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South African derby determines number eight bragging rights
The DHL Stormers versus the Vodacom Bulls is a crunch BKT United Rugby Championship match and for South Africans it does not get bigger than the north versus south derby.
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It also won’t get much bigger on Saturday evening in Cape Town than the one-on-one showdown of the No 8 young guns Evan Roos and Cameron Hanekom.
Whoever wins on Saturday takes huge strides and individually Roos will want to establish the pecking order of those chasing the Springboks No 8 jersey vacated by the retired Duane Vermeulen.
Hanekom exploded into the 2023-24 BKT URC as a force from the base of the scrum and quickly established himself as a standout talent as the Vodacom Bulls surged to five wins in seven matches.
His opposite number, the dynamic Roos also has a big appetite for collisions and adds an abrasive physicality to a formidable DHL Stormers back row that is completed by ballhawk Deon Fourie and tearaway flanker Hacjivah Dayimani on the blindside.
The battle between the loosies in Cape Town🍿
Will it be the DHL Stormers or Vodacom Bulls trio that come out on top?#UnitedWeRise pic.twitter.com/CVUpYEBYyp
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) December 20, 2023
Double World Cup winner Vermeulen has abdicated his throne as the Springboks’ thundering No 8 and Roos and Hanekom lead the next generation of back-row powerhouses who pride themselves on ensuring the pack continues to rumble.
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An uncompromising player in the mould of Vermeulen, Hanekom has hit the ground running in a breakthrough season in Pretoria, with an MVP performance on his competition debut against the Scarlets in Round 1, which included a brace of tries.
The 21-year-old dominated the stats for carries and metres gained in the early rounds of the competition, and talk around his physical presence at the breakdown and set piece turned up another level when it was revealed he is eligible to play for Wales, through his grandmother.
Reflecting on his sudden emergence this season, which drew comparisons to the legendary Vermeulen, Hanekom said: “It’s been an amazing experience, I’ve been learning a lot and can’t wait to learn more.
“Duane is one of my role models… Obviously I’m trying to make a name for myself, but if I’m being referred to as the next Duane I won’t mind it!”
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Roos, 23, is no stranger to the hype machine. He too was touted as South Africa’s next heavyweight ball-carrier based on standout performances for the DHL Stormers teams that powered to back-to-back BKT URC finals, a contribution that was rewarded with a Springbok call-up in 2022.
Having packed so much experience into the last 20 months, including the disappointment of missing out on selection for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a recharged Roos has thrust himself into 2023-24 with renewed vigour and is poised to make a resounding impact against a Vodacom Bulls side that he boasts a 6-0 record against in the competition in the past two seasons.
Blessed with an industrial leg drive, and surprising turn of speed for a 110kg loose forward, Roos helped the DHL Stormers clinch the inaugural BKT URC and then hogged the awards ceremony by being named the League’s Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, Fans’ Player of the Season, Next-Gen Player of the Season and a place in the Dream Team.
“Thinking about where I was to where I am now, it seems surreal. A lot has happened very quickly,” Roos said. “And regardless of whether I’m in the Bok mix or not, I’m always fired up for a season with the DHL Stormers.
“The BKT URC is super-competitive by nature, and we want to do as well as we can and get into a final again.”
While Vermeulen leaves a tremendous legacy in his retirement, the talent coming through the South African pipeline is, literally, thick and fast. History has repeatedly shown that the next South Africa great is coming off a conveyor belt of talent that never stops running, and the DHL Stadium is expected to serve as the runway when Roos and Hanekom taxi out of the tunnel on Saturday.
Comments on RugbyPass
Fiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to comments