Ken Borland

This last year has probably been the toughest in Faf du Plessis’ Proteas career but the 35-year-old revealed on Monday that he does not believe this is the end of his story as an international cricketer.

A year ago, Du Plessis was coming off the ignominy of leading South Africa to a Test series defeat to Sri Lanka at home, but looking forward to the World Cup with optimism. This hope was misplaced and the accursed tournament was an even bigger disaster than the ones that have gone before for the Proteas, and then Du Plessis was at the helm for a humiliating Test thrashing in India.

As if the on-field woes were not enough, Du Plessis then had to pick up the slack as the dysfunctional Cricket South Africa executive imploded just weeks before England arrived for the summer’s major tour. Having helped restore some stability along with Jacques Faul, Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher, Du Plessis then lost form with the bat, scoring just 195 runs in 11 innings in the Tests against England and three T20s versus Australia. This put pressure on his place in the underperforming team.

He relinquished the captaincy in February. And then Covid-19 struck, leaving him in Lockdown and the Indian Premier League, the lucrative annual jamboree of the world’s elite cricketers, cancelled. But all the troubles have at least focused Du Plessis’ mind.

“It was probably one of the toughest seasons I’ve ever had to face and it was not just about cricket. I felt that I had fought the good fight, I gave everything leading the Proteas, I went away to reflect and I felt it was the right time to stand down. There’s a new coaching staff, maybe they should start their journey with someone new and me stepping aside could fast-track that process.

“But I still believe I have a lot of value to add, I still love playing and being involved with the Proteas. I’m still extremely motivated to play in all three formats and at no stage did I think of signing overseas. The time away from the game has made sure that my hunger is still there and I really look forward to getting back to the Proteas. The time is right to help grow other leaders,” Du Plessis said.

The veteran of 36 Tests as captain said he is optimistic that the Proteas will now return to winning ways, although he warned the Test team is still in a growing phase.

“The India tour showed us the Test team was far behind, we weren’t scoring enough runs and we weren’t able to take 20 wickets, plus we didn’t have the skills to back up our performance. There are a lot of holes. It was obvious for me that you can’t replace all the playing experience we lost overnight, but I also felt there was a lack of experience in the coaching staff, which required a lot of energy from me.

“Enoch Nkwe did a great job in India but we needed to fill that lack of experience in the coaches because you can’t just get experienced players in. Some really good moves were made in the build-up to the England series and we are in a position to start producing again now. Our structures look sound and we have good heads in charge to grow the game. The series against Australia showed that we definitely have a lot of talent,” Du Plessis said.

Monique Smit may not play the most magnificent attacking golf or have been lavished with the most talent when it comes to the South African women’s game, but what she does have in generous quantities is mental strength and that priceless commodity known as BMT.

The ability to play the percentages to perfection has seen the 29-year-old from George reigning at number one on the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s order of merit and she was also all set to compete in Europe before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

The way she qualified for Europe is the story that exemplifies her BMT best. At the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School, won by Amy Boulden of Wales, at La Manga in Spain back in January, Smit won the 20^th and final card in a four-way playoff. The fact that she managed to do it so soon after her mother, Rejeanne, who had been her caddy for six years, passed away from cancer in November, made it even more remarkable.

“That was just a surreal day from start to finish. There were so many mixed emotions. The first time I played in Europe was eight years ago and my Mom was with me, those were such beautiful memories. But then not being able to tell her I had won my card made it bittersweet. To come through nine such competitive rounds and make the final cut was unbelievable to achieve,” Smit told Compleat Golfer.

“I spoke to my Dad before the final round and it was almost like my Mom’s hands were around mine for that final birdie putt on the 18th. I wasn’t nervous and I had no doubt that I could do it, even though it was crazy to be in a four-way playoff.

“I smashed my Driver on the first playoff hole, it was a good one and I knew I could get on in two on the par-five. It was 190 metres and I hit a three-wood into the middle of the green, I could just see myself hitting that shot. I then made a two-putt birdie and the Frenchwoman [Manon Gidali] made a 20-footer for birdie, the rest all made pars.

“I hit a good drive again on our second go down 18, but this time there was a bit more wind coming in and I didn’t feel as comfortable going for the green in two. So I left myself a nice full wedge coming in instead, and I hit it about 10 feet left of the flag. I wasn’t sure of the line so I asked Clara [Pietri, the Swiss pro who was caddying for her] and she said half-a-ball left and in it went. Manon’s putt wasn’t so good.

“So it was amazing to do something I had been planning for since April last year, but it was empty in some ways because I could not share it with my Mom. And then it was straight back home and into the Sunshine Ladies Tour … ” Smit said.

Smit, who is an only child and took up the game as a youngster when her father told her to join him on a course in George, certainly showed her maturity back home as she beat compatriots Stacy Bregman and Lejan Lewthwaite to the order of merit title.

