Former Sharks, Cats and Free State Cheetahs flank Nico Breedt could well link up again with his old Bloemfontein team after ending his stint with French Top 14 club Toulon.
Rugby 365 reports that Breedt has recently left big-spending French Pro D2 champions Toulon after a two-year stint with the club, prompting speculation about where the 29-year-old could turn up in future.
Sources indicate that Breedt is planning to continue his playing career in South Africa, and the Cheetahs seem to be a logical choice for the player, having spend a big part of his career in Bloemfontein, before moving on to represent the Sharks in Super and Currie Cup rugby.
“There has been some talk of Nico coming back to the Cheetahs, but nothing has been set in stone as yet,” Cheetahs assistant coach Helgard Muller told rugby365.com on Friday.
“The rumours are currently running quite high that the player could return, but we’re not certain at this stage.”
Muller went on to confirm that there was also some uncertainty over star eighthman Duanne Vermeulen’s future with the Cheetahs.
“The Cheetahs obviously have to consider Duanne’s movements as well, before anything can be finalised with other players,” said Muller.
Vermeulen was included in Peter de Villiers’ Springbok training squad earlier this year, and has been earmarked as a star of the future.
It would be quite a blow for the Cheetahs if Vermeulen was to quit the Cheetahs for an overseas contract, considering that the player is already highly regarded at the tender age of 22.
The Cheetahs are only just coming to terms with the loss of another loose forward, after Darron Nell accepted an offer recently to play for French Top 14 outfit Castres.
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Even if Breedt does go back to the Cheetahs the answer to the question is the headline is a resounding NO.
The guy has played for the Free State Cheetahs VC side but I wouldn’t call the OFS his roots EVEN by a Free-Stater’s “you steal all our players” standard.
Personal Details
Full Name Nico
Surname Breedt
Height 198cm
Weight 115kg
Birth Date 23 March 1979
Birth City Johannesburg
Marital Status Single
Favourite Film Pulp Fiction
Favourite Music All Pearl Jam
Favourite Food Pork Chops
Primary School Dirkie Uys Primary-Durban
Secondary School Kearsney College
Tertiary Education Unisa
Honours:
Natal Schools Craven Week
SA Schools 1998
Eagles 2001,2002
Cats to UK 2003
FS Cheetahs Vodacom Cup 2003
Natal Vodacom Cup 2005
Sharks Super 12 2004 – 2005
Sharks Absa Currie Cup 2004 – 2005
Sharks S14 2006
Spending one season in Bloem doesn’t make him a Free Stater now does it.
Although by OFS standards………. 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 2) :
Oh great, I’m sure we are goNNa get another diatribe on this, about how Breedt’s spiritual home is the FS. 🙄
@Big Fish (Comment 3) :
‘..having spend a big part of his career in Bloemfontein..’
So one year out of eight is a ‘big’ part? 🙄 😆
He is not such a big name that his presence should spark a debate.
SOMEONE help me out on this one. But seriously. I have never seen Ismael Dollie play. Yet PDV pulled him into his preliminary group and raised the guy’s expectations a mile high. Now nobody wants to give him gametime. Seems to me SOMEONE used him for whatever reason own their own, and he was handed the end of a reaaly short stick??? 😕
@Silver Fox (Comment 6) : Hey Rob, underneath this “ADD COMMENT” box there are an option “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail”.Great feature!But one never knows when to expect to be ignored, and then your comment has allready been submitted. So how about the possibility of adding that to an already submitted comment if you do not get response? Like the other day I made a( to me and one other guy) reasonable good suggestion for your site, but have not had an answer ( be it negative )from you.
He,he,he if Ice could read this, she would offer cyber tissues again. 😀
@Silver Fox (Comment 7) : Dand, there I forgot it again!!!!!
@ra-cheltjie de’ be-er (Comment 5) :
if you are a Cheetahs supporter he then becomes an “un-touchable” 😆
@Silver Fox (Comment 7) :
What suggestion did you make before?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 9) :
Just Like We can soon expect calls for Sias Ebersohn to be the next Bok 12. 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 10) : About a possible player profile ( especially new players, and not only sharks ). One a day/week? and building an archive from that. If it involves too much work, then obviously it is not viable.
@Silver Fox (Comment 12) :
I am not sure if Rob saw that. He is out of the country at the moment and in a different timezone so he would miss most of the daytime comments and to then hope that he reads it in the evening is a longshot.
With the amount of comments that are posted a day it is difficult to read everyone.
Best bet would be to send an email to [email protected]….. and then Rob and i will both get it and one of us or both can respond and work on things.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 13) : Will do. Thanks. 😀
You got this one though?? 😈
@Silver Fox (Comment 14) :
Yeah, But I retain comments like I retain Gas……….. Not for long. 😳
Email is easy to “mark as unread” until I have actioned it………………….Or until it is old enough to ignore 🙄 😳 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 15) : 😆
@Big Fish (Comment 3) :
Nico Breedts spiritual home is a beach somewhere with a fishing rod in his hands and a line in the water, so unless he’s started “gooi-ing pap” then I think he may feel like a shark out of saltwater at the local Bloem waterfront.
@Salmonoid (Comment 17) :
One of those waterfronts where you have to be careful when you cast a line.
If you cast too far the sinker might break a windscreen just past backline. 😳
He was a pretty uselful player – I wasn’t too pleased when the Sharks released him – he was a big, hard guy who could play 7. And look how we have struggled with that position for a while now.
@Big Fish (Comment 19) :
Would have been (and still is) an excellent guy to step into AJ’s shoes.
@Silver Fox (Comment 6) :
I’ll throw in my 50c and have a go.
But first, please clarify what or who you mean by “Seems to me SOMEONE used him for whatever reason own their own”.
