The Bye Bye Braam Blues
By RtR on 14/04/2003
April 15 2003
So, Braam is going, the rumour mill has turned out to be true, and the Tykes are losing a genuine star of the game to our cross pennine rivals The Sharks. Soon, a man described by Phil Davies as 'the jewel in our crown' will depart, a Tyke no more.
Braam joined the Tykes a few months into our first season in the ZP, in what proved to be a very difficult time for the club. The fact that he came at all is testimony to the man - remember that he was supposed to be joined by his compatriot Cobus Visagie. Cobus never came, Braam did, and effectively gave up his chances of playing again for the Sprinboks. No doubt Braam was paid well for his services, but his decision not to abandon the Tykes has to be respected.
But, by the end of last season, the Tykes finished bottom of the table, and Braam looked knackered. Being the star player in a team comes with a good degree of responsibility, and Braam stuggled manfully to lift a team that was slipping into relegation trouble.
But this season has been different, and Braam has played his part in a winning Tykes team. In these days, the difference between winning and losing can be a matter of inches - kicks missing touch, conversions going wide, a foot into touch. In such cases, a team needs men capable of doing the business when it matters. Braam has delivered on that one big style. Kicking coach Dave Aldred has stated that there are many people up and down the land who can kick goals from all angles, but very few who can do it consistently under extreme pressure. Such people are called 'match winners', and Braam is definitely one of them. Toughness lies between the ears as much as in the muscle fibres, and he is one tough competitor.
 'The Boot' |
But comments began to appear in the message boards, especially as the odd loss started to creep in. We relied too heavily on the Braam boot, and we seemed to struggle with a lack of midfield creativity. The reasons for this are potentially complex. Was it the coaching, were the backs playing as a unit, was it the lines of running, was anybody running off Braam or Ross, is it the speed of delivery to Braam, do we have difficulty clearing out rucks and getting quick ball? Or . . . . . . is Braam the problem? This last question is one that many of us did not want to contemplate.
The game against Quins last Friday seemed to sum up the quandry - Braam gave little away in midfield defence, put in several useful charges to draw in Quins cover, and of course, kicked the conversion to win the game under great pressure. But, particularly in the second half, our back play was ponderous and poorly executed. Something needs to change to able the Tykes to benefit from the undoubted potential in our backs, and as the club strives to improve, maybe Braam had to go to allow us to develop a style of rugby capable of taking us into the Heineken Cup. The other side to that argument, is that we have lost our one true match winner. Only time will tell which - if either - of those arguments hold sway.
It will be interesting to see whether Braam can unleash the Sale backs (the best in the ZP) next year. That will help answer the questions raised about his creativity. One opinion to consider, is that Braam is a far better flyhalf than centre. If the Tykes had used him differently, perhaps a more creative player would have emerged. Either way, Sale have got a very canny buy, if Hodgson makes it to the world cup, they will have quality cover at flyhalf. Braams departure from Leeds leaves us with a potential hole next year, as Ross will surely be in the Scots squad, and it is debatable whether we will get as good a player as Braam in as cover. Quality cover during the world cup will be at a premium next season.
Whatever the limitations of our back play this year, Braam has been worth the money. Much has been discussed about Braam's motives for leaving. It is most likely money related, and we should not berate him for that. As he comes to the end of his career he needs to establish as much security for his family as possible. Braam's departure is a matter for the Tykes senior management to mull over, and I assume that we offered him what we felt he was worth. It was obviously not enough. The financial turmoil in the game may have played its role in Braam's departure.
So, Braam has now only one more game left at Headingley in Tykes colours, against Gloucester in a few weeks time. I am convinced that his departure will be a blow to us, as he bought much more to the side than just his kicking. When the Gloucester game comes round, I sincerely hope that the Tykes faithful turn out to give a fantastic send off to a great player.
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