Although Smit missed out on winning the SA Women’s Open at Westlake in mid-March, and qualification for the British Women’s Open that went with first place (English rookie Alice Hewson claimed those prizes), she still managed to finish second, which was enough to give her the order of merit title and a R100 000 bonus.

Once again it came down to a putt – a 30-footer for par on the last hole.

“It was absolutely amazing finishing off that way. Going into the SA Open, Lejan hadn’t had the best of tournaments at Glendower and had slipped to second, while Stacy had catapulted her way into first by finishing second in the Jabra Ladies Classic and I was third. There was about a 500 points difference between me and Stacy so I knew there was an outside chance.

“So you go through the constant calculations of points all the time, wondering who’s lying where? You just can’t control it because so many things need to happen correctly, but going into the last day I knew I still had a chance. But I had so many birdie opportunities but just absolutely nothing would drop. I had 11 straight pars and not one birdie, so, standing on the 18^th green, I said, ‘you know what Mom, nothing has happened today, so this one is for you’. Then about a foot before the hole I knew that putt was going to be in,” Smit said.

Even being seven shots behind going into the final round does not bleach Smit’s resolve, as she showed in winning the Joburg Ladies Open at Soweto Country Club at the end of February.

So where does this BMT come from?

“I don’t think I was born with it, but I’ve managed to learn how to obtain it in the last eight years. When I was first on tour, I couldn’t make a cut to save my life. When I went from amateur golf to being a pro, I thought I had to make a complete overhaul of my game. It was only in the last three or four years, since I did my PGA qualification, that I’ve learnt that the essence is to stick to basics, just your basics, make them as strong as possible,” Smit explained.

She has also had to endure much hardship in her career, which has undoubtedly hardened her mentally.

First she suffered a serious knee injury in early 2018, which forced her to undergo surgery.

“I’ve been through a lot of heartache. I used to do extreme running and explosive exercises and then one day my knee pad went into my meniscus, so I needed emergency surgery. Dr Spike Erasmus said I must take it seriously but if I did my rehab right then I should get there. Plus in Sandra Winter [a multiple amateur champion] I had one of the best physios, especially with her knowledge of golf. I practically grew up in front of her in George.

“So I took it one day at a time, but I realised how much I missed competitive golf. I thought maybe I’m not finished my playing career yet. It’s been a roller-coaster but there have been so many joys and small personal victories,” four-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Smit said.

She was back by November 2018 but then a year later, tragedy struck when her mother passed away.

“It was on the final day of the Soweto tournament last year that I got the phone call that confirmed that my Mom had pancreatic cancer and my life changed. I still went over to Europe and played on the LET Access Tour and made a couple of cuts.

“But she was always the first one to phone me. Now I have a new reality. But I still play as if she is caddying for me, you have to find a way of dealing with it. She was always my caddy and travelled with me, those were such beautiful memories. I’m still coming to terms with it,” Smit admitted.

But with her game in great shape and the confidence of being No.1 in South Africa this year, Smit can now look forward to really making her mark in Europe. “I definitely feel that I’m now at my peak, although I need to keep working on my consistency over three rounds. I don’t want to have one good round and then a poor round that makes me lose ground on the leaderboard. But it was fantastic for me to win the order of merit, it proves that what I’m doing is on the right track,” Smit said.

Pote Human is one of the most well-liked coaches in the country but it was not enough to save him from the changes sweeping through Loftus Versfeld in the wake of former Springbok coach Jake White’s appointment at the helm of Bulls rugby.

White had already made it clear that even though his designation is director of rugby, he sees himself having a very hands-on, on-field coaching role. That means there is no room for Human when it comes to guiding the SuperRugby side and the Blue Bulls Company announced on Friday that there would be an amicable parting of the ways.

Human joins a raft of changes at Loftus Versfeld, with chief executive Alfonso Meyer also standing down at the end of the month and 17 players reportedly set to get the chop, including captain Burger Odendaal and Springboks Cornal Hendricks and Juandre Kruger.

“The Blue Bulls Company would like to confirm that it has come to a mutual agreement with Super Rugby head coach Pote Human regarding the early termination of his current contract, which was due to end in October 2020. The BBCo were open and transparent in informing Human that the contract would not be extended. Given the current situation, with no rugby expected to be played in the near future, both parties mutually agreed on exiting with immediate effect, thus also allowing Human extra time with his future planning,” the union said in their statement on Friday.

And just to prove what a nice guy he is, Human expressed his gratitude to the Bulls and went on to call for all involved with the Bulls to support White.

“My time at Loftus has been amazing to say the least. It has been an emotional rollercoaster, with many highs and lows. But through it all I have made friendships and memories that I will treasure forever. I have dedicated my life to this beautiful game and trust me there is no better place to do that than at Loftus Versfeld.

“I would sincerely like to thank the BBCo for giving me the opportunity to live my dreams and for affording me the privilege to work with some truly amazing people. I’d like to wish them every success going forward and it is important for Jake to get the backing and support from all stakeholders. He certainly has my support and I wish him all of the best,” Human said.

