Who stood out at Craven Week
SARU are to announce the names of 50 players for trials at Kempton Park on Saturday.
Thereafter the 50 players are to be reduced to 28 for the team to play against England, Wales and France. They will also choose an Academy side to play against Italy.
The names have not yet been made known but we did reports on the first four days on each of the five matches and then a report on the main match on Day 5.
We thought we could see which players stood out – for us – in those matches. We have excluded Namibia and Zimbabwe as they are not eligible for SA Schools.
Some of them may make that group of 50. Some may go on to be come Springboks – the way Jaco Reinach and Carel du Plessis of the 1978 Craven Week did. Of those two, only Carel du Plessis played for SA Schools that year and then as a flyhalf.
But then there may well be players who did not go to Craven Week who go on to become Springboks, as was the case this year with Cornal Hendricks, Lood de Jager and Stephan Lewies – oh, and Bryan Habana, Francois Louw and Francois Hougaard. They played for South Africa in 2014 but did not go to Craven Week.
Here are players who stood out – for us, that is.
Fullbacks: Bradley Christian (Graeme & Eastern Province Country Districts), Morné Joubert (Glenwood & KwaZulu-Natal), Curwin Bosch (Grey PE and Eastern Province), Ezrick Alexander (Hentie Cilliers & Griffons), Eduan Keyter (Affies & Blue Bulls), Martin van Wyk (Dr EG Jansen & Valke), Keanu Vers (Grey PE & Eastern Province)
Wings: Shadward Fillies (Sao Bras & South Western Districts)), Athi Mayinje (Grey PE & Eastern Province), Ruan de Beer (Menlopark & Blue Bulls), David Brits (Selborne & Border), Jerry Danquah (Queen's & Border), Sibusiso Nkosi (Jeppe & Golden Lions)
Centres: Cameron Hertz (Kingswood & Eastern Province Country Districts), JT Jackson (Oakdale & South Western Districts), Duncan Saals (Kasselsvlei & WP), Markus Coetzer (Bergsig & Leopards), Siya Ngxesha (Hentie Cilliers), Boeta Vermaak (Bethlehem Voortrekker), Jeremy Ward (Grey PE) & Eastern Province), Stedman Gans (Garsfontein & Blue Bulls), Heino Bezuidenhout (Daniël Pienaar &Eastern Province), Franco Naudé (Garsfontein & Blue Bulls)
Flyhalves: Tristan Tedder (Kearsney & KwaZulu-Natal), Joshua Shelly (Kingswood & Eastern Province), Gerco Nortjé (Diamantveld & Griquas), Tinus de Beer (Waterkloof & Blue Bulls), Forrest Roos (Dr EG Jansen), Curtis Jonas (Glenwood & KwaZulu-Natal), Robbie Petzer (Noord-Kaap & Griquas), Morgan Steyn (Selborne & Border), Curwin Bosch (Grey PE & Eastern Province)
Scrumhalves: Jaywinn Juries (Hentie Cilliers & Griffons), Marco Jansen van Vuuren (Transvalia & Valke)), Justin Meintjies (Waterkloof & Blue Bulls), Shirwin Cupido (Louis Botha & Free State), Diederik Oberholzer (Ben Vorster & Limpopo)
Hookers: Vogien Talmaggies (Oakdale & South Western Districts), Le Roux Baard (Outeniqua & South Western Districts), Arthur-Henry Jones (Warmbad & Limpopo), Alandré van Rooyen (Nico Malan & Eastern Province), Tango Balikile (Selborne & Border)
Props: Kgetho Mabokela (Ben Vorster & Limpopo), Douglas Bruce-Smith (Klerksdorp & Leopards) Lupumlo Mguca (Daniël Pienaar & Eastern Province), Robert Hunt (Drostdy & Boland), Thabiso Khanye (Potchefstroom Boys' High), Gavin van der Berg (Paarl Gim & WP), Koos Tredoux (Glenwood & KwaZulu-Natal)
Locks: Erik Knoetze (AHS Kroonstad & Griffons), Quinton van der Schyff (Voortrekker, Boksburg), Kevin du Randt (Glenwood & KwaZulu-Natal), Hendré Stassen (Dr EG Jansen & Valke), Jaco Swanepoel (Schweizer-Reneke & Leopards), Cobus Wiese (Upington & Griquas Country Districts), Aston Fortuin (Southdown & Blue Bulls), Eduan Zandberg (Outeniqua & South Western Districts)
Flanks: Armand Heunis (Oakdale & South Western Districts), Gerhardus Steenekamp (Potchefstroom Gim & Leopards), Simanqaliso Moalusi (Valke), Chrisjan Steynberg (HTS Middelburg & Pumas), Constant Beckerling (Helpmekaar & Golden Lions), Gavin Delport (Monument & Golden Lions) SF Bezuidenhout (Framesby & Eastern Province), Johan van Niekerk (Grey PE & Eastern Province)
Eighthmen: Edmund Rheeder (Klerksdorp & Leopards), Jaco Coetzee (Glenwood & KwaZulu-Natal), Mpumelelo Velem (Border Country Districts), Iver Aanhuizen (Klein Nederburg & Boland), Juan Lemmer (Monument & Golden Lions), Luigy van Jaarsveld (Marlow Eastern Province Country Districts)
That's our list. Like all selectors we make mistakes.
