Now’s the time for Bok recruits to earn their stripes

The 2010 Tri-Nation has been a disappointment. Some would even call it a disaster, and I would not disagree with them much.

See for me it’s not that the Boks surrendered their crown to the All-Blacks. Or that we lost so heavily in the Antipodes. John Smit losing his 100th Test in such heart-breaking fashion isn’t even it. No, for me the tragedy is that nothing much has been gained from the losses.

Sure, the Boks were brought down to earth after the highs of winter 2009, but that already happened in last year’s outbound northern tour. Consider this, imagine if we had the same record in the Tri-Nations with a team of youngsters and stars returning from injury and looking to rediscover their international legs.

Imagine that instead of the Bok coaching staff struggling to manage the form and fitness of John Smit, Bryan Habana and Vic Matfield, we had them fit and ready to tackle the Grand Slam tour with the best of the youngsters who were given a chance during the Tri-Nations. Instead of Habana wondering if he is more likely to catch a cold rather than form out there on the wing, we could have had Bjorn Basson and Gio Aplon earning their international stripes, the hard way.

Imagine if Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bandise Maku had had the galvanising experience of having their heads kicked in down in the Antipodes, if Chiliboy had the opportunity to learn to deal with uncooperative refs on foreign soil to embellish his leadership credentials. We would have had by next year, a whole troop of players ready to step in should the front line players be unavailable, and not only would they have been ready, they would have been able.

It may sound perverse to say that it’s okay for the Boks to lose if there is a long-term gain, Bok supporters hate losing. That is just how we are wired. Even if there is an obvious greater good nobody wants to lose one to the enemy. But that’s why coaches get watertight contracts lasting two to four years, so they can lose, and learn and make the team better. Peter de Villiers remains a fine coach, and this year should not detract from that, but this has been an opportunity missed. It may well be that his plan was for the experienced troops to do the hard yards away and for the youngsters to get a chance in the safe ground of home. Maybe.

But now is the time for De Villiers to be the bold brave mentor he was in his first year when all doubted him as they do now.

This article first appeared on www.newstime.co.za