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Super Rugby Rookies
Part Two – The South African Rookies
Dan Carter. Will Genia. Schalk Burger. World class players know by all rugby follows. However, even these great players were once relatively unknown rookies. In this series we examine a number of young players yet to make their Super Rugby debuts, but who have the potential to develop into world class players in the future. In the second of the series we look at five South African rookies who are set to announce themselves on the Super Rugby stage this season, and could potentially take the Super Rugby tournament by storm.
CJ Stander (Bulls)
Age: 21
Position: No.8
The Blue Bulls from Pretoria are very much in a rebuilding - or as some Bulls fans will have you believe a 'just-wait-and-see' phase. With international stars of the likes of Guthro Steenkamp, Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Gary Botha and Danie Rossouw all calling it a day in the light blue (and soon to be pink - sorry, I couldn't help myself) jersey it is both a nervous and exciting time to be a Bulls fan. Exciting because of the glimpses of brilliance shown by some rookie players in the Super Rugby off-season. One of the most promising of these is CJ Stander, the 21 year-old number 8 originally from George, Eastern Province.
Standing 1.88m (6'2) and weighing 106kg (16st 10lb), Stander is a very powerful young player. One of two young new Bulls No.8's that captained the Junior Springboks at the JRWC recently (the other being Arno Botha in 2011), Stander is an ever-present menace both in attack and defense, and for a big guy he really has a great work rate. Running 30m in just a split under 4 seconds he is a match for captain Pierre Spies' athleticism. He relishes utilising his mobility in defense as much as in attack and is regularly one of the first at the breakdown if he is not the tackler.
There is fierce competition in the Bulls loose forward department this season, though with the recent injury to experienced hand Dewald Potgieter there is a position available in the starting trio. CJ Standers man of the match performance in the Bulls' last outing of the off-season against the Pumas, where he showcased his all-round ability by crashing over for a try at short range, displayed clever support play and distribution, and showed great commitment in defense, should see CJ get the nod ahead of the other worthy contenders in Arno Botha (another name to remember) and Warwick Tecklenberg.
Johan Goosen [Johannes Lodewikus Goosen] (Cheetahs)
Age: 19
Position: Flyhalf
Bloemfontein has always been a factory for producing some of South Africa's toughest no-nonsense Springboks, and the Cheetahs, who are too cash strapped to keep hold of many of their most promising young players, look to have carried on this tradition. It is then no surprise that they have uncovered the young man that many believe and hope to be the 'next big thing' in South African rugby; a kind of rugby-messiah in a no.10 jersey. Johan Goosen, born in Burgersdrop, Eastern Province, is a young man with the nations hopes on his shoulders.
At 1.85m (6'1) and 87kg (13st 10lb), Goosen is not huge by modern day rugby standards, but more than holds his own on the rugby field. Goosen is product of the undisputed leader in SA schools rugby, Grey College in Bloemfontein, and like his alma mater Frans Steyn he kicks 67m field goals in his stride (well, at least one 67m field goal in top flight rugby) and with probably greater accuracy. However that is not the primary reason many pundits in South Africa are excited by the young prospect though, and neither is his rock solid defense in the no.10 channel. The thing that gets most South African pundits going is the fact that Goosen, even at the tender age of 19, seems to be possessed of a rugby brain and all-round playing ability the likes of which South Africa has last seen in the no.10 jersey in.... well, never. Goosen is the type of 10 that looks to create play and put those around him in space as much as kick the leather off the ball, and has the eye and turn of speed to take a gap himself if the opportunity presents itself.
Goosen was a revelation in last years Currie Cup, and looks to have the Cheetahs number 10 jersey sewn up for 2011. Here and there he still makes the odd blunder in terms of option taking but with experience, and if he does not get 'over-coached' or overawed by the extra pressures of Super Rugby, many in South Africa wouldn't be surprised to see him in at least a number 21 Green-and-Gold jersey by the end of the year.
Callie-Theron Visagie (Lions)
Age: 23
Position: Hooker
With the Lions all ready having a very young squad, coach John Mitchell has rather looked to sign experienced campaigners from outside the Lions fold to bolster the inexperienced group he has had to work with. Players such as Butch James, Wikus van Heerden and CJ van der Linde have been looked too to bring that poise that only experience imparts. For the Lions then its not so much a question of which rookies will come through the ranks, rather will the rookies who were given a chance last season carry their Currie Cup success through in a much tougher competition with level playing fields? That said, their newest rookie recruit hooker Callie Visagie deserves some introduction. Born in Paarl, Western Cape, Visagie is an experienced campaigner in age group and varsity rugby, having been captain of sucessful Paarl Boys High, the WP champion u19 and u21 teams, as well as leading the Maties of Stellenbosch University to 3 straight championships in FNB varsity rugby. Visagie opted to turn
down a WP/Stormers contract last year in favor of finalising his degree (B.Acc Hons) at US. His tertiary qualifications now taken care of, he has joined the Currie Cup champion Lions pack in their aims to take their Currie Cup form to challenge for higher honors in Super Rugby.
