Zeena Isaacs
5 November 2009
Johannesburg — LEADING sports scientist Tim Noakes warned yesterday that the Springboks run the risk of not defending their world title if they fail to manage their six key players properly in the run-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Noakes singled out captain John Smit, flyhalf Morné Steyn, scrumhalf Fourie du Preez, locks Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha and wing Bryan Habana as key figures in keeping alive the Boks' hopes of winning back-to-back World Cup titles.
Failure to do so, he said, would cost the team dearly.
Noakes worked closely with 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach Jake White in the lead-up to the spectacle in France to ensure the 15 first- choice players were in the best physical condition during the series.
"You need these guys rested, motivated, uninjured and in peak physical condition when it counts most," said Noakes. "This wins a World Cup for you. Without them we can't do it."
Bok conditioning coach Neels Liebel agreed wholeheartedly and said the players Noakes singled out were irreplaceable in the set-up.
"Guys like John, Victor and Juan (Smith) have another two years in them, but they need to be managed properly," said Liebel. "There aren't players walking around who can replace them. There may be some good players out there, but these players are special."
He said Smit's inspirational leadership made it even more important to have him fit for the tournament.
"John's captaincy is very important," said Liebel. "He is magic. Not only does he have the experience of captaining a team in a World Cup, he knows how to keep the guys calm under pressure."
Noakes cited alarming statistics of the game time some of the top Springboks have had in the past few years, with hooker Bismarck du Plessis setting a record in South African rugby with 2442 minutes this year alone.
He also displayed performance patterns in which most players suffered serious injuries after a draining year with lots of game time.
Springbok fullback Conrad Jantjes, flank Schalk Burger and lock Andries Bekker were among the players in this category, while Du Preez, Steyn, Matfield, Botha and flank Heinrich Brussow could take the same road before the World Cup if their load is not reduced.
Noakes said that the light training at the Springbok camp compared to the provincial unions has been a saving grace for the national players in the past few years.
"What is saving these guys is that they are not training very hard at the Boks," he said. "It is the provinces working them into the ground. Some provinces expect these guys to put in 500 minutes of training a week."
He said the challenge this group of Springbok players faced was to ensure that they were not "a year too old" in 2011.
Liebel, however, said the Bok management planned to pull out the top national players from all competitions after next year's Tri- Nations to allow them to rest and get them into peak physical condition ahead of the 2011 season. Talented young players will be called up to the national squad for the year-end tour to groom them for international rugby after the World Cup.
Meanwhile, the South African team taking on Leicester at Welford Road tomorrow arrived in London yesterday in high spirits.
"The mood in the camp is positive and the players are determined to get the tour off to a good start," said coach Dick Muir.
"The new guys are full of enthusiasm and I hope this reflects in their performance on Friday.
"Although the Tigers have lost a few of their top players to the England squad, they have good depth and will be tough opponents."
In another development, the Cheetahs confirmed yesterday that Brussow would see out his contract with the Free State Rugby Union next year following rumours that the Sharks had made him a lucrative offer and were willing to buy him out of his contract.
isaacsz@bdfm.co.za
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