As professional rugby in South Africa made its controlled return to the playing field in a Covid-19 world, some of the best young talents in the country broke into the rugby landscape and featured prominently for their Franchises. In what has been a frustrating time for rugby players and fans alike around the world, the silver lining is surely the opportunities given to the rising stars that otherwise would not have been the case.

Western Province, that has always had an abundance of talent, has seen the coming of age of Kade Wolhuter. The young flyhalf who had a brief stint in France has made a successful return to his home province. After featuring for the Green side in SA rugby’s Green vs Gold match, Kade has slotted into the nr 10 jersey in the WP setup and has made massive strides towards unlocking his full potential.

 Another exciting prospect at flyhalf that has made his professional debut, is the Maties Actuarial Sciences student, Christopher Schreuder. The brainiac has quietly gone about his business on the rugby field, while also focussing on his academic obligations. Schreuder has no shortage in ability and is held in high regard by his peers and coaches which bodes well for the long-term rugby future that awaits him.

Marcel Theunissen is another player that has gone under the radar while graduating at the University of Stellenbosch. A hard-working no-nonsense player, Marcel has been featuring in the WP jersey since rugby restarted and looks set to become a household name in the Western Cape.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels and George Cronje are young talents who are regarded as two of the most promising in the 2019 Matric year finishers that have gone on to play for their respective provinces. Both players spent six months at Clermont in France before returning home to further their careers at the Bulls and Cheetahs respectively. Jan-Hendrik has been likened to the legendary Os Du Randt by former World Cup winning coach Jake White, who is also currently his mentor at the Blue Bulls. As a 19-year-old prop forward he has already made inroads into senior professional rugby and is gradually starting to live up to the expectations the rugby public have of him. George has since making his debut for the Cheetahs gone from strength to strength and is sure to entertain loyal rugby supporters for years to come.

Under the guidance of Jake White, it has been at the Pretoria based franchise where most of the young talent has made inroads into the senior professional arena. In addition to Jan-Hendrik Wessels, the engine room of the Bulls has seen the introduction of powerful loose forwards Werner Gouws and WJ Steenkamp. Both players have distinctly unique attributes that have earned them a welcome inclusion into a traditional powerhouse pack of forwards.

With some of the household names in the Pretoria franchise set to move on to greener pastures, the Blue Bulls faithful can rest assured that their absence will be filled with more than capable replacements. With Chris Rossouw at the helm of the backline players, brothers David and Richard Kriel have been given the opportunity to prove their worth. Often competing for the same spot on the team, the two brothers have pushed each other to reach new heights while also assisting each other to navigate what can often be a challenging rugby landscape. Dawid Kellerman is another young player that has benefited under the guidance of ex Springbok flyhalf Rossouw. The young midfielder has long been earmarked for an accolade filled career and is well on his way to fulfilling those dreams.

The rugby factory that South Africa has always been renowned for, is alive and literally kicking. This bodes well for all rugby loving enthusiast across this great nation

The rich vein of goal kicking form which saw Frans Steyn kick 36 consecutive successful kicks at goal came to an end on Wednesday night, 10 March 2021, in Bloemfontein. Shortly after this rare miss, Steyn clinched the match for his side with a successful penalty kick which saw the Cheetahs trump the Sharks by one point with a score line of 39-38.

The previous record of South African kickers was co – held by Peter Grant and Demetri Catrakilis. Both players managed to kick 31 consecutive successful kicks at goal. Steyn’s new record of 36 sets the bar high and illustrates his class as player on so many fronts. Since he made his debut for the Sharks and Springboks at age 19, he was seldom given the task of taking the goal kicking responsibilities of sides he represented. He was perhaps wrongly seen as a goal kicker equipped only to take long distance goal kicks further than 50 meters. This feat is a further feather in the cap of a South African rugby treasure and confirms beyond doubt that Frans Steyn is a player with endless talent. May he treat rugby viewers over the world with many more awe – inspiring performances like this.

It was and remains a privilege and adventurous journey to accompany Frans in his long and illustrious career off the field.

It came as no surprise that Duane Vermeulen was announced as the South African Rugby Players’ Player of the year on 11 March 2021.

This award follows a few days after Duane was also rewarded by SARU with the South African Rugby Player of the year title for 2020. The 34-year-old has debunked a popular fallacy that form on the rugby field flattens with a decreasing gradient as time marches on. Since his man of the match performance in the Rugby World Cup final of 2019, Duane has gone from strength to strength. His performance curve climbed like a “Strava graph” of an Everest ascending expedition.

Duane captained the Bulls by example, used his experience wisely in making decisions on the field, and was instrumental in the Bulls winning both Super Rugby Unlocked and the Currie Cup. Opinions on the performance of players always need to be taken with a pinch of salt. They are easily tainted by pre – conceived ideas and inherent favoritism. However, when the outcome of a collective opinion is through a process of peer review, it carries real weight with it. For this reason, the Players’ Player award, is one to be cherished. It carries genuine authenticated authority with it.

Duane has proven that age is just a number. What makes his achievement more significant, is that in the history of these awards there were only four instances where the same player picked up both the SA Ruby Player of the year and Players’ Player of the year awards simultaneously. Jean de Villiers  and Pieter – Steph du Toit managed to achieve this.

Duane has now done so twice, being the first player in the history of the awards to succeed in doing so. These acknowledgements confirm an age-old truth, being that there is no substitute for hard work, genuine purpose driven work ethic, and a permanent backpack of humility worn with radiating pride and a smile.

Congratulations Duane. Your desire and strive for perfection is inspiring. Your genuine love for the game and engraved awareness that every day in the game is only through grace and the combined effort of your team, is a principle and truth from which much invaluable lessons should be memorized. May the remainder of your career continue down this pathway.