At 1.89m (6'2) and 108kg (17st) Visagie is a tall and powerful hooker. Apart from his obvious leadership skills, the Lions have acquired in Visagie a hooker equally as adept at the technical skills required of a hooker as a player who gets involved around the pitch. His bustling presence saw him wearing pink pants more often than not at Varsity Cup level (an award for the MVP of the previous match; to highlight a player to watch out for).
With last seasons first-choice hooker Bandise Maku ruled out for 6 months after shoulder surgery, Visagie finds himself in a three way race with Martin Bezuidenhout and Edgar Marutlulle for the Lions number 2 jersey. With Super Rugby being a marathon, rather than a sprint, we will likely see Visagie have his chance to show whether he can translate age group pedegree into the 'real deal'.
Marcell Coetzee (Sharks)
Age: 20
Position: Flanker / No.8
Born in Potchefstroom, Northwest Province, the 20 year-old Marcell Coetzee is no a stranger to skipping steps on the path to top flight rugby. The young and explosive no.8 and flanker skipped the under 21 ranks to be one of the Banana boy's most consistent performers in the senior ranks in the 2011 Currie Cup, and those consistant performances saw him in the starting XV as an all-action bolter. If he can continue the form that brought him here, and manage to make a contribution in the tighter games that are sure to come along, he may be a possible bolter in Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer Springboks squad for the mid year against England.
Standing 1.91m (6'3) and weighing 106kg (16st 10lb) Coetzee is a player at his best with ball in hand. Coetzee should fancy his chances within the Sharks' gameplan of ball-in-hand rugby and interplay between forwards and backs. Not just a crashball merchant or a straight line speedster, Coetzee has the hands and feel for space that is the envy of many a senior backline player, and it will be interesting to see him operate in a somewhat experimental Sharks line-up.
As probably the best placed of the South African sides to make an impact in this years tournament, the Sharks have the most settled squad, and is the one South African team where young stars may struggle to get serious gametime. Yet injuries to key men in the loose forward department - Jean Deysel and Willem Alberts - have left the door open for Marcell Coetzee, who has been a surprise (though not a very big surprise) inclusion in the starting XV for the Shark's opening game against rival the Blue Bulls in Pretoria on Friday night. Alongside fellow speedy loose forwards Ryan Kankowski and captain Keegan Daniel the Sharks will be looking to run the Bulls off their feet and shift the contact points, and on the dry summer highveld pitches Coetzee's support game and polished carrying game could well come into it's own. Coetzee will be out to stake a claim to the starting position and make it difficult for coach John Plumtree to relegate him to the bench once the incumbents return from injury.
Siya Kolisi (Stormers)
Age: 20
Position: Flanker
South Africa's conference winner in last year's installment of Super Rugby has faced a bit of a player drain itself in the off-season. However unlike the Blue Bulls it saw not only tried and tested warhorses (Fourie, Louw, Van Zyl) retire and/or move on to greener pastures, but lost a whole raft of promising academy and local varsity rookies who opted to pursue their careers elsewhere where they might get gametime sooner, or just opted for broadening their horizons (Callie Visagie, Johann Sadie, Lionel Cronje, Conrad Hoffmann, JJ Engelbrecht, Paul Bosch, Tim Whitehead). Of the young guns remaining in Province, 20 year-old flanker Siya Kolisi is the most likely to feature this season. Another son of the Eastern Province having to ply his trade elsewhere, with the Kings not yet having representation in Super Rugby, Kolisi was spotted and offered a place by other franchises as well, but decided to make Cape Town his home-away-from-home.
At 1.86m (6'1) and 98kg (15st 6lb) Kolisi is a very athletic player with good pace and a linking game that is somewhat rare in more traditional South African loosies. All rounder is the term that springs to mind when I think of the way he plays his rugby, as well as daring and unfettered. Kolisi brings a dynamic element to the Stormers fold that can only be good for the franchise.
Kolisi was quite literally robbed of his debut in Super Rugby last year; he was flown in from the JRWC to cover for the injured Duane Vermeulen, but was mugged and injured in the week leading up to the Semi final against the Crusaders in Cape Town. He is set to feature for the men in the hooped jerseys this year, with Springbok flanker Francois Louw opting to take up a position with Bath in England. Though the Stormers have some strong loose-forward talent at there disposal in 2012, with the likes of Nick Koster, Schalk Burger, and Duane Vermeulen, look for Kolisi to make his mark off of the bench sooner rather than later this year.
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Look out for Part Three of the Super Rugby Rookies series – The Australian Rookies - coming soon…
(all photos courtesy of Getty images)
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