The who’s who of South Hemisphere coaches have been linked with the Stormers since Allister Coetzee announced that he is swapping the huge spotlight in Cape Town for the calmer rugby surroundings of Japan.
The Stormers coaching position is a big job, which comes with a lot of glamour, but also copious amounts of scrutiny, because this is a rugby town with the most diverse fan base on the planet.
But thus far the Stormers haven’t been able to reel in their preferred candidate.
Eddie Jones was mentioned in February, John Mitchell said he couldn’t agree proper terms as far as the length of a possible contract was concerned, and John Plumtree is still under contract with the Hurricanes and didn’t fancy uprooting his family and coming back to South Africa.
There’s also been talk about South African Under-20 coach Dawie Theron taking up the job, while Springbok assistant coach Johann van Graan has also been mentioned in various conversations as a possible candidate.
Western Province director of rugby Gert Smal probably wants to make the appointment as soon as possible, as they would probably like to have their new coach settled in at their High Performance Centre in Bellville as soon as possible.
But they might be waiting to see who is available after the World Cup, which only finishes on the October 31. That may be a tad late. The Currie Cup kicks off this week, with defending champions Province taking on Griquas in Kimberley on Friday afternoon. And some of the attention has certainly shifted away from the Stormers’ coaching job in recent weeks.
However, one person who can put himself in the spotlight for the job is new WP coach John Dobson, who takes over the senior side for the first time after coaching the Under-21s and the Vodacom Cup team over the last few years.
Dobson certainly deserves a look-in if he has good campaign in the Currie Cup, and should even be a serious contender if he manages to retain the title with this WP team, that doesn’t look as strong as last season’s outfit, especially upfront.
Dobson’s lack of experience, though, counts against him, as this season will be his first outing at Currie Cup level, although he has had success at all the levels where he has coached. He won the Varsity Cup with UCT and the Vodacom Cup with WP.
The Currie Cup also finishes late in October. So, as far as the preparations are concerned, a coach like Dobson, who has worked with most of the current Stormers’ players over the years, may be best suited for the job if Smal can’t find a suitable candidate before the World Cup.
And because the next Stormers coach will also inherit the current backroom staff, which includes backline coach Robbie Fleck, Dobson’s familiarity with the system would work in his favour as well.
A panic appointment would be a guy like Theron, who may not be the best fit for the job. Theron has done well with the Griquas and the SA Under-20 side over the last few years, but he might immediately be on the back foot because he will have to get used to culture of the union. That is something Dobson won’t have a problem with.
But Dobson will have to show that he is a worthy candidate. He is a student of the game, and his rugby talk at press conferences has been honest and insightful. And he has shown in the past that he can carry that message over to his players.
The task at hand is going to be a difficult one, though, because WP are going to start their campaign without a number of key performers. Springbok fringe players like Scarra Ntubeni, Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Siya Kolisi, and the departure of Michael Rhodes to England, has left Dobson without a few hardened Currie Cup campaigners.
Dobson might get one or two players back when Bok coach Heyneke Meyer announces his World Cup squad later this month. But rivals like the Cheetahs, Lions, and to a lesser extent the Bulls, will pose a great threat, as they haven’t had a lot of disruption, and have had more time to prepare for the tournament.
So, if Dobson celebrates with a cold beer at the end of the campaign, he should throw his name in the hat for one of the most demanding jobs in South African rugby. - Cape Times