I want to start off by saying I'm probably one of the biggest fans of Pierre Spies. In my tenure with a Canadian club last year, I showed countless clips from You Tube over and over to young aspiring loose forwards, impressing them with the physical enigma that is Pierre Spies. The Tube is plastered with video clips in tribute to his physical prowess, plowing over 4 Englishman on his way to the try-line. Insane strength, showing the man play with weights heavier than some high school players and his blistering pace, scoring 60 meter counter attacking and intercept tries!
Yet after 15 rounds of Super rugby and a three test home series against the English, questions beckon... What has happened to the man mountain that can outrun a wing? Why do players not in the "same class" overshadow the physical freak of nature - week after week? How does he still make it into the starting line-up of the Bulls and the Springboks, when he is nonexistent once the going gets tough? Interesting views from laymen and experts alike, has helped me formulate my opinion on what's going on with one of the most physically gifted athletes the game of rugby has ever seen....
Most layman, master coach-couch potatoes will immediately use the worn down and definitive rugby IQ indicator term “It’s because he is a marked man…” So are Richie McCaw, Kieran Reed, David Pocock, Bryan Habana, Daniel Carter and Quade Cooper! Together with a host of other internationals in different positions under the same microscope of the opposition technical analyst weekly, yet they shine week in and out, at the worst experiencing a quiet game or two… Not a season and some more!
Experts like Brendan Nel recently started touching the core of the problem I believe, highlighting his good guy attitude as being his Achilles heel. Players like Richie McCaw, Reed and Pocock are like hungry wolves. Games are normally finished with blood running down their faces, swollen eyes etc. Never say die attitudes, with the will power to run, not around you, but through you and over you bar none! As a wing turned loose forward, Pierre still tries to outrun his opponent with fancy footwork. The frame he’s been blessed with, will suffice in bulldozing the man like a runaway freight train!
When the chips are down and the going gets tough players like McCaw and Reed step to the fore and lead by example! For those getting tired of me using them as an example let’s think back to Corne Krige or rather “Captain Courageous” He led every charge, putting in monster hits, getting up last from every ruck, involved in every scrap, whilst still exemplifying the values of a good captain! Another reason which I could write a whole chapter on, is the fact that since the departure of the other giants from the scene in the likes of Matfield and Botha, Spies has stood out like a sore thumb. The usual flair with which he played was due to the hard work done up front by the others! An immutable law of nature is adapt or die... He is so versatile and strong, to play a new role within the tighter aspects of the game, could do no harm! Pierre and Frans Ludeke should re-evaluate his role within the team to get his hands dirty, leaving the flair to our "unmarked" Potgieter namesakes, the new young bloods.This evolution in his play, could ensure the longevity of our mercurial no 8 in world rugga!
Personally, I believe the Herculean boy wonder should revisit his Christian norms and values once he steps onto the paddock. In between the four lines sometimes the intimidation and guts required towards glory, the level of physical brutality within ethical bounds and psychological torture imposed on the opposition should border upon the ungodly! Do not get me wrong here, I am a Christian myself! I understand the parable of Jesus on turning the other cheek, and do onto others… and all the rest, but rugby was invented one thousand years later! Peter, Mark and all the other disciples would as rugby players have quickly realized, that the meek do not inherit the William Webb Ellis trophy by default, if the World Cup was around then!
Pierre’s heart should be humble I agree, in his case with gratitude toward the superior genes he has been dealt. The sin lies in not using that which only he possesses, to its absolute, and full devastating effect! Pierre needs to realize that rugby is not a hooligan’s game played by gentleman, but a gentleman’s game played by victory hungry hooligans and nice guys will finish second for sure!
Therefore in my opinion, size doesn’t matter when the heart is meek…