Failures in the Boks' class of 2002

Matric exams for the Springboks are over at last - and for the class of 2002 there were unhappily a large number of failures.

Perhaps it's better to look at it the other way round. Of the squad who left these shores with high hopes just five weeks ago - not counting the seriously injured, only six could be said to have mustered enough credits to pass their exam.

Of these only two were backs - scrumhalf Deon de Kock (before injury) and fullback Werner Greeff. In the pack there were four "passes": hooker James Dalton (for sheer effort), AJ Venter (he must forevermore be regarded as a lock), and backrow forwards Pedrie Wannenburg (flank) and No 8 Joe van Niekerk.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the tour (simply because he failed to come anywhere near his true potential) was flyhalf Andre Pretorius. Yes, he was under great pressure because of the weak performances by his forwards, but where was the guile and flair, the hard-nosed arrogance with which he had handled such situations before?

The Cats pivot suffered a serious confidence crisis and will need to be nurtured carefully back to health if he is to fulfil the potential he once seemed to have so much of.

Going through the backs in the usual team-list order, the conclusions are somewhat depressing. Breyton Paulse is overrated. Given a dominant pack he can be lethal, but at best his defence can be described as "nervously hesitant". Friedrich Lombard seemed overawed, but to be fair his greenness, with time, could ripen.

What made the selectors imagine a Robbie Fleck, who was not fully fit, could be the midfield answer, only they can know. His suspect temperament is more of a hindrance than an asset. Adrian Jacobs on defence falls into much the same category as Paulse. Another disappointment.

Butch James must never again be thought of as a centre. Can no-one convince him that legally a tackle is performed with the arms grasping the attacker?

Bolla Conradie looked to be improving at Twickenham until he was injured, but he too, was a disappointment. Brent Russell remains an exciting prospect, but he was never given the chance to show his worth.

More will certainly be heard of props Deon Carstens and Willie Roux and hooker Lukas van Biljon. But a combination of inexperience, injury and below-par performances earned the frontrow an F symbol overall.

Jannes Labuschagne, Bakkies Botha and Marco Wentzel were sub-standard. What induced Labuschagne to imagine his cynical steamrollering of Jonny Wilkinson was even vaguely acceptable, only he knows. Hopefully, he'll have learnt from those lonely 60 minutes on the sideline.

Pumas flank Pierre Uys was another disappointment, and unhappily captain Corne Krige, though indomitably courageous, appears to have come to the end of the road.

But all is not gloom and doom. Some who went as "boys" hopefully have returned "men" and, as pointed out last week, 10 or more capable players were left at home. The likes of Victor Matfield, Bob Skinstad, Rassie Erasmus, Hendro Scholtz, Craig Davidson, Dean Hall and Stefan Terblanche would make a significant difference.

Marius Joubert, despite persistent injury, must still be the country's best midfield prospect, and De Wet Barry is surely a safer bet than the loose canon Fleck has become. Would Derick Hougaard have made a difference? No.

A sobering thought is that in 220 minutes of football, the Boks could manage only one try - and for those who were on the pitch three times in that period, each received a cool R225 000 extra to spend on Christmas presents this year.

Finally, it's the job of a journalist to ask awkward questions so that answers are forthcoming. But anyone who seriously thought Rudolf Straeuli might resign, has no idea of the broadness of the coach's stubborn streak. He is, however, going to need all the support and help he can get.

Can he turn it around by October next year in Perth? Not many would bet on it. Currently, the Boks look the least technically adept of the Tri-Nations and the original countries of the Five Nations.

So it's a mighty Everest to climb. But that's the challenge: the spur to conquer Everest is "because it's there".