Resisting the Urge
June 02, 2012, 02:13:56
Heyneke's reign will be made or broken by his ability to see the real value of the players in South Africa. I have often remarked upon this unnatural and wildly erratic views our supporters hold and how easily they are swayed by the media and little evidence. Peter de Villiers made the mistake of yeilding to this pressure several times at great costs. There was the plan to accomodate Bismarck at Smit's expense, the constant retention of Jean despite his flaws, the Patrick Lambie experiment at flyhalf, the Jantjies humiliation against the Barbarians, the constant switching of fullbacks and wings and of course, Luke Watson who was hyped as being probably the best player in South Africa. All of this led to four years of very little development and more questions raised than answered. Meyer must see through the Bismarck and Lambie hype first and foremost and select for substance and ability rather than a hollow perception or for superficial qualities. The English are arriving with a genuine belief of catching is with our pants down so anything but a strong finish to this series will leave us in something of a crisis. Meyer must look no further than 2008 for a sharp warning.
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