Sizing up SA's Super Rugby sides

It’s been 10 long years since a South African side won the Super Rugby title.

With the Springboks having won the World Cup last year, hope springs eternal that the franchises could emulate them, but can they?

SHARKS

The good news: With Sanele Nohamba, Curwin Bosch, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, Sbu Nkosi and Aphelele Fassi in their back line, Sean Everitt’s men will be a headache to any side daft enough to give them a ball to work with.

The elephant in the room: News out of Durban is that the Sharks will aim to play a fast-flowing game. The main reason for shifting the ball away from contact is apparently because they don’t have explosive ball carriers.

We all made fun of Robert du Preez and his sons turning the franchise into the Du Preez family business over the past three years, but the Sharks will miss loose forwards Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez in the carry, with only props Ox Nché and Thomas du Toit, as well as centre André Esterhuizen, fitting the out-and-out strike runner bill.

The big question: Fly half Bosch will finally be the first-team standoff this season. As happy as that will make his legion of fans, it will raise new questions.

The first is whether his defence has improved from having the firmness of wet toast. The second is if he has the requisite game management of someone hoping to play international rugby. One has to wonder if the confined spaces of the fly half channel will allow him similar eye-catching performances to those they did at fullback.

Keep an eye on: When centre Marius Louw was picked at openside flank in a warm-up game against Russia – and reportedly did well – many said the former Grey College flanker was finally back where he belonged. But news from within the camp is that he’s training particularly well at inside centre, so this could be the year he finally comes to the fore.

Star attraction: Fassi, the man dubbed “Weekend Special” by the SuperSport isiXhosa commentators, is certainly someone to look forward to watching, like the 1980s Brenda Fassie hit suggested.

Having scored an amazing but disallowed try in the Superhero game against the Stormers last weekend, the rangy but deceptively quick Fassi vindicated the idea that if he stays fit in his second Super Rugby season, he’ll soon be a Springbok.

STORMERS

The good news: Just like they did last year, the Cape side has one of the stronger packs in the competition, with an all-Springbok front row of Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe, and SA Rugby player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit and Bok captain Siya Kolisi leading it.

The elephant in the room: With Eben Etzebeth in tow, last year’s pack was even stronger, but they still didn’t pose a threat at the business end of the competition.

The Stormers have never been short on playing resources, so it’s one of life’s mysteries that they’ve never looked like winning a Super Rugby title.

The big question: Past coach Robbie Fleck’s coaching took a beating for the string of disappointing campaigns in the three years he was head coach, so the attention turns to the quirky John Dobson, whose appointment was universally approved.

“Dobbo” has built a reputation for thinking out of the box and building a great culture in his teams, not to mention being a good interview for us.

Keep an eye on: At 33, former Wales centre Jamie Roberts should be thinking about finally putting his medical degree to use. But the 1.93m, 110kg player has opted for a Super Rugby adventure as a replacement for Springbok centre Damian de Allende in the Stormers side.

Roberts was a tough runner to contain in the centre channel when he was here with the British and Irish Lions, but does he still have it 11 years later?

Star attraction: Fly half Damian Willemse may only be 21, but he’s already a World Cup winner. However, there are still some big questions about whether the hot-stepping Willemse is a fullback or a fly half.

With a dominant pack and Dobson deciding to play him at 10, don’t be surprised if he goes big with his answer.

BULLS

The good news: With Pote Human at the helm, the Bulls are the only team with a semblance of continuity coach-wise, meaning they can theoretically continue with what they did last year during a season in which they reached the play-offs and came frustratingly close to upsetting the Hurricanes.

The elephant in the room: Few teams can survive losing the talent and experience of Schalk Brits, RG Snyman, Lood de Jager, Duane Vermeulen and Handrè Pollard, and the Bulls find themselves in the unenviable position of having to prove that they can.

The big question: The franchise has attempted to plug the gaping holes by recalling Juandré Kruger (34), Josh Strauss (33) and Morné Steyn (35).

Apart from whether Kruger has graduated from being a promising line-out operator and no more when he left, whether Strauss is still dominant on the carry, or, indeed, if Steyn is still the “Simply the Best” of old, the big question is if any of them still has the legs for Super Rugby intensity.

Keep an eye on: Fullback Warrick Gelant has been the man for a while now in international circles, but if we’re being honest, even though he is now a world champion, he still hasn’t convinced us that he has what it takes to replace Willie le Roux, despite the latter being error-prone.

With a youngster like Fassi at the Sharks pushing hard, it’s time for the “Boogieman” to remind us what the fuss is all about.

Star attraction: It’s not often that a front rower fits this billing, but tight head prop Trevor Nyakane is probably that for the Bulls this year.

Having got over his lack of fitness issues during his earlier years, Nyakane was unlucky to suffer an early injury at the World Cup in Japan despite being the Boks’ starting tight head. A more mature Nyakane seems on the brink of a dominant year.

LIONS

The good news: When you look at names such as Carlü Sadie, Ruan Vermaak, Vincent Tshituka, Hacjivah Dayimani, Wandisile Simelane and Tyrone Green, the Lions have no shortage of gifted young players.

The elephant in the room: New defence coach Sean Erasmus, a schools coach two years ago, is the only coach older than 40 in the Lions’ management team.

Watching how the youngest coaching team in the competition does this year should be one of the side stories of the season.

The big question: The addition of veterans Jannie du Plessis and Willem Alberts is a query, but the bigger question is whether the talented youngsters, most of whom have already been exposed to Super Rugby, will kick on this year.

Keep an eye on: Utility back Tiaan Swanepoel, who is still a teenager, has got tongues wagging at Ellis Park.

The former Western Province junior, who has gone to the Lions via Australia and can reportedly nail penalties from 66m, went straight into the starting line-up at fullback for the Super Heroes weekend, meaning much is expected of him.

Star attraction: Surprisingly enough, Elton Jantjies has again emerged in a role he has played for practically the past decade for the Johannesburg franchise.

Instead of being disappointed with being a peripheral figure at the World Cup, Jantjies has reportedly been training well and looks sharp going into this season.

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