The good form of Natal and Northern Transvaal and the demise of Transvaal point to changes in the national team
RUGBY: Jon Swift
THERE was, for new national coach Andre Markgraaff, something of the old good news, bad news cliche in the way Natal took Transvaal apart in the Workers Day Super 12 mauling at King’s Park.
The 49-13 Natal victory signalled a juncture from which Markgraaff and the national selectors will be forced to start rethinking the composition of the team for the coming Sanzar series against Australia and New Zealand as much as it reinforced the current strengths of the provincial game in this country.
And that thought process was not helped by the injury to Mark Andrews, who hobbled off with a wrenched left knee three minutes into the explosive second half.
The victory put Natal into a deserved third spot on the Super 12 log, one place and two points ahead of fellow challengers for a semi- final spot Northern Transvaal. But perhaps of more importance to the image of South African rugby – and indeed this country’s status as reigning world champions – will be the eventual selections for the Springbok side.
One fancies that there will be a number of changes from the team which took the field at Ellis Park last June. This country’s on-going problem has been the second row and Andrews has become a vital part of the Amabokoboko’s make-up in this area … even down to his line-out jumping when playing in the No 8 jersey as he did in the World Cup.
Should Andrews suffer long-term effects from the injury that is the present prognosis, Markgraaff faces the prospect of two tests against Australia and five against the All Blacks with two of three first choices at lock unavailable.
Big Kobus Wiese has yet to play a provincial game after surgery and though Hannes Strydom continues to deliver the truly honest performances which have become a hallmark of his play, he is by no means a standout this season in a side which has truly disappointed on the field.
The national selectors will surely be re- examining the claims established by the superb form of the Blue Bulls pairing of Krynauw Otto and Johan Ackermann, and the return to the green and gold for Nico Wegner who has played his heart out in a Western Province side which has had a far from satisfactory season thus far despite winning their last three consecutive Super 12 matches.
Markgraaff also has other positions where the claims of several players have to be weighed.
First there is the form of Henry Honiball to consider. The farmer from Enderberg has, his place kicking apart, been one of the outstanding successes of the Super 12 series and adds some devastating tackling in defense to a seasoned tactical brain on attack. His two tries bracketing halftime against Transvaal on Wednesday effectively took the gilt off the Transvaal Lions and opened the try floodgates for the Natal side.
Honiball’s claims must have been strengthened by the erratic kicking form Joel Stransky, the Springbok incumbent at flyhalf, has shown for Western Province this season.
There must also be some thought given to the claims of Adrian Garvey at tighthead, a position which has caused more than a few headaches for the national selectors.
The former Zimbabwe international has had a super season and his ball skills and mobility – he popped up for the fifth of Natal’s tries against Transvaal – could add an invaluable extra dimension to the South African pack.
But all that remains conjecture until Natal and Northerns have completed their Super 12 campaigns. For it is in the run-in to the four-team knockout stage that the true character of both sides will be tested to the full.
On Saturday, the Blue Bulls take on the ACT Brumbies at Loftus Versveld. The Canberra combination have produced a new dimension of interest and skill to a competition where they were regarded as little more than whipping boys before the first whistle.
The scoreline in this encounter will be of more than passing interest with the knowledge that the Blue Bulls face Western Province at Newlands in their final outing against a side which halted ACT’s progress with a 25-16 victory, and the knowledge that it was an inspired Province which put Northerns out of the Currie Cup final at the same venue last season.
Natal have an equally tough task. On Sunday they take on the Queeensland Reds combination bolstered by the return of Tim Horan in the knowledge that a victory could secure both a semi-final spot and home ground advantage. Ahead of that is Natal’s final outing against log leaders Auckland, coming off the high of the momentous 56-44 win over New South Wales.
Neither of the South African sides have anything like an easy passage and this country’s rugby public await the next two weeks with as much trepidation as expectancy.