Cometh the hour, cometh John Smit...
by Gavin Rich 16 July 2010, 07:07
His ability to dig his team out of a crisis meant that at the Wanderers there used to be a saying that “cometh the hour, cometh Clive Rice”. In the Springbok rugby context, it could be adapted to John Smit, as it is the captain’s ability to take the world on his shoulders and stand up and be counted that holds the key to South Africa’s chances of redemption in Wellington on Saturday.
The Boks take on the All Blacks in the second Vodacom Tri-Nations test under the sort of pressure they haven’t faced since the first match of last year’s British and Irish Lions series. Since then the winning momentum has tended to be with them, they have been on a roll, and the step back that appeared to be taken on the last end-of-year tour was hidden behind the excuse of fatigue.
But as Jean de Villiers said during the week, the big defeat in Auckland seven days ago, where the Boks not only lost by 20 points but also conceded four tries to nil, had the effect of taking the Boks 10 steps backwards.
With the exception of the big win over France in Cape Town at a time when the nation’s minds were on football, the Boks haven’t in fact put up a complete performance since last year’s Tri-Nations, and they are nowhere near the firm favourites for next year’s World Cup that they were 10 months ago.
Smit played a massive role in getting the Boks back to No 1 in the world last August and his leadership helped the team keep their composure when all seemed lost in the second test against the Lions in Pretoria last June.
It is not a coincidence that it was when Smit was away on an extended injury enforced absence in 2008 that the Boks experienced their bleakest period post their 2007 World Cup triumph. It was his strength of character and determination to get the Boks to play to their traditional strengths that saw them recover from last place in the Tri-Nations in 2008 to sweeping it in 2009.
Smit is the most decorated player in Bok history and it is going to take some work from one of his successors to usurp his status as the Bok player of the current millennium. He has had his battles along the way, and his switch to tighthead last year could not have helped his personal game, but the way he came through it strengthened the legend.
His humility has been one of Smit’s endearing features in his long career, and may be one of the facets of him that have made him such a fine captain. So it was unsurprising to hear him be so honest after last week’s defeat -- he blamed himself for the lineout failures, and it was quite clear that when he said “we messed up” that he was including himself in that “we”.
It shouldn’t have needed pointing out, for it clearly wasn’t Smit’s finest performance as a Bok or his finest hour as captain. But that should be a concern to the All Blacks as they approach this game, for the thing about Smit is his ability to produce when he really has to, to play the big game well, to make a point to his detractors.
Those who doubt his ability to still do that need only cast their minds back over two months, to May 8, when he was such a colossal influence in the shock Sharks win over the Stormers. Smit was no doubt motivated by the fact that he was up against Tiaan Liebenberg that day, a man some critics still feel might be a better bet at this stage as a Bok hooker.
Those who say that are entitled to their opinion, but the last time the pair came face to face, Smit made Liebenberg look like an out of his depth schoolboy. And he can similarly embarrass anyone who doubts him as on Saturday he goes out to show that he is not going to limp to the 100 test mark like some 12-hour Comrades runner, but charge there in the forefront of a rampaging Bok team determined to put the record straight.
There is a lot of pressure on Smit on Saturday, but he is not new to it. Captaining the Boks, with the different factors that come into play in the South African situation, already makes it a unique position among international captains, and over the last three years Smit has also had to be more than just a captain within the current Bok squad.
Smit has proved himself over and over again, and back in 2007 had to even overcome the bizarre criticism of one of South Africa’s own top administrators of the time, Mike Stofile, in order to win the World Cup.
He has consistently shown that he is one of those big men who on the big day is prepared to stand up and be counted, and South Africa will be expecting him to be true to form on Saturday. Failure to do so will intensify the speculation of those who believed last year was a peak for the Boks and that expecting the team that won the World Cup in 2007 to also win it in 2011 is just asking too much.
Teams
New Zealand: Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Rene Ranger, Daniel Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain) , Jerome Kaino, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Corey Flynn, Ben Franks, Sam Whitelock, Liam Messam, Jimmy Cowan, Aaron Cruden, Israel Dagg.
South Africa: Zane Kirchner, Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Wynand Olivier, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Ricky Januarie, Pierre Spies, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, CJ van der Linde, John Smit (captain) , Gurthro Steenkamp. Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, BJ Botha, Andries Bekker, Ryan Kankowski, Ruan Pienaar, Butch James, Gio Aplon.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
Kick-off: 9.30am SA time
Prediction: Boks will be much better but All Blacks to shade it.