Naas Botha picks his Bok No.10
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:01
Deadly: Pivot Peter Grant has been in great form
Legendary Springbok flyhalf Naas Botha is in no doubt about who should be donning the green and gold No.10 jersey for the Springboks on their year-end tour to the United Kingdom and beyond.
Western Province and Springbok No.10 Peter Grant is the man who received a glowing endorsement from the great Blue Bulls and Springbok pivot, with Botha selecting the precocious Grant as his choice for Bok flyhalf.
The Springboks will depart in a month's time on their November tour to the United Kingdom, where they will play Tests against Wales, Scotland and England.
Botha took stock of the options currently available to Bok coach Peter de Villiers for the flyhalf berth - Grant, Butch James, Francois Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Lions pivot Earl Rose and Morné Steyn from the Bulls - and came to the conclusion that there aren't too many clear-cut choices at pivot right now.
"The flyhalf position is a problem and it doesn't look as if South Africa has many answers," Botha told Die Burger.
"But we do have Peter Grant.
"I was hoping Morné Steyn would come through, but he doesn't play consistently well. On Saturday Earl Rose also struggled in an important match."
Grant has been a big part of Western Province's resurgence in the Currie Cup. The pivot has contributed strongly since returning from international duty and injury to help the Newlands outfit out of the doldrums and onto the brink of the Currie Cup semifinals.
And Botha believes that the Capetonian can become an even better player.
"He has kicked the ball a long way in the past. He is able to attack and looks good in his channel," said Botha.
The 24-year-old playmaker suffered a slight knock to his ankle during WP's win over the Boland Cavaliers on Saturday, but he is expected to be fit for his team's do-or-die Currie Cup match against the Lions at Newlands on Saturday, with a semifinal spot at stake.
In that clash, Grant could quite possibly come face-to-face with one of his lesser rivals for the Springbok jersey, Lions flyhalf Earl Rose, who has had an up-and-down season punctuated by a nightmare match against the Sharks last weekend.
Furthermore, Botha was critical of regular Springbok flyhalf Butch James, who struggled for form during the recent Tri-Nations tournament, in which South Africa finished in last place.
"Butch James didn't have a good Tri-Nations series. The little I have seen of him in European rugby also hasn't looked good to me," said Botha.
The former Bok great also highlighted the problem of aimless kicking as a recent plight on the Springbok game.
"The ball is kicked straight into the opponents' hands far too often," Botha lamented.
The talented Frans Steyn has been used in the No.10 position at times this season by Bok coach De Villiers, but Botha was of the opinion, like many other pundits, that Steyn was better suited to a position elsewhere in the backline.
"They may see it as an opportunity to play Frans in that position in a few games, but to me he looks like a better centre or fullback," Botha concluded.
The Springbok squad for the UK tour will be announced in the near future.
