Which Blitzbokke could be considered to play Springbok

I said I would have a look at Visser in the Blitzbokke games this weekend to see how he performs.   It looked like eh was not quite ready iro match time and even though he did some good things - he needs further experience in the game and obviously also on 15 level.   He is in fact tall and very sturdily built - he should get more experience before a real evaluation could be done.

However, the outstanding player for the Blizbokke this weekend was Muller du Plessis that is justa bout all that one can expect from a wing and as far as I am concerned the sooner that guy gets into the Springbok squad the better it would for the team.     Ball sense and pace, as well as  being a very good stepper and good defender makes him the full package for selection.    

However, he is a wing and it would be problematic to pick a white in that position.   

Muller du Plessis = scored all three tries in the game against Fiji.   The second one was after a break was made by Visser.  

Ou maaaikie the best player for the Bli tz by some distance is Werner Kok. Never understood why WP didn't use him much. He has pace, great skills and packs a punch. Nobody gets more stuck in.

Beeno 

I like Kok too - but his defense is a bit suspect,   And when last did any player score three tries in a sevens game against Fiji?     

Wing positions are reserved for previously disadvantaged players...fullback too. Willie, Coetzee and Combrink were temporary anomalies...Willie will stay a bit because we need him to add a bit of flair for now.

The back 3 was the first place the franchises used to fill their quota. Luckily we see a better spread of black talent these days.

WP or some other unions has invited Werner Kok to join their 15 man teams, but he decline the offers and said that 7s is his choice.

So, basically it is his choice and one should respect that.

Mozart

Du Plessis was contracted by the Sharks Under 19 squad for 2018 and according to the Sharks site he is contracted as a wing and full back.   He may even end up at outside center - but only being 19 years old he still is a bit on the light side at 86kgs,   

The Sharks for the first time in ten years won the Under 19.

The following is a summary on one of the websites:-

"Muller du Plessis is an extremely skillful rugby player.  He prefers full back, but has played  for the SA Under 20 team on the wing.   He has loads of pace and is very exciting with ball in hand   It is on counter-attack where he is at his most dangerous.  He joins his backline frequently on attack.  He does not shy away from defensive responsibilities either,"

The first time I noted him was in the Hong Kong 7's last year where he scored 7 tries.  At that stage he was only 17 years of age.  I then commented on him on this site as a player for the future whose progress needs to be watched.   Yesterday against the physically much bigger Fijians he was master class - scoring three times.     It was not that he scored three tries - it was the way he did it that is important.   In the earlier games in Dubai he was on the bench and when the team showed  problems - he was moved to the starting team. 

I can see him develop as the ultimate replacement for Willie le Roux at full back - but I think he is on Erasmus check list already.   He also has captaincy abilities and may end up as captaining the Sharks team eventually.  

Classic Mike....."I like Kok too"!!.....

The following further news on Muller du Plessis's performance in the Dubai series:-

"Springbok Sevens flyer Muller du Plessis finished the Dubai Sevens as leading try-scorer.

The 20-year-old scored SEVEN tries, including a hat-trick against Fiji. He finished one try ahead of World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Perry Baker of the USA, Marcos Maroni (Argentina), Alamanda Matuga (Samoa) and John Porch (Australia).

Du Plessis' efforts were made more special by the fact that South Africa only scored 19 tries in their six matches (the same as overall winners New Zealand) to place seventh overall amongst total team tries. Rosko Specman (3) and Werner Kok (3) were the other main contributors.

The Blitzboks (98) made the second most tackles in Dubai, after New Zealand (123), but only had a 64% tackle completion rate. They missed an uncanny 55 tackles, the third-most of all the teams in Dubai. Philip Snyman (17) made the most tackles followed by Werner Kok and Impi Visser (15 each).

The South Africans finished sixth at the Dubai Sevens after losing 24-19 to Fiji in extra time in the 5th-place final."

The problem is that Muller was borne in June 1999 and will only be 20 in June 2019 - he is still 19 years of age - not 20 as mentioned in the article.