Ollie sets the sub standard

13 April 2012

Ollie Le Roux recently won his 50th cap for South Africa, which only goes to show that there are lies, damned lies and statistics.

At face value, half a century of Tests takes some doing, especially in Ollie's case, given the startling fact that in eight years he has started eight internationals and finished just four of them.

A prop forward of elephantine proportions who likes nothing better than a double cheese burger, he owes his fame to the substitute law which allows cheap caps to be tossed around ad infinitum.

The problem goes beyond the degrading practice of wholesale substitutions during the final minutes of an international to the weekly confusion at club level, where the comings and goings have reached a level which leaves the poor old paying customer in a state of some bemusement.

Newcastle v Gloucester last Sunday, for example, brought 17 substitutions. Sale v Leicester last Friday produced 25 changes in personnel.

Now, at long last, the International Rugby Board are doing something about it. They are proposing a reduction in the number of substitutes from seven to four, a change which, if approved, would have a huge impact on strategic planning for the World Cup. In that event, the game might not be entirely up for Ollie, but he would certainly struggle to go on stacking substitute caps up at the same rate.

Almost half his caps have been won with 20 minutes or less left on the clock. The unavoidable conclusion is that the Springboks decided long ago that Le Roux was not an 80-minute man but a handy 'impact' player whose total time on the pitch equates to fewer than 20 'full' caps.

A survey of 15 Test matches last year showed a total of 108 substitutions, every one of them in the second half and the vast majority (77) in the last quarter. Out of a total of 31 tactical substitutions during the final 10 minutes, 17 were made in injury- time, which raised the suspicion of players being thrown on for appearance money.

The IRB will thrash the issue out in November. The southern hemisphere big three are opposed to the proposal, which means they would need only two votes from elsewhere to prevent it being passed.

Syd Millar, the IRB's new vice-chairman, said: 'Subs being thrown on in the last few minutes of a Test match isn't good for the image of the game. Spectators are not at all happy about something which causes confusion and yet some people want more subs, up to 10 to make the game "more interesting". The debate is whether it should be four or five and the board is split over this issue. We have asked unions for their opinion and their responses are now being analysed.'

A compromise would be to ban tactical substitutions during the last 20 minutes, with independent medical experts examining 'injured' players. That would at least curb the problem, but Le Roux will have to wait to find out if he is to be stripped of his title as the supreme substitute.

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Ollie sets the sub standard

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