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On the 16th of June 1903 Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. Today, more than a 100 years later, his great Grandson William Clay Ford serves as the executive Chairman and was famously quoted in saying “Nobody’s irreplaceable, including me.
“I think for too long we’ve had a cult of personality in this company and in this industry, and frankly, I’d like to see that diminish”
It is true that very few things in life are irreplaceable. Parents are irreplaceable. A human life is irreplaceable to those who have lost them. But when it comes to a member of staff, a team and yes, even the head of a company, they can all be replaced.
Over the past three seasons South African coach Heyneke Meyer has shown a reluctance to let go of experienced players to such an extent that his efforts of chasing after these overseas Springboks (some having publicly declared their retirement from international rugby) have become somewhat desperate, if not at least a tad comical.
It might be prudent for Heyneke Meyer to take note of William Clay Ford’s statement and realise that even the most experienced rugby players are not irreplaceable.
When you consider that South Africa has one of the most comprehensive developed rugby systems available in the world from primary school, through secondary and tertiary education systems, Club, Vodacom, Currie Cup all the way through to Super Rugby, it stands to reason that the conveyor belt of rugby talent in South Africa is very healthy indeed.
The only blockage in the current system is the refusal of the national coach to expose the young and upcoming talent to international rugby.
Yes, due the fact that we are in a Rugby World Cup season it is too late to expose these youngsters at this late stage of the four-year cycle.
The fact is experimentation should be done on an ongoing basis where these youngsters can seamlessly filter into the system without all being thrown into the deep end at any one time.
One only has to look at the New Zealand system where during the past three seasons Steve Hansen has methodically planned his next group of stars that will wear the All Black jersey for the next number of years. It is a system that never stops planning ahead and an approach that has been richly rewarded during Hansen’s tenure.
Heyneke Meyer’s approach has been somewhat reactive, in that injury has been the main catalyst for young talent to be exposed, alternatively consistent woeful performances did eventually provide a few opportunities to other youngsters.
However on the whole when you look at the potential Rugby World Cup squad there is or at least should be a concern that Meyer is holding on to the value of experienced players, regardless of from.
You often hear the cliché “when you are good enough, you are old enough” and that in turn has now brought about the adage “when you are good enough, you are not too old” in South African rugby circles.
I have discussed the negative aspects of selecting overseas players before, so will not bore you with that debate again, what is more important though is that holding onto overseas players and experienced players just for the sake of experience is a fool’s errand.
New Zealand may be in danger of holding onto Richie McCaw and Dan Carter too long, but knowing that form has always been the number one selection criteria for the men in black, I believe Steve Hansen will make the necessary calls if he feels they are not up to standard.
The same cannot be said for Heyneke Meyer. His irrational fear of inexperienced players is perpetuated further by his reluctance to select them and giving them the necessary experience.
So Meyer is now in a position he created for himself where there is no time left to experiment.
Recent articles suggest that Kane Douglas should be selected for the Wallabies during the Rugby world Cup as they believe his physicality is necessary to boost their pack. My question to these pundits are, who next?
The problem with opening that door is that soon you will open the floodgates for international players to leave your shores, much in the same vain as South African test players have left in droves.
The exodus of Super Rugby players have been well documented for some time, and now with the open selection policy of SARU, the news that most of the Springboks are in talks with European clubs to leave after the Rugby World Cup is rife.
If SARU does not put a halt to these open door selection policies we will find that our beloved Springboks team will be represented by mostly players we never get to see play any format of domestic rugby in South Africa.
The truth is I identify with players I know, players I can watch on any given Saturday, and players I can see who are in form and who provide me with the confidence that they are the best players around to represent us.
It is imperative that SARU close the door of selecting overseas players, it is imperative that whomever the new coach of South Africa will be select form players within the country and open the blockage that Meyer has closed.
If these youngsters believe they have a fair shot at cracking the Springbok team they would be more inclined to play their rugby at home, serve their provinces and country for a few years before leaving for the treasures in far off lands.
Consider the few youngsters who have been exposed during Meyer’s tenure:
Frans Louw whilst injured has been superbly replaced by Marcel Coetzee, a player still learning his trade, but one of the cleanest, hardest working players in a Springbok jersey.
Jacque Fourie has been replaced by Jan Serfontein, and even though 13 is not his chosen position, his performances have earned him many accolades.
Can anyone remember Zane Kirchner? Does anyone believe he is better than Willie le Roux? How about Morne Steyn?
Does anyone prefer Bakkies Botha over Eben Etzebeth?
The point is no matter how much experience a player may have, many factors influence their abilities to perform, and most importantly, the yardstick of performance should always outweigh the weight of experience and if the time comes, such an experienced player can and will be replaceable.
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.