I’ve been wanting to write this blog about the four top fullbacks playing at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival for quite a while now. When the inspiration first came to me back in 2013 I thought it was a sure bet. KERF would be the ultimate battleground. The best fullback of the four stood a very good chance of being numero uno in the land in 2014.
I was aware that provision had to be made for the form of a certain Mr Grant Hermanus*, the SA Schools utilty back and Craven Week Player of 2013, if he played 15 for Paarl Gim this season and picked up where he left off last year. This didn’t dampen my enthusiasm though. Even without Hermanus there to compare to, I felt the talent of the four at KERF was of such a high standard that they are capable of producing unmatchable performances.
Now with the countdown clock to KERF 2014 nearing zero, this piece is really more of a testimony to the extraordinary wealth of talent that we have at national schoolboy rugby level than anything else. Why? Well this is what’s happened in just a few short weeks:
Reports started flocking in about a 1.91m tall 96kg Outeniqua boy that was setting Potch alight with his standout performances at the Pukke Skouspel. His name is Corné De Klerk and if reports are to be believed, he is going to take some stopping to keep out of the SA Schools jersey this season. His positional play and highball defensive skills are top drawer. He makes his one on one tackles. On attack he’s dimensions spell it all: a physical presence of note. It does not end there. He possesses impressive speed and timing for such a big lad and when he’s not breaking through tackles, he has the all-important offload in contact option to fall back on.
But wait! What if you watched last weekend’s Premier Interschools game. There is little doubt you would have been blown away by another utility back in the form of Grey High’s Keanu Vers, wearing the number-15 jersey to cover for an unavailable teammate. What a performance he delivered. There was footwear, pace and some sick creative skill on display. On the day he was the player that turned some nothings into somethings which eventually became the starting point of an amazing team driven comeback win from 26-points down with just 19 minutes left on the clock.
Man! Where does that leave KERF four now! The bar has been set high, really high. But that’s what we’ve reasonably come to expect of SA schoolboy rugby isn’t it. This Easter Weekend there is still time and place for spectators to be mesmerised by the performances of the four outstanding last lines of defence players. I’m not going to add to much other than to say if you are at KERF watch for yourself but expect these four players to bring on the x-factor big time:
1. Eduan Keyter (Affies): a classy full-package player described as a young André Joubert
2. Henry Immelman (Grey College): a tall player with “pace, power and a great feeling for the game. He can slide into gaps but also has a transfer the ball at the right time and he has a big boot” – André Tredoux (Free State junior coach)
3. Martin van Wyk (EG Jansen): a skilful livewire with exceptional lateral movement ability making him very elusive.
4. Morné Joubert (Glenwood): a technically sound unselfish team player with a gift for picking out the correct attacking line and playmaking for his teammates.
*On a sad note Hermanus is a non-starter at present and will be sidelined for most of the season due to injury.
@beet: Must be a different player because the 15 yesterday was at the best average.
@Tjoppa: Hey Tjoppa. I will get confirmation of who the Grey HS fullback was at KES. I suspect it was Mattheus, the regular fullback and the one I’m referring to would have returned to outside centre. It you can watch the Paul Roos vs Grey HS highlights. The player in question Keanu Vers stands out for his innovation and ability to beat tacklers in 1 on 1’s
Beet we watched at KES yesterday and I do not know who the fullback for Grey was but surely you can not compare him with Keyter and Immelman. I had the opportunity now to watch 5 of the six mentioned here and according to me Keyter and lesser extend Immelman is the pick of the crop.
@Andre T: Nee dankie, Mnr T, ek sal daai een laat verbygaan. Niks teen hulle nie, maar hulle het te hard gevry na my twee hokkiebokkies.
Ek sal wel volgende Vrydag gaan kyk na die slagting daar by hulle.
@BoishaaiPa: Jip. Maar daar is n goeie rede vir die verwysing na krieket!
@Andre T: Jy het beslis n databasis van skuilname
@Pinotage: Ek sal beslis daar wees, Weet nou nie hoe baie krieket ons gaan inkry tussen al die rugby praatjies nie, maar dit sal gaaf wees. Jy het my net so effens aan die raai…Het jy nog n klong wat nou speel vir Grey?
