Terblanche for Ulster wouldn't be the worst, but can someone please "think of the children"!
News is trickling in from South Africa that Ulster Rugby may be signing yet another Natal Sharks player, Stefan Terblanche, as temporary cover for the injured Jared Payne. This is not confirmed but I’ve heard enough over the last few days that makes me think that this should be happening.
Terblanche, 36, played his last match for the Sharks on Saturday in the Currie Cup final and our sources tell us that the popular captain has been making quite open references to his impending departure, but has to date remained silent about where he is going. The rumours circulating in the “Shark Pool” have to date included Japan and Wales but, now that we’ve asked them, Ulster are not being ruled out.
Other South African sources suggest that Terblanche has signed a three month deal with Ulster as a final “payday” in his illustrious career!
He’s certainly a classy enough player as according to his Wiki entry:
Terblanche played in 37 tests for South Africa, scoring 19 tries, including a South African test record of four tries on debut against Ireland at Bloemfontein on June 13, 1998, which he later bettered by scoring a then record five tries against Italy on June 19, 1999.
Terblanche started his career under the tutelage of Nick Mallet at the Boland Cavaliers (66 caps). He made his debut in 1999 for the Natal Sharks and played for the Ospreys in Wales (2003 – 2007). Terblanche moved back to the Natal Sharks for the 2007 Currie Cup season in South Africa. He played his return game for the Durban-based franchise at fullback and scored two tries and claimed man of the match in the Shark’s 32–16 defeat over Western Province.
There can be no doubting Terblanche’s credentials, though I have a niggling feeling that he never seemed to like the cold weather during his stint with the Ospreys. He has looked in outstanding form for Natal Sharks over the last few years though, and he does run some lovely lines. Regarded as the fittest man in South African rugby, Terblanche definitely is a big game player and should have no problem getting up for the Heineken Cup, but whether he’ll want to put his body on the line in the PRO12 on a wet, windy and freezing Friday night is another matter!
While, under the current circumstances, Terblanche will be a welcome addition to the Ulster fold, I have to wonder why we got ourselves into this situation. If there is no confidence in D’Arcy, and there certainly doesn’t appear to be, then why did we allow the better prospect of David McIlwaine go to Doncaster, where he’s already produced quite a few MotM displays from fullback?
Just one example but I wonder how many of the McIlwaine’s, O’Connor’s, Smith’s and Seymour’s will come back to haunt us having realised their potential elsewhere. Certainly it cannot have been encouraging to Ulster’s past and current up and coming youngsters to see the likes of Terblanche and Emerick parachuted in to answer Ulster’s call!
Yet again more money will be going out of our game into the pockets of “travelling pros” while Ulster and Ireland qualified players are forced to look to other clubs to get a game and, more worryingly, get appropriate development, encouragement and respect. It appears that under the new leadership, that promised much for the “grass roots” of the game, that Ulster is instead becoming more and more first team centred with little spent on coaching and developing the youngsters. Far, far to often I’ve heard the preparations, or really it should be lack of preparation, for Ravens games described as a farce.
Maybe it’s time to remind ourselves that Ulster’s first and foremost duty is to produce players for the Ireland set up, not a pension funds for a few of the ageing stars of world rugby, no matter how nice a guy they are.
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