We know where Mostert is….
Yes, Dave can just start at #2 and work downwards.
We know where Mostert is….
Yes, Dave can just start at #2 and work downwards.
S urely a 33 yeaar o;d neve has been is not no 1 = anybody suggestubgg that must be kidding themselves.
Ok Moz here goes. I’m not going to include Eben, Lood, Mostert and RG as we all know them inside out and I’m not going to include PSDT as we won’t see him at lock
Like any position in modern day rugby it’s becoming harder and harder to stand out as an individual on a regular basis. At lock take Irish breakthrough last year in Joe McCarthy - he made a huge impact in his first year only to plain out in a big way in his second year. Once they have your number it becomes harder to shine.
We certainly do not have any Eben’s or RG’s coming through right now but that’s not a concern given Eben is the best lock to ever play the game and on current form RG looks to be impacting the game like no other lock ever has.
But without doubt some on my list are as as good as the likes of Lood and Mostert so here goes in order:
Ruben v Heerden (Stormers) 27 - 122 kg - how he has not won a Bok cap is beyond me, consistently high performer - good physically and excellent line out operator. Made Bok alignment camp a year ago and was on the standby list for the EOYT. Why he has dropped off that trajectory, makes no sense given his current form.
Ruan Vermaak (Bulls) - 26 - 125kg - up there with Ruben in terms of impact. Physical and likes to get stuck in. Has a hard edge about him.
Cobus Wiese (Bulls) - 27 - 125kg - hard as nails like his older brother Jasper - long stint abroad - same build as his brother but taller. Doubles as a 7. High work rate and great physically. Made Bok alignment camp
Jason Jenkins (Sharks) - 29 - 131kg - big, physically imposing but it’s probably too late for him. Has one Bok cap and made the Bok squad a year ago but did not play other than in the A game. Have always liked him - big athletic guy. But to be honest he has been a little disappointing for the Sharks - I expected more of an impact and he has just been solid - but that’s probably down to the Sharks as a whole
JF v Heerden (Bulls) - 20 - 122kg - Baby Bok for 2 years, Grey Bloem coach said he was the best forward he has ever coached. Broken into the Bulls side consistently this year. Slowly making more of an impression. I have high hopes for him. Big, strong and athletic. Made the Bok alignment camp
Ruan Norte (Bulls) - 26 - 115kg - we have seen a good bit of him. I’m not a huge fan for the simple reason he is not physical enough for me. Another Mostert, but a better athlete with a far better skill set and is on record saying he is trying to bulk up. 5kg more and he would be a great player.
Moerat (Stormers) - 27 - 122kg - many don’t rate him but I do and as he has shown in his past few outings, he is more than capable of making an impact - physical enough and gets stuck in. The jury is still out
Andre Smith (Stormer) - 27 - 125kg - big unit, have always liked this guy. Should have had more investment from the Stormers than he has. A bruiser out injured at the moment.
JD Schickerling (Stormers) - 29 - 121kg - like Jenkins it’s probably too late for him. Playing overseas for as long as he did, has done him no favours. He has impressed me since his return to SA. Great in the line outs and plenty of good work in general play. His age has him lower than he should be on the list. Easily good enough to have won some test caps
Corne Rahl (Sharks) - 22 - 122kg - tall gangly player - I really like this lad, has something about him. High work rate likes the action and has a bit of attitude about him. Will fill out even more. He and JF are the babies of the list - I like both.
Ruben Schoeman (Lions) - 29 - 124kg - big physical lock that made a great impression a few seasons back but seems to have lost his mojo. Maybe a realisation that nothing came of that early impression he made.
Emile v Heerden (Sharks) - 24 - not sure what he weighs, stats say 110kg but he looks closer to 120kg. Gets plenty of starts for the Sharks, son of Bok Fritz v Heerden. Injury prone so difficult to judge but he looks useful. Conor Evans (23) of the Stormers is in the same category.
vd Mecht (France) 25 - 145kg was going to be the next big thing for us then pissed off to France and got as fat as a pig. He was embarrassing on the field the way he had let himself go. I think he has got himself back into shape again.
There are a handful of others that have left SA so are out of site but useful like Walt Steenkamp (Bulls), Janko Swanepoel (Bulls), Simon Miller (Stormers), Stassen (Bulls).
