Super Rugby
Pick'n Go: Warren Whiteley right man to lead Boks in new dawn
Sam Bruce
March 6, 2016

Having made history two weeks running, the Lions deserve to be considered genuine Super Rugby contenders in season 2016. But there is a far more poignant message currently emanating from the Johannesburg franchise: the Springboks captaincy claims of skipper Warren Whiteley.

As South African rugby continues to battle the ever-expanding player drain to Europe, allegations of misconduct from chief executive Jurie Roux at Stellenbosch University Rugby Club and the search for a new national coach, Whiteley is a shining beacon of hope. The Lions are playing superb rugby early in the season, and his leadership is first-class.

Saturday's 36-32 victory over the Chiefs was dubbed a shock by just about everyone outside of Joburg; but this is the same team that went three from four on their Australasian tour last season.

In Warren Tecklenburg and Jaco Kriel, Whiteley has two tireless back-row comrades in his workmanlike pack.

Ruan Combrinck and Courtnall Skosan provide the Lions with pace out wide while enigmatic fly-half Elton Jantjies is finally now developing into the player he was touted to be several years ago.

But Whiteley is the pride leader, and the Boks would do well to consider him theirs, too. For those of us removed from the politics of South African rugby, he appears to be a perfect fit.

In the early part of last season, Whiteley went one-on-one with ESPN. His comments about his Springboks hopes, and that he wasn't the kind of player former Boks coach Heyneke Meyer was after, were particularly telling.

"I was very fortunate to work with Heyneke Meyer last year [2014] when I managed to get into the Boks squad, and it was amazing just to talk to him and hear him share some thoughts with me and how much freedom he gave me just to play my game," he told ESPN.

"Ultimately he told me 'the only way you're going to be the best you can be is to have that confidence in yourself and play the game you were made to play'. So, yes, it's definitely something to work on, but it always has been. As you mentioned, I'm not traditionally the coming-around-the-corner, running-straight No.8; I'm more the linking No.8, and I really enjoy being that link between the backs and the forwards and running wide in the wider channels. I definitely want to keep that but also improve in those other situations."

© Hannah Peters/Getty Images

As it turned out, Whiteley missed selection in the Springboks' World Cup squad.

Understandably disappointed, he could easily have followed the lead of so many of his compatriots and taken the big-money on offer in Europe or Japan.

But he instead buckled down with the Lions, leading them to a first Currie Cup title in four years before tearing into the Super Rugby pre-season.

He could have taken the easier option and moved home to Durban, or to another franchise or province, when the Lions were relegated from Super Rugby in 2013, too. But again, he opted for the tougher outlook and chose to stay on in Johannesburg and be a part of the recovery mission.

The 2016 season is only two rounds in, but that decision may yet see him add the Super Rugby playoffs to his resume later this year. As for those "straight-running No.8" issues, they were surely put to rest via a second-half five-pointer at the weekend in which he hurled himself at the Chiefs' defensive line.

But long before the Super Rugby semifinals arrive, the Springboks will embark on a new journey of their own. They will have a new coach calling the shots - former Stormers boss Allister Coetzee by all reports - while decisions will need to be made about their ageing foreign legion.

Whatever the case, the Springboks have the chance to embark on a brave new era; an opportunity to free themselves of the restrictions of their traditional bash-and-barge game. That does not mean doing away with the powerhouse that is Duane Vermeulen, but to consider how a more balanced back-row may be of better use.

They also have the chance to anoint a new vibrant leader, who doesn't know the meaning of the word "shortcut".

The Lions' time looks to have arrived, and a strong consideration for Whiteley as the next Springboks captain has too.

© Sam Bruce

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.