A precocious talent like Canan Moodie, DHL Stormers back Suleiman Hartzenberg will experience Test rugby under Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus in 2024, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane suggests that Hartzenberg’s versatility, comfortable on the wing and at outside centre, adds to the 20-year-old’s appeal.
Keohane anticipates Hartzenberg’s performance against Lukhanyo Am in the Vodacom URC clash between the Stormers and Sharks in Durban on Saturday will provide insight into the youngster’s potential as a Test No 13, and will be closely observed by Erasmus.
While Hartzenberg may make his Bok debut on the wing, Keohane sees his long-term future – like Moodie – at outside centre.
Keohane argues that Hartzenberg brings mental strength and rugby intellect, and his calmness reflects a presence usually acquired over a decade.
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“Hartzenberg is part of Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’s thinking, having been selected for the SA A side at the end of 2022 and among a new group invited to the first Springboks alignment camp of 2024,” he writes.
“The talent available to Erasmus is the envy of most countries, but Erasmus has made his own future more comfortable by being prepared to select teenage players, while a coach like John Dobson, at the Stormers, has always relished the idea of creating playing opportunities for the best young talent.
“It is Hartzenberg’s calm that is a feature of his play, and he reminds me so much of Moodie in how effortless it all looks. Both youngsters have a presence that sometimes only comes a decade into a player’s career.”
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
The post Hartzenberg is part of Rassie’s Bok plans appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
