It was at Loftus just under two years ago that Jaco Taute, then just 21 years old, made his Springbok debut in a Castle Lager Rugby Championship game against the Wallabies. And the Pretoria stadium is set to be the venue of the start of his next chapter as he prepares to wear the DHL Western Province No12 jersey for the first time.
With incumbent Michael van der Spuy battling a hamstring injury, it seems almost certain that Taute will start at inside centre in the return ABSA Currie Cup clash with the Vodacom Blue Bulls. It was a move that was probably going to be made anyway regardless of Van der Spuy’s injury, as Taute would probably have started the season in the WP midfield had it not been for a family bereavement that kept him from facing the EP Kings.
Taute showed what he could bring to the WP mix as an inside centre in the time he spent on the field as a replacement against the Bulls. Having played much of his junior rugby at flyhalf, he does have plenty of finesse and silky skills to go with his powerful running style, while his size will add even more substance to an already impregnable WP defensive system.
With WP determined to let Cheslin Kolbe show what he can do in bringing an extra dimension to their counter-attacking game from fullback, Taute looks set for an extended run in the No12, and he says he is looking forward to it.
“I played at inside centre before for the Lions, and also earlier in my career. I’m familiar with the position and enjoy playing it so I am very excited,” said Taute.
“I like playing both centre and fullback, I feel equally at home in both, and feel I can perform in both.”
When Taute made his international debut against Australia at Loftus, he was at outside centre, and it was a comfortable debut for him as the Boks won well after a difficult overseas leg of that year’s Rugby Championship. Later in the year he continued in the midfield in the opening match of the 2012 November tour against Ireland.
However, with a crippling knee ligament injury suffered during the 2013 Super Rugby season perhaps having robbed him of some of his old blistering pace – he is regaining it – the No12 jersey might well be a better fit for the former Lions star, who is still just 23 and still has most of his career in front of him.
Inside centre requires different skills to what outside centre does, and WP backline coach Robbie Fleck, himself a man who played most of his career as an outside centre but also one particularly memorable Ellis Park test match against New Zealand in the No12, reckons Taute could become a top player in his new position.
“I felt that he brought a lot of intensity when he came on last week against the Lions,” said Fleck in a telephone hook-up with the Cape media.
“He made a couple of strong hits and bulked up our midfield somewhat, and he showed some nice touches too. He had a nice early ball out to Seabelo Senatla on the outside, and Seb ended up getting caught just short of the line. Obviously his try was great as well. It was nice support play to receive that pass on the inside.
“He is a natural footballers and it is his organisation and communication skills that are a real plus for us.”
With Jean de Villiers possibly being used sparingly in next year’s Super Rugby season so he can be fresh at the World Cup, Taute’s performance at inside centre over the next few weeks could considerably add to the Stormers options in the midfield, where of course they have two other Springboks in the form of Damian de Allende and Juan de Jongh on their books.
Taute’s drop goal that won the match against the Sharks in Super Rugby was his first real big memorable moment for the Stormers since his move to the Cape as the injury suffered against the Cheetahs last year was a considerable setback.
“It was a slow comeback for me as you have to regain your confidence again. It was a serious injury and a big operation that I underwent. It takes a while to start feeling okay again, and in the beginning of the year it was just about starting to feel comfortable on the field again. But I feel I have started making progress and am getting back my old confidence,” said Taute in an interview towards the end of the Super Rugby season.
He said then that he was determined to get back to where he was in 2012, in other words into the Bok team. And with midfield being more of a potential problem area for the Boks than fullback now that Willie le Roux has made his statement as a fullback, and with Patrick Lambie now backing up that position, perhaps his new role is his passport back. Bok coach Heyneke Meyer appeared to see him as a centre as much as he did a fullback two years ago.
Perhaps that was what Taute was thinking back in July when he told us he wouldn’t mind giving the midfield a crack. Now comes his opportunity, although where he plays in next year’s Super Rugby could depend on how the brilliant but diminutive Kolbe develops as a fullback. Kolbe does have a good kicking game, something that Taute struggles with in terms of field kicks, but which he is working on. (he has played flyhalf for most of his junior career, and fullback for most of his senior career. How long does it take to work on field kicks? Lets not hold our breath... Remember that try he gifted in 2012 to the All Blacks when he kicked the ball from behind the tryline with a defence totally disorganised that should have gone out )
