So I took my laaitie out to Newlands on Saturday for what was his first experience of the ground all WP fans love and cherish.
Kitted in WP gear, with a WP flag, I thought it would be a day he would never forget – his first visit to Newlands!
I chose this day for two reasons, it was a Vodacom Cup game so I knew there would be few spectators and parking and moving around will be easy with a 3-year old, and the WP side had some decent players named in the side taking on an international Pampas side – so it all was set for a memorable afternoon.
Kick-off was at 17:00 and having got there an hour before the time, we spent the first part of the Newlands experience visiting the rugby shop across the Main Stand where he got his WP flag. And after we enjoyed some Argie supporters singing and dancing outside the stadium, we made our way to the Main Stand to take our seats.
From this point on, I was glad that as a 3-year old, he understood very little of rugby (he cheers anyone that runs with the ball and they all play for ‘Prooovvviiiiinccceee’ according to him) because what unfolded in front of us, was some of the biggest load of shit I have ever had the privilege to witness at Newlands, or by any WP rugby team in history.
I should have known better though, because my brother who more or less watches almost all their games said they were completely useless but I did not want to listen.
I mean, how bad can a team be that has names like:
Morgan Newman, Dylan Des Fountain, Conrad Hoffmann, Pieter Myburgh, Adriaan Fondse and Hanyani Shimange?
Not to mention upcoming talents like Jurgen Visser, Johann Sadie and JJ Engelbrecht?
I mean almost half this team has Super rugby experience!
Well let me tell you now, you should not let that fool you, because in my books any of the Varsity Cup teams could have given these bunch of plonkers a hiding on the day.
But what is it that WP with these big name players, and this is not the first year the Vodacom Cup side has these types of players in here, never makes it anywhere in this competition (Vodacom Cup)?
Sure there are disruptions with players moving up and down from the Stormers setup but every Vodacom Cup team sits in the same boat here.
Well to my surprise (NOT) it was mentioned to me that the same coach has been in charge of this team for the last 4 odd years or something… one Jerome Paarwater…
Can someone please explain to me how we can continue to support mediocrity in WP Rugby please? All the while losing coaches like Pieter Rossouw, who is largely credited with the new more complete rugby the Bulls are playing (after he begged WP for an offer before he had to leave for his job at the Bulls).
WP Rugby has some of the best schools, best universities and currently the best club in rugby in South Africa in its region, yet teams lower down in the structures in WP Rugby like Jerome’s team continue to disappoint and all the while WP continues to lose talented youngsters and coaches.
Well looking at the rubbish I witnessed on Saturday, I am not surprised…
As for the game, I can also tell you the Pampas were cheated out of a win too…
One thing is for damn sure, I will not take my son to any Vodacom Cup games in future, I fear he might actually grasp onto the concept of rugby and refuse to come with me to Newlands ever again!
elcamino
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Methos The French Stormer
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JT_BOKBEFOK!
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Jacques(Bunny)Somtimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits
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Vetgesmeerde Blits
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Morné
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Ollie
Koos
March 31st, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Because Morne
It is support of racial “equality”
Welcome to AA Heaven
March 31st, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Questions should seriously be asked about the ability of Jerome Paarwater and his coaching staff. What can not be understood from Jerome and his team is that WP have the Varsity Champions of the past three years in there region and the Club Champions of 2009. They have some of the top rugby schools in the country and still they can not play attractive winning rugby. After a few years in the position surely Jerome Paarwater should have settle into the job and produced a winning team with these kinds of resources………
March 31st, 2010 at 12:46 pm
…..AND……The worse thing for Jerome is that he was in the past part of some underperforming teams. It goes from bad to worse when you realize he is a specialist forward coach. Last year he was the assistant forward coach for Dick Muir’s midweek team. If you take that the scrums was the one department were the Boks struggled throughout the tour then you realize that Jerome do not cover himself in glory. As coach of the WP O/21 he could not achieve any trophies, his WP Vodocom team could not even reach a final since he took over. Surely Rassie Erasmus needs to look at someone different so that WP Vodacom team can really starts develop players for their senior teams. If you just think he can ask coaches like Dobson, Roux it will already make a difference. If this goes on WP would surely loose some more young stars to other provinces. There is a thin line in keeping your young developing players in your province and show confidence in the once that is in the teams
March 31st, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I am so fed up with the WP
and what is really going on in the Administration.
