Super Rugby 2015 will kick off on Friday, February 13, 2015. This year is an important year as it is a Rugby World Cup year and many fringe players will want to put their case forward to their national coaches for inclusion in their national sides for rugby’s showcase event.
Before they can be considered as serious Rugby World Cup contenders they would need to succeed at Super Rugby level and to do so they would need to have a significant impact on their Super Rugby franchises’ fortunes in the upcoming edition of the competition. We take a look at each South African team’s prospects in 2015.
Toyota Free State Cheetahs: The Cheetahs will probably present the same challenge as they did in 2014. They will try to outscore their opposition with no real consideration to defense. They have also been hurt by the departure of Springboks Trevor Nyakane and Adriaan Strauss and regular 8th man Lappies Labuschagne to the Bulls and have gained Willie Britz from the Lions and Sergal Pietersen from the Kings. Coach Naka Drotske spent a number of months in England researching new coaching techniques so it will be interesting to see if the Cheetahs come up with something new. Expect Willie le Roux and Cornal Hendricks to be their stand out players. Joe Petersen’s return to South Africa would also be of interest.
Emirates Lions: The Lions will remain in a rebuilding phase for 2015. Their significant sponsorship from Emirates Airlines came too late to help them contract any new marquee players, but it would help them to conserve their current squad and work on building their future. 2015 may not be their breakthrough year, but it will be a strong building block for 2016. Marnitz Boshoff, Jaco Kriel and Warren Whitely will be their stalwarts in 2015. They have an astute coach in Johan Ackerman and he will surely have some surprises up his sleeve in 2015.
Vodacom Blue Bulls: The Bulls will be stronger than they were in 2014 as many of their young players will be competing in their second tournament, but will probably not be playoff contenders. They have raided the Cheetahs resources to strengthen their squad depth, but are looking weak at number 4 lock with the departure of Paul Willemse to France and the long term injury to Flip van der Merwe. This may be affecting their scrum too, which was brutally exposed by Saracens in their pre-season friendly. Handre Pollard will be a player to watch as well as Adriaan Strauss. Also keep an eye out for Ulrich Beyers, who promises to be a real talent at inside centre. He may not have the pedigree of a Jan Serfontein, but he has the talent and pace to make a real difference for the Bulls.
Cell C Sharks: The Sharks have been building a strong squad over the last number of years and every year they claim will be “their year”. They have an embarrassment of riches in every position, so not delivering trophies is becoming a problem for The Sharks. Their problem may be vested in the fact that they recruit from all over South Africa and even in the professional game in which we find ourselves now, they are not getting the mix exactly right. Inside centre Andre Esterhuizen is a fantastic talent and we expect him to make a real impact for The Sharks and looks promising for higher honours. The return of Pieter-Steph du Toit from a long term sternum injury will certainly bolster their pack. For those who enjoy the dark art of scrumming, keep an eye out for young Thomas du Toit. He was thrown into the cauldron of Super Rugby as a 20 year old last year and stood up to all challengers. The Sharks might just have a special one here.
DHL Stormers: The Stormers have assembled a squad that should really be competing at the business end of the tournament instead of being “also rans”. However, this is their reality as they have been playing a game plan which is alien to the attacking players which they possess. The one off runner and defensively focused game plan won them few supporters and even fewer trophies. They have been hit with further setbacks in that they have lost their defensive guru Jacques Nienaber to the Springboks. Coach Alister Coetzee was also put out by the appointment of former Springbok 7’s coach Paul True to the Stormers coaching team without him being informed. This after Gert Smal was appointed as Director of Rugby over him without him being given the opportunity to apply. A further distraction for the squad is Coetzee’s confirmed move to Kobe Kobelco Steelers. The danger for them is Coetzee losing the trust of the change room during the season. The Stormers will also be without Jean de Villiers, who is still in rehabilitation after his horrific knee injury in the Springboks Test against Wales. Expect Juan de Jongh to stake a big claim for Springbok selection. Other players to watch out for will be Eben Etzebeth and Nizaam Carr.
I am certainly looking forward to seeing how each team develops through the competition and which players sticks his hand up with a great tournament to give their national coach a selection headache.
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