Coleman piles heat on critics

11 July 2014 - 09:31 By Simnikiwe Xabanisa
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In the build-up to the Springboks' Test against Scotland, Handré Pollard was pulled aside by coach Heyneke Meyer and asked a question: "Give me five reasons why I should pick you to start on Saturday?"

Having literally just got off the plane from leading the Baby Boks to the IRB Junior World Championship final and into the Bok set-up for the first time, the 20-year-old swelled his growing skrik vir niks reputation by reeling off the reasons.

"Because I'm in form, I'm confident, I believe I'm the best."

Looking at Stormers flyhalf Kurt Coleman's apologetic demeanour, it's difficult to imagine him rattling off a similar explanation when Allister Coetzee was thinking of picking him for his Super rugby debut against the Sharks in 2011.

Coleman, who was 21 at the time and had his first taste of first-class rugby with the Vodacom Cup earlier that year, delivered such unconvincing Super rugby performances that year that he didn't feature at all in 2012.

The lengthy bridging course took what decidedly looked like a cul-de-sac when he was loaned to the SWD Eagles to play first division Currie Cup last year.

Having returned to the saddle this year after the failed Elton Jantjies experiment, Coleman was so anonymous in many rugby observers' eyes that a colleague asked me "which (SA) Super rugby team plays without a flyhalf?" last week, in reference to the Stormers' penchant for using forwards at first receiver.

But on Saturday, the brash new sensation - Pollard - came up against the nearest thing a 24-year-old can be to a forgotten man - Coleman - and the nearly man emerged the better man.

Granted, in a domino-effect game like rugby, your forwards' work goes a long way towards determining the kind of game you're likely to have as a halfback.

At Newlands the Stormers bruisers were up for it and the Bulls may as well have spent the vast majority of the game squealing: "Not the face! Not the face!"

Be that as it may, in a game played in conditions which went from freezing to a downpour, Coleman set up the Stormers' only try by putting Nizaam Carr through the smallest of gaps with good hands and timing, kicked well for goal and out of hand.

With the weather in mind, his decision-making was judicious, which is sometimes more important when you are on the front foot as you are presented with more options.

In all fairness to Coleman, last weekend's game was not the first time he showed that he, too, has qualities to at the very least play Super rugby.

During the penultimate game before the June Tests break, also against the Bulls, but at Loftus, the former Grey High pupil had delivered an equally all-round performance. But as is the wont of South Africans, it was ignored because his team lost.

There are two basic reasons Coleman is "suddenly" coming into his own: he is realising his potential at his natural timetable, and the Stormers have curbed their infuriating tactic of trying to control the game with loose forwards.

Often because we grade children in age groups while they are developing, we expect them to have the same achievements at similar times. But life has its own plan, evidenced by Coleman's relatively late blooming.

This means the likes of Gary van Aswegen can also be granted the necessary patience while they go through the mandatory teething problems of a professional player.

This is not to write up Coleman as the next Bok hope. But nobody will ever claim the Stormers play without a flyhalf as long as he is patrolling that channel.

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