Former Bok loosie Ryan Kankowski talks to Sport24

Ryan Kankowski (Gallo Images)

• The former Springbok eighth, who appeared in 20 tests for South Africa, speaks of being rejected by Heyneke Meyer, but does not hold a grudge because “the coaches have their own agendas.”
• He directs the rule on the appointment of Peter de Villiers as EP Elephants head coach and addresses rumors of whether older players ran the show when he was Bok’s boss.
• The former Sharks stalwart also offers his views ahead of the Carling Currie Cup clash between the Sharks and Bulls at Jonsson Kings Park on Saturday at 7pm.

Sport24 asked: What have you been up to since you retired in 2018?

Ryan Kankowski: I have played a lot of golf and am still trying to learn how to hit a ball straight. I am currently based in Johannesburg and have also been involved in a small property development in Cape Town and Durban. My wife Talisa is working in Johannesburg and, having followed me for a few years, it is my turn to let her decide what she wants to do and where. If I have to follow her for a while, I am more than happy to do so … I have also been associated with esports and have been involved with gaming since I can remember. I’m trying to get involved where I can and show that video games are not the devil. There is stupid money in esports right now. It’s a million dollar industry, which is ridiculous. In South Africa, we are a couple of years behind. It is not about talent, but in terms of connectivity we cannot compete because we are too far away.

Sport24 asked: Your take on Jake White’s return to the home game?

Ryan Kankowski: I’ve always gotten along with Jake. He knows what he’s doing and he’s a pretty intense coach. He eats, sleeps and breathes rugby and expects the same from you as a professional. That approach has worked for him over the years, so you can’t blame him for that. In Jake’s second season as rugby manager for the Sharks in 2014, I wouldn’t say we played our best rugby, but we still made it to the semi-finals. Maybe she didn’t expect him to be successful with the Bulls in year one already, but she definitely knew he would come. He’s brilliant at putting together a team, making the right combination, and making them work towards a specific goal. The rugby his teams play is not very fancy, but he is very good at what he does. There is always a plan in place and there are things behind the scenes. Hopefully he can continue to build on it and with some of the players rumored to join in, he will do well in the future. Marcell Coetzee would be a brilliant signing for the Bulls. I’m sure you want to go home, but until it happens you never know.

Sport24 asked: Do you regret not having played more tests?

Ryan Kankowski: My versatility could have been a curse rather than a blessing (Kankowski appeared in 20 trials, 13 of which were a substitute). It’s always hard to look back, but I don’t regret my Springbok career. I had a little fun and worked with some brilliant players and coaches. Not many people wear that green and gold shirt once in their life and I was lucky enough to wear it 20 times. If I could have played more, I would have loved it, but it happened as it did. It was a brilliant time in my life, but it was definitely disappointing to miss out on the chance to play in the Rugby World Cup. I was unlucky in terms of no selection and an injury or two. Obviously I would have loved to have gone as it would have been a great experience, but what can you do? Coaches have their favorites and it’s one of those things that you have to accept. Of course, I leaned on myself and believed that I deserved to be there. However, coaches can only choose so many players and each has their own plan and style of rugby that they want to play before a World Cup. If they think you don’t fit in, they will go for the safest option.

Sport24 asked: Was Heyneke Meyer the coach you least enjoyed?

Ryan Kankowski: I wouldn’t say Heyneke was the coach I enjoyed the least, but he had his favorites on the Boks. (Meyer has published a book called: My Notes on Leadership and Life). I found out very early that it was not in Heyneke’s plans, which made it much easier to go to Japan. However, it was pretty weird because I ended up going and then Springbok management came over and wanted me to come back. There was a bit of back and forth, but the bottom line was that Heyneke had his players and the style of play he wanted to play. He felt like the players he wanted adapted to that and a lot of them won him a lot of trophies so you can’t blame him for backing those guys. Pierre Spies was the eighth starter at the time, but I don’t know if he was much more physical than me. However, they had a great mix on the Bulls and Heyneke liked having the same guys around him. If you’ve won a few titles, you want the same people to surround you, as it looks familiar to you. As a rugby player, you cannot take non-selection personally, as it is part of the game. Coaches have their own agendas and it’s quite difficult because a guy decides your fate. As a player you just have to go with him, back off, train hard and when you get the chance hopefully grab him with both hands and make the most of it … Dick Muir was my favorite coach. He backed me 100 percent and in the locker room he used to give me a thumbs up, a smile, and then move on to the next player. It was great to have the freedom to go out, express yourself, and just have fun!

