United Rugby Championship: Eight young South African players who have shone this season

David Skippers
United Rugby Championship Young Players 2023 image.jpg

With the United Rugby Championship (URC) heading towards its business end, we take a look at five young South African players who have caught the eye with outstanding performances for their respective sides.

Canan Moodie (Bulls)

The 20-year-old burst onto the scene with several impressive showings during the Bulls’ run to last season’s URC final, which they lost to the Stormers, and he has continued to impress during this season’s competition. His excellent form earned him a call-up to the Springbok side and he made a fairytale debut when he scored a try on his Test bow against Australia in Sydney last year.

Equally at home on the wing or at full-back, Moodie injured a hamstring in his team’s Round Three win over Connacht, which was a huge setback for the men from Pretoria, who missed his brilliant attacking ability from the back. That kept him on the sidelines for two months but he is so highly rated that he was included in the Boks’ matchday squad for the final Autumn Nations Series Test in 2022. Since then, he has continued to shine for the Bulls and is one of the first names on their teamsheet.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls)

Despite being only 21 years of age, Wessels has picked up valuable experience this season after starting the campaign as back-up to the Bulls‘ first choice hooker Johan Grobbelaar. However, an injury to Grobbelaar, sustained during the early part of the Bulls’ 2022/23 campaign, saw their director of rugby, Jake White, promote Wessels to the run-on side ahead of experienced former Bok Bismarck du Plessis and the youngster gave a good account of himself.

A former prop who was moved to hooker by White in 2021, Wessels has impressed with his strong scrummaging and the execution of his other core duties. Since then, the youngster swapped in the starting hooker’s role with Du Plessis and he is back on the Bulls’ replacements bench since Grobbelaar returned from injury, but Wessels’ solid form earlier in the season showed that he belongs at this level and is set to play for the Pretoria-based outfit for many years to come.

Henco van Wyk (Lions)

Just like last season’s inaugural URC campaign, the Lions have found the going tough in 2022/23 but despite their indifferent form, they have unearthed some talented youngsters and exciting outside centre Van Wyk has been one of the Johannesburg-based franchise’s star performers. The 21-year-old is an outstanding attacker, who has torn opposing defences to shreds with his excellent skill-set and his meteoric rise has offset the departure of Wandisile Simelane, who moved to the Bulls ahead of this season.

Since Simelane’s departure, Van Wyk has cemented his place in the Lions’ starting line-up with several brilliant attacking displays and he has also impressed on defence. His excellent form was rewarded with a call-up to the South Africa ‘A’ side for their recent end-of-year tour fixtures against Munster and Bristol Bears and although his team lost both matches, Van Wyk gave a good account of himself and if he continues on his current upward trajectory it’s only a matter of time before he represents his country at Test level.

Ruan Venter (Lions)

Aged just 20, Venter, who can play as a lock or on the flank, has been one of the Lions’ star performers despite the side’s indifferent form in this season’s competition. An abrasive character, Venter enjoys the physical nature of the game and he has already made his mark with some strong carries and big tackles for the Lions in this season’s URC after making his debut in the competition just over a year ago in a derby against the Bulls in Johannesburg.

Similar in his approach to former Springbok and Lions team-mate Willem Alberts, Venter announced himself in the Lions’ Round Four clash at Edinburgh, when he sent Scotland and British and Irish Lions flanker Hamish Watson flying when the Scot tried to bring him to ground. That was not an isolated incident as the very next week in Johannesburg the former South Africa U20 player did something similar to Ulster’s former Wallabies lock Sam Carter and such incidents have made him a hit with the Lions supporters.

Thaakier Abrahams (Sharks)

Abrahams has caught the eye with some excellent attacking performances for the Sharks and although he is not a regular starter in their team, he is yet to let the Durban-based side down when called up to start. A genuine excitement machine, in the mould of Bok stars Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, the 22-year-old possesses plenty of pace and an outrageous side-step which can bamboozle the tightest defences.

Although defence is not one of his strengths, the diminutive flyer punches above his weight in that facet of play and doesn’t shy from putting his body on the line for his team. However, it’s his brilliance on attack which has earned rave reviews and his score against Leinster at the RDS Arena is a candidate for try of the season as Abrahams’ excellence with ball in hand got the better of several of the Irish province’s defenders.

Ntuthuko Mchunu (Sharks)

Although he is behind Ox Nche in the pecking order at the Sharks, loosehead prop Mchunu has made his mark with some fine performances during his team’s 2022/23 URC campaign. A one-Test Springbok, who made his international debut in South Africa’s defeat to Wales in Bloemfontein last year, the 23-year-old has been compared to former Sharks and Boks loosehead Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira as he has a similar build to the legendary front-row.

Mchunu is a solid scrummager and superb defender, especially around the fringes of the rucks and mauls, but made people sit up and take notice when he scored a spectacular 50-metre solo try against the Lions in Johannesburg in 2021. Since then, he has been a regular in the Sharks’ matchday squads and with regular Springboks being rested for a large chunk of the season, due to it being a World Cup year, he has found himself in the run-on side more regularly and he seldom disappoints.

Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers)

The South Africa U20 utility player made his Stormers debut at the start of the season and has not looked back since as he has shone at outside centre and on the wing as part of the men from the Cape’s exciting backline. As far as breakout seasons go amongst South African players, the 19-year-old has had one of the best in recent years and he is thriving alongside more experienced players like Manie Libbok, Ruhan Nel, Herschel Jantjies, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas and Seabelo Senatla.

Blessed with searing speed and an astute rugby brain, the 2022 South Africa U20 representative’s superb form was rewarded when he was called up to the SA ‘A’ side later that year. Like Van Wyk, he was on a steep learning curve in those matches which they lost to Munster and Bristol but the Stormers have ultimately benefited from that as Hartzenberg has continued to do well in the URC, showing plenty of improvement and he is now a permanent fixture in champions’ matchday squad.

Andre-Hugo Venter (Stormers)

Another up-and-coming hooker on our list, he is the son of legendary Springbok flanker Andre Venter and has worked his way into the Stormers’ matchday squad during their victorious 2021/22 campaign and is relatively young at the age of 21. Despite his tender years, Venter is a vital member for the Cape Town-based side and came off the bench to score a crucial try in last season’s URC final against the Bulls.

A former South Africa Schools player, he has continued where he left during the current campaign despite starting most of the Stormers’ matches on the bench behind Bok hooker Joseph Dweba. Venter is similar in his approach to his father as he is a strong ball carrier with a competitive streak, and a high work-rate, with plenty of aggression. He is also a strong scrummager and was part of the SA ‘A’ squad in 2022.

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