15 January 2012
By David van der Merwe
This past week Rassie Erasmus shocked the rugby world, specifically the Western Province rugby world, with a sudden resignation. To most WP supporters and myself this came as a very big shock.
Rassie has been clear that it is due to better offers on a higher level of coaching. He has been linked to various European clubs as well as assistant to Nick Mallet. Rassie has also been mentioned as future Springbok coach and linked to Gert Smal as well.
The Bok position will be announced at the end of the month. Rassie has never struck me as an impulsive decision maker and the fact that he doesn't want to say where he is going makes me wonder: “Is he the new Bok coach or is there more to this than what we are being told?”
I might not be the leading expert on rugby in South Africa or the world, but believe me when I say: “I was not born under a goose and definitely not yesterday.” Even Julius Malema can tell you that everything in this story is not as it should be. WPRU should take a hard look at themselves and decide what it is they want. Professional coaches and players run by professionals or amateur administrators running the Union into the ground?
All this however got me thinking on another level. If Sir Alex Ferguson would have been a rugby coach in the current South African Rugby setup, would he have become a Sir? And truly I can only answer one way: “No, never.” He would not have seen 5 years at Man United if they were run by the rugby administrators in South Africa.
In his first 5 years at Man United, Sir Alex could not manage to win any trophies or titles. Yet in the next 22 years he made the club the most successful soccer club in England and the world. But he was afforded the opportunity to do this by the clubs administration and owners. In his reign as Man United Manager he has won more titles than all the other managers combined.
As rugby fans in South Africa we are very critical of coaches, specially when the team is not doing to great. We quickly call for the coach to be fired and replaced. Remember Nick Mallet: He had a world record equalling run of wins as Springbok coach. Then he had 5 losses in a row. The team was changing yet we never saw that. He was fired. Another coaching legend in South African Rugby, Jake White, got the reigns as coach for 4 years. After two years of mediocre performance he was called back in the middle of a tour to explain this. Yet he won us the World Cup in 2007 and for his efforts got told not to reapply. Just think if we kept old Jake on what could have been.
Peter de Villiers on the other hand could barely address the media properly what is to say coach yet he got treated with gloves. Never have I seen a coach make so many mistakes and saying so many inappropriate things and not get sacked. But this was also not all his fault. SARU should have gotten better assistants and media spokes people to help him. They tried in the end but by then the horse had bolted.
We are quick to blame coaches yet never the players. Some of these guys should have retired long ago and they still get selected. The reason: They have saved us so many times in the past. In the words of Bakkies Botha: “I’m like an old tractor. I blow smoke for the first 20 minutes and then start firing on all cylinders.” If you can’t fire on all cylinders from the get go then you must know it is time to go. And the selectors must grow a pair and tell it to these guys. Stop sticking with guys that is on the waiting list at Golden Acres Retirement Village ans start selecting the young in form players. We are losing these youngsters to other countries and for what? Some sentimental memories of players past their expiry date.
One union that seems to back their coach no matter what is the Lions. John Mitchell couldn’t win a game in 2010 as Super Rugby coach. He manage only 7 games in the Currie Cup of that year and 3 wins in Super Rugby 2011. Yet the Lions didn’t fire him. And as a reward they won the 2011 Currie Cup. Believe me when I say they will be in the play-offs of Super Rugby 2012. But the coach has been given the opportunity.
SARU and the rest of the Unions in South Africa take note. We as supporters are sick and tired of the players and coaches being blamed if things go wrong. Rugby turned professional in 1995. It is 18 years later, should you as administrators not wake up and do the same?
Follow Dave on Twitter @djvanman
