The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

2015 Rugby World Cup: The Springboks' best looseheads

Roar Guru
9th January, 2015
Advertisement
'The Beast'. (AP Photo/Str)
Roar Guru
9th January, 2015
67
1550 Reads

On the September 19 this year South Africa will open their Rugby World Cup campaign against Japan, and Heyneke Meyer will be hoping to bring the Springboks their third World Cup trophy.

When considering which players Meyer will be looking to take to the World Cup it is important to understand his rugby philosophy and the requirements of each position and what he will be looking at.

His game plan requires a strong set piece, be it at line-out or scrum, and his starting props must first and foremost be able to scrum.

>> 2015 Rugby World Cup fixtures

Next on his list will be work rate in defence and the necessary strength to pick and drive, a facet that has been under utilised by South Africa. The props are mostly used as first receiver to draw in defenders and they are rarely required to shift the point of attack via offload or short passes.

The contenders are Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Schalk van der Merwe and even though still very young, Thomas du Toit.

Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira
Tipping the scale at 115 kilograms and reaching 1.83 metres in height, Beast is not a small man. He is a good scrummager and like all props has a tendency to scrum in at times, he does, however, get away with these tactics most of the time and is a solid first choice for Meyer.

When in top form Beast is an impressive ball carrier and defends well most of the time, however he has been overplayed in the last two years which saw a drop in form last year.

Advertisement

Beast has played 64 Tests for South Africa and has crossed the line on two occasions. At 30 years of age, Beast will be in his prime come the World Cup, but the most important aspect for him will be to be well managed during the Super Rugby season as fatigue played a huge role in his performances during November 2014.

Trevor Nyakane
Trevor made his debut for South Africa during the June Test series in 2013, he was subsequently dropped for ill discipline but has since found favour with Meyer and now boasts 13 Test caps for South Africa, most as a substitution.

Weighing in at 117 kilograms and 1.78 metres tall, the 24-year-old from Tzaneen has lots of potential. Although at times a tad inconsistent with his technique, he is a strong scrummager and a mobile prop who carries the ball well and possesses good ball skills for a front rower.

He has a good work rate in defence and the tight loose, his focus this year will be to find consistency and improve his scrumming technique. Other than that, improving his fitness will be key. He is most likely the number one choice on the bench and does have the ability to make a strong impact from there.

Schalk van der Merwe
At only 105 kilograms and 1.84 metres, Schalk is not the epitome of the usual South African prop, in fact when considering the combined weight (313 kilograms) of the Lions pack, it is hard to believe that they were one of the leading front rows during the 2014 Super Rugby campaign.

Advertisement

Technically very astute at scrum time, being one of the more mobile props in world rugby, Schalk stands a very real chance of making the World Cup squad if he continues to impress Heyneke Meyer.
He does it all, cleans rucks, offloads, carries well and defends like a Trojan.

It is doubtful that Meyer will see him as a starter and although he is likely to see very little game time, his value as an impact player in the last quarter with his speed and mobility can be a real asset to South Africa.

The benefit of these three aforementioned props is variety, something that could be of benefit in an otherwise predictable game plan. Props are seldom seen as game breakers, but it is the unexpected that often makes the difference and that is what Meyer will be hoping for.

I doubt Meyer could take a better combination of loosehead props to the World Cup, each of them bring their own strengths, and whether Meyer wants to play open rugby, tight rugby or anything in between, these three players bring all the necessary skills required.

If I was Heyneke Meyer these would be the three props I would watch and manage most keenly during the upcoming Super Rugby season.

close