The Bulls continued their pre-season preparations at a wintery Allianz Stadium in London over the weekend against English outfit Saracens and while the match may have been branded as a friendly, there was a lot riding on this particular fixture. None more so than for the Bulls’ hulking no. 8, Pierre Spies.
The English commentators no doubt remembering what Spies had inflicted on England a couple of times during their clashes with the Boks seemed to be as excited and edgy to have Spies on the field as Spies’ supporters were. After all, their guy hasn’t been on a rugby field in 18 months while recovering from a ruptured bicep. The same bicep he had initially ruptured back in June 2013, which he promptly injured again in February last year in his first match back in 6 months.
Spies eventually entered this weekend’s match around the 60 minute mark and as luck would have it he managed to score a try within 10 minutes of getting on to the field. It is this kind of omen the powerfully-built loose forward will be hoping to have more of as the season progresses. While the English commentators were effusive in their praise of Spies and rightly excited that the big man was back playing, it will take a lot more to convince the rugby public back home that Spies should be recalled into the Bok fold especially when the likes of Duane Vermeulen have been in sparkling form in his absence.
On form, most rugby supporters remember Spies as a devastating ball carrier with an explosive turn of pace. This is a player who has can run the 100m at just over 10 seconds and has played wing for the Bulls at one time in his career. Impressive when you consider that Spies stands at 1.93m tall and weighs 111kg – most of that pure muscle. His physical impact alone raises such apprehension in opposing tacklers that they don’t really know how to stop him when he gets going. Spies’ detractors, however, will point to his lack of impact in the tighter aspects of the game; the argument is that he doesn’t make enough tackles, or get involved in the hard, donkey work of freeing the ball up and instead spends too much time hanging around in the backline waiting for the ball to come to him.
Counting in Spies favour is that Bulls coach, Frans Ludeke has made him his captain for the coming Super Rugby season, picking him ahead of the likes of Victor Matfield and captain on the weekend, Deon Stegmann. Ludeke has cited Spies’ immense leadership skills as being too compelling to ignore and by his own account, Spies thrives on the responsibilities that leadership brings. The other big factor playing in his favour is that Bok coach, Heyneke Meyer, is a devout and loyal fan of Spies as a player and a person. After all, it was Meyer who coaxed a young Spies into abandoning his dreams of playing on the wing and becoming a loose forward instead.
However, with Vermeulen playing so well, Spies could find himself in the unfamiliar role of supporting the Springboks from the bench and that’s only if he convinces Meyer that he should be making the big trip with the Boks later on in the year at the expense of one of the other incumbent 8s. Post Saracens match the interviewer didn’t hesitate to ask Spies about his World Cup ambitions. Being the competitive player and person he is, Spies didn’t hesitate to confirm that being selected for the sport’s showpiece event in England later this year is his ultimate ambition. However, there is still quite a bit of rugby to be played between now and then.
No doubt all eyes will be on Spies when he leads the Bulls out at Loftus for their first Super Rugby match against the Stormers in 2 weeks’ time. Will Spies be able to reclaim his place as the country’s premier no. 8 or will he be forced into a supporting role as the Bulls and Boks go on the hunt for trophy glory this season? First of all, Spies will be concerned primarily with staying on the park after the debilitating injuries that have blighted his career over the last couple of seasons. If he can stay in good health and have a reasonable campaign leading the Bulls, who had a substandard tournament last year, all bets will be on for the 29-year old to push his cause of becoming Meyer’s main man come Rugby World Cup time.
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