Handre Pollard, Elton Jantjies and Pat Lambie might have formed a tight triangle around the Springbok No 10 jersey, but Jean-Luc du Plessis can add another corner to that contest.
Pollard, Jantjies and Du Plessis were named in a 41-man squad for the first of three Bok training camps to be held in Johannesburg in preparation for the international season. While Lambie’s name wasn’t on that list as no Sharks or Kings players were considered due to Super Rugby duty in Australia and Singapore, the reliable kicker will very much play a part in Allister Coetzee’s flyhalf selection issue.
And each one of these four guys will be looking to achieve their own personal goals this season, with the goal of becoming the first-choice Bok flyhalf probably the shared one between Lambie, Pollard and Jantjies. Lambie should be looking to stay injury (or concussion) free and add more grit to his performances, while Pollard should definitely aim to remove that horrible display at Newlands out of our memories with the kind of performances that made him such a hot prospect a couple of years ago.
Jean-Luc du Plessis has the best pass of any flyhalf in South Africa. Been backing this kid over Pollard since forever.
— Curtis White (@The_BiggC) February 25, 2017
The Bulls captain will look to get back to his best after a whole year on the sidelines, while Jantjies should be determined to rewrite his Bok bio after a number of baffling drops in form whenever he put on the Springbok jersey last year.
But for Du Plessis it’s completely different.
One of the biggest things the son of former Springbok and Western Province wing Carel du Plessis can take from his inclusion in the first training group is a massive confidence boost. A confidence boost that will help him build on his already-solid Currie Cup and Super Rugby productions.
But by no means am I saying that the Stormers flyhalf’s only goal going into the training camp(s) should be to just build confidence for Super Rugby and be satisfied with merely making a cameo in a Bok training camp that will see a lot of current inclusions cut as the season progresses. Because he has the potential to become a great flyhalf, not only for WP and the Stormers.
The Stormers’ season-opener against the Bulls at Newlands at the weekend again showed the 22-year-old’s calibre. It wasn’t anywhere close to the kind of superb performances he has put on show, especially last year. But it was enough to show his worth.
Last Saturday, Du Plessis produced a stable performance against the Bulls as opposed to Pollard’s shockingly rusty outing. Stable, but rather quiet by his standards.
But I don’t think I should use the word "stable" to describe a Du Plessis performance. Stable relays a sense of predictability, and if you’ve seen Du Plessis play at Currie Cup or Super Rugby level, you’d know that this pivot and that word just don’t go together.
You see, Du Plessis is a special kind of player. He has an attacking ability and an element of excitement that can’t be rivalled by many. But he also does the "normal" flyhalf stuff. He nails his touchfinders and he hits his kicks at goal.
But what makes him special is the way he attacks the line. He has the vision thing. He can see space where the eyesight of others are blocked. The way he gets stuck into rucks. The way he can create magic and get back to business when something he tries doesn’t quite work out, instead of dropping his head and sticking to less risky things. The gutsy and courageous tackles he makes. All of that makes him special.
And that is why Du Plessis shouldn’t just aim to gain some confidence by seeing his name on that 41-man list. He should go out there and aim for more and, at the very least, take that confidence to make himself into a bigger Super Rugby giant.