Jake picks out stars to watch.

Jake White picks his youth players that the rugby public should follow:

 

JJ Engelbrecht

Courtesy of Andrew Worling, SA Rugby magazine

While injury ruled him out of the final, JJ Engelbrecht was one of the stars of Maties’ Varsity Cup campaign and is now looking to make himself a regular in Western Province’s Currie Cup side.

The former Grey High pupil was a standout performer in a struggling Eastern Province side during the 2007 Craven Week and was quickly snapped up by the WP Rugby Institute.

Engelbrecht enjoyed a good run of form for WP’s U19 side in 2008 and was offered the opportunity to train with the Stormers squad at the beginning of 2009.

While the 20-year-old played mostly at centre during his time at Grey, he has featured on the wing for Maties and Province. A tall, powerful runner, the youngster has also been working on his kicking game and believes he has what it takes to play at fullback.

Engelbrecht was part of the SA U20 training squad which toured Argentina in February, but unfortunately missed out on selection for the final squad which went to Japan for the Junior World Championship.

‘That was disappointing, but there was some tough competition,’ says Engelbrecht. ‘It was
a bit of a setback, but I think it just made
me work even harder and I’ve turned it into
a positive thing.’

The disappointment of missing out on the Junior World Championship was offset by his inclusion in the WP team to face the British & Irish Lions, and while circumstances prevented him from getting on the field, Engelbrecht was honoured to simply be involved.

‘I didn’t get a chance to play, but it was understandable,’ says Engelbrecht. ‘It was a very tight game and they couldn’t run the risk of bringing on a young guy like me in that situation. It was great to just be there and
we had an opportunity to have a couple
of beers with the Lions players after the game, which allowed me to chat to [winger] Shane Williams. It was one of the biggest moments of my life.’

Engelbrecht, who grew up in Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape, was in impressive pre-season form for Province and has been enjoying his run in the senior side.

‘It’s just been awesome being involved with the Currie Cup side and having a chance to train and play alongside some great players.
A guy like Tonderai Chavhanga has really helped me fit in. He’s always ready to talk and give me advice when I need it.’

 

Craig Barry

Courtesy of Andrew Worling, SA Rugby magazine

This 17-year-old has been grabbing a lot of attention in his first year in the Paul Roos 1st XV with some stellar performances.

Last year, Barry played flyhalf for Paul Roos at U16 level and represented Western Province at the Grant Khomo Week. This year, his move to fullback has seen him flourish, and he’s scored several tries, including five at the St John’s Easter Festival.

Paul Roos coach Frans van Niekerk believes Barry’s skills are best suited to fullback, even though he’s more than capable of playing almost anywhere in the backline.

‘He has all the attributes to be a great fullback. He’s solid under the high ball, he has a good right boot on him, his passing is also right up there and he has excellent anticipation. We’ve been playing him at fullback this year and he played there for the WP U16 side last year.’

Barry, like his hero, Sharks and Springbok winger JP Pietersen, is blessed with plenty of pace, but Van Niekerk claims it’s his intuition that sets him apart.

‘He’s a player whose natural tendency is to join the attacking line, and the pace at which he enters the line is outstanding,’ says the coach. ‘His instinct is his biggest asset and that’s something you can’t teach.’

Van Niekerk has been highly impressed with the youngster’s work ethic, and he says he constantly seeks to improve his game.

Having seen many talented youngsters come through the ranks at Paul Roos, Van Niekerk is worried that Barry’s career may be fast-tracked, an approach that’s had a detrimental effect on a number of promising players in the past.

‘He’s so talented and at his age the emotional side of him has not fully developed. It can really affect the players’ focus when the spotlight is on them at such a young age. I had that exact problem with [Maties No 8] Cameron Peverett a few years ago. He lost his focus and had a hard time getting back to his best form.’

Barry, though, remains humble and knows he’s far from the finished product.

‘I’ve been happy with my performances so far this season, but I can get better,’ he says. ‘My positional play is an area where I probably need to improve the most and I’m working hard on that.’

 

Siyamthanda Kolisi

Courtesy of Andrew Worling, SA Rugby magazine

Grey High School in Port Elizabeth has a reputation for identifying and developing some of this country’s most promising young rugby talent.

This outstanding loose forward is one such talent. The 18-year-old, from Zwide in the Eastern Cape, was spotted at a youth week in 2004 by Grey and was offered a scholarship at the prestigious school.

Since then Kolisi has gone from strength to strength, having broken into the 1st XV in 2008, and his performances at Craven Week last year saw him rewarded with a call-up to the SA Schools team.

His displays also caught the eye of the Cheetahs’ scouts, who quickly offered him a contract. Kolisi kept them on hold for a while before finally signing a professional contract with the union earlier this year.

Dean Carelse, Kolisi’s coach at Grey High, believes it is the perfect move for the powerful loose forward.

‘The junior structures in place in the Free State are absolutely top notch,’ says Carelse. ‘They showed an interest in him last year already and I think from the point of view of a province that tries to look after the development of their younger players, you can’t really get better than them.

‘His rugby is also suited to the Cheetahs’ style of play. He’s been approached by every single union, but I think Free State are probably his best option at this stage in his career.’

While Kolisi has played mostly at openside flank for Grey, he operated from the back of the scrum for SA Schools. Carelse believes he is capable of playing in either position, but admits his skills are probably better suited to eighthman.

‘Siyamthanda is physically a big man and people find it hard to take him out. He breaks the advantage line regularly. His support play is really good and his defence is sound.

‘He’s not really your typical No 6 or 7 who hits the rucks and likes to do the work on the ground, but with ball-in-hand he is devastating.

‘He’s one of those players you don’t really want to touch. He reads the game well, knows what he’s doing on the field and is one of the special players we’ve produced over the past couple of years.’

Kolisi will represent Eastern Province again at Craven Week in 2009 where he should be in with a good shout of making SA Schools for the second season running. He will then join up with the Cheetahs at the end of the year.