Looking at the state of the four South African franchises going into the business end of the URC competition tells a tale of varying fortunes with the haves and the have nots opening a large void in SA rugby.
Lions
The Lions are limping along and are showing signs of going backwards at a rapid rate. Without what is a very robust front row with one of the most exciting young tightheads in Carlu Sadie the Lions would be in an even more dire state. The age old throw away lines from under pressure coaches, like we are in a rebuilding phase or we are giving our youngsters the chance to shine underlines a shambolic campaign thus far. The recruitment of older, salty, battle hardened campaigners to help youngsters handle the pressure of grinding out matches in European winters is a popular strategy. The Lions unfortunately have more misses than hits with the likes of Willem Alberts, Jaco Kriel and Jannie du Plessis hardly making an impact on game day. The poor showing of the Lions has to go back to poor planning from the start as all the teams had time to analyse where they were short on skill and experience before the tournament began. Key positions across the spine of the team 2, 8,9,10 and 15 are filled with young men who might have bright futures but are being brutally exposed. I feel sorry for Ivan Van Rooyen as he is too inexperienced for the role he has undertaken but the world of sport is a harsh teacher with the Win Loss column for all to see. I expect a few scrappy wins at home but until they do an overhaul from the ground up this team will be the new Italians for years to come.
Stormers
This team has been through the ringer with an off field circus show dredging new lows every week. Despite this they have proved to be a difficult team to put away at home and away venues. John Dobson is no fool and he has got his pack to show some real edge on the field which is crucial against the tactically superior European teams. He doesn’t seem settled on what combination he wants in the backline with some real talent but not always the simplest puzzle to put together. Damian Willemse is maturing into the player that everyone thought he would become and the overseas experience will help his career no end. I feel that they are so close to getting over the hump and stringing together some impressive results with the loss to Connacht one that will sting for a while. Dobson appeared to keep his front line players on too long in the second half and they tired noticeably. Whether this was a lack of faith in the bench warmers closing out the match or a ploy to have a final burst we won know. On the recruitment front they need a few pick-ups in key positions to complete what is a very solid squad. They need a direct inside centre who can command his channel and get go forward ball to open up space for speedsters Sebelo Senatla and Angelo Davids. Strong props are always worth the money spent and they could do with a few journeymen to shore up the ranks. They are well positioned for the stretch of homes and will look to make some statements will some big wins against more fancied opposition.
Bulls
The Bulls started out during the Covid years with a real bang, new coaches, new players, new game plan and it seemed like they were untouchable. Things have slowed considerably for them as the recruiting of older more experienced players in key positions isn’t bearing fruit with the grind of a full season. An older player needs to be played sparingly in order to get the best out of the old bones and the nature of having to win matches consistently hasn’t allowed that to happen. Take the bruising combination of Marcell Coetzee and Arno Botha for example, they are at their sumptuous best when they are speed bumping players paving the way for the razzle dazzlers on the outside. This is all well and good but an older player can’t maintain that crushing intensity all the time and needs to be managed to be close to 100% for the big games. For this to work the 2nd and 3rd stringers need to be able to fill the void and keep the level up but they are unfortunately not good enough yet to do that. The Bulls failure to kick on has more to with squad depth than a lack of the required players as they recruited some players who have made a huge difference ala Cornal Hendricks and Morne Steyn. When they get that required depth they will then be able to unleash the hard men rather than run them into the ground like expensive oxen. One glaring area of concern is the scrums that needs some attention as the loss of Trevor Nyakane seemed to surprise the management as no backup plan was in place. They have been and will continue to be exposed at scrum time until they have a proper tighthead who has been through the ringer before. Nothing against the young guys they have at the moment but they just don’t have the nous to handle a gnarly Northern Hemisphere prop in wet conditions.
Sharks
The Sharks keep on clockin big wins throughout the organization, and seems to have the full buy in of players and management alike. Nothing screams to me more about the emphasis on team culture than Neil Powell as director of rugby who will prove to be the best recruit yet. The recruitment of players like Eben Etzebeth shows a real understanding of what the squad needs to be successful in the URC. The likes of Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi will make a great highlight video scoring outrageous tries but none of that is possible without an imposing pack. The Sharks pack has previously been a mobile group that could be physical now it is a physical pack that can be mobile. The game can look awfully simple when a pack is stronger than the opposition (ask Jacques Nienaber) and this team with get the best out of the twinkle toes brigade with a pack that only goes forwards. No squad is ever 100% complete and the answer at fly half looks further away than ever with Curwin Bosch and Boeta Chamberlain duelling it out to be the number 1 on the depth chart. SA teams almost need a horses for courses approach in the fly half channel as playing at Loftus in the peak of summer is very different to the howling winters of Ireland. If they find the answer to the woes at number 10 they could be a real contender to go deep in the knock out phases of the competition.
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