Feature: The cream rises to the top
Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:29
When the Springbok team management informed Pierre Spies last year that he would miss the World Cup because of a medical condition, it must have seemed for the burly loose forward that the world had come to an end.
The pulmonary emboli, diagnosed at the Bok training camp in August, not only robbed him of a chance to play in the World Cup, it threatened to bring a premature end to his career.
It was always going to be a long, hard slog for the 23-year-old to come back and it says a lot for his character that he stayed positive and continued to not only undergo the anticoagulation treatment - which precluded the player from any contact sports for months - but that he has come back a more mature player.
It was a delight to watch Spies in action against Argentina at the weekend.
Yes, some will point to the quality of the opposition and say they were 'second rate'. Others will suggest he looked good because the game opened up in second half.
I would put forward for consideration the alternative that the opposition looked second rate because Spies was so good and that the game opened up because Spies played so well.
Don't get me wrong, he was not the only reason for South Africa's 63-9 demolition of the Pumas - not by a long stretch of the imagination - but he played a huge role in turning up the heat when it all looked rather bleak and cold in the kitchen.
Player of the Weekend: Pierre Spies made an inauspicious Springbok debut against the Wallabies in Brisbane in 2006, where the Boks lost 0-49. Spies was dropped and only recalled following injuries to Juan Smith and Joe van Niekerk. He quickly established himself as a leading light, then came the World Cup setback and now he has once again put his hand up for a regular starting spot at No.8 for the Boks. The team, to face New Zealand in the Tri-Nations crunch match at Newlands on Saturday, will only be named on Tuesday. However, Spies ensured, with his performance against Argentina, that his name will come up for consideration.
Brief bio of Pierre Spies:
Full names: Pierre Johan
Date of birth: 8 June 1985
Place of birth: Pretoria
School: Afrikaans Hoër Seunsskool Pretoria (Affies)
Province: Blue Bulls
Physical: 194cm, 107kg
Test summary:
First Test: v Australia, 15 July 2006, Brisbane
Last Test: v Argentina, 9 August 2008, Johannesburg
Test caps: 13
Test tries: Four
Villain of the Weekend: The South African team management must be concerned about the alarming slump in form of stand-in captain Victor Matfield, who on Saturday even dropped the first ball ... with not an opponent in sight. Or maybe he is keeping his best for the All Blacks. Regardless, that is not the quality you would expect from a man leading your country's national team.
Disappointment of the Weekend: This is almost a case of 'how the mighty have fallen'. A month ago Ricky Januarie produced a match-winning performance, with a sublime moment of magic to give the Boks their first ever win over New Zealand in Dunedin. In Johannesburg this past weekend Januarie produced one of the most shocking performances of his career - including a pass that went straight over the flyhalf's head. Add to that a couple of turnovers and a few knock-ons and you get the idea.
Try of the Weekend: There may well have been more appealing tries, but wing Jongi Nokwe's score in the 34th minute had by far the most significance for me. It ensured that he can now wear his Bok blazer with pride, after having had to hang it in his cupboard for four years because - despite going on two tours - he had never taken to the field, till this past weekend. It came from a line-out - the Springboks went right and then left. Conrad Jantjes gave Nokwe a perfect pass and the tall, slender wing slipped between Rodrigo Roncero and Nicolás Vergallo. He sold a dummy and darted past Bernardo Stortoni for a try.
Quote of the (last) Week: Springbok coach Peter de Villiers was probably trying to be nice to the visitors, but he got it badly wrong in his pre-match prediction: "Those who anticipate a routine walk through ahead of the home leg of the Tri-Nations are severely mistaken." The first 30 minutes looked like the Boks expected a 'routine walk through' and the next 50 was a 'routine walk through'.
What if...: ... New Zealand beat South Africa in their Tri-Nations crunch match at Newlands on Saturday, they will reclaim the No.1 raking on the International Rugby Board standings. The Springboks are currently on 90.07 rankings points and the All Blacks on 89.12 points. A Kiwi win by one to 15 points will result in a 1.395 points swing - dropping the Boks down to 88.67 and lifting the All Blacks to 90.52. A New Zealand win by more than 15 will result in a 2.092 points swing, dropping SA down to 87.98 and raising NZ to 91.21.
Fact of the Week: New Zealand have a better track record at Newlands than South Africa. They have met eight time in Cape Town - with the All Blacks winning five times and the Boks just three times. The biggest win has been an 11-point margin, 29-18 to New Zealand in 1996.
Odd stats - SA v Arg: Victor Matfield, despite having a bad day at the office, won 10 of South Africa's 19 line-outs - nine in succession.
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