Here’s a good question: Why are the Springboks so awful at the moment while the Sevens side is so good?
Think about it. We have all bemoaned the lamentable performances of the Boks last season and how, far from improving, they seemed to get worse as time passed.
We kept hearing how wonderful they were in training and yet, when they played matches, even against modest opposition, they were awful.
Compare that with the BlitzBoks. They started the season well and reached new heights in Wellington last weekend. I kept thinking they would blow it against Fiji in the final as the islanders often peak late in a tournament and are so physical and fast. But after shipping that early try, the South Africans ran away with it.
The smallest side physically proved to be the best by some margin. The defensive play was outstanding as tackle after tackle, turnover after turnover and drift after drift were performed almost flawlessly. The defence has improved this season, in attack it is the usual.
Our Sevens side is getting better as our 15-man side has become the butt of jokes in South Africa. Did you see that new directive from Saru? When the Springboks win the toss they will now do a lap of honour! Boom, boom!
Why does this anomaly in performance exist and are their lessons to be learnt?
Perhaps a clue is contained in the remarkable interview given by Seabelo Senatla after that Wellington final.
Here we have the hottest player in world Sevens. He was man of the tournament and has just broken the great Fabian Juries’ try record. Every time Senatla receives the ball you can feel the crowd and the commentators sit up in their seats. You do it yourself when watching on TV. He is a special one, make no mistake.
Amazingly, he had been burned for pace on the outside for the Fijian try but didn’t let that upset him. He was like Bryan Habana after that American wing beat him in that World Cup game. He knuckled down and made up for it with blood, sweat, tears and brilliance.
The gushing New Zealand commentator conducted the interview and asked him the team’s secret. I was expecting the usual clichés and platitudes concerning skill sets, accuracy and preparation. You know the drill. Instead, Senatla’s response was extraordinary.
He said that far from being great players, the BlitzBoks are a collection of average players. He said it repeatedly. “We are not great players and we know it.”
However, he indicated that the players recognise this and play for each other within a great game plan. They have a unique bond and that is the secret. It was an amazing and candid revelation about a collection of individuals who are lauded in the Sevens world. Go through the squad. They are regarded as supermen of the sport but not by themselves. This is the philosophy of the squad that has been instilled by the coach and the players have totally bought into it.
I was reminded of the late, great English football coach Brian Clough. He took, with respect to Midlanders, two Mickey Mouse sides, Derby County and Nottingham Forest, from mediocrity to the very top of Europe and he did it with a collection of journeyman players. With the great Leeds United squad he failed miserably and left after a month or so. What was the difference?
In a revealing interview he explained the secret. The first step, he said, is to instil in the players a sense of perspective about life. He explained that most people in the world do not have good lots. Most battle to make ends meet and in some cases do not even have enough to eat. Some live in countries where life is cheap. In England, most players were from working class backgrounds and had limited, realistic ambitions.
He tried to set up in his teams a microcosm of life in which things are different. People were treated on merit, with dignity and respect. In this little world the players could escape from reality, so to speak, and this motivated them to play to their maximum. Each player had to understand his weaknesses first and then play to his strengths. It worked with Derby and Forest but not with the inflated egos of the Leeds players. He failed with them but was not given a fair chance.
As Senatla spoke, I remembered Clough’s words and also thought of various coaches and teams with which I had played. Many had achieved success with limited resources and many star sides had failed. Success or failure was determined by individual and collective attitude. The question, the only real question, is how is this attitude created? This is crucial.
Of course, the players do have a responsibility but the buck stops with the coach. After all, what is his job? To get the very best out of the talent available. There is nothing else to consider. Regardless of the reasons, if a coach cannot achieve that, given a fair chance, then he has failed.
Saru has one question to ask and one only. Did the likable Allister Coetzee get a fair chance to make his players perform to their maximum ability? They must canvas thoroughly and allow players and staff to be honest with no comeback.
Cricket did it and look what’s happened. Sentimentality must be ignored and if change is needed, it must be made now, not next season. Last season was a disgrace.
Did the coach have a fair chance in his year in charge? Keep it simple. That is the only way.
*Robbie is a former British Lions, Ireland and Transvaal scrumhalf