Having found ‘special’ players it is important to develop them
Andy Capostagno
It is traditional for Springbok selectors to produce at least one shock in every squad. In 1992 the first post-isolation touring team included the then unknown Western Transvaaler Botha Rossouw. In 1995 Kitch Christie took a chance on Transvaal scrumhalf Bennie Nortje, although he didn’t survive the World Cup cut and was subsequently banned for two years for steroid abuse.
In 1996 Francois Pienaar’s name was missing from Andre Markgraaff’s squad, but Griquas flanker Theo Oosthuizen’s was in. Harry Viljoen’s first touring squad included at tighthead Carel van der Merwe, a loosehead prop from Boland. Subsequent events suggest an administrative error was to blame and the selectors had really meant to pick Carel’s namesake, Morne van der Merwe of Eastern Province.
Viljoen admitted this week that he was not prepared for the hullabaloo that surrounded his choice of South African under-19 flyhalf Francois Swart. He said: “It was quite a big surprise. I’m trying to build a special squad for the 2003 World Cup and it’s going to take a while. You’re not going to win the World Cup if you can’t identify special players. For the next three years we’re going to seek and find the right players.
Which is all well and good, but having found special players it is important to hang on to them and develop them. There are a number of players who could justifiably wonder what they had done wrong to miss out on selection, but none more so than Sharks scrumhalf Craig Davidson.
Davidson has come right the way through the Springbok system, representing his country at under 19, 21 and 23 level, playing for the national side in midweek on last year’s tour and putting together a string of high-class performances in this year’s Super 12. Everything pointed to the fact that he had been earmarked as Joost van der Westhuizen’s long-term replacement.
On Saturday he comprehensively outplayed his opposite number, Neil de Kock, in the Stormers vs Sharks match at Wellington, yet when the list of names was read out De Kock’s was in and Davidson’s was out. Why do we do this to our players?
Said Viljoen: “Craig is unfortunately in a position where he’s competing and we can only select so many scrumhalves, but we’re busy in a process and he’s right up there.”
This would be a useful answer if De Kock were head and shoulders above Davidson as a player, but he’s not. The other player that this argument refers to is Wylie Human, who, like Davidson has had an outstanding Super 12 but is on the outside looking in this time at his provincial colleague Dean Hall whose selection is apparently based on size rather than ability.
But the season is young and at least Viljoen has acknowledged the presence of fringe players even if he has confirmed that the first Test side to play France will be selected entirely from this squad of 32.
We will learn much more about Viljoen’s vision in adversity than from lllllla somewhat bewildering squad selection.