Southern Kings’ youngsters impress coach
IF THEY are good enough then they are old enough, is a maxim the rookie Southern Kings are putting to the test this season as they battle the odds in trying to make their mark in Super Rugby.
Powerful 20-year-old Siviwe “Shakes” Soyizwapi has offered further proof to the rugby world that the Southern Kings are a vibrant franchise whose rookie players are improving with every game.
After being thrown in at the deep end, the former Dale College schoolboy passed his first Super Rugby test with flying colours when he starred in the Southern Kings’ 28-28 draw against the Brumbies.
With a vital match against the Rebels looming in Melbourne on Saturday, the Kings and their talented brigade of “young guns” are making a big impression on the international stage.
The former Border Bulldogs junior gave a polished display at fullback, which earned him high praise from Kings head coach Matt Sexton. “We had some late changes to things and Shakes came on and played admirably,” Sexton said.
“He was fresh off the plane for us this week so he hasn’t had time to really find his feet, but despite that he played really well.”
Sexton said Soyizwapi, Sergeal Petersen and Rynier Bernardo, who had all come through the Kings Academy, were true testament to the local talent in the province.
Soyizwapi flew to join the Kings last Sunday after Hadleigh Parkes broke his arm against the Hurricanes last weekend.
He was originally put on the bench, but after Elric van Vuuren sprained his ankle during training he moved up to start at fullback after concerns around Demetri Catrakilis’s knee during the warmup saw him move to the bench and George Whitehead switch to flyhalf.
Sexton was also full of praise for Wimpie van der Walt, whose performance earned him the man of the match title against the Brumbies.
“Wimpie had a huge game,” Sexton said. “He inserted himself into a lot of mid-sections of Brumbies players and they will all be going off licking their wounds,” he said.
Commenting on the fact that the Kings were able to draw with just 37% possession during the game, and being one man down for 10 minutes near the end of the second half, after Schalk Ferreira was given a yellow card in the 67th minute, Sexton attributed the achievement to the heart of the team, their defence and conditioning.
“It’s a massive testament to what the conditioning staff have done over the off-season,” he said
Meanwhile, Bjorn Basson and Francois Hougaard will undergo fitness tests before the Bulls announce their team tomorrow, the Pretoria franchise has confirmed.
The Bulls, who had a Super Rugby bye last week, face the in-form Cheetahs in Pretoria on Saturday.
Basson and Hougaard were recovering from ankle strains, the Bulls said, and both players hoped to be ready in time for the team’s first home match in more than a month. Although Juandre Kruger, Paul Willemse and Dean Greyling did not train yesterday, all three should be considered for selection.
Akona Ndungane and Flip van der Merwe had already been cleared for the clash, leaving only Grant Hattingh, Wynand Olivier and Marcel van der Merwe on the sidelines. With Sapa