Rugby: Why Mark Andrews had no time for Kitch Christie!

In the first of our new series in conjunction with Front Row Rugby, the well-known rugby journalist Peter Stemmet chats to former Springbok and World Cup winner, Mark Andrews. They talk about the turbulent years before and after the 1995 World Cup, the problems that cost South Africa the 1999 World Cup and also about the Harry Viljoen era. Surprisingly, he bluntly states in typical Mark Andrews fashion that he had no time for Kitch Christie as coach!
Watch this fascinating interview with a legend of the game!
You can visit Front Row Rugby here: @frontrowrugby
In ons nuwe reeks in samewerking met Front Row Rugby, gesels die bekende rugbyjoernalis Peter Stemmet met die voormalige Springbokslot en Wêreldbeker-wenner Mark Andrews. Hulle gesels oor die onstuimige jare voor en na die 1995 Wêreldbeker, die probleme met die 1999 Wêreldbeker en die Harry Viljoen era. Tipies Mark Andrews draai hy nie doekies om nie, en hy maak dit duidelik dat hy nie veel tyd vir Kitch Christie as afrigter gehad het nie.
Kyk saam na hierdie fassinerende onderhoud!
00:00 Welcome to Front Row Rugby!
00:12 Let’s look at this week’s trivia question!
00:34 Tell us about your Springbok debut in 1994
02:56 The 1994 tour to New Zealand was one of the most difficult ever
04:09 What were the differences between Ian Mac and Kitch Christie?
06:35 Kitch Christie’s brutal fitness regime
08:27 Tell us about switching to number 8 in the World Cup
15:20 Were the Springboks in control of the World Cup final?
17:38 Was it the Springboks’ destiny to win that World Cup?
18:48 What did it feel like when you became a Rugby World Champion?
20:27 Tell us about the frustrations of 1996/97
23:04 How did Nick Mallett turn things around?
25:01 What went wrong in the ‘99 World Cup?
27:12 What did you think of the Harry Viljoen era?
29:38 Who was your toughest opponent?
31:48 Time for our Trivia Question!
Rugby: Mark Andrews had no time for Kitch Christie! #frontrowrugby

[@ericdawson7097]

A great interview- Mark Andrews - one of my favourite players and characters! Loved those days of the Sharks with Andrews, Honiball, Joubert, Ollie, James Small , Kevin Putt , Teichman etc .👍🏉

[@khayasontsele8984]

The best interview ever! 😂😂😂😂

[@neilswart7271]

I remember watching Mark play his first game for his province. He had springbok written all over him . Great lock . Great guy

[@janhbhugo5085]

Mark speaks the truth of what it was like back then ! Respect !

[@bennie8736]

❤ the insightful view.Great player

[@gerhardcombrinck7026]

Great comments, Mark. Nice stories. 🙂👍🏻

[@imntg6649]

Great interview, thanks

[@johnmcgrath2022]

Wonderful Interview 🫶🇿🇦

[@SignificantWines]

Great interview....... pity the best 8th man in Tiaan Strauss wasn't there because Kitch wanted Pienaar as captain.. and his last comments regarding battling to get up and play the lesser teams is very accurate, was always rubbish when we played lower tier teams...was very annoying how poor the Boks in those games, we could never put a team away like the All Blacks could. Now we can.

[@megafoonsport]

We will be talking to Tiaan next if all goes well

[@BarryJack44]

That story about being picked at number 8 in the 1995 world cup had me in stitches! That was hilarious. Compared to the 'moneyball' level analysis that Rassie & Co. do today, the coaching then seems no more scientific than sticking a wet finger in the air to tell which way the wind is blowing.

[@megafoonsport]

Well put, seems exactly that! Watch out for our interview with Gary Teichmann on Sunday! Just as fascinating!

[@alanmjohnson]

I remember thinking that it was out-of-the-box genius in the semifinal, considering the weather. A week later, I thought it was foolish - I'd have thought so even more strongly had I known the game would go for 100 minutes. But it worked. In my opinion, though, Andrews HAD to be on the field in those big games, whether at lock or 8.

