Flyer Dyantyi ‘the real deal’
LEGENDARY WING: HE’S A SUPERSTAR IN THE MAKING
Record-breaking wing Bryan Habana is perfectly placed to pass judgment on the potential of Springbok flyer Aphiwe Dyantyi and the World Cup winner is totally blown away by the talent and performances of the 24-year-old from the Eastern Cape.
Dyantyi has scored six tries in his first eight Tests, not quite as good as Habana – who scored 10 tries in his first eight internationals, on his way to becoming the second-most prolific try-scorer in Test rugby history with 67 touchdowns in 124 games.
But the 35-year-old, who retired from rugby earlier this year, hinted that he believes Dyantyi could break even his records.
“To see the rise of Aphiwe has been phenomenal and he’s come a long way since he gave up the game after school. He’s played very well in two Super Rugby seasons for the Lions and I’ve been very pleased to see him transfer that to the Springboks. He’s a superstar in the making and I hope the Boks wrap him in cotton wool.
“His try-scoring ratio and his ability to be in different places at different times is fantastic. He has a massive opportunity because there are records to be broken, and I hope he can do it. Makazole Mapimpi and Sbu Nkosi have also done very well and it’s been great to see the old head of Willie le Roux guiding them all and helping them to grab their opportunities,” Habana, speaking at the launch of a new sports digital marketing company – Retroactive – of which he is a partner, said yesterday.
In terms of the Springboks as a whole, Habana noted that they will need to add some creativity to their game in order to beat the All Blacks again tomorrow.
“In Wellington the Springboks capitalised on their opportunities particularly well and kept the scoreboard ticking over. But the All Blacks were not at their best, our defence put them under pressure, we closed down Beauden Barrett’s space and gave them a lot less time to make decisions, which led to poor decisions being made.
“But the All Blacks will surely make less mistakes this weekend, so maybe we’ll have to try and create more of our own opportunities. New Zealand will definitely come back firing, they know they let themselves down in Wellington and they did not take their opportunities. But hopefully the Springboks will continue to improve as well,” Habana said.