Whoever wins between Evan Roos and Cameron Hanekom on Saturday takes huge strides to establish the pecking order of those chasing the Springboks No 8 jersey, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Roos and Hanekom were set to face off in Cape Town two months ago, but the former withdrew due to injury, and writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane discusses their potential meeting in the Vodacom URC north-south derby at Loftus Versfeld this week.
According to Keohane, both youngsters have been two of the standout South African loose forwards this season, and will challenge world champion Jasper Wiese in 2024 for the Bok jumper left vacant by Duane Vermeulen’s retirement.
He highlights their statistics, with Roos excelling in turnovers and carries, while Hanekom leads in offloads and meters made. Despite the nature of gameplay where No. 8s don’t directly face each other, Keohane emphasises that the duo – both products of Paarl Boys’ High in the Western Cape – have been influential in key wins for the DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls, respectively.
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“Evan Roos and Cameron Hanekom finally get to square up and the one with the bragging rights on Saturday night will have the bigger strut at next week’s first Springboks alignment camp of 2024,” Keohane writes.
“Roos’ 47 carries are the third highest in the URC and Hanekom has 37 carries. Both players have beaten 19 defenders, with Hanekom (13) edging Roos (10) for offloads and for metres made (292 versus 275),” Keohane writes. “Roos has also shown an appetite for defence with 68 tackles.
“Hanekom has been influential in the Bulls winning seven from 10 in the URC and qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions Cup.”
“Roos, though, has been consistently good in all aspects of attack and defence, and his engine speaks to his match conditioning and endurance.
“Jasper Wiese has been the Bok No 8 alternative to Vermeulen in the past three seasons, but of the South African-based players Roos leads the charge, with Hanekom enjoying a powerful debut season.”
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
