Sunday Tribune
JAKE White has grizzled veterans and seasoned internationals at his beck and call, but it is the presence in his Super Rugby squad of three unheralded youngsters, rather than his 16 Springboks, which has the Sharks coach purring in delight.
The three, centre/fullback Tyler Fisher , centre Andre Esterhuizen and lock Etienne Oosthuizen, are still pups in rugby terms, but White says they are already snapping at the heels of the top dogs.
The three powerfully-built youngsters saw action in the Sharks’ opening friendly against Saracens in London late last month, but White did not include any of them in his shadow Super Rugby squad, which played at Ellis Park on Friday night.
But out of sight is certainly not out of mind, says the Sharks coach, and this week he took time out to talk about the rich potential of the three and the roles he hopes they will play in Super Rugby this year.
White emphasised that it was critical to field players familiar with the pressures of Super Rugby in the early rounds of competition, and particularly in Saturday’s campaign opener against the Bulls in Durban.
“The more experience we have in the first few weeks, the better,” he said, as he recalled fullback SP Marais for Fisher, Frans Steyn for inside centre Esterhuizen and lock Anton Bresler for Oosthuizen.
White said the intense pressure of playing Super Rugby was inevitable.
“The one thing can’t do is take the pressure away for any of those youngsters, or anyone else within our squad who wants to play at the highest level. But I have no doubt these players have what it takes.”
Talent spotter
“We have tried and tested guys like Pat Lambie, Frans Steyn and Odwa Ndungane there, and when you bring Esterhuizen and Fisher into that backline, there is a sense of calm. They will be playing with guys with international experience.”
White is a renowned spotter of young rugby talent and has shown he can transform a motley bunch of no-name youngsters into title contenders. He started with the Baby Boks at the U21 World Cup in 2002 and moulded a disrupted Springbok squad into the World Cup champions of 2007.
Last year, he steered the relatively little known Brumbies to victory over the touring British Lions and into the Super Rugby final.
He said he had no doubt his young talent could perform at Super Rugby level, but timing was important.
“It’s more a question of when I bring them in. You don ’t want
to blood three or four of them at the same time.”
Fisher, a centre and a product of Westville High, was in the SA U20 squad last year and played Vodacom Cup rugby in midfield for the Sharks. He made an encouraging start against Saracens before a shoulder injury forced him to leave the field.
“Tyler had a big injury in the off-season, but credit to the medical team for getting him back so quickly. He’s back now, and he looks ready to go.”
White said he had seen the 100kg Fisher playing as a junior, and his early impression of the young player was confirmed by his form against Saracens, when he played in difficult conditions.
The player to make the biggest impact at Allianz Park was the formidable Esterhuizen, who impressed friend and foe with his powerful surges in midfield, consistently breaking through the Saracens’ defensive line.
Only 19, Esterhuizen is a precocious talent and has already been compared to Frans Steyn. Standing at 1.91m and weighing 104kg, he was chosen for SA Schools while still in Grade 11. Like Steyn he has a prodigious boot and has played most of his rugby at fullback.
He arrived at the Academy from the Leopards last year, and played for the Sharks’ U21 and Vodacom Cup teams.
He is delighted to now be in the senior squad, practising and playing alongside the many Springboks.
“I’m a lot younger than them, but they have made me feel very comfortable. It’s also a big honour to be trained by Jake White. There is just so much to learn from him.”
Pigeon-holed
White said that time was on Esterhuizen’s side, adding that the youngster would be carefully managed at inside centre.
“He is only 19 and for the moment he is pigeon-holed at 12 because of his pace. He could play anywhere, but I don’t want him to be an average player outside 12.”
The Sharks coach said that Esterhuizen could develop into an extraordinary inside centre.
“He is big, he is strong, and has great hands at 12. What I don’t want to do is isolate him on the outside where he would be coming up against players like (All Black) Julian Savea and Israel Dagg. He would then be judged against the very best.”
' What I like about him is that he has a big left boot, which means that if Pat (Lambie) is under pressure at flyhalf, he can shift the ball to Andre. He is big and strong, so he can carry it up, but if the defence rushes up, he can also boot it over them.”
White believes that the presence of Esterhuizen in the squad will lift Frans Steyn.
“There’s nothing like some healthy competition, so if Frans feels he has someone breathing down his neck, then he’s going to produce better performances. It’s a good position to be in as a coach.”
Strapping
White also believes his third youngster, the strapping Etienne Oosthuizen, could also develop into something special for the Sharks. He says he knows the 120kg, 2m tall Oosthuizen well – as he should. The 21-year-old, who played for the Lions in 2012, followed White first to Canberra to play for the Brumbies last year, and then back to South Africa when his coach moved to Durban to take over the Sharks this year.
“I know what I have in Etienne. He’s had a shoulder injury, but he will be back soon enough to give it a crack.”
White made it clear he wants Anton Bresler’s experience for the Bulls game next Saturday.
“Anton has experience playing in this stadium (King’s Park), in front of our home crowd, and it’s important to draw on that in the first few weeks.
“But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost faith in Etienne, or his days are numbered. If I feel that Bresler’s combination with Pieter-Steph du Toit is working, I will keep them together for a few weeks. But I could also change that and give Etienne a crack.”
White believes that Oosthuizen and Du Toit could develop into a potent secondrow pairing.
“People speak about finding the next Bakkies Botha/ Victor Matfield lock combination. We have two guys in Oosthuizen and Du Toit who could develop into that, which is very exciting.”
Oosthuizen said he was delighted to be back in South Africa, closer to his family and in a great team environment.
“I’m enjoying it here. In fact, I’m having the time of my life.”
And so is White. “It is great to be here in this environment, with the weather, the stadium, the fans and the new CEO. But the really exciting thing is the amount of depth we have at our disposal.”
White has welcomed the opportunity to work with the Currie Cup champions, and a settled squad, and says it will be a change from being a hospital-case coach who “picks up teams from the ashes.”
