Plum first off don’t insult me by saying I need to watch Henco - I don’t miss a game, I watch more rugby involving SA teams than anyone else - shit I even watched the Baby Boks vs Georgia on Friday morning over breakfast in Greenwich, London - live stream on the Georgian rugby FB page.
I did not say Henco and Jessie were the same I said they had similar rugby IQ’s ie pretty standard - not the special type like an Am, Sacha, Moodie, Willemse, du Pont etc
Henco is hussle and bustle relying on strength to make most of his impressions - he is not athletic, he does not glide - some players just glide in motion - Sacha is a prime example, as is Moodie and I see the same in JJ.
Rugby IQ for me is about anticipation, making the right decisions under pressure, getting into the right position early in order to be able to exploit and execute an advantage like a subtle movement into space before you even receive the ball, it’s an understanding of space and how to attack it, it’s identifying weaknesses and exploiting them.
In what I have seen from JJ he does all this, it’s those movements before receiving the ball, it’s the awareness to identify space, exploit it through his explosive pace off the mark then seek to link with clever offloads. And while he is doing all this, it’s done with a glide, no hussle and bustle.
Defensively is see him doing the same, he is making good reads and communicating a lot. Henco is more of a targeted defender, he lines you up and hits you hard, often letting the defender almost pass him and then hauling him down. Henco defensively is very strong one on one. I’m guessing JJ is better equipped to read defensive structures involving the whole line not just one on one but time will tell.
For me Henco is another Jessie, Jacque Fourie or Andre Snyman while JJ is another Gerber, BOD or Am in all respects - rugby IQ and athleticism. Am does not glide like a Gerber or BOD, but has a brilliant rugby brain and great hands
I’m taking JJ over Henco all day long - Henco gives to solid, JJ gives you X factor