I’m not sure I follow your reasoning on that one.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) :
Exactly. Wouldn’t mind us luring Duane Vermeulen down our way either.
Firstly cos he is a good player, and secondly cos of the emotional turmoil some will suffer. 😈
@Big Fish (Comment 21) : No one in particular, it is not a political orientated question. These things happen in rugby. I am more interested in if the guy merits having been called to a Bok squad. Even if you only think he has “future” potential. Obviously PDV must think that, only opinions tend to differ. 🙂
@Big Fish (Comment 21) :”reason own their own”. Nearly missed that one! 😳
My spelling,(but more my typing), are lousy!!!! :grin:Should run a spell check before entering a comment.
@Silver Fox (Comment 22) :
From what I have seen and know, PDV subscribes to philosophy that won White and Woodward WCs – loyalty to players he coached or has knowledge of.
Thats how come guys like Bolla, Big Joe, Jacobs and Dollie got left field call-ups – similar to why it took White so long to drop Barry, Joubert or Paulse, and why he built his team around Smit – who helped him win the U21 WC.
The idea of a coaches call and reliance on players familiar to him is not new, and as Jake showed, can be very effective. Thing is, Jake over-relied on it some time – we all know it took ages for him to eventually see reason and drop Big Joe, Barry, Joubert, Paulse etc.
Still, he won a WC with his ideas, and he often pointed out how many caps his team had – stark contrast to Straueli.
SO, I dont think that its wrong for PDV to make those calls, but he must also remain open to having his mind changed by form, results etc. Which has played a role so far – witness Chavanga getting dropped.
@Big Fish (Comment 24) : I do not have a problem with PDV! We are missing something here. Simply put: ” I have never seen Dollie play. In your opinion, is he good enough to be in either WP or Boland or not? 😕
@Big Fish (Comment 21) :
Firstly cos he is a good player, and secondly cos of the emotional turmoil some will suffer.
😆 😆
@Silver Fox (Comment 25) :
I will say NO he isn’t and would like to “steal” from Pissant to answer how I see the issue.
Dollie was in PDV’s u21 squad ahead of Peter Grant and was quite successful I believe, but this is where PA’s bit comes in.
The Dollie today is the same Dollie from 5 years ago. Whereas the Grant of today is a much improved player.
Now nobody has given Dollie game time and maybe PDV felt he would like to have a look at him in the training group and has now also decided for himself that Dollie hasn’t become (i.e improve in a similar way that Grant did) what we/PDV had hoped he would become.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 27) : Thanks KSA. 😀
@Silver Fox (Comment 28) : By the way, are “Pissant” and “Big Fish” one and the same dude? Surely not Dudess?
@Silver Fox (Comment 29) :
No Pissant is MorneN is PA. (all one person)
Big Fish???????? Well he is just some strange Westville dude now living in the shadow of the mountain.
They are both male.
@Silver Fox (Comment 25) :
I never said that you had a problem with PDV. Why so defensive about that anyway? 😯
My point is the same as KSA and PA’s – PDV knew that he had a good player in his SAu21 squad a few years back, and just wanted a look at someone he obviously had seen potential in.
I also agree that for various reasons, Dollie hasn’t stepped up – just like Paul Delport.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 30) :
Watch yourself oubaas – I know that at your age most of your enemies are dead or cant remember their own identities, leave alone yours, but dont be starting nothing! 😈
@Big Fish (Comment 31) :
Sorry BF will watch myself in future. 😉
hopefully better than i watch my weight
31
Try – Ashley-Cooper grubbers through after a linebreak. Tuqiri and Sivivatu race for the ball and take each other out. Hynes is next in line to score.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 33) : 😳 😳
not so good at multi-tasking
Conversion Over
17 – 5 Aus
32min
@KSA Shark © (Comment 35) :
Awe FFS 👿
One glaring difference with Whites loyalty to those mentioned and PdeV’s is that Whites choices were all still getting game time as their provinces / franchises first choice players while that was not the case with Bolla, Dollie and to an extent Jacobs. Having said that PdeV has quickly assesed where those players “are” in the form stakes and has done the necessary trimming where necessary – something that took Jake up to 2 years to do.
Puck it – I forgot theres a test on the go.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 36) :
LMAO!!! 😆 😆 😆
@Salmonoid (Comment 37) :
Not quite – Big Joe, Habana, Januarie, CJ were all not first choices when first chosen by Jake.
@Salmonoid (Comment 37) :
PDV did say that he would be looking at players whom he felt should be provincial (S14) players and were not being given chances at their provinces and i think he did just that.
And as you say he also went on to realise that they were not as good as he expected and ‘trimmed” them.
@Big Fish (Comment 39) :
Im not sure about that but did they all play in his age group team. Regarding Habana, Im sure that only one game in the Lions development team even would convince any sane coach to pick him for the boks asap before some loitering Aussie came and nicked him.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 35) : wrong thread!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 40) :
I’ve got no beef with what PdeV did, he could have assessed every one of his baby Boks if he felt they needed a look in and if it helped him come up with the best Bok team available. It causes no harm other than opening himself up for some temporary criticism but at least then he is not left wondering.
Anyone for good old fashioned trial matches?
@robdylan (Comment 42) :
JA I KNOW 😳
@Salmonoid (Comment 17) : You mean with the filthy okes at the end of New Pier?
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 45) :
talk about new pier
You see Twiggy won the 2008 Big Wave comp?
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 45) :
Elbow room only, thats all you need to gooi a Mainstay and water.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 46) :
Did indeed KSA… fast becoming the no1 big wave rider in the world…
@KSA Shark © (Comment 2) :
Yes…he is clearly a LION…