to give him a rest.

Contrary to some opinion in the media, there is a healthy balance in White’s squad between players who have done well in the Super 12 and those who he has selected because he knows what they are capable of.

Van Niekerk falls into the latter category, and given the dearth of dynamic multi-skilled loose-forwards that were available (is Bob Skinstad going to come back into the reckoning later on?), White is right to think the next four weeks can be used constructively to get Van Niekerk match fit. Faan Rautenbach is another who does not have a question mark over his ability, just his fitness (I would still have chosen Richard Bands).

With regards to the former class of player, it is unlikely Eddie Andrews figured in any of the teams that White discussed when he was interviewed for the job. Andrews earned his spurs in the Super 12, and his ability to play both sides of the scrum might have helped his selection.

Quinton Davids too was not really the shining light among the locks at the end of the last Currie Cup season, and it was right that he never made the World Cup squad in 2003, but he appears to have got his act together in the Super 12.

On the other hand, Juan Smith was not the best South African loose-forward in the Super 12, but White knows what he can do as he has coached him before.

Having said all that, the proof of the pudding, as they say, will be in the eating. If Van Niekerk is crocked because he has been pushed back too soon, then White will rightly be criticised for rushing what could have been done more slowly. Do we really need Big Joe for the Irish tests when he has no match fitness, or should we be looking to play him in the Tri-Nations instead? It is a risk.

I would also have gone for Jacque Cronje ahead of Wannenburg for the reasons outlined above (Wannenburg is not a No8), and if De Kock has the quickest and most decisive service among the scrumhalves, then he should be in the squad (I must admit I have not been that impressed with De Kock’s form just lately, however).

Gary Botha surely did enough in the Super 12 to earn selection, and if not then the job should have gone to Pieter Dixon.