Rotation new name of Bok game

2008-05-12 22:09

Morris Gilbert

Pretoria - Springbok coach Peter de Villiers wants to ensure during his first season at the helm that the much-discussed rotation system will be used at national level for the purpose it was originally designed.

"I am amazed to see how the rotation system is applied in the Super 14 competition, because that is not the way I understand it," De Villiers said on Monday.

"What is the use if you announce a squad of more than 30 players at the start of the season and you persevere, week after week, with the same 22 or with a team showing only a few changes?

"The rotation system was designed, to my mind, to ensure you don't burn out your top players and to establish depth in the various positions," De Villiers said.

"I am sorry to say so but the reality is that some of our Super 14 franchises do not rotate their top players enough.

"One of my immediate aims is to be able to select three teams at the end of the season that will be more or less equally competitive.

"If the rotation system is applied sensibly we will be able to ensure that we have enough depth and talent in each position, and that one critical injury will not leave us stranded."

De Villiers regards the Currie Cup competition as an important extension of the planning and preparation done at Springbok level.

Guided by medical experts

"If I have my way, all our top players will play Currie Cup rugby again," he said.

"Of course, I will let myself be guided in this by medical experts who will advise me whom should be rested at which time.

"By resting, I mean the player should simply compete at a less intense level than Test rugby.

"It is important that our top players remain sharp and we can ensure that only if they, in addition to their Test duties, are also employed at Currie Cup level.

"The main stumbling block is that some of these players will start the Test season having played in too many Super 14 matches."

De Villiers was surprised about how much had been made over the expected surprise selections for the Springbok squad.

"This kind of announcement always includes surprises. I won't be the first or the last Springbok coach to be in the firing line over team selections.

"Any speculation will be premature in any case because we will know only on Saturday whether the Stormers and the Sharks will be involved in the Super 14 semi-finals.

"If that is the case - and I am crossing my fingers that they will be - the practice squad will have a different look."

De Villiers gave the assurance that he had not selected a shadow team for the Test matches against Wales on June 7 and June 14 in Bloemfontein and Pretoria respectively.

"I am certainly still open for persuasion and a bright performance this weekend may convince me whom to use where."

De Villiers is disappointed about the form that some of last year's World Cup stars produced in the Super 14 competition but he does not believe they have suddenly become poor players.

"They remain good players and one of the tasks that the coaching staff and I have is to get them back to the level that made them first-choice players last year," he said.

- Beeld