2oceansvibe News | South African and international news

Sponsored by RSAWeb rss
2ov Radio
  • Home
  • About
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Seth Rotherham
  • du Cap Collection
  • Café du Cap
  • Cabine du Cap
  • Media Packs / Advertising
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Anonymous Tips
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
Seth Rotherham
  • Great Story About Eddie Jones, Bryan Habana, And The 2007 World Cup Win

    01 Nov 2019 by Kiernan in Rugby, South Africa, Sport
    Related Posts
    • SPL!NG Movie Review: Rassie - The Official Film
    • What Is Metandienone Metabolite? The Drug That Two Craven Week Players Were Banned For
    • Why Springbok Winger Sbu Nkosi Was Missing For Three Weeks
    • Gangsters Coming After Me For Cash, Says Elton Jantjies
    • Did You See Faf De Klerk's Phenomenal Backflip? [Videos]

    Until the final whistle blows in tomorrow’s Rugby World Cup final, Eddie Jones is in charge of public enemy number one.

    Ask the Springbok players that won the 2007 tournament, though, and you’ll find many of them have a soft spot for a man they say played a pivotal role in their success.

    Jake White gets most of the plaudits for shaping that superb side, and rightly so, but behind the scenes, Jones was an immensely popular, and influential, character.

    His involvement started a few weeks out from the 2007 World Cup, when White asked him to spend a week watching the Bok training sessions.

    Here’s John Smit talking to the Independent:

    …Smit remembered that first training session, at Bishops School in Cape Town, extremely well. Jones was watching from the sidelines, and afterwards Smit asked him what he thought. To Smit’s shock, Jones rated the session “maybe four out of 10”. “Quite honestly,” Smit later said, I thought we had shot the lights out. He was quite honest about his assessment, but he said it in a nice way, and gave you ways to fix it.”

    White was instantly convinced that Jones could bring a great deal to the coaching team, and asked him to stay on as a consultant:

    Jones’s reply was tart and to the point: “Can you turn silver into gold, mate?” He wanted to know, above all, if the talented Springboks genuinely believed they were potential world champions.

    The South African Rugby Union, or SARU, weren’t over the moon about a foreign coach. They eventually relented, but insisted on one condition:

    …that he would not be an official member of the touring party, and thus would not be issued with a team blazer.

    The rest, as they say, is history. The Boks went on to beat the English 15-6 in an ugly final, with Jones’ expertise crucial.

    Bryan Habana was clearly a fan:

    “We got the fun-loving Eddie,” says winger Bryan Habana. “He didn’t have to speak in a press conference, or to administrators. He didn’t come in and take charge. He just gave us little nuggets of wisdom, an insight into how outsiders saw us. He has an incredible rugby brain. His nuances are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”

    At the medal ceremony after the final win, White stepped aside and let Jones get his medal first, but his official Springbok World Cup blazer was not to be.

    Until the players took matters into their own hands:

    …as he took his leave and flew to Japan the day after the final, the players hatched a touching plan.

    SARU were still adamant that Jones was not eligible for an official team blazer. A few weeks afterwards, however, Jones walked into the office at Saracens to be greeted by an enormous parcel. On opening it, he discovered Habana’s World Cup blazer, which he had framed and sent to Jones in recognition of the debt they all owed him.

    “Because I really valued the input Eddie had, I gave him my blazer,” Habana says now. “I hope it’s hanging somewhere in his house. He’s a good man.”

    Jones has already written his name into rugby history, masterminding perhaps the greatest rugby upset of all time when his Japanese side downed the Boks in 2015, and he is one win away from adding another World Cup title to his list of career achievements.

    Here’s hoping we deny him that title, but he deserves immense respect for the career he has enjoyed thus far.

    Hey, at least it won’t be Michael Cheika holding the William Webb Ellis trophy, because that man is a truly awful human.

    [source:independent]

    • ← Get Ready For The Ultimate Summer Party Series [Videos]
    • Monday Morning Spice →
    • Tweet
    • Tags:
    • Bryan Habana
    • eddie jones
    • rugby
    • rugby world cup
    • rugby world cup final
    • Springboks

    Latest News

    • AI Was Asked To Answer The Meaning Of Life Question And It’s Suprisingly Bang On

      [imagesource:here] Artificial Intelligent technology has been making some serious waves...

    • Radical Footage Shows Moment Earthquake Hit Turkey – Buildings Collapsing In Seconds [Videos]

      [imagesource:twitter/TRTWorld] Horrifying footage is emerging on social media following...

    • City Of Cape Town Introduces ‘Stupid Rule Button’

      [imagesource:wikicommons] They will most likely regret this decision, but the City of C...

    • Now SA Kidnapping For Ransom Syndicates Are Extending Their Victim Pool To Low/Middle-Income Earners

      [imagesource: 123RF/kozzi] Statistics from the South African Police Service (SAPS) show...

    • rassie official film

      SPL!NG Movie Review: Rassie – The Official Film

      Watch movies via Labia Home Screen*. Johan "Rassie" Erasmus has been a rugby fan, player,...


    • 2oceansvibe Partners

    • CONTACT US
    • GOT A HOT STORY?
    • 2oceansvibe Radio
    • 2oceansvibe Media
    • Media Pack
    • Seth Rotherham
    • Café du Cap
    • Cabine du Cap
    • Cape Town City Accommodation
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Business
    • Media
    • Entertainment
    • Tech/Sci
    • World
    • Travel
    • Lifestyle
    • Sport
    • Politics
  • Follow

    2oceansvibe.com is part of the 2oceansVibe Media Group

    DMMA Logo