VIDEO: The lock(star) that is a flank
South Africa is admired for their cause célèbre utility players, especially among the forwards.
Mentioning the names of Pieter-Steph du Toit and Franco Mostert, who started at lock and migrated to loose forward, and you will have pundits waxing lyrical.
Now add in Kwagga Smith, who can play flank and No.8.
The Bok utility belt is about to produce another proverbial ‘pinch hitter’.
Riley Norton, a first-year student at Stellenbosch University, is now a household name in South Africa.
At just 18 years old, he has achieved South African schools’ colours in both rugby and cricket, a distinction held by only a few athletes in the country.
Last year, while representing South Africa at the Under-19 cricket World Cup and earning accolades for his skills as an all-rounder, he realised during his matric year that he loved rugby just a little more than cricket.
And at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, he showed why he has a disposition for the game played with an oval ball.
He led the Baby Boks to a 23-15 win over the Baby Blacks in the Under-20 Final in Italy.
(WATCH as @king365ed chats to Baby Bok captain Riley Norton about the utility tag that could enhance his Bok prospects…..)
In four matches, he made 63 tackles, placing him third on the tournament’s top tacklers list.
In the Final, Norton played a full 80 minutes, making a match-high 26 tackles, to go with his seven carries and contribution in the line-outs.
While the 19-year-old is still a bit ‘rough around the edges’, he showed potential to become the latest in a long line of top-class utility forwards on the South African talent conveyor belt.
However, he is happy to play as a tight forward, rather than roaming around in the open field as he did during his school days.
“I played loose forward at school,” Norton told @rugby365com, adding: “But I don’t have a preference.
“Wherever the team needs me is where I will play.”
Norton, named as a lock and captain for the just completed World Rugby showpiece tournament in Italy, said the Bay Boks were stacked with loose forwards – Thando Biyela, Bathobele Hlekani, Wandile Mlaba, Xola Nyali, Matt Romao and Stephanus Linde.
Nyali, who was injured in the Final, Hlekani and Mlaba shared the stage with Romao and Linde.
“You can pick anyone of the six and they will do job.
“We were privileged to have such unbelievable loose forward talent.
“When Xola [Nyali] was injured [in the 26th minute of Final], the next guy [Linde] came in and did the job.
“Wherever the coach and the game plan needs me, I will slot in.
“I know a lot of players enjoy [playing on the] flank more than lock, but that is not the case for me.
“I have no preference between the two.”
@king365ed
@rugby365com
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