With Butch James horribly out of form — and with the poor guy now playing without any back-up — our rugby team takes over the iafrica.com debate this week and argue who should be wearing the Springbok number 10 jersey! And the choices may surprise you...

Phil Coetzer feels for a fatigued Butch James, but with little to choose from, he casts his eyes outside of the Bok squad and picks one Derick Hougaard for the flyhalf jersey...

The form of the Springboks has been somewhat hard to fathom thus far under new coach Peter de Villiers, and one of the reasons for that has been the questionable form of flyhalf Butch James.

The rugged number 10 has been pretty erratic during the Springboks' Tri-Nations tour of Australasia, and his inconsistency has raised the question of whether James is still the right choice at flyhalf.

There is no doubting James' pedigree, or his commitment to the Springbok cause.

The point is, however, that James' relatively poor form in the Tri-Nations has been a result of fatigue. He has basically been playing non-stop since the World Cup started in September 2007, and is in dire need of some down-time away from rugby.

Peter Grant should be considered the natural successor to James. The young Western Province man has a strong all-round game and a cool head, which could potentially make him into a great Bok pivot.

But right now he is not an option, having undergone surgery to fix a shoulder ligament problem.

This leaves South Africa in a pickle, and Peter de Villiers will be having sleepless nights, pondering the question: Who is the best option as back-up flyhalf?

There will undoubtedly be many theories about who should play in the vitally important position of number 10, should James be injured or continue his downward spiral.

Let's look at the realistic options.

Frans Steyn has been tried there recently, but it is clear that the youngster's game is not suited to flyhalf. He has great talent and arguably the best boot in world rugby, but his concentration levels and decision-making are not good enough for an international number 10.

Ruan Pienaar is an option, but I feel that he is a scrumhalf first and foremost, and should be developed in that position. Pienaar would also represent a stop-gap at 10, not exactly what you want at Test level.

Percy Montgomery at flyhalf? That is a non-starter. That means Butch's reinforcement will have to come from outside the current Bok squad.

This leaves us with WP's Willem de Waal, the Blue Bulls' Morné Steyn, and Leicester Tigers new recruit, Derick Hougaard. Andre Pretorius of the Lions is of course still injured, and will remain so for some time.

To my mind, Hougaard is the obvious choice, even though it may be an unpopular decision. He has tons of experience and has played for the Springboks under different coaches.

He is a very different type of player to James though, but he is a reliable tactical and goal-kicker. He is not as staunch a defender as James, and the Bok game plan will have to be adjusted somewhat to fit Hougaard in.

A potential problem is the fact that Hougaard has recently left the Bulls to team up once again with his mentor, Leicester Tigers coach Heyneke Meyer, which means that Saru will have to justify picking another overseas-based player. But he's the clear choice from the remaining candidates.

De Waal is the wrong side of 30, and despite a very strong kicking game, has no pace and no international experience.

Morné Steyn is a close second to Hougaard as back-up option. Steyn also possesses a good kicking game, but has a much more physical presence in the backline on attack and defence. His game is more similar to that of the Boks' World Cup winning pivot, but it would be a huge risk to stick Steyn unprepared into the cauldron of the Tri-Nations - probably the toughest Test arena of all.

Nick Pawson wants a flyhalf with a brain and he reckons Willem de Waal is the man who has the noggin to get the Bok backline moving forward.

Traditionally, a flyhalf has been viewed as the pivotal link between backs and forwards, which is dictated more often than not with a reliable boot.

He implements the game plan literally from kick-off, isolates and plays to potential weaknesses in the opposition defence, as well as reducing the attacking options of his opponents by co-ordinating the defensive line of his players — a defensive line which these days he is very much a part of.

The position thus requires someone who can communicate, compose himself under high-pressure situations, kick with flawless efficiency, but more importantly, know the difference between a crépe and a pancake.

Number 10 needs a brain — of which I haven't seen the likes of since Stransky's light-bulb moment in extra time in 1995.

South Africa has always prided itself in physicality, but with the integration of the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) into the modern game, every player on the field has been forced to modify their portfolio of attacking options — bullying your opposite number with shoulder charges surely went out of favour along with checked flannels?

Butch James has earned his keep thanks to a sound World Cup campaign. But old habits die hard, as his erratic pre-Jake White form seems to be creeping back. His kicking has been far from astute, not to mention his defence resembling the days when the only time we saw Butch’s arms was during his blood donation campaign.

If South Africa wants to remain competitive, our players need to matriculate.

I have always felt that Willem de Waal has the required wits, temperament and skill to adequately fill the number 10 berth for this evolving era of expansive rugby - or at least someone of his tactical calibre.

Having yet to earn a Springbok cap, the Western Province flyhalf is a prodigious kicker of the ball, continues to top the point-scores’ list and helped take his former union to three consecutive Currie Cup titles.

I can only attribute his omission from the national setup to a perceived lack of pace, which perhaps in turn could be attributed to his age. However, with age comes maturity, as De Waal’s assertiveness appears to be slotting in perfectly with WP’s objective to revive traditional Province rugby by playing with flair.

De Waal can play in wet or dry conditions and reads a game superbly, not to mention maintaining the coolest of heads under pressure — points win games and De Waal certainly knows how to find them.

Peter De Villiers has, however, opted for De Waal’s provincial teammate, Peter Grant, as the most suitable cover for the green and gold number 10. Grant certainly has age on his side, and perhaps a physical attacking edge — again SA rugby selectors going for the brawn option.

Perhaps checked flannels have made their way back then. What would I know; I’m just a rugby writer.

  • Who would you pick? Email us at sport@metropolis.co.za with any other options or leave your comments below!

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