The year has kicked off on a positive note already! I am late to the party as always, but happy new year to my readers! I hope that this year brings all the good fortune to the Boks. What a crucial year we have ahead of us, all of a sudden the next Rugby World Cup is only a year and a half away. It feels unreal actually, so much has happened since we cranked England (32-12) in 2019, I mean we experienced a whole pandemic!
So what can we expect from South African teams in 2022 as we prepare hunting for our next 45 man squad that will head to France next year? I personally would like to see the SA Teams be more of a dominant force against European sides, I know it sounds way easier on paper but it would set us up so well going into 2023. It's literally January 2022 and I am already talking about 2023, what a cake. I am just super amped on RWC vibes! what an exciting time!
So we are talking about SA Teams being more dominant in Domestic rugby tournaments, like the URC for example, I want to see all the teams, yes, even the Lions win some games. We have some young talents that are shining at the moment. I know for sure we will see these names in the next RWC squad. JJ Van Der Mescht, an absolute unit now that he's eating Europeans for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have you seen the man lately? He looks like he decided to become the Hulks brother. He left to Europe and just became an absolute menace! No doubt he is making the squad, talent and extremely sizable. Just what Rassie and Jacques like!
Another man we can expect to see is the Sharks starting 10, Mr. Boeta Chamberlain. He has secured the 10 jersey for himself and he is looking to have an even better 2022. The most incredible thing about Boeta is his cool head on the field. He reminds me of Pat Lambie in his early days at the Sharks, decisive and brilliant on the defense, and the drop goals... Out of heaven I tell you. This is definitely the Sharks Mercurial player and the fact that he is only 22 years old actually just blows my mind. He is so mature on the field and plays the game as though he's done it for decades! Star on the rise, watch out for Boeta in 2022, he is going to be taking names and breaking hearts. Keep up the good work for the black and white!
The main threat to SA Rugby at the moment is the amount of players getting stolen from our shores, we have had a few players leave recently to link up with foreign International sides, Dylan Richardson is one I was most shocked by. It was literally overnight that he was contacted, signed a contract and moved to Scotland, it all happened so fast! One minute he was playing Currie Cup and then the next he is wearing a Blue Scottish jersey! Well done to him though, I am not disregarding his achievement, he is a phenomenal players but why are other countries coming here to steal players for International squads?
So lets give 2022 our best crack, like a Frans Steyn penalty from 79m out. We are going to have a good year and by the end of it, Internationals are going to be kak scared of us! Go Bokke!
This Frans Steyn image was leaked earlier this week!