trendylfj wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2024 11:01 am
Kitshoff rumoured to be off back to SA from Ulster - now he would be a great signing
Ulster rumored to be shedding a lot of their recent headline signings, I know the financial situation there was a little rocky but maybe its worse than they've been letting on?
Kitshoff is also conditioned to play 30-50 minutes at an insane intensity, rather than 60+ minutes at club intensity. The Boks have maximised bench impact as no team in rugby has prior. How they use their front row is a huge part of that. It's completely different to how most clubs are going to want a marquee prop to perform.
When I watched Kitshoff for the Stormers, it felt like his role changed massively if he was playing more minutes. He was carrying and jackaling less. He wasn't as prominent a part of the line speed on fringe defence. He was being more of a traditional prop. Whereas for the Boks, he is flying up like a flanker to make dominant hits and contesting rucks like a menace in defence, carrying like a number 8 in attack. High involvement, lower minutes. As soon as he tires, on comes the best scrummaging LH in rugby - Ox time.
It feels a bit like Ulster have fallen into the trap of hoping he'll do the the job he does for the Boks but for as many minutes as he did for the Stormers. Which no prop in rugby will do.
I may be totally mistaken but I always got the feeling that Boks players are just that and the fact that they play for a club is very much secondary and there to maintain form and fitness but the big performances are always held in reserve for Boks matches. Nothing wrong with that at all, I have mentioned before that I have a feeling some England players are going the same way.
I do not see as much rugby outside of the Prem and Europe as I would like though so maybe I am very much mistaken.
GB72 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2024 2:11 pm
I may be totally mistaken but I always got the feeling that Boks players are just that and the fact that they play for a club is very much secondary and there to maintain form and fitness but the big performances are always held in reserve for Boks matches. Nothing wrong with that at all, I have mentioned before that I have a feeling some England players are going the same way.
I do not see as much rugby outside of the Prem and Europe as I would like though so maybe I am very much mistaken.
I think it varies player to player. Faf was the heartbeat of Sale's improvements for a time. Kolbe was stunning for Toulouse, less impactful at a worse run Toulon. Reinach was excellent for Saints. I thought le Roux was really good for Wasps to be fair. Jasper has remained fantastic for Tigers after becoming a Bok. Same for Esterhuizen and Quins, though more of a fringe international.
Given they have the best lock resources rugby has seen, it's curious that it hasn't really translated for most of them! Mostert was very good for Gloucester to be fair but only briefly. Lood and Snyman were fairly disastrous for Sale and Munster due to unavailability. Getting Etzebeth didn't do much for Toulon.
With good contracts and tax situation in Japan, investment back into SA rugby, it makes sense for them to take short seasons or offers at SA teams where they will likely be managed for international duty.