Ruan

I pinged him before the 2024 season. Then he had a very average year last year. I kept saying he wasn't being used correctly. That the Lions made a lot of opportunity to use him at pace to crash over the line, but they just never did.

Then, this season, he's suddenly doing everything I was hoping for last season. The only downside being he was banned for four weeks and also sat out last week because of injury, so he's missed a good few games.

Still, he's playing some impressive rugby if he closes out the season like he started it then there is no way Rassie can ignore him.

Yesterday he was playing at lock, was receiving and running back kick offs, taking and disrupting lineout ball and played the full 80.

So he's doing an 8 and a 4's job while having started mostly on the side of the scrum. I said almost two years ago that this guy will carry the Boks on his back and as of today I stand by it. Not saying Cameron isn't a phenomenal 8, but if Rassie is looking for someone that can do specifically what Wiese does, Venter is the guy.

The prospect of Wiese, Venter and Cameron together is far more exciting than any other combo I can think of too.

Yes that would be an exciting trio of players who mean to make an impact every time they are involved.

lol somebody changed the title of my post.

...but I changed it back!!!

And they changed it again...

Anybody care explaining why it got changed.

Not butthurt or anything, would suit like to understand what was wrong with it...

The post was titled; Ruan "The Mountain" Venter

Dave is hacking you.

I have no problem with Venter at all - he is a vey good loosie - but I think he would b beter at lock.

However, I am going to put ome new element to the discussion. Based on clear evidence thus far this URC season Milne is the best no 12 plying his trade in SA. He is by far an improvement on any inside center in SA and that include the slow and poor ball reader Esterhuizen with Du Plessis playing the first time in months for the Stormers, .

Please offer up a prayer for the Dragons this weekend.

Ruan is very fresh and still feels he has a point to prove. The inevitable result is pain.

I'll stick my neck out and say that Quan, Francke and Ruan will again be the best SA players in their positions this weekend.

As a reminder, Saturday was yet another day where Francke was far more impactful, against better opposition, than Roos was. That's become a theme this season. While the Stompies don't know who to pick for skipper, the Lions have a warrior leading the charge every week. Gotta love it.

The Lions is playing the best rugby of any of the SA sides, with few big names. And their loosies are fire, they have the luxury of benching Renzo and using Venter at lock, I mean, come on. In Smith they have a very competent if not flashy 10 with Krappies setting the tempo at 9. Definitely more fun to watch than the Bumblesharks or the Stompompies. The Bulls have their moments but they still revert to smashybash too often.

Did you check Megafoon pod yesterday?

Apparently this Asanathi doping charge is;

The Lions sent him to a doctor who then prescribed meds to him. I don't know if he took the meds but they weren't in his system anymore. He then had to fill out a form and actually wrote al the meds he'd been taken or been prescribe on the form. And its apparently not performance enhancing stuff ether. Who knows, perhaps some kind of opioid or something.

So, all in all, it wasn't any kind of testing that caught him or even that it was performance enhancing stuff.

Sounds like a nothing burger to me. And also a great way to incentivise players not be honest and transparent.

Anyway, he now has a three day hearing this week and wont be playing on Saturday.