Rassie Erasmus says the temporary loss of Peter Grant as well as several other backs shouldn’t be viewed as a debilitating setback for Western Province.
The Cape side confirmed on Tuesday that Springboks Jean de Villiers and CJ van der Linde will represent the Stormers in the 2011 Super 15. WP managing director Rob Wagner also announced Grant would playing his rugby in Japan for the next six months before resuming his role as the Stormers’ premier pivot.
The move leaves the flyhalf position vacant for the 2010 Currie Cup, and Erasmus, in his director of rugby position at WP, sees this as a great opportunity to develop the union’s depth at No 10.
Erasmus admitted the old warhorse, Willem de Waal, could still be utilised, but promising youngsters Lionel Cronje and Gary van Aswegen will get some much needed game time.
Cronje signed for the Stormers ahead of the 2010 Super 14, but enjoyed very few opportunities. He impressed in the pre-season with some fine distribution and a kicking game that justifies Erasmus’s favourable comparison to the immensely talented Frans Steyn.
‘Lionel’s now spent some time in the system and should get more opportunities in the Currie Cup,’ Erasmus told keo.co.za. ‘During the Super 14, we knew we had Grant and De Waal to fall back on, and perhaps that was our weakness as coaches; we didn’t get Lionel into the mix.
‘We’ve identified Lionel as one for the future. Gary van Aswegen has also been playing well for the WP U21s, and we could see him and Lionel alternating between the senior and U21 sides in the next few months.
‘We definitely don’t need to bring in a new flyhalf when we have the talent right here.’
Grant played an important part in the Stormers’ recent campaign, and WP may well have denied his request to spend time abroad. With Grant on board, the Cape side would stand a better chance at ending their nine-year trophy drought with a win in the Currie Cup. They last won the domestic title in 2001.
Erasmus said the decision to let Grant go was made according to the needs of the player and those of the Stormers.
‘It would have been wonderful to keep him, but he wanted a change. I also don’t mind that he’s going to Japan where they play something like seven games in a season. For a physical player like Grant, who never shies away from contact, the stint up there will be lighter on the body.
‘It’s obviously also an opportunity for him to make some bucks now that he’s not in the Bok mix. Ultimately, he’ll return to the Stormers’ camp in January refreshed.’
Erasmus maintains that WP still have a shot at the Currie Cup title despite Grant’s absence.
‘The Boks are all unavailable until the semi-finals of the Currie Cup this year,’ he said. ‘If you look at a team like the Bulls, they will have to do without Morne Steyn, so they’re in a similar kind of situation.’
Bryan Habana, Jaque Fourie, Andries Bekker, Ricky Januarie and Schalk Burger will definitely miss the majority of WP’s campaign, as will the returning Jean de Villiers. WP are also likely to be without Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh and Francois Louw, as the newest Boks could be called upon in the event of injuries during the Tri-Nations.
‘We may have to do without Flo [Francois Louw] since I believe he’ll be used more and more at blindside now that Juan Smith is unavailable for the Boks,’ said Erasmus. ‘The fact that he’s played alongside Schalk during the Super 14 will count in his favour.
‘Gio is another that could get regular game time in the Tri-Nations. We have three of our centres with the Boks right now, and six backline players in all.
‘With Fourie du Preez out [for six months with injury], it seems like Ricky is the Boks’ first-choice scrumhalf. We’re fortunate that we’re well-covered at scrumhalf with Dewaldt Duvenage the favourite to start and Conrad Hoffmann the back-up.’
WP will be boosted by the returns of Bok fullback Conrad Jantjes, who has completely covered from a broken leg, and No 8 Nick Koster. The fact that the Bok selectors continue to overlook Duane Vermeulen is another plus for the Cape side.
‘If we had suffered these losses to Bok call-ups three years ago, then we would have been in trouble,’ said Erasmus. ‘There are a number of young guys coming through and a few others who have been around for a couple of years. Our depth is strong.
‘The signing of Jean de Villiers and CJ van der Linde was important ahead of the 2011 Super 15, as we now have depth in every position. It’s going to be a long competition so you have to make sure you’re well-covered.’
Stormers tighthead Brok Harris played every match in 2010, something that won’t be possible in the extended Super 15 format. Van der Linde brings some experience to the Stormers’ front row, but he also bolsters the quality in depth.
‘We won’t have to play players who have niggling injuries,’ added Erasmus. ‘We’ve signed two players and kept some promising youngsters. It’s an exciting time for guys like [WP U21 forwards] Ryno Elstadt, De Kock Steenkamp and Yaya Hartzenburg.
‘Probably the one area where we are a bit short on depth is lock. We have Anton van Zyl, Adriaan Fondse, and Andries Bekker, but ideally you’d like to have four senior locks at your disposal. Having said that, we just need to make sure the young locks make the step up.
‘We were eight points worse than the Bulls this year [the Stormers lost 25-17 to the Bulls in the final], and we have to look at how we can make up those eight points in 2011. We need to get into the play-offs and earn a home final, and to do that we need depth in every position.’
