Andy Capostagno RUGBY
Two years ago when the Crusaders came to Durban they were regarded as Super 12 interlopers. They had lost three of their first four matches in the tournament, together with the then All Black captain Justin Marshall, victim of an Achilles tear in the second match of the season.
The Sharks had everything to play for at fortress Kings Park, victory would ensure them second place in the log and a home semi-final. But Gary Teichmann’s men chose that day to catch up on some sleep and a week later the two sides met again in Christchurch instead of Durban. The Sharks woke up in time to produce a thrilling display, but went down 36-32. The Crusaders went on to win the tournament, beating the Blues in the final.
Two years down the line how things have changed. The Crusaders are now the pedigree side in the Super 12, having won it twice in a row, while the Sharks have tried, and failed, to reinvent themselves in the absence of Teichmann, Andre Joubert, Henry Honiball and Ian McIntosh.
There was a poignant moment on Saturday when Adrian Garvey came off the bench as a front-row replacement for the Cats. Garvey was one of the lynchpins of the Sharks team of the late 1990s, but a succession of injuries persuaded the management they could do without his services in the new millennium. Garvey’s replacement in the squad, John Smit, may well be a Springbok one day, but right now he is a long way from the finished article.
Which leads us to the perennial selection poser: youth or experience? As a poet wrote, “What is the price of experience? Do men buy it for a song, or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is paid for by all a man has.”
Experience will teach Smit that the job of a tight-head is, first, to anchor the scrum and, second, to get around the park. Experience will teach Craig Davidson that the scrum-half who gets up to look around before passing the ball is an easy target for opposition snipers. And experience may teach Gaffie du Toit how to play full-back. Against a side as good as the Crusaders, Marshall, Andrew Mehrtens et al, the Sharks youngsters will have to grow up quickly.
Fortunately for South Africa there are signs that some youngsters in the Stormers camp are at the top of the learning curve. Is it purely coincidental that their back line has scored a bucketful of tries since Brendan Venter became unavailable? Or is it the case that 21-year-old De Wet Barry has a big future in the game? Certainly his straight running and his ability to offload the ball in the tackle have reaped a rich harvest for the players outside him.
The most encouraging aspect of South African play in last week’s Super 12 was that some sides revealed the ability to adapt and learn from their mistakes. Dan van Zyl will never be able to take on a defence in the manner in which Joost van der Westhuizen can, but he is a gifted passer of the ball, something which even Van der Westhuizen’s biggest fans would not claim.
And because Van Zyl is capable of getting the ball away from the points of conflict quickly, the pressure on the Stormers backs is reduced. Those blessed with more than short-term memories may recall the days when Robert du Preez had the longest pass in South Africa, one which allowed Naas Botha to stand so far away from the opposition that he was never in danger of getting his hair messed up.
Botha’s response to such unrestricted space and time was generally to kick the ball downfield, safe in the knowledge that his forwards would get it back for him. Stormers fly-half Braam van Straaten does not have the same luxury, but now that he is no longer forced to stand on the gain line and hit it up, hit it up, hit it up, he is revealing a more subtle side to his game.
And subtlety is not a word that has come to mind too often this season in discussing South African Super 12 teams. Nick Mallett, the Springbok coach, had the good grace to say this week, “The Brumbies are playing 20% better rugby than any other side in the Super 12.”
It would be a wonderful thing if Mallett were to find a way of emulating their play in the national side. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Unfortunately, he does not have a George Gregan or a Stephen Larkham at his beck and call, but we can all dream. Or, as Oscar Wilde put it, “We are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”