Bulls 7 Reinhardt Ludwig (22) often plays lock but I think his future is at 7 - he is a very good player, big fan of his. Made the Bok alignment camp
Very helpful Dave……so at the moment the best bets in your view are the two van Heerdens, Ruan Vermaak and Cobus Wiese, three of whom play for the Bools. I actually thought Ludwig had a good match for the Bools as well. I’m not sure how big he is but he burned the backs with his try….damn fast, and muscled.
We do have some good young locks and especially in the Bulls squad.
Thanks to Jake we are seeing guys like Cobus Wiese back here in SA, and Rassie seeing there progress.
Hopefully we will see them playing for the Boks soon.
Rassie Must get his selections Right with these talented players on the list above.
Reinhardt Ludwig is a awesome player that functions very well as a linking player with speed, like Moz Mentioned.
Yes Ludwig to his credit has muscled up in a big way - good player but I think we will see him employed mostly at 7
Yes I’d say our best bets are Ruben v Heerden, Ruan Vermaak and Cobus Wiese - with youngsters JF v Heerden and Corne Rahl looking good for the long haul
Rassie definitely has a blind spot when it comes to lock given only 2 of the 5 have made the alignment camp
Ruan Nortje with 5 more kg’s on him would be a great candidate
Mpower
The thanks we have iro the Bulls locks are due to he funding by Rupert and Motsepe - owning 74,5% of the Bulls franchise - and without that the return of players from overseas would not have been possible,
Jake is the one that chooses the talent, not the two Fat cats with money.
Its Very Obvious, but not for someone like you that are blind because of BS Bias.
So it’s just another cheap shot from you to discredit Jake ….
Thanks Dave, very insightful. We have the timber as they say to cover us but are the Ysters or Yster hour, iron wood which is local or South Africa.
I agree that Eben is a generational talent. I always saw him as bakkies, but with anger management. He knows how to be physical and imposing and gets a lot of niggle from opposition but keeps his cool.
I agree, very hard for modern locks to impose themselves.
I think Jake should give JJ Mech a lifeline. I saw his highlight real for his French club. He is a blob, but because he is not a Marble chiselled god, doesn’t mean he is soft, He is a devastating ball carrier. The Saarks messed him around by trying to beautify him with stupid diets and exercise routines.
I hope RG can go for another 4 years and stay injury free. That guys is the Sonny Bill of locks. Those hands of his and being able to go into contact and still get his arms out. He is also very hard to get down on the deck.
I like having at least one skill full lock that can allow agile and quick backs to use the space they create. Whitelock use to do that for the All Blacks. But first win and compete in the line outs, be as trike runner and hit the rucks.
Im still not a fan of Moerat. He was very hyped up as a youth and got a lot of journalists writing about him and his family as some rugby dynasty that missed out and he is their answer to SA rugby and what the boks missed out in not having the Moerats as boks.
Think the best lock talent is the Bools. I want to see more of Rhal, but we have some great young talent that was mismanaged by the baby boks coach. Hopefully now that he is gone and Rassie is putting more focus there we can hopefully win some junior comps which is so critical. The boks always do well with l,Ayers that won that comp. Jake did that with his team and then we had the 2012 team, but they are all getting old now.
France, England and Ireland has been dominating that comp now and it shows why they are one of the top nations. In the past NZ use to win all the junior comps but they are struggling and it is showing in their senior team, but at least good for rugby to not have NZ dominate everything
The Stormers have good locks as well
vd Mecht if he gets back into shape then yes otherwise fuck him - if he can’t discipline himself as a pro player then that says a lot about him
I saw him playing about a year ago and he was pathetic ambling around the field like a spare part , as fat as a pig.
Latest photos of him suggest he is back in shape. I also read somewhere that the fool wants to qualify to play for France
We have some good locks about, but Rassie is not selecting them which is concerning
Instead we see investment in the likes of Jean Kleyn, Nico jv Rensburg, Moerat and Nortje - when there are far better options
44,975 posts
We know where Mostert is….so let’s leave him out to avoid controversy, but include Dud Toit if it makes sense to you. Our leading lights are getting older and I’m not seeing like for like replacements in the new guys.