Jake White says he is excited to see what young Vodacom Bulls lock Reinhardt Ludwig offers when he switches to blindside flank against the DHL Stormers on Saturday.
In one of the standout selection calls for the derby at a packed Loftus Versfeld, Ludwig will shift away from his preferred second-row position to replace Elrigh Louw at blindside flank.
Louw, who would have started if he was fit, is struggling with a shoulder joint injury and White explained that it wouldn’t serve much purpose to keep the burly Springbok in the starting lineup, given that he wouldn’t be able to do the dirty work that he excels at.
Still just 21 years old, Ludwig will be making his 13th appearance of the season, but it will be just the second time he has started at blindside flank for the Bulls in the URC.
However, White maintained that it wasn’t a big call to make, explaining that it’s a massive opportunity for Ludwig to prove his mettle.
” I remember when I made Ruan Nortje captain,” White said. “Everyone said to me, ‘Jeez, Jake, you know…’
“Reinhardt Ludwig has played No 7 before for us. He hasn’t played as well as I’d like him to, but it’s a different combination now. He’s a bit older.
“People don’t want to make the comparison because the players are phenomenal, but I coached Pieter-Steph du Toit and moved him to No 7 when I was at the Sharks and he was a youngster. I remember when he moved to No 7, people asked me the same question.
“He became the best player in the world and he’s won two World Cups and was man of the match in both finals.
“So I’ve seen this movie before. Reinhardt might struggle a bit tomorrow. It’s a big game and he’s a youngster playing in front of 50 000 people. But I’ve got full faith in him. There’s a lot he will add to us. He’s very clever, works incredibly hard, he’s not slow. As a lock playing loose forward, he is relatively quick.
“The thing I really enjoy about him is his game intelligence and awareness. He picks things up quickly and doesn’t make mistakes. I’m glad he can play with Marcell and Marco, I’m quite excited to see what that combination looks like.
“It puts extra pressure on the lineout, because we’ve got three 2m guys who can jump, so we can put pressure on the Stormers’ lineout.”
White recalled how – in a similar circumstance – a 23-year-old Percy Montgomery was promoted from tourist to starter for the Springboks in a November tour clash with France in 1997.
“I remember when I was with Nick Mallett in France and Justin Swart was the Springbok fullback. We went to captain’s practice and the non-playing guys went shopping,” White said.
“Monty arrived back with loads of bags – Ralph Lauren and all the top brands – and at the captain’s practice, Justin Swart pulled his hamstring. So Monty went from shopping to the starting lineup. He played 100 Tests after that.
“So sometimes, it shows you, that by circumstance a guy comes in, sometimes you need things to bounce in your favour. Who knows, maybe Ludwig shows tomorrow that he’s talented enough to play in a combination as a No 7 flanker.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Jake backs young Bull to channel Pieter-Steph appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
