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We round up our Future of Rugby series with a look at South Africa, the reigning World Cup champions and No1 ranked side in the world, and the U23 options available to them. A lot was made of how young the England side that faced the Springboks in that recent November 2019 final was, although South Africa were far from a team at the end of their powers either with plenty of talented youngsters and players just beginning to enter their prime. There looks to be a lot more to come as well as the South African player pool earns envious glances from many rival nations (for the purposes of this XV, only players aged 23 or younger on May 1, 2020, were considered eligible for selection).
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15. Damian Willemse, Stormers
Previously heralded as South Africa’s next star fly-half, Willemse (pictured above right with Willie le Roux after the RWC final) has settled more easily into a role at full-back since transitioning from age-grade to senior rugby although there is still scope for him to play either position at the highest level. Lionel April, a standout for Tuks in the Varsity Cup, is another to watch having made the same move from fly-half to full-back that Willemse has.
14. Aphelele Fassi, Sharks
We have moved Fassi over from full-back to wing, something that not only allows for the strongest back three here, it is also something which could well happen if rugby adopts the 50:22 kicking law and full-back skill sets on both wings become more of a priority. He has excelled for the Sharks and looks like a Springbok in waiting at this point.
13. Wandisile Simelane, Lions
An honourable mention here for Marnus Potgieter, although very few up and coming outside centres will get close to Simelane. The twinkle-toed Lions centre is as gifted an attacking prospect as you could hope to find. As he rounds out the other areas of his game in Johannesburg, he should begin to push his name into the mix for senior international involvement.
12. Rikus Pretorius, Stormers
The subject of plenty of interest from the Bulls and incoming head coach Jake White, Pretorius ticks all the physical boxes of a powerful inside centre. He became more comfortable as a distributor in his second season of U20s rugby and the Stormers will be doing everything they can to keep hold of the talented centre.
11. Tyrone Green, Lions
Green’s transition from age-grade to senior rugby has been one of the more seamless ones in South African rugby of late, and although the Lions have struggled since Johan Ackermann’s departure, Green has been a consistent option for them out wide. With Willie le Roux and Makazole Mapimpi at the other end of their careers, there are potential openings in the Springbok back three moving forward.
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10. Curwin Bosch, Sharks
Bosch flirted with the transition that Willemse has made to full-back, but the departure of Rob du Preez has given him control of the Sharks’ 10 jersey and he has thrived as a result of that. The ex-schoolboy and Craven Week star now looks to the manor born in Super Rugby, something which keeps him ahead here of the likes of Mannie Libbok, Gianni Lombard, James Mollentze and budding Ikeys fly-half James Tedder.
Plenty of food for thought here…https://t.co/E605Z8vLOk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 28, 2020
9. Embrose Papier, Bulls
There is a nice array of nine options here for South Africa, with the Lions’ Morne van den Berg in the mix, as well as the highly promising Sharks pair, Sanele Nohamba, Jaden Hendrikse. For now, Papier is the man leading the group having already got a taste of international rugby with the Springboks. His electric breaks around the fringes make him a threat from anywhere on the pitch.
1. Kwenzo Blose, Stormers
He is in competition with Maties loosehead Dian Bleuler, who is the next cab off the rank after Blose in the South Africa U20s side. The loosehead has cut his teeth with Western Province in the Currie Cup and will be hoping to make the leap to regular involvement with the Stormers as the understudy to Steven Kitshoff when Super Rugby eventually returns.
2. Johan Grobbelaar, Bulls
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The Sharks’ Dylan Richardson looks as if as he is forging his senior career at hooker, although there is still time for him to deployed as an openside flanker instead. Grobbelaar is an out and out hooker, though, and has begun backing up an excellent age-grade career with some strong showings for the Bulls at Super Rugby level.
This would be quite an intriguing alliance https://t.co/cVrGdeh027
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 28, 2020
3. Carlu Sadie, Lions
A word for the raw talent that is Asenathi Ntlabakanye, but we have gone for Sadie, his team-mate at the Lions, as the ex-Stormer is a couple of years ahead of him in his development. The two prop positions are areas where South Africa will need to find some new talent before the next World Cup, so Sadie could be in luck if he can continue to consistently perform for the Lions.
4. JJ van der Mescht, Sharks
There were few players more impressive in U20s rugby last season than van der Mescht, something which has caught the attention of clubs at home and abroad. The dynamic lock looks for all money like a future Springbok star and it’s a shame that the current Super Rugby season, which could well have been his breakout campaign at the senior level, has been so heavily impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
5. Ruan Nortje, Bulls
Salmaan Moerat is a talent and was a captain of the South Africa U20s side, although it is his partner in that age-grade engine room that we have opted for here. Nortje was excellent in that U20s season and has since built on that with typically impressive performances for Tuks in the Varsity Cup and the Bulls in Super Rugby. South Africa’s lock stocks are in incredibly formidable shape.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_gC8Chg1LW/
6. Jaco Coetzee, Stormers
Nods here for the Lions flank pairing of Hacjivah Dayimani and Vincent Tshituka, both of whom have been developing well in Johannesburg, but Coetzee is a stellar talent whose reputation would already be much higher were it not for significant injuries earlier in his career. Versatile enough to pack down anywhere in the back row, Coetzee could be the next debutant in the Springbok back row.
7. Celimpilo Gumede, Sharks
Still somewhat raw as a technical rugby player, Gumede has all the tools to become a formidable and impactful loose forward. The Sharks desire to seemingly develop Richardson as a hooker helps clear space for Gumede in the franchise’s talented corps of back rowers and he is one of the spearheads of the youth movement currently going on in Durban.
8. Phepsi Buthelezi, Sharks
Thankfully for South Africa, Rassie Erasmus has no shortage of options to develop as Duane Vermeulen’s eventual successor. Juarno Augustus, Muller Uys and Junior Pokomela are all on the radar, but we have opted for Buthelezi primarily because of his skills as a leader on the pitch as well as his more successful transition to senior rugby than some of his rivals.
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments