Counting down the
Marc Hinton rates the most influential performers in the southern hemisphere’s franchise competition.
With Super Rugby kicking off at week’s end, has sifted through the players from all five countries to come up with our 50 most influential performers heading into the big show.
From the line-breakers to the goal-kickers, the scrum-pushers to the breakdown maulers, we’ve ranked the men who make the biggest difference for their teams from the opening whistle to the closing hooter.
Each day this week we will count down to our final list of the
10 most influential players in Sanzaar’s flagship competition. Today we look at Nos 41-50:
50 Elton Jantjies (Lions)
Age: 28. Position: First fiveeighth.
Hasn’t always delivered at the highest level, but this superboot and smart tactician has been a constant for the Lions and a big reason they’ve made the last three Super Rugby finals.
The Lions like to play the uptempo game, but Jantjies’ steely presence in the pivot generally gets them to the right places on the field to strut their stuff. And he’s a heck of a kicker too.
49 Pablo Matera (Jaguares)
Age: 25. Position: Loose forward.
The Pumas skipper will be a vital part of the Jaguares pack this year, and highly motivated to deliver a winning effort in what may be his farewell season before a departure north.
The Jaguares are still figuring things out at this level, but Matera will play his part in helping them match any pack in this competition. One of the best of the new generation of Argentine players.
48 Ma’a Nonu (Blues)
Age: 36. Position: Midfield. There might be some raised eyebrows about Nonu’s inclusion on this list. Yes, he has a checkered Super Rugby history, and, yes, he hasn’t played any footy in New Zealand since 2015. And, yes, he is 36 and attempting to launch a comeback after spending most of the last four years in France.
All legitimate question marks. But class is class is class. And has he ever been more motivated? One of the very best All Blacks over his storied career, he’s come back determined to make his mark, and by all accounts has put the work in. The Blues need him and his fellow midfield greybeard (SBW) to deliver if they’re to turn the corner. Let’s see.
47 Warren Whiteley (Lions)
Age: 31. Position: No 8
A big part of the emergence of the Lions as South Africa’s premier Super Rugby team over the past three years. As skipper he sets the tone tactically and in terms of commitment on the field and as a ball-playing No 8 equally at home ranging wide as smashing rucks, he is a crucial figure for the boys from Jo’burg.
The Lions have embraced a style that’s made them not just entertainers, but winners. Whitely has been central to that.
46 Luke Whitelock (Highlanders)
Age: 28. Position: Loose forward.
Not the most talented of the Highlanders loose contingent, and nor the most destructive. But maybe their most important.
Whitelock’s hallmark is his consistency, commitment and physicality, and they’re aspects the Landers lean on heavily in a largely unheralded pack. It’s a big year for Whitelock, too, as he looks to stay in the national picture after recent All Blacks callups. He probably needs injuries to earn a World Cup shot, but you know he’ll continue to remind everyone how important he is to whatever the Highlanders do down south.
45 Bernard Foley (Waratahs)
Age: 29. Position: First fiveeighth.
The tactician and guiding force of Australia’s best franchise. But he’s more than just a navigator, and when the Tahs have their game humming he can be as destructive as anyone running into holes and putting team-mates into space.
Given the talent around him, Foley is a key cog. With a big pack in front and playmakers like Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau outside, this is the bloke who must decide when to play it safe and when to unleash. When he plays well, so does his team.
44 Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares)
Age: 24: Position: Wing/ fullback.
If you’re looking for someone who personifies the improvement of the Jaguares, then this talented, fleet-footed back-three merchant fits the bill. It used to be the South Americans played a game predicated on set piece and forward power, and outside backs were there primarily to chase kicks and make tackles.
But Boffelli has been a beneficiary of a developing attacking game that accentuates quality ball-in-hand rugby. He’s big, strong and very, very fast and is vital to everything the Jags do as their primary finisher.
43 Michael Leitch (Sunwolves)
Age: 30. Position: Loose forward.
The heart and soul of the Sunwolves is Japan’s only player to make our top 50, and it’s a deserved selection. The NZ-born Japan national captain is not especially powerful or skilful, but embodies the feistiness and commitment that has to be a major part of their game.
The Sunwolves have had their struggles in this competition, but Leitch’s full-bodied enthusiasm has at least helped them maintain a degree of respectability. Expect more of the same in 2019.
42 Lood de Jager (Bulls)
Age: 26. Position: Lock. South African rugby is awash with quality second-row