Breakdown beast flying under the radar
STAT ATTACK: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson labelled him an ‘unsung hero’.
Jeandre Rudolph may have been on the losing side of the ledger in the brutal North-South derby last week, but he made a big enough impression on the more knowledgeable mavens.
That is why Dobson said: “Jeandre Rudolph was incredible at the breakdown.”
And he has been a breakdown mainstay for the Bulls all season.
The Stormers showed incredible resilience to claim a 13-8 win against the Bulls at a packed Cape Town Stadium, to make it 10 consecutive wins this season.
The game was in the balance from the first to the last whistle, and in the end, the Stormers did just enough, with a late maul try sealing a hard-fought victory in front of a crowd of 53,682.
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In a losing cause in Cape Town, it was Rudolph who outshone his peers, even though he was not rewarded for it in the post-match accolades.
He had 10 carries, 11 tackles and four turnovers.
However, it was the chaos he caused at the breakdown, as explained by the Stormers boss, Dobson.
His URC season stats show that this is not a once-off effort.
Rudolph’s 13 turnovers in eight matches put him at the top of the URC’s breakdown totem pole.
His 49 carries have delivered 212 metres, while he has made 84 tackles (averaging more than 10 per game), missed just six (less than one per game), giving him a tackle success rate of 87 percent.
While there is a yellow card on his record, Rudolph has conceded just five penalties this season.
He is indeed a hard-working player who does the hard yards, while others shine!
@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com
