Ken Borland

Leus du Plooy will make an emotional return to South African cricket as he turns out as the overseas pro for South-Western Districts in their CSA T20 Knockout Cup quarterfinal against Northerns in Kimberley on Tuesday, but it is three returning full internationals for the Titans who will probably have a greater impact.

Du Plooy’s last appearance in South Africa came in April 2019 when he scored a century for Northerns against Eastern Province at St George’s Park. He then joined Derbyshire as a Kolpak player and did well enough to receive a contract until the end of next season, as well as being chosen to play in The Hundred for Welsh Fire.

But Northerns will welcome back an even bigger star of English county cricket in off-spinner Simon Harmer, as well as batsman Theunis de Bruyn and fast bowler Junior Dala.

De Bruyn has had a wretched time with injury lately and will be eager to stamp his mark on the early-season with big runs, while Dala gives the Titans a trio of fearsome fast bowlers as he joins Corbin Bosch and the in-form Okuhle Cele.

With Dean Elgar still injured, left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso will lead the Titans. He may be 37-years-old, but he showed in the pool stages in Bloemfontein, as he took four for 52 in his 10 overs overall, that there is no mould on his skills and he is still quite capable of keeping batsmen in the dark.

The hard-hitting Donovan Ferreira and opener Jandre Pretorius are two young guys who grew their reputations in Bloemfontein.

The Free State Knights take on Western Province in Tuesday’s other quarterfinal, while Wednesday morning’s clash between the high-flying KZN Dolphins and the aggressive Eastern Province Warriors should be fun.

The Boland Rocks play the last quarterfinal against North-West in a match that will showcase what CSA are hoping are two growth areas of the game.

Dylan Richardson’s inclusion in the Scotland squad for their Autumn Internationals may have surprised many people, but according to Sharks coach Sean Everitt, the doors have been open overseas to the barnstorming flank-cum-hooker since 2018.

The 22-year-old Richardson is one of four South African born players named in Gregor Townsend’s 36-man training squad announced in midweek, alongside another potential new cap in former Bulls prop Pierre Schoeman, loosehead Oli Kebble and utility back Kyle Steyn.

Richardson, although he was born in Durban, qualifies automatically for Scotland because his father was born in Edinburgh, unlike Schoeman, who has had to serve a four-year residency qualification.

But Everitt revealed on Thursday that the Scotland Rugby Union have had their eyes on Richardson for as long as Schoeman has been playing for Edinburgh.

“Scotland have been watching Dylan for the last four years, they actually approached him in 2018 to play in the World Cup. So a move was always on the cards.

“It’s a good career-path for him but always sad for South Africa to lose a player with great potential, especially at such a young age. We wish him all the best though and support his move.

“It’s a massive win for us that he is still contracted to the Sharks until 2024 because we hate losing home-grown players to other countries. He can now bring that international experience back to us,” Everitt said of the Kearsney College product.

The 1.84m, 110kg Richardson plays a wonderfully direct brand of rugby and his feistiness has ruffled the feathers of a few opponents back home. Little wonder he has earned the nickname ‘Thor’.

Everitt went so far as to draw comparisons with a great Springbok who he coached at Kings Park at U21 level in 2011-12.

“Dylan’s contribution to our team is immense. He has such a high tackle and work-rate, he’s a strong ball-carrier and good on the ground. It’s just the number of contributions he makes, he’s like a young Pieter-Steph du Toit. He has a massive engine and he can play for 80 minutes.

“That’s Dylan’s gift that he can go hard for long periods of time. He’s going to be a massive positive for Scottish rugby,” Everitt said.

The Bulls have lost a leader in Johan Goosen, but captain Marcell Coetzee said on Tuesday that welcoming the player responsible for the Springboks winning the series against the British and Irish Lions back into the squad can only lift the team as they look to finish their first overseas campaign in the United Rugby Championship on a high against Edinburgh on Saturday.

Morne Steyn arrived in Edinburgh on Tuesday, via an overnight flight from Frankfurt, with the Bulls confirming that flyhalf Goosen was headed in the opposite direction, flying back to South Africa to have scans on the knee he injured in last weekend’s momentous win over the Cardiff Blues.

“Johan is a real character and a good leader in the team, and we are bleeding for him,” Coetzee said. “But now we have Morne here, who won the British and Irish Lions series, he has fantastic experience that you just can’t buy.

“It’s going to be awesome to have him with us this week, what a character he is and a legend of Bulls rugby. He is consistent in all he does and I’m sure he’s going to bring energy and enthusiasm that will lift the team.

“Chris Smith also showed his character and resilience when he replaced Johan, I thought he had an excellent game and he carried that flyhalf mantle really well,” the Springbok loose forward added.

Last weekend’s impressive comeback win against Cardiff was vital for the Bulls after they started the competition with chastening defeats against Leinster and Connacht. It’s their last week on a tough tour to a brand new environment, but Coetzee said the Currie Cup champions are hungry for another win this weekend.

“The mood is a bit more positive now after the win, but we want to be consistent. There’s definitely some new energy, we know it’s our last week on tour and there’s plenty to play for.

“We want that same mindset as in the second half against Cardiff when we gave it everything and the passion and character of the team came out.

“We just want a successful end for the tour, having come into a whole new tournament not knowing what to expect. We are still quite a young group, but we are growing by the day.

“Hopefully things are right now and we must make sure we don’t take a step backwards this weekend. Our performance on Saturday will say a lot about how we have grown as a group and how strong our culture is,” Coetzee said.

No matter how much criticism of ‘insular’ South African rugby drips from the pens of the overseas critics, the Springboks are determined to go back to their strengths when they take on the All Blacks in Townsville on Saturday, according to assistant coach Mzwandile Stick.
Springbok teams are traditionally at their best when they feel isolated, when their backs are against the wall and they feel the world is against them. It won’t be pretty, but New Zealand can expect a rugged, fiery response from the beleagured South Africans in the historic 100th meeting between the two teams on Saturday.
“We don’t care what they think, it does not bother us. Our focus has been on getting better in how we want to play, not on any negative stuff,” Stick said of criticism of the Springboks’ game-plan and players. “We need to be in control of our system and our main focus has been on sticking to our strengths after we went against them a bit against Australia. We don’t want to change who we are.
“We won’t go to a game we don’t want to play. Test rugby is about pressure, whether that’s applying it through your hands or kicking or set-pieces. If the space is there then we will go for it, but set-pieces and kicking are how we create pressure and we won’t change who we are. We’ve done nothing different in training this week,” Stick said on Friday.
The All Blacks have the luxury though of being able to field three players with fullback experience in their back three – Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan and George Bridge – and their tight five are all seasoned campaigners led by talismanic lock Brodie Retallick, who has never lost to the Springboks.
“We know the All Blacks are very strong and they have three fullbacks at the back, guys who are on form and have height. But we are well-prepared and we know our system very well. We know it will be tough, they are a very skilful side and they can put the ball in space and they have a good kicking game.
“There’s been no special preparation for the 100th Test, we’re treating it as just another Test, but we respect the game as a Test. The players understand how massive it is to play against the All Blacks, we don’t need any extra motivation, they are now the number one side in the world,” Stick said.