Sport24 asked: Is Peter de Villiers a smart date for EP?

Ryan Kankowski: He’s had a bit of a rough time lately and I really wish him well in his new role as head coach of the Eastern Province. It has been difficult to see what has been happening to the Kings players and I hope Peter can make a difference. Hopefully they give him a chance (to be successful) and let him get some suitable players. It doesn’t matter how good your coach is; If you don’t have some sort of proper player base, you’re unlikely to hit between the four white lines. I enjoyed working with Peter on a national level. He is a suitable character on and off the field. During his tenure with the Springboks he got into a lot of trouble talking to the media, but we really accomplished great things with him. Peter definitely had the knowledge of the game and the pedigree of rugby behind him, but at the time older players were running the show. I don’t know if they did the whole team selection because it was behind closed doors, but Victor Matfield controlled the lineouts and Fourie du Preez was brilliant with many of the patterns. With different coaches, those senior players were still running the sessions. We will never really know if they completely controlled the program or if the coaches trusted them to carry them out because they had years and years of experience.

Sport24 asked: Your take on the World Rugby Team of the Decade?

Ryan Kankowski: It’s a top-notch team, but it’s very interesting to see that Sergio Parisse, Richie McCaw and David Pocock have been selected because there are so many loose forwards to choose from during those years … I think McCaw definitely deserves his player of the decade award. He accomplished some incredible feats in the game. The three South Africans to break the XV are Bryan Habana, Bismarck du Plessis and Beast Mtawarira who is brilliant. Bissie and Beast literally dominated for over 10 years playing for the Sharks and Springboks. For me, Beast is the main guy and he was number one in the field and number one in our hearts. He is a good man on and off the field. He is a great friend of mine and he definitely deserves it. Bissie continues to play in France and is a machine. Being able to do it for so long means that you are a special player. Meanwhile, Bryan’s record speaks for itself as South Africa’s top try scorer. He was a phenomenal player and won almost every trophy at stake in the game of ovals.

Sport24 asked: What do you think of the All Blacks in third place?

Ryan Kankowski: I don’t know how the rankings work as they are so designed to punish you. It’s crazy, but these days the gap isn’t that big between the top three teams. It is extremely dangerous to write off the All Blacks, who still won the 2020 Tri-Nations. New Zealanders are a special breed of people and rugby is a religion in New Zealand. I think their training and structures are at another level and doing it with the limited number of players they have in their country is great. Every few years they go through falls, but within a year they are back at the top and doing crazy things. The development of All Black assistant coach John Plumtree has been enormous. He is a brilliant coach, he is extremely technical and knows how to win and get the best out of his players. Even though his last year or two with the Sharks wasn’t that great in injury terms, he did some really special things in South Africa. He supported us as players and was there when we did many of our best things. He knows what he is doing and will definitely help with the New Zealand structures. I see great things to come from the All Blacks.

Sport24 asked: Who do you rate as the top number 8 in the game?

Ryan Kankowski: He would have to go to Duane Vermeulen. He’s twice my size but runs at half speed. He’s done phenomenally even though he started with the Springboks a little late in his career. He’s amazing on defense, with a bit more padding, and he’s really made the Springboks # 8 jersey his own. Ardie Savea is brilliant too and is a different kind of player. It is extremely fast and fierce. He has a huge heart and he keeps working 100 percent all the time.

Sport24 asked: What is your outlook before the Sharks-Bulls clash?

Ryan Kankowski: Going into Super Rugby Unlocked, the Sharks were playing phenomenal rugby. Maybe they came out of the lockdown a bit undercooked or took it a bit easy going into the first few games. It looked like they weren’t the same team and the Bulls, in direct contrast, seemed hungry from the start. They have played brilliant rugby, they have an excellent mix of players and Jake has done great things with them. Hopefully Sean Everitt and the Durban boys can pull off a big win at Kings Park on Saturday and close the eight point gap over the leading Bulls. The Sharks are definitely still the team I support in South Africa. I’ve known Sean since club rugby days. He’s a brilliant, old-school-style coach and he really makes players play for him.

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