Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Kitshoff still No 1 but Ox is knocking on the door
SOUTH Africa’s four franchises are set to return to action in the United Rugby Championship (URC) this afternoon, and the matches over the next couple of months will be vital for players looking to impress the Springbok coaches in the lead-up to the international season later this year.
Double Tests against Ireland and New Zealand await, while an experimental side could feature in the oneoff Test against Portugal and a possible friendly match with Wales. This makes it two good tests for some fresh blood at the Boks.
Independent Newspapers takes a look at the players who have been impressive so far and looking to secure their place in the Bok squad for the Tests in 2024. Today, we feature the loosehead props, a position with some promising players waiting to make the step up.
The incumbent: Steven Kitshoff At 32, he is still one of the top players in the URC, despite moving from the Stormers to Ulster at the end of the World Cup. Kitshoff will definitely be a no-brainer for the number 1 jersey.
A stalwart of the Boks in recent years, he still has a couple of seasons to give back to South Africa before there can be talk of replacing him in the national set-up.
The experience he is picking up playing with some Ireland internationals will be invaluable for the Springboks in July when they face the current Six Nations Champions.
The contenders: Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, Gerhard Steenekamp, Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Nche is knocking hard at the door for that starting berth and his destructive performance in the World Cup as a replacement underpinned his value in the Bok squad. He is likely to take over from Kitshoff in two or three seasons, although he is making a big case to become the incumbent even earlier.
The 28-year-old’s scrummaging is a sight to behold, even currently in the URC, and he gets around the field with his high work rate.
Du Toit was unlucky to miss out on last year’s World Cup, but he will still be firmly in the mix with the Boks. The experience he is picking up at Bath will be invaluable when the international season comes along.
Steenekamp and Mchunu have both had a taste of Bok rugby before and have been putting in the work in the URC at the Bulls and Sharks respectively to grab a second and third Test of their careers in the coming season.
Both are excellent scrummagers and mobile ball-carriers, and will hopefully follow in the footsteps of Nche, who had to bide his time as a youngster, should they get a Springbok look-in again.
They are showing plenty of potential to fill the gaps that will eventually be there when Kitshoff and swing-prop Trevor Nyakane finish their international careers, quite possibly over the next few years.
“The 28-year-old’s scrummaging is a sight to behold, even currently in the URC, and he gets around the field with his high work rate