Jack a big boost for Province
by Gavin Rich | 18 May 2009 (10:12)
Chris Jack ? Gallo Images
If the Stormers recover from this past season of torment to do well in next year?s Vodacom Super 14, it may well be that one of the players who they will stare down in the 2010 edition of the tournament will be partly responsible for their resurgence.
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The announcement that former All Black lock Chris Jack will be playing for Western Province in the coming Absa Currie Cup season is a massive boost for long-suffering fans of the Streeptruie. It effectively cancels out the one area where there was lingering concern ahead of the domestic competition following a strong finish by a Stormers team without key Boks.
The Stormers team that beat the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein at the weekend is essentially the same one that will start the Currie Cup season in June. Skipper Luke Watson has his supporters for a return to the Springboks, and doubtless that lobby will grow in the coming weeks as the June 1 announcement nears, and Peter Grant?s utility value could yet see him selected as a squad member ahead of the British and Irish Lions series.
But there are not too many other Bok candidates in the side that started in the 28-22 win, which was more comprehensive as the final scoreline might reflect. The Cheetahs scored two tries in the last seven minutes when the Stormers were throwing everything into a last ditch attempt to garner an extra log point for scoring four tries.
It was a farewell game though for AJ Venter, a 25 cap Springbok veteran and the most capped South African Super 14 player, and that is where Jack?s role is going to be crucial. Venter?s contribution to the Stormers was perhaps undervalued by people not involved in the squad, and his sojourn with WP and the Stormers was timely if you consider the injury that ruled Adriaan Fondse out for the last month.
Who would have played lock for the Stormers had Venter not been present? As it turned out young Martin Muller got an opportunity, and he made surprisingly good progress for one so new to the game at this level. He would have learned a lot from Venter in his short exposure to the well travelled journeyman, and now he can learn even more from Jack.
New Zealanders are renowned in the rugby business for what their work ethic can do for the teams they play for. The Sharks owed a lot to the contribution of Tony Brown, both on and off the field, when he played for them in 2006, and it was the same when the former All Black and Otago flyhalf played for the Stormers last season.
Jack is intending to go back to play for the Crusaders in next year?s Super 14, and who knows, maybe he still has a return to the All Blacks in sight, so he will be eager to do well for Province. He was regarded as one of the top locks in world rugby when he played for the All Blacks.
With Andries Bekker likely to be involved with the Boks, and Fondse set to miss the first month or two of the domestic season, Jack, who is one of the players who was recently off-loaded by Saracens when the new coaching announcement was made, is set to fill a massive hole in the Cape team?s engine room.
With Rassie Erasmus determined to see WP use this Currie Cup as a stepping stone for next year, Jack could find himself up against a force he helped create when the Crusaders and Stormers clash in Cape Town next season.
