Habana returns to where he started
by Gavin Rich 08 February 2012, 15:20
Don’t be surprised if at some stage of the Vodacom Super Rugby season both of the regular Springbok wings of the past five years are playing at outside centre.
JP Pietersen moved there for the Sharks in a trial game last week, and reportedly enjoyed some success in the position. And now his long-time partner on the other wing in the Springbok team, Bryan Habana is doing the same in the Stormers team for Saturday’s final pre-season warm-up match against the Kings in Port Elizabeth.
Habana has ostensibly moved there as fellow Springbok Juan de Jongh is still nursing the bump sustained to his jaw in the opening DHL Pre-Season Series match against the Lions nearly two weeks ago. But Stormers coach Allister Coetzee is excited about the prospect of seeing Habana play in the No 13 jersey, and he says Habana is also excited to be making the switch.
“Bryan should do well at centre as he makes good decisions and he also has unbelievable pace, he is still the fastest player in our squad,” said Coetzee.
“He has played there before so the position is not new to him. He’s very excited about playing there. Juan is still feeling a bit sensitive and while that is the case this is an opportunity to see what Bryan can do at outside centre, where the departure of Jaque Fourie (for Japan) has left a bit of a hole. We have a lot of inside centres but not so many outside centres.”
Habana’s last start at outside centre in a major match was for the Springboks against Ireland in Dublin in 2006, a game which all South African fans will want to forget as a mix-and-match touring team was comprehensively outplayed that night. But before that Habana played a lot of his rugby for the Lions at No 13.
“He played there at the start of his career with the Lions and it was as an outside centre that he caught the eye and was selected for his first Springbok tour,” said Coetzee, who was the Springbok backline coach at the time.
A glance through the reserves named for the Kings game suggests there isn’t much back-up at centre, with Marcel Brache the only midfield player among the 10 substitutes. This is a far cry from last year, where often there were Springboks backing up the starting centres, and follows the departure in the off-season of Fourie, Johann Sadie (to the Bulls) and Tim Whitehead (Sharks).
However Coetzee said at the team announcement press conference in Bellville on Wednesday that he would be considering Peter Grant as a possible alternative inside centre when the first choice flyhalf returns from Japan. Grant has worn the No 12 and looked good there for Western Province in Currie Cup rugby, though he has never been given an extended run in the position.
First choice inside centre Jean de Villiers can of course also slot in at outside centre and may well be required to do so if there are injuries during the season. In any event, with De Villiers it has always appeared as though having the No 12 on his back is the important thing and often he has lined up in the position and switched with his various playing partners during the course of matches.
“It is true that there have been many times I have switched and when Juan (de Jongh) is fit we will probably be doing that as he also deserves a chance to show what he can do with an eye to possibly playing inside centre for the Springboks,” said De Villiers, who will lead the side in the absence of Schalk Burger.
The regular captain played against the Lions and the Cheetahs so gets this game off. Although he has been away at the Laureaus Awards there has been a suggestion that Burger is being held back from this game so as not to be involved in a head to head confrontation with former Stormers teammate Luke Watson, something that the Stormers management have denied.
As anticipated the match sees the return to the playing field of lock Andries Bekker and loose-forward Duane Vermeulen. Both have been out with injury since halfway through last year.
Stormers team: Joe Pietersen, Gerhard van den Heever, Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers (captain), Gio Aplon, Gary van Aswegen, Louis Schreuder, Nick Koster, Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi, Andries Bekker, Rynhardt Elstadt, Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg, Steven Kitshoff. Reserves: Deon Fourie, Deon Carstens, Siyabonga Ntubeni, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, De Kock Steenkamp, Nizaam Carr, Nic Groom, Burton Francis, Marcel Brache, Danie Poolman.