Bokwatch 4 – News from the Bok training camp

In this bumper edition of Bokwatch Jacque Cronje comes in to cover for the injured Wikus van Heerden, Andre Watson helps out with some refereeing interpretations, Andre Pretorius arrives back at the training camp raring to go, Bob Skinstad’s rib is making a fast recovery, Jake emails Paddy O’Brien to raise his concerns regarding Joel Jutge’s weekend refereeing display and the Bok players praise the impact of Eddie Jones on their World Cup preparations.

Jacques Cronje has been called up to the Springbok World Cup squad to temporarily slot into Wikus van Heerden’s position in training while he recovers from an knee infection.

“It’s been frustrating having to watch the sessions,” said van Heerden

“I had a scope done in Cape Town and it got infected where they made the incision. It’s feeling great but I have to wait for the cut to heal completely to avoid further complications. At the moment I can cycle and row but running is out of the question. But I’m sure I’ll be back in action early this week.”

Andre Watson, former IRB referee, was called in to assist the Bok training squad with advice on possible refereeing interpretations likely to be encountered at the World Cup. He concentrated primarily on the scrum.”There is nothing seriously wrong with the scrum technique. It is just about getting the timing right and dealing with the legal or illegal tactics that crop up in games as referees see things in a different light.

“One falls into a habit and you begin to do things normally and then the referees tend to blow the whistle on you. We just do not want to leave any stone unturned.”

He talked about attempts being made to standardise the timing of the “crouch-hold-pause-engage” command for the setting of scrums.

“We would like to see that to be one call so that players, referees and spectators can get used to it. We are pretty much there now. That is because of studies made after the Super 14, Currie Cup and international matches of recent times. Basically the IRB wants every one to do the same thing so we don’t have to adapt,” said Watson.

There was good news for the Bok squad when they welcomed back Andre Pretorius from his successful trip to Germany where he was apparently cured of his lingering injury – incorrectly and embarrasingly diagnosed as a ‘buttock strain’ by South African doctors.

“I trained in the gym every day and also cycled. The days were long and I was really tired in the evenings. Psychologically it meant a lot to me, because the cause of my problems was treated, not only the symptoms,” said a happy Pretorius.Bok coach Jake White emphasised that Pretorius would be handled carefully in the build-up to the World Cup.

“He’ll gradually return and do something a little more every day,” said White.

Pretorius will probably play in the three warm-up games against Namibia, Connacht and Scotland in an attempt to get him up to speed with the rest of his team-mates.

“I realise the other Boks have trained hard and are already very fit,” said the injury-prone Bok flyhalf.

“I lag behind them as far as fitness is concerned. I’ll have to work hard at it and not be left be behind. If it is possible, I would like to play against Namibia. I will definitely be able to start running from today.

“The pain I had is something of the past,” said Pretorius. Hopefully he won’t develop any new pains in the coming month.

Meanwhile Bob Skinstad’s recovery from a rib injury sustained against Australia is going well.

“My rib has recovered remarkably well,” said the Bok eighthman.“When the squad meets up again I’ll be fine to do all the cardio work, but I may have to lay off the tackle bags for a while.

“That game with England obviously stands out. We’re hitting form at the right time and England will see it as a chance to knock over one of the favourites, but then again we won’t be underestimating them,” said Skinstad.

Jake White fired off an email to the manager of the IRB’s referee panel, Paddy O’Brien noting his concern at the poor refereeing display by Joel Jutge in England’s hammering of Wales in their Test on Sunday.

Jutge will be refereeing the Springboks vs England Rugby World Cup pool match on 13 September and White is worried that he may repeat the mistakes he made in the game over the weekend.

“I’ve already sent an e-mail to Paddy as I’m really concerned about Jutge, who will referee our match against England,” confirmed White.

“He allowed England hooker Mark Regan to stand in line with his forwards when he threw in the ball in lineouts.

“Regan’s foot was also in the playing field when he was throwing in. Lineout play is their pack’s key factor. That’s why I want to put pressure on Jutge, because Regan can’t be allowed to get away with that.

“If Jutge tolerates such throw-ins, he will allow situations where players like Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha nad Juan Smith can’t compete in the line-outs.

He also mentioned some illegal rucking on the part of the Englishmen.

“Of course it’s also totally inadmissible to use your boots on opponents. On Saturday the English were allowed to trample Welsh players right in front of the line judge. I also pointed that out in my e-mail to Paddy, because the IRB rules are very clear on this. Trampling in the scrums is no longer allowed in rugby. If you trample on someone, it’s a yellow card.”

The Bok coach wasn’t overly impressed with the game.

“It was boring rugby,” he said. “The forwards stood together in groups of three and stormed forward. Wales were weak, especially their pack. To me it felt just like 2004, when men gave little boys a hiding.”

Wikus van Heerden has confirmed that Eddie Jones’ presence in the Bok training camp has been a worthwhile exercise.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge gained from a long coaching career and that shows in our sessions,” said van Heerden.
 
“He epitomises the term ’student of the game’ because it’s so evident that he has a hunger to learn all the time and that has positive spin-offs for us.

“To work with a coach of his calibre in the build-up to the World Cup has been amazing for all the players. We’ve added new weapons to our arsenal from an individual and team perspective.

 “He’s worked with one of the best half-back pairs in the business in the form of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham and they were outstanding under him.

“But while the majority of his work in that area his been with our scrumhalves and flyhalves, he’s helped the team as a whole to be more potent in that channel, defensively and on attack,” concluded van Heerden.

The Boks will be training in Durban until Wednesday, after which they will go home for a short break before getting back together again in Cape Town on August 13 ahead of their warmup game against Namibia on the 15th. They depart on the 17th for their warmup matches in Ireland and Scotland.