From Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s magic touch in Toulon to Cobus Reinach’s gritty return, these five stars stood tall this past weekend for South Africa. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
It was a disappointing weekend of near misses for the Stormers, Bulls, and Sharks, as all three teams were squeezed out of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions, respectively. But they did go down fighting, and it was heartening to see players returning from injury shrugging off the rust, while others marked a return to form.
We look at five players who raised their hands in South Africa’s losing cause at the weekend.
The 24-year old provided arguably the play of the weekend with a nonchalant chip-kick to create the try that put his team into a 20-14 lead against Toulon, briefly silencing the Stade Mayol.
The French crowd clearly appreciated the Springbok’s silky skills following his second-half introduction. Feinberg-Mngomezulu had been enduring a quiet patch in the United Rugby Championship, but coach John Dobson’s strategy of using him off the bench seemed to reignite his flair.
The veteran scrumhalf was remarkably good for the Stormers, especially considering he was returning from a two-month lay-off following groin surgery. Interestingly, Reinach had also been slightly off-form prior to his injury.
While Rassie Erasmus has integrated young talent like Haashim Pead and Imad Khan into recent alignment camps, the 36-year-old Reinach proved he is far from finished and will push hard for World Cup inclusion next year.
Ruan Vermaak could solve the Springboks' lock crisis. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
At a time when the Springboks’ depth at lock has been eroded by injuries to RG Snyman and Lood de Jager, it was vital to see Eben Etzebeth make a workmanlike comeback for the Sharks against Connacht.
However, it was Bulls lock Vermaak who made the biggest statement against the Glasgow Warriors. In tandem with the impressive Ruan Nortjé, Vermaak was a force of nature — carrying relentlessly, hitting innumerable breakdowns, and tackling ceaselessly. His industrious, "non-flashy" style mirrors that of Jean Kleyn, keeping him firmly on the national radar.
"The Tank" is a firm favourite at the Recreation Ground. While the Bath faithful love seeing the big man in open space, it was his work in the tight exchanges that sparked Bath's comeback win over Saracens.
With his side trailing at half-time, coach Johann van Graan introduced Du Toit, who single-handedly turned a struggling set scrum into an attacking weapon. The Sharks will be counting the days until he rejoins them at the end of June.
Johan Grobbelaar made 26 tackles this past weekend. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
The Bulls hooker was a defensive mountain, making 26 tackles — more than any other player in the Warriors match — with a near-perfect success rate. Beyond his work rate, "Grobbies" was an industrious carrier and remained clinical at the line-out.
He deserved his first-half try, which briefly gave the Bulls the lead. Despite competition from "hybrid" teammates Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Marco van Staden, his presence at the latest alignment camp suggests he remains a key specialist backup to Malcolm Marx.