SA Supporters club hot seat Q & A: Heyneke Meyer

Bokzine is an online magazine for springbok suppoerters and they regularly get the opportunity to ask questions to important personalities in SA rugby. This week it was the trun of Heyneke Meyer.

Question:Team selection and captaincy, including overseas players, Frans Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Jean de Villiers, Juan de Jongh, Morne Steyn, Joe Pietersen, Pierre Spies, Francois Hougaard, Johan Goosen, Johan Sadie, Steven Kitshoff, Eben Etzebeth, Marcell Coetzee, Tim Whitehead and Ashley Johnson:

Heyneke answers:
It would be wrong of me to speculate on team selection and individual players before I’ve at least had the opportunity to work with all of them, which is exactly what we’re in the process of doing. At the moment, players from the Lions and Cheetahs are with me here in Pretoria at our first planning camp and I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen.

Obviously not all of them will come into contention for the England series, but it’s good to be able to sit with them and show them what we are planning to do with the Boks this year (more about that a bit later).

Next week we’ll have the Bulls and Sharks players here and the week after that we’ll work with the Stormers in Cape Town. By then I would’ve seen close to 100 players. What more can a coach ask for (apart from perhaps more time to prepare). We’re a nation blessed with so many extremely talented players and I’m excited to work with them in the coming years.

I’m not going to discuss individuals, but those that are not playing like they can, will know about it. If they can pull themselves together, I will look at them – if not, they won’t feature. It’s as easy as that. I will pick the best players for the Boks that I believe can win Test matches for South Africa, even overseas based players.

Questions on the game plan, aggression needed at the breakdowns, the difference in the ways teams from the northern hemisphere play v those from the south, straight running by the backs and the use of defence coaches from American Football teams:

Heyneke answers:
Firstly, I need to say that we probably won’t veer from the traditional South African way, which is to use our big ball carriers and play with controlled aggression to get us over the advantage line. As soon as you have your opponents on the back foot, the opportunity is there to attack. We probably won’t throw the ball around and hope for holes to open, but we will work hard to create those holes.

Secondly, playing against teams from the north is obviously different to playing teams from the south, but our philosophy won’t change. In the end we need to do what works best for us to win Tests. Sometimes it will be pretty, sometimes not. But if the score board says the right thing at the end, I’ll be happy.

And lastly, I’ve been to the USA a lot to learn from their various sporting codes (Vince Lombardi is someone I really admire) and we’re already implementing some of the things we’ve seen over there on this side.

Building towards RWC 2015, focussing on the blooding of new talent from the start or rather use older players against England, what do you look for when selecting players, captaincy, our depth in SA and problems with injuries:

Heyneke answers:
I’ve said from the start that while the Rugby World Cup is very important, I feel it’s just as important to win every Test you play in. If you win week in and week out, the RWC will take care of itself.

That is why I’m going to select the best possible team to face England, irrespective of age or experience. If I feel an older player still has what it takes and he’s the best we have, then I will pick him. The same goes for the young guys.

Like I’ve said, we have a lot of talent in this country and depth that would make other countries jealous. Yes, we also have injuries, but that will never be an excuse.

Regarding the captaincy

Heyneke answers:
I feel we’ve lost a lot of good leaders in South Africa, but we still have a lot of good captains remaining. I will pick my team first and then my captain. That’s how I’ve always done things.

The use of players of colour:

Heyneke answers:
I don’t see colour when I select teams. I want the Boks to play winning rugby and to make the nation proud.

Referees and law matters:

Heyneke answers:
I will leave these issues up to Andre Watson and the other relevant people. It’s never been my style to complain about referees as I know they are an integral part of the game. Everyone makes mistakes – be it me, the players or the referee. You need to be able to overcome what is in front of you to win and that is the culture I want to instill in the Boks.

Question about who is the most complete flyhalf in SA:

Heyneke answers:
Sorry, but I’m not going to answer that one now. Ask me again in a few years’ time when I’ve had time to work with the best we have (and let me assure you, they are all great).

The composition of the management team, playing “boring 10-man kicking Bulls rugby (the questioners words, not mine) and using the expertise of Nick Mallett or Balie Swart:

Heyneke answers:
Negotiations with my preferred management team are at an advanced stage and I have faith in the guys at SARU HQ to get the right people on board. I know there is the perception that I’ve only picked guys from the Bulls, but these are the people I know and trust and can work with. If you look at the management team as a whole, the “Bulls guys” only form roughly a fifth of it. The rest are from the Free State, Western Province, KwaZulu-Natal and a number of people who used to work with Peter.

