FILE Former Springbok coach Jake White and captain John Smit.
Image: Etienne Rothbart
Former Springbok coach Jake White had an obsession with size and experience.
He was particularly rigid about the latter, placing a strong emphasis on battle-hardened veterans such as Os du Randt, Percy Montgomery, Victor Matfield, and captain John Smit.
White’s 30-player Bok squad that ultimately went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup in France in 2007 had a sum total of 833 caps before they left South Africa’s shores for Europe.
The former Bok mentor’s firm belief was that high-pressure situations could not be simulated in training and required players who had seen and done it all before.
However, White also had an eye for a precocious talent, which saw him hand then-teenager Frans Steyn a Bok debut before being forced into fielding the youngster in the No. 12 jumper during critical stages of the tournament after vice-captain Jean de Villiers tore his hamstring against Samoa.
I can’t help but get the feeling that Proteas Women’s coach Mandla Mashimbyi follows the same White playbook.
Anyone who has read this column before would be fully aware of how critical I’ve been of Mashimbyi’s reluctance to infuse the national women’s cricket team with fresh blood.
But Mashimbyi has taken it to the next level with the announcement of the Proteas’ 15-player squad for next month’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales.
No fewer than seven — that’s just about 50% — of the 2017 squad that agonisingly lost to hosts England in Bristol are heading back to the UK almost a decade later.
In contrast, England have only three survivors from that epic semifinal.
It certainly is a Proteas reunion of sorts with all the old band members, notably Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, and their former chieftain, Dané van Niekerk, back in tow.
Two of the trio had officially retired from international cricket already, but after conversations with Mashimbyi — much like White had with Du Randt — they have reversed their decisions to have another crack at winning the holy grail.
In Ismail and Van Niekerk’s absence, though, the Proteas have grown, been successful in reaching consecutive major ICC tournament finals — Ismail was part of the first side to progress to the T20 World Cup final in 2023 — and have formed a new inclusive culture with young and old being given an opportunity to express themselves in the dressing room.
This is in contrast with how the team operated back then, when Ismail and Kapp were very much the senior bowlers that the rest of the bowling unit almost hero-worshipped and were often intimidated to seek guidance from, while Van Niekerk’s almost robust personality did not always make her the most approachable either.
It was no secret that the Proteas dressing room, with all these larger-than-life characters, had its fair share of off-field issues.
Van Niekerk’s successor, Suné Luus, however, brought a much softer style of leadership which was welcomed by the team, while Laura Wolvaardt has since led through example rather than words.
That being said, I do believe that Mashimbyi has delivered a masterstroke in recruiting Ismail for this T20 World Cup.
Even at 37 years old, Ismail remains one of the premier fast bowlers in the women’s game and will indeed add much-needed pace to the Proteas attack.
A seam-bowling trio of Ismail, Kapp, and Ayabonga Khaka can hold its own against any team in the world.
Equally, Van Niekerk’s expertise in the middle order will be crucial, although I am doubtful about how she will fare against the better teams in the competition.
The onus will no doubt be on the experienced hands to lead the way, but I also feel that Mashimbyi may have unearthed his own Frans Steyn in 20-year-old all-rounder Kayla Reyneke to bring that elusive “X-factor” to the table.
I see this Proteas side going one of two ways. It could all prove to be an almighty flop, with the emotions of yesteryear coming to the fore for the old guard and the youngsters feeling isolated.
Or Mashimbyi may have got the formula of experience and youth just right, with the coach ultimately having his own triumphant moment on the Lord’s balcony on July 5 — just like White had 19 years ago in Paris' City of Lights.