26-02-2007, 04:12 PM
[COLOR="Navy"]Some of the spark is returning to Springbok coach Jake White's voice, and the reason he is smiling again is all down to what he has seen in the first three week's of the Super 14.
White was in Namibia when contacted by the Weekend Argus, but he has been watching the Super 14 action closely and with every passing week he is becoming more confident about the Springbok chances of doing well in the World Cup in France in September.
"At the Sanzar conference last December, when they announced the 'tweaks' to the laws, guys like John Mitchell (former All Black coach) remarked that it would suit South Africa, and I must say, it appears to be turning out like that," said White.
"This applies particularly to the scrumming, where the new rules of engagement in the set-piece mean that the opposition have to scrum and they cannot get away from us, as happened in the past. In some games last year you would have so many tap penalties and other disruptions at the scrums that you would have 20 or 30 minutes where the opposition prop would not see you.
"But now the refs are being forced to reset the scrum, and it means the opposition have to scrum against us for 80 minutes. That makes a massive difference to the game. The scrum is not just a restart any more, and being scrummed has an impact on the opposition players."
It used to be the Australians who were particularly adept at avoiding a scrumming contest, but White reckons this aspect of the game has aided the South African teams in their matches against Kiwi opposition as well.
"If you look at it, we have a wealth of experienced props. We have guys like CJ van der Linde, Os du Randt, Ollie le Roux, BJ Botha available to us. All of those guys have played a lot of rugby, they have been around.
"And most of the South African teams are scrumming well. It has been a big part of the Lions' success, and the Sharks. The Cheetahs have a lot of depth when it comes to front row and of course the Bulls have always scrummed well. In other aspects of the game, like the tackle ball, the changes have also helped us."
White, in a pre-season interview, called on the South African teams to work on their defensive effort as this would be of crucial importance to World Cup success, and so far he reckons the players and the coaches have delivered.
"It is really good to see the opposing teams having to work hard to break down our defences. Admittedly the law tweaks, and the greater emphasis the referees are paying to certain aspects, may have helped, as we are not the only teams involved in tight, low scoring games.
"But it is definitely a big step forward for us that teams are not just running through us. Defences seem a lot more organised, more attention is being paid to defensive system. Instead of opposition teams scoring bonus points against us, we are now scoring four tries or more."
White took some stick last year for his decision to rest nationally contracted players in the Currie Cup, but he reckons the early rounds have vindicated this decision.
"I don't think it is a coincidence that Percy Montgomery is suddenly playing as well again as he has at any stage of his career. I don't think it is a coincidence Fourie du Preez last week won a man-of-the-match award, that Jaques Fourie has won a man-of-the-match award.
"As Professor Tim Noakes says, there are always some benefits and some things you give away when you give the guys a long rest. Some of the guys may have come back a bit rusty, but those who sat out the Currie Cup are now all playing top rugby and they are gaining their sharpness.
"I must take my hat off too to the Super 14 coaches. They are starting to rotate the players, as I requested them to. John Smit didn't start last week, CJ is playing mainly off the bench, all of these selections aid the national cause and will help us in the buildup to the World Cup."
One player who has not been rested so far is Schalk Burger, but White says he is not concerned that the Springbok loose-forward kingpin is playing in every game.
"That is something that the coaches have to play by ear. Remember, Schalk was out for a big proportion of last year, so there cannot be complaints at the moment that he is fatigued. For him it should at this stage be more about regaining momentum, and that comes from playing," said White.
The most important thing though for White is that even at this early stage of the season, top South African players are breaking psychological barriers which will hold them in good stead for the World Cup.
"Most of the teams have scored victories against good opposition. The All Blacks are not playing, and we must not forget that, but it must have been a tremendous boost for the guys in the Lions side to beat the Crusaders, and likewise the Cheetahs to beat the Waratahs. Those teams are semi-finalists most years."[/COLOR]
White was in Namibia when contacted by the Weekend Argus, but he has been watching the Super 14 action closely and with every passing week he is becoming more confident about the Springbok chances of doing well in the World Cup in France in September.
"At the Sanzar conference last December, when they announced the 'tweaks' to the laws, guys like John Mitchell (former All Black coach) remarked that it would suit South Africa, and I must say, it appears to be turning out like that," said White.
"This applies particularly to the scrumming, where the new rules of engagement in the set-piece mean that the opposition have to scrum and they cannot get away from us, as happened in the past. In some games last year you would have so many tap penalties and other disruptions at the scrums that you would have 20 or 30 minutes where the opposition prop would not see you.
"But now the refs are being forced to reset the scrum, and it means the opposition have to scrum against us for 80 minutes. That makes a massive difference to the game. The scrum is not just a restart any more, and being scrummed has an impact on the opposition players."
It used to be the Australians who were particularly adept at avoiding a scrumming contest, but White reckons this aspect of the game has aided the South African teams in their matches against Kiwi opposition as well.
"If you look at it, we have a wealth of experienced props. We have guys like CJ van der Linde, Os du Randt, Ollie le Roux, BJ Botha available to us. All of those guys have played a lot of rugby, they have been around.
"And most of the South African teams are scrumming well. It has been a big part of the Lions' success, and the Sharks. The Cheetahs have a lot of depth when it comes to front row and of course the Bulls have always scrummed well. In other aspects of the game, like the tackle ball, the changes have also helped us."
White, in a pre-season interview, called on the South African teams to work on their defensive effort as this would be of crucial importance to World Cup success, and so far he reckons the players and the coaches have delivered.
"It is really good to see the opposing teams having to work hard to break down our defences. Admittedly the law tweaks, and the greater emphasis the referees are paying to certain aspects, may have helped, as we are not the only teams involved in tight, low scoring games.
"But it is definitely a big step forward for us that teams are not just running through us. Defences seem a lot more organised, more attention is being paid to defensive system. Instead of opposition teams scoring bonus points against us, we are now scoring four tries or more."
White took some stick last year for his decision to rest nationally contracted players in the Currie Cup, but he reckons the early rounds have vindicated this decision.
"I don't think it is a coincidence that Percy Montgomery is suddenly playing as well again as he has at any stage of his career. I don't think it is a coincidence Fourie du Preez last week won a man-of-the-match award, that Jaques Fourie has won a man-of-the-match award.
"As Professor Tim Noakes says, there are always some benefits and some things you give away when you give the guys a long rest. Some of the guys may have come back a bit rusty, but those who sat out the Currie Cup are now all playing top rugby and they are gaining their sharpness.
"I must take my hat off too to the Super 14 coaches. They are starting to rotate the players, as I requested them to. John Smit didn't start last week, CJ is playing mainly off the bench, all of these selections aid the national cause and will help us in the buildup to the World Cup."
One player who has not been rested so far is Schalk Burger, but White says he is not concerned that the Springbok loose-forward kingpin is playing in every game.
"That is something that the coaches have to play by ear. Remember, Schalk was out for a big proportion of last year, so there cannot be complaints at the moment that he is fatigued. For him it should at this stage be more about regaining momentum, and that comes from playing," said White.
The most important thing though for White is that even at this early stage of the season, top South African players are breaking psychological barriers which will hold them in good stead for the World Cup.
"Most of the teams have scored victories against good opposition. The All Blacks are not playing, and we must not forget that, but it must have been a tremendous boost for the guys in the Lions side to beat the Crusaders, and likewise the Cheetahs to beat the Waratahs. Those teams are semi-finalists most years."[/COLOR]