Furthermore, two of the people I’ve identified, Ricardo Loubscher and Louis Koen, are Springboks, while a third member of the management team, Rassie Erasmus, also played for the Boks.

The positives in my opinion are that he is looking at 100+ players, the fact that he will communicate to them what they need to do, and the fact that he is surrounding himself with people he trusts and technical people who he will be prepared to listen too. All those things PDV did not do. He promotes every test is important, we'll see how that pans out.

The negatives if you read between the lines, are that if conservative rugby is going to win it for him, he will play the structured unimaginative, territorial game with kicker that can collect 3 points, it seems that he is going to cling onto experience for all its worth. As far as the quota issue, it is the same response we have heard now for 16 years. I am not sure he will give youngsters the cahnce they deserve unless injuries will force him to do it. It seems the more things change the more they stay the same in springbok rugby.

I think the reason why he keeps the door open on overseas players is merely to cover for the experienced guys, which in my view is the wrong reason.

Interesting read, seems like a totally different strategy to SL in England. This is going to be a fascinating series, who's style will win out? Got to go with SA if they're going to keep to their 'conservative' but extremely effective style. If he's intent on keeping experienced heads in front of young'uns i can see him having great short term success but coming unstuck along the road.

Think this might be my longest ever post and reading back most of it looks like bollix, ho-hum print and be damned i say!

I think most of SA will dispute his player of colour answer as total garbage..... if the player is blou he is simply better in Meyer's eyes end of!

fa0019 wrote:I think most of SA will dispute his player of colour answer as total garbage..... if the player is blou he is simply better in Meyer's eyes end of!

Excellent post there FA

won't be that funny when you see Maisiekind starting at 12!!!!

Now you just had to ruin the moment.

A very interesting thread,Meyer has surrounded himself with Blues Backroom staff.He seems to be indicating that he will play a typical Bok game,[similar to the Blues].That is a Power Pack,kicking half backs,solid defence,and taking the points as they come.Captaincy issue seems at deference to his desire to get Victor Matfield back.Victor was the best Lineout exponrent of his generation,and has hardly been gone long.Since he has gone on record of going to keep up with innovations in the game THAT should be interesting.The fact he is talking to the Overseas Contingent seems to indicate some at least will be picked,past experience with that is hardly encouraging.There has never been a shortage of talent in SA Rugby so why go Overseas.A Squad based on Stormers/Bulls with a few in the wider squad from the other 3 Franchises would seem more than adequate.The Penalty/Drop Goal will be key weapons especially at home,given
the quality of your Goal Kickers there is every chance you will be 4Ns Winners this year.Meyer has a short honey moon period,he will probably get good results v and In experienced England side.Indications from the Super 15 so far is strong defence and Penalties is enough to win against more flowing sides.
BUT come 2013 with the Southern Kings franchise joining the Super15 or will it be 16?
Will the Lions cease to exist,or a Lions/Cheetahs combined to accomodate them
Already Super Rugby indicators are that 4NZ,3 SA,and 3 AUS sides at most are a viable proposition.Frans Steyn will be in SA by the end of NH season, [automatic choice]Burger and Juan Smith ruled out for most of the season.BUT you are never short of loose forwards.Sad about Smith he is a true great,I see Butch James has retired,surprised he was the most capped Bok 10 with only 40 odd caps.I never rated him much,BUT to be fair I did`nt see a lot of him. Only when he was trying to take Dan Carters head off,when Carter did`nt have ball.

alan, burger will be back soon from what I understand, Juan Smith has pulled out for the rest of the year and will only decide whether he is coming back at all next year.

Victor might be too late in making a decision as there are but 5-6 weeks left to the English tour and he is yet to play any matches to gain match fitness.

I am pretty sure Meyer is going to go with Fourie du preez and Morne steyn for the inital test against England.

There is no better opportunity than england to try Hougaard and Lambie. By the time the 4 Nations begin he will be committed to these two and won't be able to experiment with the two youngsters until november.

Frankly The England tests are a perfect chance to blood players.He knows what both Steyns and DuPreez can do any way.BUT we both know he will play safety first because he won`t want to start with a losing series.