Erratic selection strategies add to pressure on Viljoen

By WYNNE GRAY

Looking at the Springboks is a bit like recalling the pressure the All Blacks were under in 1998.

New coach Harry Viljoen, believe it or not the ninth Springbok coach since the side resumed international rugby in 1992, is already feeling the blowtorch.

Viljoen had been out of coaching for two and a half years when he succeeded Nick Mallett, a man with some serious Springbok success, including a record-equalling 17 straight victories.

But Mallett fell out with the top brass who used last season's lack of Tri-Nations success and another flimsy excuse to get rid of him.

So far Viljoen has shown an erratic selection style - something he confessed to before the series opener against the All Blacks.

He had experimented with Percy Montgomery at first five-eighths, moved Andre Vos to openside flanker and dropped him as skipper and No 8.

Clearly Viljoen saw some Larkham-like quality in Montgomery, but regular viewing for outsiders suggested Montgomery is more flaky than his golfing namesake. He had a degree in slicing clearing kicks under pressure, a diploma in running up blind alleys, and a fragility about his defence which showed he was best away from the frontline at least. Perhaps Viljoen and Montgomery had their highlights done at the same salon.

Vos was the worker in the pack while his replacement Bobby Skinstad played flashy football (foolish in the wet of Cape Town last week) but had scarcely set the Super 12 on fire this season. It was a selection based on history and hope, rather than empirical data.

Skinstad, however, did offer a sensible critique of his side rather than the promise for the future dictum from the coach.

"If we don't win soon people are going to lose patience. No one backs a team that loses all the time, and we are soon going to be in a position where playing well but being on the losing end will not be enough," Skinstad said.

All Black critics take note. While the All Blacks and Boks are nowhere near worldbeaters and their game, partly because of the weather, was a drab contest in Cape Town, the target for the All Blacks was to travel to South Africa and win.

They did, they got the result. Remember 1998 and last year? Defeat is far more unpalatable.

After a sloppy drawn series against France, Viljoen seemed to be reaching for any straw he could find. He went for a little-known centre, Butch James at first five-eighths and pushed Montgomery back to fullback for the All Blacks.

The moves did not work and Viljoen's axe struck again for tomorrow's test against the Wallabies. If the slide continues at Pretoria, what does Viljoen do then?

If he wants to play a more expansive style, he has to include players such as Corne Krige or the explosive Joe van Niekerk on the openside and dump Andre Venter, who has lost his sting.

Halfback Joost van der Westhuizen has to be eased aside if some transformation is really going to be made.

He has to find better ball players like the brutish Lukas van Biljon among his tight five because the Wallaby and All Black packs have shown if they can hang on in the setplays they will make significant headway in general play.

But if the Wallabies stumble tomorrow, Viljoen will vigorously point out the merits of his strategies.