British & Irish Lions Tour: Provincial Players With Most To Gain

With the much-anticipated British & Irish Lions tour kicking off this weekend, Quintin van Jaarsveld identifies the leading provincial players with the most to gain from their date with destiny.

Steeped in history and tradition, a British & Irish Lions tour is truly special. With the Home Nations’ elite only coming to South African shores once every 12 years, it’s a real treat for supporters and a once-in-a-lifetime honour for players. For those donning the Green and Gold, the Test series is an opportunity to cement their legacy, while for those outside of the Springbok squad, facing the British & Irish Lions is a career-making opportunity.

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With the whole world watching, provincial players can change their very lives with an inspired performance. Bulls wing Casper Steyn went from an average Joe to an immortal when he scored 20 points – through a try, three conversions and three penalty goals – to guide the Pretoria team to a famous 35-30 win at Loftus Versfeld in 1997.

Twelve years later, fetcher extraordinaire Heinrich Brussow had a blinder for the Cheetahs and even though the tourists escaped Bloemfontein with a 26-24 win, Brussow’s heroics saw him called straight into the Springbok starting line-up for the opening Test in Durban, where he filled in for an injured Schalk Burger.

While it’s unlikely that a player outside of the enlarged 46-man squad will feature in the Test series, the big stage of a British & Irish Lions game remains the ultimate opportunity for a provincial player to grab the attention of wealthy clubs, fast-track his way to stardom or prove his worth to the Springbok coaching staff.

Of the 2021 field, none have more to gain from the four provincial fixtures, kicking off with the catfight between the Lions and Warren Gatland’s charges at Ellis Park this Saturday, than these eight players:

LIONS (Saturday, 3 July)

Vincent Tshituka

Long considered a Springbok in the making, Tshituka has been the Lions’ best player since rugby resumed over the summer. The dynamic loose forward’s form week-in and week-out has been as impressive as his supreme athleticism. Such consistency is a clear indication of a young player’s maturity and suggests the blue-chippers ready to breakthrough. What better way for the 22-year-old to put himself in a position to take that next step than to inspire a titanic tour-opening upset.

Carlu Sadie

While not as consistent as teammate Tshituka, fluctuation comes with the territory for young front-rowers like Sadie who, essentially, do on-the-job training for the first few seasons of senior rugby – such is the gulf between junior and top-flight rugby when it comes to the dark art of scrummaging. The complex power struggle is an old man’s game, but what Sadie has shown is unbridled strength that, crucially, is rooted in solid technique. The 24-year-old tighthead’s owned some big names at scrum time and would send a clear message to the Springbok brains trust with a demolition job similar to Tendai Mtawarira’s legendary emasculation of Phil Vickery in 2009.

SHARKS (Wednesday, 7 July)

Jaden Hendrikse

In no time at all, the former South African Under-20 star has thrust himself into the Springbok conversation. A complete player with composure well beyond his years, the 21-year-old scrumhalf’s been in sublime form and was one of the unluckiest players to miss out on a place in the squad. The poise with which he’s seamlessly made the step up to senior rugby is not unlike a young Handre Pollard or Frans Steyn, and I have no doubt he’ll play well over 50 Tests for the men in Green and Gold. A standout showing against the Lions would fast-track his seemingly inevitable ascend.

Curwin Bosch

Having scratched and clawed his way back to within touching distance of a Springbok recall, a mission he’s been on since his solitary Test appearance in 2018, the last step came in the form of the Currie Cup final against the Bulls in January. Having shown such growth since being entrusted with the Sharks No.10 jersey, nerves seemingly got the better of him and his shaky performance was made to look worse by opposite number Morne Steyn’s masterclass. A prodigious talent with a rocket launcher of a right boot, steering the Durbanites to a famous win over the tourists, especially in a tight affair, would do his Springbok ambitions the world of good.

BULLS (Saturday, 10 July)

Ruan Nortje

The sky’s the limit for the towering 22-year-old. A lineout general with a hard edge, Nortje’s strong yet mobile, which has seen Jake White use him at blindside flank on occasion, including in the Rainbow Cup final. He’s been nothing short of sensational and with clouds of uncertainty still hanging over Lood de Jager and RG Snyman, a standout performance against the British & Irish Lions could earn him a call-up to the Springbok squad.

Marcell Coetzee

As a loose forward and one of the most unfortunate omissions from the Springbok squad, Coetzee will draw more inspiration from Brussow’s 2009 fairytale than anyone else. Just like Burger’s injury opened the door for Brussow, Duane Vermeulen’s race to be fit in time could see 30-times-capped Coetzee roped back in. The Rainbow Cup final was a missed opportunity for man and team, but Coetzee now has the ultimate opportunity – to lead the Bulls to a timeless triumph and, in doing so, prove his worth to the current Bok brass.

STORMERS (Saturday, 17 July)

Evan Roos

Roos had the country buzzing with his Man of the Match performance in a losing effort against the Lions last week. It was the latest in a string of stellar showings by the back-rower, who’s emerged as the breakout star of the Stormers/ Western Province post lockdown. Just 21 years old, his drive for higher honours is evident in his explosive energy on both sides of the ball. Adept at blindside flank and No.8, a rampaging Roos is a sight to behold and a roaring effort against the British & Irish Lions would see his stock take off like a rocket.

David Meihuizen

Another rising star with tremendous upside. A giant of a man at 2.08m and 123kg, Meihuizen’s already in high demand. The 23-year-old, who qualifies for England and Scotland, turned down “an absolute fortune” from overseas clubs as coach John Dobson put it when he signed a contract extension in March that’ll see him stay in Cape Town until October 2022. An anomaly of an athlete, he has the gas tank of a loose forward, like he showed when he made 15 tackles against the Lions last week. A towering display against the tourists could force the Springbok selectors’ to rope him in sooner rather than later.