Living in the Boland maybe I must rather support the Boland even if they are :poop:. They are at least making an effort with the union and trying to be better
March 31st, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 12:46 pm:
You have just hit the nail on the head:
If this goes on WP would surely loose some more young stars to other provinces.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:52 pm
“Can someone please explain to me how we can continue to support mediocrity in WP Rugby please?”
Simply you guys do… mutely accept this… they have been kuk for years now… and on Voldy ‘many’ of the more tanned posters still cry out for Jerome to be AC’s assistant and call for higher accolades…
March 31st, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 12:51 pm: An you now what if I get some of these young stars in the streets I would encourage them to move…future in WP they will not get.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I agree 100% with your observation! My family and I had the “privilege” to watch the WP Vodacom Cup team play the Sharks IV (curtain raiser for Highlanders game). It was a disgrace! Half the team was walking the WHOLE TIME! Nobody looked for work and at best the effort was close to 10%. There is NO team-play, nothing is done at speed and generally nobody seems to be interested to be on the field! And to think these dudes play in the same blue-and-whites than greats like Rob Louw, the Du Plessis borthers, etc.!
March 31st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 12:55 pm:
Why not look for Jerome Paarwater, or better yet, the WP top management and ask them to move instead
March 31st, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Would like to see if the idiot pulls some players from Ikeys and Maties this week to his under-performing lineup.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Looking back Jerome’s history, he was part of Kobus van der Merwe’s team as well again the forward coach.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Sover darem 4 uit 5 gewen.
Daai 4 spanne moet darem rerig kak wees.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Reply to manvanstaal @ 1:18 pm:
Whats the bet this team will not smell a final?
March 31st, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Reply to manvanstaal @ 1:18 pm: Hulle is…..Border wie die Pampas met 60 odd punte gewen het, OP wat
is en die Pampas wat hulle moes verloor het want die ref was uiters 
Dan het hulle teen Boland verloor.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Miskien moet hulle vir die beste Chester nader roep.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:22 pm
It is the infighting
Stellies vs UCT all trying to woo the colored clubs…
Result = patheticness
Shit
How the heck do the Lions manage five consecutive years iof playing in U19 or U21 CC final and being the Bulls of VC and still unable to compete effectively at CC and S14
You guys in the cape have nothing to worry about
March 31st, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 1:22 pm: Klink na n taai liga daai.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Reply to DavidS @ 1:22 pm:
These guys still represent the province.
Reply to manvanstaal @ 1:22 pm:
Bwahaha, hy kan nie kakker wees nie.
Ander man se my nou Tinus Linee is Paarwater se assistant…
March 31st, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Verskriklik…miskien gee ons Jerome te veel
March 31st, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Reply to Morné @ 1:26 pm:
March 31st, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Reply to manvanstaal @ 1:18 pm:
3 of those being Pampa’s, Border & Eastern Province.
And besides for a 29 – 0 win against Border, there is nothing for them to brag about really.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 1:30 pm: …and the Sharks or Wildebeeste but we all know how
the development is in Natal and they should have lost that game as well very lucky to win with last kick from de Waal I think
March 31st, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Morne can you not start to get some answers from Rassie on where they are going with this
surely he needs to be concerned about this teams performances
March 31st, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Actually, 29 – 0 against Border is noting to brag about
March 31st, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 1:32 pm:
Going by the score line, they squeaked through against EP and the Pampas too
March 31st, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 1:38 pm: That’s my whole point, get so frustrated
March 31st, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Francois’s baby sounds like it’s producing some awesome rugby… is it producing decent coaches… so the Paarwater’s will be no more?
March 31st, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 12:52 pm:
and on Voldy ‘many’ of the more tanned posters still cry out for Jerome to be AC’s assistant and call for higher accolades…
==========
You must remember most of these
guys cannot judge merit and
judge only on skin colour.
