Andy Capostagno Rugby
The Super 12 is heading inexorably towards a conclusion and, while the whole country may be looking for scapegoats to explain the dismal efforts of South Africa’s regional selections, the whole country doesn’t have to find a solution. Nick Mallett does. But given the weight upon his coat-hanger shoulders, the big man seems remarkably sanguine about Springbok prospects for the Tri-Nations.
Since taking the coaching reins from Carel du Plessis, Mallett has produced a perfect test record, five out of five. Taking that statistic, and factoring in the retirement or unavailability of Sean Fitzpatrick and Zinzan Brooke, many Springbok supporters added up two and two and produced five. The Boks, they said, are back on top and the All Blacks will feel the backlash this season. It has taken two months of wildly inconsistent rugby from the Stormers, Cats, Bulls and now even the Sharks, to restore a sense of perspective.
Mallett is not happy about those performances, but he is always capable of looking on the bright side: “If nothing else, it’s taken the pressure off.” It has also revived debate about exactly how South African teams should be selected for the Super 12.
“We need to be able to see our top 120 players in action. Everyone is talking about the ridiculous situation with the Cats having James Dalton and Naka Drotske in the same squad, but it goes deeper than that. We should be able to identify our top four players in each position before the start of the Super 12.
“So, for instance, the best four fullbacks at the moment are Percy Montgomery, Marius Goosen, Russell Bennett and Andre Joubert. Assuming they are fit, those guys should be guaranteed a start, and that goes for every other position. I’m not saying that as the national coach I should make all those decisions, but it would be nice to have a say in much the same way that John Hart does in New Zealand.”
Whether or not Mallett is given that power depends to an extent on who, or what, is in charge of South African rugby a year hence. Mallett accepts that the metamorphosis of the South African Rugby Football Union is out of his hands and emphasises instead the often forgotten side of the game, the real power- brokers: the players.
If there is one thing that has marked Mallett out as a coach it has been a fierce loyalty to his players. When we met over lunch in Johannesburg, he illustrated this loyalty in a sideways manner. The subject of fly-halves came up and a recent quote from Naas Botha – that Andrew Mehrtens was currently the best in the business. Mallett began his run at the subject from a distance.
“I disagree with Naas on many things. When he was at his peak he could, by clever kicking, manoeuvre his pack to within 25m of the posts on the left-hand side of the field and then drop a goal. He knew that if he kicked the ball out, Louis Moolman or whoever would win it back for him.
“The law changes of 1995 negated that tactic and changed the whole role of the fly-half. I can understand why Naas likes Mehrtens, because he plays a familiar game, but I will tell you one thing: if you go to every major international coach and ask him who he doesn’t want to play against you’ll get one answer: Henry Honiball.
“It’s very difficult to coach someone to play like Henry because it involves a hell of a lot of physical commitment. He stands so flat that sometimes it looks like he’s running into a brick wall all afternoon. What you don’t notice until you look for it is the space he makes for other players because of that. He also has the perfect temperament for a rugby player.
“You can look at Henry’s expression during a game and you’d never know if his team was winning 50-0, losing 50-0 or drawing 10 all. I remember when I asked him to take over the kicking duties for the Boks and I said I didn’t want it to affect the rest of his game. He looked at me as if I were mad and said, `Why should missing a kick affect my game?'”
Mallett’s speech patterns can sometimes resemble a runaway train. A long eulogy of one of his favourite players is sparked by a sense of injustice over an off-the- cuff remark about a largely irrelevant subject. Perhaps that’s why Mallett’s Springboks seem willing and able to go that extra mile. Perhaps that’s why Mallett doesn’t see any problem in taking on a squad of largely demoralised and under-performing players and moulding them into Tri-Nations champions.
Of course, it would all be a lot simpler if the Sharks’ 12-8 defeat by the Bulls were to prove a comprehensive upset of the form book, rather than a taste of things to come.
The chances are that a full house at Kings Park this Sunday will be just the tonic required by Sharks coach Ian MacIntosh’s men. The additional motivational factor, if one were needed, is that the Sharks’ opponents, the Queensland Reds, are now genuine contenders for the home semi-final that the Durban faithful thought had been wrapped up.
The Reds and the Crusaders both travel to King’s Park over the next fortnight.
So if the Sharks are to avoid the likelihood of a semi-final against Auckland at fortress Eden Park, then next week’s against the Crusaders has to be won. I don’t expect them to fail, especially if Honiball is fit and at his “what’s everybody worrying about?” best.