There's Life after Matfield and Bakkies

What a first few weeks of Super 14 rugby we've had.

The Experimental Law Variations definitely added some, or should I say much needed, spice to the way the game is played. Simply put, we are seeing more rugby over 80 minutes and fans get their money's worth.

Something else we have seen is the wealth of locks that have emerged over the last year or so. In Springbok rugby you've always had the dynamic duo of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha – arguably the best lock pair in the world, but now that the two of them have gone to greener pastures, selectors could be forced to look at the country's other not less known line-out jumpers.

That's if SA Rugby implements a plan to ignore overseas based players for Springbok selection.

Matfield and Botha are brilliant, but by no means irreplaceable.

I'm a big fan of the talent in the Cape right now. You've got the likes of Andries Bekker – who's got Springbok written all over hi! m – and more young talent like Ross Skeate, Francois van der Merwe and the Stormers' new acquisition Adriaan Fondse. In the last four years or so, the Stormers didn't have what one would call quality locks. They were making up the numbers more than anything, but what you have now is four players of the highest caliber who will give Springbok coach Peter de Villiers something to think about when he selects his first Springbok team later this year.

The Sharks have a potential Springbok captain in their midst (if John Smit is ignored for selection) and he just so happens to be a lock. Johann Muller has led the Boks before and is by no means an average back-rower. He has sort of been overshadowed by the dominating presence of Matfield and Botha, but with them out of the picture he could step up and make his presence felt aswell.

Barend Pieterse has been solid for the Cheetahs (check these facts) year in and year out and if memory serves, he was called ! up for the Boks' end-of-year tour to Wales and England.
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So uth African rugby will definitely miss the valuable experience of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, but it need not be all doom and gloom.