Garth April would’ve wanted to hide in the nearest hole following his first touch of his Super Rugby starting debut for the Sharks in Dunedin on Friday.
His kick off was just too strong and Highlanders scrumhalf Aaron Smith was clever enough to almost do the splits and keep his foot in touch as he caught the ball.
A lesser player may have self-destructed as he was at the furthest point away from home as a Sharks player could be in Super Rugby, and you were up against the defending champions in their intimidating Forsyth Barr Stadium – roof and all.
On top of all of that, your direct opponent is the man likely to take over Dan Carter’s All Black No 10 jersey, Lima Sopoaga, who virtually single-handedly beat the Springboks at Ellis Park on his Test debut last July.
But wait, there’s more. The Sharks last won a game on March 12 against the Stormers at Newlands, and hadn’t been victorious in their last four matches (three defeats and a draw).
Talk about pressure…
Sharks coach Gary Gold then tells Sumo Stevenson in the pre-match interview, when Stevenson asked the question we have all been asking since the start of the season – why it took so long for April to get a start? – that he didn’t want to throw April in at the deep end.
Really? So the situation described above wasn’t the deep end?
Joe Pietersen is a fearless player who never shirks responsibility, despite his size, and is a good guy. But he lacks the special attacking skills to be a force at flyhalf in Super Rugby, and the Sharks’ lack of spark with ball-in-hand required April to have been introduced a long time ago already after Pat Lambie got hurt.
In fact, April should’ve won the No 10 jersey from the start as he was excellent in the Sharks’ pre-season victory over Toulouse in France.
Yet, Gold opted for Pietersen as the “safe option”, and while some were even calling for Pietersen to be a Bok contender as he kicked his goals in the early rounds, the reality became obvious as they drew with the Bulls, and lost to the Crusaders, Lions and Blues.
Even when Pietersen cost the Sharks victory over the Bulls at Loftus by missing a last-second penalty in front of the posts, he still wasn’t dropped.
But on Friday, April answered his coach’s call, and despite the early mistake, the 24-year-old played like someone who belonged on the big stage as he brought the necessary dynamism on attack, out-kicked Sopoaga (three out of six) with a 100 percent record (five out of five) and tackled courageously in the pivot channel.
And as his confidence grew, the former SA Schools flyhalf from Cape Town started taking the ball up himself as well and made a few good incursions into the Highlanders’ defence.
He provided the zest that has been sorely lacking in the Sharks’ make-up, but it wasn’t all just flashy stuff. He had to slot the kick of his life with four minutes left on the clock, a tricky penalty around 15 metres in from touch just inside the Highlanders 22 with the score at 14-12 to the home side.
April took a deep breath and then stroked the ball through the uprights, and the Sharks held on for a valuable win in the end.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, and he did make the odd error. But who doesn’t? April’s display also disproved the widely-held notion that transformation must start at a grassroots level. Of course the government need to help the schools and provinces with sporting facilities for all our youth to get involved in sport, but rugby has a proud history amongst all races for over a hundred years.
There is absolutely no need to “introduce” rugby to black youngsters, as thousands of them grew up with the sport in their homes.
It is about providing equal and fair opportunities for all rugby players at provincial and Super Rugby level, not just one race group.
And even more importantly, in decision-making positions such as flyhalf, and not just at wing, in the front row or among the loose forwards.
I have said it before – our age-group teams are fully representative, but the problem has been the lack of opportunities at a senior level after SA Schools and SA Under-20.
April is a case in point. Yes, he has battled with injuries here and there, but he played for SA Schools in 2008. Why did he have to wait until 2016 to make his first start in Super Rugby?
He was playing club rugby for Durbanville-Bellville this time last year, and was the young player of the tournament in the Community Cup as he guided his team to the title.
Previously, April played Vodacom Cup rugby for the Golden Lions and Boland, before making his Western Province debut after the Community Cup tournament as a fullback last year.
But a week after the WP game, he joined the Sharks after the Durban union offered him a two-year contract that he grabbed immediately.
April should never have been forced to wait so long to make his mark in Super Rugby. And this is why SA Rugby has to push much harder – as they promised at the recent AGM – to properly transform the game.
We cannot continue to have a situation where a team like the Lions pick just three players of colour in their starting line-up on a regular basis.
SA Rugby have to crack the whip amongst the provincial unions and change the mindsets which entrench the thinking that it is better and safer to select a journeyman fullback such as Joe Pietersen rather an exciting young flyhalf such as Garth April.
Imagine what a strong Springbok team Allister Coetzee could pick if all and not just some players were given fair opportunities.
I mean, who knows how many other Garth Aprils are out there…
@IndyCapeSport – Independent Media