Check this youtube clip out, the way he runs and the way he looks reminds me of Danie.
I have not seem much of this lad, but by all accounts he is as good as Jan Serfontein. They played together at Grey and for SA Schools and both now with the Bulls.
Hopefully we will see them as a pair for the Baby Boks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJTaQGCVe9Y
Man I almost missed this post. Snapster I have to agree with you the guy does look like Danie. Runs beautifully and is good on the break. Looks pacy but that is hard to be certain of and certainly is a powerful centre. How big is he?
I heard somewhere he had been injured. Hopefully he and Serfontein will team up for the bulle so we can see. What then happens to JJ?
If the bulle can keep their young talent - where they are having some problems (EG Venter not signing his contract) - they could have the last laugh! Dries is another Free Stater the parasitic bulle have poached?
Yes, he missed most of last season with a knee injury. He is a big lad, 98kg I think. But its uncanny how much he looks like Danie, they have the same running style. At school and for the SA Schools side he and Jan Serfontein were regarded as equals.
The Bulls have so many centres, they will have an issue with giving them game time. They have Olivier, JJ and Serfontein as their S15 centres. They also have Frans Venter on the S15 fringe. You then add Dries Swanepoel, Baby Bok - William Small-Smith, 18 year old Rohan Janse v/Rensburg, the monster I showed you last week and then they also have Daniel Kriel, the twin of Jessie Kriel, who also happens to be 18 and weighs 105kg and plays 13.
Jessie Kriel is the star fullback who should have walked the Baby Bok squad this year. The Kriel twins are Sharks boys who have been signed by the Bulls.
The 'small' Kriel twins
Its funny hey...
We come from a past where we had to settle for Brendan Venter, Japie Mulder, Robbie Fleck and De Wet Barry.... none of whom where particularly naturally gifted with ball in hand, but where more your work horse type centers.
Fleck had his moments... but was by no accounts a great player by the end of his career.
Now in the past 8 years, we've had JF and JDV who where perhaps 20% better than their predecessors...
Now our future is looking incredible in the midfield...
Jan Serfontein, Kriel, Small Smith, Swanepoel... not to mention de Jong... hopefully (cant remember his name man)... the sharks youngster... will also come of age soon!
Future in the midfield is looking rosy!
Moving forward, the art is going to be finding the perfect partner for Jan Serfontein at centre. I suspect Jan would be equally home at 12 or 13.
The candidates to partner him are numerous. At the Stormers we have Taute, de Jongh, de Allende, Pat Howard and JP du Plessis, at the Cheetahs we have Ebersohn and Sadie, at the Bulls we have JJ Engelbrecht, Frans Venter, Rohan Janse v Rensburg, Dries Swanepoel, Daniel Kriel and Small-Smith, at the Sharks we have Frans Steyn, Jordaan, Tyler Fisher and Piet Lindeque and the Lions have Hanekom.......thats a healthy 18 candidates......one will surely put their hand up.
we like most countries go through our purple patches in terms of talent and i do think the type of talent that is being brought through the system with all the junior talent. the thing is the players need to managed correctly and even developed even more to reach that insane level we need them to be right up there with the best. i dont think our local unions coaches has the forsight not he technical ablitys to really push the development of these backline talent to there potential.
n player like jan serfontein would be a massive factor if he played for a team like the cheetahs for instance but i think his true talent is being wasted but the bulls.
i really to think saru needs to cap the amount of players horded by unions and help the decentralise the talent across SA. it will only benefit SA in the long run
Muncher I do agree with you. Its how we develope and utilise the talent.
Interesting situation at the bulle. What is certain is they cant keep all these players. What will they do? Probably let older guys like Wynand go and keep what they believe to be the best young talent. Have now had the opportunity to review them over a period of time.
Some method to bulle madness/greed?
What is also emmerging is that other unions are getting beaten to the punch?
