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Who is the most valuable player in rugby? Some people say Richie McCaw, some Dan Carter, but South Africa’s Morne Steyn can’t be far behind, and may even move to number one after South Africa dismantle England later next year.
Steyn is not just a long range kicking specialist. Against the Rebels, he put in a perfect little chip for Englebrecht to gather and score easily. Plus he can run the line and he defends well, a talent not all five-eighths have.
He has the best long punt in rugby, and as for his place kick, there can’t be too many players who can score points from 60m out.
Need a drop kick for three points? He’s your man. But as great a kicker as he is, the Boks remain beatable. But not by England next month.
Still, he’ll be the first guy Meyer will pick for the series. And he’ll be a big reason why the Boks will take it 3-0.
Meyer is not about to adopt the kind of game that saw the Boks lose to the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup. He’ll have some real backline speed to work with, some real penetration, and England can’t match it.
Flood tries hard and kicks well but I doubt he’ll be doing much effective running against the Bok back row.
The midfield, even with the hard-to-handle Tuilagi, lacks fire-power, and Ashton and whoever (Strettle?) do not make anybody shiver.
The Boks will be without Berger and Vermeulen but England have lost Croft and that’s really torn it for them.
I’m looking forward to seeing a good contest, but it’s dollars to donuts that Steyn will finish the series with a barrel-full of points, making him, after McCaw and Carter – I don’t want to upset the Kiwis on this forum – the most valuable player in the world.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.