rugbyphile says...

Johan Goosen, barring injury, will be chosen before him until maybe his late 20s--and possibly also Lambie and E Jantjes

Posted 10:04 18th June 2012

JayStarr says...

This is just getting out of hand now... Can everyone leave this poor guy alone! He's not even out of school yet!!

Nobody has heard of him until a few weeks ago when he played for his school against Waterkloof High and it was televised. Then Naas Botha (who is the coach of Waterkloof) made a big hoo-ha about him (and rightly so - he's a very promising player). But since then everyone has just been Handré-Pollard-crazy - as if he is the next Dan Carter... (and while seemingly completely forgetting about the "bright futures" of "future Springboks" Johan Goosen and Patrick Lambie already)...

How else can it affect a player if you build him up so much? Especially someone who just turned 18 three months ago! I don't care what that numbskull Dawie Theron says - it doesn't matter how big and clever he is, he is still a boy... Both his parents were teachers of mine at school - I still remember when he was born, because it was on my birthday... Even though it was 18 years ago, I have a real sense of how little time that actually is. He is still very young and should be kept out of the limelight - the pressure will not do him good. Most players only enter the limelight when they get close to Super Rugby level - and even then it's tough for them. Handré is still a boy at school - don't ruin his last few years of freedom... no matter how promising a player he is. His time will come.

Leave him alone.

Posted 02:47 14th June 2012