The Kneed for Surgery

Having recently suffered from a knee injury and the resultant reconstruction operation, it has brought a new cringe factor to my rugby watching experience.  The past weekend in the Rugby Championship sent a special kind of shiver down my spine, when I saw Bismarck lying on the field I *knew* what he’d done and I wanted to cry.

4 months ago, in a far less heroic fashion, I ruptured my ACL, tore my MCL and damaged the cartilage in my left knee. I was lucky enough to have one of the top knee surgeons in the country do my operation and rehab is going well. The only effects of my injury were a month off work, a mountain of medical bills and the end of my budding netball league. For a professional rugby player it may mean the end of their career.

Depending on the severity of the initial injury, time off can be anything from two weeks (for a grade 1 MCL tear) to nine months (for a full ACL rupture). The mental process is even harder, your body has let you down and you have to learn to trust it again, this is easier said than done.  Schalk Burger torn his medial cruciate ligament (MCL) in February and was expected to be out for four to six weeks, it is now the end of August and he is yet to make his return. There is a fine line that must be walked with a knee injury, if you come back too soon you will just re-rupture the ligament. Ask Butch James, he's had 5 ACL reconstructions since his debut for the Springboks in 2001. The shining light in Butch's case is that he did come back, and last represented the Springboks at the 2011 world cup. So a knee injury, or five, does not necessarily mean the end of your career but it does hurt you form.

Taking an entire season off means that a comeback may not be all that spectacular. For someone like Bismarck it seems like high treason to even suggest, but it is a worry.  Look at Quade Cooper, you can see from a mile away that he doesn't trust that knee. It's in the way he hesitates to side-step and slows down when faced with a tackler, there is a moment of self-doubt, a hint of fear and that makes the world of difference.  That’s not to say that he isn’t a great player and won’t get back to form, but a year out when you’re at your peak still has its effects.

As the list of knee injuries grows weekly (the Aussies also lost Dave Pocock to the crisis on the weekend) and I squirm in my seat looking at the tv screen, I wish them all the best of luck for the next round of the Rugby Championship. To the boys watching from the couch not the field, a speedy and dramaless recovery to you, from the bottom of my heart. 

Teams for Semis

I get irritated having to flick between 15 sites to get the team line ups for the weekend to make my fantasy league changes. So here are all 4 team sheets:

Chiefs vs Saders Friday 27 July 9:35

Chiefs
Chiefs Starting 15: 15. Robbie Robinson, 14. Tim Nanai-Williams, 13. Andrew Horrell, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8. Kane Thompson, 7. Tanerau Latimer, 6. Liam Messam, 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. Craig Clarke (Captain), 3. Ben Tameifuna, 2. Mahonri Schwalger, 1. Sona Taumalolo
Chiefs Replacements: 16. Hikawera Elliott, 17. Ben Afeaki, 18. Michael Fitzgerald, 19. Sam Cane, 20. Brendon Leonard, 21. Jackson Willison, 22. Lelia Masaga

Crusaders
Crusaders Starting 15: 15. Israel Dagg, 14. Adam Whitelock, 13. Robert Fruean, 12. Ryan Crotty, 11. Zac Guildford, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Andy Ellis, 8. Richie McCaw (Captain), 7. Matt Todd, 6. George Whitelock, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Luke Romano, 3. Ben Franks, 2. Corey Flynn, 1. Wyatt Crockett
Crusaders Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Owen Franks, 18. Tom Donnelly, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20. Willi Heinz, 21. Tom Taylor, 22. Sean Maitland


Stormers vs Sharks Saturday 28 July 17:05

Stormers
Stormers Starting 15: 15. Joe Pietersen 14. Gio Aplon 13. Juan de Jongh 12. Jean de Villiers (Captain) 11. Bryan Habana 10. Peter Grant 9. Dewald Duvenhage 8. Deon Fourie 7. Rynhardt Elstadt 6. Siya Kolisi 5. Andries Bekker 4. Eben Etzebeth 3. Brok Harris 2. Tiaan Liebenberg 1. Steven Kitshoff
Stormers Replacements: 16. Frans Malherbe 17. Deon Carstens 18. De Kock Steenkamp 19. Don Armand 20. Louis Schreuder 21. Burton Francis 22. Gerhard van den Heever

Sharks
Sharks Starting 15: 15. Louis Ludik 14. JP Pietersen 13. Tim Whitehead 12. Meyer Bosman 11. Lwazi Mvovo 10. Frederic Michalak 9. Charl McLeod 8. Ryan Kankowski 7. Marcell Coetzee 6. Keegan Daniel (Captain) 5. Anton Bresler 4. Willem Alberts 3. Jannie du Plessis 2. Bismarck du Plessis 1. Tendai Mtawarira
Sharks Replacements: 16. Craig Burden 17. Wiehahn Herbst 18. Steven Sykes 19. Jean Deysel 20. Jacques Botes 21. Odwa Ndungane 22. Riaan Viljoen

Give Heyneke a chance to cock up

There is always mass debate about the team selection and shock horror over who was left out, or rather who was included, before a test series. We were all very pleased when Hymen Heyneke was named Bok coach, but were quick to turn on him when we didn’t all agree with his choices.