@tzavosky: Dok, nice om weer van jou te hoor. Se maar as ek vir jou n ander skuilnaam kan stuur, iets soos KingCobra, dan kan jy Menlo ondersteun.
@tzavosky: Bly om te sien ons arts is nog met ons, Andre se tone pla mos maar hierdie tyd van die jaar van kaalvoet sit en suip, in die koue, onder die Gazebo by Monnas se tuiswedstryde. Jammer om te hoor van BV se swak oes, dis net 2 jaar terug wat julle nog by WK was (en 20-18 deur die Boere verpletter is).
@Ploegskaar: Jy bedoel nou die witvlag, Mnr Ploeg? Nee, ou maat ek is in gees met julle, maar ons is nou nie van daai superskole waarvan mnr Predatoor praat nie. Vermorsel gaan ons word.
Hierdie oesjaar is soos die keer toe Barrydale Koöp se wynmaker, ou Manfred van Heerden (vir Boland losskakel gespeel), besluit het om af te wyk van die brandewyn-resep om witwyn te maak. Toe doop die kwotahouers daai wyn “Manfridium acidium”, hulle kon dit nie eers vir die dopstelsel gebruik nie. Vermorsing van goeie brandewyndruiwe.
Selfs Boland sal nie ‘n gelukkige strafskop in die doodsnikke nodig hê om deur te skraap nie.
@Andre T: Ek watch jou al die pad, Mnr T. Kyk, BV gaan baie verloor hierdie jaar, maar nie teen Merensky nie. Eerstens speel hulle nie meer teen mekaar nie, en tweedens is daar ook nie veel sin in nie, die Plasies se rugby is grootliks met die drein af.
Sê vir Mnr Knowall, hy kan gerus maar die trippie Tzaneen toe maak die jaar. Nie eers daai ref, wat intussen verhuis het, sal BV kan red nie. En voor dit moet hulle Menlo daar aandurf, wat ‘n slagting gaan wees.
@Ploegskaar: Knowthegame se hulle soek vir Ben Vorster
@Ploegskaar: Of daar is n moerse epidemie in Tzaneen en te veel pasiente.
Ek gaan bietjie vir Knownothing vra waars hy?
@Ploegskaar: WO1
@Andre T: Nou dat Helpmekaar weer ‘n krag is het hy die vlag opgeneem. Waar’s sy tjom Knowthegame?
@Pinotage: @Pinotage: Dalk, maar ek vermoed steeds in ‘n vorige lewe op 365 was jy ‘n WO2 Duitse Superskip.
Ek sien ook vandat Ben Vorster deesdae teen Merensky verloor is Tsaikowski ook sommer weg.
@Pinotage: Koop jy dan wyn?
Wonder wat het van Panjo geword?
@Ploegskaar: Jy verwar my met n ander ouballie Mr Brito’s. Maar vanaf 19 tot 26 Mei is ek in die Kaap. Dan praat ons oor ons dogters.
@Duppie: Ou Bog like die woestynagtige lande. Yemen, Saudi, Israel. Herinner hom waarskynlik aan Bloem.
@Andre T: Betlehem in die verre Israel Bog is te grend vir die een plaaslik. Hy koop sy gesin se somervakansie klere daar.
@BOG: Is die Henry Immelman familie van jou favourite ref?
@BOG: Is Bethlehem in die Oos Kaap?
@Grasshopper: Just one problem I have is that whenever a player overcomes a problem, JW gets the credit. It may be so, or it may not.@Pinotage: Nou noem jy n naam wat ver uit my verlede kom- At Shields. Hy was veral bekend vir sy voorname- Abraham, Johannes, Jacobus Foster. Sy oupa of iets was Iers, maar hy kon kwalik 10 woorde Engels praat. Die ander ding wat ek van hom onthou, is toe ons in die Kaap op Wingfield aankom, sien hy n seemeeu, en se: “Haai, kyk daai snaakse duif” Vra hom n bietjie hieroor. Hy was van Bethlehem.@BoishaaiPa: @BoishaaiPa: 15 is omtrent die ouderdom waarop kinders buite die VS verstand kry. In die VS, n bietjie vroeer- rondom 7jaar
@BoishaaiPa: Sien jou 25 Mei in die Paarl.Dan praat ons krieket Mnr. P
@Ploegskaar: Dis mos hoe dinge werk Ploegie…Skielik op 15 jarige ouderdom wil almal Grey toe gaan!.