I see the most hillarious
claims in the SMS column
daily.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 1:30 pm: Reply to Ollie @ 1:37 pm: True
March 31st, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 1:45 pm:
The same reason Barack Obama won the US election
Simple bloc voting by race…
And the reason the ANC will win every single national election it contests
March 31st, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Jeez is there no VC website… how are the Pampa’s doing?
March 31st, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 1:45 pm:
Then there was the SMS sod
who complained that there
was no Stormers coverage
last weekend.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 1:57 pm:
Try sarugby.net and access their competitions page or follow the links to the VC cup.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:59 pm
You guys can turn it into a race thing if you want, but before that it was jobs for buddies etc.
E.g. What was Kobus vdM’s excuse, what is Plumtree’s excuse, what was every Border coaches excuse prior about 2006?
You are just picking one convenient reason that supposedly supports your point of view, as far as I see it
March 31st, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 1:59 pm: You tell me what did Jerome Paarwater achieve since he became a coach?
March 31st, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Ollie, Kobus vdM was appointed by Nick Mallet and certainly had NO buddy-buddy feeling involved. He was also rightfully fired when he did not produced results. I agree with Plumtree, but at least he was competetive in the S14. And what decent coach will go an coach Border…
March 31st, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Border’s excuse is it’s Border.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Reply to Jacques(Bunny) @ 2:11 pm:
It’s not what he has done or not done, merely the excuses used for why it has happened.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Reply to manvanstaal @ 2:17 pm:
March 31st, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Reply to Bekke @ 2:11 pm: Didn’t Mallett ‘inherit’ vd Merwe?
Ether way, vd Merwe was a joke and so is Paarwater.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 2:21 pm: No excuse, WP rugby administration just went downhill since the last trophy in 2000….Always promising but then they fade away…look at these names: ” Carel Du Plessis, Gert Smal, Kobus van der Merwe, Rassie Erasmus, Gary Gold, Coetzee and Rassie at the wheel of it all for the past few years.
WP will only get better if they do what the Bulls did and get those useless administrators to leave and get structures in-place for the players that they can believe they can stay at WP.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 2:22 pm: I love Border.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 1:59 pm:
Kobus VD Merwe went to CC semis with Griquas and unearthed talented players like Zane Kirchner and Ronnie Cooke….
VDM was a good coach who got screwed by Luke Watson
Plumtree won the CC and has been in semis every year he has coached…
No idea what the Border’s excuse is
And i stand by what I said…
March 31st, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Funnily enough that Danie Craven was such a crony that he almost never appointed a WP coach to coach the Boks…
Weird that…. he was mos always the king of cronyism…
Don’t try to point fingers into a pile of something non existent
March 31st, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Reply to DavidS @ 2:37 pm:
You perogative to stand by it
I’ve given up trying to convince anybody otherwise.
Ijust fear that it will take SA a lot longer to come right becuse of like minded attitudes on both sides of the fence.
I used to think that it would be the toddlers of 2000 that would bring the country right around 2050, but I fear that it will be 2 generations (at least) of toddlers later that might be the ones to watch.
March 31st, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 2:41 pm:
Yes, and by then (actually
much earlier) you won’t be
able to tell the difference
between SA and Zim and the
rest of the continent.
I will leave it at that
and zip my mouth.
March 31st, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 3:33 pm:
I have higher hopes, but let’s leave it at that
March 31st, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 3:39 pm:
You haven’t been following ANCYL of late then… but I’ll leave it at that…
Nag John-boy…
March 31st, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 3:50 pm:
I’ve been following them since the early 90′s
March 31st, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 3:50 pm:
Besides, I have been hearing that for 15 years now.
March 31st, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 4:07 pm:
Have you heard about
lawyers being demoted
because they prosecuted
people with high ANC
credentials?
March 31st, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Here is a piece by a black
man about the way we ALL
want to see the country:
http://www.news24.com/Content/MyNews24/YourStory/1162/c6eb1d96d3404ca8b9afd4c941e3b821/29-03-2010-01-30/Welcome_to_my_South_Africa
March 31st, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 4:13 pm:
The whole Scorpions Unit was disbanded for the very same reason
April 1st, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Reply to Ollie @ 2:41 pm:
Ollie – substantial change happens only during the third generation. Excluding current generation.
In other words the grand-children of the children born today – will enact substantial change.