With the British and Irish Lions Series in South Africa less than a year away, LWOSRugby takes a look at potential bolters for the tour. First, they are the Springboks. Rugby fans can book South Africa A Vs British And Irish Lions Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.
The
Forwards
Jaco Coetzee. 24. 108kg. Back row. 0 Test caps.
The strength and depth that South Africa boasts in the back
row is downright terrifying and makes this a bold prediction. World Cup
champions Siya Kolisi, Duane Vermuelen, and the world's best player
Pieter-Steph du Toit are likely to continue as the starting bottom row.
However, the retirement of Francois Louw has opened a place on the bench and
Jaco Coetzee is more than just a pretender to the throne.
Coetzee, a dynamic and aggressive ball-wielding winger in the mold of ... well, every South African winger who has played the game, also boasts a deceptive change of pace, the force on the ball, and is a starting option. Its versatility means it can cover six, seven and eight and could be an ideal hit substitute as part of Rassie and Jacques's "Bomb Squad".
Picking Jaco Coetzee ahead of players like Marcel Coetzee,
Dan, and Jean-Luc du Preez, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, and Arno Botha, all of them with
Springbok experience, would certainly place the cat among the pigeons. However,
with fierce performances in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup in recent seasons,
Coetzee has played himself in a well-deserved contest.
The Backs
Curwin Bosch. 23. 83kg. Fly-half. 2 test plugs.
Curwin Bosch has been in and around the Springbok discussion
for so long that it hardly feels good to call him a "bolter."
However, with only 2 international matches to his name, his international
career is still in its infancy.
In 2020 Bosch has come of age. The backing of his coaches has finally allowed him to establish himself in his preferred mid-flight position and he is reaping the rewards. Arguably, Bosch, already the best tactical kicker in South Africa, has added a few more strings to his bow. The defensive weaknesses that have so far stalled his progression are slowly fading and as his confidence has grown he has become a high-quality fly ball game, a rarity in South Africa.
Pollard and Jantjies appear to be the preferred flying
mediums for the Lions series, but an injury to either of them would land Bosch
straight into the fold, likely ahead of Damian Willemse, who is currently
suffering from the same 'medium' identity crisis. Steering wheel against
lateral '. That haunted Bosch not long ago.
The
Wildcard
Aphelele Fassi. 22. 87 kg. Full back. 0 Test caps.
Many in the northern hemisphere have not heard the name of
Aphelele Fassi. Get to know it well: it's a name you'll hear a lot over the
next decade.
This year Fassi burst onto the Super Rugby scene with
dazzling performances against Jaguars and Highlanders. He finished the
shortened season with the second-highest number of meters gained 619, as well
as eight line jumps, 22 tackles, and three attempts to his name. So impressive
has this year been that the South African rugby zeitgeist is tipping it off to
be the next big thing.
Fassi's talent may be crude, but it is undeniable. His pace is electrifying and he would play in the Lions series, he would be the fastest player on the field, yes even before Johnny May.
Complementing his speed is his footwork and vision, a
brilliant cocktail of attributes that have made Fassi particularly adept at
finding holes where there shouldn't be any. A powerful kicking game, perfected
from a school career in the air, makes Fassi a more complete player than one
might predict.
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