Expect SA’S mixed bag

Will a South African team triumph in Super Rugby 2019? All will be revealed from this week and over the coming months when the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers take on the best from Argentina, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Here Independent Media’s ru

Bulls OCKERT DE VILLIERS

STRENGTHS: Pundits have given the Pretoria franchise a more bullish outlook for the 2019 campaign thanks to the addition of a few seasoned Springbok players, most notably Duane Vermeulen and Schalk Brits. The Bulls team could easily be considered the spine of the national team and the side will rely heavily on that experience to carry them through the season.

Bulls mentor Pote Human has wisely decided to stick to a similar blueprint to that of his predecessor John Mitchell and will provide some continuity.

WEAKNESSES: A lack of depth in key positions has the potential to derail a promising campaign when injuries start to bite.

The Bulls are looking thin at hooker and flyhalf thanks to pre-season injuries already taking their toll. Human will be praying for a reprieve from the injury bug, at least until his backup players are fit and healthy to provide cover.

KEY

PLAYERS:

The Bulls have gained a wealth of experience in Brits and number eight Vermeulen who will complement the lock pairing of Lood de Jager and RG Snyman.

The backline is equally potent boasting Embrose Papier, Ivan van Zyl, Pollard and Jesse Kriel.

HOW THEY WILL GO: Human has stressed the importance of getting the campaign off to a positive start with the Bulls enjoying their first bye five weeks into the competition. They will only tour to the Antipodes late in the season and if they manage to build a strong base on the back of positive results they could be vying for a playoff berth come June.

Lions JACQUES VAN DER WESTHUYZEN

STRENGTHS: They’ve won the SA Conference and played in the final three years in a row so know what it takes to get on top. They’ve got plenty of experience, especially in a settled back division, and are almost unbeatable at home, at Ellis Park. They’re also a free-scoring team that’s happy to try their luck from anywhere on the field, and against any opposition.

WEAKNESSES: While Swys de Bruin’s men know their way to the tryline, they have been found wanting defensively in recent years, and last year conceded many more tries than they would have liked. They’ll have to be a lot better this year. Personnel-wise they will find it hard to replace work-horse Franco Mostert, tighthead prop Ruan Dreyer, flank Jaco Kriel and centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg.

KEY PLAYERS: New recruits, prop Carlu Sadie and lock Stephan Lewies, have big shoes to fill, while it will be hoped flank Kwagga Smith finds the form of 2017. Warren Whiteley and Elton Jantjies will always be key, but it is the back-up men who hold the key in this World Cup year – like loose-forward Hacjivah Dayimani, hooker Robbie Coetzee, No 10 Shaun Reynolds, and others. HOW THEY WILL GO: They’re going to miss the dependability of Dreyer and the hard graft of Mostert, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be strong contenders for conference honours again.

Sharks MIKE GREENAWAY

STRENGTHS: This Sharks squad has been together now for three years, and with there being no off-season acquisitions or departures, there is a settled feel to Robert du Preez’s charges. A strong team culture has been brewing for some time and there was evidence of that in the Sharks’ winning Currie Cup campaign. Strong belief and morale generated by that success will carry forward into Super Rugby.

WEAKNESSES: Last season, Nick Mallett described the Sharks as a team with an identity crisis in that they were inconsistent in how they wanted to play. Historically the Sharks have been direct and physical, but over the last few seasons they have been trying to evolve into a free spirited, off-loading side. There is, of course, place for both styles, but the Sharks last season didn’t get the balance right.

KEY PLAYERS: The flyhalf general is obviously of paramount importance. To this end, we could see more of Curwin Bosch’s silky skills at No 10 after Robert du Preez started every game in last year’s campaign. Du Preez is a very good player, and even if he remains at 10, the dynamic Bosch needs to be used more at first receiver.

HOW THEY WILL GO: This could be a very good year for the Sharks. If they can iron out last year’s inconsistency, they can mount a serious challenge. They have the squad to do it and their belief has been boosted. A place in the semi-finals should be the minimum target.

Stormers WYNONA LOUW

STRENGTHS: All that depth, combined with a relatively clean bill of health, should, on paper, guarantee them a good start ... not to mention their fine mix of X-factor and quality up front. The addition of John Dobson to help coach at the breakdown, and what he’s done with the Currie Cup team in the recent years, is also promising, while the spunk and pure enjoyment the guys played with under his guidance last year might just filter into the Super team as well.

WEAKNESSES: This should be an easy guess – all those crazy boardroom issues The Stormers have made headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks, and the delayed announcement of their coaching team has only added to the uncertainty the team is burdened with. It’ll sure take a special effort to get down to the business of playing rugby.

KEY PLAYERS: Their halfback pairing has for long been a somewhatmissing piece. But this year, with class players like Damian Willemse, Herschel Jantjies and Jean-luc du Plessis on the halfback list (there’s also Josh Stander, who was solid during the Currie Cup, and No 9 Justin Phillips), we just might see a long-awaited solution to a problem which has hanted the Stormers for the past few seasons.

HOW THEY WILL GO: Any improvement on 11th place will probably be, to be brutally honest, an improvement. The Stormers looked good during the pre-season, but those were warm-ups and unless they have nerves of steel that not even Thor’s hammer can dent, I don’t foresee their not-so-behindthe-scenes issues making it an easy season for them. But the latest additions into the coaching staff just might be enough to balance things out and see the Stormers make it into the quarters.

Who knows?