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In 2011 Pieter de Villiers was convinced that John Smit would be the leader to take his team to World Cup glory.
During this time powerhouse Bismarck du Plessis was widely recognised as arguably the best hooker in the world. His powerful physique made him a nuisance at the breakdown, his ability to remain on his feet with ball in hand and his defensive capabilities made him a sure fire starter for any coach bar De Villiers.
De Villiers was determined that Smit was important to his cause, in fact so important that when he did bring on Du Plessis, Smit would move to tighthead. The impact on the Springbok scrum was not good, the fact that Smit played prop at school was all the justification needed for his continued selection.
To improve his scrumming ability Smit gained bulk, a necessary step you would think as he spent more time at tighthead as media pressure demanded the inclusion of Du Plessis. All for the sake of being on the field of play for 80 minutes.
In the upcoming World Cup Bismarck du Plessis will get his chance to prove why he should have been the incumbent in 2011. At 1.89 metres and weighing in at 112 kilograms, Bismarck is the perfect specimen of a hooker – powerful, athletic and with an attitude to match. He is an experienced player with 70 Test caps and holds the record for the most tries by a South African hooker (nine).
He may not be the fastest or most mobile hooker around, but his strength in the tight loose, his ability to attack the breakdown and steal opposition ball makes him a crucial cog in the Springbok pack. His line-out throwing can be erratic when he comes on as a substitute late in the game, but we can expect Bismarck to be front and centre for the big games.
Adriaan Strauss is in many ways the perfect foil for Du Plessis. More mobile and faster over the paddock, Struass’ strength lies in his ball carrying ability. Standing 1.84 metres, weighing in at 114 kilograms, Strauss is a powerful scrummer, solid at the line outs but can be ill disciplined at times. Few would acknowledge his ability to anticipate the pass, but Strauss has scored a number of intercept tries in his career.
He has been capped 44 times and has crossed the white line five times.
Heyneke Meyer has been alternating Bismarck and Adriaan over the past three seasons, but in my view Bismarck should start every match, the physicality he brings to the tight exchanges provides plenty of opportunity for South Africa to pressurise opposition at the breakdown and slow down their ball. Adriaan is more effective when the match opens up and ball carrying in open spaces are required.
The big challenge for Meyer is to time his substitutions in a manner that adds value, and his predetermined ideas of when he will substitute Bismarck should be shelved, as the match situation should determine when to sub.
There is no question as to who the best two hookers are in South Africa, but selecting the back-up to those two is all the more challenging.
If you were to follow common sense then Schalk Brits would be the obvious choice. He has been part of the end of year squads over the past years, and he is experienced in Northern Hemisphere conditions.
Standing 1.82 metres tall and weighing in at 100 kilograms, Brits has been capped seven times for the Springboks, and he is in all honesty the antithesis to Springbok hookers – fast, mobile, with an ability to step and great hands. Brits is the ultimate team player, he loves playing with ball in hand and likening him to Australia’s Michael Hooper would be an apt description of his philosophy of playing rugby, perhaps a bit too loose and not enough of the grunt work, regardless, he makes an impression whenever he has ball in hand.
It is a bit surprising that Meyer has been assessing Brits, even though it would have been mostly on the training grounds.
I am going to suggest one more player to be considered for the backup hooking position, the reasoning is that when you look at Meyer’s first choice front row being the complete Sharks front row, and his second choice front row consisting entirely of Cheetahs, it stands to reason that front row combinations are being considered.
With Schalk van der Merwe as my third option at loosehead, my third option will go to Robbie Coetzee from the Lions. The Lions’ front row has performed remarkably well considering that it is devoid of bulk, and regardless of his lack of international experience, Robbie has complimented the Lions front row with distinction in the past Super Rugby season.
Standing at 1.85 metres and weighing 105 kilograms, Coetzee is technically very good defensively, has the power to stop ball carriers and has a high work rate. His line-out work is accurate, he’s a strong scrummager and strong in carrying the ball up, he also possesses good hands and his support play keeps him in the game. I rate him highly and expect him to make his mark on the international stage over the next few years once Bismarck and Adriaan retire.
The selection of Bismarck du Plessis and Adriaan Strauss is a no brainer, the third position could spark a lot of debate as players such as Scarra Ntubeni could realistically be included as well, however in my view the next incumbent without a doubt is Coetzee, as he possesses similar strengths to Du Plessis, even though not of the same bulk.
Brits is likely the third choice Meyer will opt for, and truth be told, he won’t be a bad option, he will bring variety to otherwise predictable play and will surely bring variety to the Springbok pack. But personally, I like my hookers to be tough, dependable and possessing the ability to grind opposition players into the ground.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.