The Tri-Nations begins next week and Springbok rugby is in crisis. With the possible exception of 1998, that sentence might have come from any one of the 10 seasons the southern hemisphere showcase has been with us. Yet its familiarity makes it harder, not easier, to bear.
Springbok coach Jake White may be guilty of playing one union off against another, yet the patent lack of goodwill between him and his current employers, the South African Rugby Union (Saru), is plain to see.
The suspicion that all is not well in the corridors of power was enhanced by the postponement of two press conferences in the space of four days. The first, last Friday, was expected to be a rubber-stamping of White’s contract, extending it for two years until 2009. The second was the announcement of the Tri-Nations squad, due on Monday, eventually released on Wednesday.
How can that be after two previous seasons of conspicuous Springbok success under White?
But the national side has been guilty of underwhelming performances this year. To an extent the three narrow wins and last week’s loss against France can be blamed on troublesome opponents and a plethora of injuries to gifted players. But there has also unquestionably been a glaring lack of ambition on display from both coach and players.
It is also certainly true that White is under pressure from Saru to keep costs to a minimum by not casting his net too wide in the search for players. Yet the governing body must surely understand by now that transformation will never arrive under such conservative conditions.
Two moments stood out at Newlands, pointing to a need for bolder attitude. The first came during a beautifully constructed French try, their fourth, which ended with wing Vincent Clerc handing off Gaffie du Toit as though he were no more than a troublesome fly. Du Toit lay prone for a few seconds, knowing all too well that his error had cost South Africa the game.
The second came in the dying moments as De Wet Barry fielded a high ball in front of the Springbok line and seemed literally at a loss as to what he should do next. Both Barry and Du Toit are 28 and might have four or five seasons of provincial rugby left in them, yet their mere presence in an elite 22 screams foul in this country at this time.
The coach may lament the absence of his injured stars, but he must ask himself whether Odwa Ndungane could possibly have done worse on the wing and why he chose Barry, with all his known limitations?
Rugby’s problems are also to be found in the boardroom. One wonders why Saru feels the need to invite the press to a contract extension. Was the coach getting too coy with his employer about the next phase of his career? Did Saru think they could bully him into signing merely by telling the press about it?
And since when did the result of an under-21 tournament dictate the make-up of the Springbok squad? What is the point of sending Chiliboy Ralepelle to the Antipodes to hold tackle bags when he could be turning out for the Bulls in the Currie Cup, thereby gaining the vital experience his precocious talent requires?
White’s squad has its fair share of players who won the Under-21 World Cup in South Africa in 2002: Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Ricky Januarie, Juan Smith and, until last week, Schalk Burger, to name but five. But even the remarkable Burger had to wait 17 months for his Test debut after that tournament and there is not one of the current excellent batch better than he.
So it is safe to assume that the real reason for Monday’s postponement had more to do with White’s contract than with the vital need to conduct fitness tests on the returning under-21s. His, after all, is the casting vote on selection and it is to be fervently hoped that it remains so for a good few years to come.