Our take on the five Bok loose forwards on
THERE has been a lot of conjecture about the make-up of the Springbok loose trio this year, with Francois Louw, Oupa Mohoje and Warren Whiteley playing in most of the Tests.
But with injuries to Louw, Jaco Kriel and the Stormers duo of Siya Kolisi and Sikhumbuzo Notshe, as well as the unavailability of Whiteley and Duane Vermeulen, we look at the five loose forwards in the squad for Saturday’s European tour opener against the Barbarians at Wembley Stadium in London (5pm kickoff).
Nizaam Carr (Western Province)
Carr’s first touch in Test rugby in 2014 was an unforgettable one as he broke past Italian captain and No 8 Sergio Parisse, spun around and offloaded to Cobus Reinach who scored under the posts.
But how much game time will he get this time around? Initially just picked for the Barbarians game, Carr was asked to stay behind for the England, Italy and Wales Tests following Jaco Kriel’s injury-enforced absence.
The 25-year-old is able to play at No 8 and openside flank, and he is renowned for his running skills and ability to be the link between forwards and backs at the back of the scrum. He has a massive workrate on attack and defence, although he doesn’t have the stopping power of bigger loose forwards and sometimes slips off tackles.
But Carr has shown for the Stormers that he can get his hands dirty and compete for the ball at the breakdowns if required to play such a role. With Louw and Kriel unavailable, Carr will want to prove himself in that regard if he plays against the Baa-Baas, even though it may be as a No 8 at Wembley, with Whiteley still in Japan.
Uzair Cassiem State Cheetahs)
One of the most underrated rugby players in South Africa, Cassiem has blazed a trail in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup this year with his energetic displays. Originally from the Strand, Cassiem made his mark over the last few years as a combative blindside (Free flank at the Pumas, which saw him join the Cheetahs this year.
Cassiem is a workhorse, making countless tackles, winning lineouts and carrying the ball over the advantage line. But what sets him apart from other blindsiders is his ability to identify space and utilise it fully, instead of being a traditional South African No 7 in the Willem Alberts mould who runs into the defence at close quarters.
This was perfectly illustrated in the Currie Cup final, when the 26-year-old showcased his full array of skills to be named man of the match. Cassiem is also a good lineout jumper, with his only minor shortcoming perhaps being his lack of outright pace – although his busy presence around the field more than makes up for it.
On current form, Cassiem should be in the Test squad as well, but he is only in the squad for the Baa-Baas game, and he will hope to make an impression at Wembley.
Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks)
The son of Sharks head coach Robert du Preez, JeanLuc is a confrontational, no-nonsense type of blindside flank who was chosen as the Players’ Player of the Year at the recent national awards.
Du Preez burst on to the scene for the SA Under-20s over the last two years, and enjoys taking on the opposition with ball in hand, and tries to dominate the contact point with his size and strength (1.94m, 113kg). The 21-year-old is superb at the back of the lineouts, and is capable of making those big hits in defence.
He fits the shape of a South African No 7, and that is probably why Bok coach Allister Coetzee has picked him for the Test squad as well.
But Du Preez seldom passes, and lacks dynamism with ball in hand to be a real threat on attack. He is still a young man, though, and if he could learn to add variety to his game and run into space instead of the nearest defender more often, he could develop into a powerhouse on the side of the scrum.
Oupa Mohoje (Free State Cheetahs)
Mohoje is the incumbent Test blindside flank, and while he put in some workmanlike performances in the Rugby Championship, he would want to regain the spark that saw him earn the first of his 14 caps in 2014.
The tall No 7 has been busy on defence, sometimes ending high on the Bok tackle-count list despite being replaced early in the second half on a few occasions.
And his agility and safe hands in the lineout also makes him a vital cog in securing good attacking possession.
But Mohoje needs to make a greater contribution with ball in hand. Whether by coincidence or design, he doesn’t seem to carry the ball as much as he has in the past, and when he has, the 26-year-old hasn’t shown that turn of speed that was a trademark of his game in the past.
Mohoje needs to ramp it big time if he is to hold on to his starting spot in the Tests. Maybe Saturday’s Barbarians game is an ideal time for him to play like the Oupa Mohoje we all know. Roelof Smit (Blue Bulls) The 23-year-old Bulls hard man had his breakthrough season in the recent Currie Cup, where he showed that he can dominate the breakdowns.
Arguably his finest outing came in the semi-final against Western Province, where he beat the Cape side to the ruck almost at will, and he won numerous penalties that saw flyhalf Tian Schoeman put five three-pointers through the uprights.
But he didn’t quite get the chance to make a real impact at Super Rugby level this year, as his path was blocked by Lappies Labuschagne in the No 6 jersey.
Smit has the build to be a successful fetcher at 1.86m and 109kg, which is fairly heavy, but compares favourably to someone like Richie McCaw, who was 1.88m and 108kg.
He is not the quickest opensider around, though, and is not renowned for his ball-carrying ability, lineout work and being able to knock back opponents in the tackle. Smit will need to add those skills to his game to become a real Test contender, but he may get a chance to show what he can do against the Barbarians if Coetzee opts to pick Carr at No 8.