Quintin van Jaarsveld selects his South African Provincial Team of the British & Irish Lions tour.
The provincial/franchise teams got worked by the well-drilled and ultra-fit British & Irish Lions. Given that the Springboks had to select an enlarged squad of 46 players, who had to remain in a bio-bubble and were thus unavailable for the tour matches, franchises’ already tall task escalated to Everest proportions.
It was nevertheless disappointing that they posed so little threat, with the Lions (56-14), Sharks (54-7 and 71-31) and Stormers (49-3) all being nothing more than cannon fodder, while dual domestic champions the Bulls missed out on their opportunity to take on the Home Nations’ finest due to Covid protocols.
Still, the honour of facing the famous touring team produced some inspired individual performances. Naturally, the Sharks have the most representatives in my team as their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity turned into twice-in-a-lifetime as they replaced the Covid-hit Bulls.
Eight Durbanites feature in the side, four Stormers cracked the nod and a trio of Lions complete the line-up.
15: Sergeal Petersen (Stormers)
Reminded of his talent in a big way at the weekend, popping up everywhere. Full of energy and enterprise as the only real threat in an otherwise stale Stormers backline on the night. In no less than 18 carries, he beat six defenders and made a team-high 138 metres. Used his boot to good effect as well. Anthony Volmink scored a brace at Loftus but had a mare on defence.
14: Werner Kok (Sharks)
No provincial player made a greater impression than the human tornado. A force of nature with his otherworldly work rate, first on the wing and then at No.13. The Blitzbok both set up and saved tries and had plenty of firepower, most memorably, flooring Elliot Daly to set the tone in the Durbanites’ rematch with Warren Gatland’s charges.
13: Jeremy Ward (Sharks)
Hard-nosed, hard-working and ultra-intense. Relished the physical battle and got stuck in on defence with 11 tackles, topped only by openside flank James Venter (12). Competed well at the breakdown as well, where he managed to secure a turnover.
12: Burger Odendaal (Lions)
Stood up as a senior player to inspire his fellow backs. Took the fight to the visitors on both sides of the ball, running hard, creating opportunities and containing opposite number Owen Farrell. Made seven tackles in all, won a turnover and played a key role in Vincent Tshituka’s try.
11: Thaakir Abrahams (Sharks)
Beat a number of defenders with his speed and hot-stepping in both of the Sharks’ showdowns with the men in Red and White and scored a memorable try in the second encounter. Rabz Maxwane had fewer opportunities but also crossed the chalk for a cherished five-pointer.
10: Lionel Cronje (Sharks)
Tim Swiel was polished and brave and scored the only three points the men from Cape Town could muster, but he was only given 48 minutes. Cronje, in his Sharks debut, showed all of his veteran instincts and variety in his game to trouble the tourists, including a deft grubber for Abrahams to collect and cash in.
9: Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks)
Yes, THAT red card ruined the Durban side’s rematch – which was deadlocked at 26-all at the time – and will follow him for years to come. However, he was arguably the Sharks’ best player up to that moment of madness, even scoring an intercept try. Showcased the full range of his prodigious skills in a complete performance in the first game.
8: Phepsi Buthelezi (Sharks)
Evan Roos didn’t put a foot wrong in a rampaging performance to put himself on the international map. However, Buthelezi was brilliant back-to-back. The first meeting with the Northern Hemisphere all-stars was a coming of age moment for the 22-year-old, as a player and a young captain, and he delivered another talismanic performance in the rematch.
7: Vincent Tshituka (Lions)
Produced a typically top-class performance to enhance his reputation as a future big-time player. The dynamic loose forward led the Lions’ defensive effort, making an unrivalled 13 tackles, carried the ball explosively and effectively and scored an excellent try.
6: Dylan Richardson (Sharks)
A breakout performance similar to that of fellow former Junior Springbok and back-row partner Buthelezi. Tireless, making a whopping 24 tackles, tenacious and ultra-physical, he left Loftus with two black eyes but also having opened a lot of eyes to his burgeoning potential.
5: JD Schickerling (Stormers)
An uncapped member of the 2018 Springbok end-of-year squad, the injury-plagued lock proved what many have known for years – that he’s a Test-calibre talent. Stood up strong in the physical exchanges, bulldozing rookie flyhalf Marcus Smith during one of his seven strong surges, made a try-saving tackle on Luke Cowan-Dickie – one of 10 hits – and was a pillar of strength in the lineouts.
4: Ernst van Rhyn (Stormers)
Produced the proverbial captain’s innings, leading by example in terms of output and physicality. Was particularly inspiring on defence as he made 11 tackles, many of them dominant. A safe option in the lineout, securing seven takes, a key cog in the driving mauls and cleaned out rucks with relentless vigour.
3: Neethling Fouché (Stormers)
Locally, he’s been picking up momentum like a one-man avalanche in recent years but in the bigger scheme of things, he was the best-kept secret in South African rugby. The cat is out of the bag after his typically titanic display at the weekend, which saw him win two scrum penalties, the first against Rory Sutherland and the second against Mako Vunipola, make a pack-high nine carries and five tackles.
2: Kerron van Vuuren (Sharks)
The hard-working hooker gave a good account of himself, hurling himself into 15 tackles, bested only by flanks Richardson (as aforementioned) and Mpilo Gumede (20). Was spot-on with his throwing, too, ensuring the Sharks didn’t lose a single lineout.
1: Nathan McBeth (Lions)
The Lions loosehead turned in a solid all-round performance. Gave as good as he got against the world-class Kyle Sinclair at scrum time and put in good work across the park, making half-a-dozen tackles and four carries.
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