History will record that Human did not win any trophies with the Bulls, making the SuperRugby playoffs last year and the Currie Cup semi-finals in 2018, but his coaching prowess should obviously be measured by the resources at his disposal, especially a glaring lack of playing quality due to the extremely poor recruitment that took place at Loftus Versfeld before his stint as head coach.

Meyer praised the influence Human has had on the lives of both players and staff.

“Pote is known as more than a coach at Loftus and has influenced the lives and careers of players and staff alike. He is a nurturer and a mentor, and has made a lasting impact on many great players. Pote is an absolute gentleman of the game and has been an asset to the Bulls Family. However, it is time for us to part ways, and we wish him everything of the best with his journey ahead,” Meyer said.

One of the more pleasing aspects of the Proteas’ previous season was how well head coach Mark Boucher and his assistant Enoch Nkwe dovetailed together, which is probably not too surprising given the similarities between them in coaching philosophy.

It could have been a lot more awkward than it was when Boucher took over as head coach in December, Nkwe effectively being demoted to assistant coach because he had been the interim team director when the Proteas toured India in September/October.

But Nkwe is the sort of coach who always puts the team first and Boucher has always been known to be a great team man. As a player and coach, the record-breaking wicketkeeper’s attributes of honest communication, competitiveness, toughness, courage and discipline are well-known.

They are shared qualities that bind them together.

That the 37-year-old Nkwe has a similar coaching philosophy to the 43-year-old Boucher became clear when I was fortunate enough to sit in on the virtual coaches conference he held with the Lions recently. Apart from the many coaches within the Lions system, including his successor as franchise head coach Wandile Gwavu, there were coaches from as far afield as the Eastern Cape, Uganda and New Zealand logged in to hear Nkwe share his thoughts, and the Soweto-born former all-rounder certainly left them with many great insights to ponder.

Nkwe sees the coach’s role as being to create an environment that enables the team to reach success.

“It’s important that you are all speaking the same language, you need the environment to be freed up and authentic. There needs to be clear role-definition which is one of the most powerful coaching tools and it can determine the brand of cricket played. And if the whole process is done properly then the coach is in a much stronger position to have tough conversations.

“You’ve got to be totally honest, one can feel sorry for the player but you can’t sugarcoat things or beat around the bush. It may be uncomfortable at the moment, but going forward the player will have respect for you because of your honesty. Don’t be scared or shy to have those honest conversations; the players know the moment you are bullshitting,” Nkwe said.

In order to discover his own coaching philosophy, Nkwe, who began his coaching career as player-coach for Dutch club HCC Rood en Wit in 2005, said he looked at his own character and what he consistently did as both a player and coach.

He came up with the word ‘competitive’, a word closely associated with Boucher himself.

“You need to master the little things, you’re not going to get everything right but you strive for a level of excellence. And you have to find a way to make it work. Things are not ever going to go all smoothly, and when things are not great, that’s when you have to overcome the challenge. You have to keep finding ways to be successful. There’s always a way and you can’t feel sorry for yourself,” Nkwe said.

You can imagine the exact same words coming out of Mark Boucher’s mouth. To be courageous also seemed to be second-nature for the gritty Eastern Cape product.

“You need courage and consistency to promote your vision and the confidence to go into a new environment and not compromise your beliefs because then you will lose the team. If you want to be liked, then coaching is not the industry for you,” Nkwe said frankly.

Boucher himself has spoken positively of their burgeoning relationship.

“Enoch and I have had some great conversations and I think we understand each other. We certainly have the same ideas and agree on how to do it. We know we’ll have hard calls to make but we’re not scared to make them.

“He has a good relationship with the youngsters I don’t know properly yet and he takes a load off my hands. I appreciate it and we will just keep working hard together and drive our vision together,” Boucher said recently.

Nkwe has also been a great respecter of new Director of Cricket Graeme Smith, ever since their paths crossed as schoolkids. Nkwe played for St Stithians and Smith was at King Edward VII. The future national captain would skipper Nkwe in the Gauteng Schools side of 1999, Smith’s second year of Khaya Majola Week cricket and the first of three years in which Nkwe played. Interestingly, both Smith and Nkwe scored centuries on their first-class debuts.

“Graeme was always a great example to me, he worked out at 15 years old that he needed to make peace with his technique. He knew he was not the best-looking batsman but he had a clear vision of what his strengths were and he made sure he thrived on that and his mental strength. I remember at Khaya Majola Week in 1999 just trying to understand how he could score so many hundreds at such a young age.

“Graeme found a way to make it work, he didn’t fight his technique. It was pure mental strength and he was lucky to have a coach that encouraged that,” Nkwe said.

I would dare to predict that South African cricket will realise in future just how lucky they were to have Smith, Boucher and Nkwe working together to steer the Proteas out of their current turmoil.