My Top South African Players Returning 2018

I paid some attention last year to South African School Boy Rugby and I would talk to a mate of mine Steven Richie who is at “My Schools Rugby SA” and he would give me different games to watch and so I started to pick out players I thought were real good and these are some of the players I liked that are returning this year. I wish I was able to come to the Paarl BHS Tournament to watch our NZ boys play some of these players because I think it would be real interesting to compare the two styles at 1st XV level. These are players that I would have in my Top 200 if they were in NZ as well that’s how good I think they are as players.  To my South African Brothers let me know what you think.

Laken Gray Lock (Grey HS)

I dont know how South Africa does it but they always have these real tall timber kind of players that can run and get around the park fast like Open Sides and Laken is just like that. He is a tall lock and looks about 6’6-6’7 but he is so mobile and can make chase down tackles. He does very good work in the line outs and gets in front of the ball and steals it, gets his own throws and then backs it up by getting his head into a rolling maul. He looks like a very good talent from last year and Im keen to see how much he has developed over the school break and what he comes back like in this rugby season.

JJ Kotze Hooker (Paul Roos)

Now seeing J.J play he looks like a Prop playing Hooker but very very mobile and fit too. He has a very old school style to him where he plays the game tight and with a lot of force. I like his tough guy attitude he plays with because he just never backs down. He plays the game low to the ground around the rucks which means when he gets the ball he’s making meters and on defence he is stopping everything before they progress. Now Im not sure where he lands on the list of best Hookers in the country but from the two games I saw man he was dominate.

Adrian Alberts Lock (Paarl BHS)(Pictured)

A very tall and talented Lock coming out of Paarl BHS and a player that I got to see in person but also followed when they left NZ. Adrian grew a lot over last year and made the most of his time on the field. I felt he started to see his role in the team and then played within those boundaries. I began to see him around the rucks, supporting the runners and then being the first guy to clean out the rucks, he tackled more and also tackled with purpose which made me see he found his place in the team. He was very strong in the line outs even on defence and can see him getting better this year as well.

Justin Muller Open Side (Bishops College)

Now for me Im a real fan of these real tall, lengthy, athletic South Africans because it reminds me of our “Farm Boys” here in NZ. These types of players they are just so tough and dont care about anything but making tackles, our boys just dont grow that tall like these guys. I really wish we had players like Justin Muller here in NZ, he is a real hassle at the break down but because of his size it’s just so hard to get him off the ball after a tackle. He also gets a lot of attention when he gets the ball in hand because he is so fast too. I would like to see Justin Muller go up against our best open side Josh Southall from St Pats SIlverstream.

Wycliff Vlitoor 2nd 5/8 (Grey College)

A very good crash ball player that is very explosive and very physical that it is not easy at all to  put him down. Wycliff has very good timing when it comes to plays that are called for him, he knows how to get himself ahead of the defence and force them to get confused with who they are marking. The quick footwork gets him in and out of gaps and really starts to bend the line and break it, also he can goal kick as well which just adds to his skill set. They have another player De Wet Marais who was a Lock last year but is talked about making a move to Open Side which would be a massive move for the team adding a lot of bulk and length to the forward pack.

Dylan Pretorius 1st 5/8 (Glenwood HS)

When I watched Dylan play last year, I kind of noticed that he doesn’t really have a set pattern in the way he plays. What I mean about that is he will never play the game just one way his phases are never the same. He could pass the ball, then run the ball and then kick it, all in 3 phases one after another. Now you would think that his team wouldn’t know what to do but they all seem to work with well and he gets players open and into space. Dylan is unpredictable but thats really a bad thing and in games where you need to just break the flow Dylan is the 1st 5/8 you want with the ball in his hands.

Siyanda Cele Fullback (Glenwood HS)

Siyanda is a small nippy kind of player that can open up games with just one run. He plays very very fast and tries to quickly get things going and in the open where he dominates. I think his best work is playing up into the line inside the 2nd 5 and Centers because when he hits the line he is coming at speed and its an automatic line break when done cleanly. Even though Siyanda is a smaller player he still makes his tackles and can get himself wrapped around the ball. Im not sure where he sits on the list of best Fullbacks in the country but all I can say that if he was in NZ he would fit right into the way we play rugby and he will be scoring a try every game here.

Muzi Manyike Center (Jeppe HS)

Now we could be seeing another 7’s Star for South Africa in Muzi because this dude is FIRE and can run for days. Seeing the way he plays he just looks like a 7’s player, his foot work is lighting fast, changes direction like nothing and I actually think he is a willing defender as well. Muzi to me is kind of like Isaiah Punivai (Our best Center in NZ St Kentigern Colege NZSS player last year) not as strong but is faster. Now because Muzi is such a good player and gets so much attention they use Muzi as a dummy runner to take the attention away from the play, but when he does get the ball he is a highlight player every time. Against St John’s last year in broken play he got the ball did a little “Shimmy” and he was gone on the outside.  Jeppe Boys also have another guy Jordan Coetzee who is a Fullback and is really good in space and has a lot of speed.

Franco Schutte No.8 (Monument HS)

Big dude he is and with his runs off the back of the scrums really well and does get some meters. He has a lot pace to him over the first 4 steps which is why if you see him lining up for the ball take him early to the ground. He is a very active player and talks a lot making sure that everyone is in the right place on defence. He makes some really solid tackle around the rucks and does put in the work before moving out wider on defence. Monument should be pretty good this year with  Morne Brandon at Hooker, Stephan Le Roux in at Lock, Tristan Dullisear at Blind Side that forward pack should be strong.