Dead-eye Stevens kicks on for Maties
Last week, varsitycup.co.za noted that individual excellence (read TUT No.8 Wikus Botes) could vividly rear its head in a team that is not performing well. Conversely, when a team is riding on a crest of a wave, individual excellence can be shifted to the background - particularly in a superstar-team such as FNB Maties.
It is exactly this notion that makes the exploits of Stellenbosch scrumhalf Donald Stevens all that more impressive in the table-topping Maties side.
The Man from Bethlehem has been in superb form from the outset in the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International, particularly with some high-class place-kicking which has made him the leading points-scorer in the tournament with 50 points in just four appearances.
"I have really enjoyed the responsibility of kicking our goals," Stevens - the Man of the Match in Maties' 12-10 win over UCT on February 2 - told varsitycup.co.za. "I believe the pressure it has put on me has helped me scale new heights."
Yet, despite his match-winning exploits this season, Stevens is quick to point out that not only does his boot require constant improvement weekly - but, so too, his general play.
"The problem with the place-kicking responsibility," he said, "is that one tends to only focus on that aspect of your play.
"It is not my primary job to kick goals, only a bonus. My main work is to control play and be an efficient link between forwards and backs."
It is, however, not something the Maties points-machine needs to worry about, as his general play has been outstanding this season. His service to flyhalf Coenie van Wyk has been efficient and he varies his play very well.
Stevens has also shown tactical kicking of the highest order - very much in the mould of World Cup-winning Springbok scrumhalf Fourie du Preez.
Of course, plays for one of the biggest rugby clubs in the world, which subsequently means the club boasts bigger playing resources than most. Asked whether the competition for places in the team puts extra pressure on players, Stevens had a paradoxical answer.
"I think most people would think that a player-rich club like Maties would place extra pressure on players because of our depth," he explained. "Yet, I don't see it that way.
"Playing at a club such as Maties by default means that your pre-conceived mindset is that you simply have to be the best to play in the first team. I think with this in mind it actually puts less pressure on a player," Stevens added.
It is perhaps not surprising that the halfback reasons this way given the fact that he attended South Africa's top rugby school Grey College.
Stevens raved about his time in Bloemfontein and noted that the school "prepared [him] for the challenges of fighting for a place in the main team in a very competitive environment".
The 21-year-old has certainly not slipped under the radar of the Western Province selectors and they have included him in their provisional Vodacom Cup squad.
"It's obviously a great honour to be playing for Province, but my focus is now on playing well for Maties. We are at a crucial stage in the competition and the team needs my full attention," he said.
The scrumhalf, too, is hopeful that the rest of his side's Varsity Cup campaign will go according to plan and said that expectations were high in 'Maties-land' for another title.
"Team spirit has been absolutely amazing. It feels as if we are growing every time we take the field and we definitely play for each other," Stevens said.
He acknowledged that success could carry the risk of the team playing more as individuals, but was confident that the Men from Stellenbosch would remain disciplined throughout the rest of the Varsity Cup.
Maties travel to Pretoria next Monday to face FNB TUT - the only winless side in the 2009 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
The game at the TUT Stadium kicks-off at 6.45pm.
By Heinz Schenk