The doom prophets, including several well known, so-called “experts”, are at it again. In fact, they’ve been at it for almost two weeks – predicting disaster for the Springboks’ tour of the United Kingdom, which starts on Saturday.
And much of it is because of the inclusion of Ruan Pienaar as the first-choice flyhalf. There’s hardly been an unqualified, positive comment about the move. Hopefully these “fears” will be put to rest at the weekend.
I believe that Pienaar’s selection as flyhalf holds exciting prospects for the Springboks. At last, he gets the rightful recognition of being the first choice in a position for an important tour – albeit at flyhalf and not his favoured scrumhalf position.
The fact that he has been named as first choice and therefore is unlikely to be banished to the reserves’ bench from the outset, should be enough encouragement to bring out the best in this versatile and exceptionally talented player. In fact, he could make the Springbok No 10 jersey his own and become a real match winner in this position.
Being first choice in any position for an important tour has been a long time coming for Ruan – almost four whole years since he first burst onto the senior rugby scene in 2005. He has been shunted around the backline consistently since making his Springbok debut as a replacement at fullback against the All Blacks at Rustenburg in 2006. He was never really given the opportunity of claiming possession of a specific position. This time, I hope, it will be different and he will now be given a fair chance to grow in the flyhalf position.
In June, I asked whether his amazing versatility would eventually prove to be a curse because he seemed to be doomed to warm the reserves’ bench. I was also concerned about the destiny of another talented player, Frans Steyn. Soon thereafter, there appeared to be more clarity about the plans for Steyn, but Pienaar remained out in the cold.
It was worrying and I warned then that a very real danger existed that he could fade into obscurity – like “pocket rocket” Brent Russell who disappeared from the local rugby scene after also being “kept in reserve”. Fortunately, he now seems to be campaigning quite successfully overseas.
In August, Pienaar was released from the Springbok squad to rejoin the Sharks to play Currie Cup rugby and “to make up his mind what position he prefers” (coach Peter de Villiers’s words). He admitted then that it had been quite frustrating not to be given a start for the Springboks this year and for being used in so many different positions. I haven’t counted but I’m sure he must hold some kind of record for the variety of positions he has played in the Springbok jersey.
Speaking to a rugby scribe then, he said: “I’ve played at wing, flyhalf and scrumhalf (this year), so I was shuffled around a bit, which wasn’t ideal, but it was still good to be involved.”
He, of course, prefers to play scrumhalf and in my view he also established himself as the top player in this position in South Africa during the last two months of the Currie Cup season. He was undoubtedly the better of the scrumhalves on display in the final.
But the mere fact that he says it’s important for him “just to be involved” with the Springboks is evidence that he will put heart and soul into delivering his best at flyhalf.
In fact, choosing him as the first choice flyhalf could turn out to be one of the shrewdest moves yet in the selectors’ short existence and he could eventually prove a tour de force. Just bear in mind that he served one of the best flyhalves in the world, Frederic Michalak – a true rugby genius – during the Currie Cup season and some of the Frenchman’s brilliance must surely have rubbed off on him.
Make no mistake, it will be a daunting experience against Wales in the imposing majestic surroundings of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, but he has already shown that he has a cool head and should be able to adapt to the situation.
I’ve always maintained that he has the makings of a real match winner. He has a shrewd rugby brain; his tactical field kicking is superb and can keep the opposition on the back foot; he is becoming a successful goal kicker; he has deceptive speed; he has a keen eye for the slightest of gaps; and he regularly causes the opposition some serious headaches with his sidestepping.
Ruan’s situation reminds me of that in which his father, Gysie, found himself more than three decades ago. He was also shunted around the Free State backline and became an excellent utility player.
At high school, Gysie played flyhalf and was by far the best schoolboy in that position in the Free State. He was one of only two players who did not attend Grey College to be selected for Free State Schools in his matric year in the early 70s (the other was Hottie Barnard, his scrumhalf teammate from Dr Viljoen Secondary School in Bloemfontein). This said a lot about these two players’ abilities because Dr Viljoen, only a few kilometres “down the road” from Grey, was not known for its rugby.
Then, in the Free State trials during his first season in senior rugby, Gysie played against the incumbent provincial flyhalf, De Wet Ras. I remember that match at the old Springbok Park so well. Gysie performed superbly against his more experienced opposite number and came out tops.
Rugby pundits then raved about this “find” of Free State rugby. Strangely, however, he was selected only as a reserve (utility back) for his first match for the Free State team. Reserves were then allowed to replace another player only after injury, which had to be certified by a doctor. As far as I recall, his first cap was as a replacement on the wing and he was later also selected in a variety of positions and not at his favourite position of flyhalf – a situation similar to Ruan’s. He later settled at fullback.
Gysie gained his Springbok colours after being chosen as a reserve for the second Test against South America in Durban in 1980. He eventually replaced the injured Pierre Edwards at fullback. For the next 12 Tests, he made the fullback position his own. This included the three Tests during the riot-torn tour of New Zealand in 1981.
Ruan unquestionably has the right pedigree and if allowed to settle in the flyhalf position, I am confident that he will become a real asset and Springbok rugby will be the winner!
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