With only 2 weeks to go to the start of yet another Castle Lager Incoming Series, Springbok Coach Heyneke Meyer finds himself in one of his most difficult predicaments since taking over from Peter de Villiers. Who will be the new/interim Springbok Captain?
On Saturday during the DHL Stormers pre match warm up, current Bok Captain Jean de Villiers experienced some discomfort in his knee which subsequently had him withdrawn from the match against the Toyota Cheetahs. Sunday morning he had a scope done to see what the damage was and was further ruled out for at least 8 weeks.
Not the type of news Heyneke Meyer was hoping for after already losing many key players to injury throughout this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby tournament.
Welcoming a 36-man training squad to Durban without his regular Captain changed everything the week was all meant to be. Suddenly the Coach had more than just the regular pre-season training and workshops to ponder about.
Luckily for Heyneke Meyer the problem of losing his Captain is not as big as one would think under normal circumstances as the Bok mentor has more than half a squad of players to pick a new or interim Captain from.
The likes of Bismarck du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Victor Matfield, Flip van der Merwe, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Duane Vermeulen and Fourie du Preez to name but a few is what makes the problem bigger than it is for Meyer.
However, on Tuesday morning the Coach and Adriaan Strauss received the news from SANZAR that the Bok Hooker has been handed a 3 week suspension for a tip tackle he made over the weekend on Cobus van Wyk during the match against the DHL Stormers.
That suddenly made Meyer’s shortlist of candidates for Captain as well as Hooker even shorter than originally planned.
Being the topic of discussion around South Africa since Sunday afternoon when the news broke about de Villiers’ unavailability for the June series we thought we would give our opinion on the burning matter.
We have narrowed down the list of candidates to whom we think could be “the right guy” for the job in the order of preference and why.
1. Victor Matfield – Vodacom Bulls, Lock. Bok Caps: 110
Victor is our number one contender for the Bok Captaincy job due to the relationship between him and Heyneke Meyer over the years. The “chemistry” between these two has been proven over and over again and can only be described as a winning combination. Having won numerous Currie Cups and three Super Rugby campaigns together (2007 – Captain and Coach, 2009 & 2010 – Captain and Director of Rugby), they undoubtedly are like twins separated at birth.
Victor also has a presence on the field that calms his players and demands respect from match officials and opponents alike which is a massive bonus to any side in world rugby.
2. Bismarck du Plessis – Cell C Sharks, Hooker. Bok Caps: 57
Although Bismarck is the current Vice-Captain of the Springboks and the leader of the table topping Cell C Sharks, we feel that his disciplinary issues on the field could be a stumbling block for the Boks in a moment where a leader might be required at most. He is still growing into his leadership role and so far so good but he is not 100% ready yet to lead his country at the highest level.
Bismarck has also earned a lot of respect from officials and players which certainly does bode well for him.
3. Schalk Burger – DHL Stormers, Flanker. Bok Caps: 68
The “Incredible Schalk” is always going to be in the mix when it comes to choosing a leader. Destined to be the man for the job in 2012, torn knee ligaments and near death complications prevented the big man from the Cape to become South Africa’s top guy. However, rising to form in a mere few months has shown what the man has in him. Leading his beloved Stormers has also shown Schalk to be a true leader and responsible player at key moments in matches.
4. Fourie du Preez – Suntory Sungoliath, Scrumhalf. Bok Caps: 67
Fourie might not be a bad choice also due to the fact that he has come a long way with Meyer since playing for the Bulls. He was also Victor’s deputy at the Bulls throughout the years when Heyneke was involved at Loftus. Being at the centre of it all during matches he could lead both the fronts and backs simultaneously with confidence and easily direct a game into whatever direction is needed at the time.
5. Francois Louw – Bath, Flanker. Bok Caps: 28
Flo as he is known to his teammates is another leader that Heyneke could call upon if the need arises. Leading his club Bath in England for a number of seasons, already has earned him a spot in the top ranks of the Boks when it comes to making on-field decisions. He is also one of those leaders that like to lead from the front in what he does on and off the field.
So with all of that said and done the question remains: who will be the new/interim Springbok Captain?
All will be revealed most likely at the announcement of the Bok squad on Saturday 31 May and I trust that if anything this will be the most anticipated announcement of the day.
Feel free to let us know what your thoughts are and let’s get some banter going? Remember one thing, as long as the Boks are winning, we are winning! So let’s support our Nation’s pride as one!
