Best Centre in the world too good for Boks?!
April 18, 2012 in Uncategorized
Jaque Fourie has been a great talent in SA Rugby and have served his country well over the years. In my opinion he is still the best outside centre we have and I would have had him in my Bok team tomorrow if I had to pick a side.
But when a player of his caliber…or no, if any South African rugby player comes out and say that they don’t want to play for the Springboks, you know there is a massive problem somewhere!!
I don’t understand why he does not make himself available for the Springboks, according to this report.
Yes, ok so he wants to be committed to the Japanese side….but tell me this. Was he then not committed to the Stormers when he played for them, but was available for the Springboks? Was he not committed to WP Rugby, because he played for the Springboks? Was he not committed to the Lions, because he was available for the Springboks?
Who the heck is the Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers to have his undying committment and loyalty when no other domestic side ever go that? I’m sorry, but I don’t buy his reasons.
But whatever his reasons, maybe we are better off without prima donna’s like that!
Yes, Jaque, you were a very good Springbok outside centre. You have the ability to become a GREAT Springbok. Sadly, you are throwing it away for a team that will forget about you as soon as you are off their payroll. And by that time, someone who values the Springboks and the honor of playing for his country more than you, will have taken up the Nr 13 jersey. And you will be nothing more than a 32 year old has been. You are throwing it away.
“Bok jersey?! Nah!!! Keep it!”
uysh said on April 19, 2012
I don’t think he was ever a waste as a Springbok. If so, I would not have cared where he chose to play.
HanHan said on April 19, 2012
Over years I have practised to remember the positives about players and not their shortfalls. I have to because I have been coaching for 30 years at various levels. Negativity is only energy sapping. We all make decisions which will cheese people off, but we do not want that to be held against us. This has helped me to nurture stronger relationships with my players and have them performing at much higher levels. If you’re right about his track record, it means that he has been a waste as a Springbok and have been lucky that selectors and coaches have allowed him to get away with ‘murder’. Why did they play him if he has a dubious character? They should then have addressed that looonng ago.
uysh said on April 19, 2012
Looking at his track record, I think he will not be remember by all for his Springbok performances, but perhaps by many for the way he left the Lions, the Stormers and now the Springboks. If he said he retires from International Rugby, that’s a different story all together. But that is not what he said. I regard him still as the best oc in South Africa, and he could have contributed a lot to ensure the transition from him to his incumbant is a smooth one.
uysh said on April 19, 2012
I’m a bit unclear. Reading this it seems he retired from internaitonal rugby, although we never heard it. It is essentially the same he said in the Sport24 article.
GUNTZ27 said on April 18, 2012
Hey guys I got this from another website, this is what Fourie actually said, doesn’t seem like he’s going to be back in the green and gold. Also doesn’t seem that he thinks he’s going to walk in the team in two years.
The 69-Test outside centre was one of a number of overseas stars that new Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer was hoping to lure back to represent the national team, but Fourie moved quickly to clarify his position in a press release on the unionsportsmag website.
The statement said: “In light of recent speculation linking me with a return to international rugby with the Springboks I would like to clarify my position. I have immense pride and amazing memories of my time as a Springbok representing South Africa.
“After the RWC I decided to a pursue a new chapter in my rugby life and I want to give the same commitment I gave the Boks to my new team Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers, therefore I will not be making myself available for Springbok selection whilst contracted to Kobe.
“South Africa has some incredibly talented centres at their disposal and it is their time now. I will of course be watching from afar and would like to wish the new Springbok coaching team and the players all the best for the upcoming international matches,” said Fourie.
This means that although he could be available for the Springboks in the future, he is effectively ruled out for the duration of his current two-year contract with the Steelers.
HanHan said on April 18, 2012
Ouch! He has become one of the best centres in the world and of South Africa because he has become synonymous with consistently delivering classy performances. He has blessed connoisseurs worldwide. He knows that it is time to call it a day while everyone will remember him for the right reasons. or should he continue when he knows that that passion and ability to deliver the goods at the highest level have started to wane. Let us rather respect a tough decision by one of our top rugby ambassadors than to rave and rant as if he is a greedy selfish mercenary.
DeonGP said on April 18, 2012
Rugby players can only play for about 12 years, so sometimes they make different decisions the normal working man would make.
uysh said on April 18, 2012
If that’s the case, then its admirable and I can accept his decision. Not the way it’s reported.
uysh said on April 18, 2012
True. I think I was a tad overemotional about this… I don’t think Jaque is a bad guy, always liked him. I mean you need to have some loyalty to stick to the Lions for as a long has he has !
