The ten best rookies of 2014 Super Rugby

5. Handrè Pollard    (Bulls)   Flyhalf

The 20-year-old has been ordained as the natural successor to Morné Steyn at the Bulls for some time and this year he played in twelve games, mostly from the bench behind JL Potgieter.

He took time out to captain South African Under 20s in New Zealand (it was his third year in the team) and was voted the IRB Junior Player of the Year after the tournament.

Pollard is the complete flyhalf package with his game management, passing, and kicking game—and he is a big lad who is not afraid to take the ball to the tackle line.

He started for the Bulls four times in his last five games and on the strength of that was chosen to start for the Boks in the last June test, against Scotland.

We are going to see a lot of this fellow in the next ten years.

Handrè Pollard – the complete flyhalf package

4. Marnitz Boshoff    (Lions)    Flyhalf

The 25-year-old flyhalf had played for various teams in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup but he got his Super Rugby break in Round 1 for the Lions this year after Elton Jantjies had been injured. He was was so successful that he kept Jantjies out of the run-on team for most of the season, starting in 14 of their 16 games.

His debut for the Lions on their return to Super Rugby was sensational. The Cheetahs had scored two tries to none in front of their home crowd and were leading 20-18 with two minutes to go, but Boshoff, who had kicked six penalty goals already for the Lions, got the ball 35 metres out and slotted the winning field goal.

In his second game he helped the Lions beat the Stormers for the first time since the old Cats’ side disbanded in 2006— 34-10. He slotted six penalty goals, converted the only Lions’ try, and drop-kicked three, to tally 29 points.

The Lions won four out of their first six games but soon the problems of an inexperienced side set in and they lost seven straight by the time they returned from their overseas trip with a big butcher’s bill.

They were a shadow of their side a few months before, but, first game back, Boshoff kicked 22 points to help the Lions to get a notable win away at Loftus 32-21 and ruin the Bulls’ chances of making the finals.

The Lions goal-kicker had a success percentage of 87% and, taking into account the difficulty factor of his kicks, was the highest ranked kicker in the tournament.

But Boshoff is more than just a points scorer: he is a game manager. Springbok coach Heneyke Meyer said he was unlucky not to make the original 2014 Bok training squad, but called him in after an injury.

He got ten minutes from the bench versus Scotland—not bad for an unfashionable Morné Steyn-type flyhalf who had been overlooked for so long.

 Marnitz Boshoff – super Super Rugby debut this year

3. Cornal Hendricks    (Cheetahs)    Winger

Coming from an adverse background and humble surroundings the affable Hendricks had played only for Boland in the third-tier Currie Cup or fourth-tier Vodacom Cup, and for the Blitzbokke Sevens, before this year.

After a tussle for his 2014 services with the national Sevens’ team the Cheetahs prevailed and the 26-year-old soon came to notice in Super Rugby with his Sevens’ engine and elusive skills.

He is more than just a finishing winger as he showed in some weaving runs; and there was none better than when he scored one of the best tries of the season—against the Blues at Eden Park. When Johan Sadie put him through a gap he turned defenders inside out, Campese-like, before dotting down.

Hendricks started in all of the three Springbok tests in June. He scored two tries and would have had a third had not the Wales’ fullback shoulder-charged him out near the corner, (after which Steve Walsh correctly awarded a penalty try).

 Cornal Hendricks scores against the Blues – not just a finisher

2. Nemani Nadolo    (Crusaders)    Winger

I will save Nadolo’s full story for another time but the Queensland-raised lad who came to Sydney to play club rugby was looked at by the Waratahs after terrorising opponents in the Shute Shield. He got some kind of a contract with them for 2009 but never got on the park.

He went overseas to play in France, England and Japan, and the Crusaders signed him for 2014.

The 26-year-old made his test debut for Fiji in 2010 and is a more mature player now than when he was playing at home: his handling is improved, works better off the ball and is more rugby-smart.

After playing in just twelve games he is fifth on the list of defenders beaten in Super Rugby (24) and second in clean breaks (44)

Nemani Nadolo – improved after going overseas

1.  Malakai Fekitoa    (Highlanders)    Outside centre

The 22 year-old’s story is well-known now.

Born on a small island in Tonga, and not speaking English, he visited NZ as a 17-year-old and got accepted in a “rugby interview” by Wesley College.

He got noticed in the 2011 NZ Sevens’ nationals as the player of the tournament and appeared for Auckland in the 2012 ITM Cup. The Blues franchise picked him up for 2013 but didn’t use him except for a mid-week game against the touring French side.

He switched to the Highlanders and hoped to start in Super Rugby. In February this year I saw him for the first time at the ground when he appeared for The Clan against the Waratahs in a pre-season trial in Newcastle.

I wrote after the match that:

Centre Malakai Fekitoa also had some promising moments—on both attack and defence—including a 50 metre run that was one of the few Highlander threats on the night. This fellow was hard to handle in the 2013 ITM Cup and will be worth watching in 2014 if he can keep his place.

He kept his place all right starting in all 17 games that the Highlanders played, and scoring seven tries including a brilliant one in the losing Qualifying Final in Durban. During the season he beat more defenders (65) than any other player and he was fourth in the number of clean breaks (20)

He is still a rough diamond, like a young Ma’a Nonu, but he can be devastating in his first few steps with the ball, or when rush-tackling

Called into the All Blacks squad against England this year he got his first test cap in the first test from the bench, and started his first game in the third.

But is for his sparkling performances in Super Rugby alone that he is named as the Green & Gold Super Rugby Rookie of the Year.

 Malakai Fekitoa – Green & Gold Super Rugby Rookie of the Year

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