Glad you enjoyed it, Ben. Thanks as always for the positive comments and feedback. I'm really glad you enjoy the videos. And yes, Hennie was great - equally effective at 10 and 12. A coach's dream really!
Great interview, his reflections are very balanced and honest. Calling Pienaar dropping " surprising " was bit of understatement 😂. It was a massive shock at time. As Hennie alluded to, lot of politics affected selections or non selections. That combo with Mulder should have played more tests!.
Yes, Hennie is really good at getting his views across and doing so in a measured manner. But as you say it might also usher in the odd understatement. As I recall it, that 1996 Pienaar decision was a genuine bombshell. No one could believe what had happened. Politics in sport ... always present, isn't it?
Yeah a great player, Hennie was. Was great that he was so willing to share those stories and not shy away from what really happened. Makes for a great interview for the fans.
Hi Peter, I really enjoyed this interview. I was Le Roux/Mulder fan. I said it previously that I preferred him on the centre. I thought it was his better era. Always interesting to hear the Transvaal v Natal guys as their views of the return to the world stage has mostly been shaped by the fact that their provincial coach was at some stage their national coach. I think it’s quite interesting the Hennie created the players association and I admire him for sticking to his guns. It was the start of the professional era and someone had to stand up for the guys. The drama in SA rugby is almost like a soap opera. Kitch deciding he couldn’t have Pienaar and Strauss on the same team. Markgraff dropping World Cup winning captain a year after the tournament and Mallet with his Teichmann debacle. Makes for interesting viewing though 😀
Glad you enjoyed the interview, Rif! Hennie was a great player and formed an effective combo with Japie for sure! Very interesting to hear the different perspectives of the Transvaal and Natal guys on Mac and Kitch. You get something similar later with Mallett and the WP/Stormers guys and the rest. Such drama in those days. After Mallett you had Staaldraad and the Jake and P Divvy's eras were not without controversy either. It's only really calmed down in the Rassie/Nienaber era. That's a good thing but ... it also means lots of juicy stories to be told here!
@@frontrowrugby I love the rich history of SA rugby and as with all things historical there are not so great story but necessary ones to be told. I think Rassie is not without controversy but no much on the player/team front but more from a media perspective. I personally think he gives of massive Mourinho vibes. I love your channel Peter. It doesn’t shy away from the difficult but importantly it really celebrate SA rugby worts as all. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely. Many stories, some great, some not so much but it's important for it to be out there so folks can know what happened firsthand. Rassie will be a tremendous guest. Just imagine the stories! I want him here too eventually. At the moment it's a bit difficult because they're preparing for the World Cup. Thanks as always for the compliments. I think if you feel that way (celebrating, warts and all) then I'm getting it right!
He seems like one of the likeable guys in the team Seems down to earth Is it true he is an investor at Waterstone in Cape Town ? Top man nonetheless Great interview as always
It's not the first time I've interviewed him. Always available, always humble, always an enjoyable conversation. Not sure about the Waterstone investment - he didn't mention it when he spoke about what he's doing these days. Thanks as always for the comment!
Yeah!! I know what you mean. I've been to Paris but I've only seen the other places on maps or pictures. I was lucky because my wife speaks French. I struggle with the French pronunciations!
It's nice, I enjoy living here. Like anywhere in the world it has its pros and cons. It's brutally hot in summer as you can imagine but we live comfortably here. It's a great place for a family too.
It really was a different time. Seems as if the captain ran the show in the amateur era, certainly for the Springboks at that stage. I believe Ian Mac was ahead of his time. He would have flourished as a professional coach of the Springboks.
McIntosh spoke about the players not doing what he was asking of them. I did an interview with Mr Mac before he passed away where he discussed his frustrations around that. If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, I do recommend it. I think with Markgraaff it was more a clash of personalities with Francois than anything else.
Hennie mentions that Mr Ian Mac was more rigid than Mr Kitch? I'm not sure I agree, a coach has the right for his team to play according to his vision, in the end the coach gets fired. Issue was Francois and Transvaal boys wanted to be coached by Kitch. Mac mentions in his book, Face of Rugby, players would turn their backs on him while he spoke. Coaches did not pick their teams back then. Dont mean to be harsh, listening to the commentary and reading the papers at the time, Hennie's fly half play was part of the issue in the NZ series. He was not tactical enough, no variation, and ran sideways for several metres before passing. Lance Sherrel was 2nd option, Joel was not selected for NZ series. I felt Hennie was a better centre and a good one but not the best flyhalf.
Yes the coach is hired or fired based on results. It's insane to think that in those days there was a selection committee and the coach had to work with what he was given. Mac also mentioned in his interview with me that he felt on several occasions the players were undermining him which is a great shame. I suppose you could say he was rigid in the sense that he had a specific plan for how to go about combatting the opposition - direct rugby and if you were not from the Sharks then it was unfamiliar to you and there were a lot of Transvaal players in the squad at that stage. As for ability, talent, skill, Hennie was versatile and I believe that is what ensured he was always part of the mix so if they needed him at 10 he was available and if they wanted Joel at flyhalf then Hennie could move to 12.