[@Driftertd]

Where Mark is maybe a bit harsh, is 'Transvaal' was the dominant provincial team in the country by a country mile. It's not strange therefore that Transvaal would have dominated the line-up. Winning the inaugural Super 10 rugby competition. He should consider that it was a time of rugby being an amateur sport. Kitch only had 12 - 14 tests as a coach and did not have the luxury of 'mincing' words. Kitch never lost a game as a Springbok coach, he was an innovative thinker and knew how to win. Think about Tommy Laubscher who he dug out from nowhere to anchor the scrum and the switch of Mark to 8 was a success on the day!

[@president6645]

It's true Transvaal were dominant in 93,94, but from 95 Sharks were the team of the 90s history proves it.

[@Damnealas]

What a legend! Mark you were exceptional! And l’m sure you have so much knowledge that you can pass to the younger generation! Sometimes it comes down to luck but you still had to put in all the hard work yourself!

[@megafoonsport]

He is a legend indeed!

[@godfreyvanwyk9654]

Met Mark and Dick Muir at a Legends Dinner and he was a very entertaining host...I have huge respect for him...

[@wfWynand]

Such a nice interview from one of the players i admire growing up. Like it so much i eve forwarded to my farher in law😊

[@megafoonsport]

Thank you. This Sunday we chat to Corné Krige!

[@hoochone3225]

Lekker chat Mark... Thank you!!!!

[@peterfisher5673]

Mark Andrews a SA rugby great. I enjoyed the interview. There were many wonderful rugby stories well told.

[@megafoonsport]

Many more to come!

[@joneethling]

Looks like Rassie is in a class of his own, as coach. That being said - I always felt that the "senior player" thing in the springbok team was nonsense.

[@mjribes]

Mark Andrews was a great player! I remember there was an SA Rugby article in the late 90s that listed the best and worst Boks team of the 90s. Mark was listed in both - in the best XV at lock and in the worst XV at 8th man.

[@brucekendall52]

Insightful discussion.Excellent.

[@walterdutoit7285]

Great interview, thank you

[@megafoonsport]

Dankie Walter. Daar gaan elke Sondag een wees!

[@louisduplessis1730]

Great interview. I remember Mark singing with the Scots during the national anthem....The flower of Scotland. .Great sport, wonder if any higher ups were unhappy about that.

[@lastmanstanding9389]

One if my all-time great players, especialy with the Sharks.

[@megafoonsport]

Agreed

[@DN-kz7xl]

Open honest discussion. Nice!

[@andilemdingi3366]

Legend.

[@jksinorbit]

Great player and a hard man....

[@nevillecoleske6368]

Any player that pull the green and gold over their head deserves the utmost respect! Mark is no different!

[@megafoonsport]

Truth 👍

[@derekfelton8287]

Mark Andrews the original hard man ! Great interview with the tall timber.

[@megafoonsport]

Nice one, yes!

[@justinwilken356]

He gave you a game in the final at least.he had a 100%record.savour the positive.you are only from Natal,a real rugby Mecca. Appreciate your luck and legacy.stop being negative. Besides everything,at least you were tough as nails,no liberties, like some others! Your a champion Mark,,many good memories from those days!

[@alanmjohnson]

You certainly don't want to hold grudges for decades, but I do appreciate getting to hear unvarnished memories.

[@jasonoffice548]

Wow coaching has fortunately developed from back then. Seems pretty crude some of the methods then (team management, fitness training). Great stories Mark

[@megafoonsport]

Indeed. Light years away from today's standards

[@StaalBurgher0]

My word coaching was amateur lucky packet stuff back then... no wonder the ABs closed the differential. Rassie cant get enough love.

[@megafoonsport]

Unbelievable, really

[@phillmartin6196]

Mark is loved by my son ❤ I preferred Kubus and coach Kitch ❤

[@jkmb5758]

Are you talking about Kubus - the rotten milk culture pyramid scheme?

[@bg365]

Carel Du Plessis built the team that set the 17 match winning streak. Mallett undid that side with his egotistical decisions. I remember watching him in interviews after the games when he would always talk about his decisions, his input, etc. Never the players or the team.