@Pinotage: I remember him. He was a very slow left wing. I remember Hendrik Kruger ( cousin of Naas) running circles around him and Wessel Lightfoot was quicker than Kruger.
Just joking……..he was a good player.
@Pinotage: Was jou laaitie nie nog voor verlede jaar in Voortrekker Bethlehem nie?
@Andre T: Bethlehem is very proud of Bismarck, Jannie and Frans.
You raised the point earlier that good coaches should be deployed with the lower age groups in order to instill the right basics. Do you remember Eben Scheepers? He and a certain Mr At Shields coach the under 14’s at Voortrekker. As a pair they are 2 of the best coaches you will find anywhere.
@BOG: yeah, Jake has brought his confidence back and a little fitness. I think he could trim down a little more, 100kg would be perfect for him. Still a year plus to the World Cup to get fit and improve his speed.
@BOG: Loch Athlone is the name. The tragedy is that there is not much left of the place.
Bethlehem is not that cold Mr Bog. We survive on OBS and sleeping very close to mamma.
@Grasshopper: I think he has recovered quite nicely. Currently, the best Number 12 in SA, by far. Goodness even at 10.
@BOG: Frans Steyn being one, at 106kg he has become a cart horse…
@BoishaaiPa: I did say at school level. What he (or any other) will do after that, is anyones guess. Im always just a little concerned about physically big backline players, because so many- not all, seem to slow down at 20. So, im looking at him NOW, not next year@Andre T: Mild winters in Bethlehem???. I once slept over at that Loch (Loman ???) outside the town. It was not yet winter, yet I still almost froze. Earlier , en route to Bethlehem, I experienced the metropolis of Vrede. So, two massive shocks to the system within 12 hours.Strewth!!!
It appears to me that the old Greys from especially the Bethlehem area seem to excel much more after school than the other imports.
I can’t think of any other Grey boytjie from the last 10 years that has his town, province, country at his feet with rugby.
It must either be the pure water or the mild winters in Bethlehem.
Or perhaps both.
If I was living in Bethlehem I’ll send my kid straight to Grey.
@BOG: Couple of years ago around 2009 people were saying the same things about Riaan Britz. What happend to him?
@beet: I think people will be surprised at the this festival at how the Dale No 10 and 15 go these are two very good players.
I believe Dale will ruffle a few feathers.
I have not seen the other 3 so can’t comment, but Morne is an amazing talent! On numerous occasions he has almost single handedly won games for Glenwood. He has elusive pace, great ball skills and is just so good at finding gaps and exploiting them. Watching him and Jaco Coetzee together create havoc is awe inspiring. Morne is Glenwood’s best fullback since Greg Manning in the 90’s, good luck to Morne and the team at KERF!
@BOG: even better than EW Viljoen from last year?
Morne has got to be one of the most explosive back line players that I have watched over the last few years.He is also a very good utility back having played 10 and 13 during his high school career.
I first saw him play at u13, he represented the Blue Bulls clubs side and knew then already that he was a special talent.
@valke: Yes Immelman is u19 this year making him ineligible for SA Schools selection
Beet, you know who has my support.
just a question, I know that Grant Hermanes is u19 this year. The Grey stats seems to suggest that Henry immelman is the same. Is this correct ?
Can I now change my mind? Toe meneer, maak jou bydrae oor die pawiljoenreelings by KERF- in diepte asseblief.
@BOG: Immelman is the real deal.
If I were a betting man, my money would be on Immelman- even if he was playing for Monnas. One of the best I have seen at school level, and that would even include Hermanus.