Andy Capostagno Rugby
When Geoff Cooke was England’s coach in the glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s, he had a phrase that used to come out whenever journalists believed that a player had been unfairly discarded. “The graveyards are full of indispensable men,” he would say.
It is interesting to speculate whether Andr Markgraaff would have been vilified in quite such an uncompromising fashion when he dropped Francois Pienaar, if he had been able to justify his decision quite so succinctly.
Nick Mallett is no stranger to the well-turned phrase, but he can be as blunt as necessary as well. To wit: “James [Small] has barely played this season and when he has, he has been poor. He’s made it difficult for me to pick him . the wings in the frame are both showing hunger and form.”
Mallett has managed one thing expertly since taking over from Carel du Plessis. He has managed to place the good of the team above the individual.
As a result, when Small and Andr Joubert were excluded from his first squad of the season last week there were some misgivings, but the wrath of “disgusted, Voortrekkerhoogte” did not descend on Mallett.
Small biffing a bully in a Port Elizabeth bar, Small partying uncomfortably close to a test match and Small just being Small have all made the armchair critics of the country love him more, but Small playing poor rugby has never been part of the equation before.
Mallett was right to drop him, but don’t think that the Greenside maverick has played his last test. As expected, wherever possible Mallett has been loyal to his European tourists. Pieter Rossouw is also playing poor rugby on the wing at the moment, but at least he has turned up. Ditto Percy Montgomery.
The selection of McNeil Hendricks and Stefan Terblanche rewards consistent seasons by both in the Super 12 and, you might think, that is that for Small.
But while Terblanche has finished well for the Coastal Sharks, there may be a limit to his creative talent. Equally, Hendricks has shown himself to be a bustler of note, but against the Irish for Boland, he seemed shy of the one trait no wing can afford to be without – pace.
The good news for Mallett is that, if selected, neither will let him down, and each has four games against relatively modest opposition to settle in.
The better news is that a jilted Small is likely to raise his game to the level expected of the Springbok record holder in both caps and tries. Whether he does so for Western Province, the Golden Lions or even the Greenside Occasionals matters little as long as it coincides with the Tri-Nations series.
By then we will know a little more about who among Mallett’s newcomers can and cannot play at the highest level.
What do we really know about Gaffie du Toit, for instance? Siege gun boot, big and strong, elusive at times, a Vodacom Cup-winner’s medal in his back pocket.
Enough to win a Springbok call-up? Not if there were one viable alternative to Henry Honiball in the rest of the country.
The sound of Province supporters crying into their beer can be heard everywhere. They had Du Toit, thought Louis Koen was the answer to their flyhalf dilemma for a decade, and let Gaffie go to Griquas.
Good judges (and Andr Markgraaff is one of the very best) believe that Du Toit is the real McCoy. He may well be, but from the small amount of exposure he has been given, a note of caution needs to be sounded. He has yet to play a Currie Cup match, let alone anything higher. It is not unheard of for great white hopes to freeze in the rarefied atmosphere of international sport.
That is why when someone comes along, like a Small for instance, who plays better the higher he goes, the waste bin should be kicked into the furthest corner of the room for as long as possible.
All of which may sound like implied criticism, which it is, but only up to a point (the one growing out of the top of my head).
Mallett has been more conciliatory about another Springbok icon, Joubert.
He may have read the same Joubert statement that the rest of the country did last year. You remember. The one that said, “I’m retiring before the 1999 World Cup.”
Retirement has been put on hold, Mallett has been told and if Montgomery comes a cropper Juba will be back. The thought is a pleasing one. The sight of Joubert in full flight is one of those sporting memories which keep the chill from old bones.
Mallett has been more radical in the pack. Selborne Boome is an interesting selection although he may not be as good a player as Griquas rising star Albert van den Berg.
Bobby Skinstad is given the nod even though he has not played since breaking his ankle in New Zealand and he, like Andrew Aitken, remains in the squad due to his input on the European tour. Robbie Kempson’s selection at prop is a bold one. He is a talented youngster who can pack on both sides, but has shown a penchant for thuggery at times.
Since Toks van der Linde has placed himself beyond Mallett’s pale for similar indiscretions there may be some double standards being applied here.
Kempson’s inclusion means the omission of Willie Meyer, which is a shame. From being regarded as Frans Erasmus junior in his days with Eastern Province and Dispatch, Meyer has made himself into the very model of a modern tight head prop.
But he, like Joubert and Small, will be back because Mallett, unlike some of his predecessors, is capable of recognising and admitting an error. It is going to be a long international season with plenty of time for recrimination. Be strong, Nick.