B
BokMagic
Guest
Right, this is the million dollar question for all Bok supporters, isn`t it? Are the current Bokke good enough? Cerainly a whole lot better than the rather chaotic bunch of 03, probably better than the class of 99, but as good as the class of 95?
Firstly, well it was a different era back in 95, and a whole different ball game. Amateurism and all that. And even if the Boks of 07 come out on top in this comparison, well that doesn`t guarantee us anything. So this might just be a pointless exercise, but it`s fun nonetheless. So here goes.
Let me first try to establish one point. There`s an old saying- no man is an island. The same is true of a rugby team. 15 highly talented individuals does not a rugby team make. I`m rather going to have a look at combinations here. I`ll use the team of the 95 final, and Jake White`s probable 1st-choice starting XV as a base for this comparison
Back 3- the class of 95 had Andre Joubert, James Small and Chester Williams. In Joubert, we had one of the great counter-attackers in world rugby. Small and Williams were pretty good defensively, good at falling back in support of the fullback, had very high work-rates and often went looking for work on the wrong wing. Both were decent if unspectacular finishers, and from counter-attack, only Joubert was a threat. Defensively, a very solid combination. On attack, less so. The class of 07 will be Montgomery, Habana and Pietersen. All 3 are solid enough defensively without being spectacular, the 2 wingers show a bit less eagerness to go looking for work. But in Habana especially, we have a predator of note. And even though Pietersen is still a pup, he`s also shown an inclination to run from virtually anywhere. And of course, the ace in the hole is Frans Steyn as impact player and game breaker. Verdict- class of 07, by a whisker.
Centres: Hennie Le Roux and Japie Mulder in 95, Jean De Villiers and Jacque Fourie in 07. The class of 95 was built around defense, defense and more defense. In De Villiers, we have a player who can read attack probably as well as Hennie, and certainly read defense much better. And Fourie runs much better lines than Japie can ever dream. Verdict- class of 97 by a track mile.
Halfback pairing- 95 was Joost and Stransky, 07 will be Du Preez and Butch. Joost was one of the most talked-about attackers in the game back in 95. He was watched so closely, that it often resulted in more time and space for Stransky. Joel might not have been a world-class 10, but RWC 95, especially the final, was his moment in the sun. He was the undisputed Bok 1st-choice, and the confidence showed. He won his duel with Mehrtens hands-down in the final. Where Mehrts had the chance to stick over as easy a droppie as you can find, from right in front of the sticks, right on regulation full-time to clinch it for the AB`s, he failed. And Stransky didn`t. Now compare that with Du Preez and Butch. Sure Du Preez probably has the superior kicking game, but Joost was a game-breaker par excellance. Butch might be stronger defensively than Joel, he might be a better distributor, he might be a stronger runner. But his kicking out of hand is very inconsistent. And he arrives in France, knowing that he`s the 1st-choice mainly due to the injuries sustained over the past 18 months by Pretorius. Verdict: Class of 95 by a country mile.
Right, enough about the backline. I`ll get into the pack and the coaching staff by Wednesday. Too much typing isn`t good for the fingers....
Firstly, well it was a different era back in 95, and a whole different ball game. Amateurism and all that. And even if the Boks of 07 come out on top in this comparison, well that doesn`t guarantee us anything. So this might just be a pointless exercise, but it`s fun nonetheless. So here goes.
Let me first try to establish one point. There`s an old saying- no man is an island. The same is true of a rugby team. 15 highly talented individuals does not a rugby team make. I`m rather going to have a look at combinations here. I`ll use the team of the 95 final, and Jake White`s probable 1st-choice starting XV as a base for this comparison
Back 3- the class of 95 had Andre Joubert, James Small and Chester Williams. In Joubert, we had one of the great counter-attackers in world rugby. Small and Williams were pretty good defensively, good at falling back in support of the fullback, had very high work-rates and often went looking for work on the wrong wing. Both were decent if unspectacular finishers, and from counter-attack, only Joubert was a threat. Defensively, a very solid combination. On attack, less so. The class of 07 will be Montgomery, Habana and Pietersen. All 3 are solid enough defensively without being spectacular, the 2 wingers show a bit less eagerness to go looking for work. But in Habana especially, we have a predator of note. And even though Pietersen is still a pup, he`s also shown an inclination to run from virtually anywhere. And of course, the ace in the hole is Frans Steyn as impact player and game breaker. Verdict- class of 07, by a whisker.
Centres: Hennie Le Roux and Japie Mulder in 95, Jean De Villiers and Jacque Fourie in 07. The class of 95 was built around defense, defense and more defense. In De Villiers, we have a player who can read attack probably as well as Hennie, and certainly read defense much better. And Fourie runs much better lines than Japie can ever dream. Verdict- class of 97 by a track mile.
Halfback pairing- 95 was Joost and Stransky, 07 will be Du Preez and Butch. Joost was one of the most talked-about attackers in the game back in 95. He was watched so closely, that it often resulted in more time and space for Stransky. Joel might not have been a world-class 10, but RWC 95, especially the final, was his moment in the sun. He was the undisputed Bok 1st-choice, and the confidence showed. He won his duel with Mehrtens hands-down in the final. Where Mehrts had the chance to stick over as easy a droppie as you can find, from right in front of the sticks, right on regulation full-time to clinch it for the AB`s, he failed. And Stransky didn`t. Now compare that with Du Preez and Butch. Sure Du Preez probably has the superior kicking game, but Joost was a game-breaker par excellance. Butch might be stronger defensively than Joel, he might be a better distributor, he might be a stronger runner. But his kicking out of hand is very inconsistent. And he arrives in France, knowing that he`s the 1st-choice mainly due to the injuries sustained over the past 18 months by Pretorius. Verdict: Class of 95 by a country mile.
Right, enough about the backline. I`ll get into the pack and the coaching staff by Wednesday. Too much typing isn`t good for the fingers....
