United Rugby Championship: Five South African stars to keep an eye on in Round 14 including Elrigh Louw and Manie Libbok

David Skippers
Five SA players to watch image URC 2023.jpg

The United Rugby Championship (URC) resumes this weekend with Round 14 of the tournament set to thrill supporters across Europe and South Africa.

So far, the South African teams have provided plenty of excitement and the journey continues as some interesting clashes await this weekend.

Planet Rugby has selected five players to watch in Round 14, which includes Saturday’s highly anticipated north v south derby between the Bulls and Stormers at Loftus Versfeld.

Elrigh Louw (Bulls)

If the Bulls want to end their four-match losing streak in the URC against the Stormers, their forwards will have to put in a huge performance as a collective and Louw will be expected to be at the forefront of that effort.

Like last season, the 23-year-old has been one of the Bulls’ go-to-men up front with his ball carrying particularly impressive as he is amongst the tournament’s leaders. Louw is currently sitting in third place in that department with 136 carries made with just Sione Kalamafoni of the Scarlets and Glasgow Warriors’ Viliame Mata above him on that list.

Louw’s strengths are not restricted just to ball carrying, however. He is also a handy option at the back of the lineout and he is also an outstanding defender. It is no surprise that he is amongst the leading defenders in the competition as he occupies joint-eighth position for tackles made (117) so far this season.

Manie Libbok (Stormers)

Stormers head coach John Dobson sung the Springbok playmaker’s praises recently after he delivered a scintillating all-round performance in their 46-19 triumph over the Sharks in Durban which saw him walking off with the official man-of-the-match award.

That prize was a fitting reward as the 25-year-old’s excellent skill-set paved the way for a deserved victory for his side and his presence in the Stormers’ starting XV also coincided with their return to the victory trail. This, after they experienced a mini crisis as they suffered back-to-back defeats at Glasgow and Ulster.

Libbok was in action against the Warriors but he missed the trip to Ulster due to concussion and his presence was severely missed by the Stormers throughout that clash. Despite his absence in that game, he is the URC’s leading points-scorer with 121, which is 26 more than his nearest rival, Chris Smith of the Bulls. Libbok will be determined to extend that gap even further on Saturday.

Joseph Dweba (Stormers)

The Springbok hooker has hit the ground running since joining the Cape Town-based outfit from Top 14 club Bordeaux-Begles ahead of the season and is a vital cog in the Stormers’ pack.

After missing his jumpers with some inaccurate throw-ins at the line-outs while on Springbok duty during last year’s Test series against Wales and in the Rugby Championship, he was dropped from the world champions’ squad. However, he has put that disappointment behind him and bounced back with some outstanding displays in the URC and Champions Cup.

Although the 27-year-old will be the first to admit that his line-out work is still not where he would like it to be, Dweba’s general play has been of a high standard. He has impressed with his ball carrying and is currently in joint-seventh position for the tournament’s leading try-scorers with five and don’t be surprised if he increases that total against the Bulls.

Emmanuel Tshituka (Lions)

Although the Lions have struggled again during this campaign and are languishing in 13th position in the 16-club competition, it has not been through a lack of effort from Tshituka, who has been one of the best loose forwards on display in the URC.

Aged 22, the back-row has played with a maturity beyond his years and is amongst the tournament’s leaders in several attacking statistics. Featuring mostly at number eight for the Lions, Tshituka is in joint-eighth position for defenders beaten, sixth for carries made, 11th for successful carries and joint-17th for offloads.

His defence is also of a high quality as he has made the 19th most tackles (98) which shows that his all-round game is quite strong and he will be a key player for his team when they host the Sharks in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Grant Williams (Sharks)

With several of the Sharks’ senior players not currently in action, due to Springbok resting protocols, the likes of Williams will be crucial for the Durban-based outfit, who can ill afford a defeat against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Blessed with plenty of pace and an outstanding attacking skill-set, Williams is a genuine threat with ball in hand and he will be expected to unlock the Lions’ defence. With first choice scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse amongst those Boks being rested, Williams is expected to return to the run-on side after missing the Sharks’ previous match against the Stormers through injury.

Williams’ absence was keenly felt as his team suffered a humiliating defeat in that encounter and he will be expected to give his side much needed momentum as he usually provides a crisp service to his outside backs, while his unpredictability around the fringes of the rucks and mauls is sure to keep the Lions’ defence on their toes.

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