The 5th Article in the set discussing the Vodacom Bulls.

In this Article we look at the contenders for SCRUMHALVES in the Vodacom Bulls 2012 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.

The Contenders:

Name: Francois Hougaard

Position Scrumhalf / left wing Height 1.79 Weight 92 kg Date of Birth May 06 1988 Place of Birth Paarl Provincial Debut 2007 v Natal Sharks Provincial Caps 37 Provincial Points 55 Super 14 Debut 2008 v Highlanders Super 14 Caps 29 Super 14 Points 65 Test Debut 2009 v Italy Test Caps 15 Test Points 15

Hougaard was born in Paarl and matriculated at Paul Roos Gymnasium.

His primary position is scrumhalf, but in recent times he has been deployed on the wing for the Bulls and Springboks. His first tour with the Springboks was to France, Italy, Ireland and England in late 2009 where he played in one test against Italy on 21 November 2009 and two touring matches. Hougaard won the Currie Cup in 2009, and the Super rugby title in 2010, scoring tries in both finals.

In the 2011 Super 15 season, he showed great promise, adapting to his self proclaimed preferred position of scrum half in the absences of Fourie Du Preez, very well, and as a result, landed a position in the Springbok World Cup Squad for 2011 tournament.

He is by far one of the most destructive runners in Super Rugby and many local pundits rate him as the best left winger and best scrumhalf in the country. The Bulls will almost certainly use him in both roles and although the strongly built player indicated his preference to the nine jumper, his love and ability in scoring tries while roaming the field on attack could see Hougaard play on the wing often.

It is common ground by most pundits that Francois should be the Springbok scrumhalf in 2012.

Give him a jersey with any number on the back en he will play there… and will excel. Just make sure that the jersey is a Bulls one!

Name: Jano Vermaak

Position Scrumhalf Height 1.72 Weight 83 Date of Birth January 01 1985 Place of Birth Graaff Reinet Provincial Debut 2005 v SWD (Lions) Provincial Caps 84 Provincial Points 138 Super 14 Debut 2006 v Stormers (Lions) Super 14 Caps 62 Super 14 Points 68 Test Debut Test Caps 0 Test Points 0

A fiery presence at the base of the scrum, the former Lions scrumhalf possesses all of the classic attributes of a scrumhalf. Quick and intelligent, he also has a competitive streak a mile wide.

For the under-achieving Lions he had been a vital presence in making them competitive at Super Rugby level.

A former South Africa U21 international, full Springbok honours have as yet eluded him. Following a brilliant season in 2009 he represented the Emerging Springboks against the British & Irish Lions at Newlands in Cape Town, helping to secure a dramatic 13-13 draw.

He was a decent bet for Springbok honours on the Springbok 2009 tour to the northern hemisphere but Vermaak was ruled out of contention with a season-ending injury.

Vermaak has moved from the Lions to the Blue Bulls during the domestic Currie Cup season in 2011 and immediately made an impact with the Pretoria side. His experience behind the pack will be invaluable for the Bulls in 2012 and his crisp passing, great sniping around the fringes and astute tactical kicking will keep his forwards in the game. He is also a valuable stand-in kicker and good leader.

Career:

• 2004 – Lions Under 20
• 2005 – SA IRB Sevens player in New Zealand
• 2006 – Golden Cats, SA Under 21, Golden Lions ABSA Currie Cup
• 2007 – Lions Super Rugby, SA Emerging Springboks, Golden Lions ABSA Currie Cup
• 2008 – Lions Super Rugby, Golden Lions ABSA Currie Cup
• 2009 – Lions Super Rugby, SA Emerging Springboks (British & Irish Lions Tour, score was 13 / 13), Lions (British & Irish Lions Tour, Golden Lions ABSA Currie Cup
• 2010 – Golden Lions Lions Vodacom Cup, Lions Super Rugby, Golden Lions ABSA Currie Cup
• 2011 – Lions Super Rugby, Golden Lions Currie Cup, Blue Bulls ABSA Currie Cup

Name: Ruan Snyman

Position Scrumhalf Height 1.85 Weight 80 Date of Birth March 09 1987 Place of Birth Pretoria Provincial Debut 2008 v Griquas Provincial Caps 13 Provincial Points 10 Super 14 Debut 2010 v Stormers Super 14 Caps 1 Super 14 Points 5 Test Debut Test Caps 0 Test Points 0

Playing behind two incumbent Springboks could force players to look elsewhere for opportunities, but the nippy Snyman decided to stay put and use his limited opportunities to the best of his abilities. A sniping service, sound kicking game and tactical awareness helped him embrace the chances that came his way, but with Fourie du Preez and Francois Hougaard away on World Cup duty a shoulder injury curtailed his participation in the 2011 Currie Cup.

As far as I’m concerned Ruan is a bit green and does not have the same qualities that Jano or Francois brings to the game, however as a stop-gat scrumhalf he will be OK, should his services be required at all.

Additional Players:

No need to go into deeper detail but there is still a number of players in the wings after these 3 scrumhalves already discussed.

Starters:

The Bulls are virtually assured to start with Francois Hougaard and have Jano Vermaak on the bench but in selected games Hougaard could start on the left wing, giving Jano Vermaak a starting berth. Frans Ludeke has indicated however that he will use Francois Hougaard primarily as a scrumhalf.

I expect that Jano Vermaak WILL get game time every week though, the logical situation being that Francois Hougaard will be moved to left wing after 50 to 60 minutes in the game, allowing Bjorn Basson to either come off or move to fullback in place of Zane Kirchner, and Jano taking over as scrumhalf.

Ruan Snyman should only see duty if something drastic happens to either Francois Hougaard or Jano Vermaak or in a situation where Francois Hougaard is rested to be fresh enough for Springbok duty in June.

The next Article in the range will deal with the Bulls Flyhalves.