The discourse about the best No 8 in the land has a habit of polarising.
The rugby public was divided on the talents of Joe van Niekerk and Pierre Spies, Gary Teichmann and Bob Skinstad, while very early post isolation verbal broadsides were fired on account of Jannie Breedt and Tiaan Strauss.
Similarly, selection fault lines have emerged about the eighth man prowess of the Stormers’ Evan Roos and the Bulls’ Elrigh Louw.
They have been outstanding performers this season — and there is expectation the 22 year olds will soon find themselves in exalted company.
While both may lay claim to being the top No 8 in the country, that does not mean their Bok path is greased. Ulster’s Duanne Vermeulen has been a colossus for the Springboks in that position but he will be 37 by the time next year’s Rugby World Cup kicks off.
The established Bok pecking order features Leicester Tigers’ Jasper Wiese and Yamaha Jubilo’s Kwagga Smith, who last year took turns to keep Vermeulen’s jersey warm.
Roos and Louw, however, play here and the tyros are front of mind as a result of standout performances in the United Rugby Championship (URC). When they ran out at Cape Town Stadium yesterday they would have been fully aware of the weighty subplot in which they are entangled, not that the outcome of the match was ever going to be career defining.
To add fuel to the pre-match debate, Louw was included in the group of players asked to report to the Springbok alignment camp in Durban, while Roos was left out.
That, of course, is not to say Roos won’t be included at a later stage. “There is no doubt Evan is a significant talent,” remarked Stormers coach John Dobson.
“What I like about him is his competitiveness. Even if it is in training. Everything is a battle for him. In that respect, he is a bit like Duane. There is no bailing out. Everything is a full, high octane contest. Whether that is for a steal, a carry or defence.”
Bulls’ forwards coach Russell Winter also brought Vermeulen into the equation when extolling Louw’s virtues. He said Louw has had to fight for everything and is intellectually mature. “I like his head and he has the perfect frame for his position. He is tough, fast, durable, reliable ... He is an incredible line-out jumper.”
Though fulsome in his praise, Dobson conceded Roos’s development is ongoing. “Evan needs more top-end rugby under his belt,” said Dobson.
“His growth is going to come in the subtler stuff, whether it is line-out contesting, or kickoff return, back field cover, some of the defensive disciplines, when to go for the steal. The raw product is really special. We need to harness it as best we can.”
Winter also pointed to elements of Louw’s game that needed fine-tuning. Perhaps, Winter argues, Louw’s exuberance needs a handbrake. “Your game sense gets clouded by your youthfulness. He still wants to show everybody that he is fit and fast and he can get to places no other player can but at the same time he is such an intelligent player,” he said.
Winter admitted to being kept on his toes by Louw. “He is constantly asking me stuff. Elrigh is the kind of player that will never ever think he knows everything. I absolutely love coaching him.”
Winter then made a point that may factor into the Bok brains trust’s deliberations. Louw is equally effective in the No 7 jersey and was moved to No 8 only because of the hole left by Vermeulen.
“He played his first Currie Cup final at No 7 and the second at No 8 and he was man of the match. I saw many similarities with Duanne. I have to compare him with Duanne. He is the full package,” gushed Winter.
Equally, Dobson holds the firm view that his No 8 is the real deal. “To my mind this could be the complete No 8,” said Dobson of Roos. “One doesn’t want to go the next this or that because he is unique. Where you have physicality and such speed it is a great combination.”
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