There is probably more to the story, would help if we know. The article tells is differently, sort of picking his Japanese side over the Boks. An explanation like ProvinceFan’s below would be admirable.
thegreenman said on April 18, 2012
MU your reaction is a natural one to have to this news. I have said this before, but I think it is always so easy for us as fans to get on our high-horse about stories like this without really having all the facts and, at the same time, choosing to read negatively into the comments he makes.
There is always a problem at the centre of all these scenarios … BAD PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGEMENT.
Anyway, I think he is a great player and, based on the one-on-one interviews I have seen with the guy I’ll give his character the benefit of the doubt. Also, if we’re honest, Meyer probably would have chosen him as the starting centre.
provincefan2 said on April 18, 2012
If i remember correctly his deal with Kobe is +- R10mil a year for the 2 years. Thats about double what he would have earned in South Africa total.
What is probably a greater factor is that they might be looking to start a family, and that international rugby is tough on the family, since the players are gone 3 months in a year. Contrast that to club rugby in Japan, where you are never more than 2-3hours away from home.
If you dont need the money, and you want to start the family, that is probably where your head would be at.
bestbuddy69 said on April 18, 2012
I agree it shouldnt just be done every 4th year, and it looks like Meyer is trying to put the structures in place for that…but the fact remains that players focus on WC’s which means that after each one we have either a large group retiring (matfield, botha, smit, etc) or moving overseas and so affecting their availability (dupreez, fourie, steenkamp, etc). This means that every 4th year the team is forced into rebuilding whether they like it or not.
I would love to pick all these experienced guys overseas (du preez, fourie, steenkamp, etc) but if they aren’t going to be available for the training camps Meyer has arranged, and are only available at most 5 days before the june (players like steenkamp have only had time off due to injury since jan2011 so are hardly going to be fresher than our local players) and november tours (sometimes this does not include some games, as only 3 weekends are condoned under the current irb ruling) and are not going to be available for the entirety of the rugby championship (dependent upon negotiations with their club sides as this falls outside of irb rulings) then why are we bothering with calling them up?
If we are going to need a new 13 for the rugby championship after the england tests, then we might as well play the new 13 against england (all three tests) to give him a chance to settle into the new position before he has to take on the likes of kahui, sony bill and ioane.
rugga_fan said on April 18, 2012
i dont know hey maybe he would just like to take a gap year ; )
uysh said on April 18, 2012
Lol! I think you missed the part where I said “and win the World Cup”
I would never disagree that we need to plan ahead, I just think we should plan more ahead than just the 4 years of the world cup after which we start all over again. It should be a system thing where we at all times have the best team in the world, not just every 4th year. That of course includes winning the world cup. In this particular case we have a situation of just about zero prep time before out first test of the year. We have not tested new combinations and personally I would stick with what we know for the first two tests before I throw all the experienced players who won’t make the 2015 world cup out.
bestbuddy69 said on April 18, 2012
You mean the way NZ dominated between 1987 and 2011 without winning a WC? At the end of the day it doesnt matter how many grand slams and tri nations you win – if you dont win the WC after that you will be judged a failure.
I’m not saying we should ignore results for 3 years in the hope that the 4th year is good. I am merely pointing out that if you dont plan for the future and only act for the immediate results it WILL come back to bite you in the ass. Depth and experience is not a bonus, it is a REQUIREMENT to winning a WC, and if we don’t give these younger guys games now they wont be experienced enough to step in in 2015. Think about how badly the boks played when just matfield and botha were injured at the same time. NZ won the WC with their 4TH CHOICE flyhalf – we could NEVER hope to manage that at present, and it will remain that way if we just focus on winning the next game
Sheriffff said on April 18, 2012
uysh said on April 18, 2012
So we should be happy with a world beating team only every 4th year? I’m sorry but that doesn’t work for me. I want a side who can dominate every year on a consistent basis and be world beaters at the world cup. We need to be unbeatable at hom, win more Tri Nations/Rugby Championship trophies, win a grand slam Europe tour every so often and win the world cup. Not JUST the World Cup every 4 years.
bestbuddy69 said on April 18, 2012
Frankly MU I disagree totally – Our ONLY focus should be the WC, and everything should be about building a team with the goal of winning this. That is what every WC winning coach has done and if we dont follow the same trend we wont have a team ready for the challenge in 2015