HK: What, for you, is the biggest difference between the Bok team of 2008 and the trophy-winning 'Class of 2009'?

GG: "I think... you know... I saw somebody use the old cliché of 'teething problems' the other day and it cannot be under-estimated... It's one thing when a new coach comes in with and sweeps a new broom and brings in new players, a new captain and a new core of senior players. But it's another thing when you do what Peter did - and I don't think he's been given enough credit for this - when he came in and said, 'Hang on a second, nothing's really broken, so I won't fix it'. He doesn't have this know-it-all, 'I have to fix everything' attitude - like some coaches have had in the past - and I admire him a lot for that.

"At the same time, however, he had to do a lot of work to win everyone's trust - I mean, he had a bunch of experienced World Cup winners in the team and he had to win them over. I think it's fair to say it took a little while, but he has certainly broadened their horizons on how to play and some times the pendulum can swing a bit too far the other way whilst trying to find the happy medium. I think the Boks were particularly conservative in 2007, which worked for them as they won the World Cup, but I know Peter thinks that this team has a lot more ability to play a more expansive type of game, and he wanted to experiment with that. But he's ended up now with a very happy medium now and if you look at some of the tries that we were able to score this year, including four tries against the Wallabies Perth, I think you're a pretty tough critic if you think we're a boring rugby team.

"So, to really answer your question Howie, I think it was a teething phase that us as a coaching staff had to go through in order to learn more about the players and, at the same time, instill our own methodologies and our own understanding.

"In saying that, rugby is a very, very interesting phenomenon and not everyone wants to know how certain variables, like injuries, affect things. Without trying to make excuses, last year was tough for us after losing John Smit in Wellington and to have been without Bakkies during the Tri-Nations was also a huge loss. If we had those same injuries this year, perhaps it could have been the same story (in 2009)? It was tough, we were particularly disappointed to have lost to the Wallabies in Perth last year and we lost 19-0 in Cape Town to New Zealand when right up until the last minute it had been a hard-fought Test match. Sure, the results weren't that great, but our performances weren't a million miles away... (but) I think we've just been that bit sharper this year."

HK: Looking more short-term for now - in terms of the upcoming end-of-season tour - what are you goals, especially with those two midweek matches against Leicester and Sarcens having been added to your itinerary?

GG: "If you're honest about it, the 2011 World Cup is virtually around the corner, so this end-of-season tour, and those midweek games in particular, are all part of the bigger picture. We're quite lucky at the moment in that we could basically pick our team for the 2011 World Cup opener right now... But what's also important is our second stringers and what's important is having a guy like Morné Steyn exerting so much pressure on the incumbent that you basically cannot ignore him. At the same time when you lose someone like Schalk Burger, you need a Heinrich Brüssow to just step in and take his place with minimal disruption.

"We really need that type of guy in all 15 positions on the field, so if we lose someone like Bakkies we can - for instance - slot in Danie Rossouw, but then also know who the next guy in line is, too. We need to know that in every position, for instance, who is the very next Fourie du Preez? One of the ways (to find the next Fourie du Preez) could be playing them against teams like Saracens and Leicester at hostile venues, virtually in a Test-match environment and thereby allowing the guys to come together from different teams and to prepare for a match when they will be representing their country.

"Also, at the same time the newer guys can rub shoulders with older, more experienced Springboks - all of which will help the 'pretenders' take the step up should the incumbents be missing for some reason come the 2011 World Cup."

  • This article continues on page page three...

  • Former rugby365 and iafrica.com editor Howard Kahn is the MD of Sports Network. Email howard@sportsnetwork.co.za for all your media management and sports marketing needs.


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