What people forget I think is that it is his job to win. That’s what he gets paid for, it’s his reputation on the line and in this country, the vultures are always circling, just waiting for a player/ captain/coach to slip up so that they can dive in devour him while squawking “I was right and you were wrong”.  It is logical to assume then that said player/captain/coach would do all in their power to succeed and to avoid the eagerly awaiting lynch mob.

I think we owe the man at least one game before we all gang up on him. Let him show his thinking on the field, the selection that he has made is genuinely the strongest team he thinks he can field (yes, even Wynand) and we should afford him the opportunity to prove it.  

The man's not a complete novice

You can sharpen your forks and make sure you’re all stocked on paraffin for your torches on Sunday when you are free to lynch away, but until then give the poor man a break…

Form is Foremost

There is so much debate about who will captain the Springboks in the upcoming test against the English that it’s starting to visibly age me. Forgive me for being of the old-school, but I believe that form is the first thing you look at when selecting a team.  We’re trying to win a rugby match, not start a political part.

If you were into politics you would chose a leader first and build the party around that leader. If you’re playing a sport, you pick the strongest team you can and then chose a leader from it. A captain plays a vital role in a rugby team, but having an average player who is a great captain is far more detrimental to success as having a great team with an average captain.

The sports cliché that I hate most in the world is “the captain, leading from the front…” while it is annoying as a phase it is very true. Players are inspired by other players, what you want from a captain is someone who will play their heart out and when you see them playing so hard, you are stirred to do the same. Having an older, more experienced, out of form captain may help with the decision-making part of the role but will it inspire the rest of the team on the field where it counts. Remember, the goal is to win.

A player who is chosen on form and given the job of captaincy will rise to the occasion. You don’t have to look hard to see that in action. Last year Josh Strauss was a no name with a very large beard who was given the role of captain for the Lions and has done a fantastic job. Eyebrows were raised when Keegan Daniel was appointed Sharks captain after Tubby-bum Smit left, but he’s done a great job, again, always in the thick of play and keeps a cool head.  The two most important characteristics of a captain are that they play well and don’t throw punches when provoked. If you pick your team on form, number one is taken care of.

Decision strategy can be taught, people have leadership in them, the parts are not as important as the whole. Pick a team on current form, the strongest team we can muster, and then pick a captain from that group.

The thrill of the chase

I, personally, am a fan of running rugby, ball in hand and moving it up the field. Kicking away possession causes a rather unflattering vein in my forehead to pulsate and expletives to flow from my lips. I do understand the need the need for gaining ground and booting the ball obviously has its place in the game. Last Friday night, however, said vein was doing the locomotion wearing leg warmers and making my ears ring. I was watching the Lions play the Brumbies and it was ugly. It wasn’t the score that had my blood doing the Kylie Minogue tribute cabaret; it was the lack of urgency in the player’s follow-ups.

My vein - less attractive than her's

One of the most beautiful plays in the game of rugby is the up-and-under, but there is an integral part of that move that was not present at Coca-Cola Park that night. It is the root of the dog’s obsession with balls, the hunter’s kill, the excitement of finding a potential mate; it is all about the chase. Kicking up field without a follow up is like eating a whole cake and then going on the spinning teacup ride at a fair, it may seem ok when you do it, but chances are it won’t end well.

A chase puts pressure on the receiving player; it cuts down their time to react and often forces a fumble from an otherwise well composed player. A rushed boot for touch that comes of the side of the foot, a blunder of a catch resulting in a knock on or sometimes an embarrassing panic induced slip, can all be triggered by simply following up. If it works one out of ten times it’s worth it. Just take a look at the Edinburgh Toulouse game, it was exactly the things mentioned above that won the game – fuck ups caused by follow ups – it’s pure rugby porn.

I know the term “possession is 9/10^ths of the law” is usually used in regards to drugs but it rings true in rugby too. You can’t score without the ball, it’s not rocket surgery. My message is this: don’t give away possession without a fight. If you kick, make sure someone from your team is there when it lands. If not for the obvious, then please, for my vascular health.