SA rugby's youth project gathers momentum

OPINION: The decision to back rising stars like Vusi Moyo and Yaqeen Ahmed and others will benefit the South African franchises and the Springboks in the long term.

The four South African coaches will be reasonably pleased with how the first two rounds of the United Rugby Championship have panned out.

The Sharks and Lions won their respective home fixtures against Leinster and the Ospreys, with JP Pietersen’s side banking maximum log points in both matches.

The Bulls and Stormers endured a more challenging start to the season, with two fixtures staged abroad.

While they let themselves down in Limerick and Edinburgh, they both managed to accumulate six log points over the course of their respective tours.

It’s early days in the season, and teams need to be strategic about who they select and realistic about their goals in matches played overseas.

Last year, Leinster began their campaign with two fixtures in South Africa, and returned to Ireland with two log points. Jacques Nienaber’s charges eventually finished the URC league in second place, and went on to win their second-consecutive title.

More recently, Leinster accumulated three log points over the course of the fixtures staged in Johannesburg and Durban, and one gets the feeling that Nienaber and company won’t be too bothered about the losses.

While the Bulls and Stormers have plenty to fix, they too have reason to believe they are heading in the right direction.

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What’s been particularly encouraging to see is how the respective franchises have used their squads over the first two rounds of the tournament.

The Springboks made a rousing return to club rugby this past weekend, with Eben Etzebeth, André Esterhuizen and Edwill van der Merwe starring in the Sharks’ 26-20 win against Leinster.

Clearly the older and more established players still have a lot to give at this level – although they will need to be managed carefully to ensure that they are ready for the next phase of the Nations Championship in November and the World Cup next year.

Knowing this, many of the coaches have attempted to balance their squads with uncapped players and others who are not frontline Boks.

Curwin Bosch blew hot and cold this past weekend, but has the potential to become the Bulls’ answer to Chris Smith – an experienced player who will be available to his club when the Boks are not.

Boeta Chamberlain, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Hyron Andrews fall into the same category for the Lions, as do Stephan Lewies and Ivan van Zyl at the Sharks.

Furthermore, it’s been clear how the respective franchises have been more inclined to back younger players – and particularly the Junior Boks who have won back-to-back world titles.

Haashim Pead’s lack of game time at the Lions is well documented, but others like Batho Hlekani and Ethan Adams are showing the benefits of an extended run.

John Dobson blooded the precocious Markus Muller towards the end of last season, and has continued to give younger players chances in the early stages of the current URC.

Riley Norton, who would have made his Test debut against England this past July if not for an untimely injury, impressed on the recent tour to Galway and Edinburgh.

Yaqeen Ahmed was given the flyhalf duties at the Hive Stadium this past Friday, in challenging weather conditions. The 20-year-old made some mistakes – which is to be expected at this stage of his career – but otherwise looked the part at No.10. Ahmed should receive further opportunities in the future when Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is unavailable.

Down in Durban, another Junior Bok flyhalf was given the responsibility of spearheading the backline.

Vusi Moyo made his Test debut against Wales earlier this year, and may well feature in one or two internationals before the 2027 World Cup. Ultimately, Moyo, Ahmed and others may be earmarked by Rassie Erasmus’ Boks for the four-year cycle that follows.

That said, Moyo has delivered a series of calm and composed showings for the Sharks in recent months, and has all but established himself as the franchise’s first-choice flyhalf.

Jordan Hendrikse and Siya Masuku will have to fight to regain the No.10 jersey – and that is an ideal situation for the Sharks, who are looking to take their game to the next level after a couple of forgettable seasons.

While the Sharks are blessed with a number of Test stars, it’s important to note that other Junior Boks like Zekhethelo Siyaya and Esethu Mnebelele have already been exposed to the URC.

Luan Giliomee has been one of the standout performers in the early stages of the tournament, and many feel that the Sharks have missed a trick by allowing the multitalented back to head to the Bulls.

The Bulls boast their own clutch of Junior Boks, and winger Cheswill Jooste impressed in the recent loss to Munster.

As Willie le Roux’s career winds down, we may see Giliomee and Jooste enjoying a lot more game time at the Bulls in the coming seasons.

While they played no part in the recent world title successes with the Junior Boks, a number of other young players like Paul de Villiers, Zach Porthen, Nico Steyn and Jurenzo Julius are worth a mention.

It’s no secret that South African rugby has plenty of young talent and outstanding junior systems.

But lately, these youngsters are making the transition to senior rugby sooner rather than later, and are receiving the backing of the franchise coaches.

The leading Boks won’t be available for the entire club season, and for the most part, it will fall to the next tier of players to ensure that the respective teams accumulate sufficient log points to qualify for the URC play-offs next May.

That next tier of players now includes a promising group of youngsters – who are coming out of the Junior Bok set-up ready to make an impact at club level.

Some may bemoan a couple of recent results – and to be fair, the Bulls and Stormers did blow their chances in Limerick and Edinburgh, and have room for improvement.

And yet, these are exciting times, with younger players making a successful transition to senior rugby and giving the franchises as well as the Boks more options for the future.