Who’s hot and who’s not: ‘Age just a number’ for Springboks call-up while Beauden Barrett blows All Blacks ‘opportunity’
Deon Fourie is recalled by the Springboks while Beauden Barrett had a tough night at 10 for the All Blacks.
It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Deon Fourie: What a few days it has been for the 39-year-old as he made his return from injury for the Stormers in their clash with the All Blacks on Friday and impressed enough to earn a recall to South Africa‘s squad ahead of the Greatest Rivalry Tests. It’s quite an achievement from a veteran who shows age is just a number.
Fourie, who can feature in the back-row or at hooker, is clearly respected by Rassie Erasmus as on Monday he brought him into the fold with just a match under his belt. If Fourie were to pull on a South African jersey again during this series against the All Blacks, it would remarkably be his first Test since the 2023 World Cup final.
Luke Jacobson: Speaking of special moments, it was no doubt one for Jacobson over the weekend when he was named All Blacks skipper for Tuesday’s game against the Sharks in Durban. Jacobson has been a stalwart of Dave Rennie’s still young era in charge, and the flanker’s presence and leadership in the side is a strength.
He leads a strong New Zealand line-up against the Durban outfit as the likes of Ruben Love, Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Damian McKenzie and Tupou Vaa’i all start.
Ma’a Nonu inclusion: What a story this is. While Fourie is 39 and still pressing for international caps, Nonu is 44 and playing club rugby at the highest level.
It is incredible how the All Blacks legend has maintained his form and conditioning for such a long time, and when he signed a deal with the Sharks it looked like being solely on a mentorship role. However, his name was included on the bench for Tuesday’s tour match and what a prospect it is that he’ll take on his countrymen.
Cameron Hanekom: That was as strong a showing as you will see, as Hanekom really stood up for the Boks in the 17-10 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
13 carries for 82 metres is a solid return and puts the Bulls forward in the matchday 23 frame for the All Blacks Tests. He couldn’t have done much more, to be honest.
Comment: All Blacks need not ‘worry’ after Springboks ‘escaped to victory’ against Argentina
All Blacks duo: 22 hours before the Springboks took to the field, the All Blacks got their tour off and running with a 38-21 triumph against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Two players stood out in a black shirt and they were Peter Lakai and Fabian Holland, with the former racking up 17 tackles and 12 carries for 43 metres that included two clean breaks and six defenders beaten. Holland stole a couple of lineouts, was busy in defence and in his clearout work and showed lovely hands on the gainline.
COLD AS ICE!
Beauden Barrett: Friday was a good opportunity for the All Blacks great, who was making his first appearance under Rennie, but it ended up being a dismal night.
While he had some nice touches in possession, Barrett struggled in the air and made a couple of errors, which won’t have helped his chances of featuring in the series.
Miles Amatosero: It was a game to forget for the Wallabies lock as his Test lasted just 31 minutes after he received a yellow card that was later upgraded to a red.
While Amatosero’s collision with the head of Japan’s Warner Dearns was clumsy, his defence was not helped by the fact he made no attempt to wrap in the contact.
The net result was that Amatosero’s evening was cut short, but fortunately for him, leaving his side a man short for 20 minutes did not ultimately cost them the victory.
Siya Kolisi concern: While there has been positivity regarding the injury from boss Erasmus, who said “it doesn’t look too bad”, Kolisi’s latest blow is concerning.
The Springboks flanker hurt the other hamstring that had previously caused him problems and awaits a scan to determine the severity of the problem. That means at best he’s in a race against time to make the Greatest Rivalry opener against the All Blacks. South African fans will be hoping the scan brings positive news for the captain.
Billy Proctor: New Zealand suffered another setback on their Greatest Rivalry tour of South Africa on Sunday after it was confirmed that Proctor will head home.
The 27-year-old sustained a shoulder blade fracture in Friday’s win over the Stormers, which will sideline him for up to 12 weeks. It’s such a cruel blow for the centre.
Uruguay exits: World Cup side Uruguay sacked head coach Rodolfo Ambrosio and his assistant Juan Figallo, 14 months out from 2027’s tournament in Australia.
Friday’s news came after a dire Nations Cup month for Los Teros that saw the South Americans lose to Georgia and Hong Kong China and also draw with Romania.
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Springboks duo: It was a poor day at the office for both Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Lood de Jager on Saturday as mistakes marred both Bok’s performances.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu made a few errors in the first half, but did build into the game as it went on. However, his execution and end product were lacking in Argentina.
Meanwhile, De Jager’s 50-minute stint on the field was also error-strewn and his knock-on led to Argentina’s first try. Not the performance the lock was striving for.