[@gordondwyer3641]

Carel wasn't a coach.

[@bg365]

@@gordondwyer3641 You make a compelling argument…

[@gordondwyer3641]

@@bg365 I'm glad you agree.

[@bg365]

@@gordondwyer3641 I don’t agree at all. Carel Du Plessis was ahead of his time, created one of the best teams in Springbok history. Outstanding coach.

[@gordondwyer3641]

@@bg365 That's why they lost the first series against the All Blacks in South Africa and a series against the British Lions during his tenure.

[@DietrichBonhoeffer99]

I met a few corporals in the army with English names but acted like Dutchmen.

[@dn822]

Probably felt embarrassed to be Englishman. Lot to be embarrassed about.

[@DietrichBonhoeffer99]

@@dn822 all I remember which nation was the first to call out “EK KANNIE MEER NIE KORPORAAL”

[@dn822]

@@DietrichBonhoeffer99 I remember the one that starved 50% of the children in concentration camps. They probably also said ek kan nie meer nie.

[@DietrichBonhoeffer99]

@@dn822 gave the country away without firing one bullet. 99 % hensoppers

[@mvubu6823]

People always talk about VICTOR and BAKKIES as the greatest Bok locks. Before EBEN came along, I would pick Mark Andrews to partner Victor. He was immense. Aggressive, violent if needed, phenomenal ball skills, intelligent.

[@whattinsanaemh9449]

Had the pleasure of meeting Mark Andrews around 2000, at a pub in Kensington JHB, i won a ball signed by him in a raffle , still have it in my bar today

[@tyronewilliams7879]

Pat Lambie

[@markengelbrecht3390]

Wow this is good stuff...

[@krlauf5307]

Joel also Natal too ...

[@user-uh4cc8yb2z]

It was Patrick Lambie

[@rouxhuys]

Mark told the story that Frik du Preez once told him, that he is the epitome (ware) of a lock forward. Mark then said, getting a completed like that from a lock like Frik du Prrez, is a massive compliment...wow! Mark was a lock extraordinaire...!

[@megafoonsport]

He was most certainly one of the best. Watch out for our interview with Gary Teichmann tomorrow!

[@hettiebouwer1015]

Joel Stansky

[@SupremeBros2012]

Dayum, that's some pressure to keep your place :

[@rsabardoelectrical]

Good Man Mark

[@janhbhugo5085]

NZ are still pissed off with Boks ! Look who won in France !

[@Patrick8804]

They're still pissed off with the Boks winning 2 test series in the 1970s

[@TheoVanDerMerwe-nj6iw]

Patrick Lambie

[@alecswart3881]

Pat Lamby

[@wynandvanzyl8798]

I was overjoyed when he was moved to eighth man. I always thought Kitch Kristy was a genius. I am a Western Province supporter and found him a fantastic player. Amazing when we do not know what is going on behind the scenes.

[@megafoonsport]

Very interesting. Next up is Gary Teichmann on Sunday!

[@WarrenFelix]

🔥🇿🇦🔥👊🏾❤️👍🏾

[@user-eh4ru3ve9y]

Great person Mark Andrews .Great player as well .Pat Lambie kick that winning kick in 2014.

[@martindekock4719]

Typical from players with sour grapes and I totally agree with your opinion regarding Pienaar

[@gerhardrahnvanniekerk5132]

Wow really sad how he insults a dead man , why didn't you confront Kitch then when he was still alive , or rather why didn't you just leave the team , talking like this now seems a bit scaly .....

[@phillipniemandt6802]

Mark was an excellent player and jumper. In his first test against England he was matched at number 2 against the incredibly tall Martin Bayfield who stood a full 12 cm taller than Mark and Mark beat him hands down after he had wrecked havoc with our locks in the first test who if I recall were Kobus and Vleis. Also years later he fought battles with the excellent Martin Johnson who took no prisoners. I think they eventually sat down with a beer and agreed too focus on the match and not each other.

[@andriespotgieter1432]

Quite a shame the interviewer didn't ask Mark about that widely known one-punch knockout he got from Johan Ackerman during a training session on Loftus Versfeld's B field, when the Boks were training against the Bulls... It's legendary and says quite a lot about Andrews' arrogance in those days. Until the Boerseun taught him a thorough lesson!

[@bonjovi7120]

Only in your wet dreams that it happen kid

[@stona9222]

"No time for Kitch.." sounds a bit harsh? Most Boks had huge respect for Kitch.

[@megafoonsport]

Hi Stona, always good to hear from you. This is his personal opinion and I am sure other players might have felt differently. I think perhaps provincialism might have played a bigger role in those days. Please watch Gary Teichmann's interview as well.

[@kobusvanheerden941]

I don't think anybody knows how Kobus Wiese ever became a Springbok. I can never remember that he ever impressed me in one single game.

[@alanmjohnson]

One thing I'll always remember about him...in the 1995 final, everyone talks about Joost sacrificing his body and throwing himself under Jonah Lomu at full speed to stop a promising attack; everyone also remembers Japie Mulder making a picture perfect tackle on Lomu and driving him into touch. But as a slow, tight-five forward, I always appreciated that Wiese caught and tackled Lomu from behind. Less spectacular, of course, but thanks to my bias, it was the most impressive.

[@francoisverdoes8552]

Het van Mark gehou,lekker aggresief gewees

[@megafoonsport]

Hy was 'n uitstekende speler, jy is reg.

[@raynierllewis2827]

springboks had so many rubbish coaches after the world cup. harry viljoen - clueless, Karel du Plessis Andre Markgraaf

[@megafoonsport]

The players are very complimentary about Markgraaff in terms the rugby side of things. Maybe if he was able to stick around for longer, things might have been different. We'll never know

[@larrymeyer2917]

The factions in South African society simply are a blemish on the country, don’t try to understand it if you did not live through it. What can be and must be said, Rassie seems to have killed that in rugby, the passion for every player is well displayed in the current Bok team, I believe that’s the difference from old to current bok rugby. The players are not worrying about where they stand, they are part of the bigger team. I went to 99 RWC and it’s the my most disappointing time as a supporter, and while Mallett has admitted his mistake with Teich, I would never give him space in the bok team, the winning team was destroyed and we were the laughing stock of London, on paper unbeatable, without Teich got wacked by a pathetic Aussie team, embarrassing on the streets of London. I went north until the Final in Cardiff. Most of the folk on the tour were not even at the Final or the play off. Accept a loss, we can but not because the coach made fundamental mistakes, simply should never be in command of such an important RWC. 96 to 2007 was a period in SA rugby, you never want to remember, post 2007 to 2018 equally disgusting management.

[@megafoonsport]

Watch out for our interview with Gary Teichmann on Sunday!

[@hermankern3939]

And he has to come up with this almost 30 years later, yugh, just degraded him on my list to No 29, one above Francois Pienaar in that 95 team.....

[@hpmmiggie]

If you remembered anything from the 90's. This all sounds spot on (and pretty entertaining). Your number 29 remaints my number 3 lock. He was immense. Regarding his opinion KC, sounds pretty familiar given the interviews I've seen from the Class of 95. . Anyhow dont be pissed, its all water under a bridge, especially given it was 30 years ago.

[@lastmanstanding9389]

Had no time for Kitch Christie, he inherited a great team and setup from Ian McIntosh RIP.

[@johanjacobs2651]

Well never been a fan of Mark, mediocre player

[@desmondallindrallintscmint7479]

THATS why Andrews competed and outplayed the best opposition in the world and, became World Cup champion….. sounds pretty mediocre to me …..

[@jkmb5758]

Fair enough, coming from a mediocre unknowledgeable 'fan'.

[@dontwaddle6782]

Mark you never were a good rugby player so best to keep your comments to yourself kitch was a star coach

[@kobusvanheerden941]

You think Kobus Wiese and Strijdom was better😂😂😂

[@khayasontsele8984]

Pat Lambie

[@m.t.1187]

Pat Lambie

[@tershiusmocke1